Rounded up from 2.5 stars.

Molly McDaniel is an aspiring event planner and current barista when she inherits her estranged aunt’s horse farm out in the country. Knowing nothing about how to run a farm, Molly plans on selling the estate for seed money to start her dream event planning business, until she meets grumpy farrier, Shani. Although, Molly and Shani seem to butt heads at first, soon feelings start to develop as Molly moves in to sort out the estate.

The Ride of Her Life was a quick and entertaining read, but ultimately it fell flat for me. Molly was an incredibly hard character to root for and was constantly describing a history of toxic relationships that seemed incredibly similar to the budding romance we were reading. At one point, she invited her best friend over for a girl’s night only to leave her alone at a bar abruptly to go see Shani. And we were meant to see her friend in a negative light. Likewise, Shani seemed to have toxic behaviors as well, often switching from anger to love quickly, and struggling to communicate.

The main issues I found in this book were in the pacing and ending. Throughout the book, conflict arises. Molly ends up having a fight with her mom over why she was estranged with her aunt. She has a major fight with her best friend right at the very end of the book. Her and Shani aren’t even on speaking terms until the last 10 pages or so. It seemed to end abruptly without addressing a lot of the conflict that occurred at the end of the story. I wish there was more focus on Molly’s personal growth, but the ending seemed to disregard all of the issues she was having with her friends and family, all because she got the girl in the end. I wish the issues that we saw arise were resolved with a few more chapters and maybe an epilogue detailing how the farm faired in the future.

Overall, it was an okay read for a quick romance, but there were elements of the story that could have been expanded.

The Ride of Her Life comes out May 28th, 2024. Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy in Exchange for an honest review.

I had a lot of mixed feelings while I was reassign this book. The beginning was rough, but once Molly (our narrator) got on her feet, it was a lot more interesting. Overall, the characters were likable, and I did enjoy Shani and Molly’s dynamic. However, their nearly constant conflict was a little frustrating. I would have liked more of the previous plot points/characters to have been elaborated on, but overall, this was a very enjoyable read.

thank you for the opportunity to arc read, while this book had the potential to be everything i adore... i could not get past the fact i do not like the main character. I think there is so many unhealthy relationships in her life, I would hav truly enjoyed seeing growth through out her story. it fell a little flat because it felt very 2D. there were moments when the tropes were believeable and moments when they just so strongly missed their marks. I think this story is a win for the gay horse girls. but it was only mid for me sadly.

Real life struggles.
Grief.
Losing one self in relationships.
Adjusting dreams.
I loved the banter between Molly and Shani - enjoyable. The family feel of the barn and support. Shani's brother and his bestie. The uncertainty of Molly and Shani - does she like me? It was well done. It was a little eh in some parts. But overall a lovely, feel good, some spice read.

Thanks to Netgalley for the E-ARC in exchange for this review.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐞𝐬, 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤, 𝐲𝐞𝐬. 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧?

I was looking for a sapphic cowgirl romance and Jennifer Dugan delivered!

She obviously did her research (or is a horse girl herself) which is really important to me and why I'm always wary of horse books, because as a horse girl myself, I want the details to be right. And they are really good here!

So first up we have Molly, our chaotic MC, who is drowning in student loans and working multiple jobs and trying to get her event planning business off the ground when her (estranged) aunt dies and she finds out she's left Molly something. Upon arriving at the reading of the will, she's told her aunt has left her her entire horse farm.

Really unhappy about that fact is Shani, our other MC. Farrier extraordinaire, a woman that has taken care of Molly's aunt the entire time she's been ill. Shani was essentially raised at the farm, and expected to get it in the will.

Needless to say the tension is THICK. But Molly has the hots for Shani right away.

𝐒𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭-𝐮𝐩 𝐜𝐨𝐰𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐞𝐭. 𝐈𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐰𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦.

The two have to learn how to work together to keep the farm afloat - while Molly figures out what she's going to do with the place. Emotions run high as she and Shani fall for each other with the threat that Molly could sell the place and leave, or she could stay... she could try to make it work there.

I took off a star because I really wanted a letter from the aunt to be found to explain her decisions, and to apologize to Shani for giving away the farm out from under her. I felt like that was missing to really tie it all together, because the aunt was such an important figure there. There was also a little bit of a lengthy miscommunication that felt unnecessary.

That said, I loved the found family, the side characters, the animals, the town, the whole thing! And it's SPICY! Bit of a slow burn but worth it.

This was an advance copy from NetGalley and so there were a few little errors- random italics, misplaced commas, misplaced quotation marks. Nothing too bad.

This book reminded me a lot of Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle at first: main character is down on her luck, randomly gets an inheritance from an estranged aunt, and then bam- a super hot, cranky person who happened to be close to the aunt lives on the property.

But this book had some pluses, specifically queer girls and ponies. It was a cute little story that did its best to tackle some bigger topics PLUS life with horses. The main got a little on my nerves, even though a lot of what she said was very relatable. There were some little meta moments that didn’t do anything for me- I was really not a fan of having a character there to say “I ship it” and literally call the mains couple’s meeting a meet-cute. But I was immediately charmed by the presence of horses. I became attached to the horses much more quickly than the characters.

