This was Dancing with the Stars in a book. If you love that show or if you love ballroom dance you will love this book!

My only critique is that third act break up. I usually don't mind it, but this one was kind of like come on really, are we really that mad over that?

Otherwise, it was a great book! I thought Stone was such a sweet lumberjack of a book boyfriend. I recommend.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Alexis Daria for the ARC.

Take the Lead was such a fun read! I have loved Alexis Daria's other books, so I was excited for this one.

The book's set up is very much like Dancing With the Stars, but add in a romance between the female pro dance and male star. This book is super steamy with lots of sexy time.

The author did a great job bringing Stone and Gina's romance to life. Both characters, despite their humanizing flaws, are likeable, and readers will root for their relationship. Their journey was at times bumpy, but the ups and downs made it feel real and believable.

This is a rerelease with some changes including a new cover, which I adore by the way. I never read the original so I'm not too sure on the changes that were made but I really enjoyed this. There were a few times I was a little annoyed by the pettiness that sometimes came off immature but overall, it was great. I fell in love with Alexis Daria's Primas of Power series and had to read Take the Lead. This was the perfect book for my romance & reality competition loving heart. Stone was the tall muscular lead that's as soft as a button that I love, and Gina is a BAB and I love when the woman lead is in charge and taking care of business.

- IR Romance (Puerto Rican woman + white man)
- a little spicy
- dance competition / reality tv
- opposites attract
- forced proximity
- dual pov
- great side characters

3.5 stars!

I did enjoy this book, and I loved the ending (and Stone, let's be honest), but I feel like it's definitely more for people who enjoy reality tv/dance competition shows. The plot was very heavily focused on that aspect of it, and I really wanted more character interactions and growth. So while I'm glad I read it so I could recommend it to specific people that I think it will work for, it wasn't anything super outstanding for me. But I would absolutely read more by Alexis Daria, though!

When it comes to reality television-based romances, Take the Lead is a fun one. I like that it strays from the typical Bachelor inspired plot and instead uses a Dancing with the Stars type show as its set up. I personally love when the professionals and stars fall for each other on the show, so this felt perfect for me. Our main characters are Stone, a reality star known for his show about a family living in the Alaskan wilderness and GIna, a dancer with big dreams. Both are so likable, but I feel I understood Gina and her motivations a little more. Their chemistry is intense and immediate, and dance is a great way to build their tension. There's a couple swoon worthy moments on the dancefloor, for sure. Despite this, I wish we saw them connect more as people. They wanted super different things in life, and were just so different. Sure they were great dance partners and the steamy scenes were undeniably good, but how do they connect outside of that? I wanted more of them connecting as people and less of them dancing together.

That being said, that competition aspect was fun. It kept me hooked and allowed for the introduction of a great cast of supporting characters. There's a ton of companion book potential here. I think the problem was that I was more into the competition than I was the romance. I wish it was balanced more, but ultimately the book was super fun and I'm glad I finally read something by this author. It is definitely an adult romance, so be aware of that.

A Dancing With the Stars-esque romance between a professional dancer and a reality show star. There is high heat in this steamy romance and I found myself rooting for the characters throughout the book.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

There were some cute moments but overall this book wasn't for me. This book had a fun Dancing with the Stars-like plot but the story as a whole fell flat. I disliked some of the choices the FMC made, especially near the end, and thought the subplot with Stone and his family was boring and overplayed.

Gina has worked her butt off to get where she is on Dance it Off without falling to the stereotype of the sexy Latina and she will not allow anyone to get in her way of her career. Rules are rules to protect herself.

Stone has been in the spotlight unwillingly on his family’s reality show, Living Wild but when the show is threatened with cancellation he goes on the dance competition show to win the prize money for his mom’s hip replacement she just had.

Between them the chemistry is INSTANT but with so much in their way and cameras watching their every move, do they have any hope?

This was…..fine. I didn’t like the immaturity of the main characters nor the fact that it was just a bunch of lies spin around a dance competition. Just a meh book overall.

⭐⭐⭐.5

𝘼 𝙛𝙪𝙣, 𝙨𝙚𝙭𝙮 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬.

📍 Read if you like:
• Diverse Romances
• Opposites Attract
• Dual POV
• Forced Proximity
• Reality TV
• Dancing With The Stars

Take The Lead is my second book from this author and I just love how diverse the characters are, especially Gina in this one. I loved the whole trope of this reality show called “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘖𝘧𝘧” - think Dancing With The Stars.

I actually enjoyed the characters in this one, some side characters also added so much to the story - they made it more interesting.

