I read the original edition of this back in 2021 when I decided to read all of Alexis Daria's backlist. So I already knew I liked this story and the entire Dance Off series. But I was so pleased to read it again, in this updated edition with such a beautiful new cover.

Gina is a professional dancer on The Dance Off. For this season, the celebrity she is paired with is Stone, known for his role on a reality TV show about Living Wild in Alaska.

I loved being behind the scenes of a ballroom dance competition. I used to ballroom dance competitively, so I have always loved watching those shows more than any other type of reality TV. This book felt like it gave us real insight into what it could be like and how reality is manipulated.

I so appreciated the fine line that Gina describes between being sexy and sexualized. She refuses to play into stereotypes about Latinas. Though originally written years ago, this still felt so relevant. And there are so many more themes about family, integrity, and love.

Take the Lead is presented as an opposites attract romance with a city girl and survivalist. But like all the best of this trope, Gina and Stone aren't truly opposites at all. They are such a great pair, on and off the dance floor. I enjoyed re-reading this so much, and I can't wait to see updates for the rest of the series.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up

This book had my attention from the start. Gina is a professional dancer on The Dance Off and is on her way to meet her celebrity partner for this season in the boonies of Alaska. She hopes that he is an Olympian with some dance experience. Instead she meets Stone, whose family has a reality show called Living Wild. After a scare during their first meeting, they next meet up in the rehearsal space in the studio in LA. I prefer the singing shows to the dancing shows and found myself drawn into the world of dance. They fight their attraction to each other as they both have reasons to not get involved. Will they overcome their obstacles and find a way to make things work out? Read this fun, sexy book to find out. I would give this book 4.5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book to review through NetGalley.

Take the Lead

rating: 4.5 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
genre: romance
steam: way open door, multiple scenes

This is my third book by Daria, and I have to say - I am enjoying her banter and steam more than ever! I cruised through this book and read the whole thing on a single Saturday. I couldn’t put it down!

Why was Donna such a jerk?
What secrets was Stone hiding?
Would they win the competition?!

This book had such a colorful cast of characters, and even the ones you’re not supposed to like, you still laughed at their lines and didn’t hate seeing their name on the page.

Gina & Stone was an amazingly cute couple that showed if you really want it, you can make it work. And they live up to the cliche: love will show up when and where you’re least expecting it.

Do yourself a favor and pick this one up!

If you love Dancing with the Stars, opposites attract romances, and books filled with humor and complex emotions, this book is for you.

Some of my favorite things about this book:
- The dancing! I learned so much about dance in this book, and it was just such a fun read! There were so many different types of dance that I had no idea existed before, and I went through a bit of a rabbit hole while reading this book looking up dances on YouTube…
- I also loved the dance competition feel around this book! The competition aspect kept me hooked, and I loved how it reminded me so much of Dancing with the Star and Strictly Come Dancing!
- I loved Stone and Gina’s relationship. I love how they both had personal things they needed to work through and how they navigated through that together throughout the book. I also loved that they had wonderful communication and were able to discuss their problems instead of ignoring them or causing miscommunication.
- I adored Stone. As someone who watched a few survivals shows, I was able to clearly picture what type of man Stone was, and I really enjoyed him. It was so nice to see him find his voice and to grow into himself and stand up for what he loves.

This was my first ever Alexis Daria book, and it for sure won’t be my last. I had no idea that this was an updated book! I found that this book was so well written and I was clearly able to picture everything, from the dancing to the costumes. The only complaint I had is that I think Gina was a bit too harsh on Stone at the end, and that the conflict was a bit drawn out, but overall, this was such a fun read. The characters were for sure the highlight of the book for me, and I would highly recommend it!

4.5 ⭐

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This book was such a whirlwind! I adored every second. The plot was really strong from the beginning and the chemistry between Stone and Gina was excellent. I liked that the book followed the TV show episode by episode, without any weird gaps or jumps. It kept the story from feeling rushed. I also found this to be a really interesting "peek behind the curtain" moment for reality TV shows that are similar to the ones in this book.

Overall, a really great read! I can't wait for the next one.

Absolutely great look at what goes behind the scenes in a reality dance competition. I laughed throughout at the just ridiculousness of some of the things that producers want to do the the contestants. Nice and steamy which I love in a romance novel. Truly enjoyed this story and can't wait to read the rest of the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is based on an ARC from NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher.

Dancing Reality Shows are not really my thing but if they were more like this story, I would be into them!

This book felt like a story within a story because it gave not only the show but a peak behind the curtains. The main characters are wonderful and enchanting. The author effortlessly wove in aspects of latinx culture into this story. I came to understanding what is was like for Gina to be a latinx woman in the industry, but also some romance and fun. Stone was a great character. A bit of a cinnamon roll hero which is not my favorite, but his mountain man ways won me over.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story, and it should absolutely be on your TBR. This was my first title by Alexis Daria, and I have added all her other titles to my must-read list.

Binge alert!

Holy cannoli batman! Stone & Gina are E V E R Y T H I N G!! I loved Take the Lead so much!

Take the Lead is an entertaining, sexy and swoony romance set against the backdrop of a reality dance show competition. The chemistry between the two main characters is instantaneous, and if you enjoy Dancing with the Stars or dancing in general, the rehearsals and performances are written in such detail, you will feel transported to the stage. Alexis Daria added great commentary about the stereotypes of Latin American women in the media, and I always love reading her books to gain new perspective. While this was Daria’s debut novel and originally published in 2017, this reissued edition with an updated cover comes out on Valentines Day.

Read if you love:
-Opposites attract
-Latinx Rep
-Workplace romance
-Reality dancing shows
-Guy falls first
-Open door romance
-Alaskan wilderness hero
-Peurto Rican heroine

I loved this one so much I read it in just about 24 hours! I’m so glad it was rereleased. I’ve never really watched Dancing with the Stars, but I loved reading about a similar show.

The chemistry between Stone and Gina was evident and off the charts from the beginning. I really enjoyed the two reality shows merging. Like Daria’s other books this was steamy! I think the chemistry/slow burn of Stone and Gina’s dancing was so intimate and so well written. I definitely want to check out the other two books in the series!

This was very very cute! I loved Gina and Stone, their chemistry and the ability to see each other and confide in each other. They were so sweet and they felt like the organically just fit, despite their differences. I really enjoyed this story!!

DNF at 58%
I love Alexis Daria’s other books, but this one made me realize that reality show themes aren’t for me. More than half way through and I’m still not invested and I think it’s because of the reality show nonsense.

Stone loves Alaska, but not the spotlight. Yet somehow he’s gotten roped into not one, but two reality tv shows.
This first focuses on his family and their lives “in the bush” of Alaska. Yes this strongly resembles another reality tv family, but with some key differences. Like Stone being massively attractive.
And now he’s doing a season of a dance show - the one where a professional dancer is paired with a celebrity - to make extra money to cover his mothers medical bills (and maybe pay off the student loans for the engineering degree few people realize he has).
With all the secrets he’s keeping about his true Alaskan upbringing and life, he is not looking to start an ill-advised secret relationship.

Since childhood, Gina has been working hard to get where she is in the world of dance and has plans to make it further. Currently she’s on her fifth season of the hit dance completion show, next dream show hosting and then the big one - broadway.
She’s doing the best she can to advance her career while walking the fine line between being a sexy and a sexualized Latin dancer. And with having been burned by a dance partner relationship before, she’s stayed single to avoid risking that again.

Still, when the chemistry spills over from their dancing into their feelings, Stone and Gina can’t seem to help themselves. And that’s when the fun starts.

This book is an updated version of a previous release, but I (unfortunately) never caught it the first time around. It’s super entertaining, I only wish I could actually see these dances!
The dual pov is great, I love when you can see into the heads of both MCs. Especially when there’s some pining involved!

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Thank you SMP Romance for the advance copy.

I love Alexis Daria. You Had Me At Hola? An absolute gem. A Lot Like Adios? Also a gem. So it truly pains me to DNF this one.

I just cannot get into it. I’ve tried on multiple occasions as well. I promised myself to DNF more this year instead of forcing myself to finish books. So that’s what I am going to do.

NetGalley is making me rate. Normally I would not rate at all.

