I gave this book 3.5 stars. I really liked the dance tv show setting as i have never read a book with this setup before. i could feel the heat between gina and stone and thought the spice was really well written. some of the writing was a bit blunt and very tell not show, which is part of the reason my rating isnt higher. the other reason is the book felt a little too long and could have been 30-50 pages shorter.

I’ve always thought five star reads should be life altering or make you feel like changing something within yourself. And although I can’t say that about Take the Lead, it is simply five stars because it is truly delightful. Alexis Daria’s writing is so effortlessly appealing and her storytelling will make you fall in love with her characters and the art of dancing. Stone and Gina could not be any easier to fall in love with and after the first chapter I knew I was invested in their story. Take one Swedish-built man straight out of the Alaskan landscape and mix him with a tiny Puerto Rican dancer from New York and there is sure to be fire and chemistry. Place both of them in a Dancing with the Stars type reality show and you have the excitement of opposites attracting coupled with the high-stakes drama of always being on set and the watchful eye of the camera.
What works so well is that dancing by nature is a hands-on activity that requires closeness and trust between partners; there is SO MUCH TOUCHING! and quite a bit is communicated between Stone and Gina through that touch. As partners they learn to talk to one-another, trust in each other, listen, and enjoy each other’s company. These are the same traits that make a relationship work and so it is natural for a romance to blossom between Gina and Stone. I loved the dance set-ups each week, loved the spray tan scene 🔥👀, loved the tv drama and build-up, and of course hated “Donna”. This is a slow-burn that once it catches fire is scorching hot and was the perfect read during a cold season. I am in awe that this was Daria’s first book and think it is probably my favorite of hers. I think Stone and Gina did a number on me and know they are characters that will live rent free inside my head for some time to come. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The cutest story! I read this over Christmas and it was such a delight. All the characters were well developed, and the romance was so sexy and adorable. Would recommend!

Take the Lead follows Gina Morales, one of the professional dancers in the TV celebrity dance competition The Dance Off, and her partner for the season Stone Nielson, the star of an Alaskan wilderness show. Gina needs a win if she hopes to keep her position on the show, while for Stone the prize money could help with his mom's recent surgery. But neither knows what will happen when the sparks they feel during practice start to show in their performances.

I had such a fun time with this book! This was Daria's debut and she surprised me constantly by taking the story and characters in different directions than I had predicted. Gina and Stone have such sizzling chemistry together, but the things they want for their lives feel fundamentally different and it was hard to imagine how they'd end up together and happy. I loved the push-and-pull Daria created and how realistic their obstacles felt.

While I don't watch Dancing with the Stars (the clear inspiration for the show in this series), I'm familiar with the format and thought Daria nailed it here. I could see fans of the show finding a lot to love in this one!

This was such a fun story! I loved the forbidden aspect of the romance and the conflicts that each MC dealt with. Gina and Stone had an insane amount of chemistry and I loved watching their story unfold. My only real “issue” with the story was just how obvious the inspirations for this book were. I felt like it toed the line between inspiration and plagiarism just a little too closely.
Besides that, I really enjoyed this book.

I was given an ARC by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. All opinions are my own.

Thank you the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the remastered galley in exchange for an honest opinion.

I've been watching Dancing With the Stars since season 1 so I was excited to read this, having no prior exposure to the author's work. Gina's inner voice really sold the book for me since it was distinct and funny.. Gina "had a healthy distrust of forests. Forests had animals and serial killers behind every tree. SAME, GIRL, SAME. [Get a job. Buy your own stuff. Stay out of the forest. SSDGM} I loved that she didn't want a showmance, and it felt like we were shown instead of told why, which is a total credit to the author.
Stone was very much a gentle giant, a cinnamon roll / teddy bear type if you will, and again- no hating there. I just didn't like him as much since his family and their issues seemed really outlandish. Considering how fake everything about them were, I was surprised their names weren't fake as well.
The pacing felt a bit off. When they got together, it felt like when I was a child playing Barbies- you just SMASH THEM TOGETHER and then they kiss!
It was nice to read a romance where the girl got to be more knowledgeable than the man- Gina was very much not the damsel in distress here, so I really liked that. Overall it felt like pretty good balance in romance between steam and conflicts. I felt their growth as characters. I wonder if they're going to reissue the second book too!

