Becoming Nikki (Book Review)

Becoming Nikki
By: Ashley Elliot
Rating: 4.5 stars 
Ages: 12 and up

From the back cover: 

"What would you do if you were given the opportunity to rebuild a broken relationship?

Alec and Nikki Scott are the perfect ice dancing duo, executing flawless technique and brilliant performance abillities each time they compete. No one doubts their camaraderie, not even their closest friends.

But looks can be deceiving. Off the ice, their relationship is in shambles. Ice dancing is the only thing they have in common anymore...and Alec wants to quit. 

Just as Nikki feels like their relationship can't get any worse, an unexpected tragedy crashes into her life. She's left struggling with a difficult choice as her opinion of her brother slowly starts to change.

Whatever she decides, she knows her life will never be the same."

Becoming Nikki is a fantastic book. It's one of the best I've read this year. I highly enjoyed the plot, and the message, and really just the unfolding of the whole story. 

Starting out, I wasn't super interested... I had bought three books, so I decided to hop into another one. Little did I know that this book was going to be so good! (And was it, indeed!)

Once I started reading again, I was pretty much hooked. It didn't take long for everything to start rolling. And I finished it the next day. (Yes, I did finish two books in two days...) ;)

I really, really liked the plot. I know I mentioned this above, but it's worth mentioning twice. Ice dancing? it's a really unique take to a book, especially since anything with ice dancing is normally in movie form. But it was really well done. I could tell that the author took the time to do some research. Though, most of the time I generally had no clue what move the two main characters were performing, the way Elliot describes it makes it seem much more authentic. I also thought it was rather cool that Becoming Nikki was inspired by Charlie White and Meryl Davis. 

I loved the unfolding of Alec and Nikki's relationship. Elliot did a really great job with this. Things progressed realistically. It was paced well, too. You get to see some of what their relationship is like before the accident, and then flashbacks tell more later on in the story. (The accident was nicely done, too!)

Their relationship was really so adorable. It was really nice to find a book that was not a romance - it was just a story about a  brother and sister. I really enjoyed all of the special moments between Alec and Nikki, like when they play the football game at the family get-together and he chooses her first. Or when he takes her to lunch and then on a surprise visit to the fair. (And Natalie and Bennett and Dylan show up. And Bennett is seriously goofy. And Dylan was great. Natalie? I have a feeling I'd probably be her in this book...) ;)

Overall, I can't describe Becoming Nikki well enough. This book is really good. It was well done, incredibly realistic, and just a whole lot of fun, along with having a much-needed message included about treasuring our relationships with our siblings. 

(AND I normally don't go for Contemporary fiction, but this was way better than most!) 

Job well-done, Ashley Elliot! This book comes recommended. :)