Joyride 

In this poignantly quirky ride through Brooklyn, an idealistic young woman shares her earnest joy with her Uber clients, her cranky father, and the Wall Street hotshot who started it all.

Joybird Martin—an Uber driver with cheerfulness to spare—desperately wants to be a life coach.

She’s so sunny about her chances that even her snarky father—a has-been TV writer with a failed third marriage—can’t dim her light. So when he shows up broke on her doorstep, Joybird takes him in with no questions asked, trying to find a balance between her bright optimism and his sarcastic pessimism.

It works, and she continues sharing her earnest wisdom with her Uber riders. After she helps handsome Wall Street exec Devon Cato, he convinces her to become a life coach from the front seat of her Honda.

As Joybird’s dreams take the wheel, she finds direction for her clients…and herself. She’s not sure what to do about her attraction to Devon, but she soon learns exactly what she can do for her father. And a journey into his past might just pave the way for her own bright future.

Joyride is available for preorder.

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Early Praise for Joyride

“Ellen Meister’s wry eye and true heart deliver in JOYRIDE the smart, funny-quirky cast of characters that every reader wants to relish and embrace. Heartache, disappointment, rejection—aren’t they delicious when such hurdles deliver true love?”
—Elinor Lipman, author of MS. DEMEANOR, Finalist, 2023 Thurber Award for American Humor 

“This book IS a joyride—from the grab-you-beginning to the oh-no-it’s-over ending! You’ll wish you knew some of these characters and count yourself lucky for the absence of others. I learned a new word and the story made me happy—total win for me!”
—Jill Conner Browne, #1 NEW YORK TIMES author of the SWEET POTATO QUEENS series

"Nobody writes about family and friendship and fidelity quite like Ellen Meister. In Joybird Martin, she's created a winning, winsome protagonist who sets off on improbable adventure as a life-coaching Uber driver, dispensing advice and good cheer to a growing client base of broken, hurting, searching New Yorkers, helping them to reach for intimacy and certainty as they move about the city.  Along the way, she figures out a few things for herself in Ellen's new novel JoyRide—a sweetly funny rom com-ish tale that reminds us that love isn't exactly something you can program into your ride share app, but if you ride with an open mind and an open heart it might just find you anyway." 
—Daniel Paisner, author of BALLOON DOG

“With warmth and wit, JOYRIDE is a journey of laughter, hope, and human connection.”
—Lauren Rico, author of FAMILIA and AFTER THE OCEAN