Wow. This book was phenomenal. Jenni L. Walsh has a real talent for isolating strong women in history and telling their stories in a way they've never been told before. Sonora is no exception. For fans of Wild Hearts can't be Broken, or anyone who wants a story of passion, determination, and heart . . . this is it.

This book gave me a massive hangover. Like many kids in the 90s I fell in love with the Disney version of this story Finding out the real story made this story even better Jennifer Walsh is a master at giving a voice to those who need to speak

4 ⭐

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I loved this book! I had never heard of Sonora Webster Carver before I read this and purely thought the book sounded fascinating. She is now truly an inspiration to me and I will definitely be watching the film of her life and reading her autobiography.

This book follows the titular character, Sonora. As a 19 year old, (in the 1920s) she joins Doc Carver's travelling high diving horse show as a diver after her mother shows her an advert in the paper. As she trains and progresses in her career, she solidifies herself as one of the first, and greatest, horse divers. Leaping from 45 feet on the back of a horse into a pool below, this book really demonstrates the fear and elation she felt doing what she loved. However, one day, a dive goes wrong, eventually leaving her completely blind. This book tells the story of her rise to greatness, her journey to blindness, and how she learned to fall back in love with her life after her accident. Continuing to dive with horses for another 11 years. It contains friendship, family, love, heartbreak and a strong, independent real woman.

This books was beautifully written. The characters felt real, the setting transported me and I felt every up and down with Sonora. I laughed, cried, felt angry and inspired by this book.

I highly recommend picking this up, even if you haven't heard of Sonora.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper Muse for letting me read the Advanced Copy of this book. I can't wait to see the cover when it's released! 🏇🏻🏊🏻‍♀️🎪

Beautiful book. I grew up near Atlantic City and where Sonora spent the last years of her life. I’ve always been fascinated by her story and the diving horses.
Really good job on this book that goes into depth and gives you a lot more information around and accurate information compared to the movie.

I loved the movie Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken but enjoyed Sonora's memoir even more. I went into this book hoping I would enjoy it just as much, and I'm happy to say that I did. I felt it captures Sonora Webster's spirit far better than the movie did. Also, Sonora's relationship with Al is much better developed here, making it feel more real and making it sweeter at the same time. And Arnette, barely mentioned in the movie, is here too. Not only was this book closer to real life than the movie, but this book also moved me more emotionally. I was in tears several times. The ending hit the perfect note. The author's comments at the end of the book were excellent too. Highly recommend. I will definitely be adding this to my library.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the early read.