The Ride of Her Life: A Novel

Jennifer Dugan
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From 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 McDaniel’s life is falling apart. Between her day job as a barista, her night job at a call center, and her crushing student loans, she’s barely getting by. And that dream she has of starting a wedding event planning business? The dream that led to all those student loans in the first place? She can feel it slipping farther and farther out of reach every day. So the absolute last thing she needs is to discover she’s inherited a run-down, struggling horse barn out of the blue, courtesy of her estranged late aunt.

Molly is so ill-equipped to run the barn, it’s laughable. She certainly doesn’t have the money, time, or knowledge needed to save it, no matter how much faith everyone who loved her aunt has that she will. But the more Molly gets involved, the more she starts to wonder: maybe the barn is 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. So what if she’s starting to love everyone in the mismatched family she’s found here?

Well, everyone except Shani, the resident farrier and family friend who took care of Molly’s aunt in her last days. Judgmental, grouchy Shani, who refuses to give up on the barn; who walks around like she’s so much better than Molly; who’s actually really good with the horses…and kind of thoughtful. And obnoxiously hot. And unfailingly loyal.

And suddenly, Shani has become an entirely different kind of problem, one Molly can’t possibly solve, not without risking her whole future, no matter how much her heart wishes she could.

Reading Report

In July, I read 5 books!

1. Daydream by Hannah Grace (Digital ARC, gifted) ★★★★★
2. Bride by Ali Hazelwood (Paperback, purchased myself) ★★★★★
3. Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff (Digital ARC, gifted) ★★★★
4. Middle of the Night by Riley Sager (Hardcover, my mom's copy) ★★★★
5. The Ride of Her Life by Jennifer Dugan (Digital ARC, gifted) ★★★

Eating:
I ate my first corn dog this month??
Y'all why did no one tell me how good corn dogs are like...holy shit. I got them frozen from Trader Joe's and they slay so galactically I can't even imagine how good they are straight out the fryer at a state fair. Thank you bestie Niamh for enlightening me.

BUT of course, summer is peak cocktail time for me. I love an apérol spritz, french fries, and oysters. It's the perfect meal. OR a martini and a caesar salad. OR an iced coffee with a toasted baguette with strawberry jam and tons of butter. OR a beer with a lobster roll and Frito's. All these scream summer to me.

Playing:
My Spotify "On Repeat"
Follow our Sapph-Lit collaborative playlist here & add any sapphic songs you want!

Obsessing:
Once a horse girl, ALWAYS a horse girl <3 I recently got back into horseback riding! I have always been a horse girl -- I have a horse tattoo, I grew up making "horse journals" where I would fantasize fictional ranches and horses I "owned," and I rode for 10 years as a show jumper, working at the barn in exchange for lessons. Now that I freelance full time and have much more flexibility in my schedule, I found a barn near me in Brooklyn that I can drive to every week for lessons. It's been the best experience so far, it makes me feel like myself and is actively healing my inner child <3

Recommending:
Sapph-Lit's August book!
For readers seeking a powerful and poignant exploration of identity, community, and resilience, Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg is a must-read, offering a deeply personal and unflinching portrayal of a butch lesbian's journey through the complexities of gender, love, and social justice. You can purchase this book at cost through Leslie's website, or download a free PDF!

Treating:
My Post-Pride-Present
I bought myself the Coach Swing Zip bag as a "I survived Pride Month and all of the events I had to go to" present -- of course I got it in the Charli XCX brat green color :) My partner calls it my Kermit the Frog bag lol

See you at the end of August for my next REPORT! xx Nina