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Verdict: A gentle, character-focused YA story about estranged best friends turned rivals who end up on the same cross-country team. Readers praise the well-rounded leads and family storylines; many say it is far more friendship than romance, with a payoff that arrives too late.
Best for: YA readers who love second-chance friendships and running.
Heat level: Clean
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.2/5 — a 3.55 Goodreads average across 477 ratings, 3.64 on StoryGraph from 277 reviews, and 4.0 stars across 33 Amazon ratings)
Tropes: Childhood friends, rivals, second chance, forced proximity, slow burn, dual POV.
Out of Step, Into You is Ciera Burch’s 2025 young adult lesbian romance from Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers. Taylor and Marianna were inseparable — until Mari moved away and Taylor ghosted her. Three years later, they land on the same cross-country team.
It holds a 3.55 average across 477 Goodreads ratings, with 52% of them four or five stars, 3.64 on StoryGraph from 277 reviews, and 4.0 stars across 33 Amazon ratings.
What Is Out of Step, Into You About?
Mari runs because she’s angry: the oldest child of a single mother, she juggles siblings and a part-time job. Taylor runs to prove herself: the only child of an almost-Olympian, she wants a state record.
Everything between them is a competition — and a reminder of old feelings and new ones. They have to work together before the past catches up.
What Works in This Romance
- Well-rounded characters: Readers praise both girls’ resilience in the face of difficult home lives.
- Friendship repair: Fans of estranged-friends stories loved watching them rebuild trust.
- Running: Runners enjoyed the cross-country focus.
- The dogs: Their shelter dog-walking is a reader favourite.
Book Synopsis
Two former best friends turned rivals are forced onto the same team for their senior season.
To win state, they have to figure out what went wrong — and what they feel now.
My Review
This is a soft, steady coming-of-age book that takes its characters’ family struggles seriously. Readers who go in expecting a friendship story are the happiest.
The most common complaint is that the romance barely happens: the pair get together only in the last chapter, so there is little payoff. Others found it slow with little happening, the two voices hard to tell apart, and complex family situations tied up too neatly. A few felt the dog-walking cover promised more dogs.
My honest note: Read it as a friendship story with a romantic ending.
| Element | In Out of Step, Into You |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Taylor & Marianna, estranged childhood best friends and cross-country runners |
| Core tropes | Childhood friends, rivals, second chance, slow burn |
| Setting | A high school cross-country team |
| Heat level | Clean |
| Length | 289 pages (Kindle listing) |
| Series | Standalone |
| Content notes | Child neglect, parent with kidney disease, hospital visits, PCOS |
How Spicy Is Out of Step, Into You?
It isn’t. This is a PG YA romance.
Readers list child neglect, a parentified older sister, a father with kidney disease and PCOS as content notes.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you love estranged-best-friend stories and running. It is on our sapphic sports romance list.
You may want to skip it if: you want plenty of on-page romance.
In short: Friendship first, love at the finish line.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
On Goodreads the split is 13% five stars, 39% four, 38% three, 8% two and 2% one. On StoryGraph, 68% tagged it lighthearted and 81% found the characters loveable.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): The characters first. Second, the friendship repair. Third, the running. Fourth, the dogs.
What readers argue about and complain about: Late romance, above everything. Second, slow pacing. Third, similar voices.
The comparison worth making first: All’s Fair in Love and Field Hockey, another 2025 YA sports romance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Out of Step, Into You a romance?
Yes, but readers stress it is mostly about repairing a friendship; the pair don’t get together until near the very end.
Is it YA?
Yes. Taylor and Mari are high school cross-country runners.
How spicy is it?
Not at all — it is a PG, slow-burn YA romance.
What are the content warnings?
Readers list child neglect, a parentified older sister, a father with kidney disease and hospital visits, and PCOS.
Is it on Kindle Unlimited?
Not at the time of writing — the Kindle edition was listed at $11.99. An audiobook edition is available.
If You Loved Out of Step, Into You, Read These Next
Browse our list of books like Cleat Cute or our sapphic sports romance list.
The Bottom Line
Out of Step, Into You sets out to be a tender second-chance YA story, and the friendship shines. What holds it back is how little room the romance gets. For friendship-story fans. Check Out of Step, Into You on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Out of Step, Into You ranks as a fair YA read — gentle, slight on romance.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★☆☆ 3.2/5
- ✓ 3.55 average across 477 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 52% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 3.64 on StoryGraph from 277 reviews
- ✓ 4.0 stars across 33 Amazon ratings
Romance ★★★☆☆ 2.7/5
- ✓ Slow burn
- ✓ Together at the end
- ✓ More friendship
- ✓ Rushed payoff
Characters ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ Resilient leads
- ✓ 81% loveable characters
- ✓ Family depth
- ✓ Similar voices
Writing ★★★☆☆ 3.1/5
- ✓ Dual POV
- ✓ Slow pacing
- ✓ Soft and steady
- ✓ Neat resolutions
Emotional Impact ★★★☆☆ 3.4/5
- ✓ Tagged lighthearted by 68%
- ✓ Family struggles
- ✓ Forgiveness
- ✓ Quiet
Heat Level ★☆☆☆☆ 1/5
- ✓ Clean
- ✓ PG
- ✓ YA
- ✓ Kisses at most
Ending ★★★☆☆ 3.1/5
- ✓ Together at last
- ✓ Late
- ✓ Tidy
- ✓ Standalone
Re-read Value ★★★☆☆ 2.8/5
- ✓ $11.99 Kindle price
- ✓ Audiobook available
- ✓ Not on Kindle Unlimited
- ✓ YA
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