Trail Rides and Starry Eyes is a swoony, heartfelt YA romance set on a Wyoming ranch, where the stars above meet the stars of Hollywood. When teen heartthrob Wilder Nash arrives at Silver Stallion Ranch to learn the ropes for his next big role, 16-year-old Cassidy Sterling is the one tasked with turning him into a convincing cowboy. She’s always imagined her life staying rooted on the ranch—but teaching Wilder shakes that vision loose.

I really enjoyed this one! The writing was smooth and engaging, and even as an adult, I found Cassidy’s struggles incredibly relatable—especially that tension between loyalty to your roots and daring to dream bigger. The ranch setting was charming and atmospheric, and the romance was sweet and believable without ever feeling rushed. Wilder’s transformation was a nice arc to watch unfold, and Cassidy’s journey of self-discovery gave the story real heart.

This book has the perfect vibe for a cozy weekend read, especially if you love small-town charm, horse-filled summers, and a bit of Hollywood sparkle. The publication date is December 9, 2025, and it’s definitely one I’ll be recommending to both teens and adults looking for a thoughtful, romantic escape.

I'm fully embracing my cowboy romance era. This is a very cute Young Adult book about a Hollywood teen heart-throb who comes to a ranch in Wyoming to get riding lessons from the teen girl living there. I really enjoyed the storyline and the characters.

Cute fluffy ranch romance. I felt like things moved fairly fast for the romance and I wasn’t sure what the characters really loved about each other- but I finished it and didn’t DNF, so it was worth reading. I def think teens will love it- I’m probably just not the target audience.

Super cute fun and easy read, Dual POV, short chapters. This story made me laugh out loud quite a bit and also swoon over the MMC. We have elements of forced proximity. the FMC is a country girl whose whole life has been on a ranch and the MMC is a up and coming actor who needs to learn how to ride horses for an upcoming role. The story was very descriptive I felt like I was on the ranch with the characters. I learned about horses and was totally into the story so much so that now I want to get on a horse and learn to ride myself. 🤗

Side note: Why is it that YA romances hit harder than adult ones 😭 this was my first cowboy romance as well and now I have to read more of them!

This was a cute little light hearted romance The was a nice palette cleanser from some of the super intense fantasy I've been reading. I love the premise--I'm so soft for a country x city trope.

I really loved Wilder, and his character development from "fake it till you make it" to the more unique but genuine confidence that comes from learning to do something as challenging as riding.

As a ranch kid myself, there were aspects of this that felt a little forced. (lSeriously no amount of stubbornness is going to keep an old man from putting a proper latch on a tackroom--besides being a HAZARD, it's inefficient as all get out. Just some of those details would never fly in real life.

Additionally, some of the pacing felt a little off, like some of the scenes were sort of slow and then some jarring time hops.

Those aside, this was cute. I loved getting a Wilder on set scene, and this was a cute little read that I still mostly enjoyed.

This story was so cute! It's definitely YA, which I knew going into it and I feel like the way it was written and the story really reflect that and it's perfect for this age range. It's always fun to see celebrities acknowledge the "real world" so this story was really entertaining. I loved watching the connection between the characters grow and Wilder beginning to question what he really wants. Overall, such a cute book and I would definitely recommend this to any teens I know!

This book is everything you would want in a YA book and more. It is a typical book that doesn't really leave you with any surprises throughout but it is relatable. There are so many issues that are covered throughout this book that really connect with being a teenager. It is really well written and a great light hearted read. Thank you for the opportunity to read this early!

Trail Rides and Starry Eyes is such a heartwarming YA romance that blends small-town ranch life with a hint of Hollywood glam.

The ranch setting was a standout for me. It felt so real and immersive, and I came away with a deeper appreciation for the hard work that goes into ranch life (bonus points for the adorable, well-loved animals!). The writing was super readable and had a great flow, making it easy to stay hooked from start to finish.

If you’re into clean, cozy YA romances with small-town charm, horses, and sweet character growth, this is a great pick.

3.5/5 ✰ this was so cute and so fast paced! wilder is a famous LA actor who is trying to learn how to become a cowboy for a movie role and it so happens that Cass can be the only one to teach him at her family's ranch so u can guess what happens next!! i wish we got more backstory and it did feel kinda insta love-y but it was so sweet and i liked the ending!

thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review <3

I was so invested in the Hollywood element of this romance novel, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed how everything was used. The characters felt like they were supposed to and worked with the romance going on through this novel. Katrina Emmel has a strong writing style and was able to create characters that I was invested in and enjoyed the storyline.

