Thank you to @netgalley @berkleypub and @berkleyromance for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @prhaudio for a free download of the audiobook. And thank you to @berittalksbooks and @dg_reads for including me on this buddy read.

Rich people drama usually leads to a great story! Even better when it’s a thriller. Girls and Their Horses is a story of the rich silver spoon riders and the mother of a star rider who works at the stables just to pay for her lessons. It’s a story of the trainer who thinks he has control and is smarter than the rich people throwing around money for the best of everything.

Each character has their own issues and lives that are intertwined. The author unravels all the ties as the reveal to the reader who died!

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #berkleypub #berkleyromance #berkleybuddyreads #prhaudio #ltbreaderteam #berkelywritesstrongwomen #girlsandtheirhorses #elizajandbrazier

I loved Eliza Jane Brazier's "Good Rich People" so must admit I was slightly disappointed with this one, as it was not as shocking or unique. Still - a very enjoyable read. Being a horse girl myself, I loved all of the horse talk! And the ending was very satisfying.

As someone who's best friend is a certified Horse Girl (TM), I knew I had to read this one. I loved how this story deals a lot with privilege and the mega rich. That's not something I was expecting. I also thought the characters were very well planned out. If you love the trope of rich people behaving badly then this one is for you.

I've been a fan of Brazier's twisty writing style ever since "Good Rich People" came out. At 400 pages, this is one of the thicker thrillers I've read in a while, but I loved the exclusive and completive show jumping setting. The short chapters and different point of views help to move the plot along and keep the reader engaged, and while I wasn't completely blown away by the ending, I'll be adding this book to my thrillers recs list.

"When the nouveau riche Parker family moves to an exclusive community in the heart of Southern California, they believe it’s their chance at a fresh start. It’s not long before the Parker family is fully enmeshed in the horse world—from mean girl cliques to barn romance and dark secrets. Before the summer is over, lies will turn lethal, accidents will happen, and someone will end up dead."

Glamorous and Horsey, this was a Well-executed slow burn thriller.

Deliciously dramatic, a little bit nostalgic (former horse girl here), and a twisty murder mystery wrapped into a high stakes environment. I despised almost every character, yet really enjoyed the story. Recommend!

This is a soapy tale of moms behaving very badly, moms who will do whatever it takes to make sure their daughter finishes on top and moms living vicariously through their daughters.
.
Set in a world where money is no object to some and others pretend it’s the same for them. These mothers spend dollar upon dollar on the competitive world of showjumping. I love how every few chapters there’s an interview with the detective regarding the mysterious death at the horse show. I really had no clue who died until right before the unveiling. I love that! I kept guessing wrongly who died.
.
I read this one on vacation and it was a perfect summer, soapy read!

Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This soapy thriller is set in the world of competitive equestrians and it's got everything you need in a thriller - wealthy, catty women, lots of secrets and a suspicious death. I couldn't put it down and the multi-POV storytelling kept me guessing. If you love books about rich people behaving badly, don't miss this one.

Thanks to Berkley for the copy to review.

This author keeps growing and growing. This book was an excellent look at the mysterious, elite world of horses.

The story is about stables, in a very rich, exclusive neighborhood in California. A new family, filled with troubles of their own, moves into the neighborhood. They have money to blow, and the wife's life dream was to jump horses. Her current dream is for her daughters to do that. Yes - it's the "parent fulfilling her dreams through her kids" trope. What can go wrong. The Owner of the stables sees this as an opportunity to get some great horses under someone else's dime. And the other members of this "family" see it as an opportunity to make their own dreams come through, with someone else's horse.

It's all mind games, unfulfilled dreams, life threatening choices. And the book starts out with a murder. So we know someone is dead, we just need to find out who and why.

It was a slow burn, but my kind of. Where I was still engaged, and intrigued by these people and their choices and wanted, NEEDED to know how it will all end.

Thank you to the publisher and the author for my gifted copy. I can't wait to see what this author brings to the table next.

A terrific look at the downside of having too much money to count. I loved the atmosphere of the barn, the descriptions of the horses, the relationships between the girls and their mothers. I did find the final reveal about the villain too implausible though.

This one is a great how the rich live horse style. Besides the story I found the information on horses and riding very interesting.

4.5/5!

Who doesn’t love rich people drama? There is something about these types of settings in thriller books that just completely draws me into them. As someone who spent one summer learning to horseback ride from her trainer Aunt, I’m sad to say I never experienced anything nearly this chaotic!

Brazier has put together a brilliant cast of characters in Girls and Their Horses, showcasing the many sides and personalities that make up the sport. I loved the stage mom vibes, the backstabbing, the I don’t care who I hurt to get what I want mentality. The reader gets to meet several of these characters personally, as Brazier narrates the story through the eyes of two mothers and their children. Each character had their own complex issues and I loved the way they wove together.

Sprinkled between these narratives, we get the chance to meet Detective Perez through a series of interviews she’s conducting. All the reader knows is that someone has died, but not who. Brazier presents that upfront with our detective and then quickly backs the story up to the months leading to the accident. I loved the sense of anticipation that this built. I couldn’t help but binge read sections hoping to find a clue or make a guess about the truth.

I loved Brazier’s writing so much and I’ll be adding all of her previous/future releases to my shopping list!

A huge thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy!

Review: Eliza Jane Brazier’s Girls and Their Horses

Set in the glamorous, competitive world of showjumping, a novel about the girls who ride, their cutthroat mothers, and a suspicious death at a horse show.

