2/5 ⭐️s
🌶️ - nearly closed door

LOVES:
- Archer’s such an excited little puppy dog and Mateo is just a brick wall hahah it’s a solid grumpy x sunshine dynamic
- The dancing is amazing. I love the descriptions and technicalities of it and when Mateo and Archer dance together it’s 🔥
- The camp vibes are fun. Lots of good side characters, board game nights, etc.

CRITIQUES:
- Over 50% of the book was Archer being with someone who wasn’t Mateo. It felt like such a waste of time.
- The drama was just not for me. It felt childish and annoying. I think it was supposed to come off as funny, but it just grated on my nerves.

There were overarching things about this that I really liked. It had so much potential for me and I’m sure a lot of people would like this book. I could not get past the fact that Archer spent so much of the book with someone else. The ending was cute, but felt very anti-climactic for me after all this other frustrating drama the whole time. I wanted to like it so much more than I did. 😭

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC 💝 Release date is May 27th!

Welcome to 90210 meets Melrose Place meets The OC (okay, I never actually watched The OC, but it was popular for a reason!). The diva (Stewart), the juicy drama (cue one literary love triangle between Caleb, Mateo, and Archer), the cattiness, and the sheer hilarity of the situation make you hope that someone turns this book into a series - not a movie. I need episodes so we get every delicious moment!

Five months earlier, Archer Read traded in his accountant job for big dreams of dancing on Broadway. Fast forward to the present: after months of pounding the pavement, audition after audition, and rejection after rejection, Archer’s once-vivid dream is slowly being crushed by the harshness of reality. At 27, maybe he is “too old.” Desperate times call for desperate measures, and a callback for a summer cabaret show at an LGBTQ+ resort may be his last shot. Giving it his all, not only does he land a spot, but he also discovers he’ll be dancing with his childhood crush - Broadway legend Mateo Dixon. Archer quickly learns why you should never meet your heroes, but he is determined to stay focused and use the summer gig as a way to get discovered, putting his dreams back on track. If only he could keep his focus whenever Mateo is around, and resist the ever-present advances of his gorgeous bunkmate, Caleb.

I could not put this book down! There was a moment when all heck broke loose, and I’m pretty sure people thought something was wrong with me because of the nervous laughter I couldn’t hold back. I just couldn’t believe the chaos! This book will keep you on the edge of your seat - and if you’re not gasping, you’re laughing, or tearing up at the sheer sweetness and tenderness that is Archer Read.

Having read all of Casey McQuiston’s books, I’d say Flirty Dancing won’t appeal to the same audience for the same reasons; however, Jennifer’s writing reminded me a lot of Sarah Adams and Michelle Angelle. The amount of heat and steam she can evoke in a glance, a caress, a kiss - your imagination will be set ablaze. You don’t need to know what happens behind closed doors, because you can feel the energy building to that moment. This was the first M/M closed door romance I ever read, and while I was initially disappointed in the idea - especially after the build-up when the next page was a new chapter, and I let out a bloodcurdling “No!” - that feeling quickly dissipated. An open-door scene would have taken so much away from those intimate moments!

The humor is another shining reason for the comparison. The main characters, the supporting cast - everyone brings something unique to the table, and there’s never a dull moment. You’d think three months would drag out the story, but it didn’t! As each week passed, we loved, we lost (break-ups), we gasped (oh boy, did we gasp), and we laughed. There wasn't a lull, even when you thought things were winding down and the book was getting complacent - it quickly reminded you that comfort wasn’t an option!

For the most part, the book was sheer entertainment - more of a “day in the life” - and a heartfelt nod to its talented inspiration: the dance troupe at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos. Outside of that, it’s about finding yourself, chasing your dreams, never giving up, and never fearing failure. Each member has their struggles, their stories, their demons - obstacles to overcome in life, love, past, present, and future. I think my absolute favorite part of this story was the descriptions of how Archer felt when he danced, or how he would describe Mateo dancing. To have that much passion and connection with something is heartstoppingly beautiful.

As I said before - PassionFlix, Netflix, I don’t care - someone turn this into a mini-series! Preferably eleven episodes, about an hour long each - I’d even settle for eight. I just need to see this book come to life! The dancing, the talent, the passion - the words on the page brought it to life, but to visually witness it would be a dream, especially Archer and Mateo’s tango!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a chance to read this book.
Definitely felt like if you were a fan of the movie Dirty Dancing and like Casey McQuiston books. Also fan of that first crush seeing them in person and getting a chance to be around them. Then this book you should pick it up. Perfect for any fans of LGBTQ book lovers.

Summer camp with your teenage celebrity crush called Shady Queens and its Theater based camp.
Archer tries to forget his feelings towards Mateo tries to forget the feelings he felt for him when he was a teenager. Mateo is grumpy which is so adorable and it suits the character so well. I think this a very wonderful book to add to lovers of LGBTQ books and i am always looking for more in that category. This book was not a disappointment one bit. I recommend it.

3.5 Stars ⭐️

This was such a cute story. It was really entertaining and I loved Mateo! The whole cast of characters was a lot of fun, and I especially enjoyed how Mateo and Archer helped each other grow.

I just wanted to start this review by thanking NetGalley and the author for providing me with this ARC read – even though I did request it late.

First of all, that cover?! So cute! Part of me wanted to read it just because I wanted to see what was so cute in the story that it inspired that cute of a cover. Somehow, even though I read the book description, I was so distracted by how gorgeous the cover was that I totally missed the fact that this was kind of a dirty dancing modern retelling. I was a couple chapters in and I was thinking that some of the names sounded familiar and then it all clicked, and I was even more excited to read this book.

I was seriously in love with this story pretty quickly. It was very obvious very quickly who the end game ML would be, but it was still interesting getting to see all of them interact with each other. And honestly, watching the pining and the slow burn between Archer and Mateo just pulled at my heart strings in just the right way. I NEEDED to see them finally get together and when they did, I wasn’t disappointed. Also, the ending to the book was just so sweet. The whole epilogue had me squealing and kicking my feet. The spicy level was also a level 3 which was nice.

One problem I did have with it was a typographical choice. The way that the texting was done was confusing. Having a separate font to indicate text messages was nice. However, what was confusing sometimes was who was saying what texts because of the way they were presented on the page – sometimes being a third font inside the paragraph. That did cause me to pause to reread a few times to figure out what was happening.

Overall, I would rate this book a 5 out of 5 star. I would 100% like a physical copy of this for my personal library and I loved reading it.

First of all can we talk about this cover? I dunno what to tell you it hooked me and it’s beautiful in its simplicity. The color the characters pose. And just like that I want to read it!

This is my summer read recommendation, it gave me all the summer camp vibes. Archer is a struggling inspiring dancer and after many failed auditions finds himself employed at a summer camp perforce troupe. The whole cast is a laugh, and the childish drama, had me constantly reminding myself that these “adults” are in their late 20s.

One of my favorite part is when Betty tells Archer it’s not actually high school and something happens to prove her wrong. It’s just goes to show that sometimes no matter how old we get or how “mature” we think we are, matter of the heart can dumb us all down to a bundle of hormones!

Pick up this book, read it, and just have a great time.

Thank you to Jennifer Moffatt, St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for an ARC of Flirty Dancing. All opinions are my own.

I was excited to be sent a widget for this ARC as I always think we need more queer romance and the premise seemed cute. However, this book unfortunately seriously lacked in substance and style.

For one - the writing style wasn’t good. It felt like more of a draft than anything. Even small things like transitions were so choppy. Instead of closed door sex scenes having a paragraph break following, it would literally just say “and then a short time later, they fell back onto the bed” or “when they finished”. SO. STILTED. WHERE IS THE GRACE????

I know ARCs aren’t final copies and may contain some errors but the text message exchanges were a hot mess express. Some formatted correctly (bolded and separated), some just included with the paragraphs before or after and hard to distinguish as a text.

Characters were also wildly immature for their ages. You’re telling me these people are late twenties/early thirties? I would have believed everyone’s actions and the sheer unnecessary dramatics of the relationships going on if this was a high school summer camp. Not grown adults.

There were also a lot of subplot that was entirely unnecessary. Why was Archer helping his friend plan a proposal included? I thought it would come to be a bigger part of the plot — but no. What was the point of Eileen, beyond talking about how she made good scones and had a completely random medical incident that required Archer and Mateo to miss the final performance? What was even happening with the B-Boys the whole time? What did the game nights add to the book, or the fact that everyone appeared to be blackout drunk every night? Half of the subplots for this should have been left in drafts.

I also think if the book is going to be marketed as romance and not a love triangle, the main couple should be expressing some interest sooner. Instead, one of the MMCs was in a relationship with a whole other character for a majority of the book, and the two mains were really only together for like 20% of the book.

Overall, I’m disappointed because this could have been cute, but the execution didn’t pull through.

Flirty Dancing felt like an episode of reality TV, which felt very fitting for a bunch of queer disaster thespians. The story is full of dramatics while managing to stay relatively low-angst. That being said, there are enough mentions of family pressure and traumatic pasts to add a touch of hurt/comfort.

I'm grateful for the chance to read an advance copy for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.

3.5 stars.

Archer is searching for his place in life after quitting his job as an accountant in Ohio and moving to New York with dreams of making it on Broadway. Unfortunately, he has nothing to show for it, aside from a growing string of rejections. His last chance is a musical revue at Shady Queens, a resort in the Catskills where he discovers he will be working alongside his teen celebrity crush, Mateo Dixon.

FLIRTY DANCING is a slow burn M/M romance set at Shady Queens, a resort featuring a drag and cabaret show, in the Catskills. It’s told in the perspective of Archer, a twenty-seven year old man searching for his big break into Broadway after quitting his job as an accountant in Ohio. I think Archer demonstrates a lot of vulnerability, while also sticking true to himself and his values. He’s a great protagonist for this story.

Admittedly, I am not very familiar with the dancing and Broadway scene… and I’ve never seen Dirty Dancing, so undoubtedly, I have missed references and nods to these topics within these pages.

Moffat’s writing style is clean and easy to follow, but the scene changes don’t often segue neatly from one to the next. There are numerous scene changes denoted by asterisks that ended up feeling a little sloppy to me.

FLIRTY DANCING has a whole cast of interesting and messy characters who certainly up the ante on the drama. Unfortunately, I found some of the drama and associated antics felt too juvenile with behaviour that would be better suited for teenagers rather than for adults in their early to mid twenties. That aside, I loved Lynn, Betty, Eileen, and Mateo as supporting characters to Archer’s story. They’re each so endearing and supportive in their own ways and certainly create some great found family vibes.

As mentioned previously, the romance is very much a slow burn and kept pretty clean (no open-door spice). That doesn’t mean there’s a lack of passion, because there’s ample pining and explosive chemistry shared. Well done!

The ending and epilogue hit the right notes and tie up this story nicely.

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for the opportunity to read this advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own.</i>

I received an e-ARC and am giving my honest review!

I was really excited for this book. I'm a huge theatre nerd and was so excited for a book that blended that part of my life into the plot the way it was described. But, I just can't get past both how long Archer was with Caleb, how little it focused on Mateo, and the way the book treats Caleb. Now, I need to preface this by saying I don't agree with Caleb's actions whatsoever, especially what he did after the breakup. However, it is very clear Archer only saw him as a stand-in for Mateo. He never had true, actual feelings for Caleb, completely leading him on while knowing he had feelings for Mateo. I'm just not a fan of how Archer being with Caleb was handled. Disregarding Caleb's actions, just starting from the very beginning, Archer was never really interested in Caleb and was stringing him along while he knew he had steadfast feelings for Mateo. This was all before Caleb did anything gross at all. And Caleb's jealousy towards Mateo (re: Archer) felt completely valid given the fact Archer was actively fantasizing about Mateo while they were together. And often, at that. If these thoughts and fantasies had happened farther down the road, it would've been easier for me to stomach, but Archer showing little to no real attraction to Caleb from the get go felt very icky to me.

Caleb's actions were pretty unforgiveable, however. But, his character felt much more fleshed out than Mateo, the true love interest of the book. With Caleb and Archer breaking up at 65%, then Archer and Mateo finally kissing around 85%, there was no time for Archer and Mateo's relationship to feel as genuine and connected as I know it could've. It felt like it was so close to being a good slow burn, but Caleb's entire deal just went on for way too long. Once Mateo and Archer did get together, I enjoyed the book a lot more.

I loved this book! It was so much fun, and, with drama everywhere, hilarious moments, swoon-worthy romance, it was easy to get pulled in. The characters felt real and messy in the best way. Some of them I wanted to hug, others I wanted to throw in the lake.

Shady Queens, the LGBTQ-friendly resort set in the Catskills and bursting with kooky characters, over-the-top performances, and non-stop drama, makes the perfect glittery and chaotic backdrop for Archer and Mateo to stumble, twirl, and eventually fall in love.

“Flirty Dancing” is all about second chances, chasing your dreams, and being brave enough to try something new (and fall in love). It’s got big “Dirty Dancing” energy (without repeating the plot), and I was completely here for it!

Queer romance about a 27 year old man trying to make it on Broadway. Archer is a transplant from small town Ohio with a cheerful disposition and midwestern naivety. Scoring a summer job with a dance troupe in a Catskills resort may be his last chance for success. Much to his surprise,Archers teenage celebrity crush Mateo Dixon is also in the cast. Mistakes are made and things get messy but this is an engaging and breezy romance. I flew through this story in a day. Very enjoyable thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Griffin Publishing

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Flirty Dancing. As a massive fan of Dirty Dancing, this book immediately caught my eye. It was a cute, fast paced, closed door romance! I loved the characters, especially Betty, Lynn, Mateo and Archer. Caleb really annoyed me at times, but I know that was his character! There was soooo much drama, but again I guess that is what happens when a bunch of 20-something’s end up at a “camp” for the summer! I only wish that I could really see these dances! 4.25 stars!

Thank you to St Martin’s Griffin and Netgalley for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars.

I’m gonna be honest I struggled with this one a fair bit. There was a lot of unnecessary drama that didn’t advance the plot, especially up the middle. But it improved later in the book and I did enjoy the last quarter or so. And the central romance was sweet. The those two things combined improved my overall rating.

DNF @ 34%

I really wanted to like this since it was based on Dirty Dancing and had a lot of Broadway references but I just couldn’t get into the romance (or potential romance since the mmc was still dating someone else at the point I stopped).

This was a fun read. I found the juxtaposition with Dirty Dancing to be really well done and fun. I thought some parts were a little cringey, like the room-mate's delaying her engagement but that's my personal opinion (there is no "PERFECT" moment....). I also really didn't like Caleb and was surprised that he remained the couple / interest for so much of the book. I expected that to peter out before the midpoint and was surprised when it didn't. I would have loved to see more of Archer and Mateo but in the end, enjoyed the overall arc of the story and the characters in it. Well done - a fun flirty read!

Well…I’m not sure what to say. This wasn’t my favorite. I really had high hopes with the queer aspect of a “Dirty Dancing” inspired story, but it just fell flat to me.

For starters, I wasn’t a whole fan of the Caleb x Archer storyline. I felt like it took away from the romance between Mateo and Archer. Which brings me to my next point, it really didn’t feel like Mateo and Archer really had any big moments. Their romance fell a little flat to me. It felt like it didn’t have any time to develop or build. Overall, the romance just felt a little dry to me.

Overall it wasn’t a bad book, it just missed the mark for me.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 3/5

Archer is 27 years old when he decides to follow his dreams of dancing on Broadway. He quit his accounting job in Ohio. His family doesn't have much faith in him, perhaps because he doesn't get any results in the first five months. After auditioning, he is finally accepted into a musical revue at Shady Queens. When Archer finally gets a contract, he finds out he'll have to dance with his teenage crush Mateo Dixon, a dance star who suddenly disappeared. But what is Mateo doing working at Shady Queens?

Flirty Dancing is a book that made me feel so happy. I loved it from beginning to end and didn't want it to end. I really liked the plot and the drama. I fell in love with Mateo to the point where I needed more of him during his Broadway days. It's a slow burn, yet fast-paced, with a love story based on the Dirty Dancing theme, but gay. My only problem with the story was the way it was written; I had a hard time getting used to it.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 39%.

This book was a little all over the place. Loved the concept, in fact, without knowing the author I immediately applied for the ARC. Big gay Dirty Dancing? Sign me up.

But at 40% the MMC is in an uncomfortable situationship and the other, I *think*, MMC hasn’t given me enough to care about him. Mateo is underdeveloped. Asher is overdeveloped and all over the map. I very rarely criticize style choice but this would have drastically benefitted from a dual POV. If Mateo is the guy Asher ends up with, why am I questioning that at 40%? What is the point of Caleb? I don’t get the choices and have to bow out.

Many thanks for the ARC. I’m not posting the review on socials, as a courtesy.

Dirty Dancing, but make it queer. Sold.

Archer is 27 and recently quit his job as an accountant in Ohio to move to NYC in pursuit of his Broadway dreams. 5 months in and he is out of money and has had no prospects. That is until he is hired as a dancer at an LGBTQ+ resort in the Catskills for the summer. When he gets there, he finds out the Broadway star he idolized in his teen years, but then fell off the map, is there. And he is not a fan of Archer, or so it would seem.

Shady Queens is filled with a fun cast of side characters that add to the drama. Anyone who has worked as a camp counselor or other summer job where you live and work with the same group of people can tell you how real this all felt. Who is sleeping with who, couples breaking up and getting back together ad nauseam, crushes, partying, fights, and allllll the drama. I loved it!

This was certainly a very entertaining read, was paced very well, and had a satisfying epilogue. I was just hoping for little more…something.

A great summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.