Set in the 1950s, Dershie McDevitt's gripping historical fiction deftly captures the spirit of the day and emphasizes the social mores and gender stereotypes that were ubiquitous at that period. For fans of literary period pieces (like me), the book is a moving read as it tackles ageless subjects such as friendship, social pressure, and the search for truth. 4.8/5 truly.

On an autumn afternoon, the whole town of Juniper, Wyoming, turns out for the high school homecoming parade. Beautiful, lovable BJ Bonniface has been chosen as queen, of course, and her star quarterback boyfriend, Rob, leads the home team to victory at the game that night. All is as it should be in the quiet rural town. Come Monday morning though, the homecoming queen is dead, and Rob - along with BJ's best friend Nella - must try to make sense of the story the town's adults are telling them to accept: that BJ died of an allergic reaction to a bee sting. As they sleepwalk through the rest of their senior year, each milestone they imagined sharing with BJ a reminder of their loss, Rob and Della continue to wonder if there is more to what happened than they have been told.

Author Dershie McDermitt's previous novels fall firmly into crime fiction territory, but A Horse Brought Us Here is not a crime novel, despite the set-up. It is more a portrait of a particular place at a specific moment in time; an exploration of the social and cultural norms that bound Jupiter's inhabitants and ultimately led to BJ's death. BJ's story is unique in its details, but she stands as a symbol of all the girls like her who have faced impossible choices. In the current political climate in the US, the story is a stark reminder of how little has changed in some areas.

The characters are interesting and thoughtfully drawn; BJ and Rob are initially presented as well-worn tropes but quickly emerge as more complex, well-rounded characters. Even BJ's father turns out to be a more layered character than he is presented as for much of the story.

The prose eloquently captures the town amd the surrounding countryside, as well as the hierarchies of the town and the high school, the detail of the setting adding so much depth to the mystery plot.

Ultimately, A Horse Brought Us Here is a story of the choices we make and the consequences they can have not only for ourselves but for our wider community. It is a story about inheritance and the legacies we want to perpetuate or outrun. A compelling, beautifully described mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Excitement grows all day Friday in the quiet Wyoming cattle town of Juniper as cheerleaders and football players ready themselves for the biggest football game of the year. When the Homecoming Parade finally wends its way down Main Street, everyone strains to see who’s been chosen Homecoming Queen. They clap delightedly when they spot BJ Bonniface in her pink strapless formal sitting high on the back of the big Buick convertible, though no one is surprised. She’s the popular steady girlfriend of star quarterback, Rob Hitchcock. Life continues to unwind as life is expected to on such iconic weekends. The home team even wins the game. But on Monday morning, Juniper High is shaken to its foundations when the announcement is made that the Homecoming Queen is dead.

“Act as if nothing has changed,” advises the Dean of Women. “Carry on as normal for the good of the school.” But there are those in the student body who doubt that BJ died from a bee sting. How are they to carry on? Her best friend, Nella Fortune, and her boyfriend, Rob, have private and personal reasons to question the story, but there is no one to go to and nothing to be done. Both will sleepwalk through the rest of their senior years, consumed with what they know and what they cannot tell. But the clock is ticking. How long can such a secret be kept?

In A Horse Brought Us Here, Dershie masterfully weaves the tapestry of small-town fiction into a tense, disturbing story. She invites readers to travel back to a time when life looked simple but often was not. With every turn of the page, she evokes our nostalgia for a time in the West when some of life’s mysteries may have been best kept buried.

Loved it. Will recommend to others.

A very enjoyable book about a couple of teenagers living in Juniper Wyoming. The story details their relationship and the sad consequences for BJ(Billy Jo) and Rob when she becomes pregnant in their final year at school just before going to university.. Rob her boyfriend comes from a broken family with little money and is hoping to get a scholarship for his skills as a quarterback. They decide that they will get married and forego their education, but, BJ's father who is a wealthy rancher has other ideas. Tragedy strikes when least expected and Rob is determined to find out what happened. Well written a pleasant change from violence, recommended.

A Horse Brought Us Here is a super quick read. It took me just under five hours in total. It makes for a perfect pick for a cozy fall reading day. It is engaging, so the reading time moves quickly.

Because the story is short and sweet, there is no added fluff; it gets to the point and stays on topic throughout. It has a ton of buildup and then gets resolved in the last 30 pages, which I did find annoying, but I'm glad they at least got it all wrapped up.

