Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't connect to any of the characters, as I felt the relationship(s) were superficial and didn't have enough depth. To add to the list, I didn't like the writing style of the author which got even worse when I noticed how long the chapters were. These aspects altoghether made me drag my reading experience.

DNF at 18%.

A beautifully drawn portrait of the high-society world, yes—but at its core, Riding High is about something far more meaningful: the families we choose, the friends who truly see us, and who stand beside us even when we believe we’re walking alone.

And then there’s the romance. The kind that shouldn’t happen, that logic says is all wrong—but the heart, of course, has other plans. It’s touching, unexpected, and impossible not to root for. Add in humour, charm, and more than a few laugh-out-loud moments, and you have a book that’s genuinely delightful from start to finish.

This isn’t just a love story—it’s a story about belonging, growth, and allowing joy to sneak in even when you’ve long stopped expecting it. A thoroughly enjoyable read that stays with you long after the last page

In theory, this book promised everything I typically adore in a romance novel: a charming female protagonist, a brooding male lead, an idyllic English countryside backdrop, layers of family drama, and the allure of affluent lives. However, it ultimately fell short of my expectations. The male lead, in particular, felt underdeveloped, lacking the depth needed to make him truly compelling. The romance strayed into insta-love territory, missing the slow-burn tension and emotional connection that make an enemies-to-lovers arc so satisfying. The pacing was swift to the point of feeling rushed, and the connection between the characters felt driven more by physical attraction than genuine emotional growth. While the premise held promise, the execution left me somewhat disappointed.

This is my first polo book and I gotta say, this author really did make the sport seem fast-paced and peaked my attention when the polo scene started the book, which is rare when I know nothing about this sport at all. Jed is a top player, who works for his step-dad’s team, and their relationship is just so fun, and protective. When Eden starts asking around about Jed’s step-dad, he gets super protective and basically calls her out, until they both realize she is allergic to horses and passes out.

After that, slowly and surely, as Eden recovers she meets all of her uncle’s family, and finds out they are all his step children, and he just overall really never met a child and didn’t love them. This book is so big on found family, and Jed and his siblings really show this to another level. I don’t think I’ve read a book in a while that did found family as good as this one, because you’d never know these people aren’t related by blood, they are a family in every sense of the word. They then take in Eden, who has no family left, after growing up in the system, and being ghosted by her foster mother, she really connects with this family of misfits, and I loved it so much.

Jed and Eden have chemistry that comes out in heat and anger at first, and slowly turns into more as they spend time together and Eden sees how charming and lovable Jed is, especially when he takes time to really protect her from her horse allergy, and when he opens up about his family! This book was so good, and I enjoyed reading it!

I love a good sports romance & reading this book was a whole new experience since I have never read about polo! The book is entertaining especially since the characters are funny. I love Eden with all her sassiness and the humor she brought to this book. There is scandal and hidden secrets that add a twist to the story. The book has the sweet and good vibes of any rom-com. It is a quick read that makes a relaxing read any time.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the family element in this book even though they were only step siblings they all were there for each other. I also loved how they all embraced Eden into their family and how things all worked out for her and for them.

I would highly recommend reading this book if you love a good heartwarming book.

I would like to thank One More Chapter and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book early.

This was a pretty good found family story.
I usually love a sports romance. This took me awhile to get through. Was it the pacing? The characters? I’m not sure.
The main characters were ok…their “romance” was just meh.
All in all, this was a ok read.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is my first polo romance, and I really enjoyed it!
I really enjoyed the characters and the story!

Thank you so much for allowing me to read this early

This would be my first polo romance read! I read a lot of other sports romances, but this was definitely a first. I thought the MCs were cute and their interactions were sweet. One of my biggest complaints in contemporary romance books lately is too many pop culture romance. A couple is fine but the constant of them showing up is too much and cringe. I reread books and due to all these pop culture references, I wouldn't pick this up again and I don't see this aging well.

`✦ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ 3 stars 🌟 2 spice 🌶

arc review 📖

જ⁀➴ 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬

🐎 mmc is a polo player
🥍 fmc is shy
🐎 he yearns
🥍 spicy
🐎 slow burn romance
🥍 tension and drama
🐎 forced proximity
🥍 he is off limits... but not in secret
🐎 quick read

This was the exact definition of a romantic palette cleanser.

𖹭 If you're looking for a spicy, romance novel in the equestrian scene, then this is for you.

────୨ৎ────

⋆˙⟡ 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑠 𝑈𝐾 & 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑑𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑐

Riding High is a sports romance novel by Joss Wood. I'm enjoying all the sports romance novels that are around at the moment and Riding High certainly didn't disappoint. The story was cute and easy to follow and had a great cast of characters. It's the perfect summer read. I highly recommend it and I look forward to reading more by the author.
💝 Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for my arc copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This was quite a cute and entertaining book. It’s very readable and there were some really fun aspects to it. I thought the main couple had good chemistry, though I thought the physical side of their relationship happened very suddenly, with very little build up. The book in general was a little rushed, though I thought the final drama was quite good and I enjoyed the angsty element of it.

The main issue I had in the book was some of the writing choices. There were way too many pop culture references and descriptions of characters that hinged on celebrities – it wasn’t necessary and it didn’t improve the writing at all. I also thought some of the book didn’t read as if it was set in the UK; the terminology wasn’t consistent (for example, referring to a mobile phone as a cell; the police officer character is just described as a ‘detective’ when referred to). It wasn’t constant, but it was jarring when it did happen, and I think a good edit could smooth that out.

It was fine, but it wasn’t really for me. The writing style didn’t work for me, though I found it fairly entertaining and a quick read. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.

Content Notes: Allergic reaction, absent parent, grief, death of a parent (in past), mild violence, on-page sex, oral sex, fingering, semi-public sex.

I love a good found family. I do find it a little strange that Jed and Eden are kind of not really related, but otherwise I enjoyed this book a lot. I think the thing that makes this not a 5 star for me was the third act breakup. It was kind of pointless. Eden made assumptions and Jed didn’t speak up.

Very fun if you are looking for something a bit off the beaten path that still very much leans into English ideals!

am I….a horse girl???? I read this in one sitting and had a fabulous time. I loved the found family aspect. I think the cover of the book threw me off thinking it’d be all about polo which I felt took the backseat. The only thing that felt unbelievable to me was their first hookup happening so fast. Overall, such a fun time!

This book is great! If you love books that have horse elements then you will love this book. The story was very well written and the romance was great.

Thank you NetGalley and Joss Wood for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't my favourite book. It is an easy read and light hearted, however the long chapters can make it tricky if you want a quick read or trying to get the odd chapter or two in. I enjoyed reading about the polo aspects of this book as it is something I'm not too aware of which was different in a good way. As a woman from the English Countryside, it was really easy to read the story and imagine it which was nice, although I don't own any horses myself or play polo.

The romance was good, one of the strong points of the story and also the relationship between FMC and her uncle was sweet.

Eden Ennis arrives at the Elmsleigh House estate determined to tell billionaire Troyden Castle that she’s his niece and instead finds Jed Harris, polo player and Troyden’s stepson. Navigating high society, unknown family relations, and a horse allergy, can Eden find her place in this unfamiliar world and maybe lose her heart in the process?

I had a fun time with this one. I liked Eden generally as a character, and I thought the development of the relationship between her and Jed was done well, once I’d gotten past the initial insta-lust which sadly didn’t feel believable compared to a lot of other aspects of their relationship which did. However, for me this wasn’t the best, or even core, relationship within the story. The thing that I liked most about this book was the found family element. Getting to know the backstory of Troyden and his stepchildren, and seeing how Eden was brought into the fold was a real highlight. The wider family was a delight – a mix of characters but they all felt real and it was fun piecing together how their personalities and strengths combined into such a strong family unit.

I’ve read a lot of books set in the equestrian world, but none specifically related to polo, and it was nice to get a few details scattered into the story. That being said, I really would have liked more on this aspect. With Eden’s horse allergy (not a spoiler) it felt very much like the equestrian elements were relegated to plot point – Eden’s reaction to horses was needed to show the care the family had for her by the changes they made to accommodate her, and polo was needed for a big event at the end of the book. It kind of felt like the polo was inconsequential outside of this which was a real shame. For instance, there were stirrings of the bond between man and horse in the references to Rey – Jed’s favourite polo pony – but we never really got beyond surface level with this, and given how strong the human relationships were, I would have really liked to have seen how human-animal relationships were portrayed.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read to curl up with. There were definitely some elements that didn’t quite work for me but it was a sweet, fun time and I’d read more in this world.

With thanks to One More Chapter and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ahead of publication.

Eden shows up at a fancy English estate to tell billionaire Troyden Castle that surprise—she's his niece! Problem is, she's completely out of her depth in high society. Enter Jed, the star polo player and Troyden's stepson, who's also the only man she's ever fainted at the sight of. (Though that might just be her horse allergy, which is hilariously inconvenient when polo is the family obsession.)

The found family vibes are absolutely lovely—watching Eden get warmly welcomed into the family and seeing Troyden's fatherly affection for her was genuinely heartwarming. Plus the whole "girl allergic to horses falls for polo player" setup makes for some pretty funny meet-cute moments. But honestly? The pacing gets wonky in the middle and I found myself losing interest. The romance between Eden and Jed just felt meh.

This is perfect though if you're into equestrian romance and found family feels, but don't expect to be blown away by the central love story!

A bright and fun read that had me smiling and giggling from start to finish! This romance hit all the right notes, delivering a joyful, light-hearted story that was an absolute pleasure to read. I especially appreciate when a book is centered around a specific sport or theme without letting it overwhelm the story and this one nailed that balance. Even if you’re not a polo fan, you’ll feel completely immersed and never left out. The story follows Eden, who arrives in the English countryside to meet the wealthy uncle she only just discovered existed. But thanks to her surprise horse allergy (who knew?), she ends up quite literally falling into the arms of Jedher uncle’s star polo player… and, well, also a family relation? Yep, things just got delightfully complicated. Jed is charming in all the best ways, and the connection between him and Eden sparks instantly. As Eden is pulled into this new world, we readers are treated to a wild and heartfelt ride full of laughter, discovery, and unexpected emotion. One of the standout relationships in the book is between Eden and Troyden—written with such tenderness and care, it practically radiates off the page. The supporting cast also adds plenty of charm and personality, enriching the story even further. I truly enjoyed this book. The little details sprinkled throughout added so much warmth, making it a cozy, romantic escape I didn’t want to end.