What do you think?
Rate this book
Girls and Their Horses
Set in the glamorous, competitive world of showjumping, a novel about the girls who ride, their cutthroat mothers, and a suspicious death at a horse show
When the nouveau riche Parker family moves to an exclusive community in the heart of Southern California, they believe it’s their chance at a fresh start. Heather Parker is determined to give her daughters the life she never had—starting with horses.
She signs them up for riding lessons at Rancho Santa Fe Equestrian, where horses are a lifestyle. Heather becomes a “Barn Mom,” part of a group of wealthy women who hang at the stables, drink wine, and prepare their daughters for competition.
It’s not long before the Parker family is fully enmeshed in the horse world—from mean girl cliques to barn romance and dark secrets. With the end of summer horse show fast approaching, the pressure is on, and these mothers will stop at nothing to give their daughters everything they deserve.
Before the summer is over, lies will turn lethal, accidents will happen, and someone will end up dead.
When the nouveau riche Parker family moves to an exclusive community in the heart of Southern California, they believe it’s their chance at a fresh start. Heather Parker is determined to give her daughters the life she never had—starting with horses.
She signs them up for riding lessons at Rancho Santa Fe Equestrian, where horses are a lifestyle. Heather becomes a “Barn Mom,” part of a group of wealthy women who hang at the stables, drink wine, and prepare their daughters for competition.
It’s not long before the Parker family is fully enmeshed in the horse world—from mean girl cliques to barn romance and dark secrets. With the end of summer horse show fast approaching, the pressure is on, and these mothers will stop at nothing to give their daughters everything they deserve.
Before the summer is over, lies will turn lethal, accidents will happen, and someone will end up dead.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published June 6, 2023
199 people are currently reading
12043 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 814 reviews
June 5, 2023
Girls and Their Horses
by Eliza Jane Brazier takes readers to the world of horse training and shows. This dark story shines a light on the friendships, competitiveness, unpleasantness, and viciousness that can exist in this environment. The newly rich Parker family moves from Texas to Rancho Santa Fe in southern California. Jeff Parker is busy working, traveling back and forth between the two states. Meanwhile Heather is determined to give her daughters, Piper and Maple, the opportunities she didn’t get, starting with horses. However, Piper refuses the opportunity due to how controlling Heather was in Texas. Meanwhile Maple starts lessons and Heather becomes a “Barn Mom.” She becomes part of the group of wealthy women who hang out all day at the stables. The Parker family soon becomes fully engaged in the horse world. The end-of-summer horse show approaches quickly, increasing pressure on the riders and on the mothers.
The author does a great job on characterization. Readers get an excellent feel for Heather, Piper, and Maple as well as Heather’s new friend Pamela and her daughter, Vida. Additionally, the stable owner and head trainer, Kieran Flynn, and the top rider Douglas Dunn are well-developed characters. All of these characters transform in attitude or outlook as the events unfold. However, their actions might not be what you expect. Many are not likeable, yet there was a compelling need to find out what they might do or say next.
Besides great characterization, the author brings the world of horse training to life. Her experience and knowledge as a rider, horse trainer, and riding instructor made the scenes come to life. The narrative transported me to this competitive and manipulative setting. However, the book moved back and forth in time and switched points of view between five characters and nine interviews with a police detective. For me, this adversely affected the flow of the novel as well as my overall enjoyment.
Despite this, I enjoyed the book. Everyone had agendas and it was difficult to determine exactly who was dead until well into the story. Relationships drive the narrative and it has dramatic depths that I didn’t expect. Besides the themes mentioned in the first paragraph, the author weaves in family dynamics, romance, manipulation, death, money or the lack of it, infidelity, sabotage, bullying, loneliness, secrets, and fear.
Overall, the book was a slow-burn suspenseful read with plenty of drama. This novel should delight those readers who enjoy mysteries and horses.
Berkley Publishing Group and Eliza Jane Brazier provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for June 06, 2023. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
-----------------------------------------
My 3.23 star rounded to 3 stars review is coming soon.
The author does a great job on characterization. Readers get an excellent feel for Heather, Piper, and Maple as well as Heather’s new friend Pamela and her daughter, Vida. Additionally, the stable owner and head trainer, Kieran Flynn, and the top rider Douglas Dunn are well-developed characters. All of these characters transform in attitude or outlook as the events unfold. However, their actions might not be what you expect. Many are not likeable, yet there was a compelling need to find out what they might do or say next.
Besides great characterization, the author brings the world of horse training to life. Her experience and knowledge as a rider, horse trainer, and riding instructor made the scenes come to life. The narrative transported me to this competitive and manipulative setting. However, the book moved back and forth in time and switched points of view between five characters and nine interviews with a police detective. For me, this adversely affected the flow of the novel as well as my overall enjoyment.
Despite this, I enjoyed the book. Everyone had agendas and it was difficult to determine exactly who was dead until well into the story. Relationships drive the narrative and it has dramatic depths that I didn’t expect. Besides the themes mentioned in the first paragraph, the author weaves in family dynamics, romance, manipulation, death, money or the lack of it, infidelity, sabotage, bullying, loneliness, secrets, and fear.
Overall, the book was a slow-burn suspenseful read with plenty of drama. This novel should delight those readers who enjoy mysteries and horses.
Berkley Publishing Group and Eliza Jane Brazier provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for June 06, 2023. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
-----------------------------------------
My 3.23 star rounded to 3 stars review is coming soon.
June 5, 2023
I loved Brazier’s 2022 release, Good Rich People so I've been dying to read Girls and Their Horses!
Girls and Their Horses is centered around the newly rich Parker family. The Parker family is looking for a fresh start for their newly lavish lifestyle, so they relocate from Texas to an exclusive community in Rancho Santa Fe. The mother of the family Heather grew up around horses and she intends to give her two teenage daughters, Piper and Maple, the equestrian life she never had.
