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Ride It Out
As a doctor, Mick McVey knows what a mental health crisis looks like. Her own still takes her by surprise. When she inherits a house from the grandfather she’s never met, she puts herself on sabbatical and travels to the small hometown of the mother who abandoned her. It’s a temporary solution.
Mick might not be grieving her grandfather, but to her new neighbor Katy, his death is one blow too many. Mick’s arrival feels like Katy’s chance to forget her ex and her struggling cinema and reinvent herself. She’ll finally get her hot rebound and make this year her year.
When the COVID-19 lockdown traps both women in situations they’d convinced themselves were temporary, they’re forced to face what they really want from their lives, and who they want to share them with.
Mick might not be grieving her grandfather, but to her new neighbor Katy, his death is one blow too many. Mick’s arrival feels like Katy’s chance to forget her ex and her struggling cinema and reinvent herself. She’ll finally get her hot rebound and make this year her year.
When the COVID-19 lockdown traps both women in situations they’d convinced themselves were temporary, they’re forced to face what they really want from their lives, and who they want to share them with.
288 pages, Paperback
Published February 25, 2025
36 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 7, 2025
I was intrigued by the elements of this - forced proximity romance between ice queen doctor and the cinophile friend of her grandfather's who watch movies together during covid lockdowns, casual fling turns into something more with lots of spice - but the romance didn't work for me.
There was a lot of info-dumping and expository, which made this a drag to read for me from the start. I didn't care for the dynamic between Mick and Katy; they only had chemistry as a casual fling. And the pandemic was a great opportunity to add lots of tension but it hardly seemed to factor into the plot at all. It was treated as just a flu that everyone was freaking out about and closed everything down. I found these two characters unlikable from the start and that didn't change. It would have worked better as forced proximity for any other reason. But this is definitely a lot of people's experiences of the pandemic; I just can't relate to them.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
There was a lot of info-dumping and expository, which made this a drag to read for me from the start. I didn't care for the dynamic between Mick and Katy; they only had chemistry as a casual fling. And the pandemic was a great opportunity to add lots of tension but it hardly seemed to factor into the plot at all. It was treated as just a flu that everyone was freaking out about and closed everything down. I found these two characters unlikable from the start and that didn't change. It would have worked better as forced proximity for any other reason. But this is definitely a lot of people's experiences of the pandemic; I just can't relate to them.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 26, 2025
I liked the book better than the first book in this universe, but I still felt as thought it was lacking some things.
The whole COVID storyline didn’t hit for me. I felt like the severity of the situation wasn’t really portrayed well - and only some facets of the pandemic were touched upon. But then again, everyone’s experience with the pandemic was different, and I spent my quarantine in what was considered the epicenter at the time.
I also wish the B-plot surrounding Tom/his old lover was explored more, I think that could’ve been a really heart warming edition and instead felt like an afterthought. This author spends a lot of words and pages telling rather than showing.
The story was good and the characters had pretty good chemistry and development, but I honestly didn’t really love Katy. I felt like every time Mick vented, Katy took it as an opportunity to talk about herself or a movie. She was not a good listener to Mick or her mother.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
The whole COVID storyline didn’t hit for me. I felt like the severity of the situation wasn’t really portrayed well - and only some facets of the pandemic were touched upon. But then again, everyone’s experience with the pandemic was different, and I spent my quarantine in what was considered the epicenter at the time.
I also wish the B-plot surrounding Tom/his old lover was explored more, I think that could’ve been a really heart warming edition and instead felt like an afterthought. This author spends a lot of words and pages telling rather than showing.
The story was good and the characters had pretty good chemistry and development, but I honestly didn’t really love Katy. I felt like every time Mick vented, Katy took it as an opportunity to talk about herself or a movie. She was not a good listener to Mick or her mother.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
January 21, 2025
I love Mick and Katy. Was a lovely story set in Covid times - wasn’t sure where it would go with that but it was not as intense as I imagined it would be. It was actually a pretty cozy read. I liked witnessing them learn they didn’t have to earn love or food etc. That they could be taken care of. Seeing Mick melt was pretty cute. I loved reading all the film references and side storylines. It was really cool to get all that queer film insight. There’s a few things I’m not sure about but it had a happy ending.