Trail Rides & Starry Eyes by Katrina Emmel is a delightful young adult romance that transports readers to the heart of the American West. For fans of heartfelt romances set in unique settings, Trail Rides & Starry Eyes is a must-read that promises to captivate and charm.

This was a cute book. I would have loved to see it as an adult romance and not YA but the bones of a good story are there. I didn't think the characters developed much beyond mooning over each other in their heads but it's YA so I wasn't expecting much

A quick, fun YA read that had me captivated with the title and the cover. The story did not disappoint. The story was a sweet and swoony opposites attract escape.

This was a quick, fun YA romance about an actor who needs to learn how to ride a horse for an upcoming role and ends up in Wyoming. There, he meets a girl who's lived there her whole life and she’s the one to teach him. Sparks fly, romance follows.

While the story was enjoyable and had a charming premise, I felt the characters fell a little flat. There wasn’t much depth or development, and at times their connection felt more forced than natural. I wanted to root for them, but the chemistry just wasn’t quite there for me.

That said, I did appreciate the way the author touched on deeper themes like tradition, family squabbles, and generational pressure. And the animals? Totally adorable. The names were so cute, I honestly wanted to jump into the book just to play with them.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for NetGalley for providing this ARC.

This was such a sweet teenage romance. I loved Cassidy and Wilder, thay were written as such believable teenagers despite both of them having to be mature for their age because of working on the farm/on sets.

I really loved all of the animals on the farm and loved the fun names they had. The book was very funny and the animals greatly contributed to that.

The book was also super cozy and the writing was so descriptive I really felt like I was there on the ranch.

I really enjoyed the ending of the book, it made a lot of sense for the characters and completed their character and family arcs quite well.

I'd recommend this for anyone who wants to read a swet and funny romance.

First, I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for the eArc! This is my own honest review.

I love small towns and horses! Especially in a setting with two young characters that fall in love. These settings cause us to fall in love not only with the characters but with their surroundings even though their lifestyles were complete opposites. We see them grow together as the FMC (Cassidy) shows the MMC (Wilder) how to ride a horse. It was a super cute quick read.

This was a great book! The story was full of sweet moments and just the right amount of tension and banter. I loved the setting of this book!

4/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was such a fun, cozy read about two people from completely different worlds! One a city-raised actor preparing for a role, the other a ranch girl who’s grown up with horses and the wide-open sky 🐎🌾. I loved the setting (Wyoming always has my heart), and any book that involves horses immediately grabs my attention. The author did a great job capturing the charm of country life without it feeling overdone.

That said, I did feel like the emotional development between the characters moved a little too fast. Their first kiss came before I really felt any chemistry, and I kept wishing for a few deeper, more natural moments between them. It sometimes felt like the book told me how they felt instead of showing it, and I wanted more connection.

Even so, I really enjoyed this as a quick, sweet YA romance. The horse scenes made me smile, the setting was refreshing, and I’ll definitely read what this author writes next!

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a cute and sweet YA romance.
Cassidy and Wilder had a lot of chemistry together and it was nice to see them grow closer and for the romance to grow between them. I do wish we got a bit more character development in it. it was definitely on the edge of insta like.
The writing style was easy and pretty bingeable to read.
If you like sweet and clean romances then this is for you!

This was a cute book about an actor who goes to a homestead in Wyoming to be taught how to ride a horse for an upcoming role, and the girl his age who has lived there her whole life who teaches him and (of course) falls for him while he falls for her. This was a great quick YA read for anyone looking for a book that doesn’t fit into the usual setting of YA contemporary books.

However, after liking the author’s previous book so much, I was left disappointed with this one. It definitely had some of the same wilderness setting and cowboy things, but I thought this book lacked a lot of character development. When the characters had their first kiss, my only thought was “ok but they’ve had like one actual conversation??” and this really lingered throughout the book. I really didn’t get to know even the main two characters much, as the book did a lot of telling over showing what the characters were feeling and thinking, so it just did not feel very natural overall.

Despite these complaints, I do not regret reading this book, and I will happily read the next book this author publishes. Thank you to Random House Children’s Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.