I thought the premise for The Chicken Sisters was delightful and the author's voice fresh and unique, so I was excited to read In Her Boots. Sadly, this one fell short for me. The characters are rather flat and I don't feel a sense of connection with Rhett. I'm all for character growth and transformation, but it's difficult to root for this particular protagonist. I abandoned the book after the third chapter. Thank you for the opportunity to read an early copy.

I really liked this book. I found Rhett to be very relatable as a character. I often feel like I am always truly not myself on social media. I enjoyed watching the main character's growth and self-discovery. Navigating old relationships is hard, especially if it's family.

Rhett Gallagher is a badass. She can fix the fuse in a car that won’t start or slow down a runaway horse. She’s been all over the world, figuring out how to pull a minicab or work in a fishery or help out on a ranch. And she wrote it all down, in a book she called The Modern Pioneer Girl’s Guide to Life, published under the pseudonym Maggie Strong. Rhett was very happy being The Modern Pioneer Girl on Instagram and Rhett working on a ranch in South America.

And then her grandmother died.

Bee had lived on a farm in New Hampshire, and Rhett grew up on the farm with her. She had learned from Bee and from her father, until he had died from a tragic accident. Her mother had lived with them on the farm, but she was from England and felt more at home on the local college campus than on the farm. She had left the farm when Rhett was 11 and never went back. And then, when her father died, her mother picked Rhett up and sent her to boarding school. Rhett was heartbroken, but that’s where she met Jasmine.

Jasmine had been the girl a school who saw her. She saw Rhett hiding from the other girls, reading her Little House on the Prairie books. She is the one who encouraged Rhett to channel her inner Pioneer Girl, and their friendship was cemented from that point on.

Jas is Rhett’s first stop in New York, as they get a chance to get caught up in the city before Rhett heads to New Hampshire and the farm. And when they post on Instagram, someone from the Today Show happens to recognize the photo and asks The Modern Pioneer Girl to do the show in the morning. While Rhett likes to stay anonymous, she agrees to do the show. But what she doesn’t realize until she shows up at the green room is that the piece is about the traditional advice of going to college and slowly building a career step by step versus The Modern Pioneer Girl’s advice of finding your own path. And the person they have scheduled to talk about the traditional route? A college president. Specifically, Rhett’s mother.

Rhett panics and decides she can’t go on. She begs Jas to take her place instead. Against her better judgment, Jas agrees, and she is delightful on the show. But Margaret, Rhett’s mother, doesn’t do as well. And while the offers for more media come rolling in, Rhett begs off and heads to her grandmother’s farm. When she gets there, she finds her mother there waiting for her. It turns out that Rhett’s grandmother didn’t own the farm. She had been allowed to live there, but the farm was actually owned by her father. When he had passed, it had gone to her mother and herself, with her mother acting as trustee.

Rhett’s mother is prepared to sell the farm to the college, so that they can build a new admissions building. But Rhett insists that she wants to stay and run the farm. Her mother doubts that she can do it, but she doesn’t realize that The Modern Pioneer Girl has all the skills she needs to run a working farm. But first she’ll have to convince her mother to sell her half of the farm to her, convince her college boyfriend that she’s not the same girl who left him shortly before graduation, and find a way to make money for the farm to make repairs and keep the animals—some chickens, horses, and a llama, among others—fed and safe.

The Modern Pioneer Girl could pull all that off, but now that the world thinks that’s Jasmine, Rhett has painted herself into a corner. She will need to figure out how to fix all her past relationship mistakes or she’ll just end up burning it all down.

In Her Boots is the latest novel from KJ Dell’Antonia, who brought us last year’s The Chicken Sisters. This new novel is a powerful look at the relationships that make us and break us and how our perspective on them changes through the years. Dell’Antonia takes readers on a journey through broken relationships to hope and healing.

I absolutely loved this book. There is an energy to Rhett and her story that is so propulsive and dynamic that I had a hard time setting this book aside. I loved these characters and how they hunkered down when things got hard. They didn’t always make the best choices, but they got it right in the end. I am so impressed by the way Dell’Antonia handles the emotions of these characters, giving this book a texture of genuine humanity and heart. This one is a big win for me, and I think anyone needing a heart-warming, genuinely interesting read should pick this one up immediately.

Egalleys for In Her Boots were provided by G.P. Putnam’s Sons through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I was very excited to read a new book by the author of one of my 2021 favorites, The Chicken Sisters. Unfortunately, the premise of this story didn't appeal to me in the same way, and the writing didn't seem as sharp or as engaging as in the author's debut. I ended up abandoning the book after just a couple of chapters. I haven't given up on this author, and will definitely try her again in the future, but this was a let-down.

Rhett is a woman on the move. She is a successful (and anonymous) instagram influencer called Maggie, "the Modern Pioneer Girl. When the Today Show calls asking her to do a segment when she's back in New York, Rhett hesitantly agrees. That is until her co-guest on the show is her MOM, who not only doesn't know she's the MPG, but also believes in basically the opposite of everything she preaches. In a moment of weakness, Rhett uses her best friend Jasmine as a figurehead, no one will know right? WRONG! When they go back to Rhett's grandmother's farm does everyone start recognizing her. And thats not the only bombshell. Rhett always thought her grandmother left the farm to her, but in a shocking twist a she's actually the co-owner with the one person she doesn't want to reunite with, her mother. Can they come to an agreement on what to do with the farm? Can they reconnect their rocky relationship with each other and with the town

I really enjoyed this book. It was a story about following your own path and giving the right people second chances. Also it really hits home about how sometimes memories from your past aren't always what you thought it was. I really related to Rhett. I too left home after high school and spent my 20's away from home. It was nice to see the other side of what happens when you finally come home. This was a great family drama with a little sprinkle of romance, which I am always here for! Definitely pick this book up!

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 7/5!

This book was just a lukewarm read for me. The characters were eh, the story very predictable, it just never gave me those “OMG” moments that i wanted. I struggled to understand the main character and her relationships, which may have been why I didn’t absolutely love this book. Rhett is turning 40 and after spending the past 20 years living under a pseudonym, she finds herself alone, trying to save her family’s farm. By lying and scheming, with the help of her best friend, she tries to save the farm from her mother, who she hasn’t spoken to in years. Will she be successful and will she destory all her close relationships in the process?

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copies!

The story of Rhett, who goes back home to the family farm after personal tragedy only to find out things are not what she expected them to be. She has to fight for the farm, and along the way, learns to put the things and the people in her life, in perspective. There’s more focus on rebuilding her female relationships rather than her finding romance, which I thought was a refreshing change for this type of book. Rhett struggles to live up to her mothers expectations, despite the fact that she has done well for herself and even written a book!
As a smallholder myself, I liked the farm living aspects of the story the most.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

I wanted to enjoy this contemporary fiction novel, but I found the writing to be incredibly bland. I also didn't like the main character.

In Her Boots
Captivating story! Well written and hard to put down. Interested in reading more of the author's books.

Happy publication day to KJ Dell’Antonia (THE CHICKEN SISTERS) and her second novel, IN HER BOOTS. I enjoyed this novel about finding the courage to be yourself, with a broken mother-daughter relationship at its heart. Thank you to G.P. Putnam Sons and NetGalley for my gifted e-copy.

Rhett Gallagher has been living the nomad life for twenty years, but it screeches to a halt when her long-term relationship fails and she gets news her grandmother has passed away. She heads home to the family farm, hoping to put down roots. At least one positive thing is happening: the book she wrote under a pseudonym and through the eyes of her alter ego, The Modern Pioneer Girl, has become really popular. She even gets invited onto The Today Show to talk about it, but Rhett’s courage fails at the last second, and she convinces her best friend, Jasmine, to pretend to be her.

The ruse might’ve just been a funny story, except when Rhett’s difficult, stoic mother whom she hasn’t seen in decades arrives at the farm with the intent to sell it, Rhett keeps up the lie, and years’ worth of hurts and regrets come to the surface. Rhett is desperate to finally show her mother that she can support herself and reach her dreams, but to save the farm, her identity, and their fragile relationship, she’ll have to find the courage to finally be herself.

I enjoyed this one! The mother/daughter relationship is a popular one explored in books, and I think a lot of people will relate to the “trying and failing to live up to parents’ expectations” thing, but this felt like a fresh take. I liked the message, too—not just “have courage to be yourself” but how trying to see things from another’s perspective, and putting yourself in your enemy’s ‘boots,’ can be a powerful way to heal relationships. Definitely worth the read--and it made me want to live on a farm.

Reviews will be posted to links below on July 5th

Thank you Penguin Group and NetGalley for Providing an eARC for an honest review.

