Haidie's dad goes to Colorado to look for gold. After their mother passes away the older brother, Cheet, sells the farm and puts Haidie and Boots in an orphanage so he can become a river boat gambler. They escape the orphanage to go west with Haidie disguising herself as a boy to look for their father. They hooked up with some interesting people on the way. They experienced things that weren't a surprise, like wagon trains and Indian attacks, horse thieves and cheaters.

Maybe because Westerns don't usually appeal to me. The characters were great but I never felt really like I knew them enough to root for them. The book seemed divided into four parts, one in the orphanage and the escape, then when they hooked up with Jake, when they joined the wagon train with Ben and when they finally made it to Colorado. That's a lot to cover in less than 300 pages and with so many characters there just wasn't time to get to know anyone well.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital copy.

Tough Luck is the perfect title for this book. Haidie and her younger brother Boots find themselves in an orphanage after their mother dies. Their father left several years earlier to travel west to look for gold.
Haidie and Boots decide they are going to go and find their father. This story is one that will stay in my mind for a long time. I found myself reading until late in the night. I was so vested in their adventures on the way west.
Thank you NetGalley, Sandra Dallas, and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of the book Tough Luck. This is my personal review.

I enjoyed reading Tough Luck by Sandra Dallas. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

I read True Grit last year and, paired with Sandra Dallas’ storytelling, it was a perfect homage. I’ve read and loved her previous works and was concerned about a child narrator. However, the writing was age appropriate without being watered down. Haidie was fierce and crafty! Western lovers will appreciate the setting, thematic elements of justice, hero’s journey, and colorful characters. Contemporary readers will enjoy the found family and clear prose. Thank you St. Martin’s and NetGalley for the egalley!

I loved all of the great characters in this story! We traveled with Hadie and Boots across the prairie where they met up with all kinds of characters and all kinds of situations. Many of those characters pulled through at the end to right a wrong for the family. I enjoy reading Westerns and this was a definite 5 stars.

Quick and Dirty
-linear timeline, single POV
-gold rush era
-charming and adventurous
-highly bingeable

Y’all, I devoured this book! Set during the gold rush, it follows sharp-witted Haidie and her little brother as they chase after their Pa—and a bit of justice—across the rugged frontier. I was completely charmed by the characters, all well-developed and full of unexpected humor. Haidie reminded me so much of the feisty heroines from my favorite childhood historical fiction series—clever, daring, and just morally flexible enough to twist the truth if it means getting closer to her goal. With a crew of lovable misfits, plenty of grit, and nonstop charm, this one’s funny and full of heart. Not totally realistic, but wildly entertaining. If you’re a fan of Westerns or just love a good, fast-paced tale with unforgettable characters, Tough Luck is an absolute must-read. Wildly entertaining from start to finish—I loved every minute.

Set in 1863, during the time of the Civil War and the Colorado Gold Rush, this is a wonderful coming of age story that is undeniably tender and sweet, with unforgettable characters, and a captivating storyline.

Fourteen-year-old Haidie, dressed as a boy, and her ten-year-old brother, Boots, run away from an orphanage in Illinois to head west to Colorado to find their father. They haven't seen their father in four years, but they believe that he has struck it rich in the gold mines. Haidie and Boots' older brother, Cheet, sold the family home after their mother died and divested himself of his siblings in order to gamble away their small inheritance.

The two courageous children look danger in the eye and join up with a wagon train going west. They are exposed to the good and bad in people along the way. Haidie bravely becomes an unlikely hero and with determination and love, she and Boots find new friends and family along the way. This book was hard to put down and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I had read 'Where Coyotes Howl' by the author and when I saw that she had written a new book, I had to read it. This book is just as unforgettable, and one I will never forget. I've never seen so many lies told in one book, and while there are some harrowing events, there is much more humor. The book takes place during the Civil War but the war is peripheral to this story.

Haidie Richards is the main character, and we experience this story through her eyes. Her father had left years before to go out West to prospect for gold and they had not received a letter in several years. After her mother died, the oldest brother, Cheet, took almost everything from selling their house and land, and put 14-year-old Haidie and 10-year-old Boots in an orphanage. Then he took off. Cheet was a good name for him.

