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.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy provided for an honest review.

This story is told in first person by Haidie, a fourteen-year-old girl living in Illinois in 1863 whose father went to Colorado four years ago for the gold rush and her mother just passed away. Haidie’s older brother sold the farm and left her and their little brother, Boots, at an orphanage. Haidie devises a plan to escape and travel to Colorado to find their Pa with Boots in tow. The story follows their misadventures along the way via wagon trail with Haidie dressed as a boy to find various odd jobs to earn their keep.

The characters in the novel were colorful and eccentric. The story was fun and entertaining almost in a tall tale of the west way. This is my second novel by this author, and I found myself procrastinating reading this one because I cried through the last. And now I’m kicking myself for not reading this one sooner because I laughed through Haidie’s adventures and her wonder at the new world around her.

Main character Haidie was a courageous young girl, determined and sharp as a whip. The kids meet many people who want to help them and many a swindler and con artist out for themselves. Shady folks who turn out to not be so shady and seemingly kind folks who will steal the horse right out from under you. Maybe a bit farfetched at times, but it all worked for me. It reminded me of watching old John Wayne westerns with my dad growing up, which is appropriate because I read that it was an homage to True Grit.

The audiobook is narrated by Mia-Hutchinson-Shaw. This was my first listen by this narrator, and I enjoyed her portrayal of Hadie and her adventures. If you’re an audiobook listener, I would recommend this format.

Recommended to readers who enjoy tales of the wild west and frontier historical fiction.

Get ready to head west in search for gold and family in this new historical fiction story.

Haidie and her brother Boots are a duo that you won’t soon forget. They’re heading out west to find their long lost Pa and meet a slew of unique characters along the way. Each stop on their journey is stepping stone to their finding their and teaches them a life long lesson. The descriptive setting is the perfect fit for this old western tale and you will be cheering on the siblings from start to finish

I was a little wary when I saw that there were only 10 chapters but Sandra Dallas an excellent job of breaking up the story and it didn’t feel like the chapters dragged on at all.

I haven’t read a book like this in a while but I’m glad I gave it a chance. I felt immersed in the Wild West during a time where people were hardened, determined, and often faced some “tough luck”.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tough Luck is a stand-alone western historical book by Sandra Dallas. I read two of her previous books and enjoyed them very much, so I was really looking forward to reading this one. I usually don't care for westerns, as the language sounds rather hokey to me, but the last book by Ms. Dallas I read was also a western, so I knew I was heading into a good story. Once again, she didn't disappoint.

In 1863, when their mother dies, Cheet Richards sells the family farm and takes off to gamble, sending his 14 y.o. sister Haidie and 10 y.o. brother Boots to an orphanage to work. Four years ago their Pa left for the Colorado Territory intent on finding a gold mine, but since then they have only received three letters from him. Haidie believes that he's still alive, struck gold and will come back for them. She's not a patient girl, however, so she and Boots escape and head out on a dangerous trek into Western territory, with Haidie pretending to be a boy. She learns how to drive a wagon, handle mules and oxen, cook on a campfire and deal with greedy and lawless men. She learns they are better off in a community, and theirs turns out to be quite unusual: a "freighter" and his very ugly dog, a card shark, and independent "spinster" sisters, among others. When their reach Colorado and discover the truth about what happened to Pa, Haidie and Boots will need their new friends in a plot to get even with those who done them wrong.

