How a book can simultaneously heartwarming and heart breaking I don’t know, but somehow this one is.

This is a story of hope, second chances, and what it really means to live your life. It’s fun, heart wrenching, and hopeful all rolled into one story that will leave you thinking about it long after you’ve closed the book.

This was a sweet YA book about dealing with loss and grief while also trying to grow. The ranch setting was the perfect backdrop and it reminded me of The chestnut springs series if it was YA (rodeo guy, girl working on the ranch).

After losing his best friend, Case is determined to finish his friends to do list which includes befriending Winnie, a worker at his ranch.

The character development was great. The romance was the perfect amount, you could still enjoy the characters and their storylines without the romance overshadowing all the bigger elements to this book. I adored all of the side characters and even got choked up reading certain parts. Overall this was a pleasure to read.

My goodness did I love this book.

First and foremost: I do not consider this YA, and I wish I hadn’t seen so many people refer to it that way. The content is much more NA and I would not feel comfortable handing this to a young teen. I was thrown off at the beginning because I was expecting YA and didn’t get it, but once I settled into the story, I was hooked.

The characters are relatable, charming, and multifaceted. There are a lot of stories going on: Case dealing with the loss of his best friend, Winnie trying to support her siblings when her dad won’t, becoming friends and falling for each other, figuring out what they want to do with their lives. It’s a complex story with a lot of levels and a lot of things to love.

The storylines are intertwined beautifully, making each one work with the others and showing how everything is interconnected in one way or another. There’s a lot of big emotions: the grief, the love, the anger and frustration, the big dreams. We go through it with each character and I felt so fully immersed in their lives the whole time.

One of my favorite parts, besides all of that, was how much I related to her descriptions of relationships with horses. That was written impeccably and perfectly illustrates how it feels to truly love a horse.

And side note: my horse’s name is Winnie so I felt especially excited to have a great equine novel that ties to my own heart.

This book was overwhelmingly positive and emotional. I had such a wonderful experience reading it and I absolutely, highly recommend it. I’m already looking forward to reading it again. Lots of emotions, lots of sweet joy to balance the grief and pain. It is just a phenomenal read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Winnie Sutton is working on a ranch as a trail guide and stable hand, training a horse who only likes her, and trying to raise her two younger siblings. Case Michaels is grieving the loss of his best friend with reckless behaviors, on top of his already adrenaline-filled bull riding fame. Case's best friend Walker left a list of things for Case to do after Walker died, one of them being "befriend Winne Sutton." Why her?

I requested this book entirely because it's Erin Hahn and I've never not enjoyed a book that she's written. I really love what she puts out into the world as a person, and her fictional characters are an extension of that. I know nothing about horses, bulls, ranches, or rodeo, but I was invested in these characters. There's romance, but there's also a lot of growth and journeying for the two main characters, separately. I want to hug them both.

This book is already out, and you should read it!

CW: sexual content, cursing, death of a friend, abandonment, illness/hospitals, deadbeat parent, grief

If a sweet, slow-burn, and poignant cowboy romance is your jam, then this is the book for you. A solid romance we're happy to have in our collection!

I love every single book by Erin Hahn that I’ve read so it’s no surprise that I loved this one too! It being dubbed the “sad rodeo book” is so fitting and it was definitely heartbreaking but it was also joyful and hopeful! I loved both Winnie & Case and getting to see them both grow in different ways as they slowly grew closer and closer was so wonderful! This is one that I would definitely recommend!

Ooh I have read Hahn's contemporary romance but I liked her YA even more. This is a heartfelt story of grief, finding yourself and your path, and having the courage to pursue it.

Case is reckless following the loss of his best friend, until he meets Winnie who works at his family ranch and doesn't put up with his BS. Winnie is holding her own family together, but develops a soft spot and unexpected friendship with Case.

I loved these characters as they were vulnerable and became one another's support system. The banter between Case and Winnie was great, and I loved her close relationship with her siblings. Also I felt the emotions alongside them as they navigated the harder moments of life — I may have shed a couple tears both in sadness and joy.

While this was a bit of a sad rodeo romance, it still fits nicely into my cowboy romance era 🤠

Overall it's a story of hope and I loved it and recommend for YA fans!

