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By the Bootstraps
A cowboy romance enthusiast discovers that everything’s bigger in Texas—even love—in this swoony novel from beloved author Alexa Martin.
Fueled by a love of romance novels, Luna Starr was destined for a life with her head in the clouds. Her delusional tendencies serve her well…or at least they used to. When life throws her a curveball, she decides it’s time to turn her cowboy fantasies into reality and purchases a tiny farm in Celestial, Texas. After all, don’t all heroines try to outrun grief?
Tate Jacobs hates cowboys, which is a small problem, considering his family happens to own the largest ranch in Celestial. Life might not have gone the way he wanted, but as head coach at his old high school and the town’s best (and only) handyman, he’s figured out how to stay busy and keep his head down—until the new girl in town shows up. Luna’s new property is a bad accident waiting to happen unless someone helps her with her DIY home renovations.
As Tate and Luna spend more time together fixing up her house, unexpected feelings and undeniable chemistry bubble to the surface. Luna might’ve moved to Celestial to make her cowboy dreams come true, but somewhere beneath the vast Texas skies, she discovers that love in the real world can be far better than she imagined.
Fueled by a love of romance novels, Luna Starr was destined for a life with her head in the clouds. Her delusional tendencies serve her well…or at least they used to. When life throws her a curveball, she decides it’s time to turn her cowboy fantasies into reality and purchases a tiny farm in Celestial, Texas. After all, don’t all heroines try to outrun grief?
Tate Jacobs hates cowboys, which is a small problem, considering his family happens to own the largest ranch in Celestial. Life might not have gone the way he wanted, but as head coach at his old high school and the town’s best (and only) handyman, he’s figured out how to stay busy and keep his head down—until the new girl in town shows up. Luna’s new property is a bad accident waiting to happen unless someone helps her with her DIY home renovations.
As Tate and Luna spend more time together fixing up her house, unexpected feelings and undeniable chemistry bubble to the surface. Luna might’ve moved to Celestial to make her cowboy dreams come true, but somewhere beneath the vast Texas skies, she discovers that love in the real world can be far better than she imagined.
400 pages, Paperback
First published May 26, 2026
About the author
Alexa Martin
9 books2,306 followersAlexa Martin is a writer and stay at home mom. She lives in Colorado with her husband, a former NFL player who now coaches at the high school where they met, their four children, and a German Shepherd. When she's not telling her kids to put their shoes on...again, you can find her catching up with her latest book boyfriend or on Pinterest pinning meals she'll probably never make. Her first book, Intercepted, was inspired by the eight years she spent as an NFL wife.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 197 reviews
May 7, 2026
This was cute and swoony with plenty of emotional depth.
The small-town is bursting with cute characters, friends, and family. This book is a great setup for future books and I honestly REALLY want Silas’s romance asap.
This book feels a bit more small-town WITH cowboys rather than a cowboy romance, if that makes sense? BUT I think future books (esp if they feature the rest of the siblings) will be heavier on the cowboy. I love seeing more bipoc cowboys and hope this is only the beginning!
Set in small-town (central?) Texas and as someone who previously lived in small-town Texas this feels like a rosier but accurate representation! I LOVE that the author didn’t shy away from talking about the Texas heat and sun!
Whats to love…
- small town with cowboys
- football coach + new in town fmc
- exploration of grief
- complicated family dynamics
- adorable animal companions
- bookish FMC
What might not work for some…
- At times it felt like the FMC was trying really hard to convince the reader she was a “girl's girl” (her words not mine) but then she’d have an internal thought that (imho) conflicted with that sentiment. I’m not sure I would have noticed as much if it wasn’t for the pop culture and particular phrasing used often.
| IG | TikTok |
Thank you Berkley for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
The small-town is bursting with cute characters, friends, and family. This book is a great setup for future books and I honestly REALLY want Silas’s romance asap.
This book feels a bit more small-town WITH cowboys rather than a cowboy romance, if that makes sense? BUT I think future books (esp if they feature the rest of the siblings) will be heavier on the cowboy. I love seeing more bipoc cowboys and hope this is only the beginning!
Set in small-town (central?) Texas and as someone who previously lived in small-town Texas this feels like a rosier but accurate representation! I LOVE that the author didn’t shy away from talking about the Texas heat and sun!
Whats to love…
- small town with cowboys
- football coach + new in town fmc
- exploration of grief
- complicated family dynamics
- adorable animal companions
- bookish FMC
What might not work for some…
- At times it felt like the FMC was trying really hard to convince the reader she was a “girl's girl” (her words not mine) but then she’d have an internal thought that (imho) conflicted with that sentiment. I’m not sure I would have noticed as much if it wasn’t for the pop culture and particular phrasing used often.
| IG | TikTok |
Thank you Berkley for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.
October 27, 2025
I always know my joy is safe in Alexa Martin’s hands, but By the Bootstraps builds an entire world for it. I never knew I needed the Texas cowboy version of Gilmore girls, but apparently wherever Alexa leads I will follow and happily!
September 28, 2025
Black. Cowboys. Need I say more?
But in all seriousness, Alexa’s newest is so full of heart and character.
But in all seriousness, Alexa’s newest is so full of heart and character.
June 2, 2026
4.5/5 stars
I am a big Alexa Martin fan. I have read all of her books. I just love them so much. I was so happy that football played a big part of this story. Alexa can write football so perfectly (since her husband played in the NFL).
This is a contemporary romance set in the small town of Celestial Texas. It is a Cowboy Romance meets Friday Night Lights (football).
The book is about 30 year old Luna who moves to a small town. This is a female POV only book. The book focuses a lot on her grief and healing. The book starts with a bit of a love triangle as there are two men that like her.
There are a lot of elements that I really liked about this book. I loved how female friendships were highlighted. I loved the home improvement aspect. And I really enjoyed the found family.
The book features fun tropes like grumpy/sunshine and forced proximity. I really enjoyed this small town so much. The romance was really good. And I loved seeing cowboys and football integrated into the book. Overall it was an enjoyable read.
Audiobook thoughts:
I also listened to parts of the book. The audiobook is narrated by Nicole Cash. This is my first time listening to Nicole. She is so good. Her voice is so smooth and comforting. I really loved her portrayal of Luna.