Heather soon signs the girls up for lessons at a local stable with more upscale clientele called Rancho Santa Fe Equestrian. Soon the Parkers become embroiled with the group at the stables and also become entangled with both mean girls and mean mom cliques, barn romances, and lots of dark secrets. The girls are under a lot of pressure and the mothers will stop at nothing to get their daughters ahead. But before the summer is over, the barn life becomes lethal and someone ends up dead.
As a resident of the horse capital of the world (Kentucky), I am pretty familiar with the equestrian world. I know not only how competitive horse people are, but also how much money goes into the sport. Brazier captured the equestrian world perfectly.
Competitive stage moms, backstabbing friends, a sleazy trainer, and a suspenseful murder mystery are just a few highlights of this story. We are introduced to a variety of complex characters who become more emotionally charged as the story progresses. The helicopter moms and their bratty kids have so much at stake when it comes to the competitions, and I found myself fully engrossed in their stories.
I'm happy to say that this thrilling page-turner lived up to my high expectations and even exceeded them! This is my second five star read by Eliza Jane Brazier so I automatically put her on my list of auto-buy authors.
Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier will be available on June 6. A massive thanks to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the gifted copy!!
Girls and Their Horses is centered around the newly rich Parker family. The Parker family is looking for a fresh start for their newly lavish lifestyle, so they relocate from Texas to an exclusive community in Rancho Santa Fe. The mother of the family Heather grew up around horses and she intends to give her two teenage daughters, Piper and Maple, the equestrian life she never had.
Heather soon signs the girls up for lessons at a local stable with more upscale clientele called Rancho Santa Fe Equestrian. Soon the Parkers become embroiled with the group at the stables and also become entangled with both mean girls and mean mom cliques, barn romances, and lots of dark secrets. The girls are under a lot of pressure and the mothers will stop at nothing to get their daughters ahead. But before the summer is over, the barn life becomes lethal and someone ends up dead.
As a resident of the horse capital of the world (Kentucky), I am pretty familiar with the equestrian world. I know not only how competitive horse people are, but also how much money goes into the sport. Brazier captured the equestrian world perfectly.
Competitive stage moms, backstabbing friends, a sleazy trainer, and a suspenseful murder mystery are just a few highlights of this story. We are introduced to a variety of complex characters who become more emotionally charged as the story progresses. The helicopter moms and their bratty kids have so much at stake when it comes to the competitions, and I found myself fully engrossed in their stories.
I'm happy to say that this thrilling page-turner lived up to my high expectations and even exceeded them! This is my second five star read by Eliza Jane Brazier so I automatically put her on my list of auto-buy authors.
Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier will be available on June 6. A massive thanks to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the gifted copy!!
June 22, 2023
As someone who knows little of the competitive world of horse training and showmanship I was a bit apprehensive about whether Girls and Their Horses was for me.
What a pleasant surprise when I found myself glued from page one. This book gave me a much appreciated education into the laborious, immersive and all consuming world of caring for, competing, and training horses.
Girls and Their Horses centers around the mothers (AKA:"barn moms") and their daughters (AKA:"horse girls"). It was eyeopening to learn about the intense (almost abusive) pressure the mothers put on their daughters to outshine their fellow riders.
As per the synopsis, we know one of the characters ends up deceased by the conclusion. The plot goes back and forth between detective interviews and the story leading up to the death. When the victim is revealed (near the very end) I was shocked it was not who I thought. Love when an author successfully throws me for a complete loop. Well done.
The emotional damage these moms cause their daughters by trying to live vicariously through them is devastating. The hurtful two-faced gossiping parents, megalomaniacal trainers, preferential treatment to those with the most money, and deceitfulness was hard to stomach - especially since the author speaks from experience. She also happens to be a (very good) horse mom herself.
The characters are superbly well developed and every single one (the good, the bad, and the ugly) fascinated me. I could not get enough of these glowingly charismatic and damaged individuals.
Highly recommend. Looking forward reading more of Ms. Brazier's books.
What a pleasant surprise when I found myself glued from page one. This book gave me a much appreciated education into the laborious, immersive and all consuming world of caring for, competing, and training horses.
Girls and Their Horses centers around the mothers (AKA:"barn moms") and their daughters (AKA:"horse girls"). It was eyeopening to learn about the intense (almost abusive) pressure the mothers put on their daughters to outshine their fellow riders.
As per the synopsis, we know one of the characters ends up deceased by the conclusion. The plot goes back and forth between detective interviews and the story leading up to the death. When the victim is revealed (near the very end) I was shocked it was not who I thought. Love when an author successfully throws me for a complete loop. Well done.
The emotional damage these moms cause their daughters by trying to live vicariously through them is devastating. The hurtful two-faced gossiping parents, megalomaniacal trainers, preferential treatment to those with the most money, and deceitfulness was hard to stomach - especially since the author speaks from experience. She also happens to be a (very good) horse mom herself.
The characters are superbly well developed and every single one (the good, the bad, and the ugly) fascinated me. I could not get enough of these glowingly charismatic and damaged individuals.
Highly recommend. Looking forward reading more of Ms. Brazier's books.
May 16, 2023
It’s the American dream… with a twist. Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier dives into the lives of the ultra-rich – and it’s enthralling!
There’s something special about this novel: it captures not only the glamour of high society but also its darker undertones. At times funny and heartbreakingly honest, Girls and Their Horses paints a vivid portrait of what it means to be born into privilege. Brazier does an incredible job of showing how power dynamics play out in this microcosm, where even things like horse competitions become competitions between parents who want their children to succeed at any cost. Alliances are formed—and broken—and manipulations abound.
