Horse girl Victoria switches stables and just wants to ride; not make friends, not compete, just take care of the horses and ride. She gradually opens up and realizes they are fans of more than horses.

Ride On by Faith Erin Hicks is a graphic novel following Victoria who has always loved riding horses but she no longer wants to do it professionally and wants to focus on other things in her life as well. This results in a friendship breakup with her best friend who doesn't like the fact that Victoria doesn't want to take it as seriously anymore. So Victoria moves to a new stable where she meets a new group of people. Even though she wants a fresh start, it's hard for her to connect with them because she's scared of being hurt again and wants to focus only on the horses.

It's a story about love for horses, sci-fi TV shows, and opening your heart to new friendships. The characters are well-developed and imperfect, and I really liked the friend group dynamics. The start of the book was a little rough for me to read because there's a lot of conflict and the characters are really mean to each other, and I can't handle conflict well so I wasn't enjoying it much. However, it was realistic and made sense for the story, and all of them grew on me as the story went on. I also haven't read any books surrounding around horses, and I love the setting.

If you're someone who likes graphic novels, horses, being nerdy about movies, and stories about friendships, I think you would definitely enjoy this! It's a really fun story and it's quick to read. The art style isn't really my preference and I don't love the color schemes, but it's unique and fitting to the setting.

Ride On combines two of my great childhood loves -- Star Trek and horseback riding. The author's love for both is clear in every beautifully drawn panel. It is short and sweet, a little quick to resolve the issues (especially the emotional ones) but a fun ride nonetheless.

Thank you to NetGalley and First Second Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute story! It felt a bit young and took me some time to get into it, but I ended up really liking it as it went on. I enjoyed the fandom element a lot too! Some good messages about friendship and not feeling embarrassed about your interests.

Ride On is about figuring out one’s place as they fall out with friends who may not have the same goals as them and finding new friends that are accepting with all aspects of you, and how this is okay! So much of this felt true when it comes to middle school friendships. Oh, and all of this is surrounded by horses and riding competitions (and a little bit of sci-fi love!). Another gem by Hicks!

A lovely middle grade horse story.

For Libraries: The book's protagonist is 12 years old and this book is suitable for either your children's or YA graphics collection.

Faith Erin Hicks knows how to grab the heart strings and remind me how hard it was to be a teen. Ride On is an awesome and heartfelt graphic about Victoria, a girl who loves horses but has lost her love of riding competitions and the high cost to keep participating. Why can't she love something without having to devote her entire life to it? After she has a fight with her best "horse friend" Taylor, she decided she needs to find a new stable to start over.
Victoria and her group of new friends bond over a mutual love of a certain Scifi TV show, and Victoria realizes that you don't have to love everything your friends love in the same way. The artwork was stellar, the dialogue was well written, and as a former horse girl myself, I understood Victoria's worry about the cost of her most favorite hobby. Such a great novel that I look forward to putting in the hands of other middle school horse girls!

Thank you to First Second Books and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
A graphic novel just for horse fans! Victoria has just switched riding stables from fancy Waverly to more modest Edgewood. When Norrie tries to welcome her, Victoria says she just wants to ride. Through flashbacks, we learn what happened at Edgewood that pushed her to leave. Norrie’s friends Hazel and Sam try to support Norrie by “shunning” Victoria. The tweens later bond over their shared love of a “Star Trek”-like show that is returning to TV after a nearly two-decade hiatus. This was a fun and quick read and the graphics are realistic. Perfect for fans grades 3 and up.

Loved this graphic novel! More horse books, please. Especially ones that talk about the money and the pressure to compete.

The was a fantastic graphic novel. I just had to read it in one sitting it was that much fun. This is definitely a perfect book for all those horse mad fans from ages 10 plus and even me a adult enjoyed reading it. I found it especially interesting that the author created some wonderful highly emotional characters. That were very different from each other that caused some conflict which the author handled brilliantly. As we all know horse fans have there different levels of dedication to horse riding and I thought she made the characters relatable to everyday issues at the stables. I especially loved Victoria having been burnt by a previous best friend was very reluctant and responded with not wanting to make friends but this soon changed through the books brilliant development. The characters developments showed the right way to make friends which is brilliant life lessons. I really loved the pictures in this book they were so colourful and the horses were beautiful. The really captured great emotions and created a great sense of atmosphere and tension. I loved ever aspect of this horse graphic novel and truly hope the author creates more horse ones. I really can't recommend this book enough. 

Only the highest of praise goes out to the author and publishers for creating such a fantastic story that I'm positive every horse fan will love. As its very relatable and thoroughly enjoyable. I have to mention how much I loved the attitude change in the characters by the ending.
The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog today https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/ride-on-by-faith-erin-hicks-first-second-books-5-stars either under my name or ladyreading365. The retail review links are on my blog

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Everything Faith Erin Hicks does is wonderful, and Ride On was no exception. From the art to the story to the heart to the character development, Ride On was a cozy and beautiful tale of finding yourself and staying true to what you love. The character designs and environmental art were absolutely gorgeous and fit the story and characters perfectly. I loved all of the characters! Victoria's journey of finding herself was balanced out remarkably well by the cast of Edgewood Stables. Highly recommended, 5/5.

