I'm struggling lately with books that claim their characters are nearing (or over) 30, but they act 19, and this book falls in that category. This felt less like Dirty Dancing and more like kids at summer camp. Plus, one of our MCs was dating someone else for the bulk of the book, which made it real hard to get invested in the "real" relationship.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Cute and fun summer romance, it felt a little younger than I would have expected from the ages of the characters but I enjoyed reading!

If you have ever wondered "What if someone were to write an mm romance that was part Dirty Dancing, part Waiting For Guffman?", you can stop your wondering right now. Here are your answers:

1) we should be friends
2) it would be AMAZING
3) Flirty Dancing is totally that book

Get ready to sink your heart and soul into Archer's Broadway dreams.

After 37 bummer auditions, Archer Read has finally landed a summer long gig dancing under quasi-famed director Stewart Harfum-Lale(phonetic spelling because audiobooks)!...

...in the cabaret at a queer resort in the Catskills. It's not the breakout role he was hoping for, but it's a last ditch effort to avoid returning to Ohio, his dreary accounting job, and his parents' littany of i-told-you-sos. It's a bit OFFFFFFFFF-Broadway, but at least he's on stage.

So Archer gets on a bus and ventures into the unknown wilderness of Upstate...

When Archer walks into the theatre for the first time, there Mateo Dixon is- his teenage celebrity crush/dance hero/the last person Archer ever expected to see dancing there since he disappeared from Broadway 5 years ago.

Fast forward through Archer's complicated summer fling with Caleb, ridiculous couple drama in the cast, SWOONY karaoke duets, and a summer finale performance that could change their lives, and you'll find an HEA that is just so satisfying. Mateo and Archer's story is a slow burn, but when they get there Mateo makes it BURN. Underneath all that brood is a selfless, emotional, a-DOR-ing boyfriend that you'll want to put in your pocket and smuggle home with you. Like I said, the burn was slow but this lovely story needed that pace.

Mark Sanderlin sounds NOTHING like an accountant from Ohio, making him perfect as Archer. His performance radiates charm and bright-eyed optimism.

So yeah, @jmoffattwrites has written an amazing romance with a great cast of quirky characters, deep emotion, and insidiously contagious hope that deserves a standing ovation.

Many thanks to @netgalley @macmillan.audio & @jmoffattwrites for the ALC of Flirty Dancing, which is available now in multiple formats, but you should get definitely the audio.

I'm a little bit embarrassed to say I didn't know that this title was a play on dirty dancing until I was looking at the author's Instagram. now that I've seen it I understand the vibe but I just don't know if it got across.

where this one falls short for me is that for the majority of this book the main character is in a relationship with a different character and not the love interest and it just doesn't work for me. I personally wanted them to figure their shit out and actually have some flirty dancing. for that being the title there's very little flirty dancing that happens.

The idea of this up-and-coming dancer trying to make it in the world of dancing ending up at this off the beaten path summer camp vibe and running into his childhood teenage crush and having to dance with him is an iconic premise and I think it could have been executed better. I liked the secondary characters but it gave more messy queers than flirty dancing. I really would have liked to see Mateo's character engaged with more and this book would have benefited greatly from dual POVs so you could kind of see the progress and the idea that's happening. I'm not opposed to the main character being in a relationship with someone else for a little bit of the book but it went on too long and it was too dramatic. it just wasn't a vibe for me.

All in all I think this is a fun summer romcom but I left wanting more.

I was so interested in the premis of this story! Dirty Dancing but make it super gay! Sign me up!

Right away I could sense the tension and chemistry between Archer & Mateo. And it was delicious!

However, Archer comes across as very naive and young. He is supposed to be 28, his age is mentioned frequently. And he actually reads as an 18-year-old.

Also, Archer ends up frolicking around all summer with a different guy. Like a detour before he could actually end up with the right guy = MATEO. It just felt like such a weird distraction when I am here for a romance story. Nobody wants to read about our hero being with the wrong person from 30-70% of the book.

That was the major obstacle of these two getting together and I think it went on way too long. Then, in order to get A&M together the ending of the book feels clunky. The pacing of the story telling is all over the place. It felt like it took A&M forever to figure out their feelings but then it all ended in a rush.

The only similarities to Dirty Dancing was some dancing and the location. Everything else was giving high schoolers at summer camp.

Overall this one was not a win for me.

i…. there was a LOT of high school like drama that i wasn’t a fan of and the burn was super slow so….

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

There were just enough Dirty Dancing references in here to have some cozy call backs to the movie, but it was entirely it's own story about a cast of dancers preforming all season long at a summer resort for queer adults in upstate NY.

The slow burning romance between Archer and Mateo was well done, the chemistry present when they danced was translated to text in a great way, and their lack of communication, which is typical for the genre, was not too painful to read.

I enjoyed the summer camp vibes, the older protagonists (for aspiring professional dancers, at least), and all of the silly drama that really does come from working in close quarters with a small group of people who are trying to enjoy the summer jobs.

Okay, I went in SO excited to read this but it was truly a struggle to finish. The pacing for me was a bit bland and the tension between Caleb and Mateo read to be much more bratty than how it felt Caleb should have reacted. Mateo's age for me read unclear as well, especially in comparison to Archer. Archer is supposed to be 27 but reads much younger and naive. Mateo feels 30 and it felt like there should have been more to signify his age gap with Archer. The only thing to really signifying Mateo's age was his leadership and reservedness. The first break up was a perfect opening to get to know more about Mateo and give depth to both of the MMCs but it felt like an opportunity missed.

The narrator's voice was slightly too high pitched and for listeners that read faster, it loses the ability to show distinction between character voices, not that there was a ton. It was a bit lack luster and felt like being just read a book by a random guy vs a voice actor. I do feel like there is room for this person to grow but this book was not a shining star very unfortunately

This book was fun and cute! At the onset, the connections to Dirty Dancing felt clear but as it progressed, the plot definitely veered and took a path all its own. I loved the characters and the setting. I do think way too much time was invested in the Archer and Caleb story line vs the Mateo and Archer story line. I think if there was less time spent on Archer and Caleb there could have been more depth to the connection between Mateo and Archer. Overall, this is the perfect summer romance beach read!

Thanks to NetGalley for this advanced listeners copy in exchange for my honest review.

Sexy dancing at a queer Catskills summer camp/resort?? Yes please. This was a delightfully fun M/M romance debut full of found family, a community of theatre/dancers and Broadway types that has an aspiring Broadway dancer taking his last shot before giving up to go back to his Midwest town and the life of an accountant his mother wants for him. I enjoyed the love triangle, the second chance, starting over late in life, finding yourself and your people of it all and the Dirty Dancing references were just an extra cherry on top. A fun summer read that was good on audio and perfect for Pride month. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book had a fun premise, but I struggled to stay invested in the story. The characters often came across as immature, and the drama felt a bit exaggerated and unnecessary. I was looking for a heartfelt queer, slow-burn romance but it was more of a chaotic fling. Per usual, I'm a big fan of audiobooks because the narration brings the characters to life. The narration was spot on and definitely added an engaging layer to the chaos.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I got a chance to review both the print and audio versions of this book. It was my first M/M but will not be the last. I enjoyed the story and the connection that was made with the characters that was deep without being too heavy. Great read!

Its very cute, if not fanfictiony. There were times I was convinced this was a Riverdale fanfic that became a book just by the character's name. It's a very by the numbers romance and pretty tropey but its fun. Older but new dancer going for his dream and a dancer who was thrust out of the spotlight. I do really like the audiobook reader his voice is great. I've heard him in other things for sure.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC.

Mark Sanderlin was superb. He brought the characters to life with seamless ease and grace.

This book was stinking adorable. I adored Archer, loved Aileen/ Eileen (remember, audio not physical book), and alllllll the references to a certain movie of a very similar title. I’m going to see if I can stop smiling so big now…

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the advance reader copy and to Macmillan Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

Are you looking to escape for the summer? This book is a getaway to a summer resort. And it feels a lot like an adult summer camp.

Archer is trying to break into dancing on Broadway, but at 27, he feels he may be too old. He's not getting any callbacks. So when he is offered the chance to dance all summer at Shady Queens, a queer resort in the Catskills of NY, he leaps on it. And then he learns that his teen crush and former Broadway star, Mateo, is also dancing there.

This book does include a love triangle that lasted longer than I preferred. But on the plus side, it was always entirely clear to me (both from the book and from the marketing materials) who Archer should end up with.

My favorite aspects were the dancing and camp feels. I could picture myself there and even went through my mom's old photos from camps in the area. There's a lot of drama, and some of it took a bit away from the romance. But it was a fun read with a lot of nostalgia built in.

Mark Sanderlin narrated the 9 hour audiobook.

3.5 stars rounded up

This gave me all the gay Dirty Dancing vibes and I loved that. Much more drama.

It was a fun quick read.

It was also MESSY, although I don't mind some mess in my stories. Enjoyed the audio, well done. A fun summer read for sure.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an ALC.

As someone who normally can't stand cheesy romances... this one was actually pretty good, I can't lie. Loosely based off of Dirty Dancing, Flirty Dancing follows Archer, a 28-year old accountant trying to make it as a dancer in NYC. Finding that he isn't getting hired anywhere, he takes the only option he has to dance at a summer camp up in the Catskills. There he meets Mateo, a sexy ex-Broadway star that Archer used to be obsessed with until Mateo disappeared from the limelight in a scandal. Now they are forced to dance together.

The story was actually really cute, there were no obnoxious third-act break-ups between our main couple, and the majority of the characters were pretty mature and communicative with each other. There were some bits that annoyed me like every other romance book, but overall this was a very solid read and especially great to read during Pride month!

If you're a fan of Dirty Dancing or So You Think You Can Dance, Flirty Dancing is a must-read. This queer rom-com follows Archer Read, a 27-year-old aspiring Broadway dancer who lands a summer gig at Shady Queens, a queer-friendly resort in the Catskills. There, he reunites with his teenage crush, Broadway star Mateo Dixon, leading to sizzling dance rehearsals and undeniable chemistry. But things get complicated when Archer also finds himself drawn to his hot and temperamental bunkmate, Caleb.

The book is packed with drama, romance, and a vibrant cast of characters, making it a perfect summer read. It's lighthearted, steamy, and full of heart—ideal for fans of slow-burn romances and behind-the-scenes drama.

This is such a fun m/m romance between an accountant from Ohio who is trying to break in to Broadway and a former Broadway star whose been through a rough patch. They both find themselves performing in a cabaret in the Catskills and well…. Over the tango, they fall in love, duh. It was excellent on audiobook! Thanks to the publisher for the copy via NetGalley!

3.75*
Overall I enjoyed this book, I had a few issues with it, but it was a fun read.
I loved the plot and most of the side characters. I thought the book did some really fun things that I haven’t seen before.
I also feel like the main couple didn’t have a real conversation until at least half way through the book. I believe they had chemistry/lust, but love? I’m not all that sure.


Spoiler*****
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I really didn’t appreciate that the couple that started out by cheating stayed together and got an HEA, it was kinda icky.