My Ellie
Author: H Mitchell
Genre: Cowboy Romance
Publication Date: Feb 17 2025

Rating:
🌟🌟🌟🌟 🌟

Review:
Summary:
Ellie is a horse rider living on a beautiful estate training for the Olympics. She has been through some rough times especially with her overbearing mother/coach. Colton comes to the estate for a job to support his family. He too has had a rough past. They meet at the estate and the rest follows.

What I liked
I loved how fast paced this book was it really had me entertained the whole time. Nothing felt rushed or drawn out. I really enjoyed the side characters and I am excited to hear more about them in the later books. Both characters had a lot of interesting moments and character development. Honestly I just loved this book

Final Thoughts
In conclusion, this was a really fun and enjoyable book. The epilogue 🥹🥹 I can’t wait for the rest of the series

Thank you to NetGalley, Vicotory Editing and H Mitchell for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!! 😁😁

"My Ellie" offers a refreshing twist on the classic romance trope, flipping the script by transplanting a charming cowboy from the American West to the opulent setting of a rural English estate, rather than the other way around. This intriguing concept immediately drew me in, and the opening chapter delivered on its promise.

The promising start had me eager to see how this fish-out-of-water scenario would play out. However, the initial whirlwind of intrigue unfortunately slowed down considerably. While I appreciate a gradual build-up, the narrative took a little too long to gain momentum, with the two main characters, Colton and Ellie, barely sharing any meaningful time together until nearly the halfway point. Their early interactions felt rather innocent and almost juvenile, reminiscent of a tentative first love between shy teenagers. This lack of substantial connection early on made it difficult to fully invest in their potential romance.

Moving from total strangers to a level of deep comfort felt a little forced, especially given their limited prior interactions. While Colton's apparent love at first sight was evident, the necessary chemistry between the two didn't quite translate for me initially.

Despite this slower start, the narrative did eventually find its footing. I appreciated how their burgeoning connection allowed both Colton and Ellie to gain a broader perspective on life beyond their own familiar surroundings. Ellie, in particular, seemed to benefit from this newfound insight, and their individual growth as a result of their interactions was a positive aspect of the story.

The climax of "My Ellie" was a definite high point. The unexpected turn of events and the subsequent fallout were thoroughly enjoyable and kept me engaged. However, this exciting resolution felt somewhat rushed. I believe the story could have benefited from dedicating more time to solidifying the romantic relationship between Colton and Ellie, providing more concrete evidence of their deep connection before the climactic chaos descended. This additional development might have lessened the feeling of "insta-love" that lingered slightly, despite their growing understanding.

One of the strongest and most commendable aspects of "My Ellie" was its portrayal of mental health. The open and normalised discussion surrounding mental health challenges, therapy, and medication was refreshing and handled with sensitivity. The way the characters related to and supported each other through these experiences was a significant strength and a key element in their connection.

Overall, "My Ellie" presents a charming premise with moments of genuine warmth and insightful character growth. While the pacing felt uneven at times and the initial romantic connection could have been more developed, the unique setting, the engaging climax, and the thoughtful representation of mental health make it a worthwhile read for those seeking a slightly different kind of contemporary romance.

British horse rider + Texas cowboy = a beautiful love story. The storyline was lovely but a tiny bit rushed in some places. However, I can’t fault an author who speaks of mental illness (in this case being anxiety) in such a beautiful way that makes me feel like my illness is nothing to be ashamed of. H Mitchell, well done for creating a book that made me feel seen

Such a great and sweet book. I love how how both characters put their goals and their family first, but at the same time, find themselves and find a way to put themselves first.

This is a very mild enemies to lovers story, Ellie doesn't want anything to do with the Colton as she has wanted to be in the Olympics her entire life. This is all she knows and has trained for. Colton is a well-known cowboy from the US and who is asked to work on Lord Chamberlain's estate teaching his 2 young boys to be "cowboys".

I won't spoil the book with how these characters worked out as you have to pick this sweet book up. This is such a light ready and will definitely warm your heart as you are reading this. 4 stars.

Ellie meets Colton when he takes a job in England, leaving his ranch in the States. As they grow closer what will happen, as he is due to leave and she has Olympic plans. I liked how it was told from both points of view.

Oh boy...

I started the year with cowboy obsession, so when I saw the arc, I knew I had to.

