Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier is an enthralling thriller that explores the lives of the ultra rich. Chronicled with sarcasm and self-mocking charm, no one writes the affluent as well as Eliza Jane Brazier. In this novel, she dives into the lives of rich families who use their daughters to project their hopes, dreams and ambitions onto – often at a massive cost to the teens’ mental health.

The story follows Heather Parker, a nouveau riche mother with a detached partner, determined to give her two daughters, Maple and Piper, the life she never had. She signs them up for riding lessons at Rancho Santa Fe Equestrian, where horses are a lifestyle. As they get sucked into the horse world — from mean girl cliques to barn romance — secrets start to emerge that bring danger to the family’s doorstep.

There’s something special about this novel: it captures not only the glamour of high society but also its darker undertones. At times funny and heartbreakingly honest, Girls and Their Horses paints a vivid portrait of what it means to be born into privilege. Brazier does an incredible job of showing how power dynamics play out in this microcosm, where even things like horse competitions become competitions between parents who want their children to succeed at any cost. Alliances are formed—and broken—and manipulations abound.

The character development is equally impressive: each character is unique in some way or another; we get an insight into their motivations and desires that make them real and relatable despite their wealth or social status. We follow these characters through highs and lows as they learn lessons about friendship, loyalty, ambition—and even mortality—on their journey through life in Rancho Santa Fe Equestrian.

This book definitely exceeded my expectations; I devoured every page with enthusiasm! Girls and Their Horses is truly a must-read for anyone interested in exploring class dynamics within one wealthy community—or simply enjoys fantastic storytelling!

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗸𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸. 𝗜 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝘆.

this was a really unique premise in this thriller novel, the plot was what I was hoping for when reading this description. I was invested in the world and it was a great way of using girls and their horses. It was really well done and I enjoyed the way Eliza Jane Brazier wrote this. The characters were what I was looking for and it did everything that I was looking for in this. I can't wait to read more from Eliza Jane Brazier.

"Parties always made Heather feel better about her relationship with Jeff. They both knew—a little too well, maybe—how to look like a totally healthy couple. He spoke to her more, and he seemed to listen when she talked. He stood beside her and introduced himself at all the right times. Seeing themselves as a perfect couple in other people’s eyes was more than a little confusing."