Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ride With Me is a cutesy YA story about growing up & realizing you don't have it all figured out. It features a fun modern-day twist on the classic YA tale about experiencing your first romance via the incorporation of a local rideshare platform on which the main character - Charlie - is a driver and the boy that changes everything - Andre - is a rider.

After unintentionally hitting Andre's car, high-school-junior Charlie strikes up a deal with Andre, the local heartthrob. She agrees to drive him around as needed in exchange for him not reporting her to the app and jeopardizing her side-hustle. Over the course of the shared rides, the two grow closer, helping each other and other riders through tough times before eventually realizing their feelings for one another.

Importantly, Charlie is also figuring out her own plans for the future. She hopes to become an architect and design 'clean' and modern-looking infrastructure in cities outside of her town. These desires clash with the more free-spirited design style & attitude of her parents as well as the lethargic, rural landscape of her hometown.

Charlie's struggles with deviating from her plans and feelings that she'd outgrown her hometown felt quite relatable to me. I sympathized with her desire to 'get out' and her belief in a 'right way to do things'... two things that she ultimately realized were untrue.

While I enjoyed reading about Charlie's enthusiasm toward her future career, I felt that Charlie's focus on the future was slightly over-emphasised. It seemed that the core of Charlie and Andre's relationship was a strong understanding of one another's psyches above all else. They were able to call the other out on how their fear was inhibiting them from taking action towards their hopes for the future but I'd wish they'd gotten to know each other more outside of all of that. I would've liked to see more of them bonding over light-hearted interactions and them *gradually* realizing their attraction toward one another.

Additionally, I also found that there was a little too much description of Charlie's hometown & its architecture. I appreciated her excitement for it all, but as someone who doesn't necessarily share the same passion, I found that the extensive descriptions of the scenery through her eyes bogged down the story a little.

That said, I still really enjoyed this book. Ride With Me was a quick yet adorable YA contemporary read with a very creative premise!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I wanted to like this book, but felt underwhelmed once finishing it. I found Charlie to be a bit pretentious and entitled, especially once changed her mom’s space and questioned the details of Ava’s internship. I understand wanting more of the experience, but felt she totally missed that she was 1) 17 years old and 2) given an opportunity with someone who was her supposed idol. On top of that, her judgmental behavior grew more pronounced as the book continued. While the overall plot was okay, the ending was entirely too rushed, and honestly, felt a little unbelievable that she would changed her entire mindset so quickly.

I liked this book. The story was about a teenager named Charlie who was a driver for a ride share app. She had big dreams of living a life outside of her small town. She ended up getting in a car accident with Andre and had to drive him all over town to make up for the damages. The course of her journey in getting to know herself, Andre, and others will forge her future for the better. It was a cute and at times funny story (especially the riders in her car). I just wish the epilogue was a bit better. Overall, a cute YA book on self discovery and love.

I received this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clarion books for this earc!


This book was absolutely adorable! It’s been so long since I’ve read a cute high school romance that made my heart happy.

It’s a story about a small town, a guy and girl

I really liked that the message of this book was “it’s okay not to know who you want to after night school. It’s okay not to know how to be in a relationship. It’s okay to make mistakes and learn.”

Sometimes that exactly what we need to hears. And Charlie and Andre were just so freaking adorable together

Overall, the writing was fine, the plot and characters just didn't keep me hooked personally. If you like quick reads and teenaged enemies-to-lovers, this very well could be the perfect book for you!

What didn’t do it for me:
1. Charlie was pretty boring at first and then she gradually declined to insufferable. At the beginning of the book, she is constantly ditching her friends to make money to go on vacation, but she didn’t even really have a plan for that yet. I get if you have to make money for college or bills or something else. But ditching your friends just so you can save up to maybe go somewhere or do something one day? That doesn’t seem practical or like something a real person would do.

As the story progresses, we see her become very judgy of not just Andre, but her friends, family, celebrity influencers, and random passengers she picks up. For someone with no real purpose in life, she sure seems very critical of others.

2. Andre having a secret girlfriend for the first half of the book was just weird.

3. Charlie and Andre had zero chemistry in my opinion. They went from negative one billion to sixty really fast and it wasn’t believable or likable.

4. Too much of this book was about her rideshare and art. That’s not really why I picked up this book.

What I liked:
1. There was a Big Lebowski reference, complete with White Russians. That was cool.

