I loved this novella so much, enjoyed every second, and grinned and guffawed my way through it - punctuated by occasional squeals and at least one gasp of shocked and excited realization. The novella A Sidekick's Tale, skillfully yarned by Elisabeth Grace Foley, is a delightful, entertaining, heartwarming, crazy, and hysterically funny Western adventure. It was a wild ride, full of twists and turns, and I was grinning and on the edge of my seat as I held on tight to find out what would happen. And it was so sweet and safe and bright and comforting - I know I can come back to it when I need that sort of book and need to laugh. I'll definitely be rereading it someday - hopefully when I can read it in longer stretches and not short snatches like this time.

A Few of the Things I Loved:

- The characters and the sweet relationships between the characters, especially easygoing and manly Chance, sweet and spunky Meredith, and loyal, humorous Marty. I loved the three of them and each of their relationships so much. I could go on about them forever. And I loved the other main characters so much, too.
- The romance was touching, sweet, understated, and full of ups and downs, and I loved it all. So much. Watching the characters go through those bumps, and seeing their various feelings, gave me many emotions in my own heart - bittersweet, pained, and of course fluttery. I was rooting for the main couple so much, throughout the book - but I won't say how it ended, even if I correctly predicted whether or not things would turn out.
- The humor, wit, snark, and banter were clever and laugh-out-loud hilarious. And I did laugh aloud on every page.
- I loved the writing style and the vivid voice of the character who narrated the book. The tale was told exactly as if it was really one of the characters telling it, and Ms. Foley pulled it off well. The colloquial flavor and constant humourous phrases were delightful, without going over the top.
- The plot seemed random at the beginning, when a new arc was introduced, but it didn't take long for me to see that everything was connected and fit together perfectly - I loved seeing the different plotlines collide in explosive fashion.
- The author handled a challenging premise so incredibly well! I normally hate awkwardness and embarrassment in books as well as real life, but I loved the very awkward moments in this book - they always made me laugh in delight, and never made me uncomfortable. ***spoilers for a little while*** Even more importantly, it's extremely rare that I actually like and approve of the way an author handles a marriage of convenience. And I loved it so, so much in this book! I normally avoid marriages of convenience in fiction, and am annoyed by the portrayal, but I'm so glad I sought this book out! I appreciated that Ms. Foley carefully and expertly walked the fine line of handling it in a way that was clean and never uncomfortable. She briefly addressed the biggest issue of this type of marriage in a way that never made me think about things I'd rather not think about - by making it clear that this was a legal marriage and nothing more. She never condoned a marriage of convenience as a good thing, had other characters as the voice of reason, had the main characters learn from their mistakes. And many aspects of the relationship made me love it, when I normally wouldn't be okay with it - such as having the couple know each other long before the marriage, and have a comfortable just-friends relationship afterward.
- And I loved the romance. So much. It was just the sort of thing I love, when this kind of romance is usually written in a way I hate. And the book itself was not a romance, even if the romance was prominent! The romance was not the only plot and did not take over the book. It was sweet, subtle, and understated - while still beautifully romantic. I love sweet, clean romance as a subplot, but I can't stand romance as the main plot or as a genre - I'm glad this book was just right for me. And I wouldn't normally think it would work to have the book narrated by the protagonist's best friend, rather than a member of the romantic couple...I loved it, in this case. I loved how the narrator was the biggest supporter of the match - after rightly and sanely objecting at first - and how he perceived what was going on romantically, while still being occasionally clueless. And having him narrate meant that we were spared silly, fluffy thoughts and extreme emotion, while still having a front-row seat to the couple's thoughts, feelings, and actions. And I also loved getting to hear the best friend's hilarious and sensible commentary, a treat in itself!
- I loved that it was totally, completely squeaky clean! I honestly wouldn't be opposed to handing it to a 13-year-old who was used to moderate romance. That's rare, for me. There was no kissing or romantic touching or sappiness. Of course, the marriage of convenience involves certain necessary considerations, but the book subtly made it very clear that this was a marriage in name only. It didn't make me uncomfortable, which means it was clean and appropriate.

There was a lot more I loved, but I'll keep it to those things.

A Few Tiny Dislikes:

- I often would have liked more description of people's actions, the way they said something, the way something happened, the surroundings, or someone's facial expression or mannerisms. It often bothered me throughout that there wasn't enough of those things. And about half the time, there was plenty of it, and things were so perfectly, vividly described, with just the right details and cleverness! So i know the author was capable of adding more of that, and I wish she had - because I loved it so much when she did write things in that way.
- Meredith, the female lead, wasn't in much of the book. I loved her and missed her, even if I understand that the plot demanded her absence - I don't see how else it could have worked, but i wished there was more of her, all the same. She was in plenty of the book - just not parts. Especially not in the middle, apart from one very important scene. She was in nearly every one of the scenes at the beginning and end, however, throughout several chapters.

Note: A Sidekick's Tale honestly reminded me very much of The Reluctant Godfather by Allison Tebo, another quality, polished indie book with top-notch humor, comedic mishaps, and surprisingly poignant moments. Of course, they're totally different in most ways, including the genre, and even the similarities have their own incredibly unique flavor. But both of them have their own craziness and shenanigans, and both have wonderful hilarity, snark, characters, friendships, and mixed-up romance. I definitely think The Reluctant Godfather is more amazing, snarky, and hilarious than this one, but it's a high honor that I'd think it worthy of comparison.

All in all, I loved A Sidekick's Tale! It's a wonderfully entertaining, touching, and wildly hilarious comedy of errors, with endearing characters and a touch of lovely romance. I highly recommend it to everyone, teens and up, regardless of whether you enjoy Westerns. ( )