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Hickville High #2.5
Horseplay
Three weeks after her longtime boyfriend dumps her, high school senior and queen bee Penny Wilson declares she is over him and finished with dating. But life without her ex is more difficult than simply repeating a few affirmations. A queen bee needs a king, or she wobbles dangerously close to the edge of the popularity ladder. To make matters worse, her dad announces he’s hired Wrangler-wearing calf roper Ty Jackson to work on their English horse farm. Never mind his curly blond hair and six-pack abs—he’s a rodeo team bottom-runger and no way is Penny going to admit she knows him, let alone allow him into her social circle.
Ty convinces her he can teach her to connect more deeply with her horse and settle her nerves in the show arena. But as they work together, Penny discovers that while she might be riding better, being around Ty does nothing to settle her nerves. Will a hush-hush relationship with Ty make matters worse with her dad? And what if her friends at school discover Ty is more than just a farm hand? Because between her show ambitions and her social status, she’s walking a fine line—and the price is everything that matters to her most.
Ty convinces her he can teach her to connect more deeply with her horse and settle her nerves in the show arena. But as they work together, Penny discovers that while she might be riding better, being around Ty does nothing to settle her nerves. Will a hush-hush relationship with Ty make matters worse with her dad? And what if her friends at school discover Ty is more than just a farm hand? Because between her show ambitions and her social status, she’s walking a fine line—and the price is everything that matters to her most.
233 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 12, 2015
About the author
Mary Karlik
12 books146 followersMary Karlik combines her Texas roots with her Scottish heritage to write happily-ever-afters from Texas to Scotland. When she is not writing or reading, Mary can usually be found hanging out with family and friends, or hill walking in Scotland.
Mary has five indie-published contemporary young adult romance novels and two indie-published fantasy novels.
Mary earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, has a B.S. degree from Texas A&M University, and is currently studying Scottish Gaelic at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig in Skye, Scotland. She is also a certified, professional ski instructor and a Registered Nurse.
Mary is an active member of Contemporary Romance Writers, Romance Writers of America, and Dallas Area Romance Authors. Married to a Scott, Mary lives in both and Scotland and Texas.
Mary has five indie-published contemporary young adult romance novels and two indie-published fantasy novels.
Mary earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, has a B.S. degree from Texas A&M University, and is currently studying Scottish Gaelic at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig in Skye, Scotland. She is also a certified, professional ski instructor and a Registered Nurse.
Mary is an active member of Contemporary Romance Writers, Romance Writers of America, and Dallas Area Romance Authors. Married to a Scott, Mary lives in both and Scotland and Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 25, 2016
Penny Wilson had just broken up with her high school boyfriend that she had been with for the last year and a half when her dad hires Ty Jackson to help out on their ranch. Penny's father insists since Ty is coming to the ranch after school that Penny can ride with him which to her might as well be social suicide after being dumped by the popular Josh. To make matters worse, Ty was once a good friend to Penny when they were kids but had ditched Penny while she was dealing with her mother battling cancer and the two haven't spoken since.
As Penny and Ty begin to spend time together again they find that renewing their friendship at the ranch wasn't as hard as they thought it would be and the two become closer as Ty helps Penny with her horse jumping. But Penny still doesn't want her friends to know she is falling for a cowboy, she sees high school as being all cliques and doesn't want to lose her status with the popular crowd but can Ty open her eyes to just being herself and not living for a group?
Horseplay is a part of the Hickville HIgh series by Mary Karlik but I haven't read the other books myself and feel this read fine as a standalone. This novella is a cute little YA read with likable characters and a fun setting that seemed to be spot on in the competitive horse world. Of course I am guessing at that because I'm not overly familiar with showing, riding or competing in the tournaments that Penny was in but it was fun reading about the animals just as much as the humans in the story.
The author did a great job giving a bit of a life lesson in this story too with touching on the high school clique world and how Ty teaches Penny that there was more to life than the popular crowd. Couldn't help but root for not only the relationship to work out in the end but for Penny to learn more about herself with her interactions with the people around her and root her on in the competitions with Maggie.
Overall, well written, sweet YA love story.