4.5 stars.Thanks to Negalley and St. Martin's Press for the EARC. I dont even know where to start I stayed up waaayy past my bedtime Im talking about 1 oclock in the morning to finish reading this because I needed to know what happened and let me tell you Alexis Daria did not disappoint. I loved this story and I loved Stone and Gina #teamstonecold. I cant wait to hunt down the other books in the series and devour them

Thanks to Netgalley for this read. I enjoyed this book, I had read her other book a while back. I enjoyed the dance show theme. However about 80% through I almost DNF because the back and forth with Gina and Stone regarding their relationship just got annoying. I pushed through and the ending was to be expected. 3.5/5 on the spice factor. Overall I rate this book at 3.5

Thank you NetGalley for the eArc.

Tropes:
Forced Proximity
Workplace Romance
Touch her and you die
Grumpy/Sunshine
Reality Show
Competition

This is a re-editing of Take the Lead that was originally published in 2017. Honestly, i'm sad i missed this when it first came out. I love reality show based Rom coms. Gina is a wonderful main character and Stone is a big Rugged Alaska man with heart. The secondary characters added to this book.

Short review - its just fun. Read it

4.5/5

AHHH THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!!! I will truly shout from the roof tops about how much I love Alexis Daria and how her writing stories have completely stolen my heart. She and her writing are everythinggggg! ❤️

I know this technically isn’t a new book (as it’s Alexis’ debut work republished) but I’m so glad I have the chance to help promote it like it is. This story had all the perfect pieces: great characters, believable drama, and extra spicy scenes. 🔥 I absolutely loved the concept of this story and Gina and Stone were the perfect MCs for it.

Big thanks go out to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy of this ebook! Take the Lead drops everywhere on February 14 (a perfect romance to pick up for Valentine’s Day!)

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy. This was originally released in 2017 and is getting a re-release in paperback with a lovely new illustrated cover.

She's a dancer on a dancing competition show. He's the reality star cast as her partner. She is adamantly against the "showmance" the producers are pushing for, but he's proving hard to resist...

This was enjoyable enough, but I don't feel like it will stick with me. I've previously read and loved two other books by Alexis Daria (You Had Me at Hola and A Lot Like Adios), so my expectations may have been a little too high going in. I also think I'm learning that while the premise of a romance set around a reality show always sounds really fun to me, I don't often love the execution of it.

The characters had a nice, easygoing chemistry, something that I've enjoyed in Daria's other books. The sex scenes were fun, although sometimes felt a bit too rushed. I would have liked to have more time with and focus on some of the supporting characters. I think if you're more into Dancing with the Stars or dancing in general you will probably enjoy that aspect of it all more than I did.

Ultimately what really didn't work for me is that most of the drama and stakes just...weren't that interesting to me. I never really cared about them winning the show, for one. Part of his drama is that he feels guilty for keeping this big "secret" from her, but like, it's so mild and not something any rational person would be all that upset about. Meanwhile, her deal is that she's extremely paranoid about anyone finding out that she's sleeping with a co-star because she doesn't want that to effect her reputation and future career prospects, especially being Latina, which is 100% a valid concern! But it never felt like he ever actually *got* why she had those concerns, which was disappointing.

A fun romance that nevertheless touches on some serious issues, Take the Lead is immediately engaging. The female main character, Gina, is a professional dancer who has ambitions beyond the reality dance competition show she currently stars in. Stone, the male main character, is an unwilling participant both as Gina's new dance partner and as part of his own family's reality show, Living Wild, which features them as survivalists in the Alaskan wilderness. The origin of Gina's commitment phobia has to do with discrimination in her chosen field: as a Puerto Rican female she has been judged before for her involvement with a costar, and she struggles with determination to advance as a performer despite the obstacles in her path. Stone, on the other hand, is hiding a secret of his own that his devotion to his family has made necessary. I liked both the characters and found their struggles and the development of their relationship believable. The romance built nicely, though the third-act breakup scene could have been stronger. The secondary characters, the family and friends of the pair, provided some humor and nicely balanced the lead characters. All in all, I really enjoyed the story, especially the strong protagonists.
Tropes:
Grumpy/Sunshine
Forced Proximity
Commitment-phobic main characters
Secrets
Family Issues