This was a light read and I enjoyed the humor. It was a great escape read.
Many thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I could not get into this one. I found that it dragged to get into and ultimately was forgettable. 2nd round purchase for most libraries

Rhett has just turned 40 when her relationship ends, her grandmother dies and she has to return to her family farm. Luckily, her book has become like a bible for women everywhere. "The Modern Pioneer Girl's Guide to Life" is written under a pseudonym so when Rhett is asked to make a publicity appearance, she convinced her best friend to take her place and pretend to be the author.

What can happen, right? This sweet book is really about finding yourself and healing old wounds. I really enjoyed this book. The story was refreshing and new.

This is a new to me author and I have to say I am looking forward to reading more by this author! I loved this book

This is a fun and touching story. However, the main character, Rhett, got on my nerves. It took everything I had in me to finish the book. The writing style was fine. I loved Rhett’s best friend, Jasmine. She was truly a saint. And you do get an idea of why Rhett’s mother is the way she is. A story of friendships, family relationships, self reflection, and small town life. I will consider reading another book by this author and hope that I connect with it better than this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and G. P. Putnam’s Sons for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

Fun and not too serious fiction with complex female characters. It won't pass the Bechdel test, but very few books do.

ARC from publisher via NetGalley, but the opinions are my own.

In Her Boots by by KJ Dell'Antonia was not what I was expecting it to be. This novel follows Rhett as she comes to terms for her grandmothers death and what her true legacy is. Rhett had hidden behind her “alter ego” as the Modern Pioneer Girl and has found notoriety through her unique take on her path in life as well as her travels around the world. The one catch is no one actually knows what she looks like. Cue her signing up to do a talk show which ends up pitting her against her estranged mother, forcing her Bestie to pretend to be her and all of the fallout you could expect from such a switcheroo.

The most endearing part of this novel though was how it focused on female relationships of all kinds and the traditional romance took a backseat. I thought this was incredibly refreshing and also really enjoyed seeing Rhett and her mother come to terms with who each other is and forming their own path forward.

While this was a bit of a slower read I rated this 3 stars. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

In Her Boots by K.J. Dell’Antonia. Pub Date: July 5, 2022. Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟. If you want a feel good sweet story about family, truth, self discovery and full of farm vibes then this book is for you. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I really enjoyed this novel. Rhett is a single 40 something female who is at a crossroads. Her estranged mother plans to sell the family farm, but Rhett wants to save it from being sold. Gaining success as a writer under a pseudonym, she finds herself at a crossroads of how to pursue this change of events due to her mother connecting more with her book than with her. The reader is taken on a journey with Rhett of family, love and finding what she really wants in life. Thanks to #netgalley and #putnam for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #inherboots #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworm #igreads

3.5 out of 5. A sweet take on friendship and female empowerment but with some glaring plotholes. What I mean is I loved the relationship between Rhett and Jasmine, and so many of the messages of the Modern Pioneer Girl, yet it defies logic how their plot did not unravel earlier, and that annoyed my rational self. IN any case it is still a really cute story of growth.

When Rhett returns home to the farm she grew up on and loved after her grandmother's death she plans to whip it into shape and make it profitable and stay permanently, but no sooner does she land in New York and make it to her first stop at her friend Jasmine's when she's approached by the Today Show requesting her to make an appearance as her alter ego, Maggie Strong, to talk about her book, The Modern Pioneer Girl. When she gets there she hears her mother's voice and panics and convinces Jaz to go on in her place because she is NOT ready to deal with her mother.

When she makes it to the farm, the first person she sees is, of course, her mother and her ex, Mike. It turns out the farm belongs equally to both her and her mother. Mike is now an architect and is there with the plans for what her mother wants to do with the farm. Rhett blows them off and informs them she is going to live and run the farm, it's not for sale.

Jasmine ends up coming to help, but also decides to leave her husband because she wants kids and he doesn't. She and Rhett come up with a plan to save the farm.

I really enjoyed The Chicken Sisters, also written by this author so I looked forward to this one. It did not disappoint. It took me on a roller coaster of emotions as Rhett navigated feeling inadequate to her mother and turning from all the things she had come to know about herself while she'd been traveling the world because of that feeling. As the cast of characters grows in her effort to save the farm and she and her mother attempt to make their ways back to each other I felt the tiny spark of hope grow. I can't wait for more from this author!

Rating: 4/5 Stars

From the author of The Chicken Sisters comes another story about families and finding yourself!

In K.J. Dell’Antonia’s latest novel we meet Rhett Gallagher and her alter ego on social media - The Modern Pioneer Girl. Rhett has built her social presence telling other young women that it’s okay to stray from the known path and to seek adventure at every turn. But in reality, Rhett has spent the last 20 years running as far away from her polar opposite mother as possible.

When Rhett finds herself back in her hometown in the face of family tragedy, she quickly finds herself facing a whole new type of challenge than what she’s used to. Featuring a lovable cast of characters, In Her Boots is a heartwarming story about what happens when we stop running and face our fears head on.

I really enjoyed In Her Boots - while similar to The Chicken Sisters, the story held its own and was very enjoyable to read. It was quick, but engaging and perfect for anyone who is a fan of Dell’Antonia.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

When it all hits the fan and life isn’t at all what you wanted or expected, you pack up and go home. Its a place of safety, comfort and love. Until it isn’t… Rhett goes home after the death of her beloved grandmother after only to find things aren’t as expected and she has to deal with a lot of emotional upheaval, confusion, her estranged mother and so much more. She’s smart, adventurous and trying to figure it all out dealing with some emotional land mines along the way. Its a lovely read.

Rhett has never done what her college president mother wanted her to do. She dropped out and took a series of “adventure” jobs. She also penned a book about the Modern Pioneer Girl under a pseudonym. When her Grandma Bee dies, Rhett comes home to take over the farm. Rhett’s best friend, Jas, convinces her to take a last-minute invitation to appear on the Today Show as the Modern Pioneer Woman. When Rhett and Jas arrive at the studio, Rhett discovers that her mother will also be on during the segment. Rhett hasn’t seen or spoken to her mother in many, many years. She persuades a reluctant Jas to appear on the show as Maggie Smith, the book’s author. Things go down hill from there.
All in all, I enjoyed this book. The characters were fun and the story interesting – perhaps more so because we farm. Anyway, the book has the usual happily ever after finish but it was to be expected. A solid 4 stars.

From the Reese Witherspoon recommended and New York Times bestselling author of THE CHICKEN SISTERS comes her newest novel about a 40ish woman who returns home to the farm to start over only to find that it may not be her home any longer. Our book club read and enjoyed THE CHICKEN SISTERS, but I actually enjoyed IN HER BOOTS even more.

Rhett has led a life of adventure and her book The Modern Pioneer Girl has become a huge success. But, when news of her beloved Grandma’s death causes her to return to the farm she grew up on, she finds that not everything is the same. Her sudden popularity and stint on The Today Show also cause her to rethink everything. When Rhett and her best friend Jasmine plan a prank, they realize keeping up the falsehood isn’t easy. Rhett may just lose everything she has worked so hard to achieve and the people she holds the dearest.

When Rhett returns to her grandma’s farm, she realizes that she didn’t appreciate it like she should have while she was traveling around the world. I also grew up on a farm and can say I wasn’t much of a “farm girl” growing up. But, I did what was asked of me and enjoyed taking care of the lambs and gathering the eggs. Now that I’m much older, I often wish I could go back in time and do things differently. Rhett felt the same in this novel. She regretted her relationship with her mom, how she handled her parents’ divorce, and the grief after her father’s death. She regretted being away for so many of her grandma’s final years and that she wasn’t available to help when her grandma really needed her.

"You stay in your comfort zone, you get stuck. It happens to everybody. And then we shake it off and do the thing. It’s your turn to do the thing."

A lot of this novel centers around regret and being true to the person we are and not hiding or pretending. Saying what we mean and meaning what we say can be quite difficult, especially around people that challenge us or intimidate us. Rhett learns from some of her closest relationships that she needs to focus on her own expectations and not what others expect her to do.

"But no matter how hard you tried to convince yourself that it was better for everyone if you just pretended to fit their expectations, all it really did was turn the roles we were playing into walls that became harder and harder to tear down."

Rhett’s relationship with her best friend, Jasmine, her relationship with her estranged mother, and her relationship with her ex-boyfriend all factor heavily in the novel. But, I appreciated that her friendship with Jasmine was the central focus and not the romance that may have been brewing.

“That’s how we know it’s good advice,” said Jasmine. “Good advice always sucks to follow. Bad advice is so much better. It’s way easier to do dumb things than hard ones.”

If you have dreams of running your own farm stand or raising mini ponies and sheep, you just might want to pull on some cowboy boots and check out this story of friendship, finding your true self, and working hard to fulfill your dreams.

This was a fun read!

I like the the MC was complicated and bot glamorous. I loved the setting.

It felt really long. Drawn out in some areas.

KJ Del'Antonia displays her writing chops and skills as a story teller with In Her Boots. A fun and uplifting rom com that was a delight to read. . A angsty homecoming and a prank gone wrong, a captivating story of identity and having a second chance at finding love. Funny, uplifting, heart warming and romantic. Overall a solid read.

Cute premise. Not really a page-turner until the later part of the book. Some nice lessons and a different setting. Enjoyed it.

In Her Boots is a book about friendship and family. This is an uplifting book and it was perfect to read on a summer afternoon.

Thanks to Putnam for an advanced copy!

Friendship and Mother/Daughter relationships are front and center in this fun Women's Fiction read!

Rhett makes her way back to the family farm after her grandmother passes to take it on and rebuild it to make it a working farm and keep it in the family.

Only a few problems stand in her way:
1. Her mother whom she hasn't spoken to for years wants to sell it
2. Her college love who broke her heart is also back in town and seems to be plotting with her mother to take the farm away
3. Her wildly successful secret persona of bestselling author and IG influencer is crashing down around her and the secret threatens to be exposed

Add to that a great best friend who comes to help bake for the farm stand and you've got a great story with wonderful characters and sweet, heartwarming relationships.

The actual reason for wanting to keep her persona a secret was so silly to me and caused this only to be a 4 instead of a 5 but without that, a lot of the consternation in the story would be lost so, I guess it was needed. Even still, I really enjoyed this one!

This was a cute rom-com and I am so glad I got to read it. It was light-hearted and different from the thrillers and true crime that I tend towards, it was just what I needed.