2.5 stars

This was just okay to me, and I think overall I was expecting more. I know this is a re-release of an authors debut, so that could be why it didn't really work for me.

For something that relies on the base of reality tv for the plot, I personally was expecting A LOT more drama. There was the one issue with the producer wanting to create a "showmance" and the brief look at the competitiveness between the stars, but other than that there really wasn't anything. And for how long this book was, I was either expecting it to be packed full of drama, or have a really believable, well-thought out romance.

This didn't have either. So while it was an easy ready and I didn't hate it, I didn't like it either.

Take the Lead was originally published October 3, 2017 and will be re-released on February 14, 2023. Thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, NetGalley and the author for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I adored this book so much! I had no idea when I started that it is actually a re-release of Alexis Daria's debut novel with updates and a new cover. If you are a fan of Dancing with the Stars or reality tv you will love this book! I loved Gina and Stone! The forced proximity as they trained for the competition was so fun and their chemistry was amazing! I also kept thinking this book would make the perfect movie?!?

Thank you to St. Martins Press for the advanced copy! I loved it!

I loved the couple but didn’t like the main characters and I found not so addicted or fast paced as I tought ,but I want to read more books by the author

I thought this was a really fun read. I really liked the reality tv show setting. That's something I like in books in general, but having the dancing competition in particular in this one was really fun. It was fun seeing these characters work towards something. I also really liked how learning to dance for this show, wasn't all Stone learned through the show. I really liked seeing his character developement through this book. I also quite liked Gina's personal journey throughout this book, even if it got a bit frustrating at times because she could be so stuborn. The romance and me didn't connect though. I did think they had really cute moments together and there is a good basis there. I just think the romance focused a bit too much on the sex for me to fully get invested in it. It also seemed a bit insta-lovey, which also kept me from fully connecting with it. The writng and me also didn't really match that well. I can't put my finger on why I didn't like this writing that much but it just didn't work too well with me. So yeah, I have some complex thoughts about this book. I am quite intrigued to read more from this author though.

Thank you everyone for this early gifted copy of Take The Lead by Alexis Daria.

If I’m honest, I thought this book had a lot of potential from the storyline premise, but it just didn’t do it for me. There were parts that I loved and wanted more of, but there were a lot of parts where I was kind of confused and didn’t understand why they were in there. Some of the steamy parts were written rather oddly and made them uncomfortable. Some of the dialogue felt awkward.

Overall, I just think it could have used some refining.

Despite having several other published novels, this was my first Alexis Daria, and I can see why she and her publisher decided to republish her debut novel, Take the Lead. This book was quite adorable. As much as I have loved dance movies and TV shows like Step Up and Dance Academy in the past, I never gravitated toward novels surrounding dance because I thought the chemistry of dance would be so hard to replicate with words. However, I think Daria was able to illustrate that chemistry so effortlessly while building romantic chemistry as well. Though not a dancer myself, I could see the routines, the steps, and (most importantly in a romance novel) the passion between the two main characters, Gina and Stone, with ease.

     Stone and Gina’s chemistry, apart from dancing, was another strong aspect of this novel (which, probably in turn, helped the dancing chemistry). From the very start, Daria builds them up as a believable opposites attract with plausible and very realistic differences that they had to try and overcome throughout the novel. And not only were Gina and Stone great together, but they stood on their own too. From their families to their dreams and feelings, Daria fleshed out her two main characters so well. I fell in love with Stone over the course of the novel, and Gina felt like someone I know our would know in real life.

     Unfortunately this treatment didn’t translate to the side characters as well, which was one of the downsides to this novel. Due to the reality TV competition setting there were just so many characters that there was no time to spend with any of them to develop them fully and effectively. There were also way to many to truly keep track of either; so for me many just blended together or even felt irrelevant and redundant.       

     Along with dragging the side characters down, the competition setting/structure lead to the plot itself to stall out at about 75% of the way through. Though it brought tension and excitement at the beginning, it felt like the plot was in a holding pattern as we were waiting to reach the climax of both the competition, but also the romantic plot.

     Despite the not so strong ending, I overall really enjoyed Take the Lead. Daria’s ability to write chemistry and characters helped this story truly shine. I’ll definitely will be checking out more of her stories in the future, but Take the Lead is great for anyone who already loves her work or as an introduction to a great romance author.

