This wasn’t bad, just not for me. The setting was interesting, and I can see the appeal in the small-town dynamics, but it moved slowly and never really pulled me in. It’s more about relationships than mystery, and while that can work, I needed a little more urgency to stay engaged.

Might be a nice fit if you’re in the mood for something quiet and character-focused, but I was hoping for something with a bit more punch.

I love this cover and that’s mainly why I wanted to read this book. It’s a fast moving story with plenty to keep your interest. I liked Haidie and her toughness and will to look for her father. It was an enjoyable story

Tough Luck was laugh out loud funny in so many spots, while heart touching in others. Characters were written perfectly making this a very enjoyable book for start to finish. Join fourteen year old Haidie Richards and her younger brother Boots as they go west to Denver to find their long lost father. A journey you won’t soon forget! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Tough Luck by Sandra Dallas is the first western I've read in years, and what a treat it is!

The novel is set in 1863 and told through the point of view of a 14-year-old girl, Haidie Richards. Haidie and her younger brother Boots, 10, are left at an Illinois orphanage by older brother Cheet, 19, after their mother dies. Their father left the family four years earlier to head for the Colorado gold mines and has rarely been heard from since. Haidie is convinced her father has struck it rich and plans to send for them. Not liking life in the orphanage, Haidie decides to take Boot, escape the orphanage, and head for Colorado to find their father.

The author immerses readers into the American West of 1863 with her skillful descriptions, vividly drawn characters, realistic dialogue, and through endearing Haidie's eyes and voice. This young woman is scrappy, fierce, resilient, and oh so easy to root for! I thoroughly enjoyed this read.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press for allowing me to access a digital review copy of the book via NetGalley. Publication is 4/29/25. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

There is always something about a book that takes place on the prairies many years ago that always draws me in.

This story gave me a Western Story feel as people set off in their covered wagons to find new beginnings or make it big with Gold Mines.

Some of those just have bad luck or as the book is Titled Tough Luck.

As young Haidie Richards and her brother Boots begin a journey to find their father, Sandra Dallas brings the history of the Gold Rush, wagon trains, and hard luck as well as tough luck to their story. When Haidie's mother dies and her older brother places her and Boots into an orphanage, Haidie decides that they need to find the father that left them to find his riches in the western gold rush. Disguised as a young boy, Haidie and Boots join up with a Jake, a freighter delivering goods to Omaha, and then a wagon train heading to Denver led by their scout, Ben. The youngsters make friends during their trip that help them learn the lessons of hardship and growing up in an environment that isn't always easy or friendly. The "old maids" who made the trip by wagon train to show people they were capable of doing it, formed a tight bond with Haidie that became a very important relationship once they reached Denver and began looking for their father. Dallas has a writing style that gives us the history of the moment and the realistic characters living through it that makes their story one to enjoy reading. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #ToughLuck

This was my first time reading Sandra Dallas' work, and it was such a fun read. I love historical fiction, and what really brought this story to life for me were the secondary characters. I especially fell in love with Jake, Teresa, Boots, Corny, and the old maids. Heck, I even loved Tyge the dog. The main character, Haidie, is also someone to be admired. Even though she's only fourteen years old, she's an old soul. She's a hard worker and she's fiercely loyal to her friends and family. I greatly admired her perseverance through all of the trials she faced. I would highly recommend this book to everyone.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book tagline: In this homage to True Grit, a young woman makes a perilous journey west in 1863 in search of her gold-mining father.

I love a good adventure novel. I love fierce and loving female protagonists. Luckily for me, Tough Luck has both. After being dumped at an orphanage by their older brother, Cheet, Haidie Richards makes a plan to take her younger brother, Boots and head for Colorado and find their father. Along the way, Haidie and Boots will meet all kinds of different people, and sometimes they are surprised as to who becomes their ally.

I laughed and smiled and even felt my eyes getting misty a time or two as Haidie and Boots made their journey. A book that I devoured in one sitting.

Sandra Dallas is a remarkable author, and I wholeheartedly recommend that other readers check out their books. Trust me, you are in for a real treat!




Expected Publication 29/04/25
Goodreads Review 07/04/25

Tough Luck by Sandra Dallas follows the journey of a young woman as she embarks on a perilous journey west in 1863 to find her gold-mining father. Filled with humor, heart, and hope, this novel is a delightful read that captures the essence of the American frontier.