January 31, 2025
There are a lot of reasons people can pick up a book, escape into a exciting magical place, witness daring action or attempting to solve a deadly murder before the secret is revealed but sometimes its just abou Review of Ride It Out, a friends-to-lovers contemporary queer romance by Jenna Jarvis
There are a lot of reasons people can pick up a book, escape into an exciting magical place, witness daring action, or attempt to solve a deadly murder before the secret is revealed. Still, sometimes, it’s just about hanging out with two well-developed characters and watching them fall in love. Now, I had previously read Digging for Destiny by Jenna Jarvis, and I knew she could spin a tale of a far-off fantasy land, so I was curious to see how she would handle a story set in the “real world.” She does not disappoint.
Ride it Out is the story of two women at a crossroads in their lives. Mick is a doctor who has inherited a house from a grandfather she never met and sees it as an opportunity to recover from a mental health crisis. Katy is her new neighbor who is still mourning Tom, Mick’s grandfather, as well as dealing with the fact that the independent theater she is working at is facing financial hardships. Their lives are further complicated when COVID strikes and forces them to take a hard look at their lives and what they want from them.
While the book does not have dragons, it does have a lot of what I look for in books. The characters are well developed, especially Mick and Katy, who are fully formed and could walk right off the page. Their first date ends with a spicy lovemaking encounter, and while they fight shortly after eventually gather together into a close and wonderful friendship. A friendship that is so precious to them that they struggle to take the next steps to become a couple for fear of what they may lose. The book displays their struggles with mental health realistically and with empathy, which I found refreshing.
If I had any reservations about the book, I would say that I wish the subplots could have been developed a bit more. I think there was more story waiting to be told, but that did not detract from the focus of the book on the two main characters and their love story.
If you are a fan of friends-to-lovers romance, then this book belongs on your bookshelf (or Kindle, I guess, since this is 2025).
t hanging out with two well developed characters and watching them fall in love. Now I had previously read Digging for Destiny from Jenna Jarvis and I knew she could spin a tale of a far off fantasy land so I was curious to see how she would handle a story set in the “real world”. She does not disappoint.
Ride it out is the story of two woman at crossroads in their life. Mick is a doctor who has inherited a house from a grandfather she never met and sees it as an opportunity to recover from a mental health crisis. Katy is her new neighbor who is still mourning Tom, Mick’s grandfather, as well as dealing with the fact that the independent theater she is working at is facing financial hardships. Their lives are further complicated when covid strikes and forces them to take hard looks at their lives and what they want from them.
While the book does not have dragons it does have a lot of what I look for in books. The characters are well developed especially Mick and Katy who are fully formed and could walk right off the page. There first date ends with a spicy lovemaking encounter and while they have a fight shortly after eventually gather together info a close and wonderful friendship. A friendship so precious that both of them struggle to take the next steps to become a couple for fear of what they may lose. The book displays their struggles with mental health realistically and with a empathy that I found refreshing.
If I had any reservations about the book I would say that I wish the subplots could have been developed a bit more. I think there was more story that waiting to be told but that did not detract from the focus of the book on the two main characters and their love story.
If you are a fan of friends to lovers romance then this belongs on your bookshelf (or kindle I guess since this is 2025).
There are a lot of reasons people can pick up a book, escape into an exciting magical place, witness daring action, or attempt to solve a deadly murder before the secret is revealed. Still, sometimes, it’s just about hanging out with two well-developed characters and watching them fall in love. Now, I had previously read Digging for Destiny by Jenna Jarvis, and I knew she could spin a tale of a far-off fantasy land, so I was curious to see how she would handle a story set in the “real world.” She does not disappoint.
Ride it Out is the story of two women at a crossroads in their lives. Mick is a doctor who has inherited a house from a grandfather she never met and sees it as an opportunity to recover from a mental health crisis. Katy is her new neighbor who is still mourning Tom, Mick’s grandfather, as well as dealing with the fact that the independent theater she is working at is facing financial hardships. Their lives are further complicated when COVID strikes and forces them to take a hard look at their lives and what they want from them.
While the book does not have dragons, it does have a lot of what I look for in books. The characters are well developed, especially Mick and Katy, who are fully formed and could walk right off the page. Their first date ends with a spicy lovemaking encounter, and while they fight shortly after eventually gather together into a close and wonderful friendship. A friendship that is so precious to them that they struggle to take the next steps to become a couple for fear of what they may lose. The book displays their struggles with mental health realistically and with empathy, which I found refreshing.
If I had any reservations about the book, I would say that I wish the subplots could have been developed a bit more. I think there was more story waiting to be told, but that did not detract from the focus of the book on the two main characters and their love story.