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
As Penny and Ty begin to spend time together again they find that renewing their friendship at the ranch wasn't as hard as they thought it would be and the two become closer as Ty helps Penny with her horse jumping. But Penny still doesn't want her friends to know she is falling for a cowboy, she sees high school as being all cliques and doesn't want to lose her status with the popular crowd but can Ty open her eyes to just being herself and not living for a group?
Horseplay is a part of the Hickville HIgh series by Mary Karlik but I haven't read the other books myself and feel this read fine as a standalone. This novella is a cute little YA read with likable characters and a fun setting that seemed to be spot on in the competitive horse world. Of course I am guessing at that because I'm not overly familiar with showing, riding or competing in the tournaments that Penny was in but it was fun reading about the animals just as much as the humans in the story.
The author did a great job giving a bit of a life lesson in this story too with touching on the high school clique world and how Ty teaches Penny that there was more to life than the popular crowd. Couldn't help but root for not only the relationship to work out in the end but for Penny to learn more about herself with her interactions with the people around her and root her on in the competitions with Maggie.
Overall, well written, sweet YA love story.
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
September 28, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️
“i was me again. for better or worse” ok so. this book wasn’t bad. just wasn’t great. After losing her mom, Penny starts to lose herself too. Her riding isn’t the same as it was, her popularity is going down, and to top it off her hotshot boyfriend cheated on her. Penny is determined to not let the breakup affect her social life but her dad has other plans when he decides to hire her ex best friend (and hot cowboy) as their new farm hand. can Penny keep her new feelings for Ty at bay while also staying queen bee?
This book felt cheap :( like there was no heart in it. Penny was NOT a girls girl and that made me so angry, also she’s a brat. coming of age story? maybe don’t make the main character 18 and she acts 5. Like literally til the end of the book she didn’t act her age. Now was the story predictable? sure. did i enjoy it non the less? also sure. i think i liked that it was easy to read and i didn’t have to use brain power to read it. Also Ty is annoying. like i wanted him to be glen powell level cowboy and i got to walmart knock off version >:( it just felt like he didn’t know what he wanted either and was playing games. I wish we would’ve gotten more of Ty and Penny’s childhood but wtv. all in all not terrible but not something im dying to go read again.
song i thought of while reading:
lose you again by avery anna (ft. parmalee)
“i was me again. for better or worse” ok so. this book wasn’t bad. just wasn’t great. After losing her mom, Penny starts to lose herself too. Her riding isn’t the same as it was, her popularity is going down, and to top it off her hotshot boyfriend cheated on her. Penny is determined to not let the breakup affect her social life but her dad has other plans when he decides to hire her ex best friend (and hot cowboy) as their new farm hand. can Penny keep her new feelings for Ty at bay while also staying queen bee?
This book felt cheap :( like there was no heart in it. Penny was NOT a girls girl and that made me so angry, also she’s a brat. coming of age story? maybe don’t make the main character 18 and she acts 5. Like literally til the end of the book she didn’t act her age. Now was the story predictable? sure. did i enjoy it non the less? also sure. i think i liked that it was easy to read and i didn’t have to use brain power to read it. Also Ty is annoying. like i wanted him to be glen powell level cowboy and i got to walmart knock off version >:( it just felt like he didn’t know what he wanted either and was playing games. I wish we would’ve gotten more of Ty and Penny’s childhood but wtv. all in all not terrible but not something im dying to go read again.
song i thought of while reading:
lose you again by avery anna (ft. parmalee)
July 29, 2024
So good, love the characters, except penny can get on my nerves sometimes! Had a blast reading this book!
August 23, 2026
⭐️⭐️✨ 1.5 STARS
“I’m not crushing on the cowboy.” Girl, nobody was asking you to. I was busy trying to survive the teenage drama 🤠😭
Honestly, this one is entirely my own fault.
I’ve officially grown out of YA romance, and apparently I needed to learn that lesson the hard way. August is my Cowboy Month (which may very well be extending into September because apparently I have committed to the yeehaw lifestyle), and Friday was absolutely INSANE at work. By the time I got home, I barely had enough brain power left to function, never mind tackle one of the bigger books on my TBR. So I needed something short, easy, and cowboy-related to keep my reading streak alive.
And this was short.
It was easy.
It had a cowboy.
Technically, mission accomplished.