The character development is equally impressive: each character is unique in some way or another; we get an insight into their motivations and desires that make them real and relatable despite their wealth or social status. We follow these characters through highs and lows as they learn lessons about friendship, loyalty, ambition—and even mortality—on their journey through life in Rancho Santa Fe Equestrian.
This book definitely exceeded my expectations; I devoured every page with enthusiasm! Girls and Their Horses is truly a must-read for anyone interested in exploring class dynamics within one wealthy community—or simply enjoys fantastic storytelling!
𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗸𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸. 𝗜 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝘆.
There’s something special about this novel: it captures not only the glamour of high society but also its darker undertones. At times funny and heartbreakingly honest, Girls and Their Horses paints a vivid portrait of what it means to be born into privilege. Brazier does an incredible job of showing how power dynamics play out in this microcosm, where even things like horse competitions become competitions between parents who want their children to succeed at any cost. Alliances are formed—and broken—and manipulations abound.
The character development is equally impressive: each character is unique in some way or another; we get an insight into their motivations and desires that make them real and relatable despite their wealth or social status. We follow these characters through highs and lows as they learn lessons about friendship, loyalty, ambition—and even mortality—on their journey through life in Rancho Santa Fe Equestrian.
This book definitely exceeded my expectations; I devoured every page with enthusiasm! Girls and Their Horses is truly a must-read for anyone interested in exploring class dynamics within one wealthy community—or simply enjoys fantastic storytelling!
𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗸𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸. 𝗜 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝘆.
January 11, 2023
A wickedly delicious deep-dive into the world of horse-crazy girls, whiskey-soaked barn parties, and high octane show-jumping circuits. Newly rich Heather Parker is desperate to give her daughters everything she never had—social acceptance, six-figure thoroughbreds, and a spotlight among the local horse-owning elite. But the cutthroat competition turns lethal when a corpse turns up at the summer show, and both mother and daughters must wrestle with what's truly important. GIRLS AND THEIR HORSES is a fabulous ride--looks like it's also going to hit TV screens as a limited series!
Read
January 6, 2023QUICK TAKE: I liked it a lot. I didn't love it as much as GOOD RICH PEOPLE. Think THE OC meets THE HUNTING WIVES, where everyone is very badly-behaved and having the best time doing so. Part family drama, part murder mystery, and one that explores a very unique subculture I knew nothing about. Fans of the genre will have fun with this one.
October 27, 2023
13-year-old Maple is a little bit different. She has been picked on, bullied, and rejected over and over again. Her mother, Heather, has had enough. She decides to move her family to California for a fresh start. Heather has always had dreams of riding horses. After all, horse girls are the toughest girls around. The competition is cutthroat, however, and at the end of the summer, someone winds up dead. 😱
While there are snippets of detective's interviews throughout the book, the reader does not know who was murdered until reaching about ~90%. Unfortunately when the reveal was made, I was so underwhelmed. I read almost 400 pages for THAT? That said, I enjoyed the rest of the story and the character development overall. To be honest, it could have stood on its own without the murder. Why did the author try to turn this book into a "thriller" when it clearly was not?
My overall thoughts: As a thriller, this absolutely missed its mark. Considering it to be a family drama and coming-of-age story, though, its message was profound. I'm surprised the editors weren't as confused by this as I was.
While there are snippets of detective's interviews throughout the book, the reader does not know who was murdered until reaching about ~90%. Unfortunately when the reveal was made, I was so underwhelmed. I read almost 400 pages for THAT? That said, I enjoyed the rest of the story and the character development overall. To be honest, it could have stood on its own without the murder. Why did the author try to turn this book into a "thriller" when it clearly was not?
My overall thoughts: As a thriller, this absolutely missed its mark. Considering it to be a family drama and coming-of-age story, though, its message was profound. I'm surprised the editors weren't as confused by this as I was.
March 19, 2023
Eliza Jane Brazier is an auto-read author for me after topping my top reads for 2022, so I knew that I needed to read her latest, GIRLS AND THEIR HORSES. This book dives into a world I never really knew anything about—horses and riding competitions. I know this world is close to the author’s heart, so I was curious how this story would unfold.
GIRLS AND THEIR HORSES has a few main characters, but the Parker family plays a pivotal role. Heather, her husband Jeff, and her daughters Piper and Maple, move to California after Maple’s time at school becomes abusive at their house in Texas. Heather is a total stage mom and encourages her daughters to practice horseback riding. Immersing her daughters into this world becomes dangerous when their wealth attracts the wrong crowd.
This book is totally unique and very engaging, even at over 400 pages. It is a bit slower paced than Good Rich People, and it’s less popcorn thriller and more family-drama mystery. I loved the juxtaposition between all the main characters, and each one plays a major role in developing the mystery. Eliza Jane Brazier continues to sell me on her storytelling and I can’t wait to see what she has next for readers.
GIRLS AND THEIR HORSES has a few main characters, but the Parker family plays a pivotal role. Heather, her husband Jeff, and her daughters Piper and Maple, move to California after Maple’s time at school becomes abusive at their house in Texas. Heather is a total stage mom and encourages her daughters to practice horseback riding. Immersing her daughters into this world becomes dangerous when their wealth attracts the wrong crowd.
This book is totally unique and very engaging, even at over 400 pages. It is a bit slower paced than Good Rich People, and it’s less popcorn thriller and more family-drama mystery. I loved the juxtaposition between all the main characters, and each one plays a major role in developing the mystery. Eliza Jane Brazier continues to sell me on her storytelling and I can’t wait to see what she has next for readers.
June 14, 2023
3.5 ⭐️
July 11, 2023
4.5/5
Have I mentioned lately how much I freaking love Eliza Jane Brazier? I loved both her debut and her sophomore novel and now she has blown me away once again with Girls and their Horses. Set against a backdrop of privilege and horses, this is a story about how far people will go to get what they want and what they will do to keep their secrets hidden. From the beginning, you know someone is dead, but you have no idea who, and through multiple viewpoints including that of a detective, all will be revealed. I loved the bit of crime/detective fiction and police procedural we got, while also learning a ton about horses and riding in the process.
