It's Only Dancing

by Jasmine Guillory

New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory makes her highly-anticipated young adult debut with a Dirty Dancing-inspired contemporary romcom!

It's the summer before her senior year of high school and Katherine (Kitty to her family) wants to be spending it interning for an important organization or doing something impressive--instead, she's spending an entire month with her family at a camp on the coast of southern California.

When she stumbles across a staff party on the first night, she's jealous of their joyful, uninhibited dancing. She hasn't danced like that since two years ago, when the insults forced her to quit ballet, which she once loved more than anything.

When she and a hip hop dance instructor named Jordan start to fall in love, she realizes that getting too close with a handsome and magnetic employee could tarnish her good girl reputation. As Kitty begins sneaking around and lying to her parents in order to spend time with Jordan, she'll have to ask herself--what is she willing to risk in order to finally feel free? And is it possible her love for Jordan could reignite her love for dance?

Genres: Romance, Young Adult

320 pages, Paperback

Expected publication October 6, 2026

About the author

Jasmine Guillory is a New York Times bestselling author of nine novels including The Wedding Date, the Reese's Book Club selection The Proposal, and Flirting Lessons. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, Bon Appetit, and Time, and she is a frequent book contributor on The Today Show. She lives in Oakland, California.

Reviews

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jasmine Guillory, author of adult romance novels including The Proposal, The Wedding and Flirting Lessons, debuts her first novel for high school readers of romance, especially designed for those who love to dance or have a fondness for the 1987 box office hit, Dirty Dancing.

Katherine/Kat who used to go by Kitty and her dad just can’t get it, was serious about ballet since elementary school but as her body began to develop curves not usually seen on the most successful ballerinas, a spiteful instructor took away her joy of dance with belittling critiques and lesser roles leading to her quitting and swearing off dance of all types. A forced togetherness summer camp family experience just may change that…if gruff Toni and gorgeous Jordan, dance instructors at camp, have anything to do with it! A chance discovery of a staff only hip hop dance party leaves Kat wondering if there is a place for dance in her life and then when Jordan needs a partner for an important performance, Toni is sure of it even with Kat isn’t! Ten days of intense practice results in not only a great partnership on stage but Kat and Jordan find their hip hop heat extends to their hearts, too.

Guillory throws in a variety of relationship complications-staffers not permitted to date campers, Kat’s heart wounds from more than just an ignorant ballet instructor, a bigoted camp director with bad ideas, as well as a protest in town that results in an undeserved arrest and dismissal from employment at the camp. The parallels between It’s Only Dancing and Dirty Dancing are clearly present but Kat and Jordan are not simply a Black Baby/Francis and Johnny. Readers will not be able to predict every scene and will not burst into “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” as they read.

Recommended for high school libraries, especially if there is a large dancing population present.

*Profanity: less than 30 instances of mild cursing with the acronym WTF used once which may sound like a lot, but it really didn’t feel that way to this retired librarian
*Violence: A protest at a bookstore hosting a drag story time gets verbally abusive and patrons were berated and harassed to the point of fear; a camp protest of the firing of an employee and unfair treatment of others is loud but not abusive or threatening
*Sexual content: None, but Kat and Jordan do kiss often and with great passion, there is discussion of how physically attractive he finds her, and Kat definitely toys with the idea of more than just kissing him but neither make any move in that direction.
*Representation: Kat’s family is Black as are Jordan and his father. Other staffers have names indicating diversity and several staffers are noted as being racially discriminated against by the camp director. Toni’s partner is non-binary and their identity is a significant factor in the storyline.

Thanks for the eARC, Edelweiss and Scholastic Press.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read a free ARC from NetGalley.
Former ballerina Kat is forced to go to family summer camp with her mom, her dad and her younger sister Ella. She was not looking forward to all of the family bonding time but starts to have fun. She stumbles upon a staff dance party where she runs into handsome, kind hip-hop dancer, Jordan, and his bestie Toni. Kat thinks that Jordan is good looking and charming but believes that he is dating Toni and is not interested. When she sees Toni crying one night, she finds out Toni has a significant other, Frankie, who is running in an important track meet soon and she would like to be there to show her support. Unfortunately, Toni is Jordan’s dance partner and on the same day as the track meet, she and Jordan are dancing at a festival. This is a chance for dance scouts to see Jordan dance and offer him potential scholarships, which he’ll need to afford school. In an impromptu decision, Kat offers to take Toni’s place if Toni teaches her the routine. Jordan agrees and the three of them form a friendship through many dance practices, all of which Kat is hiding from her family. Soon it seems that Kat and Jordan are becoming more than friends, but the camp staff are not allowed to fraternize with the guests. The main characters are great. I loved the family dynamic- the parents and Ella are written as supportive, funny, caring and their dialogue seems true to life.
This is somewhat of a take on Dirty Dancing, with some added commentary on race, social class, LGBTQ+ issues with the supporting characters, and the unequal treatment and pay of the camp staff by their boss. There are no spicy scenes if you are concerned about that in your YA books. I’ve never read any Jasmine Guillory books before, I really enjoyed this one, so I may have to check out some of her adult novels.