Unfortunately, my patience did not survive the experience. 💀
This is very much YA coming-of-age romance, and I think that was my biggest problem. The entire conflict revolves around Penny being the high-school “Queen Bee” and worrying about what her riding friends will think if they find out she's crushing on Ty, the cowboy/farmhand her dad hired. She basically spends an enormous portion of the book worrying about her popularity, her social status, and whether being associated with Ty will somehow ruin her image.
And I kept reading thinking:
BABE. YOU ARE EIGHTEEN. NOT THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND. NOBODY CARES.
The level of “BUT WHAT WILL MY FRIENDS THINK?!” drama was just… so fucking young.
Like, I genuinely think my ten-year-old self would've eaten this book UP. I would've been giggling with my friends, kicking my feet, obsessing over the cowboy, and probably writing his name in glitter pen somewhere.
But unfortunately for this book, I am no longer that girl.
I have evolved.
My reading palate has been permanently damaged by morally grey men, psychopaths, possessive assholes, unhinged MMCs, dark romance, and men who need several business days of therapy before they're allowed near the FMC.
So when my biggest problem is:
“OMG WHAT IF THE RIDING GIRLS FIND OUT I LIKE THE COWBOY?!”
…I fear I have simply outgrown the genre.
And Penny. PENNY.
Girl, I tried.
I really did.
But she drove me absolutely fucking insane with how much she cared about appearances and what everyone around her thought. She is supposed to be going through this coming-of-age journey where she learns that popularity isn't everything and that she needs to stop living for everyone else's approval, and I understand what the author was trying to do.
I just did not enjoy being trapped inside her head while she figured it out.
Because watching an FMC repeatedly make decisions based on what her friends might think is exhausting when you're sitting there screaming:
“JUST DATE THE COWBOY. NOBODY IS GOING TO CALL THE POLICE.”
And honestly, the romance itself didn't do much for me either.
Ty was perfectly fine. He wasn't some horrible asshole, he wasn't a cheating bastard, he wasn't a manwhore, and thankfully there wasn't some ridiculous OW situation where another woman is constantly trying to get into his pants.
Penny's ex cheating on her is part of the backstory, but thankfully Ty himself wasn't out here collecting women like Pokémon.
But safe does not automatically mean interesting.
And for me, the romance just felt very… middle-school first crush.
There was attraction.
There were secret feelings.
There was the whole “what if my friends find out?” situation.
There was horse riding.
There was a cowboy.
There was angst.
And there was approximately 0.00001% of the spice my reading habits have conditioned me to expect🌶️
Which obviously isn't the book's fault because this is CLEAN YA, but it definitely contributed to my realization that I have apparently graduated from this particular corner of Romance University.
The horse/equestrian aspect was probably one of the more enjoyable parts for me, and I actually liked that Ty helps Penny work through her nerves and reconnect with her horse. The story also deals with Penny grieving her mother's death from cancer and struggling with her relationship with her father, so there is more emotional substance underneath all the teenage social politics.
I just wish I had connected with it more.
Because the premise actually had potential: popular English equestrian girl + cowboy/rodeo guy + childhood friendship + old hurt + horses + grief + falling for the one person who doesn't care about the social hierarchy.
That sounds like something I should've loved.
Instead I was sitting there like:
“Ma'am, please stop worrying about your riding friends for five fucking minutes.”
I think that's ultimately what killed this one for me. It wasn't necessarily bad—and I can absolutely see why younger YA readers or people who enjoy sweet, clean coming-of-age romances would adore it. Other readers have specifically praised the easy read, the horse setting, and Penny's eventual growth.
I just wasn't the target audience anymore.
This felt like a book I would've absolutely devoured at 11–14.
At 22?
I need more.
Because apparently my brain has reached the point where a teenage girl worrying about her friends finding out she's dating a cowboy is no longer enough to sustain me.
Final verdict:
🤠 Cowboy? ✔️
🐴 Horses? ✔️
💕 Sweet romance? ✔️
💔 Grief/emotional themes? ✔️
🌶️ Spice? Absolutely fucking not.
🚩 Toxic MMC? ❌
👠 OW drama? ❌
🫠 Teenage social drama? OH, IN ABUNDANCE.
😩 FMC testing my patience? Constantly.