Unfortunately, it went downhill from there. Finishing it was a chore. A chore that I only put myself through because the deadline was approaching.

The people? Ellie and Colton? Boring! Traumatied (who isn't these days?). Colton was sweet, but it didn't save the book for me. To call them in rupaul's terms: it's giving pedestrian, it's giving h&m. iykyk.

The romance? I wasn't sold at all. Colton interacted more with 1885219 side characters than he did with Ellie, at least in the first 50% of the book. Their first interaction was at like 15% mark, but they had a proper conversation so much later. If anything, they were more friends than lovers. A lot of their supposedly meaningful conversation was told, not showed. "we talked for hours", "he learned a lot of things about me" etc

The dialogue was also a big issue for me. It was hell of an unrealitic. People speak small portions, talking over each other and stuff, but these people spoke entire school performance monologues.

Kudos for putting them through therapy and actually praise the therapists (since it's often undermined by the pussy/cock magic in books these days). Unforunately, therapy overwhelmed the story. Except for colton's grandma's recipes and Ellie's random passion for painting (that was mentioned like three times) all they talked was therapy and trauma. What are they going to even talk about after they work it through? The only thing that annoyed me regarding therapy was when Ellie went "let me tell you something that probably no one ever told you" and then she told him that his feelings are valid. That's like therapy 101. Are we okay?

Didn't particularily like the ending with the airport cliche and all, but whatever atp.

But what I really take issue with are these two things:

- LET'S STOP WRITING THREESOME WITH TWINS INNUENDOS! that was an interesting use of a free will, and it was absolutely disgusting to me. It also wasn't necessary for the plot, so why? WHY????????

- the whole trip to the pub where they played a strip poker in a pub where there are people in the pub! Being in your underwear doesn't mean decent. If I saw a gang of people playing strip poker ina public pub publically, I'd shoot them. Do that shit at home!

1.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you #NetGalley for providing me with an arc for this book #MyEllie, but this ellie is not mine.

Oh, and she wears leggings in the year of the lord 2025

First of all the cover of this book is so cute! And the romance was so sweet and cute. The main characters were very likable.

Firstly, the cover on this is absolutely beautiful and I am absolutely obsessed with it !

The story was a whole vibe from start to finish and I loved it! I love a romance book so I was a sucker for it !

I would recommend this book to everyone and anyone who loves to read !!

Thank you to H. Mitchell and Netgalley for providing me with an E-arc in exchange for an honest review!

My Ellie follows our two main characters; Colton, an ex-rodeo rider from Texas, and Ellie, a dressage rider in the British Equestrian Team.

First of all, I want to say that this is an incredible debut book by H. Mitchell! I'm really excited for her future work and will most definitely be reading it.

The couple in this book is so healthy and refreshing. There's no toxicity between them, they are respectful and their communication is top tier.

Both of our main characters struggle with their mental health and they are open about it, they don't hide their problems from one another. They took care of each other and supported each other.

Ellie is a dressage rider for the British Equestrian Team, the team is currently working towards going to the Olympics. The team was sent to an Equestrian centre to train. Her character development was amazing; she has been through so much and yet she powered through, finally standing up for herself and choosing what she wants for her own future.

Colton is an ex-rodeo rider originally from Texas but due to his ranch falling apart, he accepts a job in England at the previously mentioned Equestrian Centre. Colton is the definition of positive masculinity in my opinion; he isn't afraid to show his emotions and speak about his issues with those he loves. Colton very quickly became Ellie's safe space and I loved reading about their relationship blossoming into this beautiful, happy thing.

I loved the side characters as well - Rory, Sanya, Meemaw (my favourite) and Wyatt were all amazing characters to read about. I truly loved this book, everything about it was so perfect.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did! I thought it was going to be just a cute cowboy romance but this has a deep behind it that made it so much better.
In my experience with cowboy romances, the cowboy has this tough guy appearance and acts like a really manly guy but is really sweet to his family and close friends, showing his love with actions. This mmc is different, he's a cowboy so of course he is tough but the most important thing about him is that he's sweet to everyone around him, a friendly guy who passes a banana bread recipe to a chef just so everyone can experience is meemaw baked goods. For me, it was refreshing to have such a cute mmc. I also didn't expect to have a cowboy in England but loved it!
The mental health rep is also amazing, it perfectly shows how it is a daily struggle and at the same time, most people don't see it so they probably don't even dream that the person on their side is suffering.
An amazing read!

