e-Audio, 10:14:31
Narrated by: Lindsey Dorcus
Release Date: May 28, 2024
Published by: HarperAudio
Read from: May 31- June 1, 2024
Stand-alone
Source: Netgalley (I received a copy of this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
Content Warning: Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Alcohol
For Readers Interested In: Romance, 2sLGBTQ+ (Lesbian), Fish Out of Water, Enemies to Lovers, Grumpy/Sunshine, AdultFrom the author of Love at First Set, a new irresistible enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine queer romcom for fans of Delilah Green Doesn’t Care, about a wedding-obsessed city girl who inherits a horse farm from her estranged late aunt, and clashes with the cocky, unfairly hot farrier who thinks she’s going to run the barn into the ground.
Molly has always loved weddings, ever since she was a little girl, and for nearly as long she’s dreamed of starting her own wedding planning company. But that dream has remained stubbornly out of reach, and between Molly’s first job as a barista, her second at a call center, and her crushing student loans, it seems farther away than ever. The absolute last thing she needs is to inherit a run-down, struggling horse barn, courtesy of her estranged late aunt.
Molly is so ill-equipped to run the barn, it’s laughable. She certainly doesn’t know how to save it, no matter how much faith everyone who loved her aunt has that she will. But maybe her aunt left Molly a blessing in disguise—if she can sell the land, the profits could be the small-business seed money miracle she’s been waiting for. Doesn’t matter if she’s starting to love the mismatched family this barn brought together, and feeling closer to the aunt she never got a chance to know.
The real snag in her plan is the woman who took care of Molly’s aunt in her last days, and still lives and works on the property as a farrier: Shani. Judgmental, grouchy Shani, who thinks she’s so morally superior because she hasn’t given up on the crumbling barn while Molly wants to “destroy” everything her aunt built; who’s really good with the horses, and always comes whenever Molly calls her in a panic; and is actually kind of thoughtful, and obnoxiously hot, and unfailingly loyal…and oh no, has Shani become an entirely different kind of problem? One Molly can’t possibly solve, no matter how much her heart wants to?
*MY THOUGHTS*
After Love at First Set, this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. And then I got it in my hands and I was just like eh lol But I’m not sure if I built it up too much or if it was really just mid like I thought. It was really like basic and I was a little put out by that.
Ok, so this was cute, but I don’t feel like there was really anything that stood out. It didn’t even have the same humor as the last one and that bothered me. I found that I didn’t care about some of the stuff they were going through and I wanted her to just leave that mean chick alone. (Listen I can relate to people not believing in me.) But I didn’t know if that was a me thing because I don’t like enemies to lovers much or what? But whatever it was, it just wasn’t a big thing for me.
The romance was cute, but she was making me mad. And by she I mean Shani. She had to know that she was going to go with real family first. And she had to know that she didn’t want her aunt to die so that she could get her house. But she was acting all crazy and mean like she didn’t know that girl’s aunt at all. And it just really grated on my nerves for some reason. And that hat thing? That shit made me pause this audio and cuss her out. Audacity must be on sale lmao Because wth you mean that’s what wearing a hat means? And you talk to me like THIS? Absolutely not lol Other than that, it was just stupid stuff that bothered me, like why she didn’t have any people of color on her fictional bookshelf lol
I did really enjoy the horses and the animals. I loved them! I remember looking up a few tricks and stuff that were mentioned so I could watch videos of them. Because they I think I’m worse than Molly. I don’t know anything about horses lol And I’m from Texas. But it was interesting to learn more as she learned more and I loved that. But I didn’t like that she didn’t take it too serious and one of them was hurt because of it. I might have wished one of them stomped on her fictional foot because of that.
I left Molly for last because I could actually relate to her on a certain level. But I was still really pissed off by her. Because GIRL, you really had no one. And those she did have should have gotten their asses beat. And the way they ALL underestimated her? Ugh that was really grating on my nerves. No one gave her a chance, but she took it and that was that. But like, girl, you should have known lol
This book was just ok. I don’t think I’ll be singing to the rooftops about this one like I did for LAFS, but I’ll still read and review whatever Dugan writes. This wasn’t my favorite by her, but I know it won’t be my last anyway!
Overall, I give this
