Join Up: A happy-ending story of summer camp and summer love

Island Series #3

by Tudor Robins

A summer at one of the poshest riding camps in the province. A hundred horses. Rolling hills ribboned with hacking trails and cross-country jumps.
It could be perfect. Unless you're Lacey Strickland, and you're leaving Salem, Meg, and Jared behind on the island.
The only thing that isn't hard to leave is Lacey's memory of her first kiss, delivered in a spring-scented hayfield, which sizzled, then fizzled into nothing at all.
The other thing making camp less-than-perfect for Lacey? She's not a cosseted camper, but a staff member - teaching riding lessons from sun-up to sun-down.
In Meg's first letter to Lacey, she writes, "I bet anything there's at least one amazing horse waiting for you there. And maybe a new great - if not best - friend."
Is Meg right? Could Lacey meet a horse she'll love just as much as Salem? And are there new friends in her future? Maybe even somebody who could give her more than just one kiss in a hayfield?

Genres: Horses, Young Adult, Romance

308 pages, Hardcover

First published December 19, 2015

Reviews

[C.P. Cabaniss · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received a copy of this novel through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

This book picks up several years after the events of Wednesday Riders and with Lacey as the narrator instead of Meg. While the idea was interesting, and had a chance to take the series in a new direction, I was somewhat disappointed by the execution.

There still wasn't enough horsey stuff for me to really enjoy this, although I felt like there was a little more buildup with Night and Lacey than there had been with any of the horses in the previous books. The story was still more romance than anything else, and while I found Lacey and Fitch cute, I wasn't fully into their relationship. And the stuff with Cade and Carly...not something I enjoyed. The way it played out between Carly and Lacey was better than what I would have expected after what happened in Wednesday Riders, but still wasn't the kind of drama I wanted to see.

Full review will be up on February 18th: http://courtneysreads.blogspot.com/20...

[Lenore Kosinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars! I received an copy of this ebook from the author in exchange for my honest review!

I honestly didn't initially realize that this wasn't going to be a continuation of Meg's story, but since I felt like her story was complete, I was happy to see that we have a new heroine -- Lacey! She was so bubbly and forthright, I was interested to see how it would be to read from her perspective...and in general I thought the author did a great job of being faithful to the Lacey we'd come to know, just grown up.

I'm not a horsey person, but I felt like I could want to be a horsey person after reading these books. They really give you such a sense of how important these creatures are in some people's lives.... LOVED watching Lacey get to know Night. Enjoyed the little bits of horsey knowledge that was passed along in little places here and there...not so much to overwhelm someone from outside that world, but enough to give a sense of place and time if that makes sense.

I thought the romance was blended in nicely with the rest of the story. It's really such a minor role -- it's more Lacey's coming of age tale. Dealing with the aftermath of a first kiss, learning to be a leader and teacher.... But I did really like Fitch and the way they bantered back and forth.

I do wish the book had been a bit more something...either more romance, or more coming of age struggles for Lacey. I don't know, I just wanted something a bit more.

I also felt like the ending kind of snuck up on me -- not that it didn't work, but just that I turned to a new chapter and all of a sudden it was the ending. Might have been nicer to say "3 weeks later" or to label it as an epilogue. Just something.

All in all this was a great addition to the Island Trilogy. I'll miss the girls and their horses...

https://celebrityreaders.wordpress.co...

[Jessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

** I received this Ebook for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my review in anyway.**

Generally, I'm hesitant to read books that have horses as a main interested because the authors don't often get the details right. Having horses myself and riding for my whole life, I would rather read a book that's correct in its terms and descriptions. Join Up was one of those books. I thoroughly enjoyed it from the very beginning and I'm glad I requested this book.

I had always dreamed of working at a horse camp when I was younger and I loved being able to live vicariously through "Join Up". Lacey's character was one I related to because she enjoyed horses more than she enjoyed people and was at home with the horses. She was well written and I really enjoyed her interactions with other characters.

I liked how correct the author was with the equine terminology and equine behaviors and I loved reading about the little girls and their accomplishments.