Most of these characters are pretty abhorrent, so I can't say you will find anyone that is very likable, but I did find myself warming up to Heather by the end and I couldn't help but understand Pamela's desire to give her daughter what she couldn't have. This is a twisted tale that holds some secrets that I didn't see coming, and I honestly had no idea who the deceased was OR who the killer was before it was revealed. I love that each of Brazier's novels has been vastly different, but each of them has packed a wallop inside a unique storyline. I did really enjoy the audiobook even though I found myself questioning the choice of a sole narrator for so many viewpoints. Luckily though, Helen Laser did a fantastic job and between her narration and the writing, I always know whose viewpoint I was in at any given time. I loved this little whodunnit set in the rich world of horses, and I highly recommend it if you enjoy plots that revolve around rich (and not-so-rich) people behaving badly.
Have I mentioned lately how much I freaking love Eliza Jane Brazier? I loved both her debut and her sophomore novel and now she has blown me away once again with Girls and their Horses. Set against a backdrop of privilege and horses, this is a story about how far people will go to get what they want and what they will do to keep their secrets hidden. From the beginning, you know someone is dead, but you have no idea who, and through multiple viewpoints including that of a detective, all will be revealed. I loved the bit of crime/detective fiction and police procedural we got, while also learning a ton about horses and riding in the process.
Most of these characters are pretty abhorrent, so I can't say you will find anyone that is very likable, but I did find myself warming up to Heather by the end and I couldn't help but understand Pamela's desire to give her daughter what she couldn't have. This is a twisted tale that holds some secrets that I didn't see coming, and I honestly had no idea who the deceased was OR who the killer was before it was revealed. I love that each of Brazier's novels has been vastly different, but each of them has packed a wallop inside a unique storyline. I did really enjoy the audiobook even though I found myself questioning the choice of a sole narrator for so many viewpoints. Luckily though, Helen Laser did a fantastic job and between her narration and the writing, I always know whose viewpoint I was in at any given time. I loved this little whodunnit set in the rich world of horses, and I highly recommend it if you enjoy plots that revolve around rich (and not-so-rich) people behaving badly.
March 14, 2024
I found a digital copy of GIRLS AND THEIR HORSES by Eliza Jane Brazier on Libby. All views are my own.
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘥 𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧. 𝘐𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯. p15
I really loved my read of GIRLS AND THEIR HORSES by Eliza Jane Brazier, this glimpse into the competitive horse world, a flamboyant setting into which nearly archetypal characters made themselves perfectly at home. When it comes to the "rich people behaving badly" trope, I'll admit, I didn't think any fresh material remained. But this book proved me wrong! Even when I thought I knew where the plot was heading, it always surprised me. The ending represents one of the better twists I've ever read. I didn't really connect with the characters, except maybe poor Maple. But I loved reading about all of them! They are so rotten and their shenanigans are so entertaining! But it's all fun and games until somebody ends up murdered, or so the say!
I recommend this book for fans of slow burn thrillers, domestic thrillers, and stories about the horse world.
...𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦. p63
Three (or more) things I loved:
1. I learned a lot about horses and horse people from this book. Because Brazier used this specialized information well, I completely invested in the story, from start to finish.
2. I love heavily flawed characters, and this book is full of them. I think Brazier was smart to include sympathetic characters liker Maple snd Piper as well.
3. The plot points of this domestic thriller are jawdropping! I love the flavor of suspense Brazier employs here, sort of a slow-motion family-shaped explosion!
4. I'm not always big on twists, but I love the twist at the end! It was plotted well, that's why.
Three (or less) things I didn't love:
This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.
1. "Horse" is used as a descriptor a lot in this book: horsey face, horsey muscles... It's a bit pat.
Rating: 🐎🐎🐎🐎.5 / 5 fierce new rides
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: Mar 10 '24
Format: Digital, Kindle, Libby
Read this book if you like:
🏡 domestic thrillers
🔥 slow burn
↪️ ploy twists
👨👩👧👦 family stories, family drama
👭🏽 teenage girl friendships
💇♀️ girl's coming of age
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘥 𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧. 𝘐𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯. p15
I really loved my read of GIRLS AND THEIR HORSES by Eliza Jane Brazier, this glimpse into the competitive horse world, a flamboyant setting into which nearly archetypal characters made themselves perfectly at home. When it comes to the "rich people behaving badly" trope, I'll admit, I didn't think any fresh material remained. But this book proved me wrong! Even when I thought I knew where the plot was heading, it always surprised me. The ending represents one of the better twists I've ever read. I didn't really connect with the characters, except maybe poor Maple. But I loved reading about all of them! They are so rotten and their shenanigans are so entertaining! But it's all fun and games until somebody ends up murdered, or so the say!
I recommend this book for fans of slow burn thrillers, domestic thrillers, and stories about the horse world.
...𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦. p63
Three (or more) things I loved:
1. I learned a lot about horses and horse people from this book. Because Brazier used this specialized information well, I completely invested in the story, from start to finish.
2. I love heavily flawed characters, and this book is full of them. I think Brazier was smart to include sympathetic characters liker Maple snd Piper as well.
3. The plot points of this domestic thriller are jawdropping! I love the flavor of suspense Brazier employs here, sort of a slow-motion family-shaped explosion!
4. I'm not always big on twists, but I love the twist at the end! It was plotted well, that's why.
Three (or less) things I didn't love:
This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.
1. "Horse" is used as a descriptor a lot in this book: horsey face, horsey muscles... It's a bit pat.
