Title: Even If It Breaks Your Heart
Author: Erin Hahn
Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Published On: February 6, 2024
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: digital (Netgalley)
Pages: 314
Synopsis:
A heart-buckling ride of a romance by beloved author Erin Hahn about two teens finding out that sometimes, the hardest part of discovering what you want is getting the courage to pursue it.
The only thing keeping nineteen-year-old Case Michaels together after the death of his best friend, Walker, is a list Walker left behind of things he wants Case to accomplish in his absence. So far, though, Case hasn’t even been able to continue riding bulls in the rodeo circuit, something he’s done his entire life, balking at the thought of competing without Walker by his side. But the list? Case is determined to follow it to the letter– and he follows it all the way to Winnie Sutton.
Eighteen-year-old Winnie Sutton just wants to keep her family together. She graduated high school early to work long shifts at the Michaels family ranch so she can support her younger siblings and a father who’s more than happy to let Winnie fill the responsible parent role. If she sometimes sneaks out to ride the horses herself and forget about life for a while– well, that’s no one else’s business– until the day she crashes headfirst into Case Michaels. Case sees her riding skills and immediately ropes her into competing for the ranch and becoming his friend.
Winnie and Case couldn’t be more different, but Case can’t help but be inspired by Winnie’s badly-hidden passion for riding and competition. And there’s something about Case that makes Winnie want to try grasping onto a dream for herself, whether that’s a shot at a rodeo trophy, the annoyingly handsome rancher’s son who won’t leave her alone, or maybe both.
My thoughts
(Spoiler free)
Set in my home state of Texas, this is not a part of Texas I am familiar with. I grew up in a small town that is now much bigger, and while I went to school with kids who lived on ranches or farms, I have never ridden a horse and I’ve only been to the rodeo a handful of times. So it was fun to experience a different kind of Texas.
Some people aren’t horse people. They don’t get it. Couldn’t possibly. They’ve never experienced the feeling of strolling down the center aisle just after sunrise. The soft nickering of horses, the swish-flick of their tails against solid wood, the creak as they shift, their soft noses pressing their greeting.
Erin Hahn, Even If It Breaks Your Heart
We meet Case six months after the death of his childhood best friend Walker who has died from a years-long terminal illness. Walker had a list of things he wanted to accomplish and when he didn’t get to finish it, he left it to Case. This is my second book this year with the list trope and I read a few last year, as well, and I’m actually hoping to get a break from them for a while. It’s a cute and practical technique, but I don’t know how realistic it really is. Thankfully this story doesn’t rely too heavily on the list, and it’s more of just a thing that enhances the main plot.
Case is in a bad way, making bad decisions until he gets to the last point on Walker’s list—befriend Winnie Sutton, a former classmate who is employed on his father’s ranch. Walker and Winnie had been casual friends and he knew she was having a hard time and could use a friend, much like he knew Case would in the future. Sweet, right? I did find it a little hard to believe that Case didn’t know Walker and Winnie were friends when Case and Walker were described as inseparable. It was also a little hard to get past the fact that Case didn’t know Winnie existed even though he attended school with her and she’d worked on his ranch for a few years. Part of me wanted Winnie to keep ignoring the entitled cowboy.
But Case does manage to change his bad boy ways. Although, a little too quickly in my opinion—I wanted a bit more of a transition. And Winnie finds it hard to resist the charming sad cowboy, recognizing a kindred spirit who also needs a friend.
Winnie has less time to worry about Case, though. She’s been raising her two younger siblings on her own because her father works nights and doesn’t do much to help out. Since Case has finally noticed Winnie, he has also noticed that she’s excellent on a horse and thinks she should be competing, making it his mission to help her try.
While this book is sweet and perfectly fine as a young adult novel, I kind of wish it would have been written as an adult one. The characters could have been aged up a few years, and with the heavier subject matter, the author could have leaned into that a bit more.
I was mostly satisfied and happy with the ending—and I feel like I’m starting to sound like a broken record here—but I wish some of the relationships between our main characters and the side characters hadn’t wrapped up quite so neatly. I know most readers want their endings wrapped up with a nice shiny bow, but I am discovering that’s not always me. Sometimes I want books to reflect real life just a bit more.
If you’re a fan of Hahn’s or need a sad cowboy love story in your life, pick up Even If It Breaks Your Heart. Compelling, romantic, and different, I think it’s one that will stick with me for a good while.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
(All quotes are taken from the advance copy and are subject to change in final print.)
My Rating: 4.25 stars
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About the Author
Erin Hahn
ERIN HAHN is the author of the young adult novels You’d Be Mine, More Than Maybe, and Never Saw You Coming as well as the adult romance Built to Last. Romance is her vibe, grunge is her soundtrack and fall is her signature color. She fell for her flannel-clad college sweetheart the very first day of school and together, they have two hilarious kids who keep her humble. She lives outside Ann Arbor, Michigan, and has a cat named Gus who plays fetch and a dog named June who doesn’t.
A Song For A Book
I knew Erin Hahn loves music and often makes playlists for her books, so I went searching for one for Even If It Breaks Your Heart. I couldn’t find one on Spotify, but I did find an article where she shares her playlist for the novel. Be aware, if you decide to read the article, there are some minor spoilers. I, of course, took her playlist and made my own on Spotify which I’ll share below so you can enjoy it too. I’ve chosen to highlight “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” by Lainey Wilson.
Wildflowers
Wild horses
In the middle of the night
I hear a corn field coyote cry
Up at the moon no matter what
Sky I’m laying under
In the eye of a hurricane
When I got one foot in the grave
I’ll dig my boots into the dirt
And face the rolling thunder
I’m five generations of blazing a trail
Through barbed wire valleys and overgrown dells
I’m barefoot and bareback and born tough as nails
Whoa
I’m four fifths of reckless and one fifth of jack
I push like a daisy through old sidewalk cracks
Yeah, my kinda crazy’s still running its courses
With wildflowers and wild horses…
Have you read Even If It Breaks Your Heart? Did you add it to your tbr? Let me know in the comments!
Happy Wandering!
Nice review! I loved this book.
Yay!! I’m glad this was a hit for you!
It’s funny what you wrote, about the ending being wrapped up too neatly. The beginning of my review was all about how I loved it. At least you didn’t hate the book. I know there are a lot of readers who don’t like the tied in a bow endings, but they the best for me.
I noticed that! And I wasn’t surprised. I know you love your happy endings. I’m too much of a cynic. 😂 But I did enjoy this one. I just wish it wouldn’t have been young adult.