I can't wait to go back and read the first two!

I have this book 5 magical stars.

[bex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one although I believe join up is far too often overused and actually becomes a negative experience for many horses used to demo it. So although that isn't the authors fault really, it is still a negative mark for me. So many ways to bond with your horse without the tendency to confuse one that already bonds well with humans. It makes sense with Night initially. Not all the others... 4 star

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautiful story. It was aimed at young girls who love horses, but even an older man who has never ridden could enjoy it. I was dubious at first about a story featuring a secondary character from the series, but I grew to enjoy her exploits and her teen romance as a summer camp counselor. I even appreciated her love of horses.

[Devynn♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED Appoloosa Summer and Wednesday Riders; the first two installments of the Island Trilogy and I cannot wait for Join Up!

[Blondish And Bookish · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable entry in the Island series by Tudor Robins. This book makes a change and the lead character is Lacey, Jared's sister. She gets a job at a ritzy summer camp, helping the young girls. While I enjoyed the book, I think the whole “join up” thing has been done to death. Not every.single.horse.in.the.world needs to do join up. And of course in the book, join up solves every problem. But the horse stuff was great, as is generally the case with Tudor Robins' stories. And the story was good (although the characters didn't seem to have the depth that the characters in the first two books did). Still, I enjoyed it and will go on to order the last book in the series.

[Laura Hesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for horse crazy teens and adults

My first read of one of Tudors novels. It took me back in time to my own adventures at camp at white lake, ontario. I still remember the pony i rode and how much fun i had. Great story. Love the introduction of natural horsemanship into the story line.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed this book and it was a great addition to the Island series. Was a little predictable at times and there were a few things I would have liked to have happened or cleared up. Even with a few faults, I would still like to read the next in the series.

[McKenzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was worried with switching up main characters that I wouldn't like it as much. That certainly wasn't the case as I couldn't put it down!! Enjoyed having Lacey has the main character !

[Linda Pressmar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for my horse addiction!

I really appreciate that the author knows what she is talking about concerning horses and their training. I am looking forward to more of the series.

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good story.

[Doris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

I really enjoyed this book and found the summer horse camp setting to be just the right choice for Lacey. This book has amazing horses and ponies and fascinating girls, along with one special boy. I love the settings, too. Tudor Robins’ writing makes every scene picture perfect.

[eyeofcuthuwu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forgot about this book but I stumbled across it again and read it in a day. This book was a huge part of my childhood and I can't express how much or why I love it, felt good to take a trip down memory lane.

[Ariana Feldberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book focuses around Lacey. It’s fun to get to know her more in depth as a person herself rather than just Meg’s best friend Jared’s cousin. Reading about her experiences teaching at a riding camp brings back childhood memories of my own. Another fun read by Tudor Robins!

[Mya · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main protagonist change was an unexpected surprise, but it does make sense given that Meg and Jared are getting a bit old to be innocently teen romancing. This book is set off the island but with some familiar characters. More horse stuff makes it better than book two for me.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real rating: 3.5 stars! But I’m rounding up because I really do enjoy this series!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a colossal idiot. I was sent this book for review months and months ago. I read it, and I've re read it several times since. I had almost completed my review.... And then I forgot to finish and post it. *sigh* Well here it is! My last re read was a week or two ago, so it's still fresh in my mind.

Eek, this was what I thought was going to be the last book in the Island Trilogy! But according to Tudor Robins’ blog, she’s realised that maybe it shouldn’t be a trilogy. Score!
And furthermore, this book isn’t about Meg and Jared anymore, it’s about Lacey! She’s definitely my favourite character in the series.