Since I read You Had Me at Hola in 2020, I’ve been working my way through Alexis Daria’s novels and short stories. I was excited to see that her first novel, Take the Lead, was getting a refresh. I hadn’t read the original publication, but this new version—with a cute new cover and updated text—fully caught my interest.

Take the Lead is set on a reality show called The Dance Off—much like the long-running show, Dancing with the Stars, which I used to love watching with my mom and sister. That may be the first thing that captured my imagination here. I loved imagining the different ballroom dances Gina and her celebrity partner Stone would work on each week. From rehearsals to the live, on-air performances, from the choreography to the music selection to the costumes, it was fun to envision such a beautiful expression of art and athleticism. Putting Gina and Stone into the reality television world, in which everything is filmed and crew are always watching, adds a unique constraint to their tentative relationship. (I may need to read more romances set on reality shows! There are plenty to choose from!)

Gina Morales is the expert dancer on the show, and she’s super professional. She has big career goals, and one step forward is ensuring she makes it to the finals on The Dance Off; in her four seasons, she’s yet to make it that far. Gina is very against having romantic or sexual entanglements with her dance partners, and she’s more than a little frustrated that her show producers are set on portraying her and Stone as a “showmance” this season. Even so, she has a hard time ignoring her attraction to Stone.

For his part, Stone is a soft-spoken and notably tall man; he’s 6’7″! He’s known as one of the seven adult children on his family’s reality show, in which they’re all survivalists living in rural Alaska, aka “the bush.” Stone has some secrets regarding his family, and he’s a truly terrible liar. But he’s committed to doing well on The Dance Off, because he needs to pay off his mom’s hip surgery and his own student loan debt… and because he wants to see Gina reach her goals.

Both characters are very likable and feel like people I’d want to be friends with. And despite their differences in lifestyle and career ambitions, they work so well together. Their mutual attraction is palpable from their first meeting, and despite Stone’s early hesitation, their time working on weekly dances together allows that chemistry to shine.

For a while, Take the Lead is about Gina and Stone fighting their attraction, eventually succumbing to it, and knowing that a long-term relationship could never work. Gina has her own reservations to overcome, but on top of that, they don’t live in the same area. How could they possibly have a future together?

Take the Lead is very steamy, but it’s also so sweet and wholesome. Gina is an ambitious, talented, and career-oriented woman; Stone is a gentle giant and total family man who likes the peaceful Alaska life. Together, they show how two people can overcome the odds to make a relationship work, in spite of cameras in your face 24/7. And the dancing? The best; they get a 100 from me.

Take the Lead is a perfect romance; I just loved everything about it. I hope Alexis Daria’s second Dance Off novel, Dance With Me, will also get a rerelease soon! There’s also a novella in the series, and word on the street is that one or two more books were planned, if not written. My hope is that we’ll be able to spend more time with this series, because Take the Lead is delightful. I’m also very much looking forward to the third Primas of Power book, Along Came Amor!

5/5 stars
3/5 spice

A fun and sexy love story in the midst a dance competition... loved it.

Tropes:
Opposites attract
Grumpy/sunshine
Working together/dance partners
Secret relationship
Latina FMC
Dual POV

Gina is vibrant, ambitious, hard working, and talented. I loved how she handled the spotlight and was clear about her boundaries. Stone is the quiet and grumpy wildlife survivalist who tries his hardest to stick to his end goal for the benefit of his family. I loved how committed he was to his family but I'm glad he found his own voice at the end so he could go for what he wanted.

These two together had chemistry from the beginning. I couldn't wait to read about their rehearsals and performances. And when they finally gave in to their attraction... OMG steamy.

I could totally imagine this book adapted for film. It has all the elements of a great rom com with the perfect HEA.

Overall great fast paced read. If you love dance competitions and great chemistry then this is the book for you.

I actually love Alexis Daria’s other books - You Had Me at Hola and A lot Like Adios , which is why I was excited to read this republished version of her first book! And while I fully believe that it IS a good book, it’s written well and the story seems like it’s going to end to up in the right direction. It was TOO pushy and yes that’s what celebrity/fake dating/ reality tv is I GET IT. But I wasn’t feeling it.

I’m rating a 3 because I have a lot of faith in Alexis Daria, and don’t want to turn people off because I didn’t finish it! It was total personal preference.

DNF.