The last two books that I read by Ms. Dallas were a bit depressing, though very good. This one had a bit of a lighthearted spirit to it, and it was a nice change of pace. Haidie was a great character! She admits three important truths about herself: She lies (not to be bad, but it's to her benefit), she could be a sneak thief if she wanted to (but didn't because no one who lived in their town had anything worth stealing) and she's good at making plans. She used all of those traits to protect herself and Boots so they could find their father. Haidie was only a girl herself, but she took better care of Boots than anyone else in her family. Besides Haidie and Boots, there were some other remarkable characters who added so much depth and life to the story. Jake Crowfoot was a freighter who hauled things to the mining camp, and he traveled with his ugly-as-sin dog. They were very protective of the kids. Then we had Cornelius Vander, or "Corny", who was a very cheery sort of gambler. He was a flimflam man, but was also quite handy, picking herbs along the way as they traveled to make their vittles taste better than just with salt. Ben Bondurant was the scout for the wagon train the kids traveled with, and he taught them many things to help them survive the trip. My favorite supporting characters, however, were the "spinster" sisters (who were basically pretty young, just unmarried) Miss Lizzie and Miss Arvilla. They were traveling to rejoin their well-to-do brother in Colorado. They were some pretty tough cookies! When Indians attacked, these two women jumped in to join the fray! One had her hand shot off, and both were tougher than many of the men on the trail. With the exception of Ben, all the others assisted in getting justice for Haidie, Boots and their family. Though dealing with some tough subject matters, this book was very exciting and truly a lot of fun. Maybe Westerns aren't so hokey after all!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Unfortunately not able to finish, the writing style is really hard to read and just not enjoyable. I’m sure some people will enjoy this but it’s not my cup of tea when reading historical type books

This was a very well written story. I read Where Coyotes Howl and loved it, so I was really looking forward to this book. This book has so many ups and downs. I loved that the main character was a 14 year old girl who was basically thrust into a difficult situation. While I did enjoy the writing, I feel like this book would have been more enjoyable for me if there was either more chapters or I had listened to the audiobook. With only ten chapters in this book, it’s almost like it was broken up into larger bigger chunks of what happened. This took away from the story a bit for me and felt like it took too long to get through since I’m one of those people who like to end on a chapter and not the middle of one, but that was impossible to do with this book. Again, I truly think the story itself was amazing and well written, I just wish it hadn’t felt like it dragged on so much.

I have always been a fan of westerns, as well as strong female leads. This story did not disappoint. The strength Haidie had to practically raise her younger brother Boots, after their mom died and their father left for Colorado to search for gold, was absolutely incredible. I could not imagine being 14, practically an orphan, taking care of a kid, and trekking across the country to find my missing father. Nope. Not gonna happen. But she did it. And she did it well.

A fourteen year-old girl makes a perilous journey with her much younger brother to the Wild West in search of her gold-mining Pa.

It’s 1863, Haidie and Boots bravely escape the confines of an orphanage with the belief their Pa is alive in the Colorado territory. As they journey from Illinois, they face many challenges traveling west. They join a wagon train meeting interesting characters along the way, finding a new found family to reach their father.

Haidie is a fierce, determined character. She’s resourceful, scheming and willing to do it all to be reunited with her family.

This novel captures the heart of the Wild West, and the resilience of what it takes to survive on the open plain. The author brings to life strong, independent females throughout the story, each capable of making there way just as the men.

Thank you St. Martins Press

I love Western books, and this one has some amazing characters. I loved following Haidie's journey from Kentucky to Denver. There were so many vivid details as they traveled by wagon train across the plains. My only complaint is that the story wraps up a bit too neatly. But then again - the title is Tough Luck, and maybe it was time for Haidie to experience some luck after a hard life.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and Sandra Dallas for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Sandra Dallas never disappoints! Another fabulous read that I truly enjoyed. I listened to and read this story, the transition was seamless and the narrator did a fantastic job. Highly recommend to anyone enjoying a strong female lead in a frontier setting.

I LOVED this book. The writing captivated me immediately and I was completely immersed in this story about the travel west. The characters were vivid and jumped off the page (and mostly into my heart). Haidie is now one of my all time favorite characters. Her voice was unique and I was just soaking in this amazing storytelling. It was a wild and interesting and fun ride and I was not ready for it to end. I haven't read many westerns, but now I need more!

Note: The audiobook narration was perfect and really immersed me into the story to help me love it even more.