I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
That's Not Hay in My Hair is a comical, sweet look at life on a ranch through the eyes of a young girl. Jules and her mother, Emily, are city girls who have become owners of a large Texas ranch. Learning the ropes of cattle farming while adjusting to life away from the Big Apple is bringing challenges to both of their lives, but both ladies are up to the hard work.
I was very impressed to learn that the author is a teen writer. It is noticeable in the way the novel is written. I would love to have seen more descriptions of her surroundings to have better set the scenes, but this is an art that may come in time. The book also has a diary or journal feel to it as most of the story reads as individual happenings instead one overall plot line. This particular style is not a style of book that I typically enjoy, but may be better suited to the age group the novel is intended for (preteens.)
Overall, it was definitely a cute book well suited for the preteen age group, but I felt that it needed a little polishing and an overall plot. ( )

Juliette lives with her mom in a tiny apartment in New York City one day and the next she's moving cross country to a 300-acre ranch in Texas. Her life to change into wrangling longhorns, trying to steer clear of snakes, and riding horses. It'll be one fun but chaotic life.

Juliette or Jules was an alright character in a story that made no sense to me. The story was nice in that it was a mother-daughter team taking care of a bunch of animals but that's really it. The event all jumbled together so the from the start of the story it was off for me. The story arc about Jules and a class bully also went nowhere. I don't know but this was just not what I expected. Either way, I would have liked a more cohesive story. ( )