I really really enjoyed this. I loved the grumpy x sunshine clumsy girl trope I really adored that goals were allowed to change. I could not stand the sabotaging best friend and I wanted to punch her. I loved that everyone was a fully fleshed out character that stood outside of the core romance. Dugan does not miss and I will be reccomending this to everyone that walks in my store

I think this might be my favorite book I've read so far from this author. I really enjoyed the way Molly was able to find community, love, and make a home for herself by the end of the story. Although the solution to all of her problems seemed obvious to me from the get-go, I was still satisfied to see how it panned out. I admit I was a little bit annoyed by the way some of the characters acted at times, such as Nat insisting she knew what was best for Molly, and Molly's mom acting the way she was, as well as Molly and Shani constantly pulling away and coming back together. Overall though, I enjoyed seeing Molly and Shani's story play out, and watching Molly figure out what she wanted for her future. I'd give it a solid 4/5 stars.

Molly's lifelong dream of starting her own wedding planning company remains elusive amid barista and call center jobs and the burden of student loans. Unexpectedly inheriting a dilapidated horse barn from her late aunt, Molly finds herself unprepared to run it. However, as she contemplates selling the land for much-needed seed money, she discovers the potential for a business miracle. Despite initial struggles, Molly forms a bond with the barn's unique makeshift family and develops a connection with the aunt she never truly knew.

This sapphic romance caters to horse enthusiasts, delivering genuine farm vibes with a well-executed sunshine/grump and enemies-to-lovers dynamic. While the plot follows a predictable trajectory, communication challenges among characters may be a source of frustration for some readers. Despite initial reservations about Molly's character, her growth and confrontation of toxic influences add depth to the narrative.

Special thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley & Avon Books for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Molly has always dreamed of starting her own wedding planning company. But that’s all it is– a dream. By day she works as a barista in the city and by night, a call center worker. She’s doing everything she can to scrape by and save for her future business, but it’s not looking good. Then suddenly, she receives word that her estranged aunt has passed away and she’s named in the will. Molly heads to the memorial, thinking she must have inherited a new pair of boots and that it’ll be good to get out of the city for a few hours. Instead, she’s handed the keys to her aunt’s horse farm. And it comes with a stunning farrier named Shani who is very upset with this turn of events. Obviously the best (and only) thing to do in this situation is sell the farm, use the money to jumpstart her business, and get far away from the extremely beautiful Shani. Because Molly doesn’t know the first thing about horses or running a farm and although she’s attracted to Shani from the moment they first meet, Shani hates her. Right?

As Molly spends time at the farm to fix it up to sell, she grows closer to the barn boarders who rallied around her aunt in her final months. She starts to like them a lot and learns more about horses and, as time goes on, Shani starts to open up to her. In fact, Molly almost thinks Shani is flirting with her…

I loved this story. As a somewhat country girl who studied agriculture before moving to the city, this book brought me back to good times. I’m such a fan of the way Molly and Shani’s relationship developed. I loved the found family that Molly found at the barn and how they helped her truly find herself. I was waiting for most of the book for Molly to realize she could have her wedding business and the farm by turning it into an event space, but she got there in the end. No thanks to Nat, of course. My favorite character of all though, was Shani. I’m obsessed with her hard-working cowgirl personality and I lived for the moments when she got jealous!

I’d definitely recommend The Ride of Her Life to someone looking for a fun & easy sapphic country girl-city girl romance with a lovely cast of characters.

I really liked the premise of this, because I always enjoy a good fish out of water story. I just kinda felt like I was reading about a ping pong match with how much Molly kept changing her mind during the course of the book. Plus the miscommunication with Shani throughout was pretty frustrating. I found myself wishing to read more about Lochlin and Tyler’s love story instead.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a fast and enjoyable read, though I found myself enjoying the moments about finding yourself and event planning more that the actual relationship. The miscommunication was pretty exhausting with how often it came up and how much it directed the story and I didn't feel like there was any strong chemistry. However, the hat moment was everything to me, and I will be thinking about it forever.

Thanks for the ARC NetGalley! Title alone made me want to read this. This is a city girl who inherits a farm and falls in love with it. There’s lots of sweetness and it was tons of fun!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an early copy of this book.
Rating- 3.75

I had a lot of fun with this book! I was in the mood for a country romance, and this certainly delivered. The opposites-attract, enemies-to-lovers plot is always enjoyable, and I think the author did a good job capturing that angst and tension.