Thanks to Netgalley & SMP for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book sucked me in from the very start and I couldn't put the book down. I was hooked right away with these two characters. I loved the banter in this book , the attraction betweent these two was amazing. I loved this book and please add it to you TBR list and you won't be disappointed.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! This was a great book that found a nice balance between being fun, romantic, steamy, and thoughtful. Gina is a dancer on a celebrity competition reality show, when she gets partnered with Stone, who is also starring in a reality family survival show in Alaska. Their chemistry is immediate, but they are also really different and navigating a complicated reality show dynamic, while also learning to dance as partners - so there is a lot going on! This is my third book from Alexis Daria and I think this book was great in so many ways. I loved the tropes of reality show drama, grump and sunshine, opposites attract (country boy and city girl). The steam was amazing, Stone and Gina were both great characters, and the drama was just the right amount to push this story along and invest me in how it was all going to turn out. I feel like this has movie potential written all over it, and it would be in the same league as something like Magic Mike with a more romantic comedy vibe. But this book was also thoughtful, with themes on microaggression, women of color in the entertainment industry, learning from past mistakes, and balancing career aspirations with love. I have also learned it’s a re-release of her debut novel, and she lengthened it from a novella to a full length novel. I thought it felt overall the right length, but my only critique (and it’s so small, I really loved this book) is that the pacing felt a little off sometimes. Maybe that’s to do with the rewrite vibe? Overall, I highly recommend this book for fans of Daria, Latinx contemporary romance, and high steam.

Fun, steamy and a little uneven. This is the debut novel from Alexis Daria digitally released in 2017. Now it has been updated (what ever changes that means) and being re-released. The premise is a Gina Morales is a New York City Puerto Rican professional dancer on The Dance Off. (Think Dancing with the Stars.) She gets teamed up with Stone Nielson, a gorgeous 6’7” man from Alaska. He and his family are stars of a survivalist reality tv show.

He needs to get as far as he can because his mother has medial bills. This is Gina’s dream and she wants to continue to build on her performing career. He doesn’t love his family show because much of it is fake. Gina doesn’t want shortcuts like pretending to be in a showmance that may further her along in the competition. I love that she is concerned about falling into a Latina stereotype of using her body to get ahead. She knows she represents her family and community.

Things I liked:
Gina is a great character. She represents her ethnicity and tries to keep her rules of conduct. (ex. no alcohol during while competing)
The steaminess is off the charts high. They are together several times with references to other times not on the page.
The dancing descriptions are realistic and give a feel for the competition and the manipulations by the producers for ratings.
I love where Gina ends up.

Less good:
I didn’t love Stone’s character. He isn’t honest with Gina until well after they are intimate.
The conflict could have been the producers manipulations but instead makes it about the characters choices.
Did not love the epilogue. Of course you know they’ll be together, it is a romance. But Stone especially becomes everything he hated at the beginning of the book.

I can see why after the success of the authors more recent books there is an interest in putting this out for a bigger market. It is very fun and entertaining and I’m happy to have read it. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for a review.

"Take the Lead" was a delight from beginning to end. I couldn't find anything to complain about with this book. Both the main characters are well-developed, and their chemistry is off the charts. Tension comes from all corners of this book, and it was hard to step away from the story. I loved the setting of a "Dancing with the Stars"-like show, and the addition of another reality show was interesting. I expected to like this book, but I didn't expect to be emotionally attached to the characters, their story, and the world of "The Dance Off."

I loved this book. Alexis Daria writes well thought out characters. The incorporation of reality tv and dancing with the romance was unique and the writing was fun.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Gina is a professional dancer on a <i>Dancing With the Stars</i>-esque competition show. Stone lives in Alaska and stars on his survivalist family’s reality TV show, and ends up agreeing to join <i>The Dance-Off</i> as a way to pay his mom’s medical bills. Gina resists her producer’s scheme to turn her and Stone into the season’s “showmance” – fearing she would get pigeonholed as the “sexy Latina” rather than succeed in her career ambitions for her talents. Stone resents having to go on a silly dancing show, especially because it will make it that much harder to lie about the secrets his family is keeping from the world.

This book was just plain fun. I’ve really enjoyed [author:Alexis Daria]’s Primas of Power series so far, and am pleased to say I was not disappointed by [book:Take The Lead]. While a lot of romances can go overboard with the instant attraction/sexual tension trope, the dance competition setting let Gina and Stone’s story get quite steamy with lots of sexual tension from the outset.

