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Phoenix
Not yet published
Expected 3 Mar 26A fresh, unexpected horse-kid series from an unexpected horse-kid herself, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, award-winning and #1 New York Times -bestselling author of The War That Saved My Life and Fighting Words
Harper’s life just exploded. Her parents are getting a divorce. And she suspects her best friend, Cat, may have known the reason for it long before she did. Now Harper and her mom are starting over in a cramped house, in a new town, where everything feels unfamiliar, including the riding barn next door. There, Harper watches the kids she avoids at her new school take lessons. Harper’s never been around horses before. And no, she does not want to learn to ride. Then with no warning, a truck dumps a starved and neglected horse right in Harper's yard. She has no idea what to do with a live horse let alone a nearly dead one. But one look at the horse’s huge eyes and his skinny body, and something inside Harper unlocks. The horse is named Phoenix, she decides. And she will not give up on him. Neither, it turns out, will Phoenix give up on her. She doesn’t know it yet, but this is Harper’s first step—toward new friends, new challenges, new adventures. Toward riding.
Harper’s life just exploded. Her parents are getting a divorce. And she suspects her best friend, Cat, may have known the reason for it long before she did. Now Harper and her mom are starting over in a cramped house, in a new town, where everything feels unfamiliar, including the riding barn next door. There, Harper watches the kids she avoids at her new school take lessons. Harper’s never been around horses before. And no, she does not want to learn to ride. Then with no warning, a truck dumps a starved and neglected horse right in Harper's yard. She has no idea what to do with a live horse let alone a nearly dead one. But one look at the horse’s huge eyes and his skinny body, and something inside Harper unlocks. The horse is named Phoenix, she decides. And she will not give up on him. Neither, it turns out, will Phoenix give up on her. She doesn’t know it yet, but this is Harper’s first step—toward new friends, new challenges, new adventures. Toward riding.
176 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication March 3, 2026
2 people are currently reading
3179 people want to read
About the author
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
28 books2,868 followersKimberly Brubaker Bradley's next book, The Night War, will be published April 9, 2024. She is the author of nineteen previous books, including the Newbery Honor winners Fighting Words and The War that Saved My Life. The sequel to the latter, The War I Finally Won, appeared on many state-award and best-books lists and was described as “stunning” by The Washington Post and “honest” and “daring” by The New York Times. She is also the acclaimed author of She Persisted: Rosalind Franklin. Kimberly and her husband have two grown children and live with their dogs, two highly opinionated mares, and a surplus of cats on a fifty-two-acre farm in Bristol, Tennessee. Visit her at kimberlybrubakerbradley.com.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 16, 2025
Phoenix is the first installment of a horse series designed for readers in grades 3-5, but with its absence of profanity or sexual content and no mature themes, strong readers even younger will enjoy this one. Gifted writer Kimberly Brubaker Bradley calls this the horse series of her heart and her love of horses and horsemanship is readily apparent in her writing.
Harper and her parents are comfortably settled in Knoxville with good jobs, in a great school and all with positive connections to the community when a Big Bomb drops and the affair between the mom of Harper’s best friend and her dad. The news gets out at school, the two girls stop speaking and Harper moves with her mom to a tiny house on a large piece of property that includes a horse barn and multiple arenas, paddocks and grazing areas. Never being a horse person and still reeling from the impending divorce and the brokenness of her friendship with Cat, Harper is struggling to find any spark of happiness when an equally broken horse is practically dropped on her doorstep and everything changes. Determined to nurse this abused and nearly starved horse back to health, Harper finds a purpose and then finds she is able to open her heart to a new place and new friends.
Harper’s reactions to such an abrupt end to her parents’ marriage run the gamut including sadness, anger and confusion and are shared realistically. Her stubbornness over keeping the abandoned and abused horse is also clear and will further cause readers to connect with her mixed up and battered heart and then cheer at the end when healing begins between Harper and Cat and even her philandering father. Harper’s surprised pleasure in riding a horse is expressed clearly in Bradley’s excellent writing and her hope of someday riding Phoenix is just as aptly described when the still-skinny and not yet recovered enough to ride horse takes off in a burst of freedom and joy. The direction of subsequent installments in the new series is clear: further recovery of Phoenix and some way for Harper to keep her; continued healing of Harper’s broken relationships; and growth in riding skills by 8 yr old Emma and 6th graders Harper, Dante, Night, and Carine.
