The Ride of Her Life

by Jennifer Dugan

Hot Girls and Heartbreak has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, LGBT, Queer, Contemporary, Fiction, Audiobook

1 pages, Audio CD

First published May 28, 2024

About the author

Jennifer Dugan is a writer, geek, and romantic who writes the kinds of stories she wishes she had growing up. In addition to being a young adult novelist, she is also the writer/creator of two indie comics. She lives in New York with her family, dogs, and an evil cat that is no doubt planning to take over the world.

Reviews

[ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

every single character in this book was INFURIATING, i wanted to bash all of their heads together. plus the instalove was insane. no thank u

[Sunny Lu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was solid but not mind blowing. The very very very obvious solution to the main character’s most pressing problems was incredibly frustrating, as well as the non resolution of the non-romantic relationship plotlines and developments, which I get is a setup for sequels and an extended series, but like I also feel like this book was too self referential to the genre of lesbian romance as well. Like the Taylor swift references and name dropping of Ashley herring Blake and Alexandra Bellefleur or whomever. It’s too self aware of being a lesbian romance novel. I also don’t appreciate the characterization of the lesbian best friend character in such a sort of demonized way, when she is the only character in this book explicitly named and identified as a lesbian. Our main character was also pretty frustrating as well, too much of a quirked up white girl millennial in so many ways. Shani is butch and hot though, which is always appreciated! The writing wasn’t terrible, and the side characters were all fun additions to this queer horse girl cowboy country world. Generally, I’d recommend this and maybe give it like a 3.5, but I’m just put off by this simplistic and spoon-fed nature of a romantic narrative in the contemporary romance genre, where the reader has nothing to gain in thinking more deeply about the plot than what’s already happening at the surface. But maybe that’s because I’m a Sally Rooney girl at heart!

[Emmaby Barton Grace]

a win for the gay horse girlies (me) i am v excited

[nikki | ཐི༏ཋྀ​​݁ ₊ ݁ .]

dnf @ 40%

as a horse girl i was SO excited for this, but i was disappointed. i wanted fun sapphic horse girl vibes but that's not what this gave 😪

molly inherits her late aunt's house and stables, but doesn't know a thing about horses. her plan is come in, clean it up, and sell it with zero concern for the horses or staff. she was really unlikeable for me, and the whole trope of clueless city girl who doesn't care about the stables and horses is not my taste. i would've liked the farrier's POV at least.

i honestly had to dnf after molly [small spoiler] gives a horse colic (which can be fatal) after feeding him an extra meal of grain. like girl why, there is a scheduled feeding you were told to follow. it INFURIATED me.

if you were planning to read this as a horse person, i don't really rec unless you enjoy the clueless city person POV.

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok so, I liked this one as a whole, but the constant miscommunication was not it. Like, these two would make peace for two seconds, then miscommunicate, then everything would be fine again, then another miscommunication episode would strike and this went on and on.

And the fact that so many things weren't resolved by the end...why?? Is this a standalone or is it supposed to be a series? If it's the former, then it's not doing a very good job!!

I was often anxious while listening to this book, whether it was because of the things mentioned above, or how bad Molly was at taking care of horses (or both), it wasn't as fun as it should've been. Like, I was sitting there thinking it's only a matter of time before she messes something up, lo and behold...

But I liked the romance, I did, the banter and the steamy scenes, and the cowboy hat scene, as well as the whole premise. Some of the side characters were great too, others not so much.

There's one side character who turns out to be the villain and I originally didn't have an issue with that (despite this book really not needing a villain), but reading some of the other reviews made me reconsider. That actually wasn't cool.

And I think Shani deserved better, and the T Swizzle references could've been toned down (I'm just not a fan of her music so it bugs me when it's so present in a book) just a smidge. But I don't regret picking this up.

3.5

[Stella 🍉 · Rating 3 out of 5]

IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR A GOOD SAPPHIC CONTEMPORARY ENEMIES TO LOVERS

3.5 stars, rounded down | I had a lot of mixed feelings while I was reading this book. The beginning was rough, but once Molly (our narrator) got on her feet, it was a lot more interesting. Overall, the characters were likable, and I did enjoy Shani and Molly’s dynamic. However, their nearly constant conflict was a little frustrating. I would have liked more of the previous plot points/characters to have been elaborated on, but overall, this was a very enjoyable read.

[Chloe · Rating 1 out of 5]

reading this book was like being psychologically tortured

[SJARR ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cure to my fomo! and Jennifer Dugan has my trust.
Everyone and their mamas have read and loved a westerny, farm/ranch romance.
I didn’t really feel like that was for me, so I have been avoiding them.
THEN i found THIS.

I am so happy with this.
The plot, these main characters, the grumpy x sunshine trope, everything.
I love it.

Jennifer Dugan loves to write a toxic main character.
But, this might actually be the first time I didn’t think either one of them was genuinely toxic.
Sure, they had some less-than-perfect moments! but Molly and Shani are honestly stuck in a corner, with circumstances that are out of their control.
I think they both had really valid feelings and responses to a lot of things that happened.

They are also.. adorable together! Like just really cute.
Random, but the hat scene made me a little giddy, and i knew in that moment they were meant for each other.

At the expense of fairly- healthy main characters, we do suffer with some self-centered and manipulative side characters. (It would be out of my nature to like too many characters in one book. And out of Dugans nature to write too many likable characters in one book)
my oh my, the way I so desperately wanted Nat to stop talking and exit this story immediately.
Talk about being like the worst friend in history. Ick.

This is still great though.

[Madalyn (Novel Ink) · Rating 4 out of 5]

despite the cheesy title, this ended up being an unexpected delight! i’m not usually a fan of western romances (although perhaps i just needed to read a sapphic one), but i DO love a hate-to-love romance, which i thought this book did really well. the setting and premise were both really fun, and i loved the little misfit found family molly was thrust into when she took over the barn. i also really liked shani as a love interest and felt bought into the romance despite the quick timeline.

the one critique i have is that, while the ending overall was satisfying and all the big things get resolved, there felt, to me, to be a lack of resolution in the molly’s relationships with her best friend and her mom.

overall, though, i had a blast reading this and couldn’t put it down! if you’re looking for a quick sapphic romance to blow through this summer, look no further. save a horse, ride a cowgirl, etc. 🤠

thank you to the publisher for sending a digital review copy my way via netgalley!

[Emé Stölting · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here's the thing: this book feels like the first and second halves were written by two completely different people.

And I was gonna rate this 3 stars for being a basic fun, fluffy romance, but there's some shit I just cannot let slide.

First up, the MC is a disaster bi. That's cool, we all know one. But the way that she looks at Shani is exceedingly male-gazey. Is that how bi women look at us? And it's not just an "I enjoy looking at hot people" thing because the way she fawns over Lochlan is completely different, like a straight girl would. Women are objects and men are valued for their abilities, confidence and swagger. It's creepy af.

Also, she treats Shani like she would a man. We've all had those dates with baby gays who just assume that they treat you as you would a boyfriend. She literally bakes her cookies. Multiple times. Flowers? Fuck no. And when you get the big confession of love, she equates Shani's emotional vulnerability (after much prodding, mind you) to men using their girlfriends as therapists. Shani is written as a dude with tits who can find a g-spot.

And can we talk about Lochlan? Gross. Again, lesbian perspective here, but his misogyny and predatory behaviour just had me retching and yet you have the MC gawking over him. But it's just excused because he's a closeted bi. At least you could have gone for Tyler who is significantly less disgusting.

But then you get to the second half and it feels like the book finally starts. In the first half, I had no idea why Shani would like the MC. She had zero redeeming qualities until the last quarter when she actually pulls off something worth admiration. But then everything feels rushed and the 3rd act breakup happens at the 90% mark.

And then the big reveal where it's her evil lesbian best friend trying to sabotage the innocent naïve bisexual's relationship is just so fucking lesbophobic. Like seriously. Can we please retire the "lesbians are evil" trope? Please. We don't live under the Hays code anymore and I'm so goddamn sick of being blamed for everything from bisexuals not feeling valid to TERFs. We might not want to hear about it, but we really don't care who you fuck.

I am grateful for a few things, however. Duggan doesn't portray rural life as some big queer fantasy where everyone is accepting and it's just those evil NY gays that are painting everyone with the same brush. No, it's actually homophobic AF. And even if a lot of the "straightness" is performative, it reinforces the narrative that rural places aren't for people like us. She has gotten significantly better at writing spice. But the pacing, the lesbophobia, the misogyny, and no real redeeming qualities for the MC just made this one a miss.

[Skylar Merrell · Rating 1 out of 5]

NOT CLAIMING THIS FOR THE SUMMER OF COWBOY ROMANCES!

Every character in this book is unlikable, there was no plot, and everyone is just like nasty to each other in this book for no reason aside from 2 people.

Ugh this had potential, but unfortunately reading this was anything but enjoyable.

[Manon (bookswithonno) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ughh I was enjoying this SO MUCH! The end of the story just wasn’t quite what I hoped it would be. I feel like a lot was rushed. This book has so much potential but it didn’t fully deliver.

From this point on, SPOILERS:
The fight between Molly’s mother and aunt was a large part of the plot but eventually the reason for the fight was explained only briefly. I needed more details. The end of the book left me wondering if Molly and her mom would be okay, as her mom never supported her plan of keeping the farm. Further, Molly suddenly got into a fight with her best friend and it was briefly brushed over with a “we’ll probably resolve this issue eventually because we have a lot of history”. I was also left wondering if Shani will ever come to terms with her brother leaving. Actually, I think Shani’s trauma deserved a lot more attention in the book. It was also discussed very briefly. I just wish the author had taken more time to properly work out these points, especially the ending.

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars for Ride of Her Life (audiobook) by Jennifer Dugan read by Lindsey Dorcus.

A young woman in crippling student loan debt inherits a horse farm. At first it seems like a joke but then she realizes that she can sell the place and set up her new life. But more time she spends there the more attached she becomes, particularly to one of the gals that works and lives there.

[Bee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really thought this was going to be good, but despite the mix of narcissism, sapphics, and horses it was not, the only reason I finished it was to see if it got worse and it did.

[Britt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Look, I really liked the trappings of this book. A horse-y lesbian romance? Sign me right on up. But despite being a horse girl tween myself, I really didn't like this, and it's because all of the characters were so extremely self-centered. At one point, the main character's narcissism was so extreme that I was like...is this going to turn into a psychological thriller, actually? For example, the main character expects her best friend (and her wife) to drive two hours (both ways) like every weekend to help MC fix up a house. With no offer of payment or like any real semblance of appreciation. And then the friend's wife tries to call the MC on it and then the MC basically just shrugs and it's dropped forever. So yeah, I didn't like the main character. I also didn't care for the love interest, the mom or the best friend because they were all also extremely caught up in their own stuff. It got to the point where it was hard for me to read and I debated DNFing (after the leaving at the bar thing because WHAT and WHO WOULD DO THAT), but I did manage to finish it. Tyler and Lochlin can stay. 1 star - I didn't like it.

[Anniek · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my 5th book by Jennifer Dugan, and most of them have been very middle of the road and unmemorable for me. I can already tell this will be the same. I did mostly enjoy this, but it also just didn't quite become as good as it could have been. So much of this left me wanting, and the main characters annoyed me a lot at times.

[lauraღ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You ever hear the phrase ‘wear the hat, ride the cowboy’?”

3.5 stars. Okay, so this frustrated me several times over, the MC is probably one of the most annoying characters on the planet, parts of it feel unfinished/unpolished and I don't really know who I'd recommend this to. But still. EYE liked it. The romance struck a chord with me in ways I didn't expect. Or maybe it's just that I found it really charming? I don't think this was especially deep. But I had a really fun time with it, and it was a really entertaining listen, when it came down to it. I unfortunately finished this several days ago, so there's a lot I don't remember, but I'll try to formulate a review.

Molly inherits a horse farm from her estranged aunt, and when she visits the place, she finds out that her aunt had an employee/mentee, Shani, who really expected that the place would have been left to her. So they immediately get off on the wrong foot. Molly is determined  to do whatever she needs to do so she can sell the place as quick as possible, and make some money to finance her event planning career. Things get complicated when she starts making friends, caring for the horses, and falling for Shani. The first big hurdle to me liking this book was Molly, the main character herself. I feel bad to say it, but her attitude was just kind of off-putting. The fact that she's immediately ready to sell, without thinking of how it will impact other people, did kinda put me off. She had to be clued into the fact that selling the place would be devastating for the people who house their horses there, and for Shani as an employee and someone who works there. And she was SO determined not to feel about about the fact that she inherited the place from her aunt (whom she hadn't talked to in YEARS) that it became annoying. Like, sorry, but it would have been okay to feel a liiiiittle bit guilty. I mean, I don't think Molly should be beating herself up constantly about her aunt leaving the pace to her, and not to the people who took care of her (the aunt), but the fact that Molly is so IMMEDIATELY determined to take this good piece of luck and not feel bad about it... idk, it left a bad taste in my mouth. Also she hid the fact that she was trying to sell for so long, which was just... a really unpleasant thing to do.

This is also a type of romance novel that has a villain, and I Never enjoy those. In this case, I enjoyed it even less, because of how it played into the third act conflict. It's true; I always say that I prefer external conflicts as opposed to miscommunication or misunderstandings for the couple's third act conflict. But this type of external conflict is so annoying. Basically, Molly's controlling best friend has been criticising her all book long, accusing her of falling too fast for Shani and letting her own dreams be subsumed by Shani. I expected Molly and Nat to talk things out at one point, because they needed to! Nat acts like an asshole sometimes, but Molly has done some uncool stuff too (leaving Nat at the bar with strangers). But there was no meaningful conversation, but Nat instigates the third act conflict by hiding Shani's letter from Molly, in a move that's so nonsensically evil I had to pause. Obviously Nat would have expected to get caught, right? Why would she have done something like that? This is the kind of caricaturish evil I get so annoyed by.

And IDK if I'm being sensitive or if this was actually shitty, but Nat was the only lesbian in a book full of queer people, so for her to turn out to be ~evil~ feels bad. Especially since there was no resolution. There was also no resolution for the stuff with MOlly's mom. I know real life doesn't always wrap up all conflicts and arguments in a timely fashion, but there were just certain things that could and should have happened, and not getting those resolutions felt like a copout.

Despite those flaws, and some other stuff I'm probably forgetting, I still really liked this, idk. The horse girl romance got to me. This is a single POV romance, which I really love; I LIKE the fact that Shani remained a little bit of a mystery to us, and yet the author was able to fully convince me that she really fell for Molly. I really liked the scenes where they took care of the horses (though it was painful to see Molly fuck up). Molly baking her apologies was really cute. Their bickering in the first half wasn't appealing to me, but in the second half, it came together in a way I really liked. Usually I don't love when the love interest pulls pranks on the main character, but Shani teases Molly in a way I found SO cute; I was giggling at the scene in the bar, when Molly realised what the hat meant. I really enjoyed most of the side characters; I almost wish Tyler and Lochlan had played more significant roles, but I was happy with what we saw of them. The ending was very predictable, and I was surprised that Molly hadn't thought for certain things earlier, but I guess it's more satisfying if she realises what to do with the ranch at a Pivotal Moment. The sex scenes were sweet and hot at the same time. Aaaaaand... I'm sad that I didn't take many notes of the things I liked, because this review seems kinda one-sided now. But I truly did like this a lot more than I disliked it.

Listened to the audiobook as read by Lindsey Dorcus, which definitely helped my enjoyment. She has a voice that I'll always love, and she was a perfect fit for Molly's slight disaster girl vibes, and all the little humourous bits. I definitely liked this better than my first book from this author. I almost wonder if she has plans to return to this universe and these characters, and perhaps give certain characters more development, give us some closure with other characters? Or maybe not; this does read like a standalone. I'll be fine either way. I really enjoyed Molly and Shani's romance.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ride of Her Life BY Jennifer Dugan is an endearing and delightful queer romance filled with family drama and friendships that aren't always perfect. I loved the uniqueness of this enemies-to-lovers grumpy/sunshine storyline, and I felt like I learned something about horse barns and the rodeo along the way. It felt like a bit of déjà vu reading about a rodeo in this book after recently finishing Homebound, and I am learning how much I love cowboy/cowgirl-esque romances (and can I just mention the cowboy hat scene? 🤠😈). This book made me laugh and put tears in my eyes in equal measure, and I loved the time I spent with the characters.

The audiobook was also a treat to listen to with Lindsey Dorcus as the narrator and I would highly recommend this route! She felt oh-so-perfect to be the voice of Molly and listening to her was about as entertaining as the actual book was. The relationship that blooms between Molly and Shani didn't come without some hills to climb, and at certain times I had to side-eye Molly's friend Nat for some of the choices she made while she was supposedly supporting Molly. Dugan did a great job showing the highs and lows of family, friendships, and love and gave us an ending I adored. I will definitely be checking out more of her backlist and future titles!

[cerys · Rating 2 out of 5]

if someone ever asks ‘why do so many people dislike the miscommunication trope so much’, give them this book! i felt like molly and shani were in constant conflict with zero chemistry behind it, and all of their arguments could have been solved with one conversation.
i liked molly’s character and the way she developed and stood on her own two feet, but shani just didn’t give me the same energy, and i can’t back a relationship when i don’t like half of the couple.
also nat?! what the hell happened to nat?! surely there should have been an epilogue with them sorting things out?! im just infuriated by the whole thing.

