This was a very unique and interesting memoir! I learned so much about astronauts and what they have to deal with. I was so impressed by this book!

While the writing style was a bit more simple than I had expected and like, this still was such an interesting book to read. And the simple style also makes it easy to recommend to younger readers that want to learn more about inspiring figures.

As with any medical memoir, I of course hate that this happened to her but I’m glad I was able to read this and learn about her story. There were so many cool and interesting anecdotes in this book, and I immediately watched her show with my husband after I finished the book. They were really cool to experience so closely together.

This was an inspirational memoir. Hayley details her life including her cancer diagnosis and her life before and after. And her determination to get her dream job. She tells it all in an honest and emotional manner.

I don't think there are words to describe this book other than: HOLY INSPIRATION, BATMAN! Could there BE anything more inspiring than a child battling/overcoming cancer and going to space?! Wow. I was blown away by the concept of this before I even read it and the story itself does not disappoint. This would be the perfect gift for a teenager in need of inspiration and/or affirmation in life.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this ebook to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and have not been influenced in any way.

This was a nice memoir about a young woman’s journey with cancer and eventually space. I will say it was written almost like a young girl’s diary so it was very YA level. I’d recommend this to young girl’s who need inspiration if they have struggles in their life

This is a book about a young woman who had pediatric bone cancer and now works as a physician assistant for St. Jude, where she was treated, and then gets asked to represent the hope that St. Jude provides by being a passenger on the first all civilian space trip, which is bankrolled by a hard to tell if he is problematic or not billionaire, as a fundraiser for pediatric cancer.

It’s a memoir that you would be a complete asshole to not like the idea of. I rooted for Hayley-I liked her enthusiasm for life and her sureness of self. I think she’s a kind, brave, and charming person who is doing good things and treats those around her with infectious generosity. Her story was unfortunately weakly written though and came across shockingly naive at times, such as when she explains to the reader what sangria is and how it blew her mind when she was in Spain.

The book references a Netflix documentary that covers the training journey of the entire crew and, honestly, the documentary better captures the emotions, excitement, nerves, and intensity that Hayley and her crew mates went through. I even cried a little. It also involves listening to Elon Musk talk in a truly grating manner about how he plans to make space habitable, but...

“I’m no superhero and this isn’t a movie, but I’m going to wear the hell out of that suit.”

“But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my time on earth, it’s that as long as you keep saying yes, everything is possible.”

This was a charming, heartfelt, and inspiring memoir. The writing is very simple, nothing new, but I had a delightful time reading it nevertheless.

You can also find my review here :
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/b5b43905-7956-4c59-83e9-45c66afd4f6a?redirect=true

I really enjoyed this story! I couldn’t believe I didn’t know about it when it took place, but I glad I found this book on NetGalley! I started following the author on social media and cannot wait to keep up with all of her adventures. This book has heart and I love her love of like and her outlook on life.

Though reading memoirs of younger folks sometimes feels odd to me, this one felt truly deserved. Arceneaux has been through and accomplished a lot in her life. Being close in age to her, I have a good perspective on just how much she has done with the three decades of life she's lived so far. Though many would assume that these things were done in spite of her cancer, it is refreshing to hear her proclaim loud and clear that her battle with cancer is exactly what ignited her passion for life.

My biggest takeaways while reading Arceneaux's story is that...life has its ups and downs. There are disappointments and set backs, big and small, sometimes within our control and sometimes not. It's how we respond to them that matters. And while we strive towards resilience, it is okay to grieve and mourn the things we may have lost along the way.

Quite a few days late but, A big thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for approving me of a copy of an e-arc of this book!
oooohhh, I love it.
No words, No explanation. Just emotions.

I give this one 3.5 stars rounded up to 4!

For as heavy and emotional as some of this book's subject matter is, Hayley Arceneaux does a tremendous job bringing humor and positivity to each page. I haven't read a book quite like this one before and I truly enjoyed it.

I was grateful for the chance to learn from the author about the workings of St. Jude and her trip into space. Some of the moments of her adventures were downright hilarious. I had to laugh out loud.

While not every memoir style book may be fitting for a younger audience, I think this would really work well for young adult readers. The life lessons and inspirational journey within make for an impactful read that our younger generation may learn a lot from. There are a lot of great themes here about perseverance, the power of friendships, and the importance of family.

I also have to give huge props to the cover design of this book. It is out of this world... literally. I love the illustration of an astronaut with high heels and the multi-colored disco ball. The cover and title combined to immediately grab my attention.

Thank you for the chance to read and review this book, NetGalley!

Thank you to NetGalley and Convergent Books for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

First off, space travel has always fascinated me and knowing Inspiration4 was launching, I had to sit down and watch every single part. Often this resulted in my setting alarms to wake me up in the early hours of the morning. When Hayley brought out this book, I knew I needed to get a copy and graciously received this eARC!

Hayley’s story is an emotional, but inspirational one, encouraging people to live big despite your own circumstances. I certainly have learnt a lot of lessons from the book. My favourite parts were, needless to say, the space travel and training. Gaining a deeper insight into what Hayley went through in her training and travelling to space was fantastic! I had watched it all live and watched the documentary, but Wild Ride gave me the deepest insight view of the Inspiration4 mission and how Hayley overcame so many obstacles to make history.

The only issue I had with the book was that it was so short. I felt like Hayley could have added more to the chapters, especially the space ones because everyone wants to know what it’s like to go to space. Aside from how short the book and the chapters were, I absolutely loved this book!

Perfect for all space lovers or those who need a good inspirational read to start living life big!

Hayley Arceneaux's story, from small town Louisiana to the Stars, is one of inspiration and heartache. This memoir is a beautiful endorsement for St. Jude's Children's hospital. Split into two parts, Hayley's battle with childhood cancer, and her ascent to space as part of the Inspiration4, shows her youthful exuberance and eternal optimism. I think this is a great and uplifting book, and would be a wonderful read for young people dealing with any type of illness or parents who need hope and support when their child is ill. Her writing is simple and engaging. Living on the Space Coast, I watched lots of news documentaries and stories about the crew, and Hayley's enthusiasm definitely came across in her writing. A good, positive story about a young role model.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The thoughts and opinions are my own and freely given.

One amazing story about this woman who changed things in life. I love how she dealt with her cancer and how she had a very positive outlook on everything. She was very driven to work at Saint Jude's and and she pursued her dream are you going to school and traveling and helping other people out. I think that's very very positive way to go about it even her family was very supportive of her as well. And I think by her going to space she found out more about herself. She took challenges on in her life and dealt with them head on. She found people at Saint Jude's who had some type of cancer and became friends with them especially the doctors and nurses. I think that's really important when you have a very bad disease like cancer is to say very focused and positive I think that's a really good way to recover. I liked when she had a dance party from there with her other The other Cancer patients and she went about it just like it would be like a school prom. I think everybody should read this book especially if you become diagnosed with cancer even as a child I think this would be a really positive outlook to show you how you can conquer the disease and be focused and be happy and live the moment every day. The title of the book says it on a wild ride it is a wild ride you never know what's going to happen but if you say focus and be happy things turn out OK.

Hayley Arceneaux’s memoir, Wild Ride, is an inspirational story of her journey from being diagnosed with bone cancer at age 10 to traveling to space aboard SpaceX’s rocket. Hayley describes a happy early childhood with her close-knit family in Louisiana, until she experienced mysterious pain in her leg. When her mom took her to the pediatrician, he knew something was wrong and sent them to St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Hayley and her mom spent 11 months in Memphis, as she had multiple surgeries to remove the cancer and install a prosthesis, followed by grueling physical therapy. Hayley was so impressed by her care at St. Jude’s that she immediately became an ambassador, giving speeches to raise funds.

Hayley’s prosthesis broke and she had to return to St. Jude’s to have a second prosthesis implanted and additional rehabilitation. Subsequently Hayley had to give up her goal of becoming a cheerleader and she always was concerned about activities that could cause her prosthesis to break. Hayley focused on schoolwork so that she could return to St. Jude’s someday as a physician assistant (PA). When Hayley graduated from PA school, she was unable to get hired at St. Jude’s so she worked in an emergency room in Baton Rouge for four years.

Hayley was thrilled when she was hired at St. Jude’s and bought a house in Memphis. Shortly thereafter she learned that her father had terminal cancer. She gave the highlights of her on/off romantic relationship with a physician in the ER. Then Hayley learned that she was selected to represent St. Jude’s in a fundraising rocket launch sponsored by Jared Isaacman. Hayley began astronaut training and realized that she would have to take a leave of absence from her professional job. Hayley described the astronaut training and her three fellow astronauts, whom she became close to. She detailed the three-day flight and her return to St. Jude’s.

Wild Ride is very easy-to-read and motivational. However Hayley drops several f-bombs and other profanity throughout the book, which makes it less family-friendly. The review copy I received did not contain any pictures, which would add to the story. I highly recommend this book, just be careful with younger readers.

I received an advance review copy (ARC) from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I have read a lot of incredible memoirs recently: I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, Normal Family by Chrysta Bilton, and now Wild Ride by Hayley Arceneaux. Her story is so unique. She is literally the only person in the entire world who has survived childhood cancer and been to space. But the whole point of the mission that sent her to orbit the Earth is that she will not be the last.

Arceneaux was great to read. Her writing was funny, positive, and inspiring. It is horrible that she had to go through cancer as a child, but it ended up giving her a greater appreciation for life and now she takes nothing for granted. It made me wonder what I have said “no” to because I was too afraid or what opportunities I might not have passed up if I wasn’t living for the long game and remembered that each day is a gift.

I really enjoyed reading her story for giving me a new perspective on life but also for detailing what traveling to space was like as a civilian! I used to be obsessed with space as a kid and wanted to be an astronaut until the Columbia explosion in 2003. Traveling to space still seems so terrifying but the reward would be incredible. It seems crazy but I know it’s possible that more civilians will travel to space in my lifetime and I’m grateful that I live in a time where I can read about it now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Convergent Books for an ARC of this book.

This book immediately appealed to me as a lover of space and I was excited to get into it ! It was an incredible memoir. Hayley’s story is motivating , heart wrenching and inspirational all at the same time . From a young age she went through so much and used her hardships to make the most of her life, taking opportunities by the reigns ! It made me feel very self reflective when reading . I would 100 percent recommend this book to anyone . Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

This was fabulous! Very interesting & im looking forward to reading more from this author. Thanks Netgalley & the publisher for the ARC!

A memoir focused on maintaining hope and happiness despite immense difficulties. I found this to be an easy-to-read and captivating overview of Hayley’s experience with childhood cancer, her journey to working for St. Jude, and her opportunity to go to space.

I was left with a greater appreciation for the patients and staff of St. Jude. It also heightened my interest in the work and training involved with SpaceX missions.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC.

Wow, what an incredible memoir. I read it all in just one day! Hayley’s story is motivating — she went through so much and used her hardships to make the most of her life. It made me want to sit back and appreciate the small things while also remembering to take risks to make the most out of life. It is a must read for anyone who is looking for an uplifting story. I will be buying this book for my friends during the holidays!