[Lizzie Fusco · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited to read this book when I first heard about the premise, because I love the movie "Dirty Dancing" so much. While I think this book does bring up some really good points, and I don't necessarily dislike the plot, I felt no emotional connection to any of the characters. Maybe that's just me, but I didn't really think any of them reflected the characters they were based on at all, which really upset me. Especially Kat and Baby. I always LOVED Baby. She was strong, resilient and learning to make her way in the world. And while I see Guillory tried to do that with Kat, the whole book just ended up feeling like one big apology to Kat for things in the past. I think there was too much dwelling on things that happened before the book started and that's why I felt a lack of connection. I don't necessarily think this is a bad book, I just think as a Dirty Dancing Loyalist, it wasn't for me.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Jasmine Guillory makes her YA debut in this contemporary update based on "Dirty Dancing".

Kat was all about ballet, until she gave it all up 2 years ago. At Camp Ochoa, a summer camp for families that Kat is forced to attend with her sister and parents, she stumbles across a staff dance party and draws the attention of Jordan, the camp dance instructor. When Jordan needs a new dance partner for an important hip hop demonstration, Kat steps up. Over the course of the 4 week summer camp, Kat opens up about what made her quit ballet and begins the healing process while rediscovering her passion for dance.

I enjoyed the journey of this story as Kat learns and grows through her time at camp. The story addresses many important themes without being overly dramatic; and the romance between Kat and Jordan is realistic and sweet. I would definitely recommend this book for ages 12+.

[Sarah Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong YA debut from one of the reigning queens of romance! While this story is influenced by the movie Dirty Dancing, it stands completely on its own. As Guillory has said, she updated it for a younger audience and to reflect different realities. Camper Kat and dance instructor Jordan have little in common with Baby and Johnny, which is a good thing. They are more connected to their friends and families, and way less messed up as people! Dance is the through line of the story and the characters. It’s what allows them to understand themselves and each other. The supporting characters are well drawn and stand on their own, especially Jordan’s best friend Toni. It could use a little editing down of some repetitive sections, but that’s a minor quibble. It’s a very sweet story with amazing summer vibes!

Thanks to Scholastic for an ARC.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guillory has penned her young adult debut and it's a modern Dirty Dancing retelling! This is not a drill! Katherine is reluctantly headed to a family summer camp with her family for a month of family bonding. But the last activity she's up for is hip hop dancing. Or dancing of any sort really, after having quit ballet a few years ago. But her big heart (and a tiny crush on one of the dance instructors) has her offering to sub in for a big dance in a few weeks. However, she's going to have to get her hips and face to show some emotion if she's going to succeed. This fun retelling is the perfect summer read!

[Darci Kester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great YA debut! Fun and funny romance inspired by the movie Dirty Dancing. Kat and Jordan were great main characters, and I liked all the secondary characters as well.

Side note, I did think the entire time that maybe a character from her other novels would pop in like they do in her other books. Just for a bit of overlap haha But not that I noticed.

Thanks to Scholastic for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for It’s Only Dancing to come out October 6, 2026.

[elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh how i love dirty dancing. Jasmine takes us along on Kat’s journey of self discovery and love at a “forced family fun” summer camp trip. I cried throughout the entirety of this book, watching Kat grow into herself and find her independence. Absolutely beautiful book that i will be recommending to everyone.

Dance, love, and sticking it to the man. 10/10. 🫶

[Deborah Zeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

she quit ballet two years ago because of cruel words. this summer might bring it back. 💃☀️

kitty: good girl. resume-builder. accidentally spending a month at a california coast camp. 😤

first night: stumbles onto a staff party.
watches people dance freely and feels the loss of something she used to love. 💔

then jordan: hip hop instructor. magnetic. handsome. 👀
and suddenly kitty is sneaking around and lying to her parents. 😳

the reputation she's built so carefully — at risk. 🚨

but for the first time in two years?
she feels free. 🌊

Congrats to Jasmine on writing her first YA romance! A sweet nod to Dirty Dancing...except this time Jordan is not the "bad guy" and baby is NOT put in a corner. It's a story that's really about reclaiming yourself, with a summer romance thrown in. Dance brings them together. Thanks Scholastic for the PB arc!

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modern, California version of Dirty Dancing.

[Rajdeep Singh]

Work read - sweet romance on the younger side of YA that reinforced my belief that we need age appropriate romances for this demographic