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.

This was so fun! I need more fun books in my life and I’m making that my 2025 resolution because of this book! This was a great romance with a solid plot and beautiful characters! Humor, lighthearted, and a quick read to warm you this winter/spring!

joybird loves to help people and has a job giving advice in the car. she is trying to help her dad too. she finds love and deals with some issues but overall she figures her life out.

I don't normally DNF books but I really couldn't get into this so I DNFd it at 38%. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to read an ARC copy but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. I couldn't relate to the characters or care for them and found a lot of the humour to be cringe and inappropriate at times. This is just my opinion and I don't mean to influence anyone wanting to read this book.

Ellen Meister's Joyride is a heartwarming, unforgettable and witty story that captivates from the first page.

The characters are wonderfully developed, each with their unique quirks and complexities. I love a story with quirky characters! Witty dialogue and unexpected adventures round out the story and makes this a 5 star read!
Joyride, the protagonist, is a beacon of resilience and strength. Her journey of self-discovery and redemption is both inspiring and relatable, making it impossible not to root for her every step of the way and she is by far, my favorite main character of the year and possibly ever!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ellen Meister’s Joyride is a heartfelt and captivating story that blends humor, romance, and a touch of self-discovery. With its quirky characters and witty dialogue, this novel offers a delightful escape while exploring deeper themes of love, second chances, and the unpredictability of life.

The protagonist’s journey is both relatable and inspiring, as she navigates unexpected detours in her personal and professional life. Meister has a gift for creating characters that feel vibrant and real, each with their own quirks and charms. The romantic elements are sweet and well-paced, adding just the right amount of tension and satisfaction to the story.

The narrative flows effortlessly, with Meister’s sharp writing keeping readers engaged from start to finish. The combination of laugh-out-loud moments and poignant reflections strikes a perfect balance, making this book both entertaining and emotionally resonant.

While the plot leans into some familiar tropes, the fresh voice and originality of the characters make it feel unique. Joyride is a delightful and uplifting read for fans of romantic comedies and stories about finding joy in unexpected places.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely brilliant book!
I am a big fan of this author and love the writing style!
I cant wait to read more!

I was not too fond of the dual POV. I would have liked it more if the story had focused solely on Joybird: her career journey, her struggles with childhood trauma, dealing with her father's return, and her love life.

Sid is depressed, and apparently, the only thing that can lift his spirits is reconnecting with a woman he kissed once over 50 years ago. Seriously? I ended up skimming through his chapters. I wasn't interested in his chapters and it only distracted from the parts that mattered.

Joyride by Ellen Meister was an enjoyable read that had me chuckling in places. This was a solid read.

I had a hard time finishing this one, but I did finish even though I had to skim through several different sections. I couldn’t really get emotionally invested in Joy bird’s father who was the other main character because he was just so off color and off-putting. I also found her coaching sessions in the car to be rather tedious and time-consuming. I did love the premise, however, and felt that it would make a good sitcom idea instead of a novel.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher, for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Joyride was a surprise delight! I was so anxious to keep reading this book to see what happened!

Our heroine is Joybird. She's had a rough life and has made it her mission to see the bright side of things - the joy! She's working as an Uber driver when she picks up Devon. She instantly brightens his day, and he suggests she should drive her car and give life advice! Joybird's desire is to be a life coach, so this seems like the perfect set up.

Joybird lives with her dad, John Martin, aka Sid. Sid, for lack of a better word, is a loser. He was once an A list Hollywood writer, but has lost everything and moved in with his daugther. He's brash, unfeeling, and is not the type of father Joybird wants.

The eclectic cast of characters we meet through Joybird's Joy Rides add so much to the story. In addition to these characters, there's Betty, the neighbor who befriends Sid. We have Noah, the non-committal crush of Joybird, and we can't forget Devon - he desperately wants to date Joybird and she's hesitant.

I loved the transformation of Joybird through the novel. She was somewhat meek at the beginning, wanting to keep people happy and keep the peace. But as the story progressed, she found her voice and became an advocate for herself! This was a heartwarming story, and one I'm so glad I read!

Thank you to Net Galley and Montlake for the eARC of this book!

Joybird is one of those very special characters who you'll wish was real. While this is an overall lighthearted read, Joybird will inspire you in all sorts of ways with her feel-good positivity and compassion. I wish there was more to the story though. I felt this easily could've been longer, more fleshed out, especially with Devon. With that said, the book was good but really needs to have more into it in order to be a really good/great book.

Read This Book and Have a Joyful Day
In a world that has become increasingly combative, it was an absolute joy to read JOY RIDE, a new novel by the prolific and always entertaining Ellen Meister. The story is about a young woman who is certain that her reason for being is to spread hope but not because her life is all raindrop and roses. To the contrary, Joybird Martin is a single thirty-one-year-old life coach who can barely pay her bills as an Uber driver in New York City. But just when she thinks life couldn’t be any more stressful, her pot-smoking, cranky pants father asks if they can be roomies until his once successful career as a comedy writer makes a comeback. To Joybird nothing could be less funny. How could she support the man who abandoned her growing up, and yet her heart aches to repair their dead-end relationship. If only he would stop running up her credit card bills and commenting on her stalled love life.
Nothing makes sense until the day Joybird picks up a sullen Wall Street executive and offers him advice to overcome his work challenges. After listening to her astute insights, he suggests that she run a life coaching business from her cab. What? That is the one thing in her life that does feel laughable until other riders gush that her refreshing advice was exactly what they needed to hear.
Faster than you can say start your engines, Joybird ditches Uber to run her own taxi service called Joy Ride and it’s time to buckle up. The first stop for Joy Ride is to help get her dad out of his funk by finding his long- lost love that he was too shy to ask on a date. But her first paying clients are a wealthy/spoiled/upper east side mother and her snarky teenage daughter whose contentious relationship makes Joybird feel like she is careening through a dark tunnel at high speeds. And from there the twists and turns are as unpredictable as a GPS that takes us in a direction we never saw coming.
What I enjoyed most about JOY RIDE was following Joybird’s poignant attempts to repair her life’s most damaged relationships while wondering if she is falling in love with the Wall Street guy even if he is most definitely not her type. Or is he? When compared to the altruistic poet she has waited years to date, she questions if she even knows her type anymore.
Readers will root for Joybird as she searches for the road to self-discovery at the same time that she is becoming a source of comfort to clients who literally need a lift. More than anything, JOY RIDE is a crash course in navigating bumpy roads, with a much-needed reminder that it is never the destination that matters, it is always the journey.

This was an entertaining book to read! I think it was lighthearted and fun, had some more serious topics mixed in but the overall feel of the book was more of a lighthearted one. I liked the writing style of the author, and the characters!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Light, refreshing and fun read. I absolutely loved reading this and plan on reading it again in the future. I have a list of people who will love this when it is published that I will definitely be telling them to read it. I loved Joybird and her belief that all people have good in them. I also enjoyed the aspect of her Uber driving experiences relating to today's world. DEFINITELY recommend!

This was such a fun story! Everyone needs to add this to your TBR lists! It was so cute. I adored the characters and the storyline.

Joyride by Ellen Meister totally surprised me in the best way! It follows Joybird Martin, an Uber driver with an endless supply of optimism, who dreams of becoming a life coach. Despite her grumpy father—who’s a washed-up TV writer with a failed marriage—she keeps pushing forward, helping her Uber riders with her sunny advice. I loved how even with all the obstacles in her way, she stays so hopeful and determined.

When she helps a Wall Street exec named Devon, he convinces her to start coaching people for real, and suddenly, her dream feels a lot more possible. As she helps others find their way, she’s also figuring out her own stuff, including how to deal with her growing feelings for Devon and learning some unexpected things about her dad’s past. This book is sweet, funny, and so full of heart—it had me smiling the whole time. If you’re looking for a light, feel-good story about chasing your dreams and finding your own path, Joyride is definitely worth the read!

First of all, why is JoyRide not a real company?!

I really enjoyed Joybird’s charisma and navigation with her family, friend and client relationships. Seeing her struggle with knowing her dad made terrible choices and still wanting to ignore them because it’s her dad is such a real problem life problem we encounter with loved ones. Seeing her growth from constant positivity and excuse-making for those around her to being an assertive woman was refreshing to see in a female main character.

I would love a short story on Corrine and Riley in the future too!!