I liked the chemistry between Gina and Stone. They were definitely so different from each other, but they made a great match. Stone was probably my favorite character in the book, I think he was written perfectly. I was also a huge fan of the short chapters with dual pov.

The only issue I really had with the book was that at times it did get a bit repetitive. I also feel like there were some moments where the miscommunication occurred. I believe there’s a second book in the series, but I really hope we can get a story for each of the dance partners. Overall, I enjoyed this book, for the most part, the diversity was top-notch in this romance. I would highly recommend checking out this author if you haven’t yet.

Thank you St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the gifted book in exchange for my honest review, all thoughts are my own!

Gina Morales has a lot of thoughts along with big dreams. She has been a professional dancer on Dance Off for 4 seasons but has never made the finals. That's the first dream she wants to make a reality - lift the Dance Off trophy. After that, there's Broadway and the rest of the entertainment industry. She knows she only has a finite amount of time to make it happen, so nothing can distract her. Not even her hunky partner -- no matter how handsome and nice he really is. She can make it through this competition with little to no distractions, right? She IS a professional...

Take The Lead was everything you could want and expect from such a story. Fun dialogue and encounters, great chemistry and just the right level of spicy. The dance show and rehearsal parts felt accurate too, which was appreciated, though it has been a while since I watched Dancing with the Stars. I loved the interactions between the characters, both the good and the bad. I really loved how passionate Stone was about everything, especially Alaska. The descriptions of the wilderness were gorgeous and contrasted perfectly with the descriptions of their time in the big cities (New York and Los Angeles). If you're looking for a fun, easy read that is sweet and fun, this is for you!

Dancing with the stars. I wanted to feel sucked into the growing intensity of their relationship but I just didn’t connect. Lots of secrets and very opposite personalities. The plot and the characters lacked depth BUT the steam was there!

If you’re a fan of Dancing With the Stars and like romance novels this is the book for you.

I am a fan of the show and I really enjoyed having a reality TV show as the backdrop for a romance. It was super interesting to see behind the scenes and I thought the author did a great job at portraying that aspect. Gina and Stone had great chemistry instantly, there’s something so sexy and intimate about ballroom dance and their dance scenes were almost as hot as the actual sex scenes. Despite the reality tv setting this still had lots of depth too with Gina dealing with being a woman of color in a brutal industry. This was actually the authors debut back in 2017 and it’s being re-released with a new cover cartoonesque cover, I actually think it looks better than the original!

Gina Morales is determined to find true fame but after four seasons on The Dance Off she’s yet to make the finals. That could change this season though, thanks to her new partner, an attractive survivalist from an Alaskan wilderness reality show. It seems Stone Nielson will be her shoe-in for the trophy, but that hope comes crashing down when it becomes clear that the producers are setting them up for an on-camera romance.

Stone is less than thrilled to be joining this competition, but his family needs the money so he’s willing to do it for them, even as he fears accidentally revealing their secret. The whirlwind of life in Los Angeles has him longing for the quiet stillness of Alaska, but Stone can’t escape his growing attachment to Gina. Neither is interested in faking a relationship for the cameras, but the fiery chemistry between them is all too real.

With their continued success in the competition, the cameras do catch on to that inevitable chemistry and the spotlight threatens to derail them, leaving both Gina and Stone to reevaluate their priorities.

I started off really liking both the heroine and hero of this story. They started off feeling impossible from the get-go and that was frustrating, but it did set the stage for a ton of great character growth. Stone was this gruff mountain man, the real strong, silent type. As the book went on, we got a lot of his inner monologue and in an excellent bit of character development he realized he didn’t want to fit himself into the mold as he’d been typecast. We really saw him start to come into his own as the person he wanted to be, a person who is allowed to have feelings and whose feelings are valid. It’s this element that made me so annoyed with Gina. I started out really liking her but ultimately, she was only about herself and her image and she just got to be too much. Too much angst, too much complaining, too much stubborn refusal to see anyone’s side but her own. Yes, Stone made an error in judgment, but it was ultimately a minor mistake. She put way too much focus on keeping him a secret, making him feel boxed into a role just like his family had. Gina, and therefore the book itself, was completely focused on Stone’s mistake and not her part in that little debacle, highlighting only her feelings and assumptions on how this would affect her and not caring about Stone’s feelings at all. Almost as if, once again, he’s not meant to have feelings. That was not cool, especially when Stone called her out on invalidating his feelings and she still didn’t make any changes. It’s nothing she hadn’t done in other parts of the book but still, I had come to expect more of her. I shouldn’t have been surprised, however, since when Stone was uncomfortable with being sexualized in a dance that was a problem and he was being unprofessional, but when Gina didn’t want to be sexualized by bringing their relationship public, her reasons were all automatically validated. I’m not here for the double standard.

