Scan barcode
lesseraliterary's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley as well as HarperCollins/Avon for providing me copies to review.
First off, I identified with Molly a lot and not just for the obvious reasons. The single POV provided an insight into why she was the way she was. We got to see how and why the issues that she dealt with affected not only her relationships but also how she went through life. Her fears and doubts felt real even when she was indulging in her self destructive tendencies. Shani’s hesitancy felt truthful from what we learned about her and I could feel her at war with herself when her and Molly started to develop their relationship. The miscommunication didn’t feel like a gimmick to keep them apart. Instead, it felt believable and grounded in reality which is rare these days. I really enjoyed this book and had a fun time reading it. Each time I opened it I was eager to see how the story would propel Molly and Shani forward. If you’re in a mood for a yeehaw romance that is unabashedly sapphic, I wholeheartedly recommend this one.
hannneerrs's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
shannonohannessian's review against another edition
3.0
Rounded up from 2.5 stars.
Molly McDaniel is an aspiring event planner and current barista when she inherits her estranged aunt’s horse farm out in the country. Knowing nothing about how to run a farm, Molly plans on selling the estate for seed money to start her dream event planning business, until she meets grumpy farrier, Shani. Although, Molly and Shani seem to butt heads at first, soon feelings start to develop as Molly moves in to sort out the estate.
The Ride of Her Life was a quick and entertaining read, but ultimately it fell flat for me. Molly was an incredibly hard character to root for and was constantly describing a history of toxic relationships that seemed incredibly similar to the budding romance we were reading. At one point, she invited her best friend over for a girl’s night only to leave her alone at a bar abruptly to go see Shani. And we were meant to see her friend in a negative light. Likewise, Shani seemed to have toxic behaviors as well, often switching from anger to love quickly, and struggling to communicate.
The main issues I found in this book were in the pacing and ending. Throughout the book, conflict arises. Molly ends up having a fight with her mom over why she was estranged with her aunt. She has a major fight with her best friend right at the very end of the book. Her and Shani aren’t even on speaking terms until the last 10 pages or so. It seemed to end abruptly without addressing a lot of the conflict that occurred at the end of the story. I wish there was more focus on Molly’s personal growth, but the ending seemed to disregard all of the issues she was having with her friends and family, all because she got the girl in the end. I wish the issues that we saw arise were resolved with a few more chapters and maybe an epilogue detailing how the farm faired in the future.
Overall, it was an okay read for a quick romance, but there were elements of the story that could have been expanded.
The Ride of Her Life comes out May 28th, 2024. Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy in Exchange for an honest review.
Molly McDaniel is an aspiring event planner and current barista when she inherits her estranged aunt’s horse farm out in the country. Knowing nothing about how to run a farm, Molly plans on selling the estate for seed money to start her dream event planning business, until she meets grumpy farrier, Shani. Although, Molly and Shani seem to butt heads at first, soon feelings start to develop as Molly moves in to sort out the estate.
The Ride of Her Life was a quick and entertaining read, but ultimately it fell flat for me. Molly was an incredibly hard character to root for and was constantly describing a history of toxic relationships that seemed incredibly similar to the budding romance we were reading. At one point, she invited her best friend over for a girl’s night only to leave her alone at a bar abruptly to go see Shani. And we were meant to see her friend in a negative light. Likewise, Shani seemed to have toxic behaviors as well, often switching from anger to love quickly, and struggling to communicate.
The main issues I found in this book were in the pacing and ending. Throughout the book, conflict arises. Molly ends up having a fight with her mom over why she was estranged with her aunt. She has a major fight with her best friend right at the very end of the book. Her and Shani aren’t even on speaking terms until the last 10 pages or so. It seemed to end abruptly without addressing a lot of the conflict that occurred at the end of the story. I wish there was more focus on Molly’s personal growth, but the ending seemed to disregard all of the issues she was having with her friends and family, all because she got the girl in the end. I wish the issues that we saw arise were resolved with a few more chapters and maybe an epilogue detailing how the farm faired in the future.
Overall, it was an okay read for a quick romance, but there were elements of the story that could have been expanded.
The Ride of Her Life comes out May 28th, 2024. Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy in Exchange for an honest review.
anniekslibrary's review
3.0
This was my 5th book by Jennifer Dugan, and most of them have been very middle of the road and unmemorable for me. I can already tell this will be the same. I did mostly enjoy this, but it also just didn't quite become as good as it could have been. So much of this left me wanting, and the main characters annoyed me a lot at times.
sapphic_library's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
THE RIDE OF HER LIFE is a sapphic enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine romance that had me kicking my feet and giggling the whole time. molly mcdaniel is a city girl who's struggling to find her footing when she finds out that an estranged aunt has passed away and left her a horse barn that she hasn't been to in over 15 years. there, she encounters shani thomas, the grumpy farrier who hates her for inheriting the barn and wanting to sell it. but as molly learns about horses and running a barn, she starts to see herself fitting in with her aunt's crowd of misfits. i had very high expectations for this book and it did not disappoint in the slightest. i love jennifer dugan's writing but i've only read some of her YA books, so i wasn't sure what to expect, but this book had me swooning.
read if you like:
- wear the hat, ride the cowgirl ;)
- found family
- horse girls
- hallmark movies where a city girl moves to the country and falls for a cowboy (but make it sapphic)
thanks to avon for the advanced copy! THE RIDE OF HER LIFE comes out may 28th!
read if you like:
- wear the hat, ride the cowgirl ;)
- found family
- horse girls
- hallmark movies where a city girl moves to the country and falls for a cowboy (but make it sapphic)
thanks to avon for the advanced copy! THE RIDE OF HER LIFE comes out may 28th!
jazzyjbox's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 ⭐️
🌶🌶🌶
The Ride of Her Life is a fun, horse-filled Sapphic romance!
