#GirlsandTheirHorses #NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-arc copy of this novel. It is a novel that makes you appreciate what a good parent you are! LOL!

Stellar setting in the wealthy horse world. New money and old money collide in this dramatic thriller with a set of interesting characters. I loved it.

This book is all almost too bitter dark chocolate and velvet red wine... Mean Girls/Heathers cliques and attitude and The Hunting Wives and hints of Big Little Lies with the risky lives of the bored and rich and privileged. In other words, this is the exact kind of book I want to read when I soaking in a bubble bath, dreaming of summer breaks, and simply escaping from the day to day.

Eliza Jane Brazier has a knack for capturing the eddy darkness of society and the elite, of making what seems desirable become far less desirable (but still intriguing) with her vivid characters and well paced plots. A perfect summer beach read!

I thought I wasn't interested in a horse book and I'm happy to be so completely wrong. This is a juicy, propulsive thriller with a strong emotional core that revolves around ambition, rivalry, sisterly rivalry, parenting, and secrets.

Wow, wow, wow. I was immediately drawn into the horse world in this book, as if I was there with the girls and their horses. The mothers are so human, so well drawn that you understand why they do the things they do, even if you don't agree with their actions. For someone who knows nothing about the horse world, I felt like I gained an understanding after reading this book. The twists, the turns, the motives had me turning pages and wondering where it was going. Amazing.

I ended up liking this book, it was tricky at first, almost all the characters were unlikeable, very rich "horse moms" living through their daughters, mean girls, cheating men stereotypes, etc. But gradually I came to care about some of the characters and to watch them grow. The book starts with a death, was it suicide or murder? We don't know who until pretty near the end. It was an easy read

I do love a messy, helicopter parent drama, full of secrets, betrayal and good ol fashion murder 😅 and boy, did this one have it all!

when heather and her children join the elite horse barn in their new hometown, their lives completely change, for better and for worse. I was 100% invested in the petty drama!!!! I mean, who doesn’t love sabotage?

this completely brought me back to my school days where I was so invested in pretty little liars and the clique! mix that with THE HUNTING WIVES, and you’ve got this novel to a tee 😌

I loved the aspect of the mystery the most - as the book opened with a murder and then went back in time, leading the reader to become a sleuth and figure out the clues for the whodunnit. which, of course, I was able to figure out pretty quickly.

this one was such a bingeable read - but you definitely have to pay attention to the large cast of characters to stay invested!

thank you to netgalley and berkley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! brb hopping on a horse now 🤠

rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: paso robles cabernet sauvignon

Girls and Their Horses is a mystery that provides a look into the power, money, and envy among three families whose teenage daughters are training at a horse barn in southern California. The novel is all about barn moms and their desire to achieve success through their daughters. Author Eliza Jane Brazier has constructed a good story that builds through distinct chapters from multiple points of view. Highly recommended for barn moms and for readers interested in the high-money investment in equestrian life.

The unrealized dreams of their mothers push a group of young teens to become champion riders at an elite horse and rider training facility in California. Manipulative wealthy moms will do almost anything to get their daughter on the best horse with the best trainer, Kieran. Meanwhile, their daughters are learning how to survive in the dog-eat-dog world of "the barn." Petty tricks, sabotage and "mean girl" attitudes abound and not just with the teens. But who wants the championship so badly that they would murder for it? Author Brazier keeps readers in suspense as we don't find out who was the victim, the motive and the murderer until the very end of the book as we are only given a few chapters written by the detective assigned to the case. Characters vary in depth with the "rich husband" only making either angry statements or being clueless about his family's "barn" situation. He's merely there to write checks, complain about the money being spent and have a fling with a teenage assistant back in Texas. The mothers read like characters from an episode of "Housewives of______(fill in the blank town). This could be a title that would appeal to Young Adults with some editing; especially those with a "horsey" obsession.

I loved this. While my time with horses has always been more bargain variety, I will admit there's something addictive about getting some insight into these snotty A-circuit show barns. Eliza Jane Brazier paints an intriguing picture of barn moms living vicariously through their daughters, the trainer they all love to worship, the family dynamics that fall apart in the face of horse obsessions, and what everyone will do to stay in this world.

The mystery is mostly understated for the majority of the book, which works its way up to the actual violence. You get the sense that the book is a slowly tightening screw, with characters coming closer and closer to igniting around each other as tensions mount around a new family to the barn and the trainer's efforts to squeeze all the money he can out of them. The pacing is perfect and the stakes rise in these little increments that feel like nothing until they've all snowballed and...whew.

I just really liked this book.

I loved this book! It felt like the Pretty Little Liars of the horse world!

