A cool concept and a cute story.

I would have loved this more if the usual dumb romcom barriers weren’t inserted so hamfistedly.
Avery was a great heroine and I loved her development and growth as she discovered herself and her heritage, but unfortunately Lucas was not as well developed and I needed more depth from him.
But I’m super happy to read a book with Native American characters written by a Native American author, those parts seemed so authentic and the cultural aspects were inserted so organically I loved them.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the arc, these opinions are unbiased.

Love Is a War Song is a charming opposites-attract rom-com packed with culture, redemption, and sizzling chemistry. Avery Fox, a disgraced Muscogee pop star, finds herself at her grandmother’s ranch, where she clashes with the brooding cowboy Lucas Iron Eyes. Forced to work together to save the ranch, their reluctant partnership turns into an unexpected connection.

Danica Nava beautifully weaves themes of identity, belonging, and second chances into a heartfelt story with witty banter and emotional depth. While some moments feel predictable, the romance is electric, and the journey of self-discovery is compelling. A must-read for fans of forced proximity and slow-burn tension!

I really enjoyed this sophomore novel by Nava! She has such a way with internal character voices and really knows how to write nuanced female characters growing into themselves. I had hoped that Avery would grow a bit more and be able to truly stand up to her mom during the course of this book, but you can tell that she's going to keep growing so much in the coming years. My true only complaint is that I wish the book had taken place over a longer timeline. I wish Avery had been at the ranch for the whole summer and not a single month. I think that we could have seen so much more growth and connection between not just Avery and Lucas, but also between Avery and Lottie (maybe even between Avery and Hattie, too). Overall, though, this was a charming fish out of water celebrity/normal person romance that will be a great edition to your shelf!

If you live for the nostalgia of childhood movies like Hannah Montana the way I do, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!!!! A story filled with hilarity, heart, and an exploration of identity, Danica Nava’s cowboy x pop star romance is the perfect addition to the 2025 lineup of music centered love stories that I’ve been falling in love with 🥹

Avery Fox, childhood actor turned musician, finds herself in the eye of public scrutiny after her attempt to make a statement in a feather warbonnet on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine receives backlash. With nowhere else to turn, Avery hides out at her estranged grandmother Lottie’s horse ranch in Oklahoma- a place she’s never been, filled with family she’s never met. The perfect opportunity to get to know the Muscogee heritage she’s been accused of faking, Avery bides her time working on the ranch as she attempts to connect with a past she spent a lifetime in the dark about.

Between Lottie’s refusal to talk about what caused the decades long rift between her and Avery’s mother, and Lucas Iron Eyes, the (VERY attractive) ranch manager who hates everything Avery stands for, Avery struggles to find her way. When it comes to light that Lottie’s ranch is facing the threat of closure, Avery and Lucas must put aside their differences in order to save her family legacy.

One thing I love about Danica’s writing is the way she centers community and the idea that the mistakes you make are not the sum of your identity in her stories. Avery spent her entire life being told what to do and who she was, and her time in Oklahoma gave her a chance to step back and define that for herself. Despite the obstacles she faced, Avery still showed up each day, willing to learn more about life she missed out on as a child. The fact that the Broken Arrow community
embraced Avery, never making her feel like an outsider despite the world’s insistence that she doesn’t belong, made me incredibly happy to see 💚

AND LUCAS???? I LOVED their interactions so much, and the way he taught her little things about his life on the ranch despite his negative preconceptions of her. The way they fell into each other slowly as the story went on, even with their clear attraction to each other being immediate, felt like the perfect pacing for the story 🫶🏽

As one of my favorite reads of the year, this cements Danica as an autobuy author for me!

This was a beautiful exploration of culture and identity. I loved watching Avery grow to love and appreciate her heritage, while building tension and chemistry with Lucas. It was sprinkled with lighthearted, humorous moments and made me feel like I really knew the characters. I love a grumpy/sunshine trope as well. Can't wait to recommend this one!

Love is a War Song is a heartwarming romance by Danica Nava. I enjoyed the characters, Avery and Lucas, and the play on the Western/cowboy/Native American theme. I liked that Avery's journey involved learning about and connecting with her culture and her family and that her social media disgrace was not a downfall, but a new beginning.

The romance was lovely, but I think I connected more with the romance in Nava's last book, The Truth According to Ember.

Thoughtful explorations of identity are surfacing more and more in today's books and I am here for it. This felt a little "young" for adult readers (re: tone, not age of protags) but it was a pleasant and enjoyable read.

First of all- this cover is absolutely stunning.

Also, I loved Nava's first novel so I had high expectations for this one and it did not disappoint. I will happily read every book she writes.

Ok, here is my review:

Pop star and actress Avery Fox is on the brink of superstardom when an ill-advised magazine cover where she’s styled in a feathered headdress incites intense public backlash and accusations of cultural appropriation despite her indigenous heritage. Facing cancellation and receiving death threats, her mother sends her to her grandmother's horse ranch in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma to lay low until the controversy dies down. The problem is that Avery has never met anyone in her family and she knows nothing about the Muskogee culture her mother was raised in.

As she begins to connect with her culture and family for the first time, she finds herself fiercely drawn to Lucas Iron Eyes, a handsome but surly ranch hand. But they both know that this is just a temporary stop in her high profile celebrity life, making a future together impossible.

This grumpy sunshine romance is set wonderfully in a scenic small western town and offers plenty of laugh out loud moments balanced with tender scenes, and is rounded out with a cast of loveable characters. Readers will fall hard for Nava’s steamy romcom brimming with themes of family, community, belonging, and Native representation.

As a former horse girl, there is a special place in my heart for any romance that features horses, especially when the MMC is great with them! So obviously when I realized Danica wrote a pop princess meets horse ranch cowboy, I was immediately interested.

Pop star Avery Fox makes some pretty big mistakes thanks to bad guidance from her team and her own naiveté and finds herself unceremoniously shipped out to her grandmother’s ranch in Oklahoma to wait out the media storm. I really liked how Danica handled this and showed how complicated it can be for indigenous folks to navigate their own heritage in the modern era when so many aren’t necessarily close to their culture through community for one reason or another. Avery’s mistakes are cringe-worthy, yes, but you quickly see and understand what led to those choices. There’s also some great commentary embedded in her arc on child entertainment stars and how hard they work / what they go through when they’re really just kids.

Needless to say, when she arrives in Oklahoma, Avery is more than a little bit spoiled and lot out of touch with her heritage. Lucas, our resident hot cowboy, is thoroughly unimpressed and doesn’t hold back on letting her know how he feels. Yet as they work together and get to know each other, they also begin to understand each other. The slow burn of the romance perfectly suited the story, and I am ALWAYS going to be a sucker for “oh no we’re caught in a storm we must take shelter together” trope. (That it’s Oklahoma and tornado weather just makes my stormchaser heart a little extra happy!)

I enjoyed the cultural aspects of this book and that the book touched on the continued conversation of what being indigenous means. This book also touched on some of the contentious conversations that happen around Native heritage. The romance component was solid and hit all the check boxes.

While I did feel all the emotions while reading this novel, the romance felt more like lust than love. I never really felt the chemistry or deep bond between Avery and Lucas.

I liked the message of how you can make mistakes but can learn from them and grow. Avery's character arc felt authentic in that she had great intentions to learn more about her family and heritage and used her musical gifts to make others and herself happy. Her decisions at the end of the novel didn't feel quite right to me with how she wanted her career to proceed.

I enjoyed life on the ranch and the horses--and the comedic happenings that came with Avery learning how to take care of the horses as well as cook meals for hungry ranch hands. At times it felt like things were moving too slowly and other times I needed more emotional depth when events were glossed over. Thank you to NetGalley for my digital review copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I enjoyed Danica Nava's first book, and was excited to be approved for this one. It did not disappoint. I found the characters likable and the pacing good. I also enjoyed the insight into Indigenous culture.

I want to thank NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for allowing me the opportunity to read an ARC of Love Is a War Song.

Another great book by author Danica Nava, who gives insight into Indigenous culture.

Love Is a War Song paints a vivid picture of a pop star's life (FMC, Avery Fox), and towing the line between Hollywood and what it means to be Native American in today's cancel culture.

Avery finds herself on her family's ranch and meeting her grandma for the first time, all the while, learning what it means to be Indigenous and being apart of a family for the first time.

