Totally get how this was recognized by RITA. Despite the art on its cover (yes, I know the author thanked the artist for their work), I just usually don't pick up books looking like this which have a very fantastical romance style with a Fabio-like dude. But... there was a lot of good content in this story. I thought the background provided for the reality shows was fascinating, which added more complexity to the Stone character. Alexis Daria is new to me and, after this debut, curious to see if she repeats the good work or manages to up it on the other books she writes.

Take the Lead is a rereleased of Alexis Daria’s first book. I really enjoyed this Dancing With the Stars/survival shows/reality tv world romance. Gina is a dancer on the show really wanting to win or at least make the finals, especially after a producer tells her, her job isn’t safe for next season. But she has one rule, No Shomance with her partners. When she realizes her partner Stone .and her are being set up as the shomance she tries to prevent getting close to him (with not much luck). While Stone is on a survival reality show in Alaska with his family he hates it. So for him to be the one casted on The Dance Off hiding his family secrets he thought was going to be hell. But as he learns to dance from Gina and they learn about each other the obvious attraction and connection leads to them connecting out of the ballroom that they want out keep off camera.. But with meddling producers, family secrets, the media and a dance competition to win, not to mention both of their individual insecurities, this road to forever and The Dance Off trophy is a long one.

I very much enjoyed this book. Gina and Stone’s chemistry was definitely the highlight. They sizzled off the page. Loved of Alexis Daria incorporated the dancing into this and how she described it. I will say I probably would of gave a higher rating if it weren’t for that third act break up and the aftermath. Just felt like that wasn’t the Gina and Stone I read throughout the book. More so the way they acted after the third act break up than anything. It felt like two teenagers acting out instead of the adults we seen Stone and Gina be thru the book. Also some parts confused me about what their arguments where. Other than that I love the rest. Enjoyed most of the side characters and loved the setting of the reality shows and cities this book took place in.

Gina and Stone’s romance definitely was the thing I walked away from with this book. They brought the heat off and on the dance floor. Not to mention when they opened up to each other about dreams, secrets, and insecurities. I gave Alexis Daria’s Take the Lead, four stars. Thank you Netgalley and Saint Martinis Press this arc.

CW: parental abandonment issues and blackmail,.

✨What to expect✨
•DWTS vibes
•Secrets
•Dancer
•Reality Star

✨Thoughts ✨
If you are a fan of DWTS, then you must read this one!

I really enjoyed this one, the tension and build up between these two…loved it! I loved the whole DWTS concept, I kept picturing each of their dances in my head while reading. Stone is a quiet, tall, and bearded man, I really liked him. I loved Gina, a fiery Latina woman who was going after her dreams and wasn’t going to put up with any BS. The chemistry between these too was great. I wasn’t expecting this to be so spicy, but I loved it!

I wasn’t crazy about was the drama at the end between these two. I also felt like Stone’s secret was a little far-fetched.

I’m feeling awfully conflicted about this one, but overall I really enjoyed it! Let’s get into it:

As someone who danced until halfway through college, this book brought me back to a side of myself that I missed very much, and helped me reconnect with the insides of an industry I’ve always loved. The premise is a blast— survivalist reality tv show star goes on a competitive dance show where he is matched with a pro dancer. I loved how Alexis Daria was able to connect the emotions and stories of the characters to their experiences dancing with one another, as well as to the stories they told in the choreography. This aspect of the story completely set it apart for me from every rom-com I’ve read before and I adored it so much.

Another part I loved: Gina. Gina is SUCH a wonderful MC. I loved her integrity, her kindness, her heart, her ability to wear her insecurities and her fears on her sleeve without letting it affect the way she treated others. She had moments where she was (understand) tempted to be petty, and she always came back to her roots in how she acted. I love seeing a character like this in any book. I ALSO adored the connection to Gina’s Puerto Rican culture, and how vocally she discussed and stood up for herself when facing harmful stereotypes. All of this gets an A+++ from me.

