E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Wills and her friends are devastated that their Oakwood stables in Nebraska have to close for the summer, but the triplets (Gwyneth, Everleigh, and Noel) use this opportunity to apply for the Juniper Ranch summer camp in Colorado. Amara, Wills' sometimes enemy, sometimes friend, also is planning on attending. Wills, whose mother is an Air Force pilot, can't go because of lack of funds, but at the last minute is awarded a scholarship. All of the girls are off to camp, and end up in the same cabin. Wills manages to irritate Amara by falling asleep on her bunk and messing with her phone, but Amara seems on edge even before this incident. Amara's step brother, Pasquale, is also at the camp, and Wills runs into him in the barn when both are checking on Amara's horse, Silver Streak, whom she has brought to camp. Her parents made a large donation to the camp, which caused them to allow this, and also allowed Wills to have her scholarship. After this late night outing, Silver Streak goes missing, and Wills feels responsible, so starts investigating the disappearance. She has a list of suspects, and notes clues, like the fact that Silver Streak's saddle and snacks are also gone, and there are heart star hoofprints on the floor of the barn. She brings the triplets on to the case to help her, and uncovers a bigger plot than just a missing horse. Will Silver Streak be able to be reunited with his owner? And will Wills' family be moving for her mother's career again, just as she has bonded with her friend group?
Strengths: This definitely can be read as a stand alone, which is helpful. After a brief explanation of the friend dynamics at Oakwood, we jump right into the story, which is move involved with the mystery, even though the drama with Wills and Amara continues. I enjoyed the flirtation between Pasquale and Wills, both of whom make their own horse themed t shirts. There are plenty of details about horse riding, even including swimming with horses. There are copious footnotes explaining many equestrian details that were helpful. The mystery ended up being rather serious, and having financial implications, but is offset by a fun inclusion of a film production crew coming to the camp to save the day on several fronts.
Weaknesses: Willa is a very exuberant character, but I often wished that she would make better choices. Younger readers will not be as worried about her exploits as I was.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like the mysteries in Henson's 2017 The Whole Sky, Farley's Phantom Stallion books or the drama in Burkhart's Saddle Hill Academy series.
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