[heleenethebookaholic]

DNF @ 45%

it wasn't a bad book by any means but it was just going so slowly for me, maybe I'll give it another chance in the future

[Gaby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had never read a sapphic cowgirl/western romance before this, so I was really excited to pick up The Ride of Her Life. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

My biggest issue with the book is the constant conflict. Everyone was always fighting, and there were so many miscommunications that it was hard for me to feel anything other than anxious about the love story. It also didn't help that Molly (MC and narrator) would make decisions without realizing that sometimes things were bigger than her (don't want to spoil but there's a big issue that arises at the end that stems from this).

I did, however, appreciate the community that Molly created and enjoyed seeing the progression of that. The narrative voice is funny, though a little too contemporary for me (TikTok and the pandemic were referenced one too many times), and definitely earned this book a spot in the romantic comedy genre.

Overall, I didn't love The Ride of Her Life but would recommend to fans of western romances and the miscommunication trope.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

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. Thank you to Goodreads and Avon for the physical giveaway copy I received.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super fun, fish out of water, opposites attract Sapphic romance that sees bisexual city girl, Molly, inheriting a run-down farm from her estranged aunt only to find herself getting off on the wrong heel with her lesbian tenant/horse expert/ferrier, Shani.

There was lots of great chemistry between the two female leads, I loved seeing Molly blunder her way through adjusting to life on a farm and falling in love with both it and Shani. I think this is one of my new favs by Jennifer Dugan and it was also great on audio narrated by Lindsey Dorcus!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. Highly recommended for fans of Schitt's Creek or authors like Ashley Herring Blake. A great choice for Pride Month and that cover is just too cute!


Steam level: some spicy/open door scenes

[Dilayra Verbrugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spicy cowboy romance but make it sapphic!
Grumpy x sunshine trope.
This was a fun quick read that got better after the first few chapters. It wasn't mind blowing but I also wasn't bored!

[X]

DNF @ the end of ch. 7. This was Not For Me - the baking + horse stuff just doesn’t do it for me, and I was getting more and more impatient that Molly hadn’t taken the time to crunch the numbers… which I realize is a) not something she has the skill set for/would know to do, and b) extremely not the point of this romcom… but still!

[alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

gagged is too simple of a word… the messiest book i’ve read in a long time. rounding up to 4 rn but just know in another timeline it would have been a 3. WE NEEDED MORE, JENNIFER DUGAN. give her 100 more pages i need to see what was supposed to happen.

[Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's a yeenah for me

[Audra :) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I very strongly disliked every single character and did not even realize it was set in New York until page 177

[Minke Schipper · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was rough. The book is supposed to be portraying the ✨innocent girl from the big city on a farm✨. But omg, it was painful to read how naive she was and how little knowledge she seems to have about literally everything. She is supposed to have a degree in event planning, but it never shows anywhere that she has any idea of business. And of course! It all miraculously is saved by the end and she suddenly can do things? All the answers are annoyingly in her face but not in a cute foreshadowing way.
And omggg, the crying?! Why was there crying every chapter?
The relationship development wat kinda cute but a bit tiring…

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ate this up!! But also it’s gay cowboys, so are we surprised? No.

The banter was decent and there was the wide cast of characters to root for. I also feel there were attempts to highlight complicated issues in the horse community (impact of COVID, lack of spaces for POC riders, etc.), and while those could’ve gotten more development, I appreciated what they added to the story.

My usual gripe with contemporary romance remains tried and true: too many gratuitous pop culture references!! It makes me cringe, it gives me the ick, I am swallowing my nausea. Also some parts of this were so…millennial-humor coded and I…would like less of that, please and thanks.

I also struggled with parts of Molly’s character. While I do think she was fleshed out in the beginning, my main issue lies in that her emotional arc was so entangled with her relationship to Shani. And I think the same thing can definitely be said in uno reverse, ergo in regard to Shani’s character outside of her romance with Molly. Dugan gave us scraps and hints of these serious and even traumatized parts of Shani’s character and then didn’t give them the full attention and unpacking that I wanted.

I need my romance books to have arcs beyond the romantic relationships, and while I do think the ending brought forth more of a separate/personal arc for Molly, it didn’t feel separate enough. And part of that might be due to the lack of a wrap up in her storyline with Nat/her mom. Idk. I struggle to criticize bc I don’t know how I would go about making those changes, but I’m also not the author so grain of salt.

Also the last scene ends so abruptly that it almost feels a lil absurd, I don’t think it fits as a finale to this story. HEA achieved but at what cost? Right idea, wrong bitch in terms of execution lol.

However! “Wear the hat, ride the cowboy” will go down in history as one of the most iconic lil scenes/moments, my jaw was on the floor and I could’ve given a standing ovation once I realized where that was going lmao.