Welcome to my book tour post for Ciera Burch's Out of Step, Into You! As a runner, I am ALWAYS on the hunt for books that focus on running - what could be better than a sweet sapphic, coming of age romance about two childhood best friends turned rivals who are thrown back together onto the same cross country team? Seems perfect, and y'all, it's a great read. Mari and Taylor are both such dynamic characters, and while they are both going through some really difficult things in their lives, I loved watching how they slowly put aside their differences and rekindle some of the spark that they first kindled when they were younger. It's a slow burn, but it's all worth it in the end. And friends, if you are looking for reads for your Pride Month TBR - you NEED to check out this book! The writing is engaging and interesting AND it has sapphic rep, Black MC rep, and Black author rep. Definitely check it out! Thank you so much to TBR and Beyond tours and Ciera Burch for the gifted ARC, check out https://tbrandbeyondtours.com/ to follow along on the book tour.

You can’t outrun love.

Taylor and Marianna were each other’s whole world – best friends, running partners, practically sisters – until Marianna moved away and Taylor promptly ghosted her. When the former best friends turned rivals end up on the same cross-country team three years later, everything is a competition… and a reminder of old feelings, as well as blossoming new ones.

Marianna runs because she’s angry.The oldest child of a single mother, she knows all about responsibility – for her siblings, at her part-time job. She just has to stay focused and be faster than the past nipping at her heels if she wants to secure a new, brighter future. With or without Taylor.

Taylor runs to prove herself. The only child of a Divison 1 athlete, she’s no stranger to high expectations. With enough effort, she knows she can immortalize herself with a state record and make her parents proud. Then, she can discover her own passion. She definitely doesn’t have time to untangle her feelings towards Mari.

💭 Personally I thought this was a cute, fast read about the trials of friendship and the missteps that can occur due to miscommunication. Although I'm not really a fan of the miscommunication trope, for this age group it's easier said than done. The author did an amazing job writing this story from the perspective of teenagers navigating life on their terms. I loved how she talked about the expectations single parents sometimes put on the eldest kids to help take care of rhe younger siblings and how unfair and overly used it be. They have to respect the fact that all kids no matter their age deserve to be kids too and should not have to carry the burdens of the parents decisions. I thank Ciera wrote a great story and she'll be one I'd recommend to my teens.

Thank you @tbrbeyondtours @cierasburch @netgalley for the eARC of the book. #outofstepintoyou #tbrandbeyondtours #cieraburch #blackstories #sapphicbooks #LGBTQ+BOOKS

This is the aftermath of a friend breakup, but a breakup where those two friends are ALSO in love with each other. I LIVE FOR THIS PLOT

This is a very cute, quick YA read. Both Mari and Taylor had a surprising amount of depth to their personal storylines, and I appreciated that neither was wrapped up in a neat bow at the end. The focus was more on repairing their friendship than re-attempting a romance (although that happened too!), which was a healthy and mature take on their relationship...

...since neither were mature in any way at the beginning. Their friend breakup was a little silly (the classic miscommunication trope), and Mari and Taylor were both petty and a bit ridiculous towards each other, but I'll allow it because they're 16. I was doing petty ridiculous things at 16 too. The breakup was when they were 13/14 so I'll allow that even more. I was the most dramatic, angsty, woe-is-me 13 year old on the planet, and I didn't have anything REMOTELY close to Mari or Taylor's burdens.

I loved the dogs but expected a bit more of them since they were on the cover; they only become part of the story around the halfway point, and a small one at that. I also wished we had a bit more of the side characters. Mari’s relationship with Sarita could've been a huge part of the story, but as it was, I didn't really understand Sarita's damage. Did she just live for the drama?

I think this is more towards 3 or 3.5 stars, but rounding up for Black lesbians who run cross country. This almost made me miss my high school cross-country days.

I was really excited to get an opportunity to read this book! The cover hooked me in when I saw it! That alone had me apply ^_^, but as I read the story, I was hooked so much more than i anticipated!

Oh, man. I really like Ciera Burch's first book, but this one didn't quite work for me.

"Out of Step, Into You" is billed as a romance, which I don't think it accurate. It's enemies to people who smooch once, but also second chance, and the reason for them being "enemies" is forced, as is their reunion. Mari spends 2/3 of the book in a situationship with another character, which is never really resolved.

Where to start. There are dogs on the cover because at one point they have to do community service for the track team, and the two of them go to the incredibly busy shelter once a week where they walk a single dog. Together. As someone who's volunteered with animal shelters for years, this left me bewildered. They need to be together for the plot to work, but it doesn't make a lot of sense. A lot of the book felt like this to me, like I wasn't quite sure what the point was.

On the other hand, there were things I liked outside of the 'romance.' Taylor's dad is dealing with an ongoing illness, and Mari ends up caring for her younger siblings a lot while also trying to balance her job and school and her hoped the future. I was much more involved in their individual lives than I was in their friendship and gradual attraction.

Near the end, that are about ten chapters, in alternating POVs, that are one to two paragraphs long each. I cannot tell you how much that frustrated me. I read an ARC copy, so maybe this will have changed in the final version, but I'm not sure how it would have considering the content. Overall, it felt like the book was supposed to follow the most basic, standard romance book beats without landing the emotional punch I'd expect from a romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

✨✨TOUR STOP✨✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars

‼️ This book deals with illness of a parent‼️

This was a wonderful coming of age story. Both FMCs were once best friends but separated due to a big misunderstanding where one FMC pushed the other away due to a bit of jealously and also not wanting to be overbearing to the other.
I really enjoyed that this had dual pov so you get to see how each character is affected and what their overall mindset is each scene. I also really enjoyed how the FMCs are both attracted to each other and try to resist each other but just can’t, and his story is also kind of a second chance romance in that regard.
This story was hard to put down I really loved how this book deals with heavy emotions and made me look back on some of the silly mistakes I too made growing up and how I could have been a better friend to some people, much like the two FMCs realized that they could be better to each other.
Thank you @coloredpagesbt @fiercereads @cierasburch  for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, this definitely will be reread and held onto for when my daughter is a bit older because I think it his would be a good book for her to read as an angst teen.

#OutOfStepIntoYouTour #coloredpagesbooktours #comingofagebooks #yabookstagram #yabooks #romancebooks #sapphicbooks

👟 Book Release! 🏃🏾‍♀️

Synopsis:
In YA sports romance novel Out of Step, Into You, Taylor and Marianna were inseparable—until Mari moved and Taylor cut her off. Three years later, they’re reunited on the same cross-country team, and old wounds turn into fierce rivalry—and maybe something more.

Marianna runs to escape her past and build a better future. Taylor runs to meet impossible expectations and prove her worth. Neither planned to confront their unresolved feelings.

Can they move forward without leaving each other behind?

Tropes:
👟Found Family
👟Miscommunication
👟Self Discovery
👟Third Act Breakup
👟Friends to Rivals to Lovers

Thoughts:
I appreciated both MCs development throughout. I connected the most with Mari because she has so much responsibility on her young shoulders and she knows that cross country is going to be her way out of her family’s poor economic status. Also, she seems to be more of a parent to her younger siblings than her own mom, but when she spends time with Taylor’s family, she can just be a kid. I wish there was more information or a confrontation between Taylor’s parents and Mari’s single parent mom to explain why Mari’s mom has so much animosity towards them even though they have been nothing but welcoming to Mari. Jealousy maybe? Guilt?

The pacing was slow with the main conflict being the unknown of what happened that caused Mari and Taylor’s friendship to end when Mari switches schools.

I love the cover! I don’t understand why they are walking the shelter dogs though as this is such a small part of the story and so much more could have been done with this. This volunteer work is what finally gets Mari and Taylor to open up to each other and begin bridge the ravine between them.

I appreciated the representation with sapphic female characters, Taylor’s dad being sick with kidney disease as well as African American characters

3.5⭐️
1🌶️

Author: Ciera Burch
Publisher: @fsgbooks
Release: May 20, 2025

Thank you @netgalley and Ciera Burch for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review

i sadly didn’t get to finish this in time for its release date but if you’re looking for the cutest sapphic romance this is the perfect book!!

I was here for the friends to rivals to lovers trope... but instead I got friends to rivals to friends again who have kissed a couple of times so maybe will become more than friends...? But the story ends and we don’t actually get to see Mari & Taylor’s relationship progress. The little bit of resolution we do get felt extremely rushed, as though Burch wasn’t entirely sure where she was taking the story, so she just tied up the couple of things she could and left us to ourselves to imagine what comes next. I enjoyed most of what was there enough to warrant the three stars, but, sadly, at the end I was left disappointed.

This was enjoyable. The characters were distinctive and realistic. Mari and Taylor had opposite personalities that really complemented each other. I liked that they had to work their way back to just have their friendship. Having dual POVs definitely helped with getting both sides of what happened to ruin the friendship; however, I will say this started a little slow for me. I appreciated that it wasn’t an immediate “Let’s make our way back to each other…” They really had to work for it. The ending felt a little rushed, but I still enjoyed this. There was great representation: race and identity. I would have loved an epilogue, and it felt like this was more about regaining their friendship—but it was still quite enjoyable!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. Below are my thoughts:

Out of Step, Into You is an emotional, heartfelt sapphic romance that beautifully captures the complexities of growing up, falling in love, and learning how to forgive. Taylor and Marianna’s story pulled me in right away. Their history as childhood best friends turned rivals adds so much depth to their slow-burn connection, and the chemistry between them is undeniable. Both characters are dealing with real pressure, whether it’s family expectations or just trying to make it through each day, and their struggles felt raw and relatable. I loved how the cross-country setting added urgency and structure to the story without taking away from the emotional heart. If you’re into rivals to lovers with big feelings, strong character growth, and queer joy, this one is worth reading.

Rating 4/5

This is a sapphic frenemies to lovers story about two ex best friends, Mari and Taylor, who come together after Mari moves back to her old school 3 years after she and Taylor and a falling out. I liked how we saw that both girls were dealing with tough issues throughout including Taylor’s dad being sick, and Mari and her mom have a tough relationship due to both of their burnout and shared responsibilities. I think it was cool to touch on a best friend breakup because everyone has had at least one, and it truly hurts just as much as a relationship breakup. I like how this story touched on accountability, and the tough parts of having to think about what you really want for your future rather than making other people happy.

I wish in addition to Mari snapping on her mom about the kids that she would’ve also confronted her about her rudeness toward Taylor and her family directly from her. The fact that the Twins were always left alone so much really bothered me but I knew kids like that growing up so it was very relatable. I wanted to see Taylor and Mari both confront Sorita for being messy, and Mari confront her for using her. I don’t like her attitude. She never truly cared about her, and Mari knew it but still accepted it. Overall I thought this book was pretty good. Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan for this ARC.

Taylor and Marianna's story was probably one of the most believable second chance, teen romances that I've ever read. I really enjoyed their story and the short flash backs that flowed perfectly with the main timeline. The side character friends added to the story without over shadowing our main two characters. These two have had to do so much growing up in a short amount of time and did so beautifully. I would highly recommend this to anyone that's in the mood for a fast paced, sweet love story.

taylor and marianna were once inseparable, but after a sudden split, they’ve spent years apart….until they're reunited as rivals on the same cross-country team. as they clash at practice and confront unresolved emotions, old wounds resurface alongside undeniable sparks. while marianna runs to escape her burdens and chase a better future, taylor runs to meet sky-high expectations and find her own path. neither is ready to face the feelings they still have for each other.

first and foremost, this is a story about friendship. messy, emotional, complicated friendship. if you’ve ever gone through a friendship breakup, you’ll feel everything mari and taylor are feeling. both of them are fully fleshed out characters dealing with very real struggles that many will empathize with. watching them grow individually over the course of the story was really satisfying.

also, as a former cross country runner and shelter volunteer, i have to say: the animal shelter subplot was so wonderful. it added such a sweet, grounded layer to their reconnecting, and felt like the perfect space for some of their softer moments to unfold (dogs make everything better!!).

that said, i do think this might be a case of mis-marketing more than anything, but my expectations going in definitely shaped how i felt about the book. it’s being pitched as a romance, and while there is a romantic element, it didn’t quite deliver the emotional arc i was hoping for. i wanted more build-up: more yearning, more flirting, more of that slow-burn tension that makes a romance feel like a romance. instead, the romantic moments felt a little sudden and underdeveloped, which made it hard to fully buy into that part of the story.

i also struggled a bit with the pacing. the beginning had a nice, steady rhythm, but things started to feel a bit choppy in the second half, and the ending especially felt rushed. i would’ve loved a few more chapters to let everything settle and breathe a bit.

thank you to colored pages book tours and fierce reads for early copies of this book!

3.25/5

While I lack interest in actual real-life sports, I am a sucker for sports-themed romance novels. When I saw that Ciera Burch had written a sapphic cross-country novel, I knew I needed to get my hands on a copy! Out of Step, Into You has a well-written rivals-to-lovers plot line, which made me read the whole book in just two sittings. Taylor and Marianna's alternating perspectives brought depth and tension to their rivalry. I found their perspectives to be equally engaging, as both of them had complex struggles playing out on the page. With history brewing between the characters and family issues weighing on both Taylor and Marianna, I found the story to be compulsively readable.

Out of Step, Into You is a strong contender for my favorite book cover art of the year! I love the subtle use of pride flag colors in the art and the way that the imagery captures the tone and spirit of the story. The jacket illustrations were done by Sarah Madden, and the jacket design was done by Julia Binachi. It's a beautiful cover, and is going to look lovely on my shelf!

My Recommendation:
If you love Queer Young Adult novels, sports fiction, or the rivals-to-lovers trope, you should grab a copy of Out of Step, Into You. I would especially recommend this book to fans of Jennifer Dugan or Sophie Gonzales!

3.75- Thank you Colored Pages Book Tours for this opportunity.

Mari and Taylor were some great ya mcs. I was not expecting to go so deep into their lives. Thought the book was going to be surface level but I’m glad it wasn’t. Both girls dealt with some real issues while also discovering them and each other again. No matter the age we all have stuff going on. Family being one of the main focuses outside of cross country in the book. The author did an amazing job pulling on those emotions with each characters. Making it so real. The rekindling of friendship and more with the flashbacks were some of my favorite parts. I will say that Taylor made me so proud finding herself and what she truly wanted. The moment with her dad towards the end was wonderful.

First read from this author. I’ll for sure read more.

Out of Step, Into You was such a cute read. Mari & Taylor’s friendship is not in the best place when Mari transfers to Taylor’s school…and cross country team. Everybody hates fighting with their bestie, but when you like her too? Messsssy. My girls refused to talk to eachother, cus this was sooo easily fixable! This was a cute high school romance that explored forgiveness and second chances for those that matter.

Alsoo, shoutout to the cross country scout. Gathered my girls Mari EVER so politelyyy. ANOTHER ONE THANK YOUUUU. Pickles is the best character, idc idc

Thanks to Cierra Burch & Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the advanced review copyy 🫶🏾

Overall rating 5/5

This one was SO FLIPPING CUTE. It had a little rivals to lovers, it had some coming to age, it had slow burn and the dual perspective was just done perfectly. What I really appreciate from YA romance is the emphasis of the characters finding themselves and growing comfortable with who they are. It sets a stage for relatable representation and really adds to the connection of these characters. I can’t wait for others to fall in love with this one as much as I did and I also can’t wait to do a reread with a physical copy after its release.

What a fabulous friends-to-enemies-to-lovers story! I read this in a day and was instantly hooked by the two girls’ lives and how their stories intertwined. Can’t wait to read more from this author.

What a brilliant, delightful read!

This YA romance follows two girls, friends-turned-rivals, who begin to face up to their romantic feelings for each other. From the very first chapter I was completely drawn in, the tension between Mari and Taylor leaping off the page.

This book used dual perspectives, which worked really well for this story and these characters. Both characters had a lot going on in their lives outside of each other, with both of them having strong individual storylines regarding their families, so it was great to see them both grow as individuals alongside their blossoming friendship and romance.

There were a few flashbacks as well, and while I’m not always a fan, in this instance they worked brilliantly. They gave us essential insight into the characters’ past, as well as letting us in on some of their secrets before they came to light.

This is a must-read for the sapphic YA fan; it ticks all the right boxes, and delivers a satisfying conclusion while still leaving you hungry for more.

I received a free copy for an honest review.