If you are a fan of friends-to-lovers romance, then this book belongs on your bookshelf (or Kindle, I guess, since this is 2025).
t hanging out with two well developed characters and watching them fall in love. Now I had previously read Digging for Destiny from Jenna Jarvis and I knew she could spin a tale of a far off fantasy land so I was curious to see how she would handle a story set in the “real world”. She does not disappoint.
Ride it out is the story of two woman at crossroads in their life. Mick is a doctor who has inherited a house from a grandfather she never met and sees it as an opportunity to recover from a mental health crisis. Katy is her new neighbor who is still mourning Tom, Mick’s grandfather, as well as dealing with the fact that the independent theater she is working at is facing financial hardships. Their lives are further complicated when covid strikes and forces them to take hard looks at their lives and what they want from them.
While the book does not have dragons it does have a lot of what I look for in books. The characters are well developed especially Mick and Katy who are fully formed and could walk right off the page. There first date ends with a spicy lovemaking encounter and while they have a fight shortly after eventually gather together info a close and wonderful friendship. A friendship so precious that both of them struggle to take the next steps to become a couple for fear of what they may lose. The book displays their struggles with mental health realistically and with a empathy that I found refreshing.
If I had any reservations about the book I would say that I wish the subplots could have been developed a bit more. I think there was more story that waiting to be told but that did not detract from the focus of the book on the two main characters and their love story.
If you are a fan of friends to lovers romance then this belongs on your bookshelf (or kindle I guess since this is 2025).
January 20, 2025
This was a really delightful read. I sometimes feel the phrase 'cozy romance' used too much these days but I'm not sure how else to explain it. Although Mick and Katy remain roommates for most of the book, everything about them screams well-adjusted couple. They just fit together beautifully.
This is the 2nd book about the mcVey sisters, but I don't think you need to have read the first to enjoy this. There are some references to the first book, but nothing that would make this story hard to understand.
At the start, I didn't like Mick much, but as the story progressed, I began to like her a bit more. Katy definitely brought out the best in her
What I enjoyed a lot about this book was how chill it was. That's not to say nothing happened, but it is set mostly during the main part of the COVID pandemic, so the characters are restricted in what they can do and where they can go. Which actually makes the story more impressive, as they find ways to entertain themselves and others without breaking any mandates..
Overall, this is a sweet story about two people coming together in unexpected circumstances and realising who they really are and what they really want out of life. And it's just a delightful read.
This is the 2nd book about the mcVey sisters, but I don't think you need to have read the first to enjoy this. There are some references to the first book, but nothing that would make this story hard to understand.
At the start, I didn't like Mick much, but as the story progressed, I began to like her a bit more. Katy definitely brought out the best in her
What I enjoyed a lot about this book was how chill it was. That's not to say nothing happened, but it is set mostly during the main part of the COVID pandemic, so the characters are restricted in what they can do and where they can go. Which actually makes the story more impressive, as they find ways to entertain themselves and others without breaking any mandates..
Overall, this is a sweet story about two people coming together in unexpected circumstances and realising who they really are and what they really want out of life. And it's just a delightful read.
February 9, 2025
I was intrigued with the premise of but found the book slow going. Mick inherits her grandfather's home in the midwest. She never knew him and has plans to fix it up to sell. She meets Katy who lives a few houses away with her mother. Evidently she and the grandfather were the closest of friends bonding over their love of movies. Katy manages a cinema that shows classic movies. The book is set in 2020 and as the world shuts down because of Covid Mick invites Katy to live with her as a roommate.
Mick is on leave from being a doctor and struggling with her mental health. She welcomes Katy’s friendship. Katy's first love is movies. And so many get mentioned in this book I lost count. It was almost like everything in life relates to a movie. She has had her own hard knocks in life. This is a slow burn romance. I wished for flirting or longing glances but this isn’t that type of story. Overall this to me was a very slow moving romance during a unique time period. And I was not captivated by either of the main characters. I think I was in the mood for something lighter. There is nothing wrong with the story, I just didn’t connect with it personally.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC and I am leaving an honest review.
