Variation: A Novel

Instant USA Today, Amazon Charts, and Publishers Weekly bestseller.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fourth Wing comes a new contemporary romance about the summer a celebrated dancer returns home and unearths years of family secrets and deep regrets with the Coast Guard rescue swimmer she never forgot.

Elite ballerina Allie Rousseau is no stranger to pressure. With her mother's eyes always watching, perfection was expected, no matter the cost. But when an injury jeopardizes all she's sacrificed for, Allie returns to her summer home to heal and recover. But the memories she's tried to forget rush in and threaten to take her under.

As a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Hudson Ellis knows that hesitation can mean the difference between life and death. He's always prided himself on being in the right place at the right time, especially when it came to Allie Rousseau...until the night he left for basic. After the biggest regret of his life, the secrets he keeps mean he can never be with the one woman he wants more than his next breath.

When Hudson's niece shows up on Allie's doorstep, desperate to find her birth mother, Allie finds herself in an unimaginable position. Allie and Hudson's past and present might be endlessly complicated. The thread that tied them to each other all those years ago may have unraveled, but the truth could pull them back together, or drive them apart forever.

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464 pages

Average rating: 7.69

301 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Suz L
Apr 18, 2025
7/10 stars
This was my first time reading a stand alone novel by Rebecca Yarros. Overall, I found the story charming and engaging, although their were some elements I felt could have been elaborated on or explored more deeply. The end was a tad confusing in certain parts.
Anonymous
Mar 29, 2025
10/10 stars
Aaww

This was cute. Reminded me of my time when I did ballet. Still love it but happy I’m not breaking my body for it. This story pulled at heart strings and had me silent screaming in the wee hours of the morning before the sun even rose. The hold this story had on me, I did my best to make sure I was digesting the words and not running to the end.
ljzsreadsandreviews
Mar 13, 2025
10/10 stars
This book is a new obsession. I was addicted from beginning to end with close to nothing I didn’t like. I always love a dual POV so I enjoyed getting both Allie and Hudson’s perspectives plus I liked how we start the story where they first met, as kids. The gap between the prologue to current day left a lot for us to figure out and I predicted a good amount but there were still surprises which I truly appreciated. I was able to picture the Cape Cod setting so vividly and don’t even get me started with these characters because I’m straight up attached. I loved Hudson and his family whole heartedly. Allie was maybe the only piece that occasionally bothered me but I understand the rationale of her character enough where it didn’t ruin the overall likeness of the book. In the end, I cannot stop thinking about this book and although I have read other contemporary works from Rebecca Yarros, this was another reminder that I need to pick up more of them!
Larayagunter
Mar 04, 2025
8/10 stars
I was shocked how much I enjoyed this book. This was the first contemporary romance I’ve read of Rebecca Yarros and damn if she can’t do it all. Give me a ballerina and a military man and you have me hooked! The spice was STEAMY but there was also a plot with a few twists I didn’t expect. Loved it and an easy read!
oOKareenaOo
Feb 22, 2025
5/10 stars
It was okay. It lacked the spark of her other works.

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