I gave this book three stars because of the horse terminology and because of the details about stables that were in the book. However, this book just didn't do it for me. There was no real plot (unless we are going to start thinking of character interactions as plots now) and I could not bring myself to care about the characters all that much. Tommi is trying to prove that being a "billionaire heiress" has nothing to do with how good of a rider she is. While money can't buy her skill, it certainly helps let her compete at the level that she does so I wasn't that impressed. Kate is a busy working student with confidence issues. After a while, I just got tired of Kate constantly doubting herself, and she did it over everything, not just riding. Then there was Zara. It was mentioned a couple of times that her attitude was a defense mechanism to avoid getting hurt. I didn't buy it. She came across as being a spoiled brat and a bitch and then she would wonder why she wasn't fitting in. Yeah, so aside from all of that, the book was all right. I actually really enjoyed this book. I found it to be a fairly truthful look at the life of top level competitors - having been there, done that, I found it quite realistic. I thought the portrayal of the show life was quite accurate, especially the running around between rings at the shows, the grooms working their tails off and the hard falls - even the best riders do fall once in a while. The riding and horse work was realistic and very well written. I can see this book being very confusing for anyone who is not familiar with the horse world and lingo. I also found that there were a LOT of name drops... Tailored Sportsman this, Charles Owen that... I know it goes with the lifestyle and the theme, but it got kind of repetitive and annoying. One thing I didn't like AT ALL was that Zara never seemed to get in trouble for anything that she did. I mean, I can understand WHY she doesn't get in trouble for riding Ford, and I get why it was written that way. BUT, (SPOILER ALERT) if anyone smoked pot in our barn, they would be more than kicked out - they would likely have the police called and get arrested as well... but maybe that's just my trainer. I definitely get why this show was marketed to the horse show world, despite it's Gossip-Girl type writing and parties. Overall this was a light, fun and quick read. I am definitely looking forward to reading more in this series.
What do You think about The A Circuit (2011)?
This book is like Gossip Girl meets Saddle Club and it is everything I never knew I needed.
—buea
Great book with a lot of drama and every day conflicts.
—Lissmarie
This book was ok. I wouldn't read it again, though.
—maddie
really good book about horses and some guy drama
—vanila