The character development between Molly and Shani was there and touched on, there just seemed to be some moments that I wished we got a little more exploration and showing, rather than telling. There were conversations and situations that could have been really beautiful if they were shown just a little more, but overall, their impact was still effective.

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. While there were moments when I wish we got a little more exploration into the relationships and conflict- specifically Nat and Kiki- I do think that there were some really beautiful moments of friendship and connection.

Reading Molly and Shani's relationship unfold was relatable at times, slightly frustrating at others. I am never really a fan of miscommunication, and that was a minor trope between the two that wasn't my cup of tea, but others might really enjoy!

Overall, this was a quick and fun romance read that I think fans of Delilah Green Doesn't Care and One Last Stop would enjoy. Aside from a few plot points that could have been explored more, I liked this book and am eager to check out more by the author.

A cute sapphic rom com by Jennifer Dugan, who often writes cute sapphic rom coms. I don’t think this is a life changing one for me, but it was genuinely a pretty good time and I’d recommend it to others. I don’t think I’m a cowboy rom-com person. But if you’ve liked Jennifer Dugan in the past, you’ll like this just as much! I think my favorite Jennifer Dugan has been her horror/thriller.

Quirky, light, and entertaining, Jennifer Dugan brings another fun queer rom com to the shelves. Great for fans of cowboy / western romances.

Jennifer Dugan writes fun and funny stories, and this book is no exception. A great cast of characters, sharp wit banter, and a story line I immediately invested in had me turning the pages.
Molly just wants to start her event planning business, but student loan debt and the daily grind have her working as a barista instead. Then she inherits a horse barn from her estranged aunt, throwing her head first into a world she knows nothing about. Selling the property would give her seed money to start her business, but the many people who depend on the barn - including the ridiculously hot farrier Shani who shoots daggers from her eyes - have her second guessing this plan. As she sticks around and starts learning the ropes, and getting to know the people, she gets more and more unsure what is the right thing to do. And the white hot sparks between her and Shani aren't making it any easier.
Along with Molly, I entered a world of horses that I knew nothing about, and loved the ride. All the characters seemed real and flawed in a way that made me want to know them, and the story lines were complex enough to lend good structure to the narrative without dragging. I would recommend to anyone who likes a little snark, a lot of flirting, and grumpy/sunshine vibes.

Such a fabulous romance. It was sweet, funny, poignant, spicy, and all around a great time. Highly recommend for readers that enjoy spicy Sapphic romantic comedies. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley, I was able to read this incredibly adorable story about second chances and standing up to people around you! The Ride of Her Life follows Molly, a barista and aspiring wedding planner who inherited her late aunt's stable farm, and Shani, the resident caretaker of the farm and family friend, as they work together to save the farm they both know (and come to) love.

The writing in this book was so captivating I had a hard time putting it down. While at times the miscommunication was a bit annoying and the main characters unwillingness to listen concerning, it was the love between the two characters that really grabbed my attention. I could see myself within the main character and truly I wish the book had lasted longer so I didn’t have to put it down afterwards!

Unfortunately a DNF for me. The characters just weren’t doing it for me, especially Shani. I understand what the author was trying to do but she felt overly rude for no good reason.

Who doesn't love a little country music. This is such a sweet read and perfect for the summertime. Would defiantly recommend this for readers who are exploring LGBTQIA+ literature.

As a horse girl, I knew immediately that I wanted to read this book, Unfortunately, I didn´t like it.
Firstly, I didn´t feel the chemistry between Molly and Shani. Molly seemed in love with Shani very quickly, they had barely spoken with each other, not in a friendly way at least, when Molly for the first time considered staying at the farm.
I also didn´t like Molly. And I understand that she knows nothing about horses and that she didn´t asked to receive the farm. BUT her non existent knowledge about horses is dangerous. Horses are living creatures! And she only seems to be thinking about herself and how she is affected by Christina´s decision. Sure, she does care about Shani. But then she doesn´t think about how her own decision will affect the other people on the farm, only Shani. I spend majority of the book being annoyed at Molly.

Molly is living an unremarkable life working two unfulfilling jobs, living with her mother, and pining for the day she can start an event planning company. When Molly’s estranged aunt dies and leaves her a horse barn and a house, she initially has dollar signs in her eyes until she starts to have feelings for the hot farrier.

Molly decided to avoid most of her problems, and she also didn’t have anyone that was actually listening to her or considering anything aside from what they wanted from her. It was frustrating that more than 80% of the book had passed before Molly thought about running events on the property. It took entirely too long to get to that point on her own. She was all over the place for most of the book. The whole dynamic was exhausting.