Small town Juniper, Wyoming is not what it seems to be. Everyone knows everyone else, but no one knows the dark undercurrents that simmer beneath the surface. It is 1950, and the tragic death of homecoming queen Bobby Jo Bonniface threatens to bring some dark secrets and chilling lies to the attention of the unsuspecting townsfolk. The seemingly idyllic town is revealed to harbor a multitude of concealed truths, each with the potential to disrupt the fragile balance of community life.
Bobby Jo (fondly known as BJ), her quarterback boyfriend Rob, and BJ’s best friends Nella and Midge are all in high school, enjoying themselves with nary a thought to their future. Playing Elvis tunes on the radio, rooting for their school football team, and underage drinking with friends are some of the ways they spend time together.
Rob, much like the town of Juniper, is initially presented as a reliable and steady presence. His relationship with Bobby Jo seems to be perfect, yet there are hints of underlying tensions and unspoken secrets. The revelation of Bobby Jo's pregnancy adds a layer of complication to their bond, exposing the fragility of their connection and the challenges they faced as young people in a conservative society.
Nella and Bobby Jo have a bond that has withstood the complexities of adolescent friendship and matured along with the both of them. That relationship is tested by the pressures of high school, the changing dynamics of their lives, and ultimately, by tragedy. Midge, whose personality and opinions are markedly different from the other girls, rounds out the trio of friends and confidants.
BJ is the tragic centerpiece of the story. Portrayed as the quintessential small-town sweetheart of the star quarterback, she embodies the idealized image of youthful perfection. Yet, beneath this flawless exterior, she is a multifaceted and troubled young woman.
BJ and Rob's relationship is the main element of the novel's narrative. On the surface, both teens appear to be typical high school sweethearts, destined for a future together. However, as the story moves forward, a troubling dynamic between the two characters is revealed.
The author has framed the telling of the story such that we are able to experience the events from the point of view of multiple narrators. There is not a lot of overlap, meaning that the same event is not described twice. Each chapter’s voice moves the plot forward, and I was enthralled and horrified as I turned the pages, impatiently waiting to see what would happen next.
BJ’s tragic demise is shrouded in mystery, which helped hold my interest, as it was not immediately obvious what happened to her. Along the way, it is revealed that she was pregnant and facing a frightening and unsure future. BJ and Rob’s connection becomes tenuous, and fraught with the challenges that come with growing up in a rigid, conservative society. Rob and BJ both feel emotional turmoil as they struggle to make the “right” decision as adults, despite their tender age.
Bobby Jo's pregnancy shatters the town's perception of innocence. The characters' subsequent actions, including the cover-up of her death, create a miasma of lies and hatred.

One of the novel's strengths lies in its vivid portrayal of small-town life in 1950s Wyoming. The author fills the storyline with nostalgic references to popular culture, and captures the claustrophobic atmosphere of Juniper, where everyone knows everyone's business and there is intense pressure to conform. After BJ’s death, a chilling statement by the school’s guidance counselor to Nella and Midge, encouraging them to continue setting a good example by NOT outwardly mourning their beloved friend, stunned me.
Miss Cantor had even called us back to her office as the start of the spring semester to reinforce how important it was to keep setting that good example. Everyone’s senior year didn’t need to be ruined. “I don’t want you to allow yourself to me morose about BJ, girls. We will face our loss quietly and show our character by not imposing our feelings on our classmates.” Those last months of high school, Midge and I sleepwalked through a nightmare from which we could not awake.
Growing up in an insular town such as Juniper may serve to both idolize and misunderstand pretty, popular girls. BJ’s character faces pressures exemplified by young women in a society that often prioritizes appearance over substance. The intense emotions of high school, such as first love, issues of belonging, and the desire to be “bigger” than the confines of their small town are expertly rendered as well.
A HORSE BROUGHT US HERE is a coming-of-age story at its core, illustrating the complexities of adolescence and the devastating consequences of a single moment. The characters, particularly Nella and Rob, are forced to confront the challenges and responsibilities of adulthood in the wake of tragedy. They both cycle through the various stages of shock, denial, and acceptance, finally reaching the (sometimes scant) comforts of personal growth. The ending is bittersweet, but very authentic.

Wow! I was impressed with this story!
I also felt at times that this read as an YA fiction but I still very much enjoyed it.
I love the 50's era. Back then, it seemed things were simple but this book shows that it really wasn't. It just was put under the rug so to speak. Plus this story shows how much this novel shows how times have really changed.
I especially enjoyed the mystery of the story.
I've always said that secrets do have a way of coming out. It's how we choose to deal with it that matters.
I thought the author has done well with this book. I didn't want it to end. It was fantastic! I loved everything about it.
Even small towns have their secrets.
5 stars for a wonderful journey of life. Things are not always as they seem.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

Smooth prose, fairly predictable storyline. I can’t decide if this is/should be a YA book or not. I would have been much more interested when I was the age of the narrators.

The homecoming queen and king face an unexpected pregnancy. Options for unwed teens in the 1950s were few, and this story led to a tragic ending.

This book read like teen fiction at times, but it dealt with adult topics. I found the plot to be predictable, although I did enjoy the post-War setting in Wyoming.

When the Homecoming Queen is found dead shortly after the all-important Homecoming parade in a small Wyoming town, there are those who refuse to believe that BJ Bonniface died of natural causes.

Among those are BJ's best friend
Nella, and her steady boyfriend Rob, who is also one of the town's football heroes. But that's because the two of them know things that others don't.

Of course, secrets have a way of revealing themselves over time, however Nella and Rob choose to resolve their conflicted feelings over the issue...

This is an interesting read about the people we know and how well we actually know them. It comes with a number of trigger warnings. The writer uses the small town sitting to great effect evoking a sense of claustrophobic intimacy, youthful insecurity, and suspense.

This is a good book. A story about secrets, love, and loss. Finding your first love and trying to fix the mistakes you make along the way.

Trigger warnings: unwanted teenage pregnancy, abortion, intimate sex scenes, language

A Horse Brought Us Here by Dershie McDevitt is not what I expected from the blurb. I could not read but pieces throughout the book as the triggers were more than I wanted to read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was absolutely incredible! I love a good suspenseful book and this had it all! Oh my gosh I just was so drawn into this story. Wonderfully written!