This was an updated version of the original book published a few years ago. I loved Stone and Gina together. On her own, Gina drove me a bit crazy.
They definitely had chemistry, but I found myself wishing for more conversation and substance between them.
Overall I enjoyed this book, but I don't feel the need to continue on with the series.

Loved the concept, loved the characters, and just had so much fun reading this one! I can’t wait to recommend it to all my romance loving friends, and maybe even convince some of my non romance reading friends who like dancing with the stars to give it a try!

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 rereleased with a new cover! So a solid debut and since we’ve seen what the author can do this just places her firmly in my must read author list.

As fans of reality tv, and people who occasionally watch Dancing with the Stars, we knew we had to read this book! We were first introduced to Alexis Daria in 2020 when You had me at Hola was released. Once we devoured that book we needed to know if she had written any other books. Luckily for us she had!

Take the Lead is the first book in the Dance Off duology (that also has a novella!). This book was first published as an ebook and now in paperback with a new cover, updated text and bonus materials! We follow pro dancer Gina Morales and her celeb partner Stone Nielson during this new season of The Dance Off. Right off the bat they have chemistry that you can’t wait to see where it takes them and how being from two completely different worlds (Stone lives in Alaska with his family as wilderness survivalists) affects their relationship.

If you’re looking for a fun, spicy and interesting book this is definitely for you! (And check out the whole series while you’re at it!)

What we liked:
▪️Behind the scenes look into the show
▪️Gina and Natasha’s friendship
▪️camaraderie between Stone and other celeb contestants
▪️🌶🌶🌶🌶
▪️the Spanglish

What we didn’t like:
▪️Donna the producer and Lauren! (Probably not supposed to like them anyway)

Can two reality stars whose livelihoods are on the line, make a go of the passion growing between them? Or will the "reality" of it all bring them down?

On paper, the heroine and hero don't have much in common.
Gina Morales is a dancer on the competition show, The Dance Off (think Dancing with the Stars).
Stone Nielson is on the reality show, Living Wild, basically living off the grid.
She loves LA.
He loves Alaska.
But, coupled together for the new season of The Dance Off, they find they have a couple things in common.
Their hatred for the fake side of reality TV.
Their commitment to look good in the eyes of their family.
And most importantly, their shared attraction.

I like the couple’s interactions as they first started working together on this dance show, feeling each other out, so to speak. Both are respectful of one another and supportive in their journey. Things get complicated as they get closer, and Gina's responses didn't always seem fair. And I respected how Stone called her out on it.

While the overall plot was predictable, I enjoyed the evolution of this couple's story, and how they ultimately overcame the drama surrounding them.

This is a rerelease of the author's first book, and a fun one if you love dancing and/or reality shows.

This book is a re-release but feels incredibly fresh.
Gina Morales is one of the experts on a television dance program. She has been on the show for awhile but has never won. She needs to come out on top so that she can stay on the show. Hopefully she gets matched up with someone famous. Well, he sort of is.
Stone Nielsen became famous when his family with eight siblings was scouted for a reality show when they lived in the wilderness. He hates it. But he needs the money to help pay for his mom's surgery so... more reality television.
While their show handler feels different, Gina does NOT want to have a showmance. First, she wants to be taken seriously as a dancer and second, she doesn't want to perpetuate the myth of Latinas being oversexed. But she is fiercely attracted to Stone and they start a romance behind the scene.
What happens if their personal time together becomes public? How will the chips fall?
A little too much of a big misunderstanding at the end, just too much drama but overall a fantastic book.

Oh that slow burn…

This was sooo good! I felt so much while reading it - the passion, the desire, the connection, the hurt, the anticipation, the anxiety, the relief, the fall. I felt it all!

I also appreciated the representation and diversity in the cast of characters. I can definitely relate to Gina’s character in being typecasted based on your race and to try to constantly combat that.

Overall, this was such a good read and will re-read again!

4 stars! Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

It definitely took me about 30% to get into the story but once I did, the story was good!

Gina has such great character growth and it’s nice to see her lower he walls and truly let Stone in. It was really nice to read all about the rehearsals and I enjoyed the friendship between her and Natasha.

Stone was so caring and I’m so happy that he break away and fine a true passion away from his family. It was great seeing him not as quiet and how he really opened up in the presence of Gina. You could really feel the tension between Stone and Gina!

This was a good read!

This book was just a delight to read. I highly recommend for anyone who wants just a charming romance to read that's centered around dancing. You can't go wrong!

Gina and Stone had great chemistry and I really felt the struggles their were facing with their future and life choices. Everything about their storyline just made sense and flowed so naturally. I can't wait to read more from this series because the brief moments of Natasha had me ready to read her love story.

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.