Join Up follows Lacey as she works at a posh riding camp over the summer with her friend, Carly. The hours are long, the pay is bad, plus there’s this guy called Fitch… Oh, and a horse called Night.
I have to say that I really did enjoy this book! I really liked the fact that the book was about Lacey and that there was a significant time jump. I felt that Meg and Jared’s story didn’t really have anywhere to go after Wednesday Riders... I mean, we had already seen how they met and got together… and then their troubles and their resolution. Not much more after that point! I always loved Lacey’s kindness and enthusiasm. And also her temper and impulsiveness. I have to say though, sometimes it didn’t feel like I was actually reading this from Lacey’s perspective. Lacey was always so enthusiastic and excitable in the previous books, and this Lacey wasn’t. I get that she grew up and went through some troubles in this book, but sometimes I just didn’t feel like I was reading from Lacey’s point of view. I felt like I was reading from Meg’s, who is much more levelheaded than Lacey. Saying that, at times I actually preferred reading from Lacey’s POV rather than Meg’s.

Fitch was a bit “eh…” for me. I liked the guy and his banter with Lacey, but he came off as a bit of a jerk sometimes and wasn’t the most interesting guy in the series so far. Fitch was generally likable, though.

As usual, Tudor Robins writes some great coming of age content! Lacey’s situation with her friend’s boyfriend was believable and also kind of tricky. I really felt like I knew where Lacey was coming from with her concerns on the issue. Friendship and crushes can be tricky things (believe me, I know. Probably a little too well, haha). This is probably one of my favourite parts of the book, because I actually felt really sorry for Lacey! I really understood how she felt and why she was a bit stuck. Who hasn’t been in a super awkward situation with a crush and a friend?

I was really excited to read about Lacey’s situation with Night, but it kind of let me down a bit. I expected Night to be more of a complex horse, such as Jessie from Wednesday Riders, who was very sensitive and sore at times. A green broke horse doesn’t necessarily mean that the horse is unrideable, but I expected more of a challenge when it came to Night. Lacey seemed to be able to work with him quite easily, which I find to be a little hard to believe… I have known riding school horses (relatively quiet) that have been a bigger challenge than Night is in this book. Some green broke horses might be really spooky and shy at everything. Maybe they’re super sensitive and require a quiet rider and some gentle guidance (like Jessie, Meg’s horse from Wednesday riders!). Or maybe they have some vices under saddle. A lot of green horses might have trouble staying balanced, listening to aids, or picking up the right lead. I found Lacey’s situation with Night to be a little unrealistic.

Lacey’s troubles with her love life, camp, her family, and her finances are very realistic and well portrayed. I thought that Lacey’s concerns echoed a lot of other people’s around her age. Heck, I could even relate it to my own concerns.

There was a bit of action happening in the book. I miss The Island, but I loved reading from Lacey’s perspective in a different setting. This is the first time that the series has really been away from the island, and while I missed the atmosphere I enjoyed the change of pace from the previous two books. The Island is mentioned a fair bit anyway, which is pretty cool. Julianne Hills is still a great setting, and once again Tudor Robins does an excellent job of setting the scene. I can easily picture it in my head. :)

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book for someone looking for a good horse or contemporary novel. As usual, Tudor does a great job with the location of this book, as well as the characters and their issues. If you are expecting a story highly focused on working with a green horse and its difficulties, you might be disappointed. There is a lot of horse related stuff in this novel, as well as some great coming-of-age issues. I feel that Join Up is a very well balanced book, and I very much enjoyed reading it. :)

A copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Bobbi Pratt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful series

Delighting series to read again and again. Cannot wait for the next one!! Keep them coming and keep up the good work.

[Lynette ~ Talia's Tomes ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out my full review HERE: https://escapingrealitybookreviews.wo...

This series has restored my faith in equestrian fiction. There actually ARE fun, original, quality horse novels out there in the world! The self-publishing world, at least. I think the traditionally published horse books are a lost cause, at this point. Anyway, back to the story. I absolutely loved that Lacey took center stage in this book, and getting a chance to better know a beloved character from the previous books made me incredibly happy! This story is set at a summer camp, and there’s something inherently magical about summer camp stories, and I’m not exactly sure what it is. I suppose I’ve simply watched too many Disney Channel Original Movies.