Text is free of profanity. The violence against Phoenix is not detailed and while the affair between Harper’s dad and Cat’s mom is understood, Bradley is careful in how it is described and skirts around the sexual aspect very discreetly. Representation: Harper and her parents present as Caucasian; Miss Chelsea, the owner/instruction of the horse ranch is Black and in two places there is a brief reference to her wife Jessie; Emma is likely also Black and is described as brown-skinned, with multiple beaded braids; Dante has Puerto Rican heritage and his skin is noted as lighter than Emma’s; Night uses they/them pronouns and at first meeting, Dante introduces himself with name and his pronouns of he/him, indicates Night’s choice and while Harper fumbles a bit with hers, she follows suit; Carine and her mother are Caucasian and it becomes clear at the first introduction of the pair that this mom has developed strong biases and prejudices and while Carine seems embarrassed by her mother’s blatant and sometimes more subtle stereotyping, she has some trouble with the clear mix of racial heritage and economic levels of those at the new stables where she boards her horse and takes lessons. Certainly there is more coming with Carine’s strained relationship with her demanding, rude and pushy mother.
Recommended highly for those with horse-loving readers, especially ones who need less than 200 pages. No illustrations included.
Thanks for the eARC, NetGalley.
Harper and her parents are comfortably settled in Knoxville with good jobs, in a great school and all with positive connections to the community when a Big Bomb drops and the affair between the mom of Harper’s best friend and her dad. The news gets out at school, the two girls stop speaking and Harper moves with her mom to a tiny house on a large piece of property that includes a horse barn and multiple arenas, paddocks and grazing areas. Never being a horse person and still reeling from the impending divorce and the brokenness of her friendship with Cat, Harper is struggling to find any spark of happiness when an equally broken horse is practically dropped on her doorstep and everything changes. Determined to nurse this abused and nearly starved horse back to health, Harper finds a purpose and then finds she is able to open her heart to a new place and new friends.
Harper’s reactions to such an abrupt end to her parents’ marriage run the gamut including sadness, anger and confusion and are shared realistically. Her stubbornness over keeping the abandoned and abused horse is also clear and will further cause readers to connect with her mixed up and battered heart and then cheer at the end when healing begins between Harper and Cat and even her philandering father. Harper’s surprised pleasure in riding a horse is expressed clearly in Bradley’s excellent writing and her hope of someday riding Phoenix is just as aptly described when the still-skinny and not yet recovered enough to ride horse takes off in a burst of freedom and joy. The direction of subsequent installments in the new series is clear: further recovery of Phoenix and some way for Harper to keep her; continued healing of Harper’s broken relationships; and growth in riding skills by 8 yr old Emma and 6th graders Harper, Dante, Night, and Carine.
Text is free of profanity. The violence against Phoenix is not detailed and while the affair between Harper’s dad and Cat’s mom is understood, Bradley is careful in how it is described and skirts around the sexual aspect very discreetly. Representation: Harper and her parents present as Caucasian; Miss Chelsea, the owner/instruction of the horse ranch is Black and in two places there is a brief reference to her wife Jessie; Emma is likely also Black and is described as brown-skinned, with multiple beaded braids; Dante has Puerto Rican heritage and his skin is noted as lighter than Emma’s; Night uses they/them pronouns and at first meeting, Dante introduces himself with name and his pronouns of he/him, indicates Night’s choice and while Harper fumbles a bit with hers, she follows suit; Carine and her mother are Caucasian and it becomes clear at the first introduction of the pair that this mom has developed strong biases and prejudices and while Carine seems embarrassed by her mother’s blatant and sometimes more subtle stereotyping, she has some trouble with the clear mix of racial heritage and economic levels of those at the new stables where she boards her horse and takes lessons. Certainly there is more coming with Carine’s strained relationship with her demanding, rude and pushy mother.
Recommended highly for those with horse-loving readers, especially ones who need less than 200 pages. No illustrations included.
Thanks for the eARC, NetGalley.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5 stars
I'm here for the horse parts of the story, which were more or less well done. (Not sure how Dante got the halter over Katara's nose while her face was stuffed in a bucket for example.)
The qualms I have are all character based. The pre-teen angst is a bit different from my Saddle Club reading days. The characters all seem to vacillate between mild brattiness (I'm being generous in Harper's case here) and unrealistically mature opinions on certain things that seemed a bit much for 11.
