I had received an eARC copy via NetGalley - thank you!

I will admit to DNF this book at about 35%, which is partly why its taken me a while to post some feedback as I had hoped to finish. That did not happen. I normally enjoy the post-apocalyptical world trope, though how it came to be that way is never really explained in this world. However, I found this book to be slow and dull and it never hooked me. I also didn't connect with the characters, especially the insta-love between Seph and Avery.

All in all, this isn't a book I would recommend.

This was a fresh, half-western/half-dystopian read that I think many will enjoy. Sadly, I'm a bit tired of dystopian reads, but that doesn't mean this can't be appreciated by others. The characters are memorable and the setting very vivid. Definitely something I would recommend to lovers of the genre.

Laws of the Heart:
Review copy provided by Netgalley.
I received a copy of Gwen’s debut novel, Cold Summer, last year and was blown away by her craftsmanship. So when I heard her second novel was a post-apocalyptic western, I didn’t hesitant to request it. Gwen’s writing is like an impressionist painting— subtle like a feeling that haunts you through waking hours because it is so beautiful. Ride On showcases this style in every single way. From the opening sentence to the final period Ride On captures something that is hard to describe, a feeling of hope and family and wanderlust.

Let me just say that the cast of characters in Ride On makes my heart skip a beat. First, there is a pair of siblings, twins, and their relationship is spot on. As a middle child I love my siblings, and occasionally hate them, and it’s frustrating to see how YA sometimes pushes that relationship to the side for the sake of plot or development. Gwen put it front and center. Avery and Finn’s relationship is such an important part of the plot, yet it doesn’t get sidelined for the sake of moving the plot forward. Instead, Gwen uses the sibling relationship to push the plot forward, to drive characters to showcase a normality in a world of foreign.
Staying with Avery for a second longer, I want to say the realness in her character is astounding. Ride On is a first person dual POV but to see the world through Avery’s lens was such a genuine and heartwarming experience that I just want more. The relate-ability of her character and the honesty of her thoughts (which are some of my favorite parts in the book) make her a character that I will always remember as one of the most well crafted I’ve ever read.
And then there’s Seph. We open with Seph’s POV and it is breathtaking. The opening scene is still one of my favorite moments in this book because it’s raw in so many ways that cuts to the soul like a knife through butter. For me Seph is such a dreamer, a person driven by wanderlust that reflects something in our souls nowadays. You find yourself lost in this book like Seph gets lost in his thoughts, and it’s so darn endearing to him.
Should I mention the horses? Because they’re pretty adorable. The bond between animal and human is something that has always fascinated me because it’s an unexplainable relation. Being primarily a western of course you’re going to have horses and a bond between owner and animal, but the way Gwen writes showcases her talent for craftsmanship in prose.
The world-building in Ride On… it’s luscious and rich in every sense. Between the asphalt and dirt, the rolling plains and towns, the smell of dust and sea; it magical. That’s the only way to describe this setting. That fact that there is nothing fantastical about the setting, aside from post-apocalyptic sky, grounds the world and the reader in a setting that is plausible, frightening, and ultimately beautiful in a stark way. “But really? Post-apocalyptic western,” you ask. The mix of long-buried billboards, rusted vehicles, and wide brimmed hats and revolvers is something I didn’t know I needed, until I started reading. I honestly had never read a western before, but I trusted Gwen to build a world that felt real, felt like a dream, that felt like home.
I also have to say this, I was reading in e-format and didn’t realize the end was coming. Needless to say I was completely unprepared for the massive amounts of emotions that I went through at 11pm. Because THAT ENDING! But alas, I shall not say any spoilers.
I can’t sing enough praise for Gwen’s work; she brought me to tears, both the happy and sad kind, and gave me something I had no idea I needed. I don’t think I would have trusted any other author to write such a compelling and heartfelt story like Ride On. There’s a uniqueness that I feel only Gwen could have captured in this story, and it sets my heart on pins and needles because of its beauty and genuine heartwarming nature.

Another great western-dystopian book that I really enjoyed. Told from two points of view (teens Seph and Avery), they describe a gray world that's changed from their parent's time of blue skies and green grass. Cannibalistic gangs, gangs of "Lawmen" and other ruthless people make the lives of towns people even harder than the physical climate they all live in. At age 9, Seph witnessed his father's murder and since then, roamed the Wild searching for blue skies. Avery's twin brother Finn is captured by the Lawmen and with Seph's help, she tracks down Finn to save him. Along the way, Seph and Avery grow closer trying to find the best pieces of a hard life. I've never read a book by Gwen Cole but Ride On clinched her as an author to follow in my view. Seph and Avery's characters were deep and quiet ones that makes me want to know more of their future or the world they live in.

I received this arc ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I liked it. It was a combination of western and dystopian story, what makes it very interesting and fresh. The characters were well written and the story was captivating.

All in all, it was a good book. 4 stars from me.

Ride On by Gwen Cole

In the near post-apocalyptic future, the skies are always gray and people are constantly searching for the sun. For teenage outlaw Seph, it’s the only world he’s ever known. With his horse, his favorite pistol, and his knowledge for survival passed down from his dead father, Seph knows it’s safer to be alone. But after a run-in with a local gang that call themselves the Lawmen, and having been wrongly accused of murder, Seph teams up with Avery—a determined girl whose twin brother has been taken by the same gang.~ From the publisher

This book is a mix between the future and a western. The characters were well developed and the plot well paced. Except that the setting is in the future, this book had all the classic themes of the western genre. There were bad guys, and the good guys (and gal in Avery) are trying to stay alive and save someone in this case Avery's brother. Teens will enjoy the action of this book and the little romance that develops between Avery and Seph. A great way to introduce another generation to the western genre while having that little future feel. This book will need to be given to a teen. Not many teens today would just pick up this book by title or the cover, but those willing to stretch their reading and be adventurous, like the characters, will find a hidden gem in this read.

I’ve been on a bit of a post-apocalyptic/dystopian ride for the past few months. When I originally saw Ride On, a post-apocalyptic western, I thought, giddy-up!

Cole doesn’t really touch on the how or the why of what happened to create this post-apocalyptic world, all we know for certain is that the sun is forever hidden behind a gray sky. It could be one thing or another that caused it, to me, it really doesn’t matter, what really matters is what the author and characters are going to do with it.

Ride On bounces back and forth between Avery and Seph’s perspectives. Both of these kids have had to grow up fast. They’ve both suffered loss and adversities, their world has made them old beyond their years. While the story is definitely YA, this thick skin and maturity made them a bit more relatable to an old pod like myself.

Ride On was a fun read. I got to meet a couple of new friends in Avery and Seph, but I felt like I could have gone with an adult version of the story. This is my own fault. When I pick up a story about youngins written for youngins, I should expect certain things. The author has to give that audience what they want and expect.

I enjoyed Ride On. I can see that it should connect with a particular audience. I just didn’t find what I was looking for. Cole is a talented storyteller who should definitely stick around.

*4 Stars

“Ride on, ride on…” His father’s last slurred words before he was killed by ruthless bandits, Seph is a boy on the run with nothing but his horse and his wits to rely on. With the earth nearly too harsh for humans to live on, and the sky a deep cloudy gray almost black all the time, and food nearly impossible to come by…the wild west is a harsh, unforgiving place for those with weak hearts and weak wills. Seph is determined to find someplace safe that he can call his own, and live the remainder of his life. He doesn’t want revenge, but he wouldn’t hesitate to kill the man that killed his father either.

Avery wants the same thing as Seph; a place that doesn’t have killers or robbers or anyone else with an attitude of ‘kill or be killed’. She wants her family safe, and if that means working every day then so be it. She’s a kind soul, but also a ruthless one when it comes to survival.

So unfolds a hard young adult western novel that features two different character POVs, and their exciting adventures. At times, there was so much bloodshed that I almost didn’t bother finishing the book, but I was curious to see where the characters would go from there. Fans of the adult tv show Westworld might really enjoy this one; while there aren’t as many shocking plot twists, it’s still a dark western filled with survival, blood, and a unique world that’s seen better days.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, though there were several characters that I found aggravating and wanted gone. I loved the horses, the gun fights, the characters. The writing was fast paced, and every chapter delivered a scene that had me hooked. It was a pretty awesome book, and I can’t believe that I waited as long as I did to read and review this.

Between the two characters, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the story as it plays out. There’s plenty of action, adventure, and survival within this dark ya western novel that will surprise you and make you think of the future, and how things can turn out if we don’t start taking better care of the planet that we live on.

In the end, I give this book 4/5 stars, because there were times when I thought seriously of quitting reading, due to its violence. Aside from that, I rather liked it.

{Review also posted on my blog}

DNF'd at 30%

Honestly, I was getting really tired of this book. I'm not a huge fan of westerns, but I am of post-apocalypses. Unfortunately, this was a western with brief mentions of it being post apocalyptic. Laura Ingalls Wilder could have shown up at any moment and it wouldn't have been much out of place tbh.

