This third book in the Saddlehill Academy series continues the story of seventh grader Abby St. Clair and her life at an elite equestrian boarding school. In this volume, Abby is doing better than ever with her horse Beau—if only her social life was as good! Although Abby has apologized to fellow student Selly after Abby accidentally cost her a chance to be team captain, Abby still knows Selly is out for revenge. Abby’s best friends Vivi and Thea have been acting strangely distant, too, and she suspects they’re also mad at her about something, though she doesn’t know what. Have Abby’s worries about her friends cost her the chance to get closer to Mila, the girl she’s had a crush on? And will the stress of all this impact Abby’s audition tape for a riding clinic run by her hero Sasha Silver (star of author Jessica Burkhart’s Canterbury Crest series)?
As with the first two volumes, the story gives us lots of middle-school intrigue as well as insider details about horses and riding. If it feels a little soap-opera-ish, it is—but that will make it compelling for many readers, whether they dream of being equestrians or just want a look into this world. Furthermore, Abby’s queer identity is a non-issue. Although her relationship with Mila forms part of the plot, it’s treated like any of the other relationships in the book—fraught with ups and downs, mistaken assumptions, and drama. It may be a soap opera, but it’s a queer-inclusive one—and readers seeking queer representation deserve such fun, too.
Abby and Emery are White; Abby’s two best friends are Black and Korean American, respectively.