I'm here for the horse parts of the story, which were more or less well done. (Not sure how Dante got the halter over Katara's nose while her face was stuffed in a bucket for example.)
The qualms I have are all character based. The pre-teen angst is a bit different from my Saddle Club reading days. The characters all seem to vacillate between mild brattiness (I'm being generous in Harper's case here) and unrealistically mature opinions on certain things that seemed a bit much for 11.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I liked learning about the various characters. How soon until the next book in the series is out? I have plenty of students who'd be interested in this title.
September 28, 2025
I enjoy reading KBB's historical fiction books, and this one is quite different. It's a contemporary realistic fiction, maybe aimed at kids a little younger than, say, the audience of The War That Saved My Life, More like 4th-5th-6th graders.
There are some pretty big issues tackled in this book, and because it's the first book in a series, nothing is really wrapped up at the end. The main character, Harper, and her mom move to a new town after Harper's dad's affair with a neighbor blows up their lives big time. The way the mom and Harper left town was quite abrupt, which I know was a plot device for Harper being the new kid and the kid out of her element, but it felt a little unrealistic.
Harper's school life isn't the major focus of the story except for one detail that keeps coming up: because of overcrowding at her school, she has to eat lunch standing up. (As someone who has spent decades in school settings, I have never ever heard of this happening, so it was a little jarring.) Most of the action of the book centers around the horse barn on the property of the house Harper and her mom are living in, and Harper becomes the owner of a very sick horse that was dropped off at the barn to die. Through nothing more than sheer will and a quick Google search, Harper miraculously nurses that horse back to health.
I kinda feel like Harper is all over the place, which, as a kid whose mom whisked her away from her life after her dad's affair with her best friend's mother, perhaps makes sense. She has lots of complicated feelings toward her parents, she has to make new friends in her new town, she discovers that she loves horses and is kind of a natural at it, but a couple times in the book, she is downright rude to the adults around her. She makes impulsive decisions and behaves a little out of character for someone her age, I think.
I think what lost me on feeling good about this book was the moment when Harper decided she needed to see her best friend in person and so, OF COURSE her mom stopped making dinner and DROVE THEM two hours on a school night back to where they used to live. C'mon. That is completely irresponsible and improbable.
There are some pretty big issues tackled in this book, and because it's the first book in a series, nothing is really wrapped up at the end. The main character, Harper, and her mom move to a new town after Harper's dad's affair with a neighbor blows up their lives big time. The way the mom and Harper left town was quite abrupt, which I know was a plot device for Harper being the new kid and the kid out of her element, but it felt a little unrealistic.
Harper's school life isn't the major focus of the story except for one detail that keeps coming up: because of overcrowding at her school, she has to eat lunch standing up. (As someone who has spent decades in school settings, I have never ever heard of this happening, so it was a little jarring.) Most of the action of the book centers around the horse barn on the property of the house Harper and her mom are living in, and Harper becomes the owner of a very sick horse that was dropped off at the barn to die. Through nothing more than sheer will and a quick Google search, Harper miraculously nurses that horse back to health.
I kinda feel like Harper is all over the place, which, as a kid whose mom whisked her away from her life after her dad's affair with her best friend's mother, perhaps makes sense. She has lots of complicated feelings toward her parents, she has to make new friends in her new town, she discovers that she loves horses and is kind of a natural at it, but a couple times in the book, she is downright rude to the adults around her. She makes impulsive decisions and behaves a little out of character for someone her age, I think.
