I was invested in what was happening and enjoyed the way this worked as a middle-grade novel. I was hooked from the first page and enjoyed getting to read about this story and thought the characters worked overall. Frances Moloney wrote this well and am excited to read more.

It’s hard to go wrong with a book that has animals both in the title and on the cover. We follow Misty as her family undergoes financial struggles and she is forced to move, causing friendship DRAMA at the teen/teeen level. The characters were all realistic and relatable to me, as an adult, and I suspect they will be to teens/tweens as well.

This is a great middle grade story for anyone looking for a realistic fiction book that touches on current, real life struggles and the comfort that animals bring to our lives. I will be recommending this for my school’s library once it is released.

A really lovely story that will appeal to young girls and boys who love a family story with friendships and ponies thrown in. The story is about Misty whose mum has passed away and now is coming to terms with her loss. She has two very good friends at school but she is horrified when her dad loses his job and they have to move to a different part of town. Misty is ashamed to tell her friends the truth about the circumstances and the move and tries to keep up the pretense that nothing has changed. She makes new friends in her new neighborhood, particularly Dylan and his family. The ponies that they all care for live on the local common and Misty gradually starts to enjoy her new life.
There are lots of twists and anxious moments especially when her old friends find out the truth but everything comes out right in the end. I loved reading pony books when I was growing up and this is one that I would have loved.

The thing about middle grade fiction is that it is often about friendships and self worth, because that is what is most important in that age group. This book is no exception, but the social standing issue is also thrown in. Misty, the main character, has to move to a lower-class part of town after her father loses his job, and she tries to hide that fact from her two best friends.

Thus begins the story of a girl who moves out where the poor people live, near a “common” area of wild horses and garden allotments, which she grows to love, just in time for the local city council to decide to sell the land to put up luxury apartments.

So, Misty has to embrace her new home, rather than be ashamed of it, in order to save the common area, and the land the horses live on.

I liked how she slowly came to embrace living where they move to, and not being ashamed of it. We all have preconceived notions about the “other” until we become them, and then realize that they are just like regular people.

Cute story. I liked how this was not an easy process for Misty or her friends.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book will but published on the 1st of April 2025.

When thirteen-year-old Misty’s dad loses his job, she’s forced to move away from the home and friends she loves to the Redbridge estate where horses roam free. Misty soon finds herself living two lives – the one with her friends at school, whom she’s determined to keep up appearances for, and her new life on the estate with the horses and the mysterious Dylan. When the horses she’s grown to love come under threat, her two lives collide and she must find a way to save the place she now calls home.

I felt so nostalgic while reading. The author describes the book in heir acknowledgements as an ode to the pony books they read as a child, and I couldn’t agree with this more. It was so nice to immerse myself in a ‘pony story’ but not just the tried-and-tested pony story, but one that felt like more than a pony story.

Misty was a very realistic character. Spending time with her and her friends reminded me so much of what it was like to be a thirteen-year-old girl – while my own childhood was quite different and I didn’t always agree with her choices, I could understand why she was making them and appreciated the feelings she had despite it being a long time since I was that age.

Beyond this, I felt like the book dealt so well with a wealth of other important topics for its target age range, including friendship, grief, unemployment, poverty and so so much more.

And of course, we can’t forget the bond between human and animal – I am a big believer in the healing power of horses and this was truly showcased in this book.

I would completely recommend this book to a new generation of pony lovers, and an older one – I have no doubt it will be appearing on my ‘pony shelf’ too!

With thanks to Pushkin Children's Books via NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Great book for the pre teen/teen who loves ponies. It’s a story about grief, sadness, anger and friendship, love and acceptance. Beautifully written and emotional. Ponies can definitely heal a broken heart! I would buy and gift this book I really enjoyed reading it.