Objects in Mirror – Tudor Robins – Stonegate #1 – Published 18 April 2017

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Synopsis

Starving, starving … Grace is always starving these days. 

But Grace is also strong, and determined, and skinny. For the first time ever Grace is as thin as she wants to be – nearly – and there’s no way she’s giving that up. 

Except, what if she has to give up other things to be able to keep wearing her new “skinny” breeches? 

What if it comes down to a choice between all the horses she loves – Sprite, the ferocious jumper, and Iowa, the sweet greenie, and Whinny, the abused but tough mare – and the numbers on the scale, the numbers on food labels, the numbers always running through her head? 

Grace knows what her stepmother, Annabelle, wants her to decide. She knows what Matt – gorgeous, amazing Matt – wants her to do. She knows what the doctors think. 

But she also knows nobody else can make this decision for her. And sometimes she’s not even sure if she’s got the strength to do it. 

My thoughts

Need a horse book for older teen readers? The number one author I always turn to is Tudor Robins. In Objects in Mirror, as in all her books, she expertly combines stunning horse knowledge and the precious bond between rider and horse with the every day challenges of being a young adult, growing up, and falling in love. Objects in Mirror also incorporates themes of mental health and anorexia. It is a beautiful, easy-to-love story that is sure to delight readers.

Grace lives to ride. She loves pushing herself on the temperamental but brilliant jumper Sprite. So when Sprite is sold and the chance to show him each week removed, Grace is instead offered the chance to work at Stonegate and help rehabilitate an abused mare. But the contrast between abused and starving Whinny and the pressure Grace is under to constantly monitor what she eats and the numbers running through her head and on the scales hits a little too close to home. With the support of her stepmother and fellow stable worker, Matt, Grace must choose between the horses she loves or the numbers she clings to.

Complex, moving and yet light and fun, Objects in Mirror is the perfect contemporary YA horse book. I loved Grace’s relationship with the horses in this story. She is a talented rider, but her respect and love for these animals is what really shines through. While Grace juggles the demands of her new job and caring for Whinny she is also facing great personal battles. The way Grace battles anorexia is a realistic step by step process and she needs and draws upon the support of those around her.

The romance in Objects in Mirror is a sweet addition to the story and Matt is wonderfully supportive of Grace and yet he challenges her and pushes her. I also particularly loved Grace’s relationship with her stepmother and how this grows and changes over the course of the events of this book.

Objects in Mirror is the first book in the Stonegate series and I look forward to sharing this and future titles with our library readers.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

More information

Category: Young adult fiction.

Genre: Contemporary – animals.

Themes: Horses, riding, anorexia, body image, family, romance, bulimia.

Reading age guide: Ages 12 and up.

Advisory: References to anorexia and body image. Occasional coarse language, sh** (6), bit** (3), pis* (5).

Format: Paperback, ebook. 226 pages.

Find it on Goodreads