Rating: 🐎🐎🐎🐎.5 / 5 fierce new rides
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: Mar 10 '24
Format: Digital, Kindle, Libby
Read this book if you like:
🏡 domestic thrillers
🔥 slow burn
↪️ ploy twists
👨👩👧👦 family stories, family drama
👭🏽 teenage girl friendships
💇♀️ girl's coming of age
October 4, 2023
This was a pretty good story that I thought was a tad overlong but also kept me up late reading.
I have a branch of my family that is horse people so I was a bit familiar with the... quirks and extremes some folks can go to. Mainly, I picked this up because it seemed to promise a murder mystery. That is kind of what happens but the way it's told in multiple third person POVs and ever sliding timelines is not in a way that makes that aspect shine. This is basically a book where a murder takes place but other things were far more pivotal. What did shine through was mother-daughter relationships, sister relationships, failed romances, people of all ages trying to fit in and money and its power begetting ever more problems for its wielders. All that was well done and made for an enjoyable albeit different story than I'd expected. This also ended on a more hopeful note than I'd expected. All to the good.
Still, this could have cut about 100 pages and been just fine. Of all things, I'd wished for more of Detective Perez. So if you are in horse world, just horse world adjacent or just want to read about some messy wealthy people, this isn't a bad read.
Recommended.
I have a branch of my family that is horse people so I was a bit familiar with the... quirks and extremes some folks can go to. Mainly, I picked this up because it seemed to promise a murder mystery. That is kind of what happens but the way it's told in multiple third person POVs and ever sliding timelines is not in a way that makes that aspect shine. This is basically a book where a murder takes place but other things were far more pivotal. What did shine through was mother-daughter relationships, sister relationships, failed romances, people of all ages trying to fit in and money and its power begetting ever more problems for its wielders. All that was well done and made for an enjoyable albeit different story than I'd expected. This also ended on a more hopeful note than I'd expected. All to the good.
Still, this could have cut about 100 pages and been just fine. Of all things, I'd wished for more of Detective Perez. So if you are in horse world, just horse world adjacent or just want to read about some messy wealthy people, this isn't a bad read.
Recommended.
July 7, 2023
2nd attempt. Save review now.
I had all my hopes pinned to this book as my Summer Read! That was probably not a good idea. Save review again.
What worked?
The cover art! It was straight up a 1970s print ad from Vogue advertising sunglasses or throw in some Virginia Slims. I couldn’t stop looking at it. Save review again.
The short chapters from all POV. It created a highly readable story.
What didn’t work?
Can you tolerate Mean Girls?
No? Stop here.
The Mean Girls were mean!
The villain was perfectly villainous from the first page.
The tart read like a Playboy Bunny’s journal.
The male characters were half-baked.
AND DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THOSE BARN MOMS. EGADS.
In summary, this book probably started with an idea of awesome cover art but lost its starch in the writing.
This book hovers between a 3 and 4 stars. Going with 3 because I really despise mean girls.
Save review now.
I had all my hopes pinned to this book as my Summer Read! That was probably not a good idea. Save review again.
What worked?
The cover art! It was straight up a 1970s print ad from Vogue advertising sunglasses or throw in some Virginia Slims. I couldn’t stop looking at it. Save review again.
The short chapters from all POV. It created a highly readable story.
What didn’t work?
Can you tolerate Mean Girls?
No? Stop here.
The Mean Girls were mean!
The villain was perfectly villainous from the first page.
The tart read like a Playboy Bunny’s journal.
The male characters were half-baked.
AND DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THOSE BARN MOMS. EGADS.
In summary, this book probably started with an idea of awesome cover art but lost its starch in the writing.
This book hovers between a 3 and 4 stars. Going with 3 because I really despise mean girls.
Save review now.
August 9, 2023
Having grown up very much a horse girl, I was excited for a book written for adults about this world. I mean hey, the Saddle Club was great and all, but I left all that behind a long time ago.
Just as Margot Livesey’s “Mercury” didn’t satisfy that need for me, neither did this book. I’ve been in the horse show world, and this.. this ain’t it. Someone might hide your saddle pad in the tack room as a prank or something, but no one is going around cutting stirrup leathers or hiring people to brandish umbrellas as you canter. I mean, sure, has that stuff EVER happened? Maybe it has at some point in the history of the world, you’ve got me there. But is that generally indicative of the horse world? No. Just no.
The multiple perspectives this was written from were really annoying. I admit that I generally don’t care for books that do this, and this book is emblematic of why. It was chaotic, unnecessary, and poorly executed. Do I really need to hear the inner thoughts of the kid being mean to Maple? Or that girl’s mom? It would have been stronger written just from Heather’s (vapid) perspective, or Maple’s (and Maple should have been aged up by a year or so).
Also, Piper’s storyline was cliched and trite - and Douglas’s response to the situation was unbelievable at best. Every character was a stereotype. This isn’t a book about the competitive world of champion showing, this was just one fucked up, one-dimensional barn, and one horse show that did not in any way reflect an actual horse show (by the way, lots of high end show riders have solid money behind them and expensive mounts - sticking an abysmal rider on a million dollar horse would not be the sole factor to earn that rider championships; she’d be competing against tons of other horses of that caliber, plus those riders would have actual skill).
Basically, this story couldn’t figure out where to go. Was it a chick lit book (Heather)? A cozy horse crazy tribute to the trials of an adolescent (Maple)? A twisty who-done-it? A deep, introspective novel that explores the themes of the equestrian world while not reducing it to stereotypes? I don’t know, the author doesn’t know, and you won’t know either, but the latter is what I would love to read some day.
Just as Margot Livesey’s “Mercury” didn’t satisfy that need for me, neither did this book. I’ve been in the horse show world, and this.. this ain’t it. Someone might hide your saddle pad in the tack room as a prank or something, but no one is going around cutting stirrup leathers or hiring people to brandish umbrellas as you canter. I mean, sure, has that stuff EVER happened? Maybe it has at some point in the history of the world, you’ve got me there. But is that generally indicative of the horse world? No. Just no.