This is a sweet, realistic graphic novel that follows a girl who moves from a competitive show barn to a more casual barn and must work through the shifts in friendships and social circles that come with that move. One of my pet peeves in equestrian-focused media is inaccurate depictions of riding; happily, Hicks' graphic novel avoids obvious mistakes and represents riding pretty accurately. I expected a little more to happen in the plot, particularly in terms of resolving the interpersonal challenges with characters that are presented at the beginning, but overall this was a nice read.

Review: Faith Erin Hicks is one of my absolute favorite graphic novelists! Ever since I discovered Friends With Boys back when it first released (which I just realized was in 2012?! I can't believe it's been that long.), I have been a huge fan of her work, and I was so excited when I got an e-ARC of her newest book. I went into it with high expectations, and it did not disappoint! There is just something about her GNs that I just love. The characters are always well written, it feels like they are characters that exist outside of her books, like the GN is just a glimpse of part of their lives. I love the art in the book. Overall, I would highly recommend this book, and I know it will make my year end list of favorites!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Horse girls rejoice! I loved this sweet graphic novel about horses and friendship. Victoria switches stables to get a fresh start and she meets a new group of friends even though she wasn't sure of making new friends at first. I love the exploration of friendship and of course the discussion of horses. The art was just beautiful and the story was endearing as well.

This is a sweet, realistic graphic novel that follows a girl who moves from a competitive show barn to a more casual barn and must work through the shifts in friendships and social circles that come with that move. One of my pet peeves in equestrian-focused media is inaccurate depictions of riding; happily, Hicks' graphic novel avoids obvious mistakes and represents riding pretty accurately. I expected a little more to happen in the plot, particularly in terms of resolving the interpersonal challenges with characters that are presented at the beginning, but overall this was a nice read.

'Ride on' is an interesting story If you like things like Heartland and Black Beauty. It was a nice read with good topics like toxic friendships and the competitiveness in sports.

[Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review]

A really sweet realistic-fiction graphic novel that readers will love!

This is not explicitly for Horse Girls(tm) but works well for everyone! It's a story about outgrowing friendships, monetary issues getting in the way of hobbies, and making new friends. I like that the group of friends become a sort of family and they all have their own issues, but they work it out with each other. I feel especially bad for Victoria and how she got to be so closed off, but thankfully she works her issues out with her new friends, both equine and human. :)

Eisner Award winner Faith Erin Hicks is back with a new graphic novel! Ride On hits on all the things my middle graders love to read about: horses, friendship, and a challenging situation. Twelve-year-old equestrienne Victoria arrives at Edgewood Stables after a break from riding following a fallout with her former best friend, Victoria. She initially brushes off attempts at friendship from Norrie, one of the other students, but finds common ground in a science fiction TV show fandom and eventually lets her guard down and befriends Norrie and her friends, Hazel and Sam (the only boy at the school). When the Edgewood riders are invited to a competition at Waverly, Victoria realizes that she will have to face her former best friend.

Faith Erin Hicks masterfully creates characters and situations that speak to readers. Whether they're new students at a boarding school (A Year at Ellesmere), a street urchin living in a city overrun by invaders (The Nameless City), or a homeschooled teen confronting a ghost (Friends with Boys), she has the ability to weave the fantastic with the everyday and create special people. Every character in Ride On is someone worth knowing, including Quinn, the newest horse in the Edgewood stable. From Norrie's hilariously drama queen personality to Victoria's initially brusque, withdrawn temperament, and Sam's "bro-dude" older brothers, readers will see themselves and people they know in Ride On. She understands how fandom breaks through walls and unites people - for good! - and deftly uses that understanding to give us a wonderful subplot. Hicks's illustration is realistic and soft, approachable. An author's note provides more context for the story. An absolute must-buy for graphic novel collections.

If you are in a school library like me, you probably can't keep the graphic novels up to your readers. Of if you yourself are a graphic novel reader, you are no doubt looking for your next read. Ride On combines horses and friendship in this delightful middle-grade graphic novel.

Victoria just wants to ride horses. Not compete, not train, just enjoy riding for the joy of it. After a fight with her best friend, Victoria has moved to a new stable. There, the riders are wary about the new rider. Who is Victoria and why doesn't she want to be friends with them? As Victoria slowly gets to know the riders at Edgewood Stables she learns that maybe she isn't better off alone and that she can love horses and riding and embrace other parts of herself as well.

 For all the horse lovers out there, this is the graphic novel for them. But it's also for the non horse lovers. For those that are confused about friendships during those early teen years. I loved the sections about loving a tv series and just totally embracing all the joy that comes with that fandom, including costumes and watch parties. It's a great way to explore the themes of accepting all the different parts of who we are and what we love.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

Calling all Horse Girls! Are you currently or were you obsessed with horses in the past? In my middle grade days I was drawing horses and had them up on a pedestal in comparison to other animals. Fortunately my family lived on a farm and we had horses and ponies we could ride frequently. I never had formal lessons, but spent hours on the back of my pony Trudy. This new graphic novel from Faith Erin Hicks is perfect for all those kids who have been enjoying the works of Raina Telgemeier, Jennifer L. Holm, Shannon Hale, and Kayla Miller. Victoria switches from one riding stable to another. She just wants to ride without the pressure of competition. Along the way she meets learns some life lessons about making new friends and learning to embrace additional hobbies. The anxiety of competition is also addressed in helpful and realistic ways. Love the colorful art and the inclusion of the retro sci-fi show in the plot.

Thank you to First Second Books and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.