Unfortunately I didn’t love her male/main character voice. The male characters are from Texas and it was decided to do Southern accents. I get why this was done. But as a listener to me it’s more important for it to sound good. I just didn’t love the way the dialogue between the couple sounded, which is a shame because I truly thought that Nicole Cash was amazing doing the female voices. I’m anxious to listen to her again.
Thank you to Berkley Romance and netgalley for allowing me to read this book.
I am a big Alexa Martin fan. I have read all of her books. I just love them so much. I was so happy that football played a big part of this story. Alexa can write football so perfectly (since her husband played in the NFL).
This is a contemporary romance set in the small town of Celestial Texas. It is a Cowboy Romance meets Friday Night Lights (football).
The book is about 30 year old Luna who moves to a small town. This is a female POV only book. The book focuses a lot on her grief and healing. The book starts with a bit of a love triangle as there are two men that like her.
There are a lot of elements that I really liked about this book. I loved how female friendships were highlighted. I loved the home improvement aspect. And I really enjoyed the found family.
The book features fun tropes like grumpy/sunshine and forced proximity. I really enjoyed this small town so much. The romance was really good. And I loved seeing cowboys and football integrated into the book. Overall it was an enjoyable read.
Audiobook thoughts:
I also listened to parts of the book. The audiobook is narrated by Nicole Cash. This is my first time listening to Nicole. She is so good. Her voice is so smooth and comforting. I really loved her portrayal of Luna.
Unfortunately I didn’t love her male/main character voice. The male characters are from Texas and it was decided to do Southern accents. I get why this was done. But as a listener to me it’s more important for it to sound good. I just didn’t love the way the dialogue between the couple sounded, which is a shame because I truly thought that Nicole Cash was amazing doing the female voices. I’m anxious to listen to her again.
Thank you to Berkley Romance and netgalley for allowing me to read this book.
June 12, 2026
Absolutely incredible. I am obsessed with this book. This was one of my first cowboy romances and it was such a special read. First the writing was really good. I felt like I was there with the characters living in their small town. Second the characters were so multi dimensional. I loved they were flawed in the most relatable ways, I loved their rich histories and how you could see how it shaped them in their relationship with each other, I loved watching them grow together through it. And who doesn’t love a cowboy.
The rodeo scenes had me blushing and fanning myself because oh my gosh. I will officially be looking out for more of Alexa Martins books going forward.
The rodeo scenes had me blushing and fanning myself because oh my gosh. I will officially be looking out for more of Alexa Martins books going forward.
May 25, 2026
4.5✨
My goodness, By the Bootstraps is a total delight! I was positively charmed! I begrudgingly live in Texas, but this book had me daydreaming of an idyllic Texan small town with the perfect view of stars and hot cowboys. Wait! Hot handymen slash football coaches slash cowboys! I want to live out my own romance book right this very second! I just adored this one. It's so feel good while also carefully tending to grief and navigating forgiveness. Making this a book that brings all the heart along with its many swoons.
This is the story of the fabulously named Luna Starr who moves to Texas, specifically Celestial, Texas, to begin anew. And maaaaybe to find her own cowboy trope to live out in real life. And can you blame her?! Especially when the cowboy (albeit reluctantly) comes in the form of local football coach and handyman Tate, who along with his parents and siblings own the largest ranch. And happen to be neighbors to Luna. Yep, yep, this romance is going to bring all the swoons!
I loved, loved, looooved being in Luna's head. She had me in stitches at times, she's so full of sincere excitement, contagious whimsy, and hopeful dreams. But she is also full of grief and pain she hasn't quite navigated through. Grief of losing her mother, far before the actual death. Grief mixed with a relief that guilts and a pain she doesn't quite want to expand upon, not just yet. While she knows her big move may seem and may be in part an effort to run away from said grief, it's also exactly what she needs. And where she belongs. She's fierce in her resolution and dreams, absolutely fierce. Fierce in courage to pick up and start again the way she does. Sure, there are things she needs to confront, but her move isn't cowardice in my eyes, it's sheer bravery. It's facing the unknown with a dream, a grin, and a bit of pink sparkle. Luna is someone I effortlessly rooted for because loving her is so easy! This book is simply stated: one heck of a gorgeous dream. One I wish for myself but one I'm so glad to see Luna realize for herself.
Especially given the friends and romance she finds along the way! She has a true best friend back home in Colorado, but I adored how she made a fabulous girl (and knitting!) group in her new home. I love how she's also such a girl's girl! The friendship born in this book is the exact type we should all strive for. As is the gorgeous romance between Luna and Tate. Tate also has much to confront in his personal life, specifically the root cause of what created a divide between himself against his brother and father. There's a sort of grief there as well, not in a physical loss but in an emotional one in having a much loved familial bond grow distant. I so wished for Tate's POV, and truly, I had the very best time with Luna every single step of the way, but I also really wished we could have followed Tate's. I wanted to get into his head and see that growth from that perspective, but I love how the initial hot-and-cold connection with Luna sees a total defrosting as Tate becomes more vulnerable and open with Luna. She helps him to open up and does the same in turn, creating a mutual safe space. Their relationship checks off all I love in a romance, primarily a an electric chemistry and genuine emotional intimacy.
The best time! I had the very best time reading this charmer of a book!
Thank you Berkley Romance and NetGalley for this complimentary eARC, I leave this honest review voluntarily.
My goodness, By the Bootstraps is a total delight! I was positively charmed! I begrudgingly live in Texas, but this book had me daydreaming of an idyllic Texan small town with the perfect view of stars and hot cowboys. Wait! Hot handymen slash football coaches slash cowboys! I want to live out my own romance book right this very second! I just adored this one. It's so feel good while also carefully tending to grief and navigating forgiveness. Making this a book that brings all the heart along with its many swoons.
This is the story of the fabulously named Luna Starr who moves to Texas, specifically Celestial, Texas, to begin anew. And maaaaybe to find her own cowboy trope to live out in real life. And can you blame her?! Especially when the cowboy (albeit reluctantly) comes in the form of local football coach and handyman Tate, who along with his parents and siblings own the largest ranch. And happen to be neighbors to Luna. Yep, yep, this romance is going to bring all the swoons!
I loved, loved, looooved being in Luna's head. She had me in stitches at times, she's so full of sincere excitement, contagious whimsy, and hopeful dreams. But she is also full of grief and pain she hasn't quite navigated through. Grief of losing her mother, far before the actual death. Grief mixed with a relief that guilts and a pain she doesn't quite want to expand upon, not just yet. While she knows her big move may seem and may be in part an effort to run away from said grief, it's also exactly what she needs. And where she belongs. She's fierce in her resolution and dreams, absolutely fierce. Fierce in courage to pick up and start again the way she does. Sure, there are things she needs to confront, but her move isn't cowardice in my eyes, it's sheer bravery. It's facing the unknown with a dream, a grin, and a bit of pink sparkle. Luna is someone I effortlessly rooted for because loving her is so easy! This book is simply stated: one heck of a gorgeous dream. One I wish for myself but one I'm so glad to see Luna realize for herself.
Especially given the friends and romance she finds along the way! She has a true best friend back home in Colorado, but I adored how she made a fabulous girl (and knitting!) group in her new home. I love how she's also such a girl's girl! The friendship born in this book is the exact type we should all strive for. As is the gorgeous romance between Luna and Tate. Tate also has much to confront in his personal life, specifically the root cause of what created a divide between himself against his brother and father. There's a sort of grief there as well, not in a physical loss but in an emotional one in having a much loved familial bond grow distant. I so wished for Tate's POV, and truly, I had the very best time with Luna every single step of the way, but I also really wished we could have followed Tate's. I wanted to get into his head and see that growth from that perspective, but I love how the initial hot-and-cold connection with Luna sees a total defrosting as Tate becomes more vulnerable and open with Luna. She helps him to open up and does the same in turn, creating a mutual safe space. Their relationship checks off all I love in a romance, primarily a an electric chemistry and genuine emotional intimacy.
The best time! I had the very best time reading this charmer of a book!
Thank you Berkley Romance and NetGalley for this complimentary eARC, I leave this honest review voluntarily.
April 18, 2026
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
By the Bootstraps by Alexa Martin is so much more than a romance; it is a vibrant, epic tale of a woman finding herself as she rebuilds her life and heals grief. Set against a perfectly realized backdrop of small-town Texas, where football and cowboy cultures collide, the story follows Luna as she attempts to rebuild her life from the ground up.
While the chemistry and banter are top-tier, the true heart of this book lies in the female friendships. Luna’s journey is supported by a "found family" that feels incredibly real and raw. If you are a "girl’s girl," this book is for you. The redemption arcs are messy, and the family dynamics are complicated, reflecting the reality that even "good" families can be difficult. It’s a story that provides a space for the soul to be whole, even in its imperfection.
Watching Luna and her love interest, Tate, navigate their respective versions of grief and disappointment was deeply satisfying. Their story feels "soft" and healing, focusing on their gradual process of opening up to one another. Luna is a relatable heroine. She is messy, stubborn, and hilariously human, which makes her growth feel earned because the story never pretends she is perfect.
Written in a single POV, the narrative remains firmly focused on Luna’s internal evolution, which felt appropriate given that this is truly her story. My only point of frustration was the ending; the conflict felt slightly unnecessary and was resolved so quickly that the final pages felt rushed. I found myself wishing for just a bit more of that hard-earned Happily Ever After.
Perhaps it was my small-town Texan nostalgia or just the perfect vibes, but this was an absolute standout. It balances laugh-out-loud humor with low-key emotional weight, making it a grounded and real second-chance story. For my first Alexa Martin novel, I couldn't have asked for a better introduction.
By the Bootstraps by Alexa Martin is so much more than a romance; it is a vibrant, epic tale of a woman finding herself as she rebuilds her life and heals grief. Set against a perfectly realized backdrop of small-town Texas, where football and cowboy cultures collide, the story follows Luna as she attempts to rebuild her life from the ground up.
While the chemistry and banter are top-tier, the true heart of this book lies in the female friendships. Luna’s journey is supported by a "found family" that feels incredibly real and raw. If you are a "girl’s girl," this book is for you. The redemption arcs are messy, and the family dynamics are complicated, reflecting the reality that even "good" families can be difficult. It’s a story that provides a space for the soul to be whole, even in its imperfection.
Watching Luna and her love interest, Tate, navigate their respective versions of grief and disappointment was deeply satisfying. Their story feels "soft" and healing, focusing on their gradual process of opening up to one another. Luna is a relatable heroine. She is messy, stubborn, and hilariously human, which makes her growth feel earned because the story never pretends she is perfect.
Written in a single POV, the narrative remains firmly focused on Luna’s internal evolution, which felt appropriate given that this is truly her story. My only point of frustration was the ending; the conflict felt slightly unnecessary and was resolved so quickly that the final pages felt rushed. I found myself wishing for just a bit more of that hard-earned Happily Ever After.
Perhaps it was my small-town Texan nostalgia or just the perfect vibes, but this was an absolute standout. It balances laugh-out-loud humor with low-key emotional weight, making it a grounded and real second-chance story. For my first Alexa Martin novel, I couldn't have asked for a better introduction.
June 8, 2026
Romance-novel-obsessed Luna Starr decides to turn her cowboy fantasies into reality by purchasing a tiny farm in Celestial, Texas after life throws her a curveball. Enter Tate Jacobs, the town's handyman and high school football coach who ironically hates cowboys despite his family owning the largest ranch in town. As Tate helps Luna fix up her disaster of a property, unexpected chemistry bubbles to the surface under those vast Texas skies.
If you love Friday Night Lights, this one is for you. Celestial is the kind of small town that feels like every girl's Hallmark dream. The kind of place where you show up and immediately find your people. I loved Luna. She's spunky, whimsical, obsessed with pink and all things girly, and she really shines as a lead character. She's sweet and caring without being one-dimensional, and her energy carried the story for me.
Tate I liked but didn't love. We get his 'trauma' but I didn't feel he was as fleshed out as well as Luna. I wanted more from his relationship with his family and it felt like that whole dynamic just got brushed over when it could have added so much more depth. Without spoiling too much, I'm also really glad we didn't get a love triangle, that would have been an easy trap to fall into and Martin avoided it. This also feels like it easily sets us up for a series in Celestial and I would absolutely go back for more.
My biggest issue is that the moments that should have hit the hardest didn't. The piece with her uncle and the actual 'tense 'climax' point of the book (what should have been BIG moments) felt like afterthoughts. The story would have read almost the same without them, and that kept it from landing with real emotional weight. It's open door but the spice is medium with really just one or two scenes, so if you're looking for something steamier this might not be it.
Overall this is an easy, cowboy-light romance that goes down smooth. Extra points for being set in Texas because a lot of the stereotypes written in are genuinely accurate and made me smile. It landed at a 3.5 rounded down to 3 for me. Cute and digestible but missing the emotional punch that would have taken it higher. If you're looking for something light and feel-good with small-town charm, this is a solid pick.
By the Bootstraps is out now. Huge thank you to Berkley Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.
Tiktok @speakingof.books
If you love Friday Night Lights, this one is for you. Celestial is the kind of small town that feels like every girl's Hallmark dream. The kind of place where you show up and immediately find your people. I loved Luna. She's spunky, whimsical, obsessed with pink and all things girly, and she really shines as a lead character. She's sweet and caring without being one-dimensional, and her energy carried the story for me.
Tate I liked but didn't love. We get his 'trauma' but I didn't feel he was as fleshed out as well as Luna. I wanted more from his relationship with his family and it felt like that whole dynamic just got brushed over when it could have added so much more depth. Without spoiling too much, I'm also really glad we didn't get a love triangle, that would have been an easy trap to fall into and Martin avoided it. This also feels like it easily sets us up for a series in Celestial and I would absolutely go back for more.
My biggest issue is that the moments that should have hit the hardest didn't. The piece with her uncle and the actual 'tense 'climax' point of the book (what should have been BIG moments) felt like afterthoughts. The story would have read almost the same without them, and that kept it from landing with real emotional weight. It's open door but the spice is medium with really just one or two scenes, so if you're looking for something steamier this might not be it.
Overall this is an easy, cowboy-light romance that goes down smooth. Extra points for being set in Texas because a lot of the stereotypes written in are genuinely accurate and made me smile. It landed at a 3.5 rounded down to 3 for me. Cute and digestible but missing the emotional punch that would have taken it higher. If you're looking for something light and feel-good with small-town charm, this is a solid pick.
By the Bootstraps is out now. Huge thank you to Berkley Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.
Tiktok @speakingof.books
June 3, 2026
i will always be here for an alexa martin book and i was so excited for this one.
i really liked luna. she’s filled with heart and love and it was a damn delight being in her head. tate is crunchy and standoffish, until he's not. and don’t get me started on the rest of this cast because they’re all great. i loved the instant support that the townspeople gave her and i’m always going to love a couple of sassy older ladies who gossip.
plot wise, its a slow meandering with a hint of conflict until it all blows up at the end and the resolution happens quickly. and while i appreciate the time jump, everything felt rushed and the family conflict wasn’t resolved or mentioned again. the epilogue was sweet and satisfying, i just wanted a little bit more.
overall, it was so easy to root for these characters and i’ll be over here hoping we get stories for the rest of this group.
**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**
i really liked luna. she’s filled with heart and love and it was a damn delight being in her head. tate is crunchy and standoffish, until he's not. and don’t get me started on the rest of this cast because they’re all great. i loved the instant support that the townspeople gave her and i’m always going to love a couple of sassy older ladies who gossip.
plot wise, its a slow meandering with a hint of conflict until it all blows up at the end and the resolution happens quickly. and while i appreciate the time jump, everything felt rushed and the family conflict wasn’t resolved or mentioned again. the epilogue was sweet and satisfying, i just wanted a little bit more.
overall, it was so easy to root for these characters and i’ll be over here hoping we get stories for the rest of this group.
**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**
April 20, 2026
Cowboy romance x Friday night lights
I adore everything this woman writes - 4.5 stars!
Per usual I loved this book!!! Alexa Martin is one of my favorite authors and knows how to just suck you into her worlds.
I loved the small snippet of a love triangle and really enjoyed reading about Luna's journey to finding herself and falling in love with Celestial, TX. I loved that Tate and Silas were opposites, but also so alike! I adored all of the side characters and hope that they find their way into their own novel in this series.
Small town romance
Friday night lights x cowboys
grumpy/sunshine
grief journey with lightheartedness
I really hope that Alexa writes Silas and their sister, Ciara's stories next!
I rate this book 4.5 stars because I feel like the ending was too rushed and would have liked to have seen more development in the end.
I adore everything this woman writes - 4.5 stars!
Per usual I loved this book!!! Alexa Martin is one of my favorite authors and knows how to just suck you into her worlds.
I loved the small snippet of a love triangle and really enjoyed reading about Luna's journey to finding herself and falling in love with Celestial, TX. I loved that Tate and Silas were opposites, but also so alike! I adored all of the side characters and hope that they find their way into their own novel in this series.
Small town romance
Friday night lights x cowboys
grumpy/sunshine
grief journey with lightheartedness
I really hope that Alexa writes Silas and their sister, Ciara's stories next!
I rate this book 4.5 stars because I feel like the ending was too rushed and would have liked to have seen more development in the end.
May 29, 2026
I LOVED this book so much! I might be a little biased as a lifelong Texan, but the references throughout this story were absolutely spot on. The book perfectly captures those nostalgic Friday Night Lights meets cowboy romance vibes, and it genuinely made me feel like I was right back in my small-town Texas hometown.
The characters completely stole my heart. Gabby is such a relatable best friend, and Luna is such a relatable FMC. I loved that Luna is a fellow romance reader with a troubling past who is just trying to move on and fight for her own HEA. Then there is Tate. He might honestly be the hottest cowboy I have ever read about, especially because he is an ex-football player and a cowboy. Seeing main characters who are POC in this setting made it even better. I truly loved everything about this book and can totally see myself rereading this one!
Thank you to Berkley for the ARC!
The characters completely stole my heart. Gabby is such a relatable best friend, and Luna is such a relatable FMC. I loved that Luna is a fellow romance reader with a troubling past who is just trying to move on and fight for her own HEA. Then there is Tate. He might honestly be the hottest cowboy I have ever read about, especially because he is an ex-football player and a cowboy. Seeing main characters who are POC in this setting made it even better. I truly loved everything about this book and can totally see myself rereading this one!
Thank you to Berkley for the ARC!
June 3, 2026
My first read by her and so glad I got to meet her.
Omg such a cute fun book.. who doesn’t love football, baseball, cowboys, animals and country life and of course TEXAS.. loved this ate it up in one sitting !!! 😍🤠
Omg such a cute fun book.. who doesn’t love football, baseball, cowboys, animals and country life and of course TEXAS.. loved this ate it up in one sitting !!! 😍🤠
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.75 ⭐️'s
My first Black cowboy romance, and I was definitely intrigued.