The multiple perspectives this was written from were really annoying. I admit that I generally don’t care for books that do this, and this book is emblematic of why. It was chaotic, unnecessary, and poorly executed. Do I really need to hear the inner thoughts of the kid being mean to Maple? Or that girl’s mom? It would have been stronger written just from Heather’s (vapid) perspective, or Maple’s (and Maple should have been aged up by a year or so).
Also, Piper’s storyline was cliched and trite - and Douglas’s response to the situation was unbelievable at best. Every character was a stereotype. This isn’t a book about the competitive world of champion showing, this was just one fucked up, one-dimensional barn, and one horse show that did not in any way reflect an actual horse show (by the way, lots of high end show riders have solid money behind them and expensive mounts - sticking an abysmal rider on a million dollar horse would not be the sole factor to earn that rider championships; she’d be competing against tons of other horses of that caliber, plus those riders would have actual skill).
Basically, this story couldn’t figure out where to go. Was it a chick lit book (Heather)? A cozy horse crazy tribute to the trials of an adolescent (Maple)? A twisty who-done-it? A deep, introspective novel that explores the themes of the equestrian world while not reducing it to stereotypes? I don’t know, the author doesn’t know, and you won’t know either, but the latter is what I would love to read some day.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2024
I really liked this for the most part but it ended up being kind of lame 🫤.
June 8, 2023
✨𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 ✨
Thank you #berkleypartner @berkleypub for my #gifted hardcover copy and widget. #penguinrandomhousepartner #BerkleyIG
𝗚𝗶𝗿𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀
𝗕𝘆 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗲𝗿
𝗣𝘂𝗯: 𝟲/𝟲/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯
"The thriller of the summer." -Today.com
📖 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁: The newly-rich Parker family relocates to an exclusive Southern Californian community, ready for a fresh start in their sprawling new estate. Heather Parker, who grew up around horses, is determined to give her daughters the life she never had, whether they want it or not.
The family becomes immersed in horse culture - competitions, horse shows, horse girl cliques, catty "barn moms", backstabbing, and drama galore - at Rancho Santa Fe Equestrian, an elite horse club for the wealthy. It's all fun and games (not really) until someone is found dead at a horse show. What deep, dark secrets are these people hiding? 😳
💭 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: First of all, can we take a moment to appreciate this cover? I gasped when I opened this package! How gorgeous!?
This has been aptly described as "dance moms but make it horses." Spot on! This murder mystery is so much fun! I love a 'rich people behaving badly' thriller, and Girls and Their Horses definitely delivered. We get the perspectives of multiple characters without it ever becoming confusing, and I liked the way it was set up so that the reader doesn't even know who was killed until the end. It kept me engaged and quickly turning pages to see what happened next. Overall, a very solid mystery/thriller by the author of Good Rich People.
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘!
Follow me on Instagram for more bookish content! @allthebooksalltheways
Thank you #berkleypartner @berkleypub for my #gifted hardcover copy and widget. #penguinrandomhousepartner #BerkleyIG
𝗚𝗶𝗿𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀
𝗕𝘆 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗲𝗿
𝗣𝘂𝗯: 𝟲/𝟲/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯
"The thriller of the summer." -Today.com
📖 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁: The newly-rich Parker family relocates to an exclusive Southern Californian community, ready for a fresh start in their sprawling new estate. Heather Parker, who grew up around horses, is determined to give her daughters the life she never had, whether they want it or not.
The family becomes immersed in horse culture - competitions, horse shows, horse girl cliques, catty "barn moms", backstabbing, and drama galore - at Rancho Santa Fe Equestrian, an elite horse club for the wealthy. It's all fun and games (not really) until someone is found dead at a horse show. What deep, dark secrets are these people hiding? 😳
💭 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: First of all, can we take a moment to appreciate this cover? I gasped when I opened this package! How gorgeous!?
This has been aptly described as "dance moms but make it horses." Spot on! This murder mystery is so much fun! I love a 'rich people behaving badly' thriller, and Girls and Their Horses definitely delivered. We get the perspectives of multiple characters without it ever becoming confusing, and I liked the way it was set up so that the reader doesn't even know who was killed until the end. It kept me engaged and quickly turning pages to see what happened next. Overall, a very solid mystery/thriller by the author of Good Rich People.
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘!
Follow me on Instagram for more bookish content! @allthebooksalltheways
December 24, 2023
It's not bad at all...a typical thriller. Doesn't have as many of the insufferable thriller tropes as usual. I would say this one is medium to slow paced. It's just not standout in any way other than the very different setting.
I feel like a lot of people wouldn't like this setting or find it silly but I loooooove horses and really love the setting a lot!
Lots of drama typical thriller style but could be worse!!!! And very easy to follow!
The teenage romance is so annoying 🙄
My one MAIJOR gripe was the pregnancy plot twist made me extremely uncomfortable. What teenage girl gets pregnant and is this instantly excited about having a baby? And wants to spend the rest of her life with the dude instantly? That felt so fake and regressive honestly.
.
.
.
Synopsis: A newly rich family moves to a new home and the mother enrolls her daughter in the local horse stables program for horse riders. A murder ensues.
I feel like a lot of people wouldn't like this setting or find it silly but I loooooove horses and really love the setting a lot!
Lots of drama typical thriller style but could be worse!!!! And very easy to follow!
The teenage romance is so annoying 🙄
My one MAIJOR gripe was the pregnancy plot twist made me extremely uncomfortable. What teenage girl gets pregnant and is this instantly excited about having a baby? And wants to spend the rest of her life with the dude instantly? That felt so fake and regressive honestly.
.
.
.
Synopsis: A newly rich family moves to a new home and the mother enrolls her daughter in the local horse stables program for horse riders. A murder ensues.