📚 Easy/quick read? ✔️
💀 Would I reread it? Absolutely not.
1.5⭐️
Not every DNF-worthy experience is a bad book. Sometimes you're simply no longer the reader that book was written for.
And unfortunately, I think I've officially aged out of “but what will the popular girls think?!” romance.
Now give me the cowboy who has a criminal record, unresolved trauma, questionable morals, and enough red flags to decorate a fucking rodeo arena 🤠🫠
“I’m not crushing on the cowboy.” Girl, nobody was asking you to. I was busy trying to survive the teenage drama 🤠😭
Honestly, this one is entirely my own fault.
I’ve officially grown out of YA romance, and apparently I needed to learn that lesson the hard way. August is my Cowboy Month (which may very well be extending into September because apparently I have committed to the yeehaw lifestyle), and Friday was absolutely INSANE at work. By the time I got home, I barely had enough brain power left to function, never mind tackle one of the bigger books on my TBR. So I needed something short, easy, and cowboy-related to keep my reading streak alive.
And this was short.
It was easy.
It had a cowboy.
Technically, mission accomplished.
Unfortunately, my patience did not survive the experience. 💀
This is very much YA coming-of-age romance, and I think that was my biggest problem. The entire conflict revolves around Penny being the high-school “Queen Bee” and worrying about what her riding friends will think if they find out she's crushing on Ty, the cowboy/farmhand her dad hired. She basically spends an enormous portion of the book worrying about her popularity, her social status, and whether being associated with Ty will somehow ruin her image.
And I kept reading thinking:
BABE. YOU ARE EIGHTEEN. NOT THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND. NOBODY CARES.
The level of “BUT WHAT WILL MY FRIENDS THINK?!” drama was just… so fucking young.
Like, I genuinely think my ten-year-old self would've eaten this book UP. I would've been giggling with my friends, kicking my feet, obsessing over the cowboy, and probably writing his name in glitter pen somewhere.
But unfortunately for this book, I am no longer that girl.
I have evolved.
My reading palate has been permanently damaged by morally grey men, psychopaths, possessive assholes, unhinged MMCs, dark romance, and men who need several business days of therapy before they're allowed near the FMC.
So when my biggest problem is:
“OMG WHAT IF THE RIDING GIRLS FIND OUT I LIKE THE COWBOY?!”
…I fear I have simply outgrown the genre.
And Penny. PENNY.
Girl, I tried.
I really did.
But she drove me absolutely fucking insane with how much she cared about appearances and what everyone around her thought. She is supposed to be going through this coming-of-age journey where she learns that popularity isn't everything and that she needs to stop living for everyone else's approval, and I understand what the author was trying to do.
I just did not enjoy being trapped inside her head while she figured it out.
Because watching an FMC repeatedly make decisions based on what her friends might think is exhausting when you're sitting there screaming:
“JUST DATE THE COWBOY. NOBODY IS GOING TO CALL THE POLICE.”
And honestly, the romance itself didn't do much for me either.
Ty was perfectly fine. He wasn't some horrible asshole, he wasn't a cheating bastard, he wasn't a manwhore, and thankfully there wasn't some ridiculous OW situation where another woman is constantly trying to get into his pants.
Penny's ex cheating on her is part of the backstory, but thankfully Ty himself wasn't out here collecting women like Pokémon.
But safe does not automatically mean interesting.
And for me, the romance just felt very… middle-school first crush.
There was attraction.
There were secret feelings.
There was the whole “what if my friends find out?” situation.
There was horse riding.
There was a cowboy.
There was angst.
And there was approximately 0.00001% of the spice my reading habits have conditioned me to expect🌶️
Which obviously isn't the book's fault because this is CLEAN YA, but it definitely contributed to my realization that I have apparently graduated from this particular corner of Romance University.
The horse/equestrian aspect was probably one of the more enjoyable parts for me, and I actually liked that Ty helps Penny work through her nerves and reconnect with her horse. The story also deals with Penny grieving her mother's death from cancer and struggling with her relationship with her father, so there is more emotional substance underneath all the teenage social politics.
I just wish I had connected with it more.
Because the premise actually had potential: popular English equestrian girl + cowboy/rodeo guy + childhood friendship + old hurt + horses + grief + falling for the one person who doesn't care about the social hierarchy.