I’d honestly love to see more stories like this because Black cowboys have always been part of history, even if mainstream narratives haven’t always reflected that.
Luna Starr was such a strong and relatable character. She could be incredibly hard on herself at times, but I appreciated that she had people around her who continually reminded her of her worth and supported her through everything.
Tate Jacobs was the perfect grumpy love interest—guarded, complex, and far more layered than he initially appears. Watching him slowly open up to Luna was one of the highlights of the story for me.
Overall, this was a cute slow-burn romance with strong chemistry, emotional growth, and plenty of heart. (Though I could have done without one particular recurring anatomy term.)
My first Black cowboy romance, and I was definitely intrigued.
I’d honestly love to see more stories like this because Black cowboys have always been part of history, even if mainstream narratives haven’t always reflected that.
Luna Starr was such a strong and relatable character. She could be incredibly hard on herself at times, but I appreciated that she had people around her who continually reminded her of her worth and supported her through everything.
Tate Jacobs was the perfect grumpy love interest—guarded, complex, and far more layered than he initially appears. Watching him slowly open up to Luna was one of the highlights of the story for me.
Overall, this was a cute slow-burn romance with strong chemistry, emotional growth, and plenty of heart. (Though I could have done without one particular recurring anatomy term.)
May 21, 2026
4.5⭐️ I received this book as an arc and let me tell you, I loved it! I loved it from the moment the book began. The way this author told Luna‘s story, the way she told the town story, the way she broke Tate down to reveal his soft side and his family dynamic, the way I could relate to why Luna arrived in Celestial, I’m here for it all. I was excited to turn every page. I honestly could’ve had more! I didn’t want it to end and I love the way it ended. All of it. Definitely a cozy hometown cowboy romance that you should read! Book comes out 5/26/26!!!
June 8, 2026
AHHHHH!
I LOVED this book. Luna was an amazing character to follow! And Tate was such a great love interest to match her energy.
I definitely finished this book and IMEDIATELY wanted to read about Silas and Ciara's stories. I hope we get more from Celestial Texas!!!
In By the Bootstraps, we follow Luna as she upends her life and moves from Denver, CO to Celestial, Texas. She arrives at her brand new house, sight unseen, in a town where she knows no one. Immediately she meets Tate, the high school football coach.
I was obsessed with Luna right away. She was relatable and oh so cute.
I love that she decided to make her new home very maximalist and all pink, coming from someone with a pink kitchen <3
Her relationships and how she works through her grief and finds her footing in her new life were a great story to follow. I loved every minute of it.
Tate was a wonderful contrast to Luna. He was mysterious and kept everything to himself. But he opened up to Luna and I ate it up! Plus Duke was a great pet sidekick to wrap it all together.
Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC of this book!
I LOVED this book. Luna was an amazing character to follow! And Tate was such a great love interest to match her energy.
I definitely finished this book and IMEDIATELY wanted to read about Silas and Ciara's stories. I hope we get more from Celestial Texas!!!
In By the Bootstraps, we follow Luna as she upends her life and moves from Denver, CO to Celestial, Texas. She arrives at her brand new house, sight unseen, in a town where she knows no one. Immediately she meets Tate, the high school football coach.
I was obsessed with Luna right away. She was relatable and oh so cute.
I love that she decided to make her new home very maximalist and all pink, coming from someone with a pink kitchen <3
Her relationships and how she works through her grief and finds her footing in her new life were a great story to follow. I loved every minute of it.
Tate was a wonderful contrast to Luna. He was mysterious and kept everything to himself. But he opened up to Luna and I ate it up! Plus Duke was a great pet sidekick to wrap it all together.
Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC of this book!
May 14, 2026
By the bootstraps follows Luna Star, as she moves to the small town of Celestial, TX for a fresh start. When she arrives, she feels like she’s exactly where she’s supposed to be. But when she realizes the house she blindly bought has so many issues she enlists the help of a grumpy handyman/highschool football coach named Tate that she actually met on her first night in town
I thought this was a cute grumpy/sunshine with the new girl in town. I liked the small town vibes and how Luna fit in so seamlessly. I also liked Tate as the MMC. He wasn’t really that grumpy to me, but I liked how he was different with her and helped make her Pinterest dreams come true with her house. I even liked her accepting that her trauma with her mom. But I didn’t like how the 3rd act breakup played out tbh. I felt like it couldn’t been done different for a bigger impact.
I thought this was a cute grumpy/sunshine with the new girl in town. I liked the small town vibes and how Luna fit in so seamlessly. I also liked Tate as the MMC. He wasn’t really that grumpy to me, but I liked how he was different with her and helped make her Pinterest dreams come true with her house. I even liked her accepting that her trauma with her mom. But I didn’t like how the 3rd act breakup played out tbh. I felt like it couldn’t been done different for a bigger impact.
May 26, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley & Berkley for an arc of this book and then also sending me a finished copy! If you like slow burns, grumpy x sunshine, small town, country romances this is the book for you! This book started off slow which kind of was a bit of a drag but then the story picked up and I enjoyed it. Tate has a past and history himself with the things that have happened to him. Luna moves to Celestial, Texas in a grief induced haze. But then the grumpy handy man who has to fix her house somehow ends up slowly getting into her heart. These two had such baggage however they slowly worked it out over time. I genuinely enjoyed this country romance it was cute and definitely something different.
May 31, 2026
This was such a sweet second chance at life story or starting over in a small town. Luna was such an optimistic lovely character. I loved the amount of pink she used in her home renovation. She also kept meeting handsome cowboys. The one quiet unattainable cowboy was the one that kept coming to help her with her house, Tate.
This book was so cute and fluffy with some rough parts of grief of family members lost and lives thrown off course. The friends and family were also highly entertaining helping their relationship along.
This book was so cute and fluffy with some rough parts of grief of family members lost and lives thrown off course. The friends and family were also highly entertaining helping their relationship along.
June 2, 2026
LOVED this.
By the Bootstraps is a beautiful story about found family and reinventing oneself. Mourning the loss of her mother and grandmother, Luna Star hastily purchases a run-down fixer upper and moves to the small town of Celestial, Texas for a fresh start. There, she meets her neighbor Atlas, who befriends her and recommends his twin brother to help with renovations after a clawfoot tub falls through the ceiling. Unbeknownst to Luna, she is already familiar with the twin, Tate, after a chance meeting on her first day in town. Luna quickly finds herself befriending Atlas and Tate’s sister, Ciara, alongside other townspeople, forming the tight-knit community she never had.
From the constant descriptions of Atlas and Tate, I knew somehow they would be brothers and my girl Luna would wind up in a love triangle with twins! Thankfully, it becomes obvious pretty early on that Tate is her romantic interest.
Uncle Jack pissed me off so bad with his entitlement to Luna’s grandmothers money (his mom). This storyline perfectly showed how death can bring out the absolute worst in people when it comes to material possessions. I loved how supportive Tate his family were of Luna through it all.
Overall, this was a cute grumpy meets sunshine, instant connection romance centering around Black rodeo life.
By the Bootstraps is a beautiful story about found family and reinventing oneself. Mourning the loss of her mother and grandmother, Luna Star hastily purchases a run-down fixer upper and moves to the small town of Celestial, Texas for a fresh start. There, she meets her neighbor Atlas, who befriends her and recommends his twin brother to help with renovations after a clawfoot tub falls through the ceiling. Unbeknownst to Luna, she is already familiar with the twin, Tate, after a chance meeting on her first day in town. Luna quickly finds herself befriending Atlas and Tate’s sister, Ciara, alongside other townspeople, forming the tight-knit community she never had.
From the constant descriptions of Atlas and Tate, I knew somehow they would be brothers and my girl Luna would wind up in a love triangle with twins! Thankfully, it becomes obvious pretty early on that Tate is her romantic interest.
Uncle Jack pissed me off so bad with his entitlement to Luna’s grandmothers money (his mom). This storyline perfectly showed how death can bring out the absolute worst in people when it comes to material possessions. I loved how supportive Tate his family were of Luna through it all.
Overall, this was a cute grumpy meets sunshine, instant connection romance centering around Black rodeo life.
May 3, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the e-arc.
I found myself wanting to skim ahead. There was so much potential for more but the pacing felt off and there was a lot of unnecessary filler. I also found more grammatical errors than I cared too, I think another round of edits would be beneficial. This is perfect for someone who enjoys fluffy romances.
I found myself wanting to skim ahead. There was so much potential for more but the pacing felt off and there was a lot of unnecessary filler. I also found more grammatical errors than I cared too, I think another round of edits would be beneficial. This is perfect for someone who enjoys fluffy romances.
June 5, 2026
If you know me, you know that a small-town romance with a cowboy vibe is basically my comfort read. So when I picked up By the Bootstraps, I already knew it had a lot of things working in its favor, and thankfully, it delivered.
I also loved seeing BIPOC characters front and center in a genre that has historically been dominated by white authors and characters. As a reader, I think it’s important to seek out stories from a variety of perspectives, and I’m glad to see more BIPOC authors receiving recognition and creating space within the romance genre. The more voices we get, the richer the genre becomes.
This book was emotional, heartfelt, and great to get lost in. It left me wanting more from Celestial, Texas! I’ll definitely be continuing with the series and can’t wait to see where Alexa takes readers next.
I also loved seeing BIPOC characters front and center in a genre that has historically been dominated by white authors and characters. As a reader, I think it’s important to seek out stories from a variety of perspectives, and I’m glad to see more BIPOC authors receiving recognition and creating space within the romance genre. The more voices we get, the richer the genre becomes.
This book was emotional, heartfelt, and great to get lost in. It left me wanting more from Celestial, Texas! I’ll definitely be continuing with the series and can’t wait to see where Alexa takes readers next.
June 23, 2026
4.75. Why yes, I did dock .25 because I didn’t ask for a track star ending 😭. We were so close to perfection. But this was so freaking cute and funny. I thoroughly enjoyed it. This was my first Alexa read after a book event I attended and it won’t be the last.
June 21, 2026
3.75 ⭐️
May 27, 2026
I feel head over (cowboy boot) heels for By the Bootstraps! What a special, touching story of complex family dynamics, grief, shame, and all the complicated moments in between. I could not have fallen more in love with Luna and Tate! As an FMC, Luna is sunshine incarnate— she lights up a room even from the page, and her steadfastness was both inspiring and poignant. Seeing her be able to inspire emotional intimacy not only in her own life but in the lives of those around her filled my heart so much. Tate’s quiet, brooding exterior is cowboy romance magic. He’s every bit the brooding MMC I love from the outside, and a secret romantic on the inside! Their relationship was so well paced and I genuinely enjoyed their third act conflict as it felt true their characterizations. And the ending! What a perfect happily ever after. I want to move to the town of Celestial! All of the characters, from those on the sidelines to the periphery, are unique to this Texas town and could so easily fill books worth of pages on their own merit. Silas, I’m looking at you next please! If you’ve been looking for an emotional, cozy, found family-filled Cowboy romance your summer tbr, By the Bootstraps will deliver and then some. Perfect for fans of Lyla Sage or Tarah DeWitt! 4.5 stars rounded to 5 ⭐️
June 1, 2026
2.5 stars
This book was painfully mid for me, and honestly… I don’t fully understand the hype. But reading is subjective, so please don’t come for me with pitchforks.
The grumpy MMC went from hating the FMC to suddenly being in love, and I just didn’t feel that build-up. I also don’t even remember her name, which probably says enough.
The whole “she might want both brothers” angle felt unnecessary, especially when the brother basically reacted like, “Okay, cool.” It didn’t add tension for me. It just made me wonder why we were doing all of this.
And don’t even get me started on the third-act breakup. Pointless, unnecessary, and very much giving “we need conflict, so let’s throw this in.”
I also feel like we spent more time reading about her painting the chicken coop than watching the actual relationship develop. Which is a choice.
Overall, this was forgettable. Not terrible, not great, just aggressively fine.
This book was painfully mid for me, and honestly… I don’t fully understand the hype. But reading is subjective, so please don’t come for me with pitchforks.
The grumpy MMC went from hating the FMC to suddenly being in love, and I just didn’t feel that build-up. I also don’t even remember her name, which probably says enough.
The whole “she might want both brothers” angle felt unnecessary, especially when the brother basically reacted like, “Okay, cool.” It didn’t add tension for me. It just made me wonder why we were doing all of this.
