I am withholding my review of books by St Martins Press and their imprints until they comply with the demands of the SMP boycott. At that time, I am happy to post the review.

This was an adorable YA novel with the best happily ever after. This book had all the feels from making me tear up, to laughing out loud, to even swooning, this is an incredible young adult read!

3 1/2 stars

This was a cute ya book with a happy ending. I liked both of the main characters, but my favorite character was Queen Mab and Walker. Loved those 2! This is my second book from Erin. She's not writing Shakespeare but I do love her books.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4.5/5
I received an audio for my honest opinion.

This book has everything in it that I would want for a young adult romance book. This book had me laughing, I did get a little teary eyed in parts of the book, it had me saying aw, and honestly this book hit all the feels in all the right way.

Erin Hahn brought us a book that everyone will love. The plot was great, it had the perfect pace, all the ups and downs were right where they were supposed to be, and I didn’t see any slow, boring moments in the book. This author knows how to pull you in and keep you engaged throughout the book. I enjoyed getting to know the characters better and seeing the plot come to an end, and I loved that this author handled the heavy topics in this book. It was done with class and grace, the heavy topics are the following: childhood cancer, loss, grief, parental abandonment, and growing up too soon.

You will also see some great topics as well: growing up, learning to love oneself, doing what is important to you, love, and forgiveness. Case and Winnie are great characters. Case is a young adult who just lost his childhood friend and is trying to come to terms with his loss and having to learn how to deal with life without him around. You will watch him go through the hardships and then you will be there to watch him pick himself back up and start living life again. Winnie is a young adult who had to grow up too fast after having her mother leave and her father who doesn’t know how to parent. She has taken the role of sister and mother to heart and makes sure that her siblings don’t go without. She is the responsible one in the group and didn’t think she would ever have the chance to pursue her own dreams of racing or love.

I really enjoyed this slow burn romance that starts off as friends, and blooms into something more. They share their problems with each other, bounce off ideas and help each other overcome issues or problems that are stopping them from being who they truly want to be. I want to say more but I don’t want to spoil the book, so instead if you love rodeo riders, cowboys, romance, and some heavy topics done in a tasteful manner you need to read this book.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review this book.

Winnie and Case have been going through it. Winnie is a defacto parent to her younger siblings, and Case is dealing with the death of his best friend. They end up finding each other through the prompting of a bucket list and, even though they're very different, they realize that they can be there for each other as equal partners chasing dreams that they didn't think were possible.

Erin writes characters that you care about and want to give a big ol' hug to. I will read anything Erin writes. 💙

Slow burn, friends to lovers, YA, off page (discussed) romance

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this book for an honest review.

When the author describes this as their sad cowboy book, you better believe it!

This book is definitely about grief, but it’s also about chasing those dreams you didn’t even know you had. Finding a way to trust others against everything else, and listening to your heart.

The growth of these characters was absolutely phenomenal, and the way they showed their maturity (after some needed growth for Case) in how they handled the world was incredible. This book deals a lot of grief and I was exceptionally grateful that there was no relationship angst and drama between Case and Winnie. They became the most stable thing for each other. And I adored it.

This book was very hard hitting and deep. The characters were very much ones that you felt for. Unfortunately reading this book made me personally uncomfortable. But it was still well written.

First, thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!

Second, if this indeed is Erin Hahn's last YA, as she says it is, what a book to go out on! This was so swoony and delightful. It took me a couple of weeks to read, not because I didn't want to keep reading, but because I just wanted to savor its sweetness and slow-burn romance. I could have read the whole thing in a day, but it was just too cute.

I loved the main characters. Winnie was flawed and smart and hilarious. Case was a dreamboat with actual substance. The supporting cast was excellent, with the siblings, ghost bffs, and everyone on the ranch.

I predict this will be a reread for me, on days when I need something comforting. I suspect it may get upped to a 5 star review on reread too...

I’ve really enjoyed Hahn’s adult books, but haven’t read any of her YA novels. I will definitely be doing a deep dive! This was so swoony and sweet, while also handling difficult topics with care. I loved Garrett and her relationship with both Winnie and Case. My only wish was for more scenes with Win and Case once they were together.

gorgeous romance with deep characters and an understanding of grief, cute motifs and a really fun idea. thanks for the arc!

