Joybird is an overly optimistic Uber driver who is trying to save money to start her own life coaching business while also helping her down-on-his luck father get back on his feet. She befriends one of her fares who suggests she start her business from her car, helping people while she drives them around. This was okay. The father was particularly unlikable and Joybird not being able to see people treating her poorly was annoying, but I guess that was all intentional so I can't really fault it. 3 stars though.

I loved this book so much! I thought it was such a sweet and heartwarming book and I loved the concept of having an Uber driver as a life coach. I thought that was a really unique concept. I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I loved the mystery part of tracking down Donna and just all the people Joybird gets to try and help. It was just such a cozy heartwarming book that I read at just the right time when I needed it. I look forward to reading this author’s backlist

A fun lightheaded and beautiful slice of life book about dad-daughter duo who empowered and encouraged me to never give up and always keep a smile 😁

DNF.

I’m sorry but I just could NOT get through this. The second hand embarrassment I was getting was torture. Also FMCs name is Joybird… JOYBIRD. No no no.

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙍𝘾!

I might be reading too many “dads who weren’t emotionally available books”. Here is another one. I found the premise of the book to be charming—Joybird is an upbeat Uber-driver/life coach intent on finding her dad’s lost love. Unfortunately, the execution was a little lacking—I wanted to slap some sense into Joybird, and I hate feeling like that about a main character. I only really cared about Betty. Still, if you can look past the tweeness, you might find some joy in reading this.

⭐ 2.5 (Story)
⭐ 4 (Narrator)
🌶️ .25
📚 Tropes/Themes: chick lit, love triangle, opposites attract, personal growth, Uber driver life coach
👀 Dual POV 3rd person
🎙️Single narration (Sarah Noughton)
⏰ Approx 8 hours
🧠 Triggers: mentions of mental health struggles, attempted suicide
🛍️ Available: Now

💬 I'm not totally sure why I requested this one, and honestly at first I thought I would just dnf it but I started it during a two hour drive and I needed something to listen to. It did eventually pull me in.

Genuinely not sure what to think about this book. I don't really like the fmc, I find her unbelievably naive, toxically positive, immature and I feel like this book just goes a little too far with stereotypes and tropes. But there's a part of me that wonders is if the reason it's so heavy-handed with the characterizations is because it's trying to make a statement? (If this is the case then it's well done 🤣)

On one hand you have the liberal/"woke" guy who is her love interest but he's just a jackass, and on the other hand you have the most likely politically moderate, capitalist finance bro who is actually a decent guy, and then there's her dad, who is, well I'll just be honest here, he sounds like every negative Boomer stereotype you see trotted out on social media.... but a big chunk of the story is her trying to help him find his lost love while simultaneously silently judging and denigrating him.

I don't hate it, but I don't think that Joybird is someone that I would be friends with tbh. Maybe I'm just a jerk but I think she's just too nice, and the way she kept talking herself out of being with Devon was irritating, especially when it was ✨SO OBVIOUS✨ what a terrible person Noah is.

I did like the personal growth she and her dad went through, and was pleasantly surprised that most of the POV bounced between Joybird and Sid (Syd?). But for the most part, the only characters I liked were Riley and Betty.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

This was a fun, quirky book with an underlying layer of something deeper. Joybird is an uber driver/life coach...what a fresh storyline! She was fully a Miss Sunshine character always trying to find good and sharing positive with those around her despite her less than sunny background. She was almost too pure (unrealistic) in her goodness and felt much younger than her 31 years, but I still adored her and was routing for her to get a happy ending. What I didn't like about Joybird is her almost obsessive need to make her father happy (and Sid was a horrible, selfish person who didn't deserve her devotion!!). Also, the way Joybird was keeping a distance and judging Devon (book boyfriend alert! Loved him!!) in the beginning compared to how she was with Noah (grrrrr!!) Thankfully, she finally wakes up to the truth about both men and makes better choices...eventually. I really wanted Joybird to keep her joyful outlook, but at the same time grow a backbone! lol
Betty was a great side character and made dealing with Sid a little more tolerable.

Overall, an enjoyable and original read!

4 stars

Joybird's enthusiasm and naivete started as charming and quickly became cloying. I wanted her to kick her dad out and boot Noah as well. I liked the resolution, but I wanted her to wise up way earlier.

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Ellen Meister and Montlake for letting me read this ARC via NetGalley.

Genre: Contemporary Fiction
📍: NYC
Vibes: 🚗🗽💬💖😂🧠🌈🍩📚🎭
Rating: 3.25⭐
Tropes: father-daughter dynamics / life coaching / romantic tension - love triangle / personal growth / dual pov

Enjoyed the vibe of this book and how Joybird strives to remain positive and optimistic through everything that life throws at her and the stories that enter her Uber. She's not oblivious to the struggles that she encounters, and the second pov is her depressed father, Sid, who has (show)writer's block and is pining over a girl who got away in high school, who randomly shows back up in her life. Any mistake Joybird makes, she takes as a learning opportunity and I think more people in life need to take this perspective. There are a lot of characters and it was a little hard to keep track of them all at first.

Bestselling author Ellen Meister (favorite) returns following Divorce Towers with her tenth published novel, JOYRIDE — another exuberant and lively novel full of heart, wit, joy, charm, and positive vibes.

About...

Joybird Martin is a 31-year-old Uber driver with a pale blue Honda Accord in Brooklyn. She hasn't had an easy life; however, she remains positive and aspires to be a life coach. She is tenderhearted and compassionate, despite having experienced heartache and tragedy.

Her dad, who left when she was six, shows up at her apartment after many years. He and her mom divorced, and then her mom died. Her dad was of no help.

Sid is a former well-known TV writer with over 30 years of experience, who has left Los Angeles. He has been canceled. Unemployed. Three divorces, a crooked manager, and many bad decisions have landed him on her doorstep. He is toxic. He is also pining after a woman he lost years ago at Prep school, Donna DeLuca.

Joy meets Devon (as an Uber driver), a Wall Street handsome guy. He suggests she start her own Joybird's Coaching Coach or JoyRide, a unique concept where she can provide life coaching services to her Uber passengers. In this concept, Joy would use her time as an Uber driver to engage with her passengers, offering them life advice and coaching during their rides.

She is bubbly, positive, and loves to cheer people up and help them, getting them out of their crappy moods. But could her opinions land her in trouble, as well?

In addition, she learns that Devon may be attracted to her. Still, she is currently thinking of Noah, a former addict and barista, who is not interested in her for anything serious. This romantic triangle adds a layer of complexity to Joy's journey.

Could she do this and help people from the back seat of a ten-year-old Honda? A therapy office on wheels? Her biggest challenge is how to help her dad.

My thoughts...

JOYRIDE is a delightful journey with a cast of endearing, quirky, flawed characters, and a particularly charming protagonist, Joybird Martin, whom you'll find yourself deeply invested in and rooting for.

Meister's signature witty dialogue keeps the banter lively, showcasing a range of characters from the cynical, mischievous to the well-intentioned.

From the hilariously funny neighbor, Betty, to the cynical father, Sid, and the woman he still pines for, Donna— JOYRIDE is a comedy of errors that will keep you thoroughly entertained and amused.

It was fun following Joy on her journey from her courses, and her Joybird Uber/coaching business, trying to turn her dad around, solving problems for others, while figuring out her own life.

The open-ended nature of the story and the potential for further character development make me believe that there could be an ongoing sequel to JOYRIDE. I, for one, would love to continue following Joy's journey with a cast of new characters and their set of problems to solve.

Meister's skillful blend of complex, imperfect relationships, life struggles, family dynamics, human connections, and romance, while exploring highly charged topics in JOYRIDE, is a testament to her storytelling prowess.

