Wednesday 10 February 2016

Joyrider by Jane Ayres (Young Adult, 10E/10E, short 'n' sweet review)

 November 2013, Slow Gallop Press, 130 pages, Ebook, Review copy

Book summary from Amazon (I don't benefit by mentioning them)
Two girls, a mysterious midnight rider - and dark secrets, just waiting to be discovered.....

Linzi has it all.  Or so it seems. She's bright,pretty, popular, lives in a glamorous clifftop apartment and has her own perfect horse - a stunning copper chestnut gelding called Ambrose. But appearances can be very deceptive....

On the other side of the sleepy seaside town, teenager Bex lives in a tiny flat with her widowed mum above the café they both run.  She's prickly, moody, and a loner, trying to escape from her tragic past.  She doesn't want friends - especially not girls like Linzi.

Linzi suspects her jumping team rival, Sheldon, is the mystery joyrider, who is taking other people's horses at night and riding them, and she's furious when her beloved Ambrose is targeted. She determines to solve the mystery and discover the true identity  - and motives - of the joyrider. But in the process she puts herself, and Bex, in terrible danger.

Nayu's thoughts
An absolutely spectacular horse tale by Jane! When I hear the word joyrider, I immediately think of cars, not horses. While technically the horses used by the mystery joyrider are stolen for a short period of time, they are taken care of extremely well and returned to their stables. Aside from the danger which Linzi causes, Linzi learns a lot about herself through the joyriding incidents. She even manages to find a real friend, one who cares about her and has time for her. 

Bex is the opposite end of the social scale, and certainly not that friendly, but deep down she has a big heart and doesn't want to hurt people. She doesn't realise that by being moody she is hurting herself. Heart is large and her passion for horses leads her into the grey side of the law. But, knowing her background, I understand the reasons behind the decisions she made and was rooting for her all the way. 

I promise the story ends happily! It was hard to read when Linzi assumed Sheldon was the culprit, because I knew it wasn't Sheldon and hated the way Linzi tried to punish her, instead of leaving that to the law. It was interesting watching two so very different people both with difficulties in their home lives push away those who can help, and then gain the friendships they deserved. 

Find out more on Jane's blog

No comments: