Overall I did really enjoy this story and the couple's chemistry and connection and would reccomend the book to any and all lovers of new adult sport romances. I am excited for Cal’s book honestly and I liked the conflict here cause it seemed like something that would really spook a girl like Naomi, it made sense. This was overall a very enjoyable read.

I really love the way the author makes the characters so multi-dimensional. Quirks, issues and even their likes and dislikes make them really enjoyable and fun characters. Be careful: Daniella’s personal journey involves standing up to her mother who delivers a lot of body shaming comments throughout the book. I personally love the trend I’m seeing in books right now where the characters have to face these tough dynamics with their parents (Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade is a great example of this) because that’s something that resonates a lot with me as a person and my personal experiences but these things can still be hard to read so please base your decision about reading this book on your personal comfort level. I have had family members body shame me and make comments about how I dress and I found Daniella’s journey relatable if a bit uncomfortable at times because it’s almost too relatable but not at a level that prohibited me from enjoying the book. However, my comfort level may be different from yours. StoryGraph warns of moderate gas lightning in this book and…I don’t think there is but someone might have seen signs of gaslighting in how Daniella’s mom interacts with her. Dani has never felt she measured up to her parent’s expectations for her both when her comes to her image and the men in her life. She is dreading having to visit them over the holidays as she knows that they are determined to find a suitable man for her so she decides to ask Gabe to pretend to be her boyfriend to make the situation more tenable.How he watched secret movies, took Dani on a bookstore date, just wanted to sleep and cuddle with her. HE IS THE BEST. Fake dating and best friend older brother trope!??! Of course, I'm going to love it! For me, this was so much better than the previous book. It was so lighthearted, cute, warm, and just had a little drama, and it was what I need it. Sometimes I just love to read books that leave you all fuzzy, smiling with not much going on. This only had the fake dating and the toxic relationship Dani had with her mother going on. I feel so bad for Dani, I'm glad she wasn't sure she could ever completely forgive her.

They are friends who flirt and then friends with benefits. Both are convinced anything more would be bad because Naomi’s dad could get upset and ruin both their academic/work opportunities.

See a Problem?

but guys… CAL HOLT!!! that guy has me on a choke hold and I haven’t even read his book yet. I have such a big soft spot for him, you can’t even imagine. I have read about him in the first book where he was still just the biggest asshole. and he just had his little character development throughout three books and PROBABLY his biggest development in his own book. like the next book is about elle and if her love interest isn’t cal then I don’t know what I would do. but it’s him, I just know it. but dude, like he came up with that gift idea, when he hold on to van‘s gift for him,.. he’s just broken after losing his parents and you know, I would be too. I’m so excited to read his book now. I know I’m gonna love him even more and elle too. Jacqueline Snowe pens wonderful sports romances as she delves into the dynamics of the game with her conflicted and endearing characters. If you HATE tropes where the MC's insecurities get in the way of the relationship, then this is not the book for you. Throughout the book the FMC is constantly belittled and critiqued for her appearance by her mother which takes a toll on her confidence. Michael was perfect, he went into a field which he knew he would like and was made for. The way he thinks about the team before himself is the best part of this him. He was adorable. His love for his sister was so cute. His relationship with Cal was the best, the way it transformed and the way he helped that kid. Ugh!!! Perfect.

You feel insecure about your body and are scared that he only wants you on an intimate level... TELL HIM this book wasn’t actually terrible (definitely not good), but it’s getting 1 star by default purely for the line about taylor swift in this book The fact that they grew up together added another level of intimacy for me and it made their connection seem truly strong. PDF / EPUB File Name: Take_the_lead_central_state_3_-_Jaqueline_snowe.pdf, Take_the_lead_central_state_3_-_Jaqueline_snowe.epubThey have always been friends since Dani is best friends with his younger sister so they thought a couple months of fake dating would be okay.

It’s easy to focus on the negative, and it’s human to feel shitty, but it’s a choice to let it dominate your life.” The Central State series keeps getting better and better with each release. I LOVED Take the Lead. This was one of those books without any flaws for me. Here’s what I loved about it. I love when authors hit real topics like how her relationship was with her mother. Daniella is tired of never measuring up in her mother's eyes and being paraded around in hopes of securing a future her mother wants for her. i know i keep shitting on this book, but it did have its moments… they were just short-lived. i liked the main characters and i liked how they had their issues apart from one another and were able to help each other, like dani with her mom and gabe with his teamBelow is my (short) review of my ARC of Take the Lead! Thanks to Snowe for sharing an early copy with me. I loved seeing some of the characters and situations from the first book show up in a different way. I liked seeing it through Gabe’s perspective.