Haidie and Boots hated the orphanage. Haidie convinced the matron at the orphanage that her brother had sent for them, and they were lucky - they got spots on a wagon train going west, and Haidie the girl became Haidie the boy. A young woman who worked at the orphanage went with them. Then they were all on the way to Colorado via wagon train. Haidie and Boots are looking for their father without much information other than what was in his letters.

The Gold Rush has slowed a bit but is still going strong in some parts of Colorado, which was a territory then. The possibility of becoming rich was a draw for many would-be prospectors and other people who saw an opportunity to make money from the influx of people. Overnight, a new boon town could spring up - hotels, restaurants, gambling establishments, stables, laundries, and houses for ladies of easy virtue. People were pouring in every day.

This is a delightful book and I recommend it to anyone. I laughed my way through almost all of it. I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher St. Martin's Press and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

Tough Luck by Sandra Dallas

Thank you @stmartinspress for a physical copy and @macmillan.audio for an ALC.

I went into this completely blind and was pleasantly surprised! I am not a big fan of westerns which is what the cover had me assume this was. I wasn’t wrong on that but from the start this reminded me of True Grit which I read years ago and loved. Only after finishing the book and reading the synopsis did I find out that this was an homage to True Grit. To that I say the author hit the mark perfectly. I really enjoyed the juvenile antics our main character participated in.

If you are looking for a realistic portrayal of life during the gold rush, this probably isn’t it. But, if you are looking for a fun journey west with some orphans, this might just be the choice for you.

Rating:
I really liked it

What you’ll find:
An homage to True Grit
A plucky young heroine
Heading west during the Gold Rush era

TOUGH LUCK is a feel-good, coming-of-age adventure.

Haidie was barely a teenager when she and her younger brother embarked on a trip across the American West in search of their father. It was 1863, right in the middle of the Civil War. Violent skirmishes between settlers and Native Americans were also a serious issue during this time. I expected a dark undercurrent, but instead hope led the way.

I loved Haidie’s bravery and devotion to her brother. While the pair faced challenges along the way, we only touched on these darker aspects of life in the Wild West.

This book isn’t marketed as YA, but it’s well suited to a younger audience.

The audiobook is well done. Mia Hutchinson-Shaw does a great job of immersing us in Haidie’s world.

*Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook download!*

A historical western is not my typical read, but this one really surprised me! Enjoyed most of the characters and especially Haidie! If you even think you may enjoy this genre, give this one a try!

Oregon Trail was a computer game I played when I was ten. I was obsessed with that game trying to get my characters successfully to their destination. This novel reminded me so much of that game. Set in the 1860s, two orphan siblings journey hundreds of miles to search for their estranged father and of course encounter all kind of problems. It was an easy and fast paced book filled with adventure, humor and hope. The author did a good job of developing her characters. I also loved the cover for this book as well.

Every time I finished a Sandra Dallas novel I sigh with contentment but there’s always a tinge of regret because it’s over.
I discovered Dallas about 30 years ago and she can spin a yarn like very few authors are able.
Haidie is determined to find her father out in Colorado and most of the book involves she and brother Boots journey there.
In standard Dallas fashion there are plenty of characters and adventures along the way.
My favorite characters were Jacob and Ben just because they were good men, fair and had integrity.
The best part was the last exciting big gamble where a cheater gets cheated and good riddance!

Tough Luck by Sandra Dallas is a story about two siblings who journey west to Colorado in 1863. After their mother died Haidie and her brother were put in an orphanage by their older brother. Haidie is certain their dad is alive and she disguises herself as a boy to escape. She finds her way to a wagon train going to Denver.

I liked the going west aspect of the perilous journey and the details there but once they arrived in Denver the story went a little off the rails. I don't know if I'd recommend this one based on the second half of the book. I did like Where the Coyotes Howl last year for the real and raw book about homesteading. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy..