That sounds like something I should've loved.
Instead I was sitting there like:
“Ma'am, please stop worrying about your riding friends for five fucking minutes.”
I think that's ultimately what killed this one for me. It wasn't necessarily bad—and I can absolutely see why younger YA readers or people who enjoy sweet, clean coming-of-age romances would adore it. Other readers have specifically praised the easy read, the horse setting, and Penny's eventual growth.
I just wasn't the target audience anymore.
This felt like a book I would've absolutely devoured at 11–14.
At 22?
I need more.
Because apparently my brain has reached the point where a teenage girl worrying about her friends finding out she's dating a cowboy is no longer enough to sustain me.
Final verdict:
🤠 Cowboy? ✔️
🐴 Horses? ✔️
💕 Sweet romance? ✔️
💔 Grief/emotional themes? ✔️
🌶️ Spice? Absolutely fucking not.
🚩 Toxic MMC? ❌
👠 OW drama? ❌
🫠 Teenage social drama? OH, IN ABUNDANCE.
😩 FMC testing my patience? Constantly.
📚 Easy/quick read? ✔️
💀 Would I reread it? Absolutely not.
1.5⭐️
Not every DNF-worthy experience is a bad book. Sometimes you're simply no longer the reader that book was written for.
And unfortunately, I think I've officially aged out of “but what will the popular girls think?!” romance.
Now give me the cowboy who has a criminal record, unresolved trauma, questionable morals, and enough red flags to decorate a fucking rodeo arena 🤠🫠
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2016
Lovely, sweet and sassy love story. When I first saw this book I thought the cover was great and then the description just topped it off for me and I just had to give it a read. I usually stay away from books that involve horses having been round them most of my life I sometimes find stories about riding can be inaccurate but this book was fantastic, very well written and I truly enjoyed reading it. Find the full review on my blog https://lostinsweetwords.wordpress.co...
March 20, 2016
**SPOILER FREE**
Loved this book! Sweet smooth flow, lovable characters as well as the plot of the story. Didn't realize that this is actually a series. Looks like I will be reading the other book as well!
*Received for an honest review*
Loved this book! Sweet smooth flow, lovable characters as well as the plot of the story. Didn't realize that this is actually a series. Looks like I will be reading the other book as well!
*Received for an honest review*
March 31, 2024
DNF at 5% FMC got on my nerves and I couldn’t make it past chapter 3
July 28, 2026
*Not Crushing on the Cowboy* was such a fun and heartfelt coming-of-age romance. I loved watching Penny's journey as she slowly realized that life isn't about popularity or living up to everyone else's expectations. Her character growth felt genuine, and I found myself rooting for her every step of the way.
Ty was impossible not to love. He was kind, patient, and brought out the best in Penny without trying to change who she was. Their relationship developed naturally, and the chemistry between them made every scene together enjoyable. I also loved the horse farm setting—it gave the story a unique charm and made it even more immersive.
This book is about so much more than first love. It's about finding confidence, choosing what truly matters, and discovering that the right people will accept you for who you are. If you enjoy sweet romances with lovable characters, emotional growth, and plenty of heart, this is definitely a book worth reading. I can't wait to continue the series.
Ty was impossible not to love. He was kind, patient, and brought out the best in Penny without trying to change who she was. Their relationship developed naturally, and the chemistry between them made every scene together enjoyable. I also loved the horse farm setting—it gave the story a unique charm and made it even more immersive.
This book is about so much more than first love. It's about finding confidence, choosing what truly matters, and discovering that the right people will accept you for who you are. If you enjoy sweet romances with lovable characters, emotional growth, and plenty of heart, this is definitely a book worth reading. I can't wait to continue the series.
June 6, 2024
It was a cute read!
December 19, 2024
i don't understand the hate that this book is getting😭 i loved it, i literally read it in 2 hours. that never happens.
April 12, 2025
I loved it! Honestly Ty and Penny did get on my nerves a few times but all in all I really enjoyed it.
May 26, 2025
YEEHAW 🤠
May 25, 2016
Book Review-Horse Play by Mary Karlik
Penny Wilson was dumped by her cheating boyfriend Josh. She is having a hard time getting over the relationship and her obvious replacement by her “popular friends”. She has decided to concentrate on her riding and her competitions.
