Take the lead is being re released on Valentine's Day this year. It was originally published in 2017 as an ebook but now it's getting a paperback release as well. Alexis Daria apparently did some editing and made a few changes to this version so it would be interesting to compare it to the original (I did not). Unfortunately this book wasn't really for me. I think if you're a big fan of dance you would probably enjoy this more, for me I found the parts that focused on the technicalities of the dances and stuff pretty boring and in general I found myself skimming quite a bit while reading this book. The concept of a romance that takes place on a dance show (essentially Dancing with the Stars) is super fun, and I think a lot of people will enjoy this so don't let my opinion dissuade you from giving it a try if you think it sounds interesting. The part I enjoyed most was reading about Stones struggles with his own reality show. I will say the book got more engaging in the second half after the characters actually admit their feelings.

Thank you to NetGalley and SMP for an ARC in exchange for na honest review

CW: blackmail, house fire (past), parental abandonment, family tensions

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f contemporary romance
-dance competition
-insta attraction
-amazing sexual chemistry
-forced proximity
-this is just a hookup
-Latinx rep

I enjoyed this book so much. This was a great dive into the behind scenes looks of a celebrity dancing show, seamlessly integrated into the romance. I loved how the dances, and Gina teaching Stone about dance also heightened the sexual tension between the two.

Stone and Gina were two sides of the same coin. Both dedicated, both looking to get something out of the show, and definitely not looking for love. Except they were smacked in the face with their attraction for each other. This was a lot of fun, with so much sexual tension as these two accidentally fell in love with the other. I love how they saw themselves as a team and despite some human failings, both wanted to ultimately work together to meet their goals.

Steam: 3.25

Take the Lead is the story of Gina and Stone- one a professional dancer by trade and one an Alaskan survivalist. They couldn’t be more different- at least on the surface. When both are cast in a celebrity dance competition, they must team up to make it to the finals. While Stone wants the money for his family medical bills, Gina’s career and professional reputation is on the line. As they grow closer, they find it harder to stay apart. But the competition is cutthroat and they must decide how far they will go to make it to the finals.

I loved Take the Lead!! This is my new favorite from Alexis Daria. This book combined a steamy, emotional romance with the energy of a dance competition where you can’t look away. I loved both Stone and Gina, who are incredible characters with strong convictions. I really appreciated how Gina was so determined to have a career and stellar reputation that she was proud of. Meanwhile, Stone has a strong dedication to his family and also must learn when a sacrifice is too much. They had some amazing chemistry, which flourished when combined with vivid dance scenes. I felt like the tension was always well-maintained and it was difficult to put this book down. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series! Looking forward to whatever Alexis Daria writes next.

Take the Lead releases February 14, 2023. Thank you to Alexis Daria, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc

Thank you so much SMP Romance for my gifted copy arc in exchange for a honest review!!

This is my third Alexis Daria book, and this definitely won’t be my last! I love her books so much, and this one was so much fun! I used to watch DWTS, so I really enjoyed this one.

Read this is you enjoy:
👫Dual POV
📺Reality TV
🕺🏼Annoying tv producers
💃🏻Dancing
Lots of 🔥 🔥 🔥

Alexis Daria is at it again! This book is just in time for Valentine's Day! The update and release of this book was genius! The love story of Gina and Stone. A dancer that wants nothing but to be best and him a tv personality that's ready for more. I loooved this book! A must read. Thank you St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for this sending me this amazing read.

I enjoyed this much for than I expected! Their chemistry was fire and enjoyed the behind the scenes and world of dance off ala Dancing with the stars! Also unique pairing of a Puerto Rican dancer from the Bronx and an Alaskan mountain man lol but they worked so well

Gina and Stone are paired up as dance partners on The Dance Off. Gina is a professional dancer and Stone is a realty tv star with his family showing how they live off the grid in Alaska. Unfortunately, secrets and manipulation start to get in the partners way and might be their doom.

