Review: My Favorite Mistake (An A Circuit Novel, #2) by Catherine Hapka & Georgina Bloomberg

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

Get your A-list fix with the series Vanity Fair calls "blue-ribbon worthy."

Tommi, Zara, and Kate are all elite riders on the A Circuit. Tommi, the billionaire heiress, is training a young horse to prove she can make horses a real career. But when her new beau, Alex, convinces her to skip a horse show to party in the Hamptons, the results could be disastrous. Zara, the celebutante wild child, is finally taking her riding seriously. Until the new "nanny" her dad hires threatens to upstage Zara's party girl status. Then there's Kate. She doesn't have money to burn like the others, but she does have Fitz, the barn's resident hot guy. But when the pressure of being a working student builds, Kate's perfectionist tendencies threaten to get in the way of her relationship and her riding.

Readers who are growing out of the Canterwood Crest series or searching for an A-list fix have found just what they're looking for in the A Circuit series.

Review:

After reading the fun and frothy The A Circuit, the prequel to My Favorite Mistake, I couldn't wait to see what was up next for Tommi, Zara, Fitz, and Kate, especially given where the last book left off! Thankfully, My Favorite Mistake was even better than The A Circuit. It provided even more drama as well as intrigue and even some real live situations were thrown in. Basically, it was the perfect read for a quiet afternoon or evening!

My Favorite Mistake starts up shortly after the last book left up. The girls as well as their horses are training for even more horse shows while dealing with the many problems as well as fun that comes their way. In this addition, I really feel like the girl's grew as a characters. Zara became more than just a "party girl" when faced with the dilemma of what to do when her babysitter turns out to be even more wilder than she is. Headstrong Tommi, on the other hand, deals with a new love, one that may provide a risk to her horse ridding career. Lastly, Kate is dealing with her own problems, which include her Mom's OCD ways, her developing relationship with Fitz, and much more. I came to like the girl's even more in this one, especially Zara, because not only were they fun, but they really managed to come off in a realistic way in this one. They made mistakes, they risked there futures for silly things, and they loved and learned... basically even with their amazing lives they still managed to just be regular teens, trying to find their place. The only aspect, I wasn't too big on in this one, was the lack of development into their friendship. The girls didn't really spend too much time together in this one. Hopefully that will change in the next one!

The plot in this one as much fun as the last one! It was interesting to find out more about the world of horse showing as well as the many preparations the girls have to do for it. I also enjoyed seeing the girl's everyday adventures as well as Kate's developing relationship with Fitz. The ending of this one also provided me with enough juice and intrigue to be saying, "Where's the next one?!"

The writing in this one was also decent! Georgina as well as Catherine did a fabulous job of blending the girl's POVs together as well as making sure they didn't overlap.

In all, My Favorite Mistake is yet another fun addition to the A Circuit series...here's to hoping the next one is even better!

Grade: B

My Favorite Mistake (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads) is now out!

Source: Publisher via Netgalley- thanks!

Georgina Bloomberg & Catherine Hapka's The A Circuit (Review & Giveaway!)

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

The A Circuit is the top of the top when it comes to horse shows. It's a world with its own rules and superprivileged lifestyles. Teens travel the circuit all year, showing horses that cost as much as some homes.

Tommi, Kate, and Zara are all elite competitors on the circuit, but they come from totally different backgrounds. Tommi is a billionaire heiress trying to prove she has real talent (not just deep bank accounts). Kate puts the working in working student-every win has been paid for with hours of cleaning stalls. She's used to the grueling schedule, but Fitz, the barn's resident hot guy, is about to become a major distraction. And then there's Zara. She's the wild child of a famous rockstar, but she's ready to take riding seriously. Can a party girl really change her ways?

Readers who enjoy peeking into the elite world of Gossip Girl or The A-List will feel right at home in this new series with its friendships, drama, and privilege set against the backdrop of competitive horseback riding.

Review:

Ever since Gossip Girl and The A-List, two of my favorite guilty pleasure series, ended, I have been trying to find the next flashy and light series to replace them. Luckily, I think I just may have found what I have been looking for in The A Circuit, Georgina Bloomberg & Catherine Hapka's new look into the exclusive would of horses, wealthy girls, and the secrets that tie them together.

For Kate and Tommi, the world of horse showing is everything. Addictive, fun, and fully of plenty of rewards, both are willing to sacrifice nearly anything to be the best of the best. For Kate, this means working herself to the ground so she can compete and work with one of the best trainers in the country, and for Tommi, this means going against what her father and sister think is the best for her. However, everything changes when Zara comes to town. Flashy, wealthy, and snarky, Zara is the queen of mean, and because of this, she quickly winds up on the bad sides of Tommi and Kate. What happens, though, when you throw in one bad boy player, a party, and a disaster that may change everything? Will Kate, Tommi, and Zara come to the rescue? Or will their bitter feud ruin everything? Only time and more pages can tell in this glossy read sure to enchant even the most reluctant of readers.

While this book did not continue the most developed of characters, I still did enjoy reading about Kate, Tommi, and Zara in their alternating perspectives. My favorites out of the bunch would probably have to be Kate and Tommi, because not only did I find their friendship an interesting side to the story, but I also enjoyed how they were more “real” then Zara. The addition of Fitz, the player, was also interesting, though I sometimes felt his character was all over the place, and because of it, I never knew if I should like him, love him, or hate him.

The most exciting part of The A Circuit though would have to be the focus on horses. When I was little, I used to love horse reads- even though I was terrified of riding horses myself- and because of this, I loved seeing the behind the scene of horse shows and all the determination and work that is put in to be the best of the best.

The ending is this was also good enough to make me not only curious to see what will happen next the characters, but also happy that it was not exactly cliff-hanger-ish.

Full of horses, drama, and a dose of depth, The A Circuit is a great lazy day read.

Grade: B

The A Circuit is now out!

Source: Publicist at Bloomsbury Publishing- thanks Kate!

Best of all, I have ONE copy of The A Circuit to giveaway, thanks to Kate at Bloomsburry. To enter, please fill out the form below.

Official Contest Rules:
~ Must be 13 years or older to enter.
~ Must have a US Mailing Address (No PO boxs please!)
~ This giveaway will end on May 30, 2011 at 12:00 PM EST