AND, we cannot forget about Lucas Iron Eyes (MMC), the hot ranch-hand who loaths everything Avery represents.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and I loved the dynamic between Avery and Lucas. You get a little bit of everything with this book - great banter, fake dating, and found family.

I loved every minute with Avery and Lucas!

When Muskogee pop star Avery is canceled, she is sent to reclaim her roots on a horse farm in Oklahoma. She isn’t expecting to fall for the thoughtful, kind stable hand, Lucas who has found refuge at Red Fox Ranch since he moved there as a teen. She isn’t staying and he isn’t interested… right?

This thoughtful, moving sophomore romance from Danica Nava shows us all what’s truly important.

Thank you to Berkley for an early copy!

Another rom-com indigenous rep from Danica Nava had be snickering to myself on multiple occasions. Due to the controversy and constant public eye Avery had to disappear until things cooled down. She went back to her roots to the Muscogee reservation in Oklahoma where she met her family for the first time. She was taught how to be a “real Indian”. Here is where she met Lucas a cowboy who worked at the ranch her grandma owned. It was here where she finally found her real self, fell in love, and found her true family.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this ARC for a honest review.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for providing a DRC of this title for review.

Fun and breezy romance, perfect for our readers in their cowboy era. Avery read fairly young to me-- which she was, at only 23-- so I could almost see this being more targeted toward the very upper YA/NA crowd. Regardless, I still really enjoyed it, and look forward to reading what Nava writes next!

5/5

Danica Nava is a relatively new to me author but I now need every book written by her on my desk immediately. Love is a War Song, her sophomore novel, follows Avery Fox, a Native American pop singer who flees to the ranch of the grandmother she’s never met after coming under fire for an insensitive photoshoot and music video. Avery has never met anyone in her family after being raised alone by her mother, but this vacation from the public eye provides her the chance to learn her family history and Muscogee identity. Unfortunately, there’s Lucas Iron Eyes, the man in charge of her grandmother’s ranch and the one person who cannot stand her or her music. Love is a War Song is a romance all about second chances and the fallible nature of first impressions. It’s about building your community and home even when you’ve never had one to begin with. The romance that blossoms between Lucas and Avery is truly heartfelt —stemming from two people who initially met with judgment actively working to unlearn those predisposed beliefs. Alongside the romance, Avery confronts the hurt she caused the greater indigenous community through her music video and magazine cover while becoming acquainted with the Muscogee community in Broken Arrow. Danica Nava addresses a host of issues in this romance from the entertainment industry, to cancel culture, and indigenous stereotypes, and all felt grounded in the story and its place. Danica Nava leaves her mark with this outstanding romance and I eagerly await what she writes next.

I love that this story is both funny and heartfelt. There's a popstar and a ranch. hits all the beats. Adored.

This book was such a delightful read! From the very first page, I found myself completely immersed in the story. The writing was so approachable and warm, making it easy to connect with the characters and the plot. I loved how the book felt both inviting and engaging, without ever being too complex or hard to follow. It was just the right mix of comfort and intrigue, and I truly enjoyed every moment of it. It’s a wonderful read that I’d happily recommend to anyone looking for a heartwarming escape!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an ARC of this novel. All opinions are honest and my own.

This was one of my most anticipated 2025 releases, and I literally screamed when I got approved for an arc.

I *loved* Danica Nava’s debut novel - The Truth According to Ember.

But, the truth is, I think I loved this one even more!

This book gives you:

Grumpy/sunshine
Fish out of water
Cowboy/pop star
Only one bed
Indigenous representation

The characters, setting, chemistry, and emotional punch this book gave me were all top notch.

And did you know that you can even listen to Avery Fox’s hit single (Warrior Tonight) from the book?!

PUB DATE: July 22, 2025

SUGGESTED SNACK PAIRING: scrambled eggs with wild onions*

“‘We're makin' scrambled eggs with wild onions.’ He pulled out the whole carton of eggs from the fridge. ‘Get a bowl and whisk.
Consider this lesson three, we love our wild onions.’”

*I couldn’t find wild onions, so I used green onions which some people online said are an acceptable substitution

Triggers: sexual content, cultural appropriation, drug use (off page, in the past), injury detail, animal abuse (off page, in the past), abandonment