And don’t even get me started on the third-act breakup. Pointless, unnecessary, and very much giving “we need conflict, so let’s throw this in.”
I also feel like we spent more time reading about her painting the chicken coop than watching the actual relationship develop. Which is a choice.
Overall, this was forgettable. Not terrible, not great, just aggressively fine.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2026
Alexa Martin has officially cemented herself as one of my all time favorite authors because this book was absolute perfection. I laughed, cried, swooned, and genuinely felt every emotion possible while reading this story. One of my new favorite romances without question.
Luna completely stole my heart. I adored her from the very beginning and honestly feel like we would be best friends in real life. She was hilarious, relatable, emotional, and messy in the most human way. You just can't help but bond to her. The way her grief surrounding her mother's death was handled absolutely wrecked me. As someone currently dealing with similar feelings surrounding boundaries and questioning whether cutting off a family member is the right thing to do, Luna's journey hit real close to home. What I loved about Luna even dealing with this grief, she never morally changed. She stayed true to who she was, a kind, open hearted, loving person who just needed time and space to heal.
I wanted everything for Luna. I wanted her dream home to become exactly what she imagined. I wanted her heart and mind to heal. And most importantly, I wanted her to find the perfect man. And let me tell you. Tate was exactly that.
Tate is everything to me. The way he so clearly loved Luna while still giving her room to grow was so refreshing. And he never treated our girl Luna like a child or inconvenience. Especially because he was fixing her home after the tub fell through the ceiling....WHOOPS. Their relationship never relied on the frustrating push and pull drama. It was built on tension, yearning, support, chemistry, and genuine love for each other. And their first date under the stars!!! SWOON. Tate set the standard with that one for sure.
Watching them work together to fix Luna's house was both hilarious and heart warming. Luna knew what she wanted and Tate was gonna give it to her!! I am so obsessed with the setting of Celestial. The friend group and found family dynamics in this story is making me crave a full series with interconnected standalones please and thank you. There are some side characters that I need their story ASAP like for example Silas & Ciara.
This book was addictive from beginning to end and honestly just meant so much to me.
Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Romance for the arc. All opinions are my own.
Luna completely stole my heart. I adored her from the very beginning and honestly feel like we would be best friends in real life. She was hilarious, relatable, emotional, and messy in the most human way. You just can't help but bond to her. The way her grief surrounding her mother's death was handled absolutely wrecked me. As someone currently dealing with similar feelings surrounding boundaries and questioning whether cutting off a family member is the right thing to do, Luna's journey hit real close to home. What I loved about Luna even dealing with this grief, she never morally changed. She stayed true to who she was, a kind, open hearted, loving person who just needed time and space to heal.
I wanted everything for Luna. I wanted her dream home to become exactly what she imagined. I wanted her heart and mind to heal. And most importantly, I wanted her to find the perfect man. And let me tell you. Tate was exactly that.
Tate is everything to me. The way he so clearly loved Luna while still giving her room to grow was so refreshing. And he never treated our girl Luna like a child or inconvenience. Especially because he was fixing her home after the tub fell through the ceiling....WHOOPS. Their relationship never relied on the frustrating push and pull drama. It was built on tension, yearning, support, chemistry, and genuine love for each other. And their first date under the stars!!! SWOON. Tate set the standard with that one for sure.
Watching them work together to fix Luna's house was both hilarious and heart warming. Luna knew what she wanted and Tate was gonna give it to her!! I am so obsessed with the setting of Celestial. The friend group and found family dynamics in this story is making me crave a full series with interconnected standalones please and thank you. There are some side characters that I need their story ASAP like for example Silas & Ciara.
This book was addictive from beginning to end and honestly just meant so much to me.
Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Romance for the arc. All opinions are my own.
May 28, 2026
4.5 - This was a sweet Cowboy Romance. I appreciated how Luna was starting over after ending her time in Denver to get away from familial trauma. Regaining her own life and learning to love again.
Tate comes to the rescue in more than one way for Luna - and the meet cute is so sweet... he's the perfect amount of swoony and grumpy.
Thank you so much to Berkley for this ARC.
Tate comes to the rescue in more than one way for Luna - and the meet cute is so sweet... he's the perfect amount of swoony and grumpy.
Thank you so much to Berkley for this ARC.
April 13, 2026
3.5 ⭐️ This book was definitely entertaining and I enjoyed it. I truly wished it was higher but it felt slightly underdeveloped for me. The jump into their relationship seemed weird and then it was head over heels, it just felt a bit disjointed.
again, i did enjoy it, but it was just alright for me.
again, i did enjoy it, but it was just alright for me.
May 4, 2026
I knew from the first paragraph that I was going to love this book.
Luna Starr bought a little farm in Celestial, Texas (because of it’s name) and she’s hoping to find herself a cowboy (and maybe run away from the past).She is quick-witted, kind, and unapologetically herself, and I mean who wouldn’t want to paint their chicken coop pink?! Luna definitely earned the top spot of my favorite FMC so far this year and our leading man is not too shabby either!
I’ve been a huge Alexa Martin fan since reading her Playbook series, and By the Bootstraps gives off all the same energy as it’s filled with amazing female friendships, hot men who are down bad for the FMC, and a lot of intrapersonal growth. If you want a love story that makes you giggle and swoon this is definitely the book for you!
Thank you Alexa Martin & Berkley for the ARC via NetGalley!
Luna Starr bought a little farm in Celestial, Texas (because of it’s name) and she’s hoping to find herself a cowboy (and maybe run away from the past).She is quick-witted, kind, and unapologetically herself, and I mean who wouldn’t want to paint their chicken coop pink?! Luna definitely earned the top spot of my favorite FMC so far this year and our leading man is not too shabby either!
I’ve been a huge Alexa Martin fan since reading her Playbook series, and By the Bootstraps gives off all the same energy as it’s filled with amazing female friendships, hot men who are down bad for the FMC, and a lot of intrapersonal growth. If you want a love story that makes you giggle and swoon this is definitely the book for you!
Thank you Alexa Martin & Berkley for the ARC via NetGalley!
June 16, 2026
1.5 stars.
I thought this book would be cute. I didn’t hate it at first. It was okay, but barely. Just okay. But the more I read, the more I started to hate it.