Thanks Wednesday Books and NetGalley for my complimentary copy.

I really enjoyed this novel by Erin Hahn. It had all the things I love in story and such wonderful characters. Winnie has been trying her best to keep her family together and is working on a ranch owned by Case's family. Case is dealing with the loss of his best friend and in a bit of a downward spiral. They find themselves drawn together and find themselves both starting to heal through their friendship. This story had great characters and I loved the rodeo aspects as it is something I don't have a ton of knowledge about. This will be a book some of my students will definitely enjoy because of the horse riding elements and rodeo references. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Case is a rodeo star grieving the loss of his best friend Walker, and working through the crazy bucket list that Walker left for him. Winnie works with the horses at Case’s family ranch, and is trying to keep her head above water while also parenting her younger brother and sister, which she has been doing since she was 10 years old. They are both ignoring their dreams to care for other people but they end up as a support system to each other.
This is a sweet and heartfelt YA novel, mostly about grief and finding your way through life. The romance was a slow burn, but it still felt like a mature story. It made me laugh, cry, and want to hug Case and Winnie several times. And, in the end, things worked out, letting Case and Winnie getting their HEA.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Erin Hahn, NetGalley, and Wednesday Books.

This is a sweet YA novel about love and loss and responsibility. I thought it was good but nothing that I was dying to jump back into reading. I like Case's character and how he finds redemption.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

It's a slowburn, closed door romance set in Texas in the ranch/ rodeo world, and I really enjoyed it - even more than Never Saw You Coming.
Highly recommended for the fans of friends-to-lovers trope who like their books heavy on heart and light on smut.

My Achilles heel is an emotion-filled YA romance.

Erin Hahn’s YA romances are truly special. I felt really seen in Never Saw You Coming, and Only If It Breaks Your Heart hit me in the feels several times. Erin has been calling this one “sad rodeo book” and I’d asterisk that to say the cowboy is sad but the book is hopeful.

Case is 19 and barely holding on. His best friend died of a terminal illness, leaving behind a list of things he didn’t get a chance to do that he made Case promise to finish for him. One of the items is to befriend Winnie, an employee at Case’s family’s ranch.

Winnie dreams of barrel racing but knows the reality is that she’ll only train horses for others to race since she is saddled with the responsibility of caring for her two younger siblings. Her mom left them when her younger sister was weeks old and her dad works the night shift and acts more like the third child than the parent.

Case sees Winnie race and talks her into joining the local rodeo circuit in hopes that she’ll fall in love with it and compete nationally. As they spend more time together at the ranch, they begin a friendship and begin to open their hearts to trust and rely on someone else for a change.

What follows is the sweetest friends-to-lovers romance on a ranch with a grumpy horse, 80s music, rodeos, grief, and growth.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. It was just so sweet and filled my heart. I loved the relationship between Case and Winnie and how genuine they both were.

This is a huge five star book for me and I highly recommend it, especially if you like angsty YA that makes you feel things.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for an eARC. All thoughts are my own.

I was pleasantly surprised by this. The romance was definitely slow burn and very tame but it still felt like a mature story. Both characters are dealing with A LOT and the portrayal of their struggles was really honest and level-headed. Nothing too dramatic (although I maybe would have liked a little more drama heh).
I do wish there were a few more scenes between Case and Winnie. Maybe it’s just because I’m in a slump and took way too long to get through this, but it felt like a lot of internal monologuing and not a lot of action. But when they do finally get together??? The CUTEST.

In support of the SMP boycott, I will be withholding my review of this title until SMP speaks out. If the boycott is resolved, I will update with a full review.

I think this is my favorite YA novel I’ve ever read.

This book is just really special - it tugged at my heartstrings and I got so attached to all of the characters, main & side (especially Winnie’s little sister Garrett).

📖 Even if it Breaks Your Heart
📝 Erin Hahn
🗓️ 02/06/2024
🐎 YA romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️♾️
Spice:🚪 (kissing & behind closed doors)

Even if it Breaks Your Heart is such a lovely story. It’s a coming of age novel about 2 teens dealing with different things, and coming together to help heal.

