l to r: E. E. Salo and Megan Kearney

Sparks fly at summer camp when a soccer player volunteers to help a dancer nail an important end-of-summer audition in the sweet and spicy young adult romance graphic novel Too Hot to Tango. 

Stanford-bound Honey is a soccer superstar. She has spent most of her life training to be an elite player and is spending her summer before college coaching young kids at a sports camp. She’s never been interested in romance, that is, until she goes to a party and sees Teddi lighting up the dance floor.

Their dynamic is set up beautifully: Honey, in sleepwear and Crocs, is a sharp contrast to Teddi, in her sparkly green dress and matching heels. And while Honey can barely stammer, “Pretty was your dancing,” Teddi confidently leads her to the dance floor with a dare for the “soccer legend” to show off “what your fancy feet can do.”

Illustration: Megan Kearney.

The duo’s chemistry crackles off the page with Megan Kearney’s vibrant and colourful illustrations. When Teddi’s dance partner spins her till her face is within inches of Honey’s, the artwork zooms in with a freeze-frame of the girls’ faces: Teddi’s heavy-lidded gaze pins Honey in place, and sweat appears not just on Honey’s flushed face, but on her clavicle as well. It’s a high-heat split second when their lips are almost-but-not-quite close enough to touch, and Kearney’s art invites the reader to experience the moment as intensely as Honey does. 

Illustration: Megan Kearney.

Honey’s unwavering dedication to excel is drilled into her by her father. Even when her cousin and friends at camp urge her to relax, she still gets up before breakfast each morning to run. In a relatable scene, she breaks down after bombing a dance performance because it’s the first time she’s failed at something. Teddi’s response that it’s okay to not be great at something is good advice for anyone apprehensive about stepping outside their comfort zone. Teddi’s own experiences with parental expectations and failure are a reminder that confidence isn’t always as effortless as it seems. 

Honey and Teddi’s romance is sweet, and their dance scenes are fun, playful, and electrifying. Their story is a pure delight, and will leave readers longing to hit the dance floor themselves.

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