The Parker family moves to a fancy community in Southern California. When I say the Parkers are rich, I mean RICH. Heather Parker has two daughters. Her eldest daughter used to ride horses in Texas, but stopped as she thought she was living her mother's dream. Heather enrols her youngest daughter in the local wealthy barn. Heather becomes a part of the "Barn Moms" a group of mothers who are obsessed with their daughters being the best.

We deal with mean girls, romances, family drama, and most importantly, a mystery. We find out early in the book that someone winds up dead. All book the reader is left guessing who it might be.

This book was scandalous, fun, and interesting! Cannot wait to read more from this author.

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

"'You should ride this one,' Heather said, 'It would look so good with your hair.'"

Sometimes, I'll pick/pick up a book b/c the cover intrigues me, or I recognize the author - the latter being the case with #GirlsandtheirHorses. I had a pony as a kid. I also had a horse, but the horse was too big and scary for me, so I was relegated to riding the pony, which was fine. And I loved riding that pony around my dad's family farm - there's nothing like it. I haven't done it in years but I could identify strongly with these girls. Speaking of fear, I always heard horses knew when you were scared of them. Not quite, apparently. The horse does sense your fear, but it only serves to scare the horse into looking for a predator it assumes you sense.

The predators are prevalent in Girls - from the controlling-with-a-capital-C moms to the absent (as well as absent-minded) dads and the megalomaniac trainer ("He had a way of living as if he could create his own reality.") The haves and the have-nots - neither group having a clue how to find happiness but constantly searching for it ("Being liked for who you were put such a lot of pressure on you to perform. Being liked for your money was simple, clean,..." ) The adults as much as the teenagers looking for a connection with someone, something. Surprise, surprise - the moms find the connection with their daughters when the daughters connect with the horses - sort of - it's not that simple, really. It never is.

We know a few chapters in there's been a murder at the horseshow, yet Brazier still creates a pervading sense of dread throughout her novel that has little to do with the murder. And these characters struck me as so real, I couldn't stop thinking about them when I wasn't reading. I don't usually finish many books in two days, but I sailed through Girls and Their Horses. Well done, highly recommend!

P.S. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

Be prepared to stay up all night reading! Eliza Jane Brazier is the author of Good Rich People and this book is another scathing look at the lives of the ultra wealthy.

The Parker family is new to their extreme wealth. Mom Heather wants nothing more than to recreate the sense of belonging and purpose she has as a young girl riding with at a stable before her parents could no longer afford the fees. Her eldest daughter is over the pressure and her youngest would do whatever it takes to earn her favor. Throwing them all into the cutthroat world created a beautiful thrilling mess of a story that will keep up far past your bedtime.

It wouldn't be a thriller without a mysterious death, so pick up Girls and Their Horses and try your hand at solving who died and how! Brazier has done and excellent job of putting us right inside the world and her descriptions of the young women's fears and desires are not to be missed ! If you like black comedy, horses and horse people or just want the grippiest gripping thriller to read tonight, Girls and Their Horses is for you! #Berkley #ElizaJaneBrazier #GirlsandTheirHorses

A fun little twisty mystery set in a world that I wasn't very familiar with. Will also appeal to those who are in the mood for eating the rich.

This is a fabulous thriller from Eliza Jane Brazier -- her best yet, I think. Propulsive and full of insights about women and power. Highly recommend!

Have you been horseback riding? Or what is your favorite animal?

I have gone on many horseback rides. Part of growing up in the country. We had several horses growing up and they are very loving and kind creatures.

This book was up there in the drama department! Seriously 10/10 for drama. This one was slightly confusing with all the multiple points of views, but once you got it down it did work. The detectives interview chapters were my favorite! This was a solid thriller in that it kept you guessing until the end – and then the ah ha moment was great. I really enjoyed the backstabbing and elitism that was portrayed. I will definitely be looking for more books from this author.

Grab a copy of this thriller on June 6th.

Thank you to the publisher Berkley Publishing, @berkleypub, and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love all of Eliza Jane Brazier's books, but GIRLS AND THEIR HORSES is my favorite yet. Brazier always writes with such sharp insight into the things that make us tick--and make us terrible--and make us better--as humans, and the entire cast is written with her same razored observations but with the added depth of how much you end up caring about all of them--and the underlying dread knowing something terrible is going to happen. But when, and to whom? I don't know how how Brazier made me love a horse book when I find horses genuinely terrifying, but she did, and I'm so impressed.

As a former equestrian, I loved “Girls and their Horses”. This book depicts the wealthy and scandalous world in such vivid detail.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

Fast-paced and entertaining, this will please fans of Brazier's previous work, although equestrians should partake only if willing to completely suspend disbelief.