I think what lost me on feeling good about this book was the moment when Harper decided she needed to see her best friend in person and so, OF COURSE her mom stopped making dinner and DROVE THEM two hours on a school night back to where they used to live. C'mon. That is completely irresponsible and improbable.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This first book of a new series is obviously meant to hook horse lovers and it will. Readers have to first find out how Harper, the main character, ends up being around horses. She is horrified one day at school that people are looking at her and talking about her family. Her best friend looks guilty. This is how Harper discovers that her father and her best friend's mother are more than neighbors. Harper and her mother pack up and leave quickly. They end up on a horse farm in a tiny home with Harper's Great White Pyrenees. Harper has to start a new school, connect with new kids without them learning the horror story of her life at the moment, and find a way to stop being so angry about her life circumstances. Her Mom makes her keep talking to her Dad, but they don't talk about the real issue much. Harper notices a truck pull up next door one day while the barn folks are off at a horse show. The people driving the truck want to leave a horse that collapsed. Harper knows nothing about horses, but she does not trust these guys (nor does her loyal dog). After they drag the downed horse to a paddock next to her house, Harper tries to help the horse. Her Mom gets back and tells her the starving horse cannot be fed just anything. Immediately her Mom supports her decision to try to help the horse and seems to convince the owner of stable, as well. Most of the rest of the story is about the horse, but the story about what happened to her family and reconnecting with her old best friend is also there. No great conclusions on that front, but readers will love the last scene with Harper and her horse as offers good opportunities for them in the next book. I am grateful to Netgalley for allowing me to read the book before the publication date.
I read this book virtually before its publication, so changes may have been made once published.
I really have a great deal of respect for Kimberly Brubaker Bradley and I am impressed with her horse knowledge in this book. I was unsettled by the school scene where Harper and other students stand at lunch. It just felt so very wrong. I was not very comfortable with the school night out of the blue need to talk to her old best friend one night. With the focus on the horse that needed fed every 3 hours, it felt off. Those are minimal issues, though, if my avid horse fans have the opportunity for a great horse series that could be the next Heartland craze.
I read this book virtually before its publication, so changes may have been made once published.
I really have a great deal of respect for Kimberly Brubaker Bradley and I am impressed with her horse knowledge in this book. I was unsettled by the school scene where Harper and other students stand at lunch. It just felt so very wrong. I was not very comfortable with the school night out of the blue need to talk to her old best friend one night. With the focus on the horse that needed fed every 3 hours, it felt off. Those are minimal issues, though, if my avid horse fans have the opportunity for a great horse series that could be the next Heartland craze.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Phoenix is the story of a girl named Harper that has to move due to her parent’s divorce. She acquires a horse and learns to take care of and ride horses. I thought the story was mediocre. I am usually a huge fan of Kimberly Brubaker Bradley’s books, but this one fell flat for me. The storyline was fine, but I found myself not liking the characters making it hard to have any emotion toward the book. This book also has a non-binary character. Typically when people speak of nonbinary characters in a way that others don’t like, it is deemed as intolerant and evil, so I will preface this with saying that it comes out of a place of love and respect for all people, though that likely does little good to appease people that disagree. Nonbinary people have the body of a male or female, but don’t feel like they are either. The pain and trauma suffered by people with gender confusion is real, and all people have dignity and deserve respect. Part of loving a person requires us to speak the truth. The truth is that gender is not fluid and sex reassignment surgeries damage the body. This book is written for lower middle grade readers as the target audience which makes this character and the pronouns confusing for young kids. Kids at this age may just be beginning to read chapter books and learning about pronouns. In this book, the nonbinary character is referred to as they, and multiple people together are also referred to as they in sentences close together which can be very confusing, especially for 9 year old readers. It also teaches kids that they can change their gender based on how they feel. We are so much more than our preferred activities, and do not need kids to decide they are the opposite gender just because they like activities that don’t fit the traditional gender roles of our society. Nonbinary characters do not belong in middle grade novels. That being said, I do think the book had some strengths. The storyline of Harper’s relationships with other characters and her horse would appeal to many young readers. The book was compelling enough to hold my interest through it, and I thought it was a quick read which would be a good introduction to build stamina when beginning to transition to longer chapter books. I was excited to read a new book by one of my favorite authors. I am thankful to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book. I give it 3 stars.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.5/5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing me with this ARC.
Harper's life has gone off the rails with what she refers to as "the bomb." Her dad's extramarital affair has sent her away from her school and best friend, Cat, to make a new home in small town Kentucky with her mom. Their new home is not a "cute" tiny house, just really tiny. She feels heartbroken, insecure, and "thrown away" by her dad.
Fortunately, the tiny house sits adjacent to a stable. Harper has never had an especial interest in horses, but she finds herself taking an interest in the lessons she can watch from her porch. Then another bomb (this time a good one) is dropped into her life: a young horse is dumped at the stable by a truck on the way to the kill pen. He is near death, skeletal, and covered in small cuts. Harper takes one look and falls in love. She decides to devote her life to "her" horse, whom she aptly names Phoenix.