This was such a cute and charming read which majorly tugged at my heart strings with all the emotions. Definitely recommend to people who love a convoy romance!

Once you get to know the characters they are definitely charming. This was a cute read and it tugged at my heart strings because it did have its angsty and emotional moments. The romance was giving. For the girlies who like reading about a gentle cowboy and his girl.

I love Colton and Ellie’s love. The growth within both characters was great to watch but especially in Ellie. I love when characters discover who they are and finally can be that way. The mental health rep was great and the author took good care of such a sensitive topic.
Loved the writing style and pacing in the book and the cover is absolutely adorable. The colors, the flowers, gorgeous!

This was such a beautiful story! I really appreciate how the mental health representation was handled with such care and compassion for Ellie and Colton. It was a very raw and real journey for the both of them and I loved seeing how they became each other’s support systems and biggest cheerleaders. Colton is absolutely swoon-worthy (I mean he’s a cowboy… come on) and the romance was so sweet.

“I’ll tell you this just once. You keep her name out of your god-damn mouth unless you’re singing her praises, do you hear me?” 🥵🥵🥶

What a debut novel! I read this as an ARC reader, first of all, thank you! I absolutely loved this novel! I found myself crying happy tears by the end of the book! The plot, the way i was giddy kicking my feet at some parts, and chanting “kiss her!” one minute, and ready to jump through the pages at Ellie’s mom the next! I like that this is a dual POV! It’s definitely a slow but well worth it burn! This cowboy set in the UK, feel good, easy to read, cozy vibe book is so wholesome. I do want to give the author so much credit, this book speaks on mental health, and i feel like she does a FANTASTIC job describing mental health. It was truly felt through the pages, you could tell it wasn’t a guess on description, it felt wildly accurate to my own struggles which made me love the book that much more, and then even more as an equestrian girl myself. All in all, this was a very easy, fun, feel good wholesome read! 🤍📖
Make time for the things you love!

My Ellie H. Mitchell was a compelling and engaging story.
This book had me hooked from the very first pages.
I was immediately drawn into the beginning and the characters that came alive on the pages.
I can’t wait to read book two!

Colton and Ellie's relationship was so sweet and reminded me of my own. I adored this slow burn romance with realistic struggles.

Rating 4.5/5

This book was so cute! I didn’t know that I was CRAVING a cowboy romance set in the English Countryside but this book scratched an itch I didn’t even know was there. This is a romance between a cowboy and a professional horse dressage athlete and it was such a unique premise that was super well executed.

I really loved the slow burn aspect of this book and it had great yearning between both love interests which I feel like is rare in books that aren’t fantasy but it was really well executed. I also loved the found family trope and while reading I almost felt as if I was there at the estate hanging out with the characters.

I will also say that I loved the fact that even though there was some description about dressage, I never felt confused about what was going on as someone who knows next to nothing about the sport.

The plot was also really well paced, it really hit that sweet spot between being fast paced enough to be able to cover a whole summer without ever feeling rushed.

If you want a cute sports romance that still has that small town vibe, this book is perfect for you!!

Thank you to the Author and Netgalley for the E-ARC of this book <3

3.9⭐

what a warm book it was!

thank you Netgalley! Another thanks goes to the author!

Colton was really such a cutie and so admirable. The way he supported Ellie has my heart. I totally love the atmosphere of this book. The British Countryside representation and Cowboy magical exploration. I rarely read cowboy romance but this book was worth the time. I felt this book was 60% realistic and purest form of love. The slow burn romance took me in a different world.

This book also explores with mental health rep. So sometimes it made me feel cry but then Colton and Ellie were so perfect that I was so happy while reading them. I love Ellie so much for how she stood up for herself.

Overall this book was perfectly overwhelming!! Colton, he is truly a green flag just like the book cover 💚

There was something missing for me, like I'm satisfied with the pairing but tbh sometimes I did feel a bit bored however, author did really great job. And for that part I'm giving this book 3.9.

This was such a sweet slow burn cowboy romance. I was hooked from the start.

I loved Colton and Ellie's relationship, from their meeting to all the moments that built up to them being together. Adding in their mental health struggles and their dynamic that developed was so wholesome. The way the author portrayed their individual issues and how they dealt with that as well as how they helped each other was done well.