The novel is a journey of self-discovery, friendship, family, and humor, filled with heart and joy. It delivers a hopeful and upbeat message, leaving readers with a profound sense of optimism and empowerment.

Recs...

JOYRIDE is for fans of the author and those who enjoy books by Viola Shipman, Katherine Center, Mary Kay Andrews, Elle Cosimano, Jennifer Weiner, Sarah Jio, Maddie Dawson, and Liz Alterman. It is particularly recommended for readers who appreciate heartwarming stories with a touch of humor, complex characters, and a focus on personal growth and relationships.

Thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for a gifted advanced review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: April 22, 2025
My Rating: 5 Stars
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This was such an entertaining story!

So many fun characters - Joybird is an Uber driver with an aspiration to become a life coach. One night she picks up Devon, a Wall Street guru, that helps convince her to turn her Uber into Joyride where she gives advice while driving her clients. She meets a lot of interesting folks and drives them. There is a lot of self-discovery in the characters, and humor and a bit of romance. Overall interesting book and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

Told from the points of view of Joybird and her father Sid. A few different strands including starting a new life coach business and trying to track down someone from both school.

In Joyride, Joybird Martin is an Uber driver who really wants to be a life coach. When she picks up Wall Street “type” Devon, he convinces her to offer life coaching to her fares—JoyRide. Unfortunately, that very clever business name is the thing I liked best about this book.

Joybird is relentlessly cheerful. Her father, Sid, lives with her and is relentlessly grumpy. He’s a former TV writer who has seemingly been blackballed in Hollywood for reasons that aren’t explained in the story. He’s eating her food and spending her money while being mean to every other character, and especially to her. She decides that she needs to find her father’s high school crush and get them together to turn his life around, and a good part of the story is taken up with this quest.

I liked Devon and wanted to care about Joybird but the character development just wasn’t there. Meister’s writing is solid, but I just couldn’t connect her characters.

Thanks to.NetGalley and Montlake for an eARC. Opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Joyride is a story story about Joybird, an Uber driver and life coach and her journey to "fix" her dad's life while struggling to live her own life. While there are moments of heartwarming and funny, I find myself more often getting frustrated at Joybird's antics and poor decisions. I also don't really care for her father's pov.

Unfortunately, this book just did not work for me as I can't root for the characters and their bad decisions.

A fun, uplifting women's fiction book about a young uber driver slash life coach who is trying to help her depressed father find the one who got away while also helping others with their life goals and finding romance herself along the way. I liked that this was set in NYC, had a great mix of humor and heart and was good on audio narrated by Sarah Naughton. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Joybird likes helping people and making them feel happier and inspired. She’s an Uber driver and newly qualified life coach. When she picks up a Wall Street client Devon, he suggests she open a business giving advice on the go.
At home, her father Sid - a TV comedy writer who’s down on his luck – is staying with her. When he reveals he’s held a torch for a girl, Donna, since their high school days, Joybird decides to track her down to help lift his spirits.
Meanwhile, Joybird gets caught up in the domestic chaos of another client, socialite Corinne and her troubled teen daughter Riley.
This is a rather endearing and quirky story – from its premise about a mobile wisdom dispenser to its upbeat main character and the messes of the people around her. Didn’t really need the love triangle though.

A sweet and positive story that sees Joybird grow throughout the novel. She's coping with an angry father but her job as an Uber driver makes her happy. She might make some unwise decisions on her way to becoming a life coach but you're going to root for her. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I adore Joybird and the eternal optimism she exudes despite the challenges she experiences with her Dad and their unique roommate relationship. Her Dad is having his own difficulties facing the direction his life has taken and the result is an often times hilarious adventure in life as they try to figure it out. I love the idea of a car ride life coach and as a school bus driver I occasionally feel like that's what I get to do, just with smaller and/or younger people. The message behind the story is beautiful and I'm left with a heart full of happiness and a smile on my face.