What a thoughtful book about grief, not just the grief we feel at lost of a person, but grief over lost dreams, the grief we will fill as we transition from childhood to adulthood, and more. The first 20% of the book I was unsure if Case, the male MC, would find a way through, but the unfolding of his story was really perfect. I loved that while this book is billed as a young adult romance, there would still be a strong story of self-discovery and friendship even if you took the romance out. I also loved the setting of a ranch in the Texas panhandle. As a former horse girl myself, I loved the trail riding and barrel racing throughout the book.
One thing I will note, the main characters in the story are 19 and behave like 19-year-olds. There is underage drinking, significant risk-taking, and a "fade-to-black" sex scene. I will probably recommend this to my high schoolers more than middle schoolers. But, I think in the right circumstances I would give it some 8th graders - especially those who need a mirror for their own grief.

Erin Hahn is a MUST read author in my library. Her natural ability to create characters with heart wrenching stories make her books page-turners. Even if it Breaks Your Hearts is tragically beautiful.

This story is the journey of Case and Winnie growing-up in completely different lifestyles. Their paths cross on the ranch, and a "list" gives them the push to slowly, find happiness and love. I rooted for both Case and Winnie in their daily struggles, and their happily ever after.

This is a story all ages can enjoy!

Thank you, Wednesday Books / St. Martins Press.

Case and Winnie are two teens in Texas both dealing with heavy things. Case is trying to move on after the death of his best friend and bull riding competitor by completing a list left by Walker. Winnie by being the matriarch to get two siblings with a mom no longer there and a dad that didn't give any crap. She always has to turn down her own dreams because of it.

But Case sees potential in her when he catches her barrel racing. As they become friends, they help each other in ways no one else can. They have a good connection.

I love this cowboy romance!

I’ve enjoyed Erin’s adult books, so when I saw her announce a YA book with a rodeo theme to it, I knew I just had to check it out. Real rating of 3.5.

Case and Winnie are from completely different worlds but both struggling in their own right. Case is wealthy but still mourning his best friend’s passing while trying to balance competing a bucket list his friend left him and if he wants to return to bull riding. Winnie is barely scraping by while caring for two younger siblings and training horses for Case’s family. Their friendship and eventual relationship build over the course of the book as they try to find their true calling in life at their young age.

I liked the story well enough and appreciate more authors diving into the world of rodeo. However, there were a lot of details that were incorrect in this book that as a rancher and graduate of Texas Tech myself I couldn’t quite look past. The University of Texas does not have a rodeo team. They had a rodeo club very briefly but they were never competitive. Texas Tech does have both a great nursing program and rodeo team, but you can’t just immediately go into nursing school. You spend 2 years obtaining a regular bachelors while completing nursing school prerequisites, but nursing school isn’t until years 3 and 4. It just felt like the author could’ve researched that a little better. It also felt like qualifying for the NFR was a walk in the park for the characters when in reality it’s a yearlong hustle to as many rodeos all over as possible to qualify. And just going to and winning some local rodeos is definitely not going to get you there. Okay, soapbox rant over.

The story itself was good and I did think there was a lot of relatability to young adults. There’s a lot of vulnerability in it and I liked how Case was comfortable in his goals despite them being considered traditionally “feminine”. The grief theme was very relatable and it was handled well in my opinion. I liked Winnie and her siblings as characters and her fierce independent streak that she struggled with.

Overall, I liked the premise, but do think it could’ve been executed a bit better with some more thorough research. I’ve really enjoyed Erin’s previous books and did this one despite some of the facts being mixed up.

Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC of this book. Erin Hahn has done it again. I have fallen in love with her newest characters and their story.

We have Case Michaels, the third, and Winnie Sutton. Case's best friend, Walker Gibson, and Case were bull riders, always the best at each rodeo, taking the top two places. However, Walker died a week before his 18th birthday of a terminal illness, and with the pandemic raging at that time, he wasn't able to get a lung transplant that would save his life. Now, Case is working to move on after his death. Before Walker died, he made a bucket list but turned it into a list of things that he wanted Case to accomplish since he would never have the chance. One of those is to befriend Winne Sutton. They went to high school together, and she had been working at Case Michael's family ranch for over a year, but he had never noticed her before. He has not been making smart choices and runs into her one morning as a punishment from his dad; he has to muck out stalls.

