A review by lara_ayrolla
Rider's Block by Waitlyn Andrews

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Before anything, I would like to thank Waitlyn Andrews and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun, entertaining book! It has some flaws that bothered me a little bit, but not enough to make me not enjoy my time. It could have been a great one with just a little more polishing, but overall it is good.

Waitlyn Andrews knows how to write a book to make you giggle and enjoy the ride (pun intended). I thought some plot choices would make the book boring and anticlimactic but they only made it better.

I can see a clear development in the quality of the writing from the beginning to the end of this book, and I can't wait to read the next one. If the progress is consistent, it will be outstanding.

Pros:
  • I absolutely love how Waitlyn makes the beginning of her chapters exciting and unique, in this case with song recommendations. I hope she does that for her future books.
  • The ranch vibes are very nice and I love the world-building.
  • The characters in this book are lively, fun, and adorable. Penny, Dean, and Nancy are my favorites. Roper too if we're counting the animals.
  • The pacing is nice and gripping and I didn't want to put down this book until I finished it.
  • Both main characters don't forget who they are to fit in the other person's life. Instead, they bring each other into their worlds and help each other grow.
  • I like how Erik doesn't want Amelia to completely uproot her life for him and wants to spend time in California with her as well.

Cons:
  • In a few aspects, Amelia is quite similar to Waitlyn's previous protagonist, Claire, and much of the plot resembles her previous book. This doesn't really matter if you don't read both books, but can take away from the realism a little bit if you do.
  • I hate grumpy impolite men with a passion. It doesn't matter if they have a reason for it and I end up liking them as the story progresses.
  • I found it offputting how Amelia forces a pregnant woman to confess her pregnancy before she's ready to do it on her own terms. With her being someone familiar with pregnancy and fertility issues, she should have been the first to know not to do that.
  • The drunken confession was anticlimactic considering it was supposed to be a big moment. It could have been cryptic and sexy, but instead, we got a full-on monologue.
  • Amelia's disbelief about Erik's feelings is infuriating. He made his intentions clear from almost the beginning and not even the most unaware person could have not seen it.
  • Many things could have been shown instead of told, such as Amelia's supposedly weekly conversations with her mother while she was staying on the ranch, or dialogues that were reduced to explanations of the conversations that took place.
  • Although I adore Waitlyn's succinct descriptions, in a few parts they were way too short or even inexistent, causing a bit of white room syndrome.
  • This is probably because of my early copy, so it won't be considered in my evaluation, but there were a lot of typos that should probably be considered before the book comes out.
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