Book Review – Trail Rides and Starry Eyes by Katrina Emmel

I just finished reading Trail Rides and Starry Eyes by Katrina Emmel, which releases next week on December 9, 2026 and I give it 4/5 stars.

A little about the book: Cassidy is a teen working on her family’s ranch in Wyoming. Wilder is an up-and-coming young actor who has never left LA. Alex, and Cassidy’s uncle and Wilder’s agent, lets Wilder know he’s got a part in a new mini-series, but there’s a catch — Alex has told the studio Wilder was basically born in the saddle, yet Wilder has never ridden a horse in his life! Wilder goes to spend the summer with Cassidy where she teaches him about horses, ranching, and being a bona-fide cowboy, and they both learn a bit about crushes and first love as well.

This is a truly adorable YA book. It is 100% YA, and not a borderline young/new adult book. Both characters are teens, they are decently developed, their infatuation with each other is intense crush, there is no spicy scenes (thank you for being age appropriate), and the story is sweet and funny. There are antics with Van Goat and Rambrandt, the resident goats, as well as some chickens and other barnyard animals. This is a very easy to read story, a perfect palette cleanser kind of book, and the imagery of the farm/ranch is idyllic, calming, and beautiful. I could really imagine myself in the paddocks learning how to ride, seeing the stars at night, and remembering how high stakes crushes feel when you’re 16 to 18 years old.

If you’re looking for a quick read with a little bit of Hollywood and a whole lot of sweeping mountain-scapes and horseback riding, add Trail Rides and Stary Eyes to your TBR!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.