I was quite drawn to the description of this story. It sounded like it would be a gritty and compelling read about the life of a Hell's Angel. The plot itself delivers on the promise. The story takes place during the Vietnam war era. Nate is an 18-year'old naive hippy who has never been in trouble in his life before. He decides to escape from his middle class existence and go on an adventure which ends with him miles from home and penniless. He meets Spider, a full patch HA member. The story is about Nate's decent into drugs, violence and gang lifestyle.

The story itself has a raw edge to it. There is much to learn about gang style and the impropriety that goes along with it. Where things didn't work so well for me was in the one-note character and plot development. The dialogue and character decision-making were at times hard to stomach. They seemed unlikely and beyond naive. It was painful to read. If these aspects had more authenticity and development I think this would be a fantastic book.

I received an ARC from Black Rose Writing and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the gorgeous, heartbreaking, yet nostalgic story of one young man losing his innocence, and the characters he meets along the way. After being robbed and left in a stolen car , miles off the beaten track, a Hell's Angel named Spider takes our youngster under his wing.

This story will resonate with most off us who maybe went 'off the rails' (and maybe those of us who wish that we had) growing up, and is a huge salute to those around us who, whilst they carried on living their lives and and didn't restrict us, they looked out for us and protected the experimental, naive youths that we all are once upon a time, all the same.

This is also the intensely tragic tale of Spider, and those who love him. The young Hell's Angel with a weakness for heroin and bad deals yet who manages to weasel out of anything and everything, until he can't.

This book made quite an impact on me, it will stay with me on for a long time, and I will be telling everyone I come across that they need to read it !!!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
#thelongride #netgalley