However Ty Jackson is now working for her dad at the farm. She now has to ride home every day from school with him. They start building their friendship that was torn apart in seventh grade. It seems to be easy to talk to each other.
However Penny starts having confusing feelings for Ty. She believes he isn’t her type. He is a cowboy on the roping team. He is below her social stratosphere. The more time she spends with Ty the more he sees the real her. He offers to help with her riding and jumping. The charity show for her mother is too important.
However Ty can’t stand the two lives she leads and refuses to be a part of it. She has no idea how she is supposed to move forward by herself.
I like this author and the Hickville High series. I was excited to get this book. It was totally separate from the first two books but I liked the characters that were introduced. Penny was definitely stuck up in the beginning. In fact the author took her time really forming the story and making Penny realize what she was doing. I wanted to shake her. In fact in the beginning I didn’t really like her. She was a bit of a mean girl that found herself losing social status because her boyfriend cheated on her. Nothing like a fall from grace to make things realistic.
It was also interesting that the author really hit home that high school never changes. It is sad how students hide their real selves in order to fight it. I like that this fact is a clear message in the book. A very realistic storyline and confusing romance for Penny. She could be any girl in any high school. A great read and I give it a 4 out of 5.
Penny Wilson was dumped by her cheating boyfriend Josh. She is having a hard time getting over the relationship and her obvious replacement by her “popular friends”. She has decided to concentrate on her riding and her competitions.
However Ty Jackson is now working for her dad at the farm. She now has to ride home every day from school with him. They start building their friendship that was torn apart in seventh grade. It seems to be easy to talk to each other.
However Penny starts having confusing feelings for Ty. She believes he isn’t her type. He is a cowboy on the roping team. He is below her social stratosphere. The more time she spends with Ty the more he sees the real her. He offers to help with her riding and jumping. The charity show for her mother is too important.
However Ty can’t stand the two lives she leads and refuses to be a part of it. She has no idea how she is supposed to move forward by herself.
I like this author and the Hickville High series. I was excited to get this book. It was totally separate from the first two books but I liked the characters that were introduced. Penny was definitely stuck up in the beginning. In fact the author took her time really forming the story and making Penny realize what she was doing. I wanted to shake her. In fact in the beginning I didn’t really like her. She was a bit of a mean girl that found herself losing social status because her boyfriend cheated on her. Nothing like a fall from grace to make things realistic.
It was also interesting that the author really hit home that high school never changes. It is sad how students hide their real selves in order to fight it. I like that this fact is a clear message in the book. A very realistic storyline and confusing romance for Penny. She could be any girl in any high school. A great read and I give it a 4 out of 5.
April 15, 2018
My favorite part of reading is when something happens during the story that completely changes my liking (for better, of course) of the story. That is what exactly happened to me with “Horseplay”.
The story starts as a typical YA novel, set in high school full of cliques that have to coexist together. There is “popular” and there is everybody else (skateboard people, rodeo team, etc.). In the middle of this high school drama there is the popular queen bee, Ty Jackson (rodeo team member), and Penny Wilson. Because there is a lot of teen angst and high school drama going on I thought that this would be just another YA romantic story. But then Penny starts to change and she starts to realize some things and she starts to grow and move away from her old self. Her metamorphosis was heartbreaking; her pain was palpable, so much that it made me cry, literary.
Full review available at: Night Owl Review
The story starts as a typical YA novel, set in high school full of cliques that have to coexist together. There is “popular” and there is everybody else (skateboard people, rodeo team, etc.). In the middle of this high school drama there is the popular queen bee, Ty Jackson (rodeo team member), and Penny Wilson. Because there is a lot of teen angst and high school drama going on I thought that this would be just another YA romantic story. But then Penny starts to change and she starts to realize some things and she starts to grow and move away from her old self. Her metamorphosis was heartbreaking; her pain was palpable, so much that it made me cry, literary.
Full review available at: Night Owl Review
August 1, 2020
Penny Wilson is having a bad time of it lately. Her boyfriend has dumped her and she has decided to swear of men. To make matters worse her father has hired Ty Jackson to work with Penny on her riding of her horse. Penny is a competition rider but hasn't been able to snag a blue ribbon yet. She seems stuck in a rut with her horse riding as well as her love life.