Rating - 4/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Date Read - October 7, 2024
Publication Date - April 29, 2025

*I received an E-ARC of this book for free in exchange for an honest review* - Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley!

My goal was to start reading more genres and books outside of my comfort zone last year and I am glad I took a chance on this one! It took me a little while to get used to the writing but I did end up getting used to it. There is a lot of action and adventure, it felt like I was transported into an old western movie! I thought that Haidie was very resourceful and quick on her feet for her age, there were so many situations I couldn’t imagine going through myself. I was interested the whole time and needed to keep reading to find out the answers to my questions! This book may not be for everyone but if you go into it with an open mind, you can appreciate the complexity of the story and lessons.

If you like or are interested in historical fiction books set in the Amercian West, you should try Tough Luck!

Get excited to read Tough Luck, available April 29! 🎉

*Please check trigger warnings*

*NO RATING*

I have read previous Sandra Dallas books and enjoyed two of them very much [The Persian Pickle Society and Prayers for Sale; I can really recommend these books], but the others only slightly, so I was hoping for a win with this one [I felt I was due for a good one LOL].
Unfortunately, this was not the case here. I didn't like ANY of the characters [not even the MC; what a snotty, conniving bratty child she is], the glorifying of lying and cheating [amongst other vices] made for a meh story and was, by the end, very irritating, I didn't really enjoy the story [though there were parts that were sad] and that end...well, it was just...sigh.
Overall, this was a huge disappointment and I am not sure I will ever read this author again.

I have listened to this narrator[Mia Hutchinson-Shaw] before and enjoyed her; unfortunately, she was doing an English accent [and doing it very well I must say; I had no idea she wasn't British], and I'd not heard her in her regular voice, WHICH I found that I do not care for [I WOULD absolutely listen to her read a book where she uses the English accent; that was truly fantastic]. Which was, of course, a real disappointment. I am sure that many will enjoy it, but for me [I am unfortunately pretty particular about my narrators/narration as I really rely on audiobooks now for "reading", and I end up not liking as many narrators as other people do], it hindered and already unlikable story even more.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and narrator, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for providing the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

First off, I would like to thank NetGalley, Sandra Dallas and St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book before it was released. I completely enjoyed this adventure! Sandra Dallas is an author that never disappoints me!

When Haddie Richards mother dies, her older brother sells the farm and puts her and her younger brother Boots into an orphanage. After the success in their escape, they set off to find their father who had left four years previously to find gold in the Colorado Territory. Haddie disguises herself as a boy so that they will be accepted onto a wagon train heading west. Along the way they encounter a kind and generous card shark, two spinster sisters, and many unlikely friends/characters. Haddie learns many things along this journey but the most important is family comes in many different forms.

I will say … I loved this book! It had vividly told scenery, fascinating and enchanting characters and (like I previously said) adventure! Haddie was just magnetic in her personality.

This was just the book I needed at this time….delightful and fun.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book. I loved the characters and the story line. I thought they had great growth and it was well written. I read it in one sitting. I would definitely recommend this book.

I did not enjoy this book because I am not a fan of the time period it was set. with that being said, it was very well researched for the time period. The characters were likeable and sone of the scenes dod make me smile. The long chapters were a drag as well. for the right reader this would be a great book. I am not that reader.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC

This was my first book by Sandra Dallas. Although Westerns aren’t my favorite to read, this completely held my interest. In a nod to “True Grit”, this is a story set in 1863 Colorado about a 14-year-old girl (who poses as a boy) and her little brother who join a wagon train to find their father who left them to find a gold mine in Colorado. They encounter Indian attacks, cowboys and all sorts of cheats & liars along the way. Was it unrealistic? Sure. Did I still have a fun time with the adventure? Also yes.

1863. Fourteen year-0ld Haidie, and her younger brother Boots [10] are sent by their older brother, Cheet, to an orphanage run by nuns in Smoak, Illinois. Their mother has died, their father abandoned them four years earlier to head to the Colorado Territory in search of gold. Haidie is convinced that "pa" is a great success and plots their escape to head west and find him.

She and Boots flee and meet quite a cast of characters along the way. She disguises herself as a boy as she figures it's a better plan.

They meet freighters who help them go west. Along the way they encounter many scoundrels--cheats, gamblers, liars and more liars, but also some good-hearted men.

I love a young, scrappy, female protaganist and that is Haidie! Some of my favorite characters [other than Haidie] are Jake Crowfoot, Corny, the Arvilla sisters, Emily, and a cast of animals--mules, horses, and Tige--a dog!

I definitely see this as a movie.

No spoiler from me, but [to me] a somewhat contrived and neat and tidy ending--though I liked it.

Not literary fiction, but a good yarn. YAish.

4, because I just enjoyed reading this tome!

I had not read any of the books by this author, and I was not disappointed by this one, very well written. Haidie's older brother Cheet has just sold the family farm and wants to take off to be a river boat gambler, but he doesn't want to take his sister, Haidie or his brother Boots with him so he puts them in an orphanage. Haidie and Boots both hate it and Haidie conspires to run away, she wants to find her father who had left the family a few years earlier to strike gold in Colorado, they have not heard from him in some time. They enlist the assistance of one of the nuns, Emily, who Haidie convinces that Cheet is a priest (he claimed he was going to become one when he dropped them off), and arranges to get him to 'marry' them (Emily had a baby out of wedlock and was forced to become a nun). With the assistance of Emily's now husband they break out and start their journey to Colorado (they are in Illinois). They hook up with a mule train driver who's going in their direction and agrees to take them as far as he can. Along the way they run into a variety of characters, some good, some not so good, they do eventually get to Colorado and locate their father, who was not happy to see them at first. This story combines a lot of elements, coming of age, historical, and thriller, all come together very well, I would recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #St Martin's Press for the ARC.

4 stars for an engaging western/historical fiction book set in 1863 US during the US Civil War. This book reminds me of the heroine in the movie True Grit. The blurb:
" After their mother dies, Haidie Richards and her younger brother, Boots, are put to work in an orphanage. Their father left four years earlier to find a gold mine in Colorado Territory, and since then he’s sent only three letters. Still, Haidie is certain that he is alive, has struck gold, and will soon send for them."
But Haidie and her brother leave the orphanage to find their father. Haidie manages to find a man driving a freight wagon west through Iowa. She has disguised herself as a young boy and the man, Jake Crowfoot, agrees to take them with him, in return for their help in managing the mules and other chores. Jake leaves them in Omaha, Nebraska, but not before he helps them find a wagon train going west to Denver. They join up with a man looking for help.
They have many adventures and do manage to find their father. He is something of a disappointment, but there is a satisfactory ending. Haidie is presented as a very resourceful woman. The book shows that the role of women in the settlement of the west was important. While this book is historical fiction, the characters and the plot are believable. The dialogue is authentic and easy to follow.
Thank You Austin Adams at St. Martin's Publishing Group for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.

Pub Date Apr 29 2025

Very sweet. I don’t agree with shelving this as an adult book— it reads much more like YA or even middle grade (and before anyone brings up the whorehouses, that would have been very par for the course in historical fiction when I was a kid.) I wouldn’t normally quibble with genre fraud this way but unfortunately, while this is a fairly poor adult novel, it’s a GREAT middle grade one. I loved the characters and was very charmed by how they all came together and had their little scheme by the end (Jake Crowfoot, if Teresa doesn’t marry you, I will.) The prose itself just leaves a lot to be desired, and while some of that can be explained by having an uneducated, fourteen year old narrator, it still came across very juvenile thematically. I still had a great time!

It's 1863, and Haidie's Pa has gone west in search of gold, while she and her two brothers stay on the farm with their Ma. But when Ma dies, and Haidie's older brother sells the farm, she and her younger brother Boots wind up at an orphanage. Desperate to find their Pa, Haidie and Boots take off on their own journey west, where they encounter a colorful cast of characters—some friends, some foes. Will Haidie and Boots find their Pa out west? Or will they be forced to live out the rest of their childhoods at an orphanage?

This book is a HOOT! It's a clever, action-packed ride of rip-roaring fun. I just loved Haidie! She's quick-witted, strong and capable. I loved the found family vibes with some of the folks they meet on their journey west, and the shenanigans they get into along the way. I loved the author's last book, Where Coyotes Howl, so much, though it was a sad and somber account of life on the prairie. And while this one was completely different—more lively and upbeat—i enjoyed it just as much! I can't wait for whatever Dallas writes next! Thank you SMP for my gifted copy.