The problem lies in the most classic place: the third act breakup. I hated this conflict so much, and Stone acted in a way that I nearly found unforgivable. I liked him just fine throughout, I liked his shy humor and how he was able to reconnect to the person he really is outside of the reality show persona he plays. This was awesome for growth and realism. What he does to Gina undid so much of this for me, and I didn’t like the later justification for why he did it. It was an unnecessary betrayal, especially as this couple was dealing with enough *believable* conflict already based on her roots in LA & NYC and his being in Alaska. Not to mention that Stone tries to justify these actions via flipping the script to focus on HIS feelings. This really left a sour taste in my mouth, and I think I found myself much more disconnected from the story come the end than I expected to be after so enjoying more of the book.

Im ultimately giving this a 3.75, as I still so enjoyed so much of it but can’t get past such a big part of the story. I’ve already got other books by this author downloaded on my kindle, though, and I’ll definitely be reading them!

Thank you to St. Martins press & NetGalley for the eArc of this title!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for an E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was an okay cute romance. We follow Gina who is a professional dancer on a tv show called “The Dance Off” where you compete against other professional dancers to win first place on the show. We also follow Stone who is a wilderness reality tv show actor for “The Living Wild”. Stone gets paired up with Gina to be dance partners and compete on “The Dance Off”. Stone has no idea how to to dance, so Gina teaches him all the dances he has to learn while competing. This book follows Gina and Stone dancing together and learning about each other, which leads to them falling for one another even though they shouldn’t. Gina has always been focused on her dancing career. After her breakup with one of her old dance partners, she vowed to never date or mess around with her dance partners again because she doesn’t want to jeopardize her career with her personal life. Stone lives in a Alaska with his family, and acts on a tv show where everyone thinks him and his family live a healthy, perfect life, but when off camera, his family is dysfunctional. Stone loves Alaska, and vows that he will never leave…until he meets Gina.

I have to say that I enjoyed the last 50% of this book more than the beginning 50% of this book. I felt the beginning to be lacking, and the story was dragging. But, once I got to the 50% mark, the story became interesting. I’m not a huge fan of Gina — the way she was written in this book really annoyed me. She was just very annoying and bossy. I liked Stone, but I just felt like he was being whipped by Gina and bowing down to her like every second. The smut was good, but again, Gina was in control, and I just found it to be annoying especially after they would have sex and she’s like “okay you can go fuck off now”. She basically threw Stone to the side like he was nothing.

I’m not sure if this was suppose to be written as a reverse Grumpy x Sunshine, if it was, then it makes sense. If it wasn’t, then I don’t know LOL. Overall, I enjoyed the last half of this book, but I will not continue to read the rest of the series.

(3.5★)

Take the Lead by Alexis Daria is a opposites attract romance that follows tv survivalist Stone Nielson and professional dancer Gina Morales.

This book begins with the two main characters just meeting and already having such intensity, which I did find a little odd. In essence, it seemed like a "insta-love" encounter even though there was only chemistry involved because neither mc acted upon on their feelings. But, I must say that whenever Stone and Gina were together, they had their cute moments and, my gosh, they were just so right for one another.

Although when everything fell apart and Gina and Stone broke up, Gina did start to annoy me since she was making a big deal out of something that didn't require a lot of attention. For this reason, I also felt bad for Stone.

Overall, despite the fast pacing, I found this to be such a sweet and enjoyable read!

*Thank you to St. Martin's Press, and to the author, Alexis Daria, for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*

Take the Lead is a steamy romance, filled with passion and so many emotions! Gina and Stone light up the page! The couple are true opposites—Gina is a ballroom dancer with her sights set on a big career in New York or Los Angeles; Stone is a burly man who lives in Alaska, whose family stars in a reality tv show about life in the wild. But when they are paired up for a dance competition show, the sparks fly, the affection grows, and they seem to bring out the best in each other. The author does a fantastic job of placing the reader in the cutthroat world of reality tv, with conflicts that threaten any chance of a future between these two stars. It was a bumpy ride at times, but I was happy to be along for the ride!

I started reading this book after getting the Netgalley ARC, and thought, hmm this sounds really familiar! Turns out I read it after reading other books by Alexis Daria and loved it back then, so I was excited to revisit these characters again. This was such a fun read, especially after finishing Jenette McCurdy’s memoir.

Gina is such a strong character, dedicated to being a dancer. Her chemistry with Stone is evident early on, even with Stone trying to hide a secret. It was fun watching their relationship grow under the guise of the dancing with the stars like show. I really like Alexis Daria’s book, and I felt like this one wrapped up really nicely. Can’t wait to read more by her.

A whirlwind romance paired with a Dancing With The Stars back drop?! I’m here for it! Two reality tv stars are not shy in front the cameras, but when Gina (Pro Dancer) and Stone (Alaskan Bush Man) are partnered up, it’s not long before sparks and rumours fly.

It’s obvious Gina and Stone are from two completely different worlds, but for the time being their secret love affair is working for them…. That is until one of the cameras catch a glimpse of them sharing a romantic kiss, after the paparazzi already caught Gina leaving Stone’s hotel room one morning.

Gina generally has a rule that she doesn’t mix business with pleasure, but their attraction has been undeniable. Gina fears that the release of this kissing scene could ruin her chances of winning the trophy, and the image around her career…

Obviously this makes it challenging for Gina and Stone to work together and it all comes down to their final dance.

Will winning or losing determine whether they’ll accept their feelings for what they are? Or will either of those options push them further away?

An author who is quickly becoming a favorite and auto-buy at the same time. This is the third novel I have read by the author and I loved it.

Quick Synopsis: Stone is a reality TV star along with his large family where they all live together in the Alaskan wilderness. Despite the fact that it’s a rather large farce and the show is generally a fake representation of that lifestyle, Stone elects to join a version of “Dancing with the Stars” and is paired with the beautiful Gina. Throughout their many dances, the two find themselves increasingly attracted to one another, but also constantly fighting that for various reasons.

Trigger Warnings: difficult family relationships, minor injuries to a character while dancing, dancing related injuries

What I liked:
-I always like Daria’s writing style; very easy to read and digestible.
-Stone was a great character (he is definitely the lumberjack man from Tiktok)
-I liked the premise of the reality tv show
-There was great discussion on women’s empowerment, Gina having to overcome stereotypes and maintain her foodhold in an industry that only values people for the drama they can provide and not the skills they have
-I loved the conversation around how producers manipulate and connive to get a certain scene or outcome in a reality tv show and how messed up that is.
-There were just some really great scenes and it is spicy, but not excessively so.

What I struggled with:
-The beginning was a bit slow for me. Initially I thought the whole “dancing with the stars” arc was a bit trite, but it did grow on me overall.
-The ending seemed a bit too fortuitous, but then again, it’s a romance, so I can’t complain too much.
-I personally hate a third act breakup, so again I didn’t love that aspect of it.

Altogether, a really enjoyable read and just another reason I’ll continue to read Alexis Daria’s books, no matter what she puts out.

This was an enjoyable - and spicy - rom-com read. It was a bit of a deviation from what I normally read/enjoy, and some of the spicy scenes felt like they came out of nowhere (which wasn’t my favourite thing) - but the story revolving around the set of a dance reality show was a lot of fun to read about and the relationship between Gina and Stone was swoon-worthy! I would definitely recommend this book to rom-com fans!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars
There is something about romances involving dance that just allow them to have the best chemistry. Perhaps it is the characters constantly touching one another, or them having to be attuned to one another's emotions for the sake of the art, but either way I love it. Take the Lead is a quick, cute romance perfect for Valentine's Day season (yes, I consider it a season). I recommend it to romance readers, especially those who like those perfectly cliche movies such as Step Up.
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC

This book was hands down one of the best romances I’ve read. Maybe it’s because this book is not an enemies to lovers story which is what I’ve been reading in a lot in romances lately. I love that this book instantly establishes such a strong attraction between the main characters.

Gina as a character is admirable and I love reading about a strong Latinx lead. The author did such a good job of establishing her down to earth personality and genuine care for people. As for Stone, what a sweet guy and where can I get one of him?!

The spice in the book was exquisite and the attraction between Gina and Stone leapt off the page. The romance is expertly executed.

The only thing I did not like was how Gina acted in the end. I know both characters need to go through some growth but I wanted instant gratification!

Drop everything to get this book and gush with me over Stone and Gina!

2 stars

My Strictly Come Dancing-loving heart has longed for a romance set in the world of reality dance competitions and having had success with Alexis Daria in the past, I figured that Take the Lead would be the perfect way to scratch that itch.

On paper, the concept is absolutely fabulous - a dancer on a reality dance competition trying to win while fighting her feelings for her hunky partner - but the execution of this book for me just completely missed the mark. We spend very little time in these characters' heads and when we do, it tends to be the same ideas repeated over and over again. The physical attraction is decently developed, but I constantly felt like I was constantly being told that there was an emotional attraction rather than actually seeing it develop. They honestly don't really have a lot of conversations with each other on page and there are a myriad of moments where important conversations or events are referenced as having happened between chapters that we never actually get to see. It made the entire romance plot, which is supposed to be the cornerstone of the book, feel flat and unearned. On top of that, this book about dancing has remarkably very little dancing in it as there are very few practice scenes and most of the actual dances on the show get skipped over.

I honestly wanted to love this book and it makes me so sad to write about how disappointed I was. The good news is I can always go back to Daria's You Had Me at Hola if I want a sexy entertainment industry romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Griffin for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

A fun read - opposites attract, a dance competition, and romance all in one. Gina and Stone are an odd couple but they work, they work in all the ways that count. Will Gina finally win the competition? No spoilers from me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This isn't heavy lifting but it's very entertaining.

This book was the award winning debut novel by @alexisdaria in 2017 and is re-releasing with this new swoon worthy cover and scenes on February 14th 💕
This was a FUN, SEXY, and exciting romance set during a reality dance show. Professional dancer Gina Morales enters her 4th season of Dance Off with the mirrorball trophy 🏆 in her mind. She is partnered with Stone Nielsen, a sexy Alaskan wilderness TV star who would rather wrestle a bear than be on a dancing show. Stone is strong, silent, and introverted in contrast to Gina’s vivacious outgoing personality who is much happier in the spotlight and in a big city. Watching these two from their hilarious meet cute in Alaska through each week’s dancing challenges was a blast. Their chemistry was 🥵 and I was attracted to each main character’s backstory of how they ended up in the reality TV industry. Their competitive spirit and desire to support one another careers was had me swooning and cheering for their relationship.

Check out the book’s playlist on Spotify if you need an immediate mood boost and add this read to your February TBR 🙌🏼.

4.5 stars
Take the Lead tells a story of Gina, a Porto Rican descendent that is one of the choreographers for a reality show that is based on a dance competition. She is paired with Stone, a big brooding guy, that is also part of another reality show that is focused on survival. Although they have great chemistry there are several things that will be in the way of a possible relationship between both of them.
I really enjoyed this book! Firstly, I really appreciate the descriptions of the dances, the inclusion of latin american rhythms, mentions of food and other details that made me really appreciate that the main character was in fact a latina. I also thought that the discussions of the "Latina stereotype" was well made and I was pleased to see that in moments of conflict she did not fall into those same archetypes.
Stone, as a MMC, was also a pleasant surprise.. I thought I was going to see a grumpy-sunshine trope but it was not really it. He started quiet because it was what was expected of him, but he slowly started to open up, trying new things and at the end I thought he was really emotional mature and could also express his feelings without being a cave-man.
The only thing I would point out that made me remove half star from my rating is that even though Gina had valid reasons for her arguments at the end of the book, I felt that it was a bit hypocritical/selfish of her.
For those that like spice, this book has quite a bit of it and I really enjoyed how it moved the plot forward.
Lastly, I was super pleasant with the end that get away of the traditional resolution of romance books!

Such an amazing story! I loved how Gina and Stone find their footing while dancing around. I’ve always love how descriptive Ms. Daria is, the Puerto Rican culture front and center. And I loved how Stone went from grumpy mountain man afraid to live his live in his own terms to taking the lead and making Gina his forever. Loved it!

The two of them are super cute and I enjoyed this book. I do wish they spent more time together off camera doing something that is not sex. I believed that they were in love but I wanted to see them do more domestic things.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Gina is a professional dancer on a celebrity dance show (a la "Dancing with the Stars") who has prioritized her career her entire life. She gets paired with "Wilderness Expert", Stone and feels an immediate connection to him that she is determined to squash. Stone brings his own secrets to the show and both feel the pressure when the show's producers demand that they be this years "Showmance"

I liked this a lot! I really like Alexis Daria's writing and characters. I thought both characters had a lot of personality and their motivations made sense.

The spice was top-notch and the scenes were also very sweet. The third act breakup was not my favorite, but then again it never is.

Overall I recommend this! Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own.