Ty Jackson comes along and helps her in ways she couldn't count on. They rehash their relationship and deal with things never said years ago. Ty tells her he's always been there but she has changed and to him it's all or nothing.
Penny has alot to overcome in her situation. She needs to decide if she wants to be one of the cool kids or be friends with all sorts of people. This book also dealt with aftermath of Pennys mom's death and what her death did to them! Definitely a beautifully told story which I felt pulled you in until you turned the last page!
Ty Jackson comes along and helps her in ways she couldn't count on. They rehash their relationship and deal with things never said years ago. Ty tells her he's always been there but she has changed and to him it's all or nothing.
Penny has alot to overcome in her situation. She needs to decide if she wants to be one of the cool kids or be friends with all sorts of people. This book also dealt with aftermath of Pennys mom's death and what her death did to them! Definitely a beautifully told story which I felt pulled you in until you turned the last page!
March 8, 2016
i loved the second book in the hickville series and, although i didn't expect such mature story and character development from a shorter companion book, i'm still a tiny bit disappointed in this one. i think the author rushed through some of the issues that could have been worth getting deeper into and it seemed like penny got over things that should have mattered more to her pretty quickly.
apart from this (and the countless "not!"s and the not so great new cover (i loved the first set of covers a whole lot more)) it was quite a good read and i really like the southern vibe. and just like the first book, horseplay reminded me of the sweet valley series too which i was a huge fan of when i was a kid, so i'm looking forward to read the next one.
apart from this (and the countless "not!"s and the not so great new cover (i loved the first set of covers a whole lot more)) it was quite a good read and i really like the southern vibe. and just like the first book, horseplay reminded me of the sweet valley series too which i was a huge fan of when i was a kid, so i'm looking forward to read the next one.
Read
February 28, 2016ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Horseplay is a very well written YA book. It would be great story for the younger people of the YA world 10-13. I very much enjoyed this read. The author keeps you interested by providing just enough of Penny's home life, circle of friends and of course horse back riding. You learn lots of new information with this book. Its not the first from this author its actually the 3rd but I have not read any of the others but never felt like I was lost or not able to keep up with the storyline or the characters. It was a good read and I look forward to more from the author.
Horseplay is a very well written YA book. It would be great story for the younger people of the YA world 10-13. I very much enjoyed this read. The author keeps you interested by providing just enough of Penny's home life, circle of friends and of course horse back riding. You learn lots of new information with this book. Its not the first from this author its actually the 3rd but I have not read any of the others but never felt like I was lost or not able to keep up with the storyline or the characters. It was a good read and I look forward to more from the author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2016
Despite the 3 star rating, I did enjoy this book. It was a good story about a young girl and her struggles over the loss of her mother, her strained relationship with her father, and of course, maintaining her reputation at school.
Whilst it was a fun novella, I did have some issues with it; namely that the main character could at times be incredibly annoying. She makes a rather big deal over her reputation at school, and for me that was quite tedious.
However I am a horse rider, and I found the horse elements to be quite fun and entertaining, and the story overall was quite moving in it's own way.
Whilst it was a fun novella, I did have some issues with it; namely that the main character could at times be incredibly annoying. She makes a rather big deal over her reputation at school, and for me that was quite tedious.
However I am a horse rider, and I found the horse elements to be quite fun and entertaining, and the story overall was quite moving in it's own way.
June 21, 2016
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I was delighted when I was given the opportunity to read and review a copy of Mary’s fourth book in the Hickville High series. I thought it was a fun, sassy and good quality read. I hadn’t read the other books in the series before I read this one but I found it didn’t affect my enjoyment at all – I am looking forward to reading more from Mary and can’t wait to get my hands on her back catalogue – a fun solid, good read – 3.5 stars
I was delighted when I was given the opportunity to read and review a copy of Mary’s fourth book in the Hickville High series. I thought it was a fun, sassy and good quality read. I hadn’t read the other books in the series before I read this one but I found it didn’t affect my enjoyment at all – I am looking forward to reading more from Mary and can’t wait to get my hands on her back catalogue – a fun solid, good read – 3.5 stars
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