Stories of people saved by the act of caring for another creature are nothing new, but this is a sweet and fresh take on the trope. As a former horse girl myself, I loved being immersed in this story, which is basically a childhood dream of mine come true (minus the implied animal abuse). As Harper navigates caring for a very sick animal and winning his trust, she begins to heal a bit from the wounds she is carrying in parallel to Phoenix. Near the end of the book she is at last able to face some of the pain she has avoided confronting back at her dad's.
This is the first installment of the new Ride On series for middle grade readers. I assume subsequent volumes will explore the stories of Harper's new friends at the stable. It's a winner and just slightly off of the five star mark for me, in part because the side characters are just a bit too unfailingly jovial and mature to ring entirely true.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing me with this ARC.
Harper's life has gone off the rails with what she refers to as "the bomb." Her dad's extramarital affair has sent her away from her school and best friend, Cat, to make a new home in small town Kentucky with her mom. Their new home is not a "cute" tiny house, just really tiny. She feels heartbroken, insecure, and "thrown away" by her dad.
Fortunately, the tiny house sits adjacent to a stable. Harper has never had an especial interest in horses, but she finds herself taking an interest in the lessons she can watch from her porch. Then another bomb (this time a good one) is dropped into her life: a young horse is dumped at the stable by a truck on the way to the kill pen. He is near death, skeletal, and covered in small cuts. Harper takes one look and falls in love. She decides to devote her life to "her" horse, whom she aptly names Phoenix.
Stories of people saved by the act of caring for another creature are nothing new, but this is a sweet and fresh take on the trope. As a former horse girl myself, I loved being immersed in this story, which is basically a childhood dream of mine come true (minus the implied animal abuse). As Harper navigates caring for a very sick animal and winning his trust, she begins to heal a bit from the wounds she is carrying in parallel to Phoenix. Near the end of the book she is at last able to face some of the pain she has avoided confronting back at her dad's.
This is the first installment of the new Ride On series for middle grade readers. I assume subsequent volumes will explore the stories of Harper's new friends at the stable. It's a winner and just slightly off of the five star mark for me, in part because the side characters are just a bit too unfailingly jovial and mature to ring entirely true.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4 stars
Having loved previous books by this author, particularly historical fiction, I could not wait to get into this contemporary realistic middle grade world. I'm not an incoming horse girl, but I'm here for it, and I'll root for Harper ALL the way through this charming series.
Harper is an only child, but she does have a best friend, Cat, who lives right across the street. These two make all kinds of plans together and are packed with meaningful memories. Unfortunately, they've recently made a new memory that is sure to be fodder for their respective therapists' couches through the rest of their childhoods, if they're lucky, and definitely into adulthood. The immediate result is swifter than years of processing. Harper is making a big move with her mom away from her dad, Cat, and the life she has known.
Now a country gal, Harper is struggling with aspects of her new life, but the influx of characters - some great new friends (peers and beyond) and animals - make it hard for her to feel so alone for the long haul. There's a lot of sadness, uncertainty, and frustration to manage, but there is also a lot of hope to enjoy. Like all good middle grade works, readers cannot miss the symbolism running throughout, so the important messages come across clearly. Readers also get to be present for some tough, real conversations, and I know those will support readers going through related scenarios or watching their friends do the same.
I really enjoyed this newest middle grade work from Bradley, and I am thrilled it appears to be the start of a series. I'll be anxiously awaiting updates on Harper's antics!
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Dial Books for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Having loved previous books by this author, particularly historical fiction, I could not wait to get into this contemporary realistic middle grade world. I'm not an incoming horse girl, but I'm here for it, and I'll root for Harper ALL the way through this charming series.
Harper is an only child, but she does have a best friend, Cat, who lives right across the street. These two make all kinds of plans together and are packed with meaningful memories. Unfortunately, they've recently made a new memory that is sure to be fodder for their respective therapists' couches through the rest of their childhoods, if they're lucky, and definitely into adulthood. The immediate result is swifter than years of processing. Harper is making a big move with her mom away from her dad, Cat, and the life she has known.
Now a country gal, Harper is struggling with aspects of her new life, but the influx of characters - some great new friends (peers and beyond) and animals - make it hard for her to feel so alone for the long haul. There's a lot of sadness, uncertainty, and frustration to manage, but there is also a lot of hope to enjoy. Like all good middle grade works, readers cannot miss the symbolism running throughout, so the important messages come across clearly. Readers also get to be present for some tough, real conversations, and I know those will support readers going through related scenarios or watching their friends do the same.
