This was a really enjoyable book! I loved the focus on the theme park aspect and the MMC Gregory discovering the magic of it.
And the characters actually knew how to communicate!!!! I love that so much.
If you’re a theme park enthusiast, this book is definitely for you!

This one might be pretty niche in its appeal- as a major theme park fan, it was fun to connect the fictional parks and situations in this one with the sometimes extremely obvious inspiration- but it was charming and a lot of fun to read.

Theme parks! Roller coasters! Cinnamon Buns! And Lands of Legend!

Thrill Ride is a witty rom-com full of theme park adventures, roller coaster rides, and sweet treats. The characters are charming and endearing. The story is delightfully clever and the tone lets you enjoy the romance as it unfolds amidst all kinds of beautifully described theme park and amusement park settings! This strikes a chord with adult theme park fans who will enjoy the incredibly detailed atmosphere. Charlotte makes a wonderful protagonist. A dreamer with an incredible work ethic, an eye for detail, and a sweet tooth! Gregory is a business-first kind of dude who has to be cajoled into letting his hair down. The story takes all the energy of a theme park whirlwind adventure, unlikely romance, and loveable characters to create a story that fills you with all the rush and warm feelings of a morning cinnamon roll and coffee with plenty of sugar!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this eARC!

Charlotte and Gregory’s story is sweet, but also so steady and real. I loved seeing elements of real life relationships and personal development throughout, and loved getting a look at the nuance of amusement park life!

The story was sweet, and a cute read overall.

pretty cute book with good vibes and strong ideas. the romance was nice but i think the amusement park theme was even better. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

This book was definitely more of a slow burn. While Charlotte showed attraction towards Gregory from the beginning their relationship didn’t really progress much until halfway through the book. However, if you’re a fan of theme parks and Disney then you would definitely appreciate all the details in this book about “Lands”. The book talks a lot about different rides and themes and I can tell the author really enjoyed what they were writing about. I really liked Charlotte's passion for theme parks and for keeping the integrity of “Lands” but it also kind of confused me how she could be so passionate about it and mad at her cousin for wanting to bring in profits (admittedly not the right way) while she kept talking about wanting to go back to work for DreamUs and leaving as soon as she could. I think her passion also led me to not liking her character as much because it led her to being very impulsive and made her seem a little immature. She was quick to being accusatory to people whenever she suspected something and she would not handle it very appropriately especially with her cousin. Overall she is a very happy person and she does clearly care about what she does and I like that she wanted to show Gregory how to have fun I just wish she handled situations better. Also her ex-boyfriend was also mentioned a lot considering how terrible of a boyfriend he seemed to be. On the other hand Gregory definitely started off as one of those suits who come in not really knowing much about the project and theme parks in general but he did have a good attitude about things which was nice. I would have loved to get his point of view especially in the beginning because we only see their interactions from her perspective and there weren’t that many but I think he's really sweet and I genuinely really like his character. I really like the way he shows interest in her and defends her as the book goes on. I think their relationship in the second half of the book was much cuter. If you stick to the book it does get cuter but the beginning is definitely a bit slow.

This is a fun romcom. It's almost summer and so a fun read about a renewed Theme park and a super fun romance was just what I needed to see me out of the winter doldrums.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amy Ratcliffe and Kensington publishing for the early copy.

The cover drew me in right away and hadn't yet read a romance that involves a theme park as a setting! This was a cute rom com, but I definitely felt like the romance was a subplot rather than being in the forefront.

I did enjoy the characters and felt that they were very relatable in their flaws, and story development. Charlotte was a fun character and loved how she came into her own after losing her dream job and dealing with a cheating ex at the beginning of the book. Gregory was cute but definitely had me concerned that he's never ridden a rollercoaster 🤣.

I definitely could feel the authors love of theme parks and all things geek, as she was super descriptive and laid out great visual foundations. There were moments when I felt like I could smell candy floss or hear a carousel in head, which was great as it brought my own fun memories of theme parks.

I wish I loved it more because it had all the right elements to make it a great romance read, but it fell short.

A cute workplace romance debut that takes place at an amusement park. This was good on audio and perfect for fans of Julie Olivia's Honeywood series. I enjoyed this one a lot but there wasn't anything spectacular about it for me. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

As a self-professed theme park fan — though by no means an expert — I’ve been looking forward to Amy Ratcliffe’s novel Thrill Ride for a while! A romance novel set at a theme park? Way to combine my interests like this!

The story follows Charlotte, a theme park afficionado whose family owns and operates Lands of Legend, a park in Ohio, and who grew up going to and working at the park. After losing her job at DreamUs, a massive theme park in Orlando where she worked behind the scenes on the development side, she returns home where she works to help her aunt and uncle save their struggling park. Enter Gregory, whose family owns a venture capitalist firm that invests in small businesses. Gregory, who doesn’t get theme parks the way Charlotte does, and who is unfortunately very cute.

This book is extremely sweet, and a lot of fun. It left me feeling giddy at the end, both because of how much I liked Charlotte and Gregory’s relationship — and while not heavy on the angst, the bit of angst we did get is the kind that appeals to me so specifically — and how clear it is that Ratcliffe is sharing her love of theme parks with us all. It also felt a little bittersweet, watching Charlotte fight to save her local theme park from corporate interests, and fighting to keep the coherent theme, when my local theme park succumbed to corporate nonsense so long ago that it’s no longer what it used to be. But I digress. Thrill Ride was just a delight from start to finish, and i highly recommend it!

Thrill Ride is out March 25. Special thank you to Kensington Books for the advance copy for review purposes.

4.5 rounded up. This book was a fun ode to theme parks and the joy and nostalgia that comes with going to them as adults. It’s always great when characters have unique jobs. It’s obviously Disney coded, in the best way possible. I loved getting a peek behind the curtain, so to speak, and resonated with why Charlotte loves Dreamland so much. Her relationship with Gregory and gentle prodding to make him fall in love with theme parks was adorable. Some scenes had me truly cry laughing. Anyone who is a Disney adult or grew up going to theme parks is going to enjoy this book!

Thank you to Kensington Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions!

Thanks to Kensington books and the author for providing me with an ARC. I had to request this book when I saw the premise. Why?! Well, this book is for all you theme park lovers who believe in magic and the memories that can be made in your favorite parks. I had a good time with this book. Charlotte is the FMC looking to find her path in life after finding her boyfriend cheated on her and getting laid off from her dream job in a matter of a few months. She’s now back home in Ohio and working at her family’s theme park, Lands of Legend. This park sounds ridiculously cute. It’s so lovingly described in this book that I could practically see the stained glass, hear the dragon breathing, and smell the cinnamon rolls. Her aunt and uncle worked hard to create something special but the park is struggling and needs a venture capitalist group to fund the creation of a new land with the hope it will bring back the crowds. After the cheating boyfriend the drama stayed pretty mild and readers will be gently moved through a story filled with a passionate theme park lover trying to teach the handsome investor the magic behind it all. Full disclosure, I am a theme park girlie and I was picking up everything Charlotte was putting down. She was me. Gregory was also a dreamboat with his forest ranger hidden in a suit energy. The story is being sold as a romance so there is going to be a happily ever after (after some twists and turns) but the main story was about the park. This is a closed door romance but Charlotte had some thoughts about Gregory that would make Snow White blush a bit.

I always have a problem connecting with third person narratives but I found that the writing style was easy to read and flowed well. There was a moment where I realized there were a lot of niche topics and sayings. Does anyone else have “blue sky” dreams? Anyone else know about that Doctor Who episode with Van Gogh? I mean I did… so this was perfect for me and if you are interested in theme parks visits, Kylo Ren (don’t tell me Gregory is not him) and the belief that joy can be found in a good snack then you will enjoy this book.

Romance and roller coasters, count me in!
Thank you to NetGalley, Amy Ratcliff, and Kensington Publishing | Kensington for a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

The Plot:
Charlotte was recently laid off from her dream job working as a creative director for a huge theme park conglomerate, DreamUs. Not only that, she also found out that her boyfriend was cheating on her at around the same time. Now she's back at home in Ohio working at her family's smaller theme park, Lands of Legend. With a possible investor lined up to finally help the park open its new themed area, Charlotte must put her opinions aside and help this investor see the magic in the park.

My Thoughts:
The Good:
I loved the attention to detail that Charlotte puts into the park. I'm not the biggest fan of Disney recently, but I am obsessed with their "imagineers" and all the thought that is put into theming. I felt this book did a good job with that. Reminded me a lot of the Disney "Keys to the Kingdom" tour. The author did a tremendous job at building the lands and I was fully immersed in it. I wish there was a real ride like Hydra's Fury or the Manta because they sounded awesome.
There was one quote that really stuck out to me in this book: "But there's a way to do it that makes it about the guest and what they'll feel and experience, and not just the IP for the sake of the IP." If this isn't my exact opinion of what is happening in big theme parks today. It is one of my biggest pet peeves. I love that Lands of Legend's mission statement is to keep originality alive.

The Bad:
Charlotte acts like a child and refuses to compromise. It is a business too and her failure to even attempt to see it as such was frustrating. One thing that really bothered me was Madmartigan, her cat. I love Willow (in fact, I'll be watching it again after reading this) but they say the name so much when the cat is in the scene. Charlotte's friend is only there for Charlotte's development and to help the get more insight to how Charlotte was feeling. I wish this was done in a different way.
Very small things, but I wanted to mentioned them either way.

Ultimately, this was a great read and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a fun romance.

Thank you to Kensington, NetGalley, and the author for an eARC of Thrill Ride. This is an honest review.

Thrill Ride is about Charlotte, a former theme park creative director and thrill ride enthusiast, who is currently between jobs and back in her hometown. A few months prior, Charlotte was laid off from her dream job and found out her boyfriend was cheating on her with her boss. Her aunt and uncle own a smaller scale theme park compared to the ones Charlotte is used to working for and she begins to assist them in the opening of a new section. Due to financial constraints, Charlotte's aunt, uncle, and cousin have decided to work with EverFund. Enter: Gregory, the face of EverFund for this particular project. He knows nothing about theme parks or amusement parks, but appears willing to learn. Charlotte makes it her mission to help him understand the workings of a theme park beyond the statistics.

