Follow My Lead by Hannah Blowers

Elisa’s dream was to follow in her mother’s footsteps and take the stage as a prima ballerina. And she accomplished exactly that. But when life throws her one too many setbacks, she flees back to her hometown in Waterville, Massachusetts in search of an alternative plan. And maybe a distraction. Which might be why she’s leaping at the opportunity to run into her childhood crush by taking a Zumba class at Brooks Brothers Gym.

She’s been in love with her best friend’s cousin since she was ten, but fears he’ll only ever see her as that quiet, awkward teenager she used to be. She’s hoping to change that, though. Until the gym owner, Derrick Brooks, waltzes into her life and has her spinning in circles.

Derrick is persistent and arrogant, which Elisa finds annoying, but he challenges her in ways she doesn’t expect. Despite the growing attraction they feel for each other, she keeps him at arm’s length and focuses on other things, like making her childhood crush jealous. What better way to accomplish that than pretending to date Derrick? All she has to do is put on a good show. She’s performed on stage many times as a ballerina, so this should be a piece of cake, right?

What Elisa doesn’t realize, though, is that while their relationship is fake, her feelings for Derrick are real. If her past has taught her anything, it’s that not everything is as it seems. Sometimes, what we think we want is only an illusion leading us astray. For Elisa Roberts, she just has to see past the illusions in her path to see what’s right in front of her.