Appaloosa Summer – Tudor Robins – Island Trilogy #1 – South Shore Publications – Published 5 June 2014
♥♥♥♥♥
Appaloosa Summer is a beautiful book. It was so much more than I was expecting. It is so much more than a story about a girl and a boy and a horse. But that’s what it is at its heart, and it has so much heart.
Meg is shocked and devastated when her horse dies right in the middle of a show jumping competition. Unsure of what to do now and how to face the changes in her life she takes the chance to move back to her family’s island cottage and work at the local B&B for the summer. There she meets Jared, whose life has also been shaken by the loss of a loved one. They form a strong friendship and together rescue an Appaloosa.
This is a simple, yet deep and touching story, which I absolutely loved. A perfect summer or all-year-round read. It has been a long time since I have read a good horse book, especially one that is suitable and relevant for middle to older young adults. Tudor Robins obviously knows her horses, and everything that goes with them, but the reader is neither preached at nor left wallowing in excessive horse lingo. Instead, the story flows beautifully, with enough detail to be so wonderfully realistic you can almost smell the mix of salt breezes, fresh cut hay and horse. The romance, too, is sweet, yet also exciting and real. It builds slowly, with a good balance of friendship and the slight awkwardness of getting to know someone new. It was the best summer love story I’ve read in a long time.
I thoroughly enjoyed Appaloosa Summer and highly recommend it. I look forward to reading the next story in the Island Trilogy.
The publishers provided a complimentary copy of this book for reviewing purposes.
Juvenile Fiction. Contemporary. Romance.