I really enjoyed this newest middle grade work from Bradley, and I am thrilled it appears to be the start of a series. I'll be anxiously awaiting updates on Harper's antics!
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Dial Books for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I'm grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book from a favorite author.
The story was very good, following a young female main character who moves to a small town after her family experiences a major trauma.
I think the plot was compelling with some relatable points for middle grade radersand it had excellent pacing for the most part, but it ended abruptly and with quite a few unresolved story lines. I know it's part of a series but it needed more.
I also think this should have been for older teens. There were quite a few mature themes that I struggle thinking are appropriate for the young middle grade age it's aimed towards (the main character is 11)- parental infidelity, abandonment, racism, non-binary gender, animal abuse. I could see these being much more emotionally challenging than the reader it's geared towards might be able to handle or understand. It felt like a lot to address in a short book and I wish it had focused on any one of the issues so that as a parent there could be deeper more specific conversations on one heavy topic instead of the emotional whiplash I was left with at the end.
Because of that, I can't recommend it to anyone younger than 13 at the very youngest and would definitely advise parents to preread first.
The story was very good, following a young female main character who moves to a small town after her family experiences a major trauma.
I think the plot was compelling with some relatable points for middle grade radersand it had excellent pacing for the most part, but it ended abruptly and with quite a few unresolved story lines. I know it's part of a series but it needed more.
I also think this should have been for older teens. There were quite a few mature themes that I struggle thinking are appropriate for the young middle grade age it's aimed towards (the main character is 11)- parental infidelity, abandonment, racism, non-binary gender, animal abuse. I could see these being much more emotionally challenging than the reader it's geared towards might be able to handle or understand. It felt like a lot to address in a short book and I wish it had focused on any one of the issues so that as a parent there could be deeper more specific conversations on one heavy topic instead of the emotional whiplash I was left with at the end.
Because of that, I can't recommend it to anyone younger than 13 at the very youngest and would definitely advise parents to preread first.
December 5, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc.
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley’s books are auto-reads for me. In fact, this book is the whole reason I started using NetGalley: to hopefully read it early.
I will admit I am not a horse person and never have been. Horses are beautiful but like most big animals they scare me and the few times I’ve been around them I’ve made sure there was a fence between us. But I do love reading about them. You can tell from the author’s writing how much she loves and cares for horses and I’m sure this book will delight horse lovers of every age.
I liked how Harper’s struggles with her parents’ divorce, and the reason for it, were written. It felt very realistic to how a child would react, particularly when it was such a sudden event.
I have a fondness for books where animals help humans heal or humans and animals heal together. Harper’s insistence that Phoenix is a good horse who didn’t deserve to be thrown away echoed her own complicated feelings about her dad and what he had done and helped her believe that she didn’t deserve to be abandoned either. Harper’s longing to save Phoenix helps her find her own bravery within herself when she at first thought she wasn’t very brave at all.
I’ll be waiting eagerly for the next book in this series.
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley’s books are auto-reads for me. In fact, this book is the whole reason I started using NetGalley: to hopefully read it early.
I will admit I am not a horse person and never have been. Horses are beautiful but like most big animals they scare me and the few times I’ve been around them I’ve made sure there was a fence between us. But I do love reading about them. You can tell from the author’s writing how much she loves and cares for horses and I’m sure this book will delight horse lovers of every age.
I liked how Harper’s struggles with her parents’ divorce, and the reason for it, were written. It felt very realistic to how a child would react, particularly when it was such a sudden event.
I have a fondness for books where animals help humans heal or humans and animals heal together. Harper’s insistence that Phoenix is a good horse who didn’t deserve to be thrown away echoed her own complicated feelings about her dad and what he had done and helped her believe that she didn’t deserve to be abandoned either. Harper’s longing to save Phoenix helps her find her own bravery within herself when she at first thought she wasn’t very brave at all.
I’ll be waiting eagerly for the next book in this series.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Harper’s life turns upside down in an instant. Her mom comes home from work during the day to find her husband is involved with the woman across the street who is the mom of Cat, Harper’s best friend. Within just a few weeks, Harper’s folks are divorcing and she and her mom have moved into a small house next door to a riding stable two hours away. Harper likes watching the horses and the kids who come for riding lessons when she’s home by herself, resting up from starting a new school and waiting for her mom to come home from work. When a “kill truck” full of horses headed for slaughter stops by the stable and off-loads a horse that is near death, Harper’s life is transformed again as she is determined to nurse the horse, Phoenix, back to health and to learn to be a rider. Plenty to enjoy for horse lovers plus Bradley’s intriguing, well-drawn characters. The first book in what is sure to be a popular series. EARC from Edelweiss.
January 6, 2026
I am very excited to see the next instalments in this soon-to-be-beloved series. This first book in the new series sets us up nicely for future books, with a horse stable, and several riders who may or may not have some issues going on. The story around Harper and her horse Phoenix tugs on some major heartstrings, including the story of her dad’s affair with her best friend’s mom (handled very appropriately by the author). There were a few things I loved: the diversity in character representation, the realistic setting and dialogue, the mention of therapy is normalized, and real kid feelings. Horse-loving kids in grades 3-6 will love this book! While I miss Brubaker’s talent for historical fiction, I’m so glad she is venturing into this series. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy! I’ll be recommending it to our schools for purchase.
Read
January 23, 2026Reading Phoenix was like a breathe of fresh air for me! It was a little different from what I had been reading lately and it was the perfect book to read!
Unfortunately, it was too short (for me), I wanted to read a lot more. I felt like it ended way too soon! But it will be the perfect fit for readers! It's a good length with just over 100 pages (which is very hard to find these days - shorter, well-written books for readers).
A very heart-felt story of Harper and her mom moving to a smaller place that is right next door to a horse barn. Harper's parents are just starting the divorce proceedings and everything has changed including her relationship with her best friend Cat.
You won't want to put this book down! It's a must-have for all libraries! 5 stars!
Unfortunately, it was too short (for me), I wanted to read a lot more. I felt like it ended way too soon! But it will be the perfect fit for readers! It's a good length with just over 100 pages (which is very hard to find these days - shorter, well-written books for readers).
A very heart-felt story of Harper and her mom moving to a smaller place that is right next door to a horse barn. Harper's parents are just starting the divorce proceedings and everything has changed including her relationship with her best friend Cat.
You won't want to put this book down! It's a must-have for all libraries! 5 stars!
December 3, 2025
What a great book about new beginnings, perseverance, new friends, challenges, and adventures. Harper and her mom move to a new house next to a stable, and one day Harper sees someone dropping off a horse that looks like it’s dying. The horse is barely alive but Harper wants him (she names him Phoenix) even though she knows nothing about horses. She is told to slowly feed him and in time, Phoenix gets better. Harper takes her first riding lesson and realizes how much she loves this horse-life.
Thank you to the author and publisher for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to the author and publisher for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Harper's parents have just gotten divorced, and she and her mom move to a tiny house near a horse barn in a small town. When a kill truck comes by with an almost dead horse, Harper insists that the horse is hers and tries to nurse it back to health. Meanwhile, she is navigating new friendships, losing her best friend from her old town, and her parents divorce, and taking care of the horse, which she names Phoenix, is the only thing that makes sense to her. Horse lovers will love this book.
Review of advance copy
Having loved this author’s prior work, I started this knowing it would be good. However, it’s better than good-and is a fantastic story for particularly for middle grade animal-lovers. Not only am I thrilled that it’s the first of a planned series, but I really appreciate that it is under 200 pages.
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December 16, 2025The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of Phoenix
‘Horse-obsessed ten-year-old me would have devoured this book in one sitting’
Nova Weetman, author, with Emily Gale, of Outlaw Girls
‘Horse-obsessed ten-year-old me would have devoured this book in one sitting’
Nova Weetman, author, with Emily Gale, of Outlaw Girls
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I love this author. Her more serious books were more interesting to me. However, this was a quick read, and I can definitely see an audience for this book. It had some depth, without being graphic. I think librarians should add this to their collections.
November 26, 2025
I was absorbed in this story from start to finish with Harper and her friends, the stable setting, and the issues Kimberly plants in the story. Already I'm anxious to read #2 in the series!
Want to read
December 29, 2025This description is giving me some serious Lynn Hall vibes (complimentary)!
Review of advance copy
Adorable!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
E ARC provided by Netgalley
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