ARC REVIEW: Near Misses and Cowboy Kisses by Katrina Emmel

It was rainy and, even though I had a poncho on to avoid getting wet, I desperately wanted to go inside for a little while. Disney World is a lot of fun, but the rain can always put a damper on things. The queue for Toy Story Mania is almost always over an hour long and this time would be no exception. Though the queue lasted 53 minutes (I like timing it to see how accurate the wait times are), it felt like far less than that.

I had a rather good book to read while I waited – loaded up on the NetGalley app on my phone.

Though it was rainy at Disney World, I was transported to the Oregon Trail with Katrina Emmel’s book, Near Misses and Cowboy Kisses. The vibes of this book were incredible! It put me right into the middle of the scene and made me learn a thing or two about the cowboy lifestyle that I’d not thought of before. I loved the country boy aesthetic that Colton gave off and Riley’s hesitant interest in the land around her as she gets used to her new surroundings.

What I enjoyed most about this book, though, was the way that Riley and Colton misunderstood each other and how their perceptions of the other person grew over the course of the story.

Riley’s struggling with a move that she doesn’t want and doesn’t feel is fair. As someone who’s been forced to move as a kid and didn’t have much say in the matter, I feel for Riley here. Her feelings and struggles are entirely valid and then to make matters worse her luggage goes missing. Colton doesn’t know this, obviously, and views her as some stuck-up, phone-obsessed girl. Riley views him as a know-it-all jerk. They’re both proven wrong in the cutest ways over the course of this Oregon Trail tour adventure. The characterization of these characters was brilliant, and I highly enjoyed the way the things they were struggling with seemed to balance each other’s out.

Overall, this book was really enjoyable and gave the perfect cowboy romance vibes. If you’re looking for a cute, end of summer rom com to read, look no further cause Emmel’s got you covered. And if you’re looking for a book to make the Disney wait times fly by, then I highly recommend this one too.