Molly did not have a supportive circle. Nat and her mom were constantly pressuring her to get back to her crappy life in closer proximity to them when it was obvious she was hesitating. Her mother was using her for emotional support and companionship. It seemed like an unhealthy relationship from the start. Her mother’s reason for cutting Christina out was childish. I was not a fan of Nat either. She was not a good friend, and the way things were left between her and Molly at the end of the book didn’t serve any purpose. Nat chided Molly and put her on the defensive in nearly every conversation once it was clear Molly was wavering on her decision to sell.

Shani was also a mess. She’d been raised by Christina and shifted into a primary caregiver role by the end of her life. Living rent free in a house on the property and boarding her horse there made her a little too dependent on Molly after Christina’s death, and while she offered to help get the business back to a profitable state nothing was discussed or accomplished.

Molly was not a strong enough character to keep the plot moving on her own, and no one else stepped up to the plate.

3.5 ⭐️

Molly is down in her luck. Trying to make it in the city, juggling two part time jobs, student loans, and trying to start her own event planning company! She has the support and guidance of her college friend, Nat, and she has her mom— who by the way, she is currently living with.

Even living at home with her mom, Molly is just scraping by when she gets new of her estranged aunt’s passing. Molly is stunned to learn that her aunt has left her the only real asset she had- Christina’s Corrals, a sprawling property with a barn and two homes. Molly’s plan to quickly unload the property for cash is complicated when she meets the beautiful but angry Shani.

I loved and hated this story in equal measure!! The cast of characters were diverse, and all of them so likable (even grumpy Shani). The “I hated this” really came from the tension of miscommunication after miscommunication between Molly and Shani, leaving you asking will they or won’t they???! Also, I was so disappointed by the character of Nat. She was meant to be Molly’s best friend and mentor of sorts— she supported Molly when she came out as Bisexual, and as a lesbian with loved experience helped her to navigate dating and such in queer spaces. I was hoping for wholesome friendship and unyielding support. Instead I found her whiny, unsupportive, and downright mean at times :(


Overall: 4 ⭐️/ 1.5 🌶️

THE RIDE OF HER LIFE was such a fun, fast-paced read! When readers first meet Molly McDaniel, she's stuck working multiple jobs while dreaming of becoming a wedding event planner. When she discovers she's inherited a struggling horse farm, thanks to her estranged late aunt, Molly's entire world turns upside down—surely she can't run a barn! She quickly comes up with a plan to sell it in order to finally pay off her student loans and start her own business. Sounds foolproof...but Molly certainly didn't plan for finding community, friendship, and maybe even love on the run-down farm. Can she pursue her future while also listening to her heart?

I really enjoyed this book! Dugan does such a great job of developing the farm setting—I found it so interesting and immersive to read about. I also liked the romance between Molly and Shani, the resident farrier (and love interest!), but especially enjoyed the development Molly undergoes as a character, how she learns to make her own decisions and stand up for herself. My only real complaint is that I felt like the ending was a little abrupt, and would have liked more closure on certain relationships/friendships Molly had and just the story overall. Otherwise, I'd recommend this one! Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley, HarperCollins Publishers, & Jennifer Dugan for the eARC of The Ride of Her Life in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I wanted to throw my kindle across the room multiple times - in a good way? Despite this book having the dreaded 3rd act breakup moment, I couldn’t put it down. The story is fast paced and a fun (yet frustrating!) read. This was my first book by Jennifer Dugan and I’ll definitely be on the look out for more from her in the future. The miscommunication between the characters and the very OBVIOUS solution to the MC’s issues made me want to pull out my hair BUT the author was able to evoke strong emotions so I enjoyed it.

I was super excited to read this one. Grumpy sunshine is always a favorite as is fish out of water. Unfortunately, I couldn't get past my dislike of the mc.

Molly inherits her aunt's house ranch and plans to sell it so that she can start her event planning business. That is completely understandable, but she doesn't communicate her plans well to the people who live here. She spent a lot of time worrying what people would think of her, and it prevented her from giving people the notice they needed.

I also felt like she had a lot of unhealthy relationships in her life, and I didn't feel like she went far enough to correct those. She decided to make decisions for herself but she still hoped to make up with everyone who had been problematic in her life. I would have liked to see her grow more. Additionally, this felt more like naive and resentful than grumpy sunshine.

I know some people don't mind disliking the main characters and if that is you then you may love this one. I don't think it was poorly written or plotted I just didn't enjoy the main character and the character growth she accomplished.

🌶️🌶️ - This book has one detailed spicy scene and a few other fade to black scenes