The romance is adorable and adds some fun drama to this incredible story chock-full of adventure, laughter, and solid horse training advice. I really can’t say enough good things about this book! It was fun to get to see Meg from Lacey’s point of view, and I loved the setting. It was very odd to get off the island, but in a good way. I also liked the larger cast of characters this book had, and the very unique plot. Sure, we’ve all read a million summer camp romance novels, but, as always, Tudor Robins takes a tried and true concept and turns it into something spectacularly original and refreshing.

I'm 19, and I highly recommend this book.

[Diane Coto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you know what ‘join up’ is in equestrian terms? I’d not heard this before, but it is when, through body language, the horse bonds with their handler. In this novel, Lacey Strickland bonded with Night, a horse she met at Julianne Hills Riding Academy & Camp. She’d stop walking; he’d stop walking. She’d take a step forward; he’d take a step forward. She’s a riding instructor this year. But, there’s more going on that just horse / handler rapport. Lacey is still pining for Cade who broke her heart and chose to be with her friend, Carly. What’s worse is that Carly is at camp with her and seems not to consider Lacey’s feelings about her relationship with Cade. Then, Lacey meets Fitch, the owner’s son. At first, she’s not even sure she likes him, but he keeps popping up everywhere she is. Eventually, he wins her over.

I liked a lot about this novel. The exchanges between Lacey and Fitch were cute. How they related to the children at the camp was very heart-warming and entertaining. However, I kept waiting for something more dramatic to happen and it fell a bit flat for me. Meg, Lacey’s friend, had been the protagonist in the past two novels. She and Jared did make appearances in this one. I did see some character growth in Lacey; I loved the closeness of her family; and I loved the gratifying ending to this trilogy. Rating: 3 out of 5.

[Katarina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so much. This is the 3rd book, but can be read as a stand alone as well. Of course I'd suggest reading all the books, because they are that good.

I really like Lacey and her friends, I like how their characters develop throughout the books. But what I love most is the horse stuff. Tudor Robins obviously knows what she's talking about and it shows. Tudor Robins is also excellent at describing relationships between the characters with true emotions and just so real. I was completely captivated by this book and I hope there will be more.

[Deloomey · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know, I have to say I didn't really enjoy this book. Literally, I was just looking for a nice free horse book to read on my Kindle, and this was more romance than horse. Mostly it was geared towards early adults, and I found I was very disappointed. For a person looking for teen trouble stories, this is a good book. But for horse-lovers? I, for one, found it very hard to believe that it was a complete horse book. I guess it was okay, just not my type and not very horsey.

[SHERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading Join Up, Tudor Robins latest book in her island series. I am saying series instead of trilogy because I'm hoping there will be additional books in this series. Although I was initially disappointed that Join Up didn't feature Meg and Jared, I got over it very quickly and really enjoyed Lacey's story. She's a very interesting character and I would like to read a continuation of her journey with Night and with Salem.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 3rd and final installment of the Island Trilogy... I didn't like that Meg Traherne was no longer the leading character in Join Up as she was in the 1st novels of the Island Trilogy. It took awhile to get use Lacey Strickland being the leading character in Join Up with only minor appearances of Meg & Jared... The story of Join Up became better halfway through and became more interesting, but not great. Some drama ensues... Love happens... Great book for horse lovers... Happy ending.

[Barbara Brockhaus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Girl meets horse. Girl falls in love with horse. Tudor Robins did a fantastic job bringing this story to life. If you ride then you will appreciate the correct terminology and horsemanship in this book. Or if you are like I was as a girl and always dreamed of riding this book will teach you while you read a great story. I received this book from NetGalley.

[Mary Yarde · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful, riveting page-turner, about loss, first love and horses!

A really appealing book for pony mad teenagers. A joy to read. Would definitely recommend.

(I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

[Beatrice Rivers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. While reading it, I felt as though I was in the book and was experiencing all of the events for myself and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I love horses and so this book was ideal for me and I recommend it to all horse lovers out there!

[Freckles]

I can't even.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed with Join Up. I didn't remember much about Lacey and I missed the Island. Too much romance and not enough horses in this one.