Review: JUMP GIRL by Leigh Hutton

Bookish Details:
Series: The Go Girl Chronicles #2
Pages: 333 Paperback
Release Date: November 22nd 2014
Buy It From: Amazon - UK - AU - CA

Synopsis:

SHOW JUMPING IS AN EXTREME SPORT WITH A DRESS CODE, ONE THIS GIRL DOESN'T FOLLOW . . .

Imagine being dumped by your mother as a newborn and shifted between foster homes your entire childhood. Imagine being taken in and offered hope for your future by a kind, loving show jumping socialite.

Imagine falling in love with some of the most gorgeous horses in the world, and making a life in the thrilling and glamorous sport of international show jumping.

Now imagine it all being taken away.

Ebony Scott Harris is painfully close to making her dreams a reality when the only mother she has ever known mysteriously dies. She’s forced from their home to live with the gold-digging aunt, who takes her in only to ride the prized show jumpers she claims are now hers.

Teetering on the edge of a hopeless depression, Ebony is saved by the discovery of a forgotten horse nearly starved to death, and an unlikely partnership with a handsome stranger, whom she must learn to trust if she is to uncover the truth about her mother’s death and reclaim her home.

But with the evil aunt selling her best and beloved horse, a maniacal ex-coach out for revenge and more savage competitors than she can count, Ebony has a lot more at stake than proving the truth, saving her horses and jumping for gold at the World Equestrian Games . . .

The highly anticipated second book in The Go Girls Chronicles - stories of gutsy girls in action sports.

My Review:

Okay, so I’m torn here. On one hand, I want to discuss every aspect of this novel so I can gush about everything, but on the other hand, I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone because I want you all to go and read this book. So I’m going to keep things as spoiler-free as possible for now.

During the four years I’ve been reviewing books, I’ve not once encountered a story based around show jumping. So, needless to say, I was intrigued and excited by getting to reading something completely new to me. And after reading Rev Girl, I had high hopes for another fantastic story.

What can I say about Ebony Scott Harris, our fabulous protagonist of Jump Girl? She’s pretty much everything you want in a lead character. She’s feisty, has attitude, she’s courageous, and she has a fierce passion for her horses. The emotion she showed throughout the story, especially during the high and lows of competing, was honest and believable. I adored every scene between Ebony and her horses. The love she had for them and the lengths she’d go to protect them was truly heart-warming. I felt the strong bond she had with her horse, Monster, and it gave me a new appreciation for the special relationship that forms between a horse and their rider.

The story also gave me an insight into a world I knew very little about. As with any sport, there are lies and manipulation around every corner. Some parts of this story truly broke my heart because it forces you to think about the similar situations that actually do occur in real life. But of course, there were also plenty of happy and light-hearted times. Ebony gets to meet some wonderful people and make such great friends. As competitive as the sport may be, it also proves that life-long bonds can, and often do, come from it also.

I loved having some of the characters from Rev Girl play a bigger part in this book, especially Dallas. I didn’t really warm to him in the first story, and I wasn’t bothered about what happened to him in the end. But this time around, he had wonderful character development and I got to see a whole different side of him. Ebony was definitely a better match for him than Clover had been. I also adored Clover’s sister, Jazz, being added to this story. All of the new characters we get to meet are also brilliantly written, even the not-so-nice ones, like Annika.

What I expected in this story was drama and action, which I got plenty of, but what I didn’t expect was the mystery element. And it worked brilliantly. This really is one of those rare books that manage to scratch upon every genre: action, adventure, romance, drama, and even a thrilling mystery.

Just a fair warning to you all, you may not want to read this book whilst on public transport. One time, I very almost missed my stop because I got too hooked into the story. Then I had the misfortune of reading a certain scene towards the end whilst I was on an extremely busy train, and I had to stop reading so that I wouldn’t end up crying in public.

Despite the lows that Ebony has faced throughout her life, her story is definitely one of hope. Fictional it may be, but there are real situations like hers, and more than anything, this book proves that you can make your own success with enough determination.

I could talk on for hours about everything I haven’t already spoken of, but like I said earlier, I’d rather not spoil anything! Instead, you should just make sure you add this book to your reading pile so you can discover Ebony’s story for yourself. This book will take you on an emotional roller-coaster. You’ll fall in love, you’ll have your heart ripped out, and then you’ll have it mended again. And stories like that stay with you for a long time.

I’d just like to say a special thanks to Leigh for once again giving me the fantastic opportunity to read and review her wonderful story, and thank you so much for mentioning me and my blog in the acknowledgements. It’s a pleasure to help share Jump Girl with the world!

Royal Rating: