We're going to see how many words other than 'cute' to describe this read because it really is just so cute and upbeat. It's fun, it's quirky - the humor is fantastic and Joybird is just nothing short of amazing. Joybird is, well, a joy - the whole uber driver aspect mixed with being a life coach and navigating some pretty messed up scenarios? I could not put this book down!

From the complex narcissistic alcohol deadbeat of a father, to Betty, Devon and just every single minor character - they all made this book into what it was an how amazing it is.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Montlake for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I wanted to like this book, but it was a struggle read for me, even more than Meister's last book.

Joybird Martin is an Uber driver and aspiring life coach. Her dad, a former well-known tv writer, is crashing at her Brooklyn apartment. He's trying to re-invigorate his career after leaving L.A. Unfortunately, his class humor and old school way of thinking got him canceled. (Read: misogyny and a little MeToo)

Joy meets Devon, who is a "Wall Street" guy. He suggests she take her life coaching on the road. Devon is attracted to her and asks her out, but he's not her type. Instead, she prefers Noah, a former houseless addict and barista, who is just not that into Joybird, other than casual booty calls. Meanwhile, Joy takes Devon's idea and starts her JoyRide business. Two things are clear to me: she's not in the position to be *anybody's* life coach, and she's got a toxic positivity that's bordering on unlikeable. Also, her dad had abandoned her twice, both when her parents divorced, her mom died, and he later moved back west. Her dad is a schmuck. Sorry not sorry.

Joy takes it upon herself to find a woman that her dad saw in passing that he once hooked up with at a high school party. She thinks finding this woman, Donna, is the key to her dad's happiness. Meanwhile, he befriends his daughter's older neighbor, Betty. It was really predictable.

I didn't understand or care for a lot of Joybird's choices. While she helped a few of her clients, she's not a licensed therapist. I liked Devon, but I felt like he actually deserved someone who wasn't so judgmental and faux virtuous.

2/5☆ available 4/22/25. Trigger warning for parent death, abandonment, teenage suicide attempt, and discussion of addiction.

Publication Date: April 22nd, 2025

Joyride is a heartfelt and witty story about second chances and personal growth. Ellen Meister’s writing kept me engaged, and the characters felt real and relatable.

Thank You Netgalley and Montlake

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Joyride is a heartwarming and uplifting read that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The story follows Joybird, a naturally optimistic Uber driver with dreams of becoming a life coach. When a passenger suggests she turn her rides into a mobile advice service, it feels like the perfect opportunity.

Meanwhile, she’s dealing with her washed-up, grumpy father, Sid, and navigating a love triangle between her long-time crush and the charming Devon. As Joybird helps others, she slowly learns to stand up for herself and take control of her own happiness.

With a quirky cast of characters, humor, and plenty of heartfelt moments, Joyride is a delightful story about personal growth and finding joy in unexpected places.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for and honest review.

Amazing romance, Loved the Joy in this novel, it was a cute novel inspiring romance that had me fantasing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for allowing me to read an ARC of Joyride by Ellen Meister, in exchange for my honest review.

Delightful and cute, with quirky characters and witty dialogue!

Joybird is such a genuine and optimistic treasure, and I really enjoyed riding along with her while she navigated her relationships. It was heartwarming to see her grow.

I adored Betty and would love to have her as my neighbor!

I look forward to reading more by Ellen Meister!

Joyride by Ellen Meister has an interesting premise—Joybird Martin works as a cab driver, but after a customer’s suggestion, she starts offering life coaching sessions while driving people to their destinations. At the same time, she tries to help her unemployed father find his high school crush and navigates her own love life.
Unfortunately, the execution falls flat. The characters feel bland, and the whole story lacks depth. Joybird’s romantic decisions didn’t make much sense to me—I’d say Devon deserves better, but honestly, I have no idea what he sees in her, so that’s on him. The entire Donna storyline is absurd, and the way Riley’s #spoiler (suicide attempt) is handled feels too lighthearted.
I personally wouldn’t let Joybird life-coach me, thank you very much.
Thank you to Montlake for providing me with an ARC. All opinions are my own.

Joyride was a really cute book centering on a young woman named Joybird. Her sunny disposition is the perfect fit for her career, an Uber driver. After meeting a handsome young man named Devon who encourages her to start a mobile therapy business, she blossoms as she helps others with their problems. If only she could help herself...

Her ex-Hollywood writer father is living with her and her love life has her confused. She is interested in poet/barista Noah, but there's something about Devon. Joybird hopes to help her depressed father reconnect with 'the one who got away', a woman from high school who he never stopped thinking about.

She's so good at being optimistic and happy, but what happens when her personal and professional lives collide in ways she never expected?

I thought this was a fun, cute novel. I wanted to shake Joybird, especially regarding Noah, but overall I enjoyed this story! I really like Ellen's writing and look forward to her next book.

I found this story to be fairly shallow; I wanted more from it. The father character was immature and grated on my sensibilities. I had a hard time believing he would spend his entire life pining over a teenage kiss with a person he had virtually no knowledge of. I did enjoy the descriptions of NYC and surrounding boroughs but thought the ease and speed with which Joybird was able to navigate around the city in a car was a little optimistic. Each potential pitfall, whether it was with Joybird & Devon or Joybird solving her clients' problems in one short Uber ride, seemed too easily solved and put to bed. With the exception of Riley, which ultimately also resolved itself quite neatly. This may be a good quick read for some audiences but as it was a departure from my usual choice of historical fiction (I chose it because it was set in NYC) it did not resonate as a winner with me.

Thank you Ellen Meister and Netgalley for the ARC.

On one hand, I really enjoyed this premise and portions of this read. But then also, it felt like there was little to no character development all around. Joyride starts the book holding onto toxic positivity and ends the book there as well.

Her father was emotionally neglectful when she was a kid, and emotionally abusive when she's an adult. Joyride suspects he has assaulted multiple women while working in Hollywood, but she "doesn't want to know", so avoids asking. And "accepts him for who he is", while letting him run her into debt.

There is a happy ever after, but it feels unrealistic/unearned?

I struggled with this one. I can understand why many people would like Joybird, but I really could not stand her unfortunately.

Joybird is an endearing main character with an infectious positivity. She is quirky, and a little bit self conscious but her unwavering optimism is both her charm and her strength. You can't help but root for her. When Joybird’s father, Sid—a former hotshot Hollywood writer—ends up penniless and jobless, Joybird lets him move in with her and tries to help him get back on his feet.

The novel beautifully explores the personal journeys of both Joybird and her dad. As they navigate their relationships with themselves and others, I found myself cheering them. Their path to self-discovery revealed that having faith in their own abilities would show what they needed most had been right in front of them all along.

* I want to start by thanking the author and publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. cute!

Joyride is the cute read I needed right now - a time when the world feels so bereft of optimism. Joybird, so compassionate and earnest, seeing the best in people, was an MC I wanted to simultaneously root for and shake some sense into. This book takes on the task of telling the story of how hard it is to love someone complicated and flawed, like Joybird’s father, and succeeds. it was incredible reading Joybird grow into herself without losing herself, which is a fine line to walk (so bravo to Ellen Meister!). The story is bolstered with a cast a characters that feel real and fleshed out to the point that I want more writing about them.

I’m not sure how I felt about the love triangle, and how Devon and Noah were treated/developed in the story, but if that is a dynamic you enjoy in books, this is a great read for you.

Joyride by Ellen Meister couldn't be titled more aptly. It is a joy of a ride!  Uber driver Joybird Martin has just completed her life coaching training and she desperately wants to start her business. When she picks up handsome Devon as a fare, her upbeat personality opens him up and he comes up with the idea of her becoming a traveling life coach - while also sparking interest in her personally.