TOUGH LUCK by Sandra Dallas (Little Souls) is historical fiction set in the West with a strong female protagonist. Dallas has been writing excellent fiction with similar themes since 1990 - look especially for The Persian Pickle Club, Alice's Tulips, or The Diary of Mattie Spencer. Her latest takes place in 1863 and features Haidie Richards, a teenager girl who has promised to take care of her younger brother, called Boots. Their mother has died recently, and they set out from the middle of the country towards Denver in order to find their father who left in search of gold. Along the way, they team up with a variety of characters: a freighter named Jake, former orphanage resident Teresa, two tough spinster sisters, and a card shark named Corny. Haidie dresses and passes as a boy in this adventuresome tale which offers humorous observations and homespun wisdom such as when dealing with animals on the wagon train: "it is all right to swear at them, because they don't understand it and it helps your soul. But you'll get more cooperation with kindness than meanness. I believe that's a lesson for life, with mules and with folks both." TOUGH LUCK received a starred review from Library Journal which described the novel as being "full of humor, heart, and hope." 4.5 stars

Tough Luck is a novel by Sandra Dallas, and a first time read from this well-known author for me.

The story takes place in 1863, during the gold rush of the American West.

Young Haidie Richards and her younger and older brothers are orphaned on a farm after their father left them four years earlier to find gold, and then their mother dies.

Haidie’s older brother Cheet who is known to be a bit of a gambler sells off the farm and sends the two younger siblings off to an orphanage.

Haidie who is only 14 and strong willed will have none of that, and soon finds a way for her and her 10 year old brother Boots to escape, and start a long and difficult journey to try and find their father, since she believes in her heart that he is still alive.

Along that way there are a variety of characters, situations, rough times, and difficulties.

I really enjoyed this story, and most importantly the colourful characters, and personalities that are written into the lines of this book.

I laughed out loud at times and felt for their predicaments.

This is an Author that I will enjoy reading more of.

Thank You to NetGalley, Author Sandra Dallas, and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced copy to read and review.

I love Westerns so I wanted to like this book, but I felt that it didn't really add anything to the genre. The voice started out strong, but sort of faded to the background as the story went on to the point that it felt like Haidie just kind of disappeared and we were watching the story through third person narration.

I'm not usually a huge western fan but Sandra Dallas has made me a convert. Tough Luck is a humorously told story of strength and tenacity centering around a girl and her brother heading west to find the father who abandoned them. Along the way they face many adventures and encounter a multitude of both benign and unsavory characters. Dallas deftly interjects humor into some very tenuous situations. Readers will fall in the love with the protagonist and applaud the humor and satisfying ending.

Heart-tugging, uplifting, and evocative!

Tough Luck is an absorbing tale set in 1863 that takes you into the life of Haidie Richards, a fourteen-year-old-girl who, after her mother dies and her older brother decides to sell the farm, escapes the orphanage with her little brother and does whatever she has to in order to make her way to Denver to find their estranged father who left years ago in search of riches in the west.

The prose is rich and expressive. The characters are strong, courageous, and resilient. And the plot is a tender tale of life, loss, heartbreak, determination, hardship, hope, secrets, survival, love, and friendship.

Overall, Tough Luck is an atmospheric, hopeful, captivating tale by Dallas that transports you to another time and place and immerses you so thoroughly into the feelings, personalities, and lives of the characters you can’t help but root for them.

Tough Luck by Sandra Dallas is the story of a young woman on the search for her father in 1863. Their father left four years to find his fortune in the Colorado Territory and is thought to be dead. After her mother dies, Haidie Richards and her younger brother, Boots, are placed in an orphanage and put to work. She waits for her chance to leave. She is determined to find her father. Haidie doesn’t believe it and she isn’t going to wait for him any longer. She and Boots leave the orphanage and embark on the perilous journey deep into the American West. Disguised as a boy, she learns to handle mules, oxen, and greedy men. Haidie also finds new friends. She hopes that each day gets her closer to finding her father. Will she find him? Will she accept whatever she discovers?
Tough Luck is a cross between True Grit (1969/2010) and The Journey of Natty Gann (1985). Filled with colorful characters and vivid details of Haidie’s journey and experiences, Tough Luck is a story of youthful tenacity and hopeful hearts in the American West. I enjoyed Haidie’s character as a no-nonsense young woman who isn’t afraid to speak her mind and get her hands dirty in order to get what she wants. The characters she meets along the way are either other hopeful hearts searching for a future or scoundrels who would prey on them. Ms. Dallas’s description of the American West and the people who lived there were so vivid that I thought I was right there next to Haidie as she traveled. I thoroughly enjoyed Tough Luck. If you enjoy Western adventures with a strong heroine, I highly recommend Tough Luck.

Tough Luck is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook on April 29, 2025.