Review: The Truth About Horses

 

Fourteen-year-old Reese’s dream of winning the Black Elk race is shattered when her beloved horse, Trusted Treasure, falls at the last jump and the vet suggests they put him down. While still reeling from that loss, her family suffers a second tragedy—one that results in the end of their family business, the sale of Trusted Treasure, and irreparable damage to Reese’s relationship with her father.

Heartbroken and still longing to find Trusted Treasure, Reese meets Wes, a selective mute, whose way of training horses is unlike anything she’s ever seen. If anyone can win the Black Elk, it’s Wes—but he’s struggling with his troubled past, and having a teenage girl hanging around his barn isn’t exactly what he’d planned. Through heartaches and triumphs, Reese must prove her worth if she wants to heal her family, help Wes, and show them all that some dreams are worth fighting for. - Summary from publisher

My Thoughts: I love horse books and I really enjoyed this one. But it did have some tough moments. There were terrible animal scenes - one in particular that maybe didn't need to be there. Reese lashes out a lot and makes terrible choices. Her actions make her a hard character to like, but you can't help but root for her to get her act together. Much of her behavior is dealing with grief. I liked how everything came together in the end. While Reese is 14, it does feel like an adult book.

Cover Thoughts: Cute

Source: ARC sent for review

Library Recommendation: Add this one to your public library collection. 

Review: My Big Fat Heart-Shaped Fail

 

Ever since Paige and Jess spent their spring vacation together - Abby's been feeling left out. She invented a fake boyfriend to cover up the fact that her current crush is dating one of her best friends. She has all these secrets building up inside her. When she and her friends get five free balloons, she decides to write her secrets on paper and release them. She calculates that they will float away and she will feel better,

Abby doesn't expect them to land near the school. She doesn't expect her secrets to become public knowledge. She doesn't expect everyone to gossip about them and attempt to figure out the truth. What was supposed to be a fun day turns into Abby's worst nightmare...

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this middle grade book all about friendship drama, first romances, and being an outsider. I felt really bad for Abby - she had such a hard day and she made such terrible choices. I really did enjoy the I wanted to say vs What I did say moments. I wanted to wrap Abby up in a huge hug. But I do love the way everything turned out. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute

Source: ARC sent for review

Library Recommendations: A great middle grade book about friendship drama - grab this one for your school and public library collections

Christmas Book Review: The Girl Who Ruined Christmas

A picture taken at the wrong time has catastrophic results which leaves Brady stuck in a small holiday loving town to pay off her debt - where of course everyone hates her for ruining Christmas.

My Thoughts: This novella was super cute and I loved it. Of course I wanted it to be longer because I didn't want to let go of the characters or the setting. I loved how this took place in a holiday town (something you'd see in a Hallmark movie). I loved the Christmas Tree Farm setting. I enjoyed watching Brady try to fix her mistake and understand the town people's feelings. I admired her persistence. I enjoyed watching her try to mend fences with the three people her age.  Of course I loved reading about the holiday traditions in this one. So much fun. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute

Source: ARC sent for review  

Library Recommendation: A fantastic holiday read for your middle grade section - highly recommended.