Of course, everything is eventually fixed, and they meet each other halfway fairly easily after some basic communication, which I appreciated, but I would have appreciated it more if it had come sooner and with less angst. I enjoyed the book even though some of the pacing was a bit slow, but the heroine’s treatment of the hero left something to be desired and I wasn’t crazy about the third act break-up. All in all, I did enjoy this story and found it a refreshing break from my usual fare, but some aspects could’ve been handled a bit better. This was my first read from this author but I did like her writing enough to check out more of her work.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the heck out of this book! Both main characters, Stone and Gina, are equally enjoyable points of view and relatable in their own ways. I adored them both as individuals and together. There was a great mix of sweet moments and sexy moments between them. The arc of the romance is well-done with plenty of tension throughout and the whole “how could it possibly work” question hangs heavy right up to the perfect moment.

Each plot point hits well and it’s such a delightful read that I gobbled it up in just a few sessions. The ending was totally satisfying. As a romance reader, this ticked all the boxes for me and I’d absolutely recommend it to my reading friends.


Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

Alexis Daria can do NO WRONG in my book. One of my favorite authors and I loved getting to read this backlist title of hers, re released. The perfect amount of heart and spice!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book.

As a fan of dancing with the stars this was right up my alley. I thought that the characters were great, and the development individually lead into a wonderful relationship. I thought that the outside circumstances aided the story without distracting from the relationship and personal developments. I was always rooting for the characters.

This is not the first book that I have read by Alexis Daria, and it definitely will not be my last.

This is the story of two reality TV stars that couldn’t be more different. Stone who’s from Alaska is fresh from a reality TV show that he’s done with his family. Gina is a dancer/choreographer. Gina is energetic and bubbly, where Stone is kind of stand-offish and wondering why in the world he agreed to put himself through being in front of the cameras again.
The first time Gina and Stone meet the sexual tension between them is very thick. As the show goes on Gina does everything she can to keep Stone at a distance. She does everything she can yo ignore the attraction she has for Stone, and puts all her concentration into making Stone a phenomenal performer. Stone, tries to ignore the sexual tension, by concentrating on doing what’s right for his family.
Only 4 1/2 stars because I got confused with the time line. There are parts where the words ‘several months’ is said but there has been no real indication as to how much time has passed.
Despite this I still loved the book and will definitely be recommending it to my reading friends.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

From the moment the story opened, Stone swept my heart away. Gina’s snarky humor and zest for life didn’t stand a chance against the gentle giant who was also his family’s rock and protector. I loved seeing Stone break out from the character he was forced to be for his family and rediscover himself. It was inspiring to witness all of Gina’s girl-boss energy at work, making her dreams come true. It was frustrating to me, the way the reality television competition setup played with their emotions. Especially all the times it looked like the outside stressors were going to tear them apart. I adored the ending they were able to make their own, but it was a bit of a rollercoaster to get there. There were so many wonderful friends and supporters that made Stone and Gina’s journey possible, that I’m hoping the author will come back to this world to give us stories about each and every one of them.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley.

Uhm, ok I didn’t love this. The authors first two traditionally published novels I really enjoyed and was excited when I saw this book! I didn’t realize until a bit into it that it was just being republished from a few years ago and I do think that her writing has improved since this was first put out.

The relationship developed veryyy quickly in my opinion and we didn’t get as many details about their time together outside of the steamy scenes. I think I would have liked a bit more emotional connection building.

The dance competition aspect of this book and I think that I may pick up the second book with these characters from the library .

Summary
Gina has dreamed of being a dancer her entire life. She is in her 5th season of the ballroom dancing reality show, The Dance Off, and is in it to win it. Her partner is Stone Nielson, from a reality show about a family living off the grid in Alaska. Stone is quiet and stoic... and hot. But Gina needs to win this season to guarantee her contract for next year. She has plans and dreams to be a triple threat talent. Stone is overwhelmed by LA and misses the fresh, open air of Alaska, but Gina sparks something in him and he feels a bond with her. Can these two people from very different worlds open themselves up to each other or are Alaska and Hollywood too far apart for anything real to come out of it?

Review
I adored this story. I was shocked to see it was a rerelease and actually Alexis Daria's first book before You Had Me at Hola and A Lot Like Adios. I originally LOVED Dancing with the Stars when it first started, and watched every season, so it was fun to have a romance set in that world. The other characters, like Natasha, Gina's roommate and best friend, Dimitri the judge, and Kevin the favorite, were all fun to learn about. I really hope a future book is going to cover Natasha. While both Gina and Stone had things in their past they had to work through to move forward, they both grew throughout the story and I really enjoyed.