Publication Date: May 16, 2023
When a career-ending injury and a messy breakup send prima ballerina Daniela Verdi back to Queens, New York, she fills her days with countless distractions: meaningless sex, pinot grigio, and video games.
It takes a chance meeting with her brother’s best friend, Vincent LaBate, for her to remember who she was before the stage lights and distractions of the Upper West Side. She’s convinced that Vincent could never love a girl like her: broken, insecure, and stumbling her way through life. What Daniela didn’t count on is that Vincent is as scarred as she is after divorcing his cheating wife and going through an equally messy child custody fight. Soon enough, old vulnerabilities rear their ugly heads, opening a crack in Daniela’s perfectly imperfect romance.
As Daniela and Vincent’s relationship develops, will Daniela learn to accept that a dream life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be?
Sushi and Sea Lions by debut author Rachel Corsini started out very slowly for me. It was hard to get into the story because Dany, who is no longer a professional prima ballerina due to a career-ending injury she received while performing, is in self-destruct mode. It was hard to watch how she was self-sabotaging after losing her position, plus telling her boyfriend to take a hike. But was Nate really her boyfriend or just a casual hookup when he needed a fix? Once I got past that, the story had a good flow that kept my interest.
Dany is surrounded by family and good friends, and her ex-ballet partner continues to reach out to her. She has to find new passions and interests, which takes time. Vincent, her brother’s best friend, is dealing with his own issues, but they definitely have an attraction, and she admits to herself that she’s always had a crush on him since they were younger. They are good for each other and seem to be attuned to each other as well. Of course, when you have a couple of needy characters pairing off, things don’t always happen how they want them to.
I liked Dany’s relationship with her parents, older brother, sons, and Vin’s son. Her sister-in-law was hard to read since, under the guise of caring, she sometimes went too far in giving her opinion or take on things. Did she really have Dany’s well-being and best interests in mind?Â
There are several references to the ballet and Queens where she now lives, which I enjoyed since I’m originally from Queens, even though it was many moons ago. I could envision the neighborhood, the food, being Italian, and some of the places Dany and others visited. There was closure and a happily-ever-after in the offing after much angst, anger, soul searching, tears, hard work, camaraderie, romance, and steamy moments.Â
The title and the cover are cute and very applicable to the story. I enjoyed reading the recipes in the back of the book, and the grandmother’s sauce is just how my family makes it! Yum!Â
In Sushi and Sea Lions, you can bark with the sea lions, eat and drink in the neighborhood, see the sites of New York, and learn more about ballet as you read this delightful romance.
After declaring herself a pretty pink princess during her first ballet class, Rachel dreamt of sugarplums and began pirouetting her way through life. While studying to become a ballerina, she compulsively read books under her covers by flashlight and scribbled in spiral-bound notebooks. The urge to tell stories culminated in her graduation from Columbia College Chicago with a B.F.A. in fiction writing.
Never one to keep her feet on the ground, she traveled the world from Prague to Cape Town. Once settled back in Queens, she dabbled in journalism before working as an Editorial Assistant for a medical publisher. Seeking a more fulfilling career, she earned her MAT from Queens College and currently works as an English teacher in an alternative program in NYC.
Rachel spends her time sipping coffee, trying to cook, and practicing her pirouettes. She currently resides in Freeport, Long Island.
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