As a woman who has always craved for beautiful sapphic novels to be more popular, this one took the cake! I read this thanks to Netgalley! I also got a chance to receive a copy from the author herself which was so nice of her. The characters of these books are so so cute and I am a sucker for anything cowboy. If you're thinking about reading this book, stop what you're doing and read it ASAP!

This book was so cute. I definitely enjoy a grumpy/sunshine romance and being able to read a WLW romance is always a joy! The characters were all so easily relatable, and I really enjoyed the character growth with Molly. I don't really know anything about horses, farming, or rodeos, so I thought this was a fun glimpse into that world. I truly loved the aspect of found family, and the barn crew was such a loveable group of people from all backgrounds and orientations. It was refreshing and fun and one of my favorite aspects of the book. The slow but steamy romance and friendship between Molly and Shani kept me on my toes throughout the entire book. I loved the chemistry between Molly and Shani. From the very beginning I thought Nat was a horrible friend, and my thoughts were confirmed after learning she sabotaged Molly and Shani's relationship. The writing in this book was so captivating I had a hard time putting it down. At times the miscommunication was kind of annoying and both Shani and Molly’s unwillingness to listen to the other was concerning, the love between them really grabbed my attention. I also wish that we got some chapters from Shani's perspective. I think it would have made the book a little better to be able to get her perspective on things that happened. I think that all romances should be dual POV because it allows the reader to get inside both MC’s heads to see why they fell for each other and their thoughts and feelings. I did I feel like the ending was fairly sudden. I wanted to know the status of Molly’s relationships with her mother and Nat. I also really wanted to read more with Molly and Shani finally together and running the horse farm/event space. I was surprised there was no epilogue. I think this book really needed some sort of an epilogue. If you like Hallmark-y small town romance stories and are up for a cute sapphic version with lots of horses, this one's for you. Thank you to Jennifer Dugan, Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for sending me this book as an ARC. I look forward to reading more from Jennifer in the future.

✨ The Ride of Her Life by Jennifer Dugan ✨

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

Release Date: May 28th

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Collins for gifting me an ebook AND a physical ARC in exchange for an honest review!

When I saw the listing for a sapphic cowgirl romance with a bi FMC, I truly could not pass it up. This was SUCH a fun read - I loved Molly and Shani’s whirlwind rodeo romance.

The world of Christina’s Corrals and the characters within it were so fun to get to know, from the ragtag group of equestrians, to the horses themselves (who could forget Edward Cullen, the donkey?).

I loved how intimate and real the blossoming relationship between Molly and Shani, as well as both of the women coming into their own and learning their strengths in this book. My only critique of the book is that I wished we got more in depth with Shani and Molly - I love an HEA, but felt like we needed more work to get there, especially with the characters involved in the big conflicts.

This book hooked me in from the first chapter. I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

I loved the vibes of this book — the farm setting was cozy, the side characters were all really fleshed out and entertaining, and the central romance was so swoony and easy to root for. I appreciated that the book had genuine, not easily solved stakes that definitely kept the pace up and kept me engrossed as the romance grew.

Cowboy romances are all the rage right now, but what about a city girl/cowgirl romance? Let me tell you...it works. I really enjoyed this one, the love/hate relationship, Molly having to learn how to run a horse farm, the side characters. It was overall just a fun and humor filled book. The miscommunication trope I'm not a huge fan of but the way it happened worked for me. I wish we would've gotten more of their happily ever after, I felt like once they finally figured themselves out, the book was over. I think I would have loved it even more if it would have been dual POV, I think romances really work better that way. If you're in your cowboy/cowgirl romance era, love a good city girl moves to a farm, mid-twenties trying to figure life out story, then this is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a lovely read, not my favorite Jennifer Dugan but I’m not terribly interested in horses. The characters were interesting but I think some of the relationships between side characters could have been flushed out more.

I believe I may have a new WLW romance! Shani and Molly are the perfect enemies to lovers story. There is relatable emotion, Taylor Swift references, Mean Girls references, horses, character redemption and so much more. This book had me fully convinced I could live the farm girl life (even though I know deep down I wouldn’t last). I loved every second of this book! Thank you so much to Net Galley, Avon Books and Jennifer Dugan for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was a very fun book!

The Ride of Her Life follows Molly, an aspiring event planner turned barista, and her journey to achieve her dreams after she inherits a horse ranch from her estranged aunt.

The characters are great, the premise is fun, and the romance is very sweet. It was chock full of miscommunication, which was a big turnoff for me, but your mileage may vary. I also felt like the ending was really rushed and the book could have benefited from expanding on the last few chapters instead of the montage style we got.

Overall, this was a fun and lighthearted read! I would recommend this to someone who loves the classic Hallmark movie style with some spice sprinkled in.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC!

This is probably my favorite Jennifer Dugan book to date! Cowboy books are having their moment right now and I really enjoyed this one. I was a quasi-horse girlie growing up so I was excited to relearn things as Molly learned them. All of the characters played their part, although many of the side characters did not get fully fleshed out until the second half of the book. I am a sucker for a grumpy x sunshine and this definitely delivered.

I am not a huge fan of Dugan’s other books, but I was excited to read this one and I am glad I did. My only real gripe is that the ending felt very rushed. I wasn’t ready for it to be over and it felt like there were still some loose ends to be taken care of. I think one more chapter or an epilogue could have really rounded everything out and made this a 5-star for me.

Thank you, NetGalley and Avon HarperVoyager for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a classic RomCom through and through. A grumpy/sunshine classic. Shani and Mollys story was fun to follow. You will be on a roller coaster of emotions with this book. There is a lot of miss communication in this book which is very relatable to real life.


I did struggle a bit to relate to the characters. Molly the MC i had time relating to. The back and forth wore on me at times reading the book.


Thank you to Avon/Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This cute story followed Molly, the main character, and her journey in inheriting a horse farm from her estranged aunt. If a Hallmark movie could be a book it would be this one. I found the story to be enjoyable and I liked the pace if romantic devolpment. It was a quick but well written read that I really enjoyed. Some of the storylines were left a little underdeveloped, I was left wanting more between Molly's relationships with her mom and Nat. This book also contained a few spicy scenes and had a point where the couple had a discussion regarding consent that I thought was really important. As a lesbian in the agriculture community I thiught this story was really cute and would recommend it to others!

The Ride of Her Life is my first Jennifer Dugan read and I am hooked. We ride along with Molly as she inherits a horse stable and the prickly farrier who lives there, along with the friendly animals and quirky folks who board them. She knows nothing of horses or her estranged aunt who bequeathed her this little surprise. Her initial intention to sell is derailed by the unexpected happiness she finds while repairing the dilapidated property. A city girl fish out of water story with a predictable plot; it did have a bit of suspense and angst despite the formulaic miscommunication trope and third-act breakup. I didn't mind the first-person perspective and being in the MCs head for her story. At times frustrating, but overall, I found the characters relatable and the conflict believable. Pop culture references and style of speaking made me comfortable and immersed. I laughed a bit and felt like this one was an accurately tagged romcom. Good queer and BIPOC rep. The main character is bi. Competency and consent are sexy in this novel. And though our two love interests have a lot of baggage to work through, we are given a happy ending. It wasn't perfect but it was well-written and despite the predictability, this feel-good sapphic romance held my interest and kept me entertained. It was a quick read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Ride of Her Life by Jennifer Dugan follows Molly, a young barista/call center employee who is trying to figure out how to make her dreams work when she suddenly finds herself inheriting a small farm from an estranged aunt. Seeing it as a way to make some money to kick start her career, Molly quickly moves out to the farm to start to get some work done in the hopes that she can sell it within the next few months. But this is of course a romance novel, so things do not go to plan! Enter a small found family of horse riders, boarders, and a grumpy ( and hot) farrier, Molly must figure out herself and her future.
Molly is a 24-year-old disaster, and I loved her as I, myself, am a 24-year-old disaster. I really loved Molly and the journey she goes through to figure herself and her relationships out, and this is where I feel like this book was strongest. The relationships felt so real and focused on the idea that things need work.
SPOILERS AHEAD.
I loved that in the end, there wasn’t a big romantic reason around Molly inheriting the farm and that Molly didn’t just automatically make up with Shani, Nat and her mother and she sees where she herself needs to put in more work, but also where she deserves others to put in work too. I am really happy about the way that Molly and Shani ended, especially since I honestly wasn’t fully rooting for them the whole time. As a personal preference, lack of communication between characters annoys me to know end (its dramatic irony I know but still!!), and them both realizing where they were in the wrong and starting to figure out how to move forward felt so good!
My only real gripe with the book is that I think that the second half of the book is much stronger than the first half. The side characters really didn’t feel full and come into their own until the second half and only then could I really fall in love with them. I loved everyone in the little family at the farm and would have loved to see more of them in the first half.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing this ARC!

Sapphic cowboy romance a bit of a disappointment.

I was really excited to read The Ride of Her Life because I've been loving western/cowboy/cowgirl romances lately but sadly this one just did not hit the mark for me. I didn't connect with the first few chapters almost immediately and I was left feeling uninterested in what happened next. This one wasn't for me but if you liked Dugan's first book maybe check it out?

This isn't your typical city girl meets country girl. This book is more than just a romance novel. It's about finding happiness within yourself. Going after your dreams, even changing them when your needs change. Not relying on anyone else and pursing different career paths. Standing up for yourself when you know the decision is the right decision in your heart. I absolutely loved this book. Probably one of her best novels yet. Molly, a barista living in the city with her mother since her student loans are eating up her monthly salary (I mean, we all can understand that nowadays) is notified that her aunt Christina passed away and left her the house and whole farm. Intending to sell the place, she moves to the farm to fix things up until she meets Shani. Shani, a former barrell rider? whatever that means works and lives on the farm. When things don't necessarily go as planned, Molly and herself not seeing eye to eye, Molly's best friend Nat has more than enough to say. Nat is someone that is a dreamer when it comes to acting but doesn't agree with Molly's choice on keeping the farm. Things get intense between the two friends and between Molly and Shani, which keeps the story interesting. I was pulled in from the start and couldn't wait to see how this book ended. Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. I throughouly enjoyed reading this book.

I am the leader of the Jennifer Dugan cult. If Jennifer Dugan had 100 fans I am one of them. If Jennifer Dugan has 10 fans I am one of them. If Jennifer Dugan has 1 fan it’s me. If Jennifer Dugan has no fans I’m dead. Anyways the ride of her life is now added to the wonderful list of sapphic adult books to recommend and I absolutely adored it and I can’t wait for more Jennifer Dugan books!

Let me preface this by saying I am not a horse girl. When I first picked up this book i felt a little like Molly did. I wasn't really sure about the setting or the characters, but what I love about Jennifer Dugan's books is that I knew if I stuck with it I would fall in love with everything about it. And fall in love I did.
I was completely wrapped up in how Otis was doing, and how Molly could pull this off. More than that though I fell completely in love with Shani and Molly's relationship. These two beautifully flawed people found themselves and each other in the process.

I could not put this down once i really got into the story. I had to know what happened to the barn and its entire cast of misfit characters. The story was great, their relationship was messy and chaotic, but hot and perfect in it's own little misfit way. Pick this one up, you will love it.

Initially, I had a hard time getting into it. The miscommunication was frustrating. It was a quick read with some spice.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.