Said No One Ever by Stephanie Eding
Narrated by Stephanie Richardson

Ellie needs a vacation. Her work at home medical transcription job may be letting her go because of cutbacks, her apartment lease is almost up and she can barely pay her bills. She just broke up with her dentist boyfriend after dating six years and her family is taking his side against hers. They have her entire life planned out and if she won't stay with her boyfriend, they at least expect her to bow to their demands of working for the family. Ellie's sister is the perfect one while Ellie is the one who never gets it right.

She needs a vacation from it all, now! Ellie rents a little getaway in Montana but within an hour of arriving she's seen the farm owner carted away and now Ellie is the only one to take care of the animals. City dweller Ellie, taking care of farm animals. That's a new one for the books and Ellie has to wing it. Not all goes right and that is when suave neighbor Blake comes to the rescue of her and the donkey. Later she meets her host's grumpy grandson, Warren, in a most a most wet and shocking way.

What to do, what to do?! Three weeks staying at a place where she is the caretaker of farm animals while dodging a grumpy grandson who doesn't even want her there. But Ellie has come to adore the grandmother, Marilyn, who has asked Ellie to keep it a secret that she has decided to rent out the little cabin on the farm. Spunky Marilyn has Ellie's heart and Ellie has come to adore this place she's landed. Turns out Marilyn has more family problems than she does and it's nice to get embroiled in something that takes her mind off her own problems.

Adorable and delinquent farm animals, two good looking guys, one all debonair even in a farm setting, the other a curmudgeon at a young age. A cute cabin and, oh, I forgot to mention, Hilda, the cutest out of control bulldog you will ever meet. How is Ellie ever going to leave this place when it has more problems than she does? For all the problems this is a sweet, lowkey, funny story.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this ARC.

I absolutely adored this book. Ellie takes a trip to an Airbnb farm in Montana to get away. The owner, Marilyn, falls and gets taken away in an ambulance the day Ellie gets there. Ellie decides to visit Marilyn and gets sucked right in by her amazing personality. She is the grandma that we all want and need.

Ellie also starts to take care of the farm when Marilyn is recovering. In doing so she is thrown into a world she has no idea how to control and it was so much fun to watch her figure it out and make some friends along the way. All the animals were great but I think I had a soft spot for Sherrif.

When Marilyn’s grandson Warren comes into the picture it just showed that author Stephanie Eding knows how to make characters you instantly fall in love with. When the Vet, Tori, comes into the mix it was impossible to decide who my favorite character was. Everyone was so well-written and developed.

After finishing this book I immediately preordered a copy for my wife to read. When I do that I know I really loved the book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🎧Song Pairing: Humble Quest - Maren Morris

💭What I thought would happen:

I loved the title even though my finger hovered over the NetGalley request button because it’s like do I need this? Nooooo. But I want it😂

📖What actually happens:

Ellie takes a voyage out to Montana when she ends her long term relationship with a perfectly nice boring man. The air b&b she’s staying at comes with scenery, an adorable mischievous dog and a lovely elder owner who has a zest for life. The problem? The owners grandson who has an attitude and a hot ass.

🗯Thoughts:

This was cute, not cute enough for it to be my next favourite romance but sweet all the same. Definitely shares attributes with Part of Your World but not on the same playing field.

The secondary characters and animals made this book. I think it rounded out a nice sense of acceptance, community and humour.

I will forget this book. It’s inevitable. It wasn’t memorable but I’ll think of it fondly enough!

Hearing about Ellie’s escapades on the game had me daydreaming of grabbing overalls and heading to the nearby countryside.
The dynamic duo of Ellie and the feisty Marilyn was a delightful combination that had me grinning ear to ear. This book is the perfect getaway to elude the mundane and lose oneself in a world filled with captivating characters, furry friends, and a few laughs along the way.

This was a really fun women's fiction/romance set in rural Montana. Feeling lost in life after breaking up with her long time boyfriend and getting let go from her job, Ellie decides to book a mini vacation. When she arrives on the farm her elderly AirBnB host has an accident that lands her in the hospital. What follows is some forced proximity with the her host's grandson, farm animal shenanigans and a lovely second chance romance. Great on audio too narrated by Stephanie Richardson. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early digital copies in exchange for my honest review!