Early Reader Review: Thief of Happy Endings by Kristen Chandler

Source: From Flutter Communications and Penguin Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

Thief of Happy Endings by Kristen Chandler

Publisher:  Viking Books for Young Readers
Publication Date:   June 19, 2018

 

Format:  Ebook


Rating:


 



Goodreads Synopsis: 

Ever since her father moved out, Cassidy feels like her life has been falling apart. So a summer of riding horses at a ranch camp in Wyoming sounds like just what she needs--never mind the fact that she has a paralyzing fear of horses. She's determined to move past her fear, even if that means taking lessons from the insufferable (yet irresistible) junior wrangler Justin and embarrassing herself in front of the other campers. What follows is a summer of rodeos, complicated friendships, and a wild mustang thief on the loose. 

Review: 
I don't read a lot of contemporary books, but sometime pops up on my radar and I am just in the mood - and Thief of Happy Endings was one of these books. It is a contemporary young adult read about a girl named Cassidy that is not in the best place right now. Her parents have split up and she bailed on school and now her mother has sent her to a ranch to overcome a fear of horses. While she is away for the summer she has to overcome her fears, anxieties, learn to be herself, and learn to fail before she can move on to the next thing.

This was a very good read and it was a lot of different things rolled into one book. It was a story of overcoming, it was a story of bravery, of abuse and animal cruelty. There were a lot of layers in this book as you can see. 

The author does a good job not just glancing over these things but tying them all together in a way that is impacting but also not too overwhelming. This book might not be for the faint of heart though - it was hard to read about the animals and the cruelty and so that is my warning. 

The characters were all interesting and I liked how I kept up with the main characters emotions, in some books you can start to feel detached when things get deep, but here I was with Cassidy the whole way - I know fear and anxiety well and to be with her coming into her own skin was breathtaking.

If you like horses, some romance, and a good amount of deep emotion, this is a book to look out for.