I usually shy away from fiction about the ultra-rich, but the “competitive world of showjumping” hooked me. Horses continue to create a sense of awe and beauty for me. We rode horses through a portion of the Black Hills, and I left that trip wanting to take lessons.

Anyway, here are three things I appreciated about this story:

– ”Horse girls” & “barns moms?” This narrative felt very Dance Moms with its mean girls and their overinvolved, overbearing, entitled mothers. It’s petty, delightful drama. Yum
– Brazier handles the multiple POVs expertly. I wanted a little more depth when it came to Heather, but honestly, she didn’t seem to have the capacity for the depth I like best in my main characters.
– Short chapters that created fast pacing that works.

Girls & Their Horses makes the perfect poolside thriller. Put on your sunhat, grab a pool chair, and crack open this book.

Comps: The OC x The Hunting Wives x Dance Moms x Gossip Girl

Honestly, I would’ve never even thought to read this book but I’m so happy that I did!!
Competitive showjumping? I knew it would be messy because wealthy people are messy but this book delivered!

I knew nothing about horse culture going into this book except that I definitely wasn't one and would be never have enough money to have these sort of problems. 🤪 I did some googling to keep up with the horse terminology because there was a lot of "she pet his poll" and my pervert brain went "🍆😳" but now I feel like I could keep up a conversation with a horse girl.

Girls and their Horses follows the newly billionaire Parker family headed by Heather and her desire to turn her daughters into horse girls. Piper, her oldest daughter has talent, but claims to have lost interest in horses, so Heather is determined to get her younger daughter Maple into horses. First she infiltrates the fanciest horse barn in the area and befriends the local Barn Mom. Next she buys an obscenely priced horse for Maple. Unfortunately Maple kinda sucks at horse riding, but money talks so she's booked for shows anyways. So what if Maple injures herself falling off the horse? Everyone knows falls happen and you just get back on!
Then there's the attractive star of the barn who doesn't only ride horse is you catch my drift...😉 Oh and someone dies.

Girls and their Horses is a fun thrill ride that I really enjoyed! I'll never tire of reading about rich people and their problems and I hope Eliza Jane Brazier gets rich writing about them!

I loved this book! It was fast paced, in large part because the point of view was from a different character each chapter. Each character had such a unique voice it was not hard to keep track of which perspective the story was currently being told. I found it impossible to predict how the book was going to end, which also helped make it a fast read. The story encompasses horses and how a prestigious barn operates. As someone who loves horses, I really enjoyed the details and the huge part horses play in the story, but I could see it being more for a niche audience because of the setting and characters. However, the thrill and suspense is still there, so I think this would be an entertaining read for all!

Girls and Their Horses was the second book I’ve read by Eliza Jane Brazier. I read If I Disappear by this author years ago and really liked it, so I was excited to have the opportunity to read Brazier’s latest mystery/thriller. I love Brazier’s writing and I had a fun time reading this book. There’s family relationship drama, toxic female friendships, and an intriguing murder mystery. This is a slow burn mystery/thriller that takes the reader into the ultra competitive world of horse shows. It’s a cut throat world where everyone wants to be the best. The characters in this book were all extremely complex and well written. I loved all the drama and the story held my interest until the thrilling end. I learned so much about the horse competition world that I found extremely interesting. I definitely recommend this book to mystery and contemporary fiction fans. I look forward to Brazier’s next book.

I loved Good Rich People. I thought it was a wild ride about rich people and their privilege when it goes to extremes. Campy and over the top. Girls and Their Horses is a little less wild, but equally enjoyable. While one of my besties was really into horses growing up and actually owns a couple now, I know she was not part of this cut throat competition world. It reminds me a little of all I’ve ever read about Moms and the pageant world. These aren’t just ordinary girls and their horses, but the high stakes world where the girls that compete also train together and their Moms may want it more for them than they do.

The catch in this one is you know that someone is dead, but you don’t know who. Detective Perez is interviewing the staff, owner and families that work at and use the stable. Her chapters are interspersed in the story and are interviews that start to shed light on what went down and are set in the present. Then there are flashbacks to the events unfolding in the past. It’s a clever set up that works well for the plot. We get a chance to meet all the players, and there are a lot of them, and slowly learn about the characters, the stables and what happened. And with all the characters I was constantly changing my guess on not only who was dead but who killed them and why. I always like when I am kept guessing.

By no means is everyone likable and as I read, my thoughts on each characters changed as I learned their secrets and motivations. It’s a complex story that not only showcases horses and competition Moms, but friendships and sibling rivalry. While the plot is definitely driven by the death, there is deep characters that are explored and exploited. There was never a lull in the pace and I wanted to know more about these characters from the start.

While this is a lot tamer than her last book, I really liked it.

Horse girls are something else! This was a bingeable book with short chapters and alternating perspectives from the riders, barn moms and the detective as you try to piece together what happened and who is dead. It's definitely a slow burn with quite a lot of character development, but I enjoyed getting to know them. I especially liked reading from the Parker girls' perspectives. I felt like the big reveal was pretty easy to see coming, but I still really enjoyed this book about an interesting hobby. Eliza Jane Brazier loves to write about rich people behaving badly (ex: Good Rich People) and she does it well.

I look forward to more by her! Thanks to Berkley for the gifted copy!

This was a really good mystery/suspense novel that I enjoyed reading! Overall, I would definitely recommend reading!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

So fun! What a crazy little story - like Big Little Lies for horse people. I've never read anything like this, and flew through it in a day. A fun summer read for sure!