This is so not my style—a western?! —but is was fun! Hailie is clever and courageous, and she takes care of her little brother Boots, whatever it takes, as they travel west from the orphan’s home to find their father in the gold mines of Colorado.
Is this believable? Not at all. But still fun. I’d recommend it!

I love Sandra Dallas and her writing style. Her books draw me in from the beginning. Her historical fiction writing always teaches me something I don't remember learning about in school. Anything about American's going west always draws me in and this was no exception. I have to say I thought the ending was going to be predictable, but ended up surprising me. I loved all the friends her and her brother made along the way as well. Good story!

I enjoyed this! It felt a bit fantastical at times and I wish our main characters were a bit more developed, but I did enjoy the storyline and how well-described the Wild West felt. You really did feel as though you were along for the ride with the characters.

I think this might almost fall into a YA category or maybe it would have better reception if edited a bit to appeal to younger readers. I believe I would have loved reading it as a young girl looking up to the tough girl main character.

I really enjoyed this western tale mixed with Oregon Trail stories. While the lead character is a mere 14 years old, there are enough other characters for this to be treated as an adult fiction. Haidie and Boots--two siblings left at an orphanage by their older gambler brother at the death of their mother--setting out across the country to find their father--a gold miner who hasn't been in contact for years. It's a tale of adventure for sure with a rousing host of characters.

The two sisters were my fave characters outside of Haidie. :)
And I snickered at the reference to Theresa being "incorrigible". ;)

SUre the tale is unlikely. But it's fun with a rousing conclusion.

Two things--first off. The cover. Haidie has to cut her hair off and goes as a boy for 98% of the book. So having the long braid down the back doesn't match at all.

Secondly--there is a place near the end where they are plotting the final scheme--and Haidie is referred to as a girl by people who at that time still don't know she is a girl. So I hope the editors find that and fix it.

There is swearing G-D several times. And there are references to prostitution. And violent death of two characters in reference, not detail.

Just a solid 4 stars. Clever. Original characters.

*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC to review. All opinions are 100% my own.

I enjoyed reading a story about the West from the point of view of a female character. Women had different problems and challenges as exemplified in settling the West as many of the characters were unusually women! As much as I like reading about all the different female characters, the problem in the story and the resolution seemed to be too easily and perhaps not realistically solved. All in all, I enjoyed the main character, Haidie, a refreshingly honest and optimistic person despite the problems in the story. I would recommend this story to others.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s lighthearted and funny, but has some serious moments as well. I love the Colorado and US history. The characters are great and very diverse. It was a fast read. A good happy western that is not too heavy.

I loved this book! It was a rich story and Haidie was such an endearing protagonist. I don't often read historical fiction but I always love it when I do and reading this book makes me want to delve into that genre more!

The character’s voice in the first chapter was a little much and it took me awhile to get into it, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the glimpse into this time period as it’s not a time period I frequently read about. Haidie is a kick-ass heroine and I would love to hear more of her further adventures!

This was initially pitched to me as similar to Kristin Hamnah and this is an instance where I believe this did the author a disfavor. She does not write like Krostin Hannah and I went into this expecting something different.

However, the author is talented and writes a cozy frontier tale. It felt a little disbelievable - like a family-friendly watered down version of the danger and adventure of the trail..... but, it also felt warm and familiar.

The characters are quirky and colourful and an overall delight. There was humour and heart and righteous indignation to be found throughout. It wasn't a heavy read and felt like it might be appropriate for an audience who enjoys the rough side of frontier living a little censored.

Story of the American West. Haidie and her brother Boots are deemed orphans after their mother dies. Haidie's older brother who is a gambler puts them in an orphanage. She knows her father who left the family to find gold is still alive and wants to go West to find him. She and her brother escape the orphanage to find him. I loved this book, it's a story of determination and outwitting the sinners of the world.

Haidie Richards and her brother escape the orphanage to find their father out west. I really liked the many characters in the journey - the mule drivers, "spinster" sisters, gambler, and of course the ugly dog. Sandra Dallas did a great job showing the sense of community engendered by people working together. I'd recommend this great blend of historical fiction and western.

If there is such a thing as a Cozy Western, <i>Tough Luck</i> is the perfect example of it.

