The Steeplechase Secret

Free Rein #1

by Jeanette Lane

15-year-old Zoe's life changes forever when she meets a wild and dangerous horse called Raven. Having swapped her life in L.A. for the craggy cliffs, wild beaches, and mysterious moors of an island off the coast of England, it's not long before Zoe is drawn into the wonderful world of Bright Field Stables.

This novel features an original story about Zoe and her friends, including an 8-page full-color insert packed with photos from the television show.

Genres: Horses, Middle Grade

160 pages, Paperback

Published August 28, 2018

Reviews

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, light read, which was more than welcome right now! I have not seen the show that this is based off of, but found it quite enjoyable nonetheless.
My only complaint is this: The group of riders trailered their horses to the Steeplechase so they could... watch the event from horseback. This makes no sense. And organised equestrian event isn't going to let you turn up with horses that aren't even competing and let you watch the events from their back. That's not practical, and is most likely dangerous. You can't have kids riding random horses at an event they aren't partaking in. I realise it's so Zoe could ride to the rescue, but it seems so implausible.

[Hanna Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a good, easy read book.
Nothing super special, but a good read.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super fun light quick read! If you're a fan of the show you'll love this cute little side story about horse racing friendship and mystery

[Violet · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book isn't really what I thought it would be, it didn't really catch my interest. I got really close to finishing it, I had only a couple of pages left but I just couldn't finish it, I really didn't like it, it's just not for me but I think it would be good for kids if younger age. I think it's just not really in my age group, I would say if I were a few years younger I would like this but it wasn't very enjoyable for me.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is perfect for young horse lovers. It's based on the Netflix series by the same name. It's the first in a new series.

Zoe and her sister have moved back to the British island where her mother grew up. She loves her life, her horse Raven, and her entire entourage of friends at Bright Field Stables. Although life is anything, but boring, she welcomes the planned reopening of Grindlerock Steeplechase track, a former island treasure. Zoe and Raven are taking a break from racing, but her friend Mia can't pass up the chance to win. But the more time they spend at the track, the more they have suspicions that something is off. One of the water jumps doesn't feel right and there's some strange people hanging around. Zoe, Becky and Jade are determined to figure out what's going on, especially since their friend could be in danger.

It's an easy read. Nothing spectacular about the writing, plot or characters. The one thing that bothered me the most was references to past events. Supposedly, the Bright Fields Stable manager arranged for Raven to be kidnapped before this book begins. I don't know why it was mentioned. I also didn't get much of a "cursed" vibe about the racetrack. Little things like that are just sloppy writing from an adult perspective, but kids won't be bothered in the slightest.

[Pasta Bird · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be, but it was still a bit incredulous. Bright Fields is a mainly show jumping stable, correct? Show jumping and some dressage. Show jumping is nothing like steeplechase. The training, pace, and riding style are not similar at all. The fact that a show jumper pair, no matter how decorated, could not only confidently consider a steeplechase but also become a favorite in one is beyond belief. That’s one of my problems with this book.
Another big problem occurred near the end. I appreciated that Zoe and Raven were not going to compete in the race. That would have been very basic. But jumping the racetrack perimeter and joining the race is also very basic. I wish there was a different solution than that, because it made me roll my eyes.
I will admit though, besides some of the childish language that made me cringe and the small details that threw me off, I ended up being fairly invested in the book. The author is good at writing, it’s just that the source material is not the best at inspiring meaningful, sensible stories.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful tie-in with the all-ages friendly Netflix TV show, Free Rein, about a teen girl and her special healing bond with a wild horse and the other girls-horses living on a cozy British island. Fits among the three seasons and two movies continuity and character developments, keeping a breezy tone, full of horse action and friendship messages. Not easy to pull off with licensed material. Read in order for series’ continuity. Only book 1 has color photo insert.

[Nicole]

Free rein was avery interesting book i love the fact that they made it mostly all about horses and how zoey is trying to proceed to do what she loves this is a very interesting book and i loved to read it

[Daniela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book a 4 out of 5. I probably would've given it a 5 if I read the book first than watching the series. I liked that it included scenes that were super detailed but still not shown in the series.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this with my 8 year old who already loves the free rein series on netflix. She begged me to buy the other two books as soon as we had finished the first chapter

[Makalya]

it was a good book and it didn't take me long to read

[Addison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would rate this book a 7/10 because I found it super interesting learning about Raven (the horse) and Zoe (the rider). You would like this book if you

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing book. The characters personalities were just like the Netflix series. I'm glad it was carrying on from the series instead of re-telling it.

[Tammy Nowak]

read this with my granddaughter, she loved it!

[Beth C · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece.

[Daria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really think this was a good book, but it took me a little too long to finish it because I kinda got bored of it at some point. The book has come back along the way. First, I was about to give 3 stars for the book, but then things got better after page 60 of the book. Mostly it is a good book, but again, it was boring at some point. When I first picked the book up and bought it, I thought this was the exact same story as the first season of the Netflix series and I was impressed with the idea, but when I discovered it was not the series at all except the characters and maybe some past events, I was really glad about what I was reading. I guess it was a nice experience reading this kind of book after all the other drama which I've read lately. I recommend this book both children up to 10-11 years old, who will not be able to leave the book, but also the elders, who, like me, will see it as an intriguing and enjoyable experience.

[Emily Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting preteen novel for those girls that love horses.

[Jennifer]

I really thought this book was great hopefully its good as the tv series.