I absolutely love this book. Rhett is such a relatable character in that she struggles with feelings of inadequacy, imposter syndrome, and really how to express herself. She takes on her alter ego/pseudonym, "Maggie Strong" the Modern Pioneer Girl and is able to write a book about her adventures and misadventures as a solo female traveler. Unfortunately it all comes to a screeching stop with a failed relationship and news of her grandmother's passing. She returns home to find the family farm in shambles, an unintended run in with her mother and people from her past that she is not prepared to deal with.

I always love a book that can bring out a lot of different emotions for me, and this book delivered. Maybe it's because I related to Rhett through her struggles to be vulnerable and to ask for help but this book really got me in the feels. So if you love books about second chances, growth and stubborn, escape artist ponies this is the book for you!

Cute little book about a woman who comes home to take over the family farm after a tragedy only to find out things are not as she thought. She fights for the farm and along the way begins to find herself and mend old relationships.

This book on the surface seems like another Contemporary romance but there is more to it. The story centers around Rhett who has a pseudonym of The Modern Pioneer Girl. She writes an inspirational book and is successful on social media as she shares her adventures and encourages people to take charge of their lives by doing what makes you happy and not letting fear rule your life. After the death of her beloved grandmother Rhett returns to the family farm and decides to settle down and make the farm her own. With the success of her book Rhett is given the chance to appear on tv. In a moment of fear and self doubt Rhett convinces her best friend Jasmine to step in as her for the interview. Need less to say this causes loads of problems. Her strained relationship with her mother becomes more strained and her ex-boyfriend comes back in the picture after 20 years of unresolved feelings. Rhett finds herself questioning everything

This is a story of relationships and finding meaning in your life. Very enjoyable story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Estranged from her mother for twenty years, Rhett must face her in order to save land that is very special to her. So much is riding on this, and Rhett is not sure due can pull this off.
But she has the gumption to face what need to be done.
I loved all the references to Laura Ingalls Wilder and LHOP. That was my favorite part of the novel.
Try walking in someone else’s shoes by reading In Her Boots.

In Her Boots is a fun fast-reading story with a great combination of friendship, family and farm animals. I liked the characters Rhett and Jas though I could tell from the beginning that their decision making was setting them up for disaster. Fortunately, they both learn and their stories end well. This book is written by the author of The Chicken Sisters and comes out on July 5, 2022. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an early copy to read and review, all opinions are my own.

This book was not one of my favorites. I really enjoyed Chicken Sisters and was really looking forward to reading this. There are a lot of different moving moments along with mother/daughter struggles and of course the second guessing of your life. To me Rhett at age 40 needs to grow up. She is intimidated by her mother and doesn't really confront her about this until the end of the book. The author also wrote as Rhett telling her story. She would be "talking" to someone and then it was described why she said what she said. That was a little to flowery for me. The themes with friends, family, neighbors who help, the farm and even the animals was fun. This would make a great Hallmark movie. That being said, if you like books that are like hallmark movies then you would like this book!
Thanks to #netgalley, #gpputnam and @kjdellantonia for an ARC of this book

The simplest way to explain this book is that it's like reading a Hallmark movie. You can definitely guess how things are going to progress, and it's also full of many of the tropes that often show up -mother/daughter relationship, returning to a small town to rescue something, reconnecting with a lost love, case of mistaken identity, etc. And like a Hallmark movie, it's not so much about not what you can guess is going to happen, but rather the journey along the way. This one had some interesting detours along the way, particularly when it came to the mother/daughter dynamics, and I liked how the main character's journey to find herself and what she wanted to do/be was really centered throughout. If you need something light to read, this is absolutely going to fit the bill. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this July 2022 release.

Oooh, that was good. I thoroughly enjoyed K.J. Dell'Antonia's The Chicken Sisters; this one is even better. Wonderfully well-written characters I loved (& also wanted to yell at!)

Thanks to the generous folks at NetGalley for a chance to read an ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley for ARC of In Her Boots.

This is my first time reading K.J. Dell'Antonia. This was a entertaining story of family and friendship, healing and growing. Add to your TBR pile. You wont regret it.

Thank you so much to Net Galley, the author, and publisher for providing this book for my review. I loved this book. It was such a cute and wholesome book. It would be a wonderful hallmark movie or Netflix rom-com. If you enjoy books about friendship, family drama, romance, rural settings, animals, identity switching, and plenty of laughs then this book is for you. I highly recommend it! Thank you again to Net Galley, the author, and publisher.