Mick is on leave from being a doctor and struggling with her mental health. She welcomes Katy’s friendship. Katy's first love is movies. And so many get mentioned in this book I lost count. It was almost like everything in life relates to a movie. She has had her own hard knocks in life. This is a slow burn romance. I wished for flirting or longing glances but this isn’t that type of story. Overall this to me was a very slow moving romance during a unique time period. And I was not captivated by either of the main characters. I think I was in the mood for something lighter. There is nothing wrong with the story, I just didn’t connect with it personally.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC and I am leaving an honest review.
March 10, 2025
Dr. Mick McVey was on medical leave when the Covid -19 hit. But she still couldn’t go back. She loved medicine but she didn’t realize how much it would take out of her. Tired, nerves tightly strung, she was surprised when her grandfather was on her mom’s side of the family. Why he didn’t leave it all to Mick’s mother. To say Mick's family was dysfunctional was going easy.
So here she was, living in and trying to decide what she’d do with the house. Should she give it over to Mick’s mom or honor her grandfather’s will. The one person really blown away by his death was her neighbor Katy, who managed an old local theatre. Much of Katy’s time was spent looking for movie’s she could get for free, then playing them but how could she do that with Covid-19 spreading faster than expected and everything being closed down hoping to keep people home and not out spreading the virus around.
I must admit I found the book kind of all over the place. It’s probably just me so you will have to take a chance and read what to many is a really good read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books
So here she was, living in and trying to decide what she’d do with the house. Should she give it over to Mick’s mom or honor her grandfather’s will. The one person really blown away by his death was her neighbor Katy, who managed an old local theatre. Much of Katy’s time was spent looking for movie’s she could get for free, then playing them but how could she do that with Covid-19 spreading faster than expected and everything being closed down hoping to keep people home and not out spreading the virus around.
I must admit I found the book kind of all over the place. It’s probably just me so you will have to take a chance and read what to many is a really good read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books
February 6, 2025
4⭐️
**Thank you to Bold Strokes Books, Inc. and NetGalley for the eARC**
TW: this story does deal with the setting of the Covid pandemic. There are also characters dealing with grief, anxiety, and depression.
Ride It Out follows Mick and Katey, two very different women who find themselves in an Ohio town. Mick is dealing with anxiety and some fall out with her job and Katey is home helping her recovering mother. Katey loves movies and introduces Mick to what brings her joy. Both women are thrown together in the pandemic and become unlikely roommates, just trying to figure themselves out and make it through.
I enjoyed this story. There were some nerves going into reading because I was worried the aspect of the pandemic would be too much. It surely was not. I feel like Jarvis did a beautiful job of incorporating it but not making it override the overall story. It felt like part of the setting and not an all consuming part of the narrative. Thank you! I enjoyed observing Mick’s growth and acceptance of her self and mistakes. Beautifully written story.
**Thank you to Bold Strokes Books, Inc. and NetGalley for the eARC**
TW: this story does deal with the setting of the Covid pandemic. There are also characters dealing with grief, anxiety, and depression.
Ride It Out follows Mick and Katey, two very different women who find themselves in an Ohio town. Mick is dealing with anxiety and some fall out with her job and Katey is home helping her recovering mother. Katey loves movies and introduces Mick to what brings her joy. Both women are thrown together in the pandemic and become unlikely roommates, just trying to figure themselves out and make it through.
I enjoyed this story. There were some nerves going into reading because I was worried the aspect of the pandemic would be too much. It surely was not. I feel like Jarvis did a beautiful job of incorporating it but not making it override the overall story. It felt like part of the setting and not an all consuming part of the narrative. Thank you! I enjoyed observing Mick’s growth and acceptance of her self and mistakes. Beautifully written story.
November 18, 2025
Mick is a doctor, on a forced leave from her work, going to see the house her estranged grandfather Tom left for her in his will.
Katy was Tom’s best friend, sharing their love of classic movies and all things movie related. She is devastated about his death.
This story is about how these women meet, about their individual experiences with their mental health issues, especially when lockdown hits, and how they support one another and fall more in love each day. However, both of them are too scared to say anything about their feelings because of fear of rejection.
This is a well thought out story, with lots of discussion of anxiety and depression, but also many fun times between the women and their other friends. This is a very character-driven book, with many descriptions of movies obviously well known to the author, and some very journalistic turns of phrase. I found the slow burn nature of this to be frustrating, the storyline wasn’t strong, and meandered around a lot. Good, but the book is too long for the story.
Katy was Tom’s best friend, sharing their love of classic movies and all things movie related. She is devastated about his death.
This story is about how these women meet, about their individual experiences with their mental health issues, especially when lockdown hits, and how they support one another and fall more in love each day. However, both of them are too scared to say anything about their feelings because of fear of rejection.
This is a well thought out story, with lots of discussion of anxiety and depression, but also many fun times between the women and their other friends. This is a very character-driven book, with many descriptions of movies obviously well known to the author, and some very journalistic turns of phrase. I found the slow burn nature of this to be frustrating, the storyline wasn’t strong, and meandered around a lot. Good, but the book is too long for the story.
February 3, 2025
I liked this book a lot! The plot was relatable and the characters were quirky and likeable. I especially loved how accurately the book painted what it was like during lockdown.
My favorite part about this book was how real the characters felt. They both had their own issues and family drama that made them seem like such normal people. Also RIP to the cake that Mick tried to make. She did her best! I also really liked how they actually became each other’s people before they officially got together. It felt more like they built and earned the relationship that way.
This was a really good book and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for an opposites attract, roommate romance. Thanks so much to Jenna Jarvis and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
My favorite part about this book was how real the characters felt. They both had their own issues and family drama that made them seem like such normal people. Also RIP to the cake that Mick tried to make. She did her best! I also really liked how they actually became each other’s people before they officially got together. It felt more like they built and earned the relationship that way.
This was a really good book and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for an opposites attract, roommate romance. Thanks so much to Jenna Jarvis and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
February 11, 2025
Mick just learn she inherited a house from her grandfather that she hasn’t met it’s comes a great time because she is recovering from a mental crisis. Mick meets Katy who is mourning Tom who is Mick grandfather she also dealing with her the reality of her job at the theater. Mick and Katy get stuck together with Covid crisis hits and while they get to know each other they take a look at themselves and realize they may have to make a change in their lives if they want to be happy. I like that it’s was a friendship first and that eventually turn into more with its ups and down and that it’s deal with mental health and empathy.
I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.
I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.
January 26, 2025
I enjoyed the plot of this book, I thought it was nice to show the reality of lockdown and how much some people struggled especially when it comes to asking for help.
The characters were lovable but I wish we’d of got more information on Tom like who he was really like if they’d of found a diary of something would have been perfect
I did find the flow abit off like the start and end were good but the middle just seemed to drag a little, in a few of the chapters it was like the same thing just a little different if that makes sense
Overall a good read :)
*full disclosure I was given this book in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley*
The characters were lovable but I wish we’d of got more information on Tom like who he was really like if they’d of found a diary of something would have been perfect
I did find the flow abit off like the start and end were good but the middle just seemed to drag a little, in a few of the chapters it was like the same thing just a little different if that makes sense
Overall a good read :)
*full disclosure I was given this book in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley*
February 13, 2025
In the sequel to Ride With Me (which i haven't read) Mick McVey is driving down to claim her Grandfather Tom's house, which she has inherited.
Katy, a young woman and Tom's friend, is less than happy to see her swooping in to lay claim. But she still is friendly when Mick asks about Tom...
As bad as Tom's death is, Mick is also dreading her Mother coming back, as she abandoned Mick and Emma as children.
Fairly solid read. I liked Mick and Katy, and the romance mostly worked. The movie theater subplot just kind of... goes away, oddly. I assume the theater was saved and Katy made up with hef boss, but it's not shown.
Katy, a young woman and Tom's friend, is less than happy to see her swooping in to lay claim. But she still is friendly when Mick asks about Tom...
As bad as Tom's death is, Mick is also dreading her Mother coming back, as she abandoned Mick and Emma as children.
Fairly solid read. I liked Mick and Katy, and the romance mostly worked. The movie theater subplot just kind of... goes away, oddly. I assume the theater was saved and Katy made up with hef boss, but it's not shown.
February 21, 2025
This started off cute but honestly died off fairly quickly for me. It was a bit slow and I just didn't feel like I connected much to the romance. There were no major big issues aside from pacing and the chemistry though even that may just be more of a me thing than a failure of the book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc for an arc in exchange for an honest review!
Thanks to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc for an arc in exchange for an honest review!
February 9, 2025
would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book
have to say this one wasnt for me.....i did try but alas
sorry but life would be boring if we were all the same
have to say this one wasnt for me.....i did try but alas
sorry but life would be boring if we were all the same
February 10, 2025
So much warmth and cosy vibes. Perfect book if you love movies and are a lesbian (me)
November 22, 2025
I enjoyed the slow burn build up between the two MCs
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews