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biblio_gabriella's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 stars — E.J. Noyes does it again! This lovely feel-good romance had me smiling and laughing at several points, especially during the second half. It also happens to be a perfect combination of my past and present reading tastes. I was your quintessential horse girl as a kid (despite hardly having any contact with horses, I still had loads of Breyer figurines and knew all the colors and breeds) and read tons of books featuring horses, so in a way, reading this book felt like coming full circle. While I knew nothing about dressage upon starting this book, but as I got comfortable with the story, I found myself getting invested in the dressage aspect. The dressage scenes in the second half especially were top-notch and left me anxious with anticipation and glowing with pride.
Caitlyn LLoyd is an introverted dressage competitor with an intense success drive. She gives off slightly intimidating vibes but is a true softie at heart, which is basically everything I want in a character. Despite her general lack of being a disaster, I found myself relating to her insecurities and coping mechanisms. Addie Gardner is kind-hearted equine veterinarian who you can’t help but love. She’s friendly, quirky, and has a Southern charm that bleeds through the pages. There are some wonderfully supportive side characters, and there are also some not-so lovely characters (but don’t worry, you’re supposed to dislike them). As other reviewers have said, Caitlyn’s horse Dewey is the most lovable buddy ever! He’s as extroverted as Caitlyn is introverted, and his antics are sure to make you giggle.
As soon as I read the premise, I was hooked on this book. Something akin to enemies-to-lovers, where Caitlyn thinks Addie is a bully but Addie has crushed on Caitlyn for years?? Sign me up! That premise adds drama to their first interactions, but I wouldn’t say there’s any hostility to this book. For this reasons, this book will satisfy lovers of enemies-to-lovers and those who don’t like it as much. Both main characters are so lovely and, like many other reviewers have said, there’s so much communication in this book that it’s the antithesis of the miscommunication trope. Here we have an example of how a wonderful romance with appropriate conflict can be written without resorting to jarring miscommunicaiton scenes. Caitlyn and Addie are always honest with each other, even when things get difficult. Even the intimate scenes, while definitely up to Noyes’ standards, are realistic and involve communication and some fumbling around. I love to see it! And god, these two are so sweet with each other and do all the little things I love. There’s jsut something about the terms of endearment in Noyes’ books that hit me in the best way?? First it was Bec calling Sabine “darling” in the <i>Ask, Tell</i> series, and now it’s Addie calling Caitlyn “sweetheart.” Ahhh!!
As for cons, I did find the first half of the book to be rather slow compared to the utter perfection of the second half. Also, there were many awkward sentences and editing issues (imo). I haven’t noticed editing issues in any of Noyes’ other books, though I’m probably not the best person to speak to this since I listened to the audio versions of all her books except Ask Me Again.
Tl;dr: This book made me so happy and I can’t wait for Noyes’ next book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Animal death, Homophobia, and Infidelity
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