3 Stars Take the Lead by Alexis Daria is a great reality show and opposites attract romance. Gina Morales is a professional dancer on the show The Dance Off, and though she’s been on for five years, she’s never made it to the finals, let alone won the entire competition. For the current season, Gina is paired with Stone Nielson, a survivalist who stars on the reality show Living Wild, which features him, his parents, and siblings living off the grid in the Alaskan wilderness. The Dance Off’s producer Donna is pushing for Gina and Stone to have a “showmance” to boost ratings, which Gina is vehemently against, wanting to win on her own merits. But even Gina cannot deny the sizzling chemistry and attraction growing between her and Stone. How long can she keep their relationship a secret as they advance through the dance rounds and grow closer when the cameras aren’t watching (and even when they are)?

Take the Lead was pretty on par with other reality show competition romances I’ve read. It’s not my favorite trope, but this one did a good job with it. I loved that Gina stuck to her integrity, even though she wanted fame and success. I’m glad that Stone was finally able to live the life he wanted to live, free of his family’s lies and the ever-present cameras. Recommend this one!

An easy, fun romance with a "Dancing With the Stars" type setting. 3.5 stars. I would recommend. Thank you to the publisher for providing this copy for review.

Thank you @smpromance for a copy of this book.

I have been enjoying Daria's book and it's fun to read her debut book republished. A book based on reality tv with opposite attract is Alexis a city gap and Stone, who lives remotely in Alaska with his family.

I love their connection and how determined Stone was to make sure he was a great dancing partner. I love how each week, the dances sounds so sexy and connected them so much.

It was a fun nod to Dancing with the starts and made me want to learn to dance.

This was a very cute romance set within a Dancing With the Stars type show. I really liked the dynamic between the two leads, they have a very convincing chemistry that is easy to buy into and get invested in. I wasn't as big a fan of the dancing sequences just because... well, it's hard to visualize dancing in a book and many of the dances were completely skipped over anyways. I have to say that Stone was my favorite in this; his story is compelling and he's such a sweetheart that it is easy to see why anyone would fall for him so quickly. I also liked Gina a lot but after the inevitable conflict between the two, I did find it easier to understand where Stone was coming from than where Gina was.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was like a behind the scenes, insider scoop of dancing with the stars. You have the professional and the celebrity and go through the motions of learning how to dance while they tried not to fall for each other. It had some steamy scenes and some cheesy scenes.

Alexis Daria is known for her sexy and funny romances, Take the Lead does not disappoint! It’s wild to think that this was her debut novel and I’m so honored to be reading the republished version.

Gina Morales is reality show dancer on a Dancing with the Stars type show. Her newest partner, Stone Neilson, stars on a wilderness show in Alaska and he’s never done a partner dance in his life. The directors are itching for a showmance but Gina is here to be taken seriously so she won’t be caught messing around, or even pretending to. And Stone is only sticking around for the extra money the show will bring in so he can pay off his mothers medical debts. Can they withstand the pressure of their producers and the instant attraction they have for each other?

Plot: 4.5/5
The story is straight forward and laid out for us in the first two chapters. The conflicts that may come up later in the book are quickly established.
Take the Lead follows a weekly dance structure so after the first live performance, the pacing picks up. There’s the expected twists and turns of a romance book but they feel original because Daria is a master.

Characters: 4/5
Gina is the star of this book and the show. You can see so much of her personality through her dance and how she teaches. I would have liked to see more of her family and know more about her motivations, past keeping her job.

Stone is… a man. He has a lot of depth, I feel like we get more of his backstory and drive than Gina’s, but I can’t say I’ve ever found a man bun attractive so I didn’t feel the draw to him as much as Gina did. But their chemistry was palpable and made for great reading.

Writing: 5/5
I love Daria’s writing style. It’s funny, sexy, and concise. She’s big into dialogue and absolutely nails banter and passion. This book is so bingeable. Her books are meant to be read in one day, it’s impossible to put them down!

Overall: 4/5
This book has an energy that everyone needs to experience! And what made it better was seeing one of my best friends names in the acknowledgments!!

A cute rom-com dance reality show novel. Stone is an awesome hero and Gina is a great match for him. This a fast, steamy read that I recommend.

I love how this author takes characters from different backgrounds and creates a world where they can connect. In any other book or written by any other author Gina and Stone wouldn’t work. But this author has a knack for bringing a commonality between two different kinds of people. Gina’s softness is accentuated by Stone's hard ridges and Stone is more relaxed with Gina’s outgoing personality. They push each other out of their comfort zone while also respecting who they are at their core.

I’ve enjoyed so many books by this author and I was excited to have a chance to read her latest book. I enjoyed how detailed she got with the dance aspect of the book and truly made it seem like a behind-the-scenes look at a dance competition. This story was flirty and fun while providing a delightful slow burn, tension filled romance. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for this ARC

Sometimes you just know within the first five pages of a book that it will be one that you’ll adore and give 5 stars. For me, this was one of those times.

I *LOVED* this book. I’ve been in a sort of reading slump for a few months and I haven’t had a book capture my attention like this one did, to the point where I read it in one day, in a very long time. I also hadn’t read the original publication, so I was excited to pick up the rereleased version and I am so glad I did!! The chemistry between the main characters, the drama, the behind-the-scenes of a reality dancing show, the spice, the topics discussed, all 10/10.

I’ve read a few books with reality TV-type plots, but nothing that centered around a dancing competition, which is another reason this was a fun read. Especially as a former fan of Dancing with the Stars. It brought me back to watching the show every week with my mom and grandmother.

Aside from the obvious fun of reading about the competition and Gina and Stone’s opposites-attract romance, I loved how Alexis handled heavier topics in the story as well. For example, the sexualization of women. It was so infuriating and disappointing to read the many attempts at Gina’s talent and dedication be reduced and overshadowed by the producers’ ridiculous forced “showmance,” especially because she’s a woman of color. All I wanted was to scream in Donna, the producer’s, face the entire time. But it puts into perspective what the actual dancers on these types of shows must deal with on set and everything we, as an audience, don’t get to hear about or see; it added another layer of depth to the story.

The romance between Gina and Stone was believable (and steamy) because their chemistry, even from their initial meeting in the wilderness, was so palpable. Ugh, I loved them so much.

Overall, a wonderfully entertaining book to start off 2023 with!!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this eARC! I loved every moment spent reading it <3

<i>“If you’re the pro,” Stone said, doing his best to hold the position she’d put him in, “how am I supposed to lead you?” Gina ducked her head under his arm and peered up at him with an impish smile. “I’ll teach you.”</i>

I think this is perfect if you are in the market for a diverse romance with a Dancing With The Stars style setting! You've got two characters that you want to root for, lots of pining, spice and a look at behind the scenes of reality tv. Plus Stone is MASSIVE, I totally would have watched that.

I think this was a cute debut!

Thank you so much St. Martin's Griffin for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

3/5 ⭐

An easy 2022 favorite!!! As an avid fan of DWTS, this book was everything I could’ve wanted!!! Alexis Daria is such a phenomenal writer and knowing this was her debut book just further enforced that belief, I loved the two main characters so much. This book was so great!!!!

I had not read the previous publication of this book, so I went into it knowing nothing and enjoyed every second of it! I worked in the entertainment business in my previous life, so I’m always a sucker for behind-the-scenes stories. I love how organically Gina and Stone came together. Yes there was lusting first, but it didn’t feel rushed. And the spicy scenes were muy caliente!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Take the Lead had a number of really good things going for it; awesome characters, both MMC and FMC, great side characters, an interesting plot, and great chemistry and spice!

Gina and Stone were really cute together, with immediate chemistry but not insta-love necessarily. The setting, a celebrity dance competition, was unique in I hadn't read something similar in quite a while. The biggest thing I didn't connect to was the back and forth of will they/won't they. It was A LOT of hand-wringing, but it did feel more natural than other contemporary's that I've read.

Romance is my number one go-to genre, but I rarely do traditional contemporary romance. I am not super into contrived conflict, I usually go for the true conflict of someone being kidnapped, stalked, abducted by aliens, etc. I don't like drama in my real life, but I love fake, suspenseful drama in my romance novels! Generally, there was a good amount of drama without it being too over the top angsty.

I would recommend this book to folks who like contemporary romance, those who enjoy reality tv, and anyone who is looking for a light beach or flight read. 4/5 overall!

A fun, romantic, and steamy read. This novel has some of the signature Alexis Daris flair seen in her best selling You Had Me At Hola. Set against the backdrop of a celebrity dance competition. A fast paced read with plenty of chemistry and a solid plot. This romance checks all the boxes for a good time.