Winnie has had a hard life. Her Mom walked out not long after her little sister, Garrett, was born, and her Dad has been an absent parent, working a night shift. So, Winnie has been taking care of her two younger siblings for the last ten years. She graduated high school early and has been working to help support her family, but making ends meet has been hard.

Case is struggling to go on after his best friend's death, and Winnie is trying to make ends meet while she is raising her two younger siblings. Case sees her practice barrel racing with a horse called Queen Mab and sees the two are natural together. Since he comes from a wealthy family and doesn't know her background, he thinks she should be barrel racing on the circuit and doesn't understand why she would turn down an offer.

Case messes up repeatedly, trying to befriend her, but eventually, he starts growing up and trying to be a better version of himself. Winnie also learns that it is ok to rely on others and that she doesn't have to do it alone.

Can they become friends? Will they become more than friends? Will Case learn to live not in the shadow of his dead best friend? Will Winnie actually learn to rely on others and be free to go after her dreams?

This book has several sad and happy moments, and it will make you cry. But it is a beautiful story and one definitely worth a read and a reread at least a few times more.

Rating - 4/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Date Read - December 1, 2023
Publication Date - February 1, 2024

*I received an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review* - Thank you @erinhahn_author, @stmartinspress and @netgalley!

You might not get this vibe from the title of this book or even the cover, but Even If It Breaks Your Heart is such a sweet book. There are heavy topics and trigger warnings, but there is still sweetness that shines through.

Side note, I loved the Joanna Gaines reference that was thrown in there!

This book has some major character development and growth that makes you feel like you are actually part of the character’s life, experiencing it first hand. I absolutely SWOONED when Case showed up with wildflowers! There were definitely moments that had me giggling and other moments where I was sitting there crying.

If you like slow burn, enemies to friends to lovers with younger characters who have bigger problems, Even If It Breaks Your Heart is the book for you.

Get excited to read Even If It Breaks Your Heart, available February 6, 2024! 🎉

*Please check trigger warnings*

Thanks to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Erin Hahn for an ARC of this book!

Even If It Breaks Your Heart is a cute cowboy coming-of-age romance set on a Texas ranch and in the rodeo community. I found it to be sweet and dealt with some pretty serious topics, like grief, as the MMC mourns the loss of his best friend at the age of 17, and poverty, as the FMC struggles to be the primary caretaker for her family.

I did feel like the characters were a little flat - there was something about them that made them feel like the 2D creations that they were and not like real people tugging at your heartstrings. It could have been a five star read with just a bit more "oomph" given to Case and Winnie that drew readers into the story and made them forget it was fiction.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed this book Erin Hahn never disappoints.

Every time Erin Hahn has a new book releasing I pray 🙏🏻 I’m approved on @netgalley because she’s one of my favs!
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🐎 Even if it Breaks Your Heart follows Case and Winnie, two teens dealing with heart break, sadness, and disappointment in their own way. These teens are dealing with a lot. An unlikely friendship just might be the ticket to healing…
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🐎YA romance
🐎rodeo stars
🐎heartfelt
🐎friends to lovers
🐎ranch setting
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I really loved this one.
If Erin Hahn writes it. I’m going to read it!
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Thank you @netgalley and @wednesdaybooks for the opportunity to read this book. 😍

I was in the mood for a story along the lines of one of my favorite TV shows, Wildfire. This was the perfect way to feed my love of YA, horses, heartbreak, and HEA. I wanted to hold Chase in a hug from the very start of the book. It is so hard to watch someone you love suffer, especially when they are so young and full of life. This made Chase want to literally grab life by the horns, and continue bull riding in his friend's memory. At his barn, he meets Winnie, a girl who has a hard home life, acting as a mom to her younger siblings because their dad works night shift and is absent. Her passion is riding horses, and she has alot of potential as a barrel racer. Together, they form a bond and become friends, and then slowly become something more. They each fight their inner demons to be able to reach happiness. This was a really good book, and Erin Hahn has a new fan, and I will be reading more of her books! 4.5/5