Haidie, a 14 year-old girl, is bound and determined to make her way to Denver after her mother dies - after all, her father went there to find gold and he must have - that’s why he stopped writing. He’s too busy being rich and successful. Along with her younger brother, Boots, Haidie sets off on her adventure out west in 1863 and meets all manner of people and finds herself in all manner of situations along the way - but all with a rose-tint over it.

I really - <i>really</i> - enjoyed Haidie as a character. She took no shit and would do anything to achieve her goals. However, I felt that she wasn’t fully developed as an MC; this was an issue I had with the other characters as well. Everyone was so vibrant, but they were just caricatures.

I felt the same way about the adventure - sure, Haidie et al. run into outlaws and Native Americans (called Indians in the book), have horses stolen and have to fight for their lives - but nothing ever felt actually dangerous. Haidie’s plot-armor jumped off the page, as did her brother’s. Nothing could happen to these characters because everything had to work out in the end.

And work out it did. To be honest, when I figured out everything was going to work out for Haidie and her family so neatly, I was a bit let down. It was all too perfect for any reality of the 19th century gold rushers and I couldn't suspend my disbelief by the end.

Still, this is a good story and one that is a perfect brain-break for readers. I love stories about women in the Old West, and I think Haidie has her place in that canon.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Another NetGalley read! This book was right up my alley, loved the depiction of traveling west and the point of view. It was an easy, fun read & I would recommend it!

I've been reading Sandra Dallas books for a long time so I was so excited to get an advanced copy of her newest. I read it so quickly because it captivated me from the very beginning. This book is just full of great characters and good story lines. The main character is very likeable and definitely had me rooting for her throughout the book. It made me laugh, cry and everything in between. Definitely did not disappoint! I highly recommend you pick it up. Sandra Dallas once again brought a great story full of wild adventures, heartbreak, and a little history all rolled up into one great book.

The tale of a fourteen year old girl who, disguised as a boy, escapes an orphanage with her little brother in tie. She joins a wagon train to Colorado in search of her father, who left 4 years ago for the gold rush. This was a solid 4 star read and I enjoyed the trials of the main character as she faced the challenge of being a female in the old West

In this first book I’ve read by Sandra Dallas, Tough Luck (St. Martin's Press 2025),  Haidie Richards and her brother, Boots, are orphaned when their father disappears and their mother dies. Their brother though eighteen doesn't feel capable of raising them--really, he'd rather pursue his gambling career--so stashes his siblings in an orphanage. That doesn’t suit Haidie. Despite being young, she is a talented planner and accomplished liar and figures out how to escape the orphanage and make their way across the country to the Colorado Territory where her father's last letter said he was mining gold. She faces down every challenge despite her youth in a clever and entertaining way, which makes for a delightful story of bravado and quick thinking with enough twists to satisfy any action lover. The characters are well developed and easy to like. The plot never slows or bores. For those intrigued by the expansion of America's Western frontier, especially that part powered by the hunt for gold, this is highly recommended.

Tough Luck by Sandra Dallas tells the story of Haidie and her brother Boots as they go west to search for their father after their mother dies. In 1863, adventure and mortal peril are a constant battle for the kids as they make grand friends along the way. The characters are full of grit and sass, you will enjoy meeting them as the story progresses.

I would recommend this book for all readers especially historical fiction readers who enjoy feeling immersed in a time period long past. I found the descriptions of traveling by wagon reminiscent of Little House on the Prairie and the main character is full of spunk, courage, and tenacity. This book explores the Wild West which makes it stand out as a different setting and time period for books out there today.

Thank you St.Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Old time western. Lots of fun characters and adventures.
We follow 14 yr old Haidie and her 10 yr old brother Boots across the rugged plains to Denver. We experience life on a Wagon Train, an Indian attack, bandits and gamblers.
But more wonderful people than bad.
Never a dull moment.
Cute, warm story.
I was given this ARC from St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I would say this is just an ok book. We jump right in and the writing style really threw me off. I understand what the author was doing with trying to write in the slang and tone the characters would’ve spoken in but man that was rough lol. Overall once you get into it, the story was pretty good. However I don’t think I would be recommending this book to anyone.