![Profile Image for laurel [the suspected bibliophile].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1645808644i%2F7494844._UX200_CR0%2C6%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
July 20, 2023
ngl, the ending was a little weak, but still a solid four-star read.
If you're looking for something to scratch that sweet, sweet itch about unrelatable rich people being rich and unrelatable but also with horses, this is definitely the book for you.
Wine Mom + Rich Bitch + Horse Girl = Barn Mom
Yeah, can you say Mommy Issues? That is 100% this book.
I guess there are horses (and, of course, a beautifully cliche relationship between a girl and a stallion), and there is a mysterious death involved (that was rather anti-climactic in the end) but the sheer drama of this book and rich mothers (and mothers grasping at past richness) are living out their horse girl fantasies through their daughters. It's like Mommy and Me but with show jumping and $600 pants.
There's also a really strange almost love-triangle between Horse Boy and Barn Mom and Horse Daughter. There are themes of control and winning and doing everything possible to control a win, no matter what it takes. There are idealistic horse girls and scared horse girls and pyschopathic horse girls and former horse girls and wannabee horse girls and scarred horse girls and one really hot ringer of a horse boy and one mysteriously demanding horse trainer. And that's all off the show course!
Not sold yet?
It has solid eat the rich vibes throughout (just trust me on this one).
If you're looking for something to scratch that sweet, sweet itch about unrelatable rich people being rich and unrelatable but also with horses, this is definitely the book for you.
Wine Mom + Rich Bitch + Horse Girl = Barn Mom
Yeah, can you say Mommy Issues? That is 100% this book.
I guess there are horses (and, of course, a beautifully cliche relationship between a girl and a stallion), and there is a mysterious death involved (that was rather anti-climactic in the end) but the sheer drama of this book and rich mothers (and mothers grasping at past richness) are living out their horse girl fantasies through their daughters. It's like Mommy and Me but with show jumping and $600 pants.
There's also a really strange almost love-triangle between Horse Boy and Barn Mom and Horse Daughter. There are themes of control and winning and doing everything possible to control a win, no matter what it takes. There are idealistic horse girls and scared horse girls and pyschopathic horse girls and former horse girls and wannabee horse girls and scarred horse girls and one really hot ringer of a horse boy and one mysteriously demanding horse trainer. And that's all off the show course!
Not sold yet?
It has solid eat the rich vibes throughout (just trust me on this one).
December 12, 2023
3.5 stars. Thank you PRH audio for the gifted alc.
This is approx 10 hours on audio and narrated by Helen Laser.
For fans of Dance Moms, this is a rich people behaving badly story.
A repeat author for me and I think I enjoyed this more than her previous book. An entertaining and engaging summer read.
This is approx 10 hours on audio and narrated by Helen Laser.
For fans of Dance Moms, this is a rich people behaving badly story.
A repeat author for me and I think I enjoyed this more than her previous book. An entertaining and engaging summer read.
February 27, 2023
Deliciously full of soapy, simmering tension, manipulation, toxic female friendships, wealthy power dynamics and backstabbing a plenty…it’s Big Little Lies meets Dallas, but even lustier and laced with Brazier’s pitch-black humor. I couldn’t put it down!
June 6, 2023
Girls and Their Horses introduces readers to the glamorous but cutthroat world of teen show horse competitions complete with all the toxicity of overzealous mothers living out their dreams through their daughters through manipulation and all the backstabbing that goes along with it. The power of old money vs. new money comes into play when the competition between parents is fiercer than the competition on the track. In the middle of all the pomp and circumstance, there's an intriguing murder mystery to be solved.
Brazier's ability to manipulate well-developed characters drives this story forward at a steady pace as readers come to know all the players from mothers with a sense of entitlement desperate to give their children the social status and acceptance into the elite world of show horse competition they never had to the girls forced into roles not of their own making. But when a murder victim turns up at a horse show, both mothers and daughters are forced to look inward and decide what's truly important in their lives. The murder is introduced in the early pages of the story, but readers are then carried back in the past to experience the emotionally charged story first hand as it unfolds. Tensions run high as alliances are formed and later betrayed, motivations are exposed and both parents and children face some cold, hard facts.
Girls and Their Horses is an unique, intriguing suspense story with some real life lessons to be learned about what's really important in life. Characters are believable perhaps in spite of their social status. The author has rendered a well-written fictional story on the very real world of show horse competitions among the young although I suspect these lessons could be applied to any of a number of teen sport competitions. The real value of true friendship, parent/child relationships and following one's own dreams are front and center. Fans of young adult suspense stories will enjoy Girls and Their Horses.
Special thanks to Berkley Publishing for an arc of this book and the book tour invitation. Release Date: June 6, 2023. This review is published at Cross My Heart Reviews. All opinions expressed are my own.
Brazier's ability to manipulate well-developed characters drives this story forward at a steady pace as readers come to know all the players from mothers with a sense of entitlement desperate to give their children the social status and acceptance into the elite world of show horse competition they never had to the girls forced into roles not of their own making. But when a murder victim turns up at a horse show, both mothers and daughters are forced to look inward and decide what's truly important in their lives. The murder is introduced in the early pages of the story, but readers are then carried back in the past to experience the emotionally charged story first hand as it unfolds. Tensions run high as alliances are formed and later betrayed, motivations are exposed and both parents and children face some cold, hard facts.
Girls and Their Horses is an unique, intriguing suspense story with some real life lessons to be learned about what's really important in life. Characters are believable perhaps in spite of their social status. The author has rendered a well-written fictional story on the very real world of show horse competitions among the young although I suspect these lessons could be applied to any of a number of teen sport competitions. The real value of true friendship, parent/child relationships and following one's own dreams are front and center. Fans of young adult suspense stories will enjoy Girls and Their Horses.
