I loved this slow burn romance from Heather Garvin! I grew up around horses and it was so wonderful to immerse myself in that world once again. Abbie and Carson are so likeable and I really enjoyed this book!

4 Heartwarming ✨'s

Make Your Move is an absolutely adorable small-town romance that flowed so well. This is my introduction to Heather Garvin and I am super excited to explore her other books. The story follows Abbie, a recent high school graduate who is content to live and work at her family's ranch instead of going to college or moving away like her friends. She spends her days mucking out stalls, taking her horse Sully for rides, and hanging out with her boyfriend and his obnoxious friends. When she meets Carson, who is helping out around the ranch, they instantly click and become fast friends. However, when her boyfriend sees issue with her being friends with him, Abbie quickly begins to realize just how poorly he treats her. As a result of her strained relationship, Abbie and Carson become even closer; and soon their friendship deepens. However, both are reluctant to pursue more as Carson is planning to move back home soon and Abbie doesn't want him to settle.

The first 30 pages or so made me think this was going to be high school-esque with the gossiping friends and juvenile relationships, however, Carson and Abbie were so mature and healthy for each other. The strangers to friends to lovers trope worked so well with how the story and their love unfolded, both of them were so sweet and understanding. Don't even get me started on the tension and banter, the resulting dash of spice was perfect!

This was an average read. It was cute, but nothing too exciting from it. I loved the country vibe throughout the book, and I liked all the interactions with the horses throughout the book. I thought Carson was a cute male lead and I wish there had been more development with him and more scenes because he was so cute. Abbie was okay, she came across kind of flat for me, but I thought she was a good counterpart to Carson. Her friend Sarah seemed like a pointless addition to the story as they barely talked and when they did it wasn't really anything substantial. I thought the vilification of Abbie's original boyfriend was also way too overdone and it just didn't feel realistic. It honestly would have been better for Abbie to just have started off single at the beginning of the book. Overall, it was a nice read and I liked the foundations of the book but think it could've been fleshed out more to make readers really connect with the romance.

Books about horses! And add romance to it? What more could a girl want?!
I enjoyed this book so much that I felt like I was right there with Abby and Carson! Wow! Still making my head spin.
I tell you one thing I sure didn't like Christina ugh! Those kind of people make me tired and I didn't blame Carson for looking right through her.
Here's a quote that I liked and it's what made me like Carson all the more.
“My life back home is a mess, Abbie. I’m the one who messed it up, and I’m the one who needs to fix it.” Cudos to Carson for owning up to his mistakes. It's what I admire about anyone cause we're not all perfect.
We are a work in progress.
As a girl who loves horses and rode them as a kid I definitely connected with book. I finished this in one afternoon it was good!
I didn't want the story to end.
5 stars for a well written novel.
Even though it was written in diary form and I generally don't like that way of writing to me it was still a wonderful story and I highly recommend it! Especially if you love horses the way I do! They're magnificent, magical and beautiful.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was my third book by Heather Garvin and as always it was such a fun read!

Make Your Move is the perfect summer romance. It has small town life, trail rides on horseback, and oh no, is there only one bed in that horse trailer they have to share for the night?

When we first meet Abbie she’s in her happy place; her barn taking care of the horses.
When we first meet Carson he’s visiting town to helping his dad out with work.
When Abbie and Carson first meet each other, they have instant chemistry but there’s no way it could work out between them. Abbie has a boyfriend, and Carson is leaving after the summer.

I absolutely loved the way Carson stood up for Abbie and how he treated her throughout the book. He was the definition of the perfect book boyfriend. And the two of them together were just perfect. I loved watching them get to know each other and secretly could not wait for things to end with Seth because if Carson was the definition of the perfect book boyfriend then Seth was the definition of an uptight, selfish, and toxic boyfriend.

Without giving away spoilers, I wasn’t a huge fan of Carson’s mysterious backstory and his reasoning on why he had to go back to Tennessee, and I also wish we could have spent a little more time with Abbie and Carson outside of the barn, but over all it was a hugely enjoyable book and I was rooting for these two characters all the way through.

Thank you to Netgally for my eARC and a huge thank you to Heather!

I absolutely love this! It's the perfect summer romance read. Horses, brooding mmc and girl-next-door lead.

Make Your Move
Heather Garvin

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️

Make Your Move is a small town new adult contemporary romance about love and one of my favorites, horses. Abbie lives on a farm with her mama and is a horse lover through and through. After an ugly break up with her boyfriend Seth, Abbie tries to fight her feelings for Carson, a horse farrier who is working on her farm for the summer. Abbie and Carson spend a wonderful summer together finding friendship, bonding over horses and falling in love even though they know Carson is leaving at the end of summer. When true love comes unexpectedly into their lives, Abbie and Carson must decide if they should fight for each other or let each other go at the end of summer.
I really enjoyed this book even though the characters were so young. Carson and Abbie were your typical grumpy sunshine romance. I loved the horse theme and getting a glimpse of life on a farm. It is a sweet, slow paced small town romance. It is laced with love, desire and plenty of agony. Carson showed Abbie what a caring and respectful boyfriend should look like. He helps her grow but also respects her small town dreams. This was a sweet romance with just enough spice and angst to keep me flowing through the story. The writing was descriptive and the conversation and inner thoughts flowed nicely throughout the book. I did get a little bored at some points where I felt the storyline was slow or dragging. I would have liked maybe a little more drama but it was a swoony small town young love romance so I see why there wasn’t much action or serious problems to overcome.

This was so cute! A nice cowboy/equestrian themed book with a swoon-worthy MMC. I went to a big equestrian college so it was fun to dive into that world in a book and recognize certain elements. The story is a pretty decent length and has some great spice moments. All around a great read!

Abbie Linley cherishes her small-town life. As her friends head off to college, she finds comfort in the familiar routines and her love for horses. But as changes begin to unfold around her, Abbie's world is no longer as set in stone as she once thought.

Carson Daniels is a horse farrier whose sole focus is on his job. But when he arrives at the Linley's barn, he gets more than he bargained for. The owner's daughter, beautiful as she may be, becomes an unexpected distraction for Carson, even if she's the only good thing about Florida.

It would never work. She has a boyfriend. And he’s leaving.

“You’ve ruined me, you know that?” he murmurs against my ear.

Make Your Move is a heartfelt small-town love story that's perfect for a summer read. It's beautifully written and full of emotions. This book had all the great tropes, a captivating story, enjoyable and well-developed characters, the right amount of drama, and a sweet tension and chemistry between the main characters.

From the moment Carson enters the picture, there's an instant spark between him and Abbie. Carson's contrast to Seth reminds Abbie of the qualities she values in a partner, showing her that worth isn't determined by money. Abbie's character is relatable, and her internal thoughts guide us to understand her desires and motivations. The witty and flirtatious banter between Abbie and Carson made the pages fly by and put a smile on my face. Garvin skillfully portrays their conflict resolution, even if it may be unrealistic for college freshmen, allowing me to enjoy their playful and wise exchanges. They create space for each other to make mistakes, grow, and embrace vulnerability, nurturing their sweet connection and discovering the true meaning of love. I appreciate how the author took their time to build trust and develop a genuine relationship between the two characters. The gradual progression was worth the wait, and I thoroughly enjoyed the book as a whole.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review,

I received this ARC from Netgalley, and I'm so happy I did because this was so cute.

I usually don't read cowboy romances, but I might start because I liked this one a lot. The romance in it was so cute it had me melting.

I love when the main characters have interesting hobbies and when it shows on the page. I used to watch and be around horses a lot when I was younger, and I love those creatures even when, at times, they may feel a bit intimidating. So to see Abbie and her horse riding passion was a delight to read about.

Oh, and Carson, this charming man was also a delight to read about. He was amazing. Seeing him supporting Abbie in her passion had me on my knees. And also, Abbie helping him with his past traumas and seeing them be there for each other was so lovely.

The only thing that bothered me a bit was almost the love triangle at the beginning and how the previous relationship was resolved because I don't like it when the other love interest suddenly flips sides because the author wants to show a clear difference between them. But besides that, it was a really enjoyable book, and I'd recommend reading it if you like small-town cowboy romance.

I absolutely adored this book! It gave me all of the feels of how dating felt for me in a small town at that age and Seth is all the men who should be paying my therapy bill #iykyk .

Abbie and Carson are my absolute favorites and Abbie is SO headstrong and amazing at 18! I will admit I skipped the smut just because at 24 I felt a smidge of an ick, but I do feel it represents young love and sexual experiences very transparently, particularly with shame culture in smaller rural towns.

I will for sure be reading all the cowboy romance now, and I highly recommend this one to start! Plus it’s on Kindle Unlimited so find me an excuse 🤷🏻‍♀️

I'll go straight to the point: I love this book!! 🥹

Make Your Move is the sweetest, heartwarming, adorable and beautiful small-town romance with some of my favourite tropes, and when I say I couldn't put it down: I really couldn't put it down! 💙

The story follows Abbie Linley, who lives with her Mom on a horse ranch in Florida. She loves and enjoys her small-town life. All her friends and her boyfriend will be leaving for College in Autumn, but Abbie isn't ready to say "goodbye" to the horses and she'll be staying home, despite a tad of sadness creeping up. She knows there will be some changes she isn't ready for, and if she could, she'd definitely keep the things as they are.

But I guess life has other plans.

Starting with meeting Carson Daniels.
Carson is the new Farrier helping out at the Linley's barn. He lives in Tennessee and is in Florida temporarily, visiting his Dad, Ed, and helping out his Dad's clients in the meantime.

Carson looks like the type of guy who could make a woman's knees weak with a single glance.


Because they both work at Abbie's Mom's ranch, they end up spending a lot of time together and develop a friendship. Of course Abbie's boyfriend isn't happy about it at all (yeah, I won't spend my energy talking about him, let's just say he's a jerk and get it over with).

Carson made me swoon throughout the book! 🥰 I loved him so much! I love how mysterious he is but also he just says all the right things, at the right time. He has this magical power with words able to cause goosebumps and melt your heart. I couldn't get enough of him. I couldn't get enough of them! ❤️

It seems silly to miss something you never had, but we were so close, and I'll always wonder if it could have worked. I'll wonder if he was almost the one.


This book is so beautifully written. To the point I felt the pain Abbie was feeling as it was my own. I hurt when she was hurting, and when she was crying I had to try hard to pull myself together so that I didn't cry myself. I think this says the author made it really easy for us to connect with these characters.

"I told him Tennessee is my home, but that there's a girl in Florida who feels a lot like home, too."


Have I said I love Carson? Like, very? Because I do. So it's okay to say it again.

🏇small-town romance
🏇close proximity
🏇horse riding
🏇strange-to-friends-to-lovers
🏇touch her and I'll... 👀
🏇brooding (and sexy!) MMC
🏇one bed
🏇single POV

"When did you know?"
"When I decided to make my move."


Thank you so much Heather Garvin and NetGalley for the ARC of this book! 💗

I would like to thank netgalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Entertaining and I loved the horse world setting.

4.75!!!! Wow! This was my first book written by this author
and I'm totally a huge fan. I loved everything about this
sweet cowboy romance.
We follow our MC Abbie who rides horses and helps her
mom take care of their horse farm. When their usual
horse farrier falls sick with cancer he sends his son
Carson to work on their farm to help shoe horses, thus
our love story starts. I felt all the emotions and slow burn
feels with this one! I found myself begging for crumbs of
the blossoming romance. Carson treats Abbie so perfectly
in this one and completely stole my heart. The only thing
preventing me from rating this five stars is the fact that I
found the main reason for Carson having to leave was a
little ridiculous but he obviously realizes this in the end but
it just made me want to scream at him. Overall this was
an amazing story and I'll definitely be picking up more of
the authors books!
Thanks you to NetGalley for the Arc!

ADORABLE!!! Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, Tuskan Publishing LLC for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

OH MY HEART🩷!!! I loved this book so much!! What a fun, sweet and heartwarming small town rom-com that takes place on a horse ranch. It has your sexy brooding MMC, strangers to friends to lovers trope, close proximity and touch her and I will kill you MMC and is filled with angst/pining, tension, banter, sizzling chemistry and the perfect amount of spice! I literally could not stop reading once I started. I went through ALL the emotions!! This is my first read by Heather Garvin and it is safe to say it will not be my last! 🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵

Abbie loves her small town life living on a horse ranch in Florida with her mother. All her friends and "perfect boyfriend" will be going off to college in the fall. However, Abbie has no desire to leave her horses and is completely happy with staying home and helping her mom take care of the horses and farm. Everything changes though when Carson, the Ferrier's son, shows up to do jobs on their farm. Gradually, Abbie begins to realize that Seth (boyfriend) is a jerk and does not treat her right. While working on the the ranch, Abbie and Carson develop a friendship and the tension between them is off the charts. The last thing Carson needs is a distraction. He is only in Florida for a short time and plans to return to his home in Tennessee. Plus it could never work because she has a boyfriend and he is leaving, right!?! Is home the place or is home the people?

Make Your Move is a beautifully written and emotional small town love story that is the perfect summer read. I found a gem 💎 with this one and it deserves a million stars!! I cannot recommend this book enough.⭐️🐎🧲⭐️⭐️

I adored this book! Such a great romance with the perfect amount of spice. Heather’s writing improves with each new book!

Summer, horses and love. I really liked this book. My only problem with it that it was too short. I would have liked to read more about Abbie and Carson’s time together. Seth was a butthead and thankfully Abbie realized that, too. Abbie and Carson easily clicked and bonded on a deep emotional level. I liked the farm setting of the book, too, and how the Southern culture seeped into the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of the book.

This was the first book of Garvin's I read and it was such a fast and quick read.

I loved the way it incorporated horse racing and horse jumping. The small town was cute, the characters (mostly) fabulous.

The ending was adorable 🫶🏼

Thanks to NetGalley, the author & Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for an advance copy!

i really enjoyed this book. it's a cute and easy to read story. i read the book in 3 hours.

i liked how abbie dared to stand up for herself against seth. Seth really is a jerk. from the first conversations he had with abbie i hoped she would dump him.

Carson, on the other hand, is a really sweet man, a real grump with only eyes for Abbie. I really liked him! And i liked it even more that he hated seth too.


with books that feature horses it can always go two ways for me. it's either completely unrealistic or it feels like coming home. this story felt like coming home!

2.9⭐

I wish I enjoyed the cowboy/horse theme of this book, but sadly I didn't. For me Seth is just a sh!tty character from start to finish, and I'm not really a fan of the fmc. I also feel like Carson is written to be everything opposite of who Seth was, which sort of unrealistic for me.

I only liked the last quarter of this book, but hopefully Make Your Move might be for you.