I would love to have explored both MCs’ family dynamics more, especially since they were so important to why they make the choices they do. And I’m thrilled to get more of Gina’s best friend/roommate Tash in book two.

[book:Take the Lead] by [author:Alexis Daria]
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5 stars rounded down
🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ for the hot hot dancing, and the ~dancing~ (in bed) and the tasty Puerto Rican dishes
🕺💃⛸️🏈 for the fun cast of characters

I thought that Stone and Gina were absolutely adorable. I thought that Stone was especially adorable and I felt so bad for him that he was so self-sacrificing for his family and that it cost him a lot mentally to compromise himself that way. I felt bad for Gina carrying a lot of pain from her father around as a child and it continuing to effect how she saw her relationship with Stone. I'm glad that talking to her mother helped her to discover that she was holding onto the negative viewpoints of her father. (Not that he was undeserving, but sometimes a child's perspective can over or under react to what's happening around them.)

I loved the Dancing with the Stars concept this book had and it makes me eager to read any of the other books that Alexis Daria might have in the Dance Off world. (Hopefully there will be more sequels.)

Overall as a debut novel, I really enjoyed it and I think that it was a pretty strong book. I'm excited that this book is being rereleased with a new beautiful cover.

4/5 stars

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for giving me a copy, all opinions are my own.

This was a spicy fun slow burn ride! Two people competing against each other is already fun and then add these two it’s magical I love how the mmc is a cinnamon roll. It always a treat to see a big strong man be a big old softie on the inside !

<i>Thank you Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!</i>

I think that when it comes to celebrities dating in stories, I almost get super stressed out about it. There are always very high stakes at play more often than not, and romances can be littered with miscommunications and mis-matched goals. I think that this book did a good job at fleshing out Gina. Her goals and motivations where made extremely clear from the get-go, and she's a likeable character who just wants her career to take off without being overly sexualized by the media. A genuinely good way to have her stakes be decently high. I think that the chemistry between her and Stone was fun to read, and the steam was pretty on-point for the on-page sex scenes.

Now for Stone. First off, I can't get over that his name is Stone. It was <i>the</i> most masculine name that could be churned out for this. I think that his story and his development needed work. I get that he's holding a big secret, but we don't really get to see how it's truly effecting his life, especially because we don't see enough moments with his family. I also don't think we don't get enough moments with him and Gina, and how that secret truly effects her. When it came down to the secret reveal, it turned out that those "high" stakes didn't matter. He actually gets a good end of the deal! With no consequences to him or his family, what was the point of him being scared to even mention it in the first place? I think more scenes with him and Gina, that were explicitly not sexual, would have helped us build a sense of "wow this secret is really hindering him," plus it would build their bond.

I also think that the ending really kind of felt lackluster. I think that because of what I just mentioned above on Stone's family and his big secret, it felt weird to have him and Gina just fall in with no consequences after the reveal. It was also out of nowhere that they would move to Alaska... when Gina's got a Broadway show to run in New York. How would she even agree to that? She spent seconds in Alaska, believed she was going to get mauled by a bear, and agreed to move there when her job is literally at the other end of the country? It made no sense.

Overall, I enjoyed a majority of this book, but the story needed some work!

I love romance, I love reality television, and now I love Alexis Daria. This book was so sexy and fun! I'm off to check out her other books now!

3.5⭐️ I bumped this up to 4 stars because this was the authors debut that’s getting a re-release and I know the author has written incredible works since this one.

This book follows our two main characters Gina and Stone. Gina is a dance instructor on a tv dance competition and Stone is an Alaskan survivalist reality star who are partnered up on Gina’s dance show. As the show progresses Gina and Stone’s attraction to one another grow which is a big problem for Gina who has sworn off dating her dance partners and wants to be taken seriously in the entertainment industry.

I really enjoyed the dancing aspect in this book especially towards the end where Stone is really “feeling” the dance it got so steamy! The spicy scenes were HOT!! Loved all the spice! With that said it is pretty insta lust-y so I do wish there was more relationship development that wasn’t wrapped around the show. The dance show was a HUGE aspect of this book as expected by the cover and synopsis but I do think it pulled away from more plot/character development. This book really picked up for me in the second half.

Overall I thought this was a fun, sexy and entertaining read and I’m definitely looking forward to more books by this author in the future!