Whyyyy am I not seeing more about this book!? It was so cute and I'm so happy it's a series because your girl needs MORE. The showmance storyline, the banter, the chemistry, the ROMANCE, swoon. This was such a cute read and I really enjoyed the characters and related to them, which is important to me as the reader. Thoroughly enjoyed this!

"Take the Lead" is a good book for those who like romances but will be particularly appealing to fans of "Dancing with the Stars" and reality TV shows. Gina Morales is a professional dancer but her future on "The Dance Off" depends on her and her celebrity partner making the finals. Gina is an attractive Puerto Rican woman, and she takes pride in her heritage, but she does not appreciate being typecast as the "Sexy Latina" and having to deal with the assumptions people make about her based on that stereotype. That is one reason why she is so opposed to her producer's efforts to "create" a "showmance" between Gina and her celebrity partner, Stone Nielson. Stone and his family star on a wilderness reality show set in Alaska called "Living Wild", where they live off the grid. He does not really want to take part in a dance competition, but his family could use the money he will receive to pay for his mother's medical bills. However, he has to endure the spotlight and media attention that comes with "The Dance Off", while protecting the image of "Living Wild", as the family's reality show had even less "reality" than many reality shows. Of course, as they train and dance together, Gina and Stone's relationship will develop and change, and they will have to contend with what their feelings for each other mean for their identities and their futures, while also trying to win the competition and dealing with the machinations of the producers and some of their competitors.

Such a great book! I was in a massive reading slump but this book picked me up. I was immersed in their universe.
This was such a fantastic read. I definitely recommend it.

As someone who hates reality dance competitions, this made me want to go watch it. It dives through what actually goes on behind the scene and to me that was so refreshing to see beyond what we know.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

I adore Alexis Daria, and have always wanted to read her debut so seeing it get republished was everything!

I love that this is a reality dancing competition and loved the way the episodes were incorporated into the book. It was so easy to picture the story in my head. I loved Gina and Stone and the reality of what a showmance might mean for Gina's career and public perception. The way that they grew together and learned to trust and open up to one another was beautifully done. And I hope we get to see the next book republished soon!

3.5 stars!

This was just so fun. I could picture this romance so easily and I've definitely watched shows lile dancing with the stars with hopes of romances! The writing was really well done and kept me hooked the entire time.

Thank you netgalley and St Martin's Press for the earc in exchange for an honest review

3.5 rounded up to 4

This book was adorable. It’s basically if a Chris Hemsworth doppelgänger from Alaska: The Last Frontier went on Dancing with the Stars and fell in love with his gorgeous and ambitious dance partner.

I adored almost all of the characters in this book (except you, Donna 🙄). Gina is passionate and headstrong and is an amazing character for Latina representation. She refuses to be typecasted as only a sexy/promiscuous Latina. Her character shows the unfortunate reality of how Latin American woman are perceived in media and the lengths that they have to go through to not be sexualized or viewed in a certain way. And Gina’s character stays true to that for the entire story.

Stone is your strong and silent, but not brooding type. He has a big heart and an even bigger….state that he lives in which is Alaska. He’s not on board with the whole dancing show (even though he can breakdance???), but you can see his character develop overtime and become more comfortable with himself.

Stone and Gina’s relationship is insta-attraction, but not insta-love. They have great build up, and even just the description of the tension they had while dancing had me sweating. For half of the book it was a “will they/won’t they” scenario, but once they finally accepted their feelings for each other??? Incredible. 🔥🔥🔥.

I really enjoyed how the author introduced all the characters in this book. At first I thought it would be overwhelming keeping track of so many characters, but it wasn’t difficult at all! I especially loved Gina’s best friend, Natasha and her unwavering support of Gina. She’s also a tough love type of chick and makes Gina realize when she’s being dumb.

That being said, my only issue with this book was the conflict. While I understood the reasoning behind why each character was upset, it went on for a long time. It got to the point where I was frustrated with both of them and felt like they were being immature. It definitely has some miscommunication that made me dislike the characters. The way Gina held a grudge felt a bit out of character for me.

Overall, this was a cute read and such a unique story line!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

If you love reality dance competitions like Dancing with the Stars, you'll love this book! It's sweet, funny, swoony and sexy! Alexis does such a great job of making you feel like you're really backstage during one of these competitions. The chemistry between the main character Gina Morales and Stone Nielson jumps ofGf the page from their first on page interaction.

Gina Morales is a pro-dancer on Take the Lead, a reality dance competition. After not winning for five seasons, Gina hopes that she finally gets paired with a partner that will go all the way to the finals. Cue Stone Nielson, famous for the reality show Living Wild (in Alaska) that he does with his family. Stone isn't thrilled to be leaving Alaska or having to dance on TV. But if dancing means he can help cover his mom's surgery bills, then he's going to give it his best shot. After their electric first meeting, it's clear there is something between them. But Gina has a rule: she doesn't date her partners. And Stone is grabbling with his own secret. But the more they keep dancing together, the harder it is for them to deny their feelings.

But with their careers and reputations on the line, will they chose love or security?

I loved this book and couldn't put it done. I highly recommend. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc of this book.

I love this book! It has everything you want in a romance read: humor, heart, big romantic gestures, and spice (all the spice!). And as a big Dancing with the Stars fan, I loved the added behind the scenes drama that both Gina and Stone go through.
What I loved most was that this story was believable. Sometimes romance reads get a little fantastical on the way to the happy ever after. But Take the Lead made me feel like I was in thick of the all the backstabbing, competitive crap that must go on behind the cameras, and I was rooting for Stone and Gina as if this really were a full season of a competition dance show.
Take the Lead was an enjoyable read from start to finish. This is the book that will make a lifetime Alexis Daria fan.
4.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publilsher for the advanced copy.

Thank you @stmartinspress & @netgalley for this ARC of Take the Lead by @alexisdaria !! Alexis is one of my top authors ever since i read #youhadmeathola she has a way with her words and really knows how to write some spice scenes! This was a fast pace and fun read for the valentine season! Highly RECOMMEND!

A dance-centric romcom? Sign. Me. UP!!! This was my first book read by Alexis Daria and I really enjoyed it! I feel like the market can be so over saturated with cartoon cover romcoms and it’s hard to make them stand out, but Daria did a great job adding some depth to this story.

I loved that Gina really explores her privilege throughout this book and what that means. Her decision to work toward not just being another sexualized Latina dancer added a lot to her character and I love a strong female lead!

As a theater kid, this book was a lot of fun and I’m only taking one star off because the pacing felt a little off at certain points. Really excited to see what Daria gives us next in this series!

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I love Alexis Daria and I am glad they a rereleasing this series as I had no idea it was out there! Take The Lead is set on a dance competition like Dancing With The Stars and it was a fun look behind the scenes of a competition like that and the drama that might be behind the scenes. Stone was an interesting character that I am not sure was as well described as I might have liked but it was a fun and sexy read.

This is a perfect summer read! It felt just light enough but also had enough drama to keep me reading. I love a "I hate to love you" trope and this executed it perfectly. Gina and Stone had wonderful chemistry. I am not a fan of reality tv at all so I was worried it would play too large of a role in the book but honestly I didn't struggle to read it at all. I will say I was slightly annoyed how long their inability to tell each other what they were feeling lasted but once all said and done I really enjoyed this Alexis Daria book and would recommend it for anyone that wants a steamy light read.

A hot, steamy romance. Great chemistry between Gina and Stone. If you’re a fan of Dancing With the Stars, you will love this book. A good romance, and even though it was a tad predictable, it was very enjoyable and entertaining.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

“You saw me. You’re the first person who has in a long time.”

As a fan of Dancing With The Stars, I was super excited to read this book! It was really interesting to get to see a pseudo "behind the scenes" of what goes on in the reality TV world!

Even though it took me way too long to finish this book (because sick baby), I did really love it! The main characters are both well-developed, and there's PLENTY of spice!

It really felt like I was reading a season of one of my favorite shows!

Thank you Alexis, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for this review!

When I read the premise for Take the Lead I knew I had to give it a chance after the disappointment that was DWTS. 😂 And Alexis Daria, THANK YOU for making me believe in two people falling in love on the dance floor again. Gina & Stone were the perfect characters and had the sweetest of love stories that of course came with it’s slight ups and downs. But! These two characters though complete opposites managed to make me believe that they had to work it out no matter what… and they did. 😭

Thank you to the Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy. This honest review was based off my experience reading this eARC, which in no way biased me. All opinions are my own.

I’m not going to lie, I saw the cute cover and the author and that’s all that I needed to request this ARC. I am only now realizing this is a rerelease of a self published book from 2017.

This has a very unique take for a romance book, I do believe this is my first reality TV romance, but specifically a Dancing with the Stars type of show.

This book has insta-attraction/insta-love/insta-lust, and i know this is a very polarizing trope, you either love it or you hate it, just putting it out there.

I loved the Latina Rep in this.

This book had a lot of things going for it, but I cannot put my finger on why it didn’t resonate more with me.

Overall a cute fun read. 3 stars.

This love story was cute and spicy and I enjoy this immensely. The writing and storytelling was superb and it felt like I was watching a movie! I will be looking for more books from this author.

Really enjoyed this book. Though this book is fiction, it provided insight into the ins and outs of a televised dance show, ala "Dancing with the Stars", and all the drama and politics that abound. I love the evolution of Stone, who eventually lets his hair done and embraces dancing, and Gina (who I guess is chanelling Jennifer Lopez, NOT my favorite person), who does a great job embracing her culture and maintaining her pride. A good story all-together.

This book was pretty good. This is my first time reading this author. This book was interesting, fun, held my attention and had a good story line.. It was well written. Gina and Stone had great chemistry. I can't wait to go back and read more from this author. Huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is my first time ever reading a book by this author, and it definitely won’t be my last. I really enjoyed her writing style and the overall storyline. This book was incredibly fun and interesting to read. I mostly read darker themed books, however, I need a palate cleanser every once in a while, and this was the perfect book for that. If you’ve ever seen or heard of the TV show Dancing With The Stars, this is basically that but in a book. Now, I’ve never watched that show personally but I know the way the book spins it, no pun intended, what clips I have seen of the show

This book was incredibly written, and unbelievably entertaining. I can’t wait to read more by the author!

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