2. All I kept thinking about was “Ride Wit Me” by Nelly, so suffice to say, my Pandora has some additional likes on it now.

I received a copy of this ARC from NetGalley and Clarion Books in exchange for my honest review.

Meet cute involving a ride share driver, Charlie, and the boy she gets in a car accident with, Andre.

This was just meh for me. Too many side characters, didn’t feel the chemistry between the main characters.

Thank you NetGalley, Lucy Keating and the publisher for this ARC. Thought this book was a very easy read. It was a super feel good, super cute young adult book. This got me out of a real reading slump, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A small town YA romance that is perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon. This book was sweet and had cute little elements that made it an enjoyable read. It didn’t have much depth but that’s what made it perfect for a nice refresher. This being said I was infuriated by the ending and the unrealistic nature. I mean everyone knows what interns do right?!? Still reccomend for a nice fluffy high school romance with a little angst

The setting of this story is so unique and pulls you in to stay until the end! There are also so many different characters with their respective quirks and stories, I had no idea where this book was going in the best possible way!

The descriptions of small town Massachusetts felt accurate. The main character wasn't very interesting and I did not finish the whole book.

I love this author and this book did not disappoint!!
An adorable coming of age book of a young girl trying to find her niche in the world. The characters, the plot, the execution was truly remarkable!

While I would not adopt this novel for my curriculum, I would add it to my classroom library! I would recommend it to my more mature 6th grades, as it is YA. I'm excited to share this story with my readers.

Thank you Lucy and Netgalley for providing me this e-arc!

“Certain parts of our life aren’t meant to be forever. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t shape who we are.”


Lucy's books always comfort me in some ways, she never disappoint. And when I tell you I enjoyed every moment of this book I kid you not.

“You always think you have everyone mapped out, but human beings are complex. You need to have more faith in people.”


So the story is About Charlie Owens, a high school student who dreams of leaving her small town, Chester Falls. She works as a driver for a local app that is called Backseat in order to save up some money for a road trip she's planning for. Everything's going according plan until she accidentally hit Andre Minasian's car, and in the fear of Andre reporting her to backseat (because she can not risk losing that job unless she wanna kiss that road trip goodbye) she makes a deal to drive him anywhere, anytime he needs to be until he fixes his car.
“I like you, even though you trashed my car and refused to pay me back, and even if you make me talk to fourteen-year olds every morning before I’ve finished my coffee. I like you. Do you like me?”


Charlie is not the talkative type, likes to keep her distance and does not like to stick her nose in people's matters. She's also hardworking and loves to keep everything in control and obsessed with planning a future out of Chester Falls.

Andre is quite the opposite, he never shuts up, he charms his way so easily into people's hearts, he never misses a party, he makes opening conversations sound so easy and he loves Chester Falls from the bottom of his heart.

You see? When Charlie and Andre cross paths they help each other see what they're missing. He teaches her that Chester Falls is more than a small sleepy town. In return she opens his eyes and makes him see that he can have more than what he's settling for.

Ride with me was such a lovely read, such a page turner and it actually helped me get over my reading slump.
Thank you Lucy for turning these words into such a lovely story!

This is the cutest romance YA I’ve read, probably ever. The characters make this book impossible to put down and I read it in one sitting.
The plot kept things moving and kept it really relevant to our world today. This will keep teens interested in reading. I’d highly recommend this to teens that are just getting into reading, or aren’t into reading but want to get into it.

I enjoyed the characters in this novel - not sure that Charlie is the best rideshare/uber driver around and expect some low star reviews for her! Her interractions with other characters were believable, if full of miscommuncation. A fun YA read.

A bit of a slow start to this one, due in part to the introduction of a host of characters that our leading young lady encounters in her home town. It was slightly confusing to keep track of who was who. The story picked up once it settled on the blossoming relationship between Charlie and Andre.

Charming, gentle and wholesome romcom - acknowledges adolescent angst and offers valuable life lessons about boys, families, friends, leaving home and the world of work.

Ride with me was such a fun and one fine read. It was entertaining and a cute read for me. I really loved the MCs, they were quite relatable and enjoyable to read about. Also, I really liked how fast paced it was, making it an 4.5 stars read for me.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

Charlie always thought she hated her small town and would do anything to get away from it (and her parents), until Andre shows her that it may be worth staying around.