It reads like a debut novel by a new author, and I know it’s not. The main character feels more like a concept than a fully realized person. It’s hard to get a grasp on Luna’s personality beyond “cringe” and “so unserious,” even though I don’t think the unserious part is intentional. She exists on clichés and stereotypes from romance novels. And as someone who primarily reads romance novels, and has for a very long time, decades at this point, we’re not all as delusional as this girl is.
I can fully see and understand why she would want to completely relocate after the passing of her mother, but there is a line between desperate, delusional, and irresponsible. I think she stands smack dab in the middle of that.
My issue with Tate is that Tate is all tell and no show. And I get that the book is in first person from Luna’s perspective, but everything about Tate is still all tell and no show, to the point where I got confused about the timeline of the story. She’s been running with the high school football team in the mornings for a month and a half, but Tate still hasn’t finished fixing her bathroom? That seems like a really long amount of time for him to be doing just that one job.
Then, many chapters later, she says he has been doing other things because the bathroom renovation has been moving so slowly. Apparently, he fixed the stairs, rewired some of the electricity, and did a bunch of other work. And it’s like, why didn’t you show us any of this?
This story spends a lot of time inside Luna’s head, but there is not enough interaction between her and Tate for me to feel any chemistry between these characters at all.
There is also a really big issue where a paragraph at the end of Chapter 22 appears again at the beginning of Chapter 23. Same format and placement on the page. Contextually, it made no sense at the end of Chapter 22. It pulled me completely out of the story, and I had to reread the page several times to figure out what Luna was talking about because it had nothing to do with the situation at hand: her trying to force the two brothers into some kind of brotherly relationship.
And somehow, this turns out to be wildly successful, because apparently years of toxicity can be undone because the girl is cute. I don’t understand.
And let’s not even delve too far into how she just magically fixes Tate and Silas’s toxic relationship by putting them in a room together and playing the woe-is-me dead-mother card. Way to make their situation about yourself.
I also hate contrived endings and contrived conflict. It’s just so stupid. Girl, what are you moving back to Denver for? Be so serious. Be for real.
Also, I hate to be that person, but the book says the Joneses are staples of Celestial and have been since the town’s founding in the 1800s. Now, as I read this book in the days leading up to Juneteenth, I have to ask: 1800s when, specifically? Rural Texas, need I remind you.
There is a way to create and establish a fictional, diverse, inclusive community in the present day, but when you tie that community to a location steeped in racial bigotry and unpleasant history, you have to be careful. That is a slippery slope. It is tricky to do well, and I don’t think the author fully thought that through when she set this story in Texas.
And the only reason the story seems to be set in Texas is so the book can use the cowboy motif, but nothing about Tate actually felt like a cowboy. The book tries to shoehorn it in with, “Oh, he did rodeo in middle school,” and “he used to ride horses,” even though he stopped in high school. The cowboy element was literally just the fact that the story was set in Texas. That was it.
I can see why some people may like this, but for me, the characters felt underdeveloped, the romance lacked chemistry, the emotional conflicts were resolved too conveniently, and the setting felt more like an aesthetic than an actual, thoughtfully considered place. By the end, I was more frustrated than entertained.
This is the first physical book I've read in years. It gets half a star for the nostalgia.
I thought this book would be cute. I didn’t hate it at first. It was okay, but barely. Just okay. But the more I read, the more I started to hate it.
It reads like a debut novel by a new author, and I know it’s not. The main character feels more like a concept than a fully realized person. It’s hard to get a grasp on Luna’s personality beyond “cringe” and “so unserious,” even though I don’t think the unserious part is intentional. She exists on clichés and stereotypes from romance novels. And as someone who primarily reads romance novels, and has for a very long time, decades at this point, we’re not all as delusional as this girl is.
I can fully see and understand why she would want to completely relocate after the passing of her mother, but there is a line between desperate, delusional, and irresponsible. I think she stands smack dab in the middle of that.
My issue with Tate is that Tate is all tell and no show. And I get that the book is in first person from Luna’s perspective, but everything about Tate is still all tell and no show, to the point where I got confused about the timeline of the story. She’s been running with the high school football team in the mornings for a month and a half, but Tate still hasn’t finished fixing her bathroom? That seems like a really long amount of time for him to be doing just that one job.
Then, many chapters later, she says he has been doing other things because the bathroom renovation has been moving so slowly. Apparently, he fixed the stairs, rewired some of the electricity, and did a bunch of other work. And it’s like, why didn’t you show us any of this?
This story spends a lot of time inside Luna’s head, but there is not enough interaction between her and Tate for me to feel any chemistry between these characters at all.
There is also a really big issue where a paragraph at the end of Chapter 22 appears again at the beginning of Chapter 23. Same format and placement on the page. Contextually, it made no sense at the end of Chapter 22. It pulled me completely out of the story, and I had to reread the page several times to figure out what Luna was talking about because it had nothing to do with the situation at hand: her trying to force the two brothers into some kind of brotherly relationship.
And somehow, this turns out to be wildly successful, because apparently years of toxicity can be undone because the girl is cute. I don’t understand.
And let’s not even delve too far into how she just magically fixes Tate and Silas’s toxic relationship by putting them in a room together and playing the woe-is-me dead-mother card. Way to make their situation about yourself.
I also hate contrived endings and contrived conflict. It’s just so stupid. Girl, what are you moving back to Denver for? Be so serious. Be for real.
Also, I hate to be that person, but the book says the Joneses are staples of Celestial and have been since the town’s founding in the 1800s. Now, as I read this book in the days leading up to Juneteenth, I have to ask: 1800s when, specifically? Rural Texas, need I remind you.
There is a way to create and establish a fictional, diverse, inclusive community in the present day, but when you tie that community to a location steeped in racial bigotry and unpleasant history, you have to be careful. That is a slippery slope. It is tricky to do well, and I don’t think the author fully thought that through when she set this story in Texas.
And the only reason the story seems to be set in Texas is so the book can use the cowboy motif, but nothing about Tate actually felt like a cowboy. The book tries to shoehorn it in with, “Oh, he did rodeo in middle school,” and “he used to ride horses,” even though he stopped in high school. The cowboy element was literally just the fact that the story was set in Texas. That was it.
I can see why some people may like this, but for me, the characters felt underdeveloped, the romance lacked chemistry, the emotional conflicts were resolved too conveniently, and the setting felt more like an aesthetic than an actual, thoughtfully considered place. By the end, I was more frustrated than entertained.
This is the first physical book I've read in years. It gets half a star for the nostalgia.
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