Molly wants nothing more than to start the event planning business of her dreams. When she inherits her aunt's stable, she'll finally have the seed money. But while fixing it up, Molly starts falling for the gruff farrier Shani and the community of horse lovers.
I've enjoyed Dugan's books before, and this is no exception. Molly was kind of adorable with the way she approached things, and I loved her growth and how she worked to learn how to take care of the ranch. The end solution was obvious to me, but I forgive it because Molly was stressed. The side characters were mostly really fun (except the mom and best friend). I really wish there had been an epilogue. I had a good time overall while reading this, but avoid if you don't like miscommunication.
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review!
🌶🌶🌶
The Ride of Her Life is a fun, horse-filled Sapphic romance!
Molly wants nothing more than to start the event planning business of her dreams. When she inherits her aunt's stable, she'll finally have the seed money. But while fixing it up, Molly starts falling for the gruff farrier Shani and the community of horse lovers.
I've enjoyed Dugan's books before, and this is no exception. Molly was kind of adorable with the way she approached things, and I loved her growth and how she worked to learn how to take care of the ranch. The end solution was obvious to me, but I forgive it because Molly was stressed. The side characters were mostly really fun (except the mom and best friend). I really wish there had been an epilogue. I had a good time overall while reading this, but avoid if you don't like miscommunication.
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review!
moiraholdman's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5 (Romance)
Release Date: May 27, 2024
Synopsis: Molly’s life is fully in shambles. She works a day job as a barista, a night job at a call center and has horrific student loan debt. All she can think about is opening her event planning business. Out of the blue, she gets a call that her aunt has passed away, and as it turns out, left Molly her horse farm. Molly has absolutely no idea what to do. Shani, the resident farrier and person who took care of Molly’s aunt has other plans, and is not happy that Molly is raining on her parade. As Molly tries to fix up the farm to sell, will her and Shani get to know each other? Will they stop hating each other and work together to get the farm together?
My Thoughts: I really liked this book! I have this issue where if I don’t like side characters, I can have a very hard time reading the book. In this book, Molly’s mom and Nat just did not seem to care what Molly actually wanted, but only what they wanted for her and that made me really annoyed. However, I really loved the romance between Molly and Shani. And I loved the setting of the horse farm. I liked that Molly finally got a backbone and did what she wanted in the end. I also really loved the found family at the farm, all of the characters seemed real and like actual people. I will definitely be reading more from Jennifer Dugan!
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for providing me an advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. Special thanks to Tess at Avon for sending me a physical copy of the ARC!
If you love enemies to lovers or queer romances, you’ll love this book.
roygbiv_books's review against another edition
4.0
Picture hallmark romcom with actual real life problems. This book is about Molly who is in a rut in life, working as a barista while trying to fulfill her dreams to be an event planner when she unexpectedly inherits a farm from a long lost aunt. Along with the farm comes its tenant and Farrier, Shani, who is rough around the edges, but with good reason. Shani was taken in by Christina, Molly’s aunt, at a young age and took care of her in her dying days. Shani struggles to accept Molly as the new owner considering she always expected to inherit the farm. These two have to figure out how to work together to take care of the farm but disagree what should happen to it in the future. While working in close proximity they start to have feelings for each other which complicates Mollys decision to stay or sell.
Pros: queer main characters with a storyline that has nothing to do with them coming out or any adversity around their queerness, really likeable characters (for the most part), addresses realistic issues such as financial problems and relationship history, quaint setting with great descriptions, excellent pace and chapter lengths (small exception listed below), and spoiler - a happy ending!
Cons: I found this book a touch hard to get into however around chapter 4 things really picked up! I struggled with the best friend, Kat, and the ending for her and Molly. I felt like the book ending somewhat abruptly, I would’ve loved to have a short epilogue, maybe 5 years in the future or something.
Overall I found this book really fun to read with a cute story and relatable problems! Jennifer Dugan does it again!
Pros: queer main characters with a storyline that has nothing to do with them coming out or any adversity around their queerness, really likeable characters (for the most part), addresses realistic issues such as financial problems and relationship history, quaint setting with great descriptions, excellent pace and chapter lengths (small exception listed below), and spoiler - a happy ending!
Cons: I found this book a touch hard to get into however around chapter 4 things really picked up! I struggled with the best friend, Kat, and the ending for her and Molly. I felt like the book ending somewhat abruptly, I would’ve loved to have a short epilogue, maybe 5 years in the future or something.
Overall I found this book really fun to read with a cute story and relatable problems! Jennifer Dugan does it again!