The actual cause of this apocalypse is extremely unclear, and the dissolution of society even less so. The insta-love was weird (lots of lines about eyes) and cliche and dragged down the story's potential from a 4 to a 2 on a 10 scale.

I really enjoyed Seph's perspectives, because (though I haven't read this book yet) it gave me some strong The Road vibes what with his father and their travels through dangerous terrain. But Avery was really annoying. First of all, it took me a few pages to even realize her brother wasn't like 10 but was in fact her twin because of how they interacted at first. Then, she just kind of stumbles on bad, weird situations one after the other before coming upon Seph. The action felt really rushed, the chase scenes lacked tension, the villains were repeated and copied like three times, and I kept getting confused with the horses names thinking I'd missed a character introduction. I kept expecting Cade to start talking or something the way these horses were written. Seph's narration even just read better than Avery's, as if he both had more to say and knew how to say it better.

Overall, it isn't the worst book I've DNF'd but I'm really not feeling it, and that insta-love was really the last straw. I'd really rather not waste my time on a crappy book, ARC or not.

I thoroughly enjoyed Gwen Cole’s debut novel, Cold Summer, and couldn’t wait to start this one. I nearly missed it on NetGalley and consider myself quite lucky to have been able to read it early. This is a book that you really need to read! It was full of surprises, action and drama.

I really didn’t know what to expect when I went into it. The cover isn’t that imaginative (this book deserves better) made me think it would be a straight up Western (no, I didn’t read the description which clearly stated that it was based in a “near post-apocalyptic future”). However, the book was so much more as it was a wonderful blend of the two genres...dark, moody and dangerous. I was automatically hooked from the first page. I particularly enjoyed the gunfights (you’ll be unable to stop reading) and how the chapters alternated between characters, providing a unique glimpse into Cole’s dystopian world.

What I loved most were the characters, something I think Cole does very well. They were so real and I felt deeply connected with the book’s leads, Steph and Avery. Here, like in her debut, Cole is able to craft complex characters. Nothing is straightforward, black or white. The characters have to make difficult choices and are often haunted by the things that they have done. Oh, and there is a romance, but it was honestly adorable. A nice little addition that didn’t take over the entire story. It felt organic and natural, not forced and instant like so many romances seem to be in YA.

Another standout aspect of Ride On was the setting. The world was slowly revealed as the book progressed and not fully laid out in the first chapter. Nothing was just given away and there certainly were no information dumps. Like the characters, everything felt like it was explained at the right time. The book wonderfully walked the fine line between descriptive passages and oversharing. As a result, the world truly came to life for me. I could see myself riding a horse in a grey and dusty world or opposing riders chasing after me through a dilapidated town made out of scrap metal and mismatched pieces of wood. My imagination ran wild with this story and I absolutely enjoyed every second of it!

Cole has honestly become one of my favourite new authors. I can’t wait to see what she releases next!

A quiet, unassuming post-apocalyptic novel with many tried but true Western elements. I would recommend this to teens tired of Teens Save the World tropes, because the story is small and personal. Though there are superheroics (I.e., quite the quick draw talent) the action is believable, and though the villainy is murderous the protagonists remain human and hopeful.

Not a bad read but not really my type of books so I DNF'ed it at 23%.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me a digital arc of "Ride On" by Gwen Cole. I am sorry to say but this book did hold my interest. I was watching "Westworld" when I requested this but other than that show I don't think I'm into Westerns. I was not fond of the writing style and the setting just didn't work for me. Western lovers will gobble this up though. There are plenty of ruffians and heroes on horses to enjoy.

I tryed to get into the story but was completly unable to finish it... I could not relate to the characters, to Steph and Avery and after many pages, decided to abandon it...

Seph and Avery meet up in the Wild, the rugged country-side of post apocalyptic U.S. Together they face adventures and challenges as they set out to rescue Avery's brother in this action-packed novel.

I tried to read this book several times and just couldn't get into it. I certainly hope this finds the audience it needs. It just wasn't for me. Many thanks to the publisher for the copy.

This novel blew me away, it started off a little slow but quickly picked up the pace. It is a wonderful, original tale of two worlds colliding inside one very messed up universe. I love the originality of blending a Western with this Dystopian world, it works so incredibly well and really gives the book a great feel.
I love the characters, not only for who they are and what they stand for, but their realness. "Seph' is constantly second guessing and questioning himself, something that we can all relate to. Just as we can relate to Avery, in more than one way.
This book is a great read, and will surprise you!