Special thanks to Berkley Publishing for an arc of this book and the book tour invitation. Release Date: June 6, 2023. This review is published at Cross My Heart Reviews. All opinions expressed are my own.
June 11, 2023
ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
Yes! I had no idea I needed a book set in Southern California about girls in competition horse jumping and the drama that goes along with it, but I did! It was not at all what I was expecting and reminded me a bit of Big Little Lies with parts in the present with detectives, and the majority being a flashback to everything that led up to what they’re investigating. It was perfectly timed with just enough backstory on the main characters to really help me connect with them. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will definitely recommend to others!
Yes! I had no idea I needed a book set in Southern California about girls in competition horse jumping and the drama that goes along with it, but I did! It was not at all what I was expecting and reminded me a bit of Big Little Lies with parts in the present with detectives, and the majority being a flashback to everything that led up to what they’re investigating. It was perfectly timed with just enough backstory on the main characters to really help me connect with them. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will definitely recommend to others!
June 6, 2023
I could have eaten popcorn while reading this book - just taking it all in. The petty friendships; mother and daughters; the sexy cowboy; the lost teenager; the controller manager - center of all it all.
Great for a beach read - I could not put it down. Chilling and kinda trashy.
Great for a beach read - I could not put it down. Chilling and kinda trashy.
May 13, 2023
I have read every one of Eliza’s books, and while I enjoyed them all, this was my favorite! She draws you into the exclusive horse world immediately with rich detail, fascinating characters, and short, binge-able chapters that will keep you wanting just one more. This isn’t just a thriller, it’s also a coming of age story about the many shapes a family can be, and without giving anything away, I can tell you she absolutely nails the ending. Highly recommend!!
June 2, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley, author Eliza Jane Brazier, and Berkley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!
Whew, I feel like I need a breather before starting my next read because this was WILD! I love any sort of "rich people behaving badly" story, and Girls and Their Horses was definitely a pinnacle example of that. This book was filled to the brim with drama and suspense, and I flew through it trying to find out what happened next. I did enjoy all the drama, but I would not say I enjoyed this book as a whole. First off, I would like to never see the word "horse" again, as it was stated literally HUNDREDS of times in this novel lol. I get what this book was about, but it was still so much to read. I also thought this book was just a little too miserable; I like fun aspects in my "rich people behaving badly" stories, and quite frankly, none of this book was fun. I hated all characters and all the choices they were making, leaving me literally no one to root for. The one-ish character I could root for the most had a plot line that was not something I like personally and seemed too cliche for the book. I think this was an interesting concept, but a very poor execution. I would have liked to see more fun and juicy tidbits to add to the mystery rather than instances that genuinely made me despise the book and never see/hear the word "horse" again.
Whew, I feel like I need a breather before starting my next read because this was WILD! I love any sort of "rich people behaving badly" story, and Girls and Their Horses was definitely a pinnacle example of that. This book was filled to the brim with drama and suspense, and I flew through it trying to find out what happened next. I did enjoy all the drama, but I would not say I enjoyed this book as a whole. First off, I would like to never see the word "horse" again, as it was stated literally HUNDREDS of times in this novel lol. I get what this book was about, but it was still so much to read. I also thought this book was just a little too miserable; I like fun aspects in my "rich people behaving badly" stories, and quite frankly, none of this book was fun. I hated all characters and all the choices they were making, leaving me literally no one to root for. The one-ish character I could root for the most had a plot line that was not something I like personally and seemed too cliche for the book. I think this was an interesting concept, but a very poor execution. I would have liked to see more fun and juicy tidbits to add to the mystery rather than instances that genuinely made me despise the book and never see/hear the word "horse" again.
July 1, 2023
That was a lot of horses & unlikeable people.
January 7, 2024
started out really good and interesting - like big little lies set in the horse world. but about halfway through started getting boring and repetitive and it’s just entirely too long
February 13, 2024
Un-put-downable. Trashy, brilliant, could only have been written by a horse person. Like Pretty Little Liars meets The Monday Horses.
September 30, 2023
Once I settled into the mindset of a middle-aged mom with a wine addiction and an absent husband, this hit.
I can confidently say, however, that I no longer judge horse people but fear them.
I can confidently say, however, that I no longer judge horse people but fear them.
January 13, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝙎𝙚𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨, 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙟𝙪𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙖 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙨𝙪𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬.
I absolutely loved Good Rich People by this author so I was so excited to read this story. I did a combo of the physical book and audio, I thought both formats were perfect!
I wasn’t too familiar with horse riding, but this book made it sound so fun and I loved the uniqueness this book had. The racing competition had me so intrigued.
There are a few characters in this book, I found them all to be interesting though. I also loved seeing how far a mother would go for their children. This did feel more like a family-style drama. I also appreciated that we got multiple POVs and the family relationships in this.
I honestly loved the rich people vibes in this and the horse aspect to it. This felt like such a unique story and I love this author’s writing style so much. I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future. The book did feel a bit longer than it should’ve been, but oh man, I still had the best time reading this!
Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley for the review copy and PRH Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!
𝙎𝙚𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨, 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙟𝙪𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙖 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙨𝙪𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬.
I absolutely loved Good Rich People by this author so I was so excited to read this story. I did a combo of the physical book and audio, I thought both formats were perfect!
I wasn’t too familiar with horse riding, but this book made it sound so fun and I loved the uniqueness this book had. The racing competition had me so intrigued.
There are a few characters in this book, I found them all to be interesting though. I also loved seeing how far a mother would go for their children. This did feel more like a family-style drama. I also appreciated that we got multiple POVs and the family relationships in this.
I honestly loved the rich people vibes in this and the horse aspect to it. This felt like such a unique story and I love this author’s writing style so much. I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future. The book did feel a bit longer than it should’ve been, but oh man, I still had the best time reading this!
Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley for the review copy and PRH Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 814 reviews