First of all, thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC!

Truthfully, I think I'm discovering that sports romances are just not for me. Don't get me wrong, as a former runner, I love cross country. I think it's just the high school, sports dramas that aren't for me.

There were some moments I thought were really cute and sweet; Taylor's dad giving advice, moments with the pups, etc. I enjoyed Mari's dynamic with her mother- though I wish we got a little more of it. I really enjoyed the flashbacks- I enjoy a book thay does callbacks. I did appreciate a book that is not only sapphic, but is about a sport that honestly deserves more love. I also loved to see some nonbinary representation with Jiani, and a lot of sapphic rep throughout. I also really liked that the focus of the story was more on the friendship than the romance.

A lot of the characters to me were pretty unlikeable, with Jiani, Mari and Taylor's dad being the exceptions. Granted, quite a few of them were meant to be unlikeable- Sarita, Kia, etc. I wanted to like Taylor, but I just couldn't vibe with her character. I was glad to see she had some character development towards the end, thought we could have seen a little more. Taylor did exactly what her parents do (try to pretend everything is ok and shut people out) to other people. I think it could have been interesting to see her parents discuss or react to that with her. I also felt really frustrated with Taylor's 'why didn't you just know something was wrong?' attitude.

It seemed odd to have two girls who 'weren't really dog people' walking dogs as a major plot point- though Mari did seem to act a lot like a dog lover for someone who claimed not to really be. As a dog lover, I did enjoy this story aspect which is whay drew me to the book in the first place- women bonding over dogs.

A few other things that seemed weird were: ⚠️ SPOILER WARNING ⚠️:
-Taylor's parents just being totally fine with her throwing a party with drinking- especially other minors getting drunk at their house.
-Mari and Taylor getting passed by an extremely hungover team and having an over 30min 5k from an argument that seemed fairly short.
-the pacing at the end felt a little rushed.-the effects of the things that happened in the end feel a little unresolved

I do think this could be a cute and entertaining read for someone who is more into sports romance, and enjoys a casual sapphic romance!

Very cute second chance YA romance that delves a bit into serious subjects and family dynamics. Definitely recommend for any YA romance fans.

I don’t know why this book didn’t really hit for me, I had a hard time reading it and found myself wanting to put it down more than once .

I wasn’t fond of the pacing of the book, and I just couldn’t connect to the characters at all and the plot honestly seemed really forced at times.

Not for me personally but appreciate the chance to read it.

Thank you Netgalley Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

“Out of Step, Into You” was such a riveting and adorable read. I would like to point out that I began reading this story without any knowledge about running (such as track or cross country). The book does not go into hefty detail about running activities and mechanics, so for me, I truly enjoyed my time reading about the characters and plot. I can understand if readers with more knowledge on running would want more added details thrown into the pages. Otherwise, “Out of Step, Into You” was incredibly easy to follow and was so so cute. I loved reading this one. The characters were fleshed out; the main characters were strong and powerful girl. I could not help but feel emotional for them and all they had to go through. If you enjoy sports romance and friends-to-rivals-to-lovers, I definitely recommend you to read this one. Additionally, all the characters are incredibly diverse if that is something you look for in your books. Such an adorable story!

Childhood best friends turned rivals. A cross-country team reunion. And a slow-burning sapphic romance that had me completely hooked.

I love a good rivals-to-lovers arc—especially when there’s unresolved history simmering beneath every run, glance, and sarcastic comment. Taylor and Marianna are layered and driven, each carrying their own expectations and baggage, and watching them untangle it all together was so satisfying.

Add in all the emotional beats of second chances, identity, ambition, and first love, and you’ve got a story with real heart.

I loved this book, and it was very cute. I appreciate the slow burn between Marianna and Taylor and the flashback scenes of them before they were team rivals.

This was such a sweet book. I really liked how the story delved into both of the main characters histories . It was like a sapphic YA version of The Haves and the Have Nots with cross country. Everything just seemed to flow together; very organic storytelling.

Trigger warning: parents with illness and older sibling parenting

If you are chasing the feelings of young love and friendship, this is the book for you. This book follows two best friends turn competitors navigating back to being friends and possibly more. This read is about love (platonic and romantic), family, understanding, and making choices for love of others and love of self.

Navigating who is actually in your corner, dealing with being a consistent support for your parent and your siblings, and also dealing with a parent with a illness. Although there is light and understanding weaved throughout the story, these are still heavy topics but deserve to have light to be shown on it have larger discussions.

I would love to give it a 4 star rating but I felt like the ending was slightly rushed for me, but this was an amazing read and I love this sapphic YA read. Definitely worth the read.

Did I cry? Of course I did.

The sweetest coming-of-age story focuses on how Mira and Taylor feel so much pressure to be someone they are not. From small callouts (Mira's nickname that she hates) to much bigger problems (Taylor having a title she never wanted), these two grow so much in so little time.

While romance is sprinkled throughout, Out of Step, Into You by Ciera Burch's core is friendship and building relationships with people you love. It's so beautiful to see how they all are navigating this, with parents buying ice cream "for the team" and showing up at cross-country meets, I could feel the joy that radiated through the pages. These things matter so much to these young girls, and for them to finally have some semblance of normalcy felt so good.

I hate that they had to go through so much to get there, and feel so bad for poor Tyler, but it made the ending all the more worthwhile. Also, maybe hating on children is bad form, but Sarita is awful, and our girls need to stay so far away from her.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ciera Burch for the ARC!

This was such a cute and layered coming of age story. It follows Taylor and Marianna, two girls who were previously best friends until Mari moved away and Taylor ghosted her. Well now the girls are back on the same cross country team and have to navigate their past relationship, their intense rivalry and the bittersweet feelings of being in each other's lives again.

I love what Ciera Burch does in this book. By weaving in heavy topics like class divides, parentification of an eldest daughter and the pressure to succeed, the author perfectly showcases these teenage girls in a holistic way. They are navigating deep emotional feelings within their relationship on top of real life challenges in their respective lives.

I loved reading this book. It was such a quick read for me, I started and finished it in a day.

I love a classic sapphic rivals to friends to lovers and this novel does not disappoint! Mari and Taylor were inseparable best friends in middle school until Mari has to move and instead of them continuing their friendship, Taylor decides to cut her off for good and the only times they have ever seen each other since is at cross country meets as rivals. I loved the angst in the first part of this novel as they are reunited after Mari moves back home and joins the cross country team where Taylor is currently the captain.

I loved that this book is dual POV which gives the reader an insight into both of the girl’s minds and how they really feel about the other which is especially good to read as the novel progresses and their friendship gradually improves. They have a lot of history and anger to work through and it isn't easy but I love how much this novel focuses on the return and strengthening of their renewed friendship rather than them immediately getting into a relationship without resolving their issues.

I also liked that the main sport of this book was cross country which isn't one of the most popular options but it was very fun to read and the training and meets did get quite tense! There is a also a big focus on Mari’s home life which is very difficult as her single mum is working all the time and Mari is left to look after her twin siblings which takes a huge toll on her. It is a lot of responsibility for her at a young age but she always does the best she can to juggle everything and make sure everyone is happy.

Along with the dual POVs there were also a few interlude chapters which act as flashbacks to where their friendship changed and ended which was really interesting to get a glimpse into their past and see what really happened to them those years ago. Even though it is only a 300 page book, it felt like such a slow burn and I loved every second of it, how their angst eventually turned into communication and you could see how much they really cared for each other.

The end of the book wraps up really nicely and there were a few chapters at the end that changed format into really short, 1 page chapters which enhanced the intensity of one of the biggest races for Mari and the team as well as Taylor waiting for some important news at the same time. Overall, I really loved this cute sapphic romance which I raced through as I didn’t want to put it down!

I ready this book as an ARC and loved it. It’s a cute read about friendship and how important expressing your feelings are and about not letting conflict fester. I enjoyed this read

rating: 3/5

includes: young adult, sapphic romance, childhood friends to rivals, miscommunication, sports romance (cross country) & slow burn


usually don’t really young adults romances but I’m really glad I picked this book up and gave it the opportunity!

taylor and mari were childhood friends that ended up turning into cross country rivals. from the very first scene, seeing the yearning from mari was kind of everything. without knowing too much at that part, you knew these two were going to have some kind of history.

these are two really complex characters that you really felt invested in. one who has really taken on the role as care taker who is helping raise her siblings as they live pay check to pay check. on the other you have someone who is coping with their father’s health issues.

cross country is a sport I have never read about so this was a really cool opportunity to be able to learn about something new. what I wish the book had more? just a tad bit romance! it just didn’t feel like a romance romance book which was newer to me because I normally don’t read young adult.

really do think the representation & diversity in this book was amazing!

Out of Step, Into you by Ciera Burch
Pub Date: May 20, 2025
Rating: 🌟🌟 🌟 (3.5/5)
Spice: (0/5)

Summary:
Taylor and Marianna are the captains of rival cross country teams. That is, until Marianna move back to Taylors school. Marianna has younger twin siblings and a single mom who are just trying to make ends meet and get through the day. Taylors parents are former athletes with their own struggles. Mari and Taylor used to be besties until Mari moved out the first time. Now they can’t even be within feet of each other. This is the story of how they reconnect.

Review:
I have been on a sports romance kick lately and this was really cute. I think it would be a better fall read than a spring read since cross country season is in the fall. I love any book that can incorporate dogs multiple times. While the story was enjoyable, I wanted more from Taylors story. I would have loved this YA book even more with more from her.

If you like:
- Found Friends
- LGBTQIA+
- Dogs
- Baked Goods

QOTD: What’s your favorite pastry?

Thank you to Net Galley and Macmillan for proving me with an eARC of this novel.

As is appropriate for a book aimed at teens and preteens, this book was very light on the romance and more focused on friendship.

Taylor and Mari were best friends in middle school. They dreamed of dominating the cross country team when they got to highschool. Then Mari had to move to the neighboring town and Taylor took it personally. Now Mari is back and wants to know why Taylor ghosted her. But Taylor doesn’t know how to open up and share her struggles, especially the things her family is facing. And Mari, who has her own family struggles, wonders if friendship is worth it or if her old cross county team where she was admired at least, was a better fit.

The story is straightforward and simple, but had a lot of good lessons about friendship and how to be a real friend. There’s plenty of coming of age stuff as well as kids figuring out how to relate to their parents and their grownup issues. It’s definitely aimed at younger readers. I would recommend it to middle and high schoolers.

Thank you to @Netgalley, @fsgyoungreaders and @mackidsbooks for the chance to review this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was such a great second chance at love read. I loved how in depth and emotionally intelligent both MC's are. This is such a cute sapphic read!

This was refreshing and emotional read with two strong female leads. In a way this was a second chance love story. Seeing the way they drifted away and resisted their love for one another at first had me dragged in and not wanting to put the book down once I began reading. I want more books like this out there, it was a joy to read through and see both their lives unfold.

This was such an endearing and emotional story. The characters were authentic and i appreciated reading how they handled life's circumstances as well as the transition from enemies/rivals to lovers. The Author did a great job with showing emotions from both characters. I will be looking for more books from the author in the future.

This is a sweet and heartfelt romance about figuring out who you are and who you want to be. It follows Del, a talented dancer who's trying to rebuild her life after an injury sidelines her dreams. When she joins her school’s marching band as a last-minute addition, she doesn’t expect to fall for drum major Josie, smart, focused, and everything Del didn’t know she needed.

Del’s journey isn’t just about falling in love, it's about rediscovering her identity beyond dance, navigating family expectations, and finding community in unexpected places. Josie, too, isn’t perfect; she's juggling pressure, responsibility, and figuring out what she wants beyond high school. Their chemistry is sweet, their banter is natural, and their connection feels real, layered with all the messy emotions of teenage life. They are the type of characters you can connect with and enjoy getting to know!

It's a story about friendship, the messy feelings that come with falling for someone new and it's full of heart and warmth. Overall this was a great read and it was a great way to spend a couple of rainy days getting lost in!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

3.5 ⭐️

This one’s for the eldest daughters who had to raise their siblings/be a second parent. Seeing this all on paper was tough. Reading this hit me with an epiphany; I adore mother-daughter relationships as much as I do sisterhood in books. In a way, I guess they can be synonymous. No matter how messy and hard it may be, I’m always torn up by the end.

Plot-wise, the story didn’t hook me until around the 60% mark. The beginning was fine. Then, for a while, in the middle, I was bored. Thankfully, the second half saved it, and I was glad I stayed.

I’m not one to get overly attached to characters although I root for them when it’s necessary. I had this aggressive urge to burn the world down for Mari. Maybe because I saw some of my past in her present and that might’ve been a little triggering, who knows. She’s such an open and forgiving person. I was surprised she even had more to give after seeing how people treat and use her.

Taylor was… Taylor, I guess. Most of the time, I was telling Mari to stand up because Taylor spent more time blaming Mari for nonsensical things than showing any kind of remorse for what happened to their relationship. That made it hard for me to root for the friendship, let alone the romance. In the end, they felt like they were best friends again. Romantically though… I didn’t buy it. That might also be because the end wrapped up pretty quickly after 200 pages of them constantly bickering over the same things.

Loved Taylor’s dad, though! He was my motivation to get to the end. I prayed for that man; there were tears involved. I was disappointed we didn’t get a scene with the family after that ending. Either in the hospital or later on, just to see what their new dynamic was and what effect it had on Taylor mentally. Did they even get that dog? The same goes for Mari and her mom. I’d have liked to see a conversation between them because their ending took me by surprise a little bit. Overall, familial elements could’ve used proper wrap-ups, especially seeing as those were significant parts of the plot. I liked this, though. It emphasized the importance of identity, friendship, family, and passion. There was even a little sprinkle of something about loyalty in there that I really liked. As simple as it was, it was a turning point for Mari and an essential part of her growth.