Review: Rider's Block by Waitlyn Andrews
Thank you to the author for my advanced copy! All thoughts are my own.
I love a cowboy romance and a book about writers, so when I saw this cover it was an immediate yes for me. This is a book that you just need to enjoy the ride and meet the characters where they are. I think I had a bit too high of expectations, especially not having read this author before, so it’s not a new favorite of mine but I I did enjoy a lot of aspects of it.
Synopsis:
“You’d think after nearly a dozen successful books under my belt I’d know better than to write about a location sight unseen. My attempt to break into a new genre gets denied. A lot. Aggressively? Exaggerating, sure, but it feels personal. The gauntlet has been thrown, and I can no longer avoid a trip to Cowboy Country. I will get this book published.
Heading to Colorado for three months of research was not on my bingo card for the year, but I somehow find myself in the home of Rodeo Royalty. Ideal for immersive learning, but a little less than ideal when I have a propensity to piss off the grumpiest cowboy in 100 miles. I know I’m imposing, he knows I’m imposing, but if I can just make it through the next three months without ticking him off further, that’d be great. And if we could make it through the summer without him drunkenly confessing his attraction to me—again—that’d be even better.
Serves him right for drinking my whiskey.” —NetGalley
What I Liked:
The Setting—I’ve been reading a lot of western/cowboy romances in the last year but have yet to travel to Colorado in one! I grew up skiing out west so it was so fun to return to the area and see it from a new perspective.
The Characters—I love a meddling family and a big cast of characters. I loved them all!
The Happiness—This book was fun, joyful, and a low stakes read. Sometimes, those are so necessary.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
The Pacing—While I loved the vibes of this book, the execution didn’t work for me. I felt like the pacing was all off so that we were on a rollercoaster of emotions for the sake of it, rather than for deep character reasons. It didn’t give fun “will they or won’t they” energy, it just felt like we were holding out for no reason. There were so many moments that felt like they came too soon at the top of the book and too late at the end. The tension was there but the reasoning for it wasn’t.
Character Authenticity: 3/5 Spice Rating: 0/5 Overall Rating: 2.5/5
Content Warnings:
parental abandonment, injury