I really enjoyed getting to read the ARC of this book. I love an enemies-to-lovers trope, and I think because the plot line that accounted for the trope had serious consequences it made the tension even better. It is a great slow burn with lots of pining. My only issue is that some of the references to the real world date the book a little bit, and they pulled me out of it when I came upon them. I couldn't put this book down though, and I can't wait to be able to buy a copy once it is officially out!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a copy of this book. Parts of it were super corney and Nat drove me INSANE with how much of a hater she was. Also Molly wearing stiletto heels to a funeral she knew was out in the country insert eye roll. All in all I did really enjoy this book and I would rate it 3.75 out of 5!!

I have enjoyed this authors past books, but this one didn’t do it for me. The romance wasn’t completely believable for me, and the characters felt very self absorbed. I did love the farm setting and the horses. The miscommunication was a bit bothersome. It just didn’t click for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the arc!
Pub date: 5/28/24

This queer romance, unfortunately, falls flat with a plot that seems stuck in romance clichés. The characters lack the spark needed to make them memorable, and their development feels like ticking off a checklist. Sure, it's great to see LGBTQ+ representation, but the story leans heavily on predictable twists. The writing is okay, but it never quite hits that emotional high note. It's not a complete disaster, and there are some authentic moments, but it doesn't bring anything fresh to the table. Giving it two stars because, let's face it, there are better options out there for a more engaging queer romance read. Jennifer Dugan’s writing has missed the mark for me as of late.

When Molly inherits a farm with a ridiculously hot tenant, all types of wild events follow. Readers will fall in love with Molly, who is pretty stuck in old patterns when we meet her. Readers will fall in love with Shani, the love interest, resident farrier, and absolute truth teller. This book was so much more than a romance (although every romantic element was on point); it was truly a coming-of-age story. It was lovely to watch Molly and Shani's relationship develop, but I was cheering for how far Molly came in terms of her personal development by the end. I truly loved this book.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC.

I really like Jennifer Dugan writing style. This was a good one but not my favorite by her. A cute sapphic romance in the setting of a farm. Quick easy read.

I really liked Jennifer Dugan’s last book, Love at First Set, but something about this one didn’t really click for me. The character motivations didn’t really make sense and the dialogue was clunky and chemistry lacking. In my opinion, not her best, but I’m still giving her next book a shot.

I’ve always wanted to participate in the cowboy romance trend, but I can hardly stand men, let alone “rugged” men. But cowgirls? You’ve peaked my interest.

Molly McDaniel knows nothing about horses, but she does know about Shani. Mostly that Shani’s hot and feisty. Molly has inherited her late aunt’s failing horse ranch and she wants nothing to do with it. Shani lives on said ranch and very much wants to keep it above water. The two women butt heads (and other things) repeatedly. Will the ranch survive? Will their relationship survive?

Molly and Shani’s chemistry had me so excited! When Molly was torn between the ranch and her “normal” life, I was feeling the same way. You know where it’s going but you still see both sides. I love how our main characters got their dreams and didn’t hold back just because their friends or family didn’t agree with the choice.

I loved Love at first set and this was another great one. Excellent writing and descriptions.

Thank you for the opportunity

Look, I really liked the trappings of this book. A horse-y lesbian romance? Sign me right on up. But despite being a horse girl tween myself, I really didn't like this, and it's because all of the characters were so extremely self-centered. At one point, the main character's narcissism was so extreme that I was like...is this going to turn into a psychological thriller, actually? For example, the main character expects her best friend (and her wife) to drive two hours (both ways) like every weekend to help MC fix up a house. With no offer of payment or like any real semblance of appreciation. And then the friend's wife tries to call the MC on it and the basically just shrugs and it's dropped forever. So yeah, I didn't like the main character. I also didn't care for the love interest, the mom or the best friend because they were all also extremely caught up in their own stuff. It got to the point where it was hard for me to read and I debated DNFing (after the leaving at the bar thing because WHAT and WHO WOULD DO THAT), but I did manage to finish it. Tyler and Lochlin can stay. 1 star - I didn't like it.

This was my first book by this author, but it won't be my last. Very good writing and interesting story.

Molly inherits basically a farm from her estranged aunt and thinks its a blessing in disguise. If she sells it, she could pay off her student loans, move out of her mother's house and start up her own business, but what she doesn't expect is Shania, the farrier on her aunt's farm, who has a chip on her shoulder when Molly inherits it and not her.

They do not get along and there's a lot of back and forth.. Nice to each, mean and etc. You don't know exactly what Shania is thinking as it's all in Molly's POV. I enjoyed the writing and the setting, but I disliked Molly's mom and best friend, Nat They seemed to know what was best for Molly and didn't let her make her own decisions. It was hard to like Molly at first as well as she was a whiny, wimp of a girl who let everyone walk all over her.

I wished we got more of a resolution with Nat and Molly's mom instead of just a gloss over. Overall, I will read another book by this author. I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

For a romance novel, it was beyond difficult to believe that the main characters were actually falling in love with each other. I really like Jennifer Dugan, but my recent reads of hers have fallen very flat. I didn't really care about any of the characters, let alone care about their romance.

This was a really fun read! If you're looking for a sapphic romance set on a farm, this is probably as good as it gets! I really liked the main character, and found her to be super relatable! Definitely worth checking out!

very cute :D the horse peeps will love this one. and i def loved this one :D miscommunication is annoying, but it was more than made up for by the sweetness.

This is a cute rom-com meet ugly with cowgirls and big city girls. I liked the characters and plot, the tropes were treated in a fun, almost fourth wall-esque way, which was funny. I wished the background was a little more in depth, but I liked the character growth and the romance was sweet and spicy!

What a wonderful story? Molly and Shani under unusual circumstances. Molly inherits. a horse rant from her aunt Christina. Molly. is car between 7 the ranch and staying at the ranch. Shani Is a farrier on the ranch. I found the plot very good. As each character tries. to find herself one. also dealing with many emotional and financial problems. Molly. Has to try to find herself and grow up while Shani Has to overcome problems while she was growing up and trust issues. I recommend this book for all who like delightful romance.

Picture hallmark romcom with actual real life problems. This book is about Molly who is in a rut in life, working as a barista while trying to fulfill her dreams to be an event planner when she unexpectedly inherits a farm from a long lost aunt. Along with the farm comes its tenant and Farrier, Shani, who is rough around the edges, but with good reason. Shani was taken in by Christina, Molly’s aunt, at a young age and took care of her in her dying days. Shani struggles to accept Molly as the new owner considering she always expected to inherit the farm. These two have to figure out how to work together to take care of the farm but disagree what should happen to it in the future. While working in close proximity they start to have feelings for each other which complicates Mollys decision to stay or sell.



Pros: queer main characters with a storyline that has nothing to do with them coming out or any adversity around their queerness, really likeable characters (for the most part), addresses realistic issues such as financial problems and relationship history, quaint setting with great descriptions, excellent pace and chapter lengths (small exception listed below), and spoiler - a happy ending!



Cons: I found this book a touch hard to get into however around chapter 4 things really picked up! I struggled with the best friend, Kat, and the ending for her and Molly. I felt like the book ending somewhat abruptly, I would’ve loved to have a short epilogue, maybe 5 years in the future or something.



Overall I found this book really fun to read with a cute story and relatable problems! Jennifer Dugan does it again!

“I saw a tweet once that said “women are rehabilitation centers for men”. I can’t help but notice that it didn’t say anything about whether it’s cool if we’re rehabilitation centers for hot queer farriers..”

Thank you to NetGalley & the Author for this Advanced Reader Copy.

3 ⭐️

I want to preface this by saying I am a horse girl so while my expectations for equine related books are higher than a reader with no prior experience — I also do not expect everything to be 1000% accurate.

I feel as if the story itself, the plot was very cute. A popular trope in the authors style that takes the FMC out of the city and into a very unfamiliar environment. This is where the laughs came from in my opinion. As a “horse girl” I’ve seen people stumbled their way through trying to understand horses and usually includes lessons learned the hard way like the book showed.

Now, there was 5 different times I almost DNF’d the book due to getting the “ick” for a few reasons. The absolute miscommunication between both FMC’s is maddening. It made it feel as though the story was dragging because of something that could be solved with one full conversation. Also, the way Molly treats Nat (her very loyal best friend) is a big turn off for me for obvious reasons. AT LEAST, that’s what I thought until we get to the end where Nat does Molly very dirty leading to a big— you guessed it MISCOMMUNICATION.

It’s a cute story, LGBTQIA+ centered, includes a diverse array of characters and has a happy ending. I think that there are going to be readers who absolutely LOVE the story, I unfortunately am just eager to be able to mark it as read.

This was such a fun read! While the plot was certainly similar to others I’ve read before— our struggling MC inherits a horse farm from an estranged aunt and must learn to work with the other staff— I still enjoyed reading it. Molly and Shani’s rivalry turned slow burn turned love story had me kicking my feet. Had the feel of a hallmark movie with spice!

Sadly, I was unable to finish this book. Even though I love small town romances, there was something about this book that I just couldn't get into. The amount of character miscommunication annoyed me; it's one of my least favorite tropes, and it was really frustrating.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this.