This book did take me a little bit to get into mostly because there was a lot of information in the beginning with not as much dialogue. I started to really enjoy it once some more of the characters were introduced. As an adult who loves theme parks, I was instantly drawn to this premise. There is a lot going on behind the scenes and the author did a great job of pointing out some obstacles that not many people would realize would occur when building or running a theme park. Amy Ratcliffe had me wishing Legends of Land was real and the rides in Under the Waves sound so cool.

The relationship between Charlotte and Gregory is really cute. Both of the characters are a little awkward and they took time getting to know each other on a friend level. Both of the characters seemed mature (i.e. their age) and respectful of each other. Even the conflicts between the two seemed realistic.

Overall, this was a fun read and definitely makes me want to explore some new theme parks.

THRILL RIDE by Amy Ratcliffe is a love letter to Disney Adults. The protagonist, Charlotte, is a theme park designer, a sort of "imagination engineer," if you will. When an investment firm sends in an Adam Driver-looking exec to help save her family's local theme park, she butts heads with him while trying to preserve what makes her family's park special and avoid selling out. It's a lovely lightweight, low stakes, closed door romance.

Amy Ratcliffe is a journalist who has covered all things nerdy and theme park, and I have followed her work for years. I'm super excited she dipped her toe into romantic fiction, and I hope to see more from her! I received this advanced reader copy ebook from @netgalley and all opinions are my own. The book is officially out March 25!

“That's what a theme park could create.
It could open those portals to other realms by engaging with imagination and fantasy. Charlotte would later learn the importance of making a story people could live within, a theme park, instead of only watching the story like an amusement park. She wanted to spread more of that specialness into the world.”

I am a theme park girlie. An Orlando local and theme park frequenter, yes, but I also work for one of the theme parks that (I believe) Dreamland was based on. And this whole book, easter eggs and all, spoke to my theme park loving heart. But I don’t think you don’t have to be a total theme park nerd to enjoy this book! It’s a sweet story. Bringing someone into your niche interest world and sharing your passion for it is something incredibly vulnerable, and watching Charlotte and Gregory’s relationship build as they experienced theme parks together was heartwarming and real.

The only thing I think I would change is that I feel this story could have benefited from first person perspective as opposed to third person perspective, but it doesn’t make or break the book, it’s more of a personal preference. I think I would have connected to Charlotte even more if it had been first person.

Also, be prepared for this book to make you want to run out the door to wherever the nearest cinnamon bun location is and grab one ASAP.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book, and thank you Amy Ratcliffe for writing about my greatest niche interest. You nailed it. :)

I admit that, like Gregory, I didn't really know or think about the difference between theme and amusement parks before meeting Charlotte in this sweet romance. Charlotte, who grew up in the Land of Legends, has left her job (and her rotten ex) to come home only to discover that the park has serious financial issues. Gregory is the investor who might be able to help them but he's got a lot to learn (as did I). These two develop a nice relationship that might not surprise you but should make you smile. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Fun read.

I have to admit I was like Gregory in the beginning not knowing the difference between a theme park and an amusement park. The book was very educational, something too much so, which is the reason for 4 stars. Both characters were very lovable while being extremely different from each other. The love story did not feel forced or overly sped up. Gregory and Charlotte falling in love was almost natural and I was feeling along with Charlotte throughout the whole book.

Review on Goodreads March 18, 2025
Review on Instagram March 19, 2025

This was a sweet story. I really liked the way the relationship progressed between Charlotte and Gregory. They were coworkers to friends to more. I liked how Charlotte shared her knowledge about theme parks.

There were some things that were a bit predictable in the story. And some things that felt frustrating but I know were for the plot.

Overall an enjoyable and fun read.

Thx to Kensington for the early copy.

Charlotte Gates spent her childhood at her aunt and uncle’s theme park, Lands of Legend so it seemed natural that she would get a job designing thrill rides for a massive, global company. Yet her world comes crashing in when she is laid off and then finds her ex-boyfriend cheating on her with her boss. She returns to her hometown in Ohio to find that Lands of Legend is struggling and that it needs an investor to stay afloat. Enter Gregory Binns who not only doesn’t know the difference between a theme park and an amusement park, but he has never been on a roller coaster. Consequently, Charlotte is determined that he will experience the magic of the park. Soon Charlotte begins to see him in a new light when he begins to enjoy the park. However, with the possibility of returning to her old job, Charlotte must make a decision as to whether she will go back to her old life or begin a new one, with Gregory.
A light-hearted romance that read very much like a Hallmark story, both Gregory and Charlotte are inevitable as a couple. I did enjoy seeing their romance blossom as they began to realise that there is more to their feelings than just trying to make the theme park successful once again. What made this romance stand apart from the typical is that this was a couple who did communicate rather than thriving from misread situations. An enjoyable read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.