Thief of Happy Endings by Kristen Chandler

Thief of Happy Endings

by Kristen Chandler

Sarah Dessen meets the Wild West in this tale of wild mustangs, irresistible wranglers, and the first rule of horses: if you get bucked off, you have to get back on.

Cassidy Carrigan wasn’t planning to ever get on a horse again. She wasn’t even planning on going to back to school after her dad moved out, her best friend ditched her, and her anxiety took over. But then she wasn’t planning on being shipped off to a ranch in the mountains of Wyoming as a charity case either. Or falling for a cowboy with a broken nose and an even more broken soul. But sometimes you just have to do a stupid, dangerous thing to have the time of your life.

Set in the wild, beautiful west, here is a story about fear and failure and falling in love when the odds are against you. Alternatingly heart-stopping and heart-breaking, The Thief of Happy Endings is a story that will stay with you, like a summer you’ll never forget.

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

4 of 5 stars

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Rating: 3.5 Stars

The breakdown of her parents' marriage left Cassidy in a state of depression. In a effort to help Cassidy work through her issues, her mother signed her up for a ranch camp. While there, she was forced to face her fears of isolation, inadequacy, and horses, but the best part was seeing Cassidy flourish under these less than perfect circumstances.

• Pro: I found myself really invested in Cassidy. I wanted this program to help her deal with her home life issues and get back to living. I was so proud of all the growth she experienced, and would love to know what she did next.

• Pro: Chandler dedicates a lot of time to Cassidy's new friendships. Given her past, I think it was a really important aspect to focus on, and it was great to see Cassidy pushing herself to make these new relationships work.

• Pro: Horses! Seriously, I learned so much, and not just about riding horses, but about all the issues facing Mustangs out west. It was really interesting and eye-opening.

• Con: There were these flashbacks, which gave us a little insight into why Cassidy fell into her depression, but I am not sure about the placement in the story. There was something about them, which made them not totally work for me.

• Pro: This story took place in Wyoming, and that is a first for me. I feel like I am always "visiting" the same places in contemporary books, which is why I always get really excited to see a book set someone different.

• Con: I was ok with the ending, but I would have liked a little bit more there. It was hopeful, but not definitive enough for me. An epilogue would have really hit the spot.

• Pro: There were a few surprises thrown in there. Yes, I yelled, "I knew it!," at one point, but I was also really shocked by one particular reveal.

• Pro: Justin was that damaged hero who I always love. He was so complicated, and it was very gratifying peeling his layers back.

Overall: A lovely and moving story of friendship and finding your own inner strength to overcome disappointments.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 5 June, 2018: Finished reading
  • 5 June, 2018: Reviewed