Blog Tour: Out of Step, Into You by Ciera Burch

Crushed on by Christy Jane, on May 20, 2025, in Blog Tour, Feature, New Releases / 0 Comments

Blog Tour: Out of Step, Into You by Ciera Burch

There’s something magical about finding a book that mirrors your joy, especially one that centers queer love, friendship, and unapologetically being yourself. For our stop on the Out of Step, Into You Blog Tour, I wanted to celebrate that magic in the way we know best: with bright colors, big smiles, and a few very good dogs. Lace up your shoes, grab your dogs, and let’s hit the trail to celebrate this full-of-heart sapphic romance!

Out of Step, Into You

by Ciera Burch
Published by: Farrar Straus Giroux
on May 20, 2025
Genres: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA+, Young Adult
Bookshop
Goodreads

Out of Step, into You is a sapphic contemporary romance following childhood friends turned cross-country team rivals who are forced to work together to win the state championship – for fans of She Gets the Girl.

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 past 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 an almost-Olympian, 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 figure out her own passion. She definitely doesn’t have time to untangle her feelings towards Mari.

Can this pair figure out a way to work together before their past catches up with them?

Book Look

Scene: A tree-lined trail in our neighborhood.
Vibes: runDisney meets queer joy meets Saturday stroll.
Feature: Out of Step, Into You by Ciera Burch
Guest stars: Our pups (and let’s be honest, the real scene stealers – zoom in on Duffy haha)

Out of Step, Into You follows Taylor and Marianna, childhood best friends turned rivals, who find themselves forced to train together for the cross-country state championships. What starts as tension on the trail slowly unearths unresolved feelings, complicated histories, and the possibility of something even deeper. It’s a love story, yes, but it’s also about self-worth, ambition, and the terrifying joy of letting someone really see you.

As two runners who found love after friendship (and who know the emotional terrain of queerness, expectations, and chasing joy), this story hit home in the best way. It reminded us of the importance of showing up, for yourself, for your person, and sometimes, for a second chance.

The bold colors in our outfits are inspired by the vibrant cover. And can we talk about that title? Out of Step, Into You feels like the ultimate truth for any relationship: the moment when you stop trying to run ahead or keep pace, and finally choose to move together. Here’s to love, running, redemption, and books that remind us we’re never too far gone to find our way back.

If you’re a fan of She Gets the Girl, sports rivals-to-lovers, or any sapphic story that balances heartache with healing, you’re going to love this book. Out of Step, Into You is out now. Support your local indie or request it at your library!