Initially I had a little bit of trouble with the development of the main relationship. I also didn’t appreciate one moment where a character washing her hands was described as being a mood killer- like, what? There were also some cliché lines- “I didn’t know it could be like this,” “Do you trust me?” etc. And for how long the book was, the ending seemed a little abrupt to me- like the author took her time on everything except that.

All of that said, things really got going in the second half and I enjoyed seeing some of the details of event-planning. I also appreciated how the story didn’t shy away from mentioning racism in the horse community, dealt with a complicated best-friendship, and touched on a lot of practical issues (millennial/gen z in debt, probate stuff) that don’t always come up in rom coms or feel-good books.

This book also has lots of Taylor Swift references- she would definitely feature heavily on a playlist for this book.

This book was an absolutely sapphic sexy western cowboy dream novel and I am here for it! Molly is tired. Tired of working two jobs to still live at her moms. Tired of pouring coffee and answering phones when what she really wants to do is plan events. Weddings. Parties. Etc. Her school loans however keep her pouring coffee. Until she gets a call from her aunts lawyer. She has passed and left Molly something in her will. A quick trip to her aunts farm and Molly learns that she's actually been left everything. The farm. House. Land. Also horses and a group of devoted employees and friends.

Is this predictable? A tiny bit maybe, but that detracts absolutely zero from the absolute gem that this book is! This isn't just a Molly gets farm then falls for ferrier book. This is a true no holds barred look at how our generation is working two or three jobs just to pay back loans for degrees we may never get to use. How we struggle to know our own selves and not get co.pletely enmeshed with our partners. How sometimes we don't get to do the thing our heart wants because we have to make money just to survive to make more. It was beautiful and real and such a good ride! The miscommunication did start to get on my nerves at the end but honestly that's a me problem. I'm a very clear THIS IS HOW I FEEL kinda girl and not everyone is. But yall. Just say it already! 🤣 I fell in love with Jennifer Dugans work with Love at First Set. This book just solidifies she's a solid sapphic storyteller and now and forever on auto buy!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

I received an advanced copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Jennifer Dugan. 🩷

Ever felt like your dream life is slipping away? Is your daily routine wearing on you? Then Molly's story will definitely seem familiar. She's working two jobs, which she hates, is nowhere near where she thought she'd be in life by now. She's given a chance when a sudden inheritance falls into her lap, but will she thrive there or fall even further away from her dream life? Molly is endearing, relatable, and recognizable, especially to millennial and older gen Z adults who were left with crushing student loans, no direction, a stale love life, and seemingly no hope. I found the story intriguing, laugh out loud funny, and sad at times. Overall, I highly enjoyed it.

I’m in my western era, so this book was a must 🐎🚜🌾🤠

Molly inherits a horse farm from her late aunt… which is perfect… obviously not her aunts death… but for reasons financially. Molly has dreams of owning her own wedding planning company… but working two jobs and her crushing school debt her dreams seem out of reach, until now… Molly is not the girl to continue her aunts legacy on the farm, but selling it maybe the answer to all her problems, that is until she meets Shani, who thinks she should have been the one to inherit the farm and isn’t accepting of Molly and her plans.

The plot in this one really worked for me… the city girl goes country and the inheritance was really fun!
Something was off for me with the chemistry and I can’t put my finger on exactly what it was… there were moments I rooted for them and then others it didn’t feel like they had a connection. Mollys relationship with her mom and her friend Nat at times felt like I wanted more from those storylines… overall I really enjoyed it and I need to check out more of Dugan’s work.

Thank you Avon
Releases 5/28

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Sapphic cowgirl romance?? Say less! I really enjoyed this book and the writing - I thought the tension between Shani and Molly was great in the beginning and I liked how their relationship continued to grow, even as it was obvious to their friends how they both felt about each other. Both characters are pretty messy and both have a lot of character development to go through but it all felt like really realistic issues and I think the character growth was done pretty well!

I was a certified horse girl growing up, so any romance that includes horses has to be accurate for me - and ultimately this one did a pretty good job at that! I mean having a farrier as the love interest was great because I'm sure almost no one knows what farriers do.

Also can we talk about this title? Just chef's kiss. Also special shoutout to Edward Cullen the donkey - I laughed quite a bit at that!

My biggest issue with the book was that we get 0 resolution with Molly and her friend who stole the letter Shani wrote to her, causing the third act breakup. Even if there was just a little thing in an epilogue about her friend apologizing, that would have been okay for me. But we get nothing! I do think there were some pacing issues and the will they/won't they aspect went on maybe a beat or two too long.

But ultimately, a pretty solid read for me that I enjoyed!

Thank you to Avon for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Molly is a bit of a hot mess trying to figure out how to thrive, living in the city... with her mom. When her estranged aunt dies and mysterious inheritence leads her on an adventure to the middle of nowhere and barn full of strangers, she has no idea what she's getting into... but it might just be the life she'd been waiting for.

This little book packs the punches with emotion, has queer cowgirls AND cowboys, found family, and a really messy journey of self exploration. I loved every minute of it, highly recommend.

Lovely city girl/country girl story by new to me author Jennifer Dugan! I love the premise and the individual characters. The character development of the main pov, Molly, was phenomenal. There were so many red flags in her life and her thinking in the beginning! It was so very satisfying to watch her grow and find her strength and value in herself.

The romance wasn’t resonating with me for a while as the excessive aggression coming from Shani, she has her reasons of course it just seemed a bit too aggressive for some of it, for me to believe the attraction and chemistry and then the connection. After some conversations and time passing, more could be seen and understood and appreciated on my part. The angst following served to help show Molly who she is and how she’s grown. The ending while satisfying felt a bit rushed. I would have liked a bit more on the two main red flags as well as little bit more of that sweet resolution. Definitely recommend!

As a woman who has always craved for beautiful sapphic novels to be more popular, this one took the cake! I read this thanks to Netgalley! I also got a chance to receive a copy from the author herself which was so nice of her. The characters of these books are so so cute and I am a sucker for anything cowboy. If you're thinking about reading this book, stop what you're doing and read it ASAP!

This book was so cute. I definitely enjoy a grumpy/sunshine romance and being able to read a WLW romance is always a joy! The characters were all so easily relatable, and I really enjoyed the character growth with Molly. I don't really know anything about horses, farming, or rodeos, so I thought this was a fun glimpse into that world. I truly loved the aspect of found family, and the barn crew was such a loveable group of people from all backgrounds and orientations. It was refreshing and fun and one of my favorite aspects of the book. The slow but steamy romance and friendship between Molly and Shani kept me on my toes throughout the entire book. I loved the chemistry between Molly and Shani. From the very beginning I thought Nat was a horrible friend, and my thoughts were confirmed after learning she sabotaged Molly and Shani's relationship. The writing in this book was so captivating I had a hard time putting it down. At times the miscommunication was kind of annoying and both Shani and Molly’s unwillingness to listen to the other was concerning, the love between them really grabbed my attention. I also wish that we got some chapters from Shani's perspective. I think it would have made the book a little better to be able to get her perspective on things that happened. I think that all romances should be dual POV because it allows the reader to get inside both MC’s heads to see why they fell for each other and their thoughts and feelings. I did I feel like the ending was fairly sudden. I wanted to know the status of Molly’s relationships with her mother and Nat. I also really wanted to read more with Molly and Shani finally together and running the horse farm/event space. I was surprised there was no epilogue. I think this book really needed some sort of an epilogue. If you like Hallmark-y small town romance stories and are up for a cute sapphic version with lots of horses, this one's for you. Thank you to Jennifer Dugan, Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for sending me this book as an ARC. I look forward to reading more from Jennifer in the future.

✨ The Ride of Her Life by Jennifer Dugan ✨

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

Release Date: May 28th

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Collins for gifting me an ebook AND a physical ARC in exchange for an honest review!

When I saw the listing for a sapphic cowgirl romance with a bi FMC, I truly could not pass it up. This was SUCH a fun read - I loved Molly and Shani’s whirlwind rodeo romance.

The world of Christina’s Corrals and the characters within it were so fun to get to know, from the ragtag group of equestrians, to the horses themselves (who could forget Edward Cullen, the donkey?).

I loved how intimate and real the blossoming relationship between Molly and Shani, as well as both of the women coming into their own and learning their strengths in this book. My only critique of the book is that I wished we got more in depth with Shani and Molly - I love an HEA, but felt like we needed more work to get there, especially with the characters involved in the big conflicts.

This book hooked me in from the first chapter. I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

I loved the vibes of this book — the farm setting was cozy, the side characters were all really fleshed out and entertaining, and the central romance was so swoony and easy to root for. I appreciated that the book had genuine, not easily solved stakes that definitely kept the pace up and kept me engrossed as the romance grew.

Cowboy romances are all the rage right now, but what about a city girl/cowgirl romance? Let me tell you...it works. I really enjoyed this one, the love/hate relationship, Molly having to learn how to run a horse farm, the side characters. It was overall just a fun and humor filled book. The miscommunication trope I'm not a huge fan of but the way it happened worked for me. I wish we would've gotten more of their happily ever after, I felt like once they finally figured themselves out, the book was over. I think I would have loved it even more if it would have been dual POV, I think romances really work better that way. If you're in your cowboy/cowgirl romance era, love a good city girl moves to a farm, mid-twenties trying to figure life out story, then this is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a lovely read, not my favorite Jennifer Dugan but I’m not terribly interested in horses. The characters were interesting but I think some of the relationships between side characters could have been flushed out more.

I believe I may have a new WLW romance! Shani and Molly are the perfect enemies to lovers story. There is relatable emotion, Taylor Swift references, Mean Girls references, horses, character redemption and so much more. This book had me fully convinced I could live the farm girl life (even though I know deep down I wouldn’t last). I loved every second of this book! Thank you so much to Net Galley, Avon Books and Jennifer Dugan for the opportunity to read this ARC!