Eyes on Me by Rachel Harris
Pages: 310
Publish date: March 26th 2019
Publisher: Entangled Teen
ISBN: 9781640635265
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU
Look up the word “nerd” and you’ll find Lily Bailey’s picture. She’s got one goal: first stop valedictorian, next stop Harvard. Until a stint in the hospital from too much stress lands her in the last place a klutz like her ever expected to be: salsa dance lessons.
Look up the word “popular” and you’ll find Stone Torres’s picture. His life seems perfect—star of the football team, small-town hero, lots of friends. But his family is struggling to make ends meet, so if pitching in at his mom’s dance studio helps, he’ll do it.
When Lily’s dad offers Stone extra cash to volunteer as Lily’s permanent dance partner, he can’t refuse. But with each dip and turn, each moment her hand is in his, his side job starts to feel all too real. Lily shows Stone he’s more than his impressive football stats, and he introduces her to a world outside of studying. But with the lines blurred, can their relationship survive the secret he’s been hiding?
Eyes on Me:
I received an e-arc of Eyes on Me by Rachel Harris from Entangled Teen via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.
I haven’t read a new Rachel Harris is nearly 2 years – what on earth. I can’t believe that it’s been that long. But as soon as I started Eyes on Me, I remembered why I fell in love with her romances, with her stories.
Eyes on Me follows Lily as she tries to navigate her last year at high school. She is so close to becoming valedictorian, but Lily knows that it can slip through her fingers at any time. But after an intense hospital visit, Lily’s father needs her to do something other than studying. So when her Dad signs her up for dancing lessons, Lily isn’t having it. She can’t walk straight, let alone dance. But she knows that it will make him happy.
Stone has a lot going for him, as the star quarterback, and popular kid, you think he was living a teenage dream. But his mother’s dance studio is struggling. So when Lily’s dad offers him extra cash for being Lily’s dance partner as well as keeping her entertained – he really can’t say no. But we all know that this is going to end up a disaster.
I have always loved reading Rachel Harris novels, I don’t know what it is. But whenever I pick up one of her books I just fall in love. And I felt the same with Eyes on Me. While it does have a very cliché premise, it still had its unique twist that made me want to keep on reading. Most of the time I really don’t like books that feature dancing, I don’t know what it is. However, it really worked here.
I really enjoyed Lily as a protagonist, she was easy to get along with and I loved getting to know her. At the start of the novel, Lily is very quiet and draw back from others. Focused on becoming valedictorian there is nothing else matters too much. She wants to make her mother proud. I think that is what drove her a lot through Eyes on Me. The reader is able to see that Lily is still grieving her mother’s death and not only that, she misses her.
Lily’s character arc and growth is something that I loved throughout Eyes on Me. The reader is able to see that she not only gains confidence in herself but those around her. She is able to form more friendships and let herself be free in a way. And it wasn’t just through meeting Stone, but through the dancing as well.
Stone was an interesting character as well. While I didn’t like him as much as Lily, I still enjoyed getting to know him. One of the things that I admired about him was the love that he had for his family. Not only for his parents but his sister as well. From the get-go, the reader is able to see who much Stone cares for them all, and he will do anything for them. While Stone had the usual quarterback persona, he was also very sensitive and he danced.
Stone and Lily together were totally adorable. The reader is able to see from the start that they have a connection. This connection becomes stronger as the novel goes on. Through them dancing together and simply having out. I loved that the romance wasn’t too fast, but then again it wasn’t slow. It was kind of the perfect rate for me. What I didn’t like about the romance was how it started. It’s a trope that I don’t particularly like, but I pushed through it. I understand why Stone took the money, but I wish he stopped taking it. Because, in the end, everyone gets hurt.
Grief is something is looked at in YA a lot, but I thought that Rachel Harris did an excellent job at it in Eyes on Me. As I said before dancing in novels aren’t usually something that I like reading about. But I think it really helped the reader understand Lily’s grief.
In saying all this there were times throughout the novel that I felt like I had read them before. Eyes on Me is very cliché at sometimes that did turn me off. But I was invested in Lily’s story and I wanted to see where it went. I think that sometimes YA contemporary romance can be like that. you kind of know what’s going to happen but you want to read on.
Another thing that I did love about the novel as it looks on female friendship. I think that is something that YA lacks still, but Rachel Harris explored it in such a nice way in Eyes on Me. I liked that the reader is not only able to see old friendships stay strong but, when another girl is added to the mix, it doesn’t break apart. The friendships were very warm and welcoming.
Overall, Eyes on Me by Rachel Harris as a fantastic read. It’s a lighthearted romance novel that explores friendship, new romances, but also looks at grief and learning to overcome it. The writing was easy to read and the romance was just adorable. Rachel Harris has a knack for writing very real characters and she does it yet again in Eyes on Me.
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