The Secrets Of Wild Hill: Lottie's Dream - Olivia Tuffin

 

Lottie absolutely adores her pony, Patch, and spends every second with him, but when her parents want her to attend a fancy school that will take her away from Patch, she knows she needs to do something to ensure she can stay.  Add to that the fact that the future of Wild Hill, her grandparents stables where Patch stays, could be in jeopardy, and Lottie begins to realise that her dreams of competing with Patch could be over before they've begun.  With her new Felix the only person she can talk to, she hopes he will be able to help, but he's from the neighbouring stables and the rivalry between the two families stretches back years. Can Lottie really trust him to help her?

I'm not a big horse person (In fact, I'm rather nervous of them when I'm close to one) but I thoroughly enjoyed Lottie's Dream and I know it will have huge appeal to horse-lovers.

It is clear from the beginning of the book that Lottie lives to ride, and her love for Patch is what spurs her on.  Despite him being half-wild, she is determined to compete with him, even if that means going against her parents' wishes.  With her grandfather injured, her parents call her older brother, Harry, back from America to help get the stables ready to be sold.  Lottie feels that his time working at a stables in the states has changed him and he is just as determined to sell Wild Hill as his parents.  Lottie, however, has other ideas. 

Felix seems to be the only person she can talk to.  She meets him without realising who he is and quickly discovers that he has been brought back from boarding school and now attends the same local secondary school as she does.  The pair quickly form a friendship and she finds it easy to talk to him, but can she really trust him once she knows that he is part of the McCavendish family who own the neighbouring stables?

Ancient feuds, friendships and family dynamics all weave into this story of hope and resilience.  Lottie's Dream is a lovely book and I'm now keen to know how the story ends - The sequel, A Pony's Promise, is due to be released on the 2nd July so I won't have long to wait.