Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

This was a cute story and as a horse owner myself, I will pick up any book where horses are central to the plot.
Sonnia loves horses. She works for her family's business doing pony rides, but dreams of working in the royal stables. She has been saving money to buy Ricochet, one of those prized horses. When Ricochet is moved to a racetrack, Sonnia starts working there so she can see her beloved horse. She joins the junior racing team and starts training to become a jockey. But the racetrack holds a dark and dangerous secret. The Night Ride, an illegal race in the dark. But every race puts lives in danger. Can Sonnia protect herself, her horse and save her family's business too?

Sonnia was a great character, torn between doing what is right and what could help her family. It was a moral dilemma she had to wrestle with and for middle grade readers who may face their own ethical dilemmas in life, watching a young girl have to chose to do the right thing is a good lesson for them to learn. It is a perfect book for all horse crazy kids. As an adult, I wished it was longer and more in depth, and this would make a great adaptation into a YA novel, but this is the perfect length for young readers, capturing and holding their attention. It did feel a little rushed at times and things always seemed to work out too easily, but that is the genre.

A simple and sweet tale perfect for kids. Three and a half stars.

Sonnia loves horses, and she’s desperate to buy her favorite horse, Ricochet. With the coppers she makes running pony rides for her parents, though, it would take her forever to own him. When she lands a job as a stablehand at a royal racetrack, she thinks it’s finally her chance to buy him. Then, she learns about the Night Ride, where the stablehands race in the dead of night to earn far more than they make at their jobs. Sonnia knows it’s wrong - the horses could get hurt, and these horses belong to the king, who surely wouldn’t approve. But what if riding the race herself is the only way to keep Ricochet safe?

The Night Ride will definitely appeal to kids who enjoy “horse girl” stories. Sonnia has a strong personality, and the moral dilemma she faces is interesting. If she says anything about the race, all of her friends will be in trouble - and as a stablehand who knows about it, she will be, too. She and Ricochet are attached to each other, and she fears she’ll lose him if she refuses to race; she won’t have enough money to buy him, and she risks letting one of the less capable stablehands ride him instead. But she also wants to keep all of the horses safe, and she feels it’s only a matter of time before something goes wrong.

There were parts of this story that felt a little too neatly wrapped up. However, given the target age and audience, it doesn’t bother me too much. This book knows what genre it is and what kids are going to read it, and it delivers a story and ending they’ll be happy with. Some of the secondary characters could use a little more development - I found myself mixing up most of the stablehands as I read, and some who seemed like they would be bigger personalities or antagonistic figures ended up nearly disappearing from the story - but the focus is more on Sonnia and her development rather than that of the other characters.

Overall, a cute story that will appeal to the target audience. 3.5 stars, rounded up.