Celebrate Lit / December 1, 2024

Chase Your Dreams West

About the Book Chase Your Dreams West

Book: Chase Your Dreams West: A Ginnie West Adventure (Book 5)

Authors:Monique Bucheger and G. L. Rasmussen

Genre: Contemporary Upper Middle -Grade

Release date: November 22, 2024

12-year-old best friends, Ginnie West and Tillie Taylor navigate changes in their family. Tillie’s long-absent birth father reappears and she has to juggle two dads while Ginnie’s mischievous Uncle Jake escalates their prank war. Meanwhile, Tillie desperately wants a horse of her own while Ginnie is determined to follow her late mother’s equestrian legacy as a trick rider, something her dad has forbidden.

Can Ginnie shape her own destiny and persuade her dad to support her ambitions?

Get ready for a heartwarming adventure filled with friendship, family, and the power of chasing your dreams!

Click here to get your copy!

My Thoughts on Chase Your Dreams West

Chase Your Dreams West is a sweet middle-grade novel and part of a fun series about Ginnie and her love of horses. While the series is geared towards those in the middle grades it can also be fun for older young adults to read as well. I, as an adult, enjoy reading this series aloud to my kids as well.

We have horses on our farm. And my kids love them! I often find one or more out with them. Petting them, feeding them treats, or simply sitting on them. The horses are a central part of our farm. They make the kids feel responsible and important. They also give them a feeling of independence.

This book is wonderful.

There are a few sensitive type topics. Like the fact that a dad who was absent comes back into the picture. There is some death as well(as in the death of a parent). Just so you know going into the novel. I also did think there was some disobedience which we of course do not promote.

The girls have grown some more in their lives. Their parents are now engaged. But Tillie’s biological dad comes onto the scene. And Ginnie is trying to learn and follow in her mother’s footsteps. Plus there is the uncle. I’m not a huge fan of him and his pranks. They’re not always as innocent as they seem.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.

About the Authors of Chase Your Dreams West

Monique is a bestselling author, a certified Farland Fiction Coach, and an empowerment speaker, dedicated to championing the underdog, in both her writing and real-life adventures.

Having a heart for families in crisis, Monique creates stories that capture the essence of real-life challenges and triumphs, with a touch of humour.

Monique’s upper middle-grade series, ‘The Ginnie West Adventures,’ delves into sensitive and weighty themes such as parental loss, abandonment, and overcoming abuse. She delivers stories not only for tween readers but for those young at heart.

Drawing from her experiences nurturing a dozen of her own children and fostering over a hundred more, Monique’s experiences shape her books, creating novels in a number of genres, including a historical family saga, contemporary family dramas, a fun picture book, and a middle-grade series weaving whimsy and heart into her tales.

A country boy by birth and by choice, Gary spent his youth working on the family farm, for local farmers and ranchers, on horseback or playing sports. Offered scholarships in Agriculture and Advertising Design, he opted for the bright lights and big city.

Eight years in the advertising field convinced him that wasn’t where he wanted to be.

Gary freelanced in design and illustration and converted his love of writing for advertising to a newspaper column about the country’s lifestyle. He has also worked as a ranch manager, cowboy, rancher, and horse trainer. An avid painter and author, Gary shares his talents through mentoring others, is a past president of the Western Art Guild and Idaho Writers League and is an active member of Western Writers of America.

Gary and his wife, Margie are the parents of four children and ten grandchildren and have travelled extensively throughout Europe, Great Britain and the United States.

More from Monique

Chase Your Dreams West: A Ginnie West Adventure took me too long to finish. I was working on it when one of my sons was killed in a car accident. I paused writing for a few years as our family adjusted to losing Ryan.

An author friend invited me to a writer’s retreat a few years ago, knowing I was stuck and that week unlocked a lot of things for me, including deciding to change where I placed what is now the first four chapters. I wrote them two books ago thinking they would make a great denouement, but after my son’s death, I realized they would make a better beginning.

This book is a little different from the first four as Ginnie explores horsemanship training with her mare, Calliope–with her dad’s blessing, and perhaps is given a little help from her mom. Ginnie is given back one of her mom’s journals and gets to know the mom she doesn’t really remember and her dad didn’t really talk about… until recently.