Yay, it’s publication day for Rafferty Lincoln Loves…, by Emily Williams. This young adult fiction has been written for charity and the proceeds from the book are being donated to The British Thoroughbred Retraining Centre, which is dedicated to ex-racehorse welfare, retraining, rehoming and protection for life.
Blurb:
A sensational and compelling, coming of age story for older YA readers. Foreword by Frankie Dettori MBE.
Rafferty Lincoln doesn’t like horses. Not one bit. But when the popular high school girl of his dreams, Liberty Ashburn pulls him into a world of lead ropes and horse brushes, who is he to say no?
Except this isn’t any old horse. This is the missing racehorse, Profits Red Ridge. The horse Rafferty and three of his friends are hiding from the world. And Liberty Ashburn isn’t just any ordinary high school girl. How far will Rafferty go to win her over?
An intense, witty and powerful coming of age story with startling consequences.
‘A heart-warming and emotional story that will stay with you long after you’ve read the final page. With one of the most beautiful writing styles I’ve ever read, an emotionally charged story, and brilliantly created characters – this book is sure to stay with you for a very long time.’ @MegsTyas Between the Pages
‘A story full of heart, this took me by the reins and left me breathless.’ @hayleylipsquid Lipsquid Book blog
My Review:
Having loved Letters to Eloise, I was really looking forward to reading Rafferty Lincoln Loves… I have to say, I wasn’t disappointed and this was yet another great book by this author.
This is an endearing and at times emotional coming of age tale about how the discovery of a missing racehorse leads to the unlikely friendship between a few youngsters. A large part of this story is light-hearted with horse adventures, mischief and young love, but there is a heavier side to the story that covers bullying and darker secrets of domestic abuse.
I loved the human characters and Minty the horse. Despite the heavier topics within the story, Rafferty Lincoln Loves… was an overall fun feel-good story, although the epilogue did manage to have me crying proper tears.
Rafferty Lincoln Loves… has been written for charity and the proceeds from this book are being donated to The British Thoroughbred Retraining Centre, which is dedicated to ex-racehorse welfare, retraining, rehoming and protection for life.
I would say this book is ideal for oldish teens, young adults and old souls that are still young at heart. If you have a love of horses that helps too. To be honest, I would probably have enjoyed reading this during my early teens, but I was old for my years, into horror films as a child and therefore exposed to rather adult themes from a very early age, so it all depends on the maturity of the teenager wishing to read this. To give you an idea, there’s swearing, reference to sex, bullying at school and domestic violence at home.
This is definitely a book I recommend, especially if you enjoy young adult fiction and have an appreciation of horses.
4 Stars
Where to find this book:
LittleMissNoSleep Daydreams of Books 