Joybird has no reason to be so optimistic and delightful. As a little girl, her father left and moved across the country to become a comedy writer and then her mother died at an early age. Now, down on his luck, her father Sid has landed on her doorstep needing her help while he attempts to pitch one more winner of a script.

What makes Joybird such a compelling character is her absolute determination to help others. She wakes up every day and decides to have a positive attitude and her genuine compassion is a breath of fresh air. Meanwhile, her father struggles with alcohol issues, regret over a long-lost love, and a now seemingly closed-to-him industry that's passed him by.

The laughs flow, the wit is irreverent and sharp, and romance crackles off the page in Joyride. This is a fast, fun, heartfelt novel filled with surprisingly intriguing characters. Loved it!

This was such a breath of fresh air. My only two gripes were how Joybird was so understanding of everyone except for Devon, assuming with ZERO evidence that he was shallow and superficial JUST BECAUSE OF HIS JOB, and then the Noah storyline.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

There’s something about hopping into the back of an Uber that makes it weirdly easy to pour your heart out to a stranger. Maybe it’s the fleeting anonymity, or maybe it’s because you’re literally buckled in with nowhere to go. Either way, Joyride perfectly captures that vibe—and takes it to a whole new level with Joybird Martin, an endlessly optimistic Uber driver turned wannabe life coach.

Joybird has dreams bigger than Brooklyn. She wants to be a life coach, and her cheerful spirit somehow survives living with her snarky, broke father, a washed-up TV writer with opinions on everything. When a chance encounter with Wall Street exec Devon Cato pushes Joybird to coach her riders from the front seat of her Honda, things really take off. What follows is a heartfelt, quirky journey filled with lessons on love, family, and chasing your dreams.

I loved Joybird's charm and sincerity—it felt like a breath of fresh air. Meister strikes a lovely balance between humor and heartfelt moments, particularly in the father-daughter relationship, which was the heart of the story for me. The only thing that felt a bit rushed was the romance subplot with Devon; it could’ve used more build-up to feel fully earned. But honestly, Joybird and her journey stole the show.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the free ARC in exchange for this honest review. This was such a joyful (no pun intended) and heartwarming read.

I really didn’t enjoy this book. The premise had potential, but the execution left me frustrated. Joybird, with her overly forced “positive” attitude, felt emotionally unhealthy rather than uplifting. She constantly buried her negative emotions like anger or disappointment, and it was clear that there was no real resolution to her struggles. It was frustrating to read about her internal acknowledgements without seeing any real growth or change. The idea that love was the answer to all of her problems felt overly simplistic, especially with how obvious her daddy and abandonment issues were.

As for Devon, there wasn’t enough depth. All we got was Joybird’s amateur assessments of him, and it was difficult to connect with him as a character when we didn’t really get to know him outside of her limited perspective.

Sid, her father, was another letdown. He was infuriating and one-dimensional, and we were never really given a satisfying explanation of what ruined his career or why he acted the way he did. It left me feeling unsatisfied and disconnected from the plot.

This book needed more development, especially in terms of character depth and plot resolution. Honestly, I have no desire to revisit it. That's why I'm giving it 1 ⭐.

I quite enjoyed this one, despite finding one of the main characters intolerable. The main character, Joybird, is fairly likable, if a bit hard to relate to-she is just so very positive. The other main character is her father-an unrepentant asshole who has suffered a well-deserved career setback as a result of an unspecified incident involving poor treatment of women. The relationship between Joybird and her father is the focus of much of the book, and it is well-drawn. If there had been a bit more growth on the part of the father, this would have been a more satisfying read for me. Yet, I have to admit, the author is probably right, it is hard for men of that generation to change, and they usually do not put in the time and effort needed. Fortunately, there are loads of other characters to focus on, some nuanced and complex, others more of a sketch. At the risk of being meta, this would make an excellent ensemble TV series. A fun read, if the father does not put you off too much.
Recommend.