I really enjoyed the book which sounds a whole lot like Dancing with the Stars! It was a fun, witty read with the main couple having lots of chemistry. I loved that Gina was Puerto Rican and was a successful dancer with lots of ambition! Stone as a male lead was just alright in my opinion. He seemed kind of bland to me, but I liked him with Gina.

I was fortunate enough to receive and read an eARC of what was Alexis Daria' very first book, which has been heavily revised and is being republished as a trade paperback. In this story we meet professional dancer Gina, who is entering her fifth season of a Dancing With the Stars-style show. When they pair her with hunky outdoorsman and reality survival show star Stone, she is quick to suspect they are setting her up for a showmance. But Gina refuses to let the show force her into the sexy and promiscuous Latina bubble, as she is a professional with bigger aspirations. But Stone proves too tempting to resist... can they keep their romance a secret? And what happens when the show is over?

I am obsessed with this book. With two strong leads that are even better together, there's a great integration of reality television and competition drama, the steamiest of steam, culture, and professional ambition. I love pretty much all aspects of the book. I'm not sure how this version differs from its original form, but this current iteration is a 10/10 for me--even better than the stellar You Had Me at Hola. It's entertaining and sexy, packed with loads of fun dance descriptions and a diverse cast. I'm really hoping we get a book two!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 10/10

This my first time reading anything by Alexis Daria and I loved this book! I loved the characters, Stone and Gina. These two are partners on the competition dance show called The Dance Off. Stone knows nothing about dancing and Gina is a pro who teaches him. Slowly their relationship shifts and new feelings start to bloom. It was so fun reading this. The story really felt like I was watching this competition and I was on the edge of my seat every time they competed. It was so easy to visualize the story and the dancing and just feel it come to life. Now that I've read this I want to dive into some of the author's other books!

If you are a fan of reality TV, then there is double the joy for you

But more than that, this is a city mouse/country mouse, opposites attract tale.

Gina and Stone have sexual attraction out the wazoo, but it took a while for me to really warm up to them. It takes more than physical attraction for a real relationship, and I didn't feel that for a while.

But once they move to more than just lust, things picked up for me.

Easy read for an easy afternoon on the couch.

As a fan of Dancing With the Stars, and reality TV in general, this was a highly entertaining read for me! I felt like I was getting a personal scoop on all the things happening "behind the scenes" 😂 I really felt the sizzling chemistry between Stone and Gina. Talk about sexual tension 🥵 Again, so fun. I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series!

Thank you for the ARC!

3.0 stars

i’m kind of in the middle with this book. i felt like some of the scenes were so cheesy and i didn’t really connect with any of the characters much. i’m not a big fan of buff men with long blonde hair so i think that really threw me off. but i did love the reality show and dancing aspect. it’s very unique!

i’d probably still recommend! it wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t good either.

The first half of the book seemed more plot driven and the second half was more character driven. The start of the book gave me the guilty pleasure feeling of getting a "behind the scenes" look at a popular TV show. While I have only watched a few minutes of the TV show here and there (hello @codyrigsby), it was fun to read about the things viewers don't see or necessarily know about. The transition from the TV show to Gina and Stone felt a little abrupt but overall it was a nice change to the storyline. Fans of behind the scene reads, and those that enjoyed One To Watch, Fake It Till You Bake It and How to Love Your Neighbor should pick up a copy of Take the Lead when it comes out February 14, 2023.
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Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
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Posted review on Instagram on January 18, 2023.

I love Alexis Daria’s writing. She can write sexual tension like no other, and considering this is a dancing romance? Lots. Of. Sexual. Tension!

Gina is a professional dancer on The Dance Off, and she has her eyes on the trophy she’s never won before. When she’s paired with Stone Nielson, a quiet Alaskan guy from a survival reality TV, she quickly understands the producers are setting them up to be this season’s “showmance”.

Even though Gina is completely against the idea, her chemistry with Stone is undeniable, and real feelings start to frighten her. She cannot let this man get in the way of her career. But she also doesn’t seem able to stay away.

As we follow Gina and Stone fall for each other, we also see them progressing on the show. Stone’s arc is amazing! You can clearly see how she goes from the silent guy who’ll only nod and go along with everything his family says, to the guy he becomes at the end. I missed seeing that in Gina. I felt that her arc wasn’t as well developed as his.

Overall, this is such a fun book, but in times I felt like the pace was a bit off. Some parts dragged and some were too quick. But Alexis makes up for it with her excellent spicy scenes! You guys, if you know her from You Had me at Hola, you know what you’re in for!


Thank you, St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this ARC!

I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I can see there's already over 300 reviews for this book, so I doubt I'll be saying anything new. It was a hot read, full of chemistry and fun, and it really felt like it covered everything that would happen behind the scenes. I liked both characters, but I have to admit that towards the end Gina became a bit grating.
An easy read. I'll always read this author.

Well, Alexis Daria did it again! She instantly became an auto-buy author for me after I read You Had Me at Hola and A lot Like Adios. After finishing those two books, I was keen on reading more of her work, and was ecstatic when I found out that her debut would be republished! I'm so happy that I read this because not only did this story dance its way into my heart, but so did Stone and Gina. Daria has an incredible way of crafting likable characters who have layers to them. Gina is one of my favorite female MCs. She was kind, ambitious, sharp, funny, and just a baddie, period. Lol. But I can understand why some readers won't care for her since she could be very frustrating at times, though I understood exactly where she was coming from and why she got in her head so much. I also enjoyed learning more about Stone and witnessing his remarkable character development throughout the story. It's always heartwarming to read a Romance book and the characters just bring out the best in each other. Stone and Gina made a great dynamic duo (on and off the stage!) and you could feel their chemistry through the pages. Also, I liked the fact that these two were at an impasse that felt realistic and made the stakes feel high since they both had things to lose. I didn't know how their story was going to end since it felt like it could go either way, similar to real life. This is another great skill that Daria has when it comes to her Romances!

I do want to call out that some of the dialogue was a bit repetitive and that the dancing felt info-dumpy at times to me.

Overall, I still really enjoyed this fun, competitive, steamy story and I'm looking forward to reading more by Daria in the future! Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was such a fun book to read. As a fan of shows like Dancing With the Stars, I found this very entertaining. It's such an intense process with people being thrown together in a very intimate way for a decent amount of time if they get far in the competition. This book was a fun exploration of one of these relationships. Highly recommend reading it!

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

his debut novel did not disappoint! As a dancer from a young age myself, Gina's passion and commitment to her craft especially resonated with me!

thank you to netgalley (@netgalley) and the publisher (@SMPromance) for inviting me to read "Take the Lead" in exchange for an honest review

when i received take the lead, i was excited to read it cause the cover is gorgeous and the description sounded interesting. it also had everything that i enjoy: romance, smut 😏, and forced proximity

unfortunately, i had a hard time trying to connect with the book. i still liked it, just didn't love it 😔

i think the reason why i did not enjoy it as much is because of the romance was slow. slow burn romance is not really my favorite trope

another reason is that i am not that knowledgeable about dancing, so when there were paragraphs describing the dances i did not enjoy it

take the lead is my first book by alexis daris. although, i wanted to like the book, i can tell that alexis is a wonderful writer, and i hope to read more by her in the future!! 🥰

3.5★stars

pub date: february 14, 2023

I wouldn't say I'm a hater by nature, but when something is universally hyped and beloved, I don't really want to like it. It's cliché and is something I'm working on, but it's still a thing I'm dealing with. That being said, this had me giggling and smiling throughout like I was the one who was falling in love! This is so good!! I'm a sucker for total opposites who just can't help themselves from falling for someone they shouldn't, and Daria really knows how to write an incredibly compelling romance.