Bobbi J. G. Weiss

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers in exchange for an honest review.*

This is a cute, fun read about an American girl who is attending an equestrian boarding school in England, since her father has a job managing the horses there.

I enjoyed this book overall. I haven’t read anything else in the series, nor have I seen the show, but it was easy to pick up on what was going on and the characters’ relationships with each other. While the story would benefit from having that foundation to appreciate the nuances within it, I don’t think exposure to previous books/seasons of the show is necessary to understand the story in this book. I like that it’s written from the perspective from an American character, so she’s able to explain any British words/differences in culture without it seeming too pandering.

The one complaint I have is that Kit seems incredibly childish. Even accounting for her age and the age it’s written for, her reactions and thought processes just felt off.

Aside from that, however, this is an easily readable book that has some fun, quirky characters who are easy to root for. And, of course, it features horses and riding, so anyone with an interest in that will enjoy it as well.

Also posted on Purple People Readers.… (more)

I put in for an early review copy of this book in a fit of nostalgia for my horse mad phase. Kit and her father move from the American west to an English boarding school where the father is going to be the new stable master. Kit gets free tuition to the school but finds it hard to fit in as a free spirited boho chick who doesn't ride any more. A hard to control horse takes a shine to her (er, and seemingly understands her when she talks to him) and the headmistress tasks Kit with learning to compete on this horse or he'll be sold. Kit's terrified of riding due to an accident where she was dragged behind a bolting horse, and her nemesis in the school is tutoring her. It's a co-ed school and there's some incipient romance as well as some class stuff (upper class British vs royal Indian vs rough and tumble western North American vs lower class British). It's very much an update to modern times of the high school new kid story, but it just didn't sit right with me. There felt like there were too many authorial moments of ignorance, too much manufactured drama, and plot holes galore.… (more)