“Not everyone can chase their dreams in the daytime.”

Case is dealing with the loss of his best friend, having no direction in life or responsibilities, and not even being sure what his dreams are.

Winnie is dealing with the opposite - having far too many responsibilities that shouldn’t be hers, and having no time to follow her own dreams.

They both need a friend, and find that and so much more in each other.

This book tackled some very heavy topics (definitely check trigger warnings, the main ones being childhood cancer, grief, and parental abandonment), yet still managed to make me smile quite often. Their banter is adorable!

I felt a very personal connection to this story, having lost one of my best friends far too young in life. I could relate to a lot of the thoughts that went through Case’s mind.

This book really showed the process of trying to move on from a big loss, how to live your life without that very important person in it anymore.
How to realize you are also an important person.

Tropes + topics:
🐎 Different worlds
🐎 Young adult
🐎 Friends to lovers
🐎 Grief & healing
🐎 Rodeo & horses
🐎 Rich boy/poor girl
🐎 Coming of age/self discovery
🐎 Slow burn
🐎 No 3rd act breakup
🐎 Dual POV/first person

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Chestnut Springs but make it YA.

I do wish we he more of Case and Winnie. We got a lot of individual development and internal thoughts, but I wanted MORE. I know it’s YA , but sometimes YA romance hits so much harder than more adult content, and while this was cute, I just wanted more sweet moments between the two. Both our main characters were so lovable. I also loved Garrett and Jesse, Pax, Maria, Kerry, Camilla, even Walker.

One thing I really don’t like with YA authors is when they include a bunch of pop culture references (Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, even Covid, TikTok, her iPhone 6, etc.). So that’s something I didn’t love, but that’s also personal preference for sure.

Overall this was super sweet and enjoyable! I’d rate it 3.75 stars probably, but rounding up to 4!

I saw the cover of Even if it Breaks Your Heart and quickly added it to my #TBR list, it's a pretty one. I flew through this story of a young man's journey through grief after the death of his best friend and his quest to make a new friend out of a young woman who he learns is dealing with trauma of her own. Set on a horse ranch and the rodeo circuit, this is a fast-paced, young adult romance, (that definitely leans more adult, lots of f-bombs and underage drinking), with characters you can't help but love. Will Case and Winnie end up following their own dreams or be stuck in the life paths that they already seem destined to muck their way through? Though topics of cancer and abandonment are forefront, this also feels like a story of hope and young love. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book, provided by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this sad cowboy romance going into it. But I trust Erin Hahn, and I knew the book would be good. I completely wasn't expecting to be so profoundly sad from the first page. Case is lost and grieving the death of his best friend, Walker. See, Walker left this list, and Case assumes it's a list of things Walker thinks Case should do in his life. But the thing at the bottom of the list proves to be the most challenging. Case must befriend the tough, jaded Winnie. But can he crack her no BS exterior? Winnie reminded me of a country Fiona Gallagher (from the TV show Shameless). She took up the mantle of carrying for her father and siblings when her mom left, leaving very little time, money or energy for herself. She's got big dreams, but they are on hold for her family.

As Case and Winnie navigate their newfound friendship and their memories of Walker, they motivate each other to do what they've always wanted. Their chemistry burned off the page, and you could just feel the tension growing. This book was heartfelt and emotional, and I know I am better for experiencing it. I can't wait to add a paper copy to my home library!

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this as I sometimes don’t love teen, even older teen romances but it was so good!! Winnie was such a relatable and easy to connect with female character. I loved the relationship and it felt so real and sweet. The setting is wonderful as well. I appreciate how grief was handled and it really is also a coming of age novel. It felt a bit chestnut springs but with teens but that is okay since it was well done! Would for sure recommend this to people of many ages!

I thought this was gonna be real emotional but it was as not. I’m giving it a high 4 ⭐️. Yes a little sad but no tears and I really liked it. Have you had a best friend in your life? I have an it’s something. This was a closed door romance with two young adults trying to navigate their lives when they been knocked down. They were adorable and I loved all the things Case did. The banter was great and this didn’t have any unnecessary drama.
I definitely recommend it.
Thanks St. Martins Press via NetGalley.