In KJ Dell’Antonia’s newest light and funny releases, In Her Boots, Rhett Gallagher has been traveling the world since she left in her early twenties. She’s made a living jumping from experiences and countries and by being the women behind The Modern Pioneer Girl, which is her her pseudonym on Instagram for sharing her adventure. Rhett is headed home. After the death of her grandmother, Rhett is back stateside. Set on taking over the family farm, she’s shocked to learn her mother (who she hasn’t seen in 20 years) is not only a partial owner but also has lined up a buyer for the farm already. Add in a panicked decision to use her best friend, Jasmine, as the face of The Modern Pioneer Girl for a The Today Show interview, and Rhett’s life is proving to be a mess she might not be able to fix.

This was a really cute read. I have a copy of Dell’Antonia’s The Chicken Sisters, but I haven’t read it at this time so In Her Boots was my first read from the author. I’m definitely looking to move The Chicken Sisters up on my TBR after finishing this one.

I took a star away because I didn’t feel the romance portion was fully flushed out and felt a bit lackluster. The chemistry between the two characters didn’t quite deliver for me, but there was still enough to consider this a light romance though.

With that said, I really enjoy these women’s literature books that focus more on a child/parent relationship, and friend relationships. It’s nice to just have a good lighthearted read that doesn’t focus primarily on needing a romantic partner. Dell’antonia did a great job of depicting the struggles that can come with those relationships. The complexity of Rhett and her mother’s relationship resonate with more than just mother/daughters. While I have a great relationship with my mother, I felt that some of the topics still applied and way their story unfolded was balanced and realistic. The relationship between Rhett and her best friend Jasmine, was one of my favorite things about the book. They work hard to support each other always, and their relationship felt solid but not without it’s challenges. Sometimes these light books paint friend relationship as easy or perfect, and I enjoyed the extra complexity and fissures in Jasmine and Rhett’s relationship. It made the story seem more believable.

If you’re looking for a quick and light read, than you’ll really enjoy this one. Filled with humor and a fairly loveable but not perfect cast of characters, this will be a perfect vacation read this summer.

AMAZON | GOODREADS |★★★★★

In Her Books comes out July 5th! Huge thank you to GP Putnam’s Sons for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.  If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.