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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Enjoyable Read, May 28, 2011
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
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Where's the love?, September 8, 2011
I'm a rider, and let's face it, there are not enough horse novels out there for the likes of us! But while I was happy to find 'The A Circuit', the book fell flat for me.
There's not much of a plot, as the story simply follows the lives of four riders for part of a show season, but that doesn't have to be a problem (remember Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants?). The main issue, as others have mentioned, is that none of the characters are very likeable. Kate is a basket case in the making. Fritz seems to be riding because it puts him at the center of an ocean of readily-available girls, and Zara is riding for kicks. It must be hard to be the child of a rock star, and I think Zara could have been a very interesting character, but any sympathy we might have felt for her is quashed by the fact that she has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Tommi comes across as a pretty typical wealthy girl living in a bubble.
After a while you begin to wonder why any of the characters chose riding as a sport, because none of them seem particularly fond of horses, as evidenced by the scene where the horse got hurt - everyone seemed more worried about getting in trouble than about the horse. Some people might think that's the way things are on the A circuit, but in other horse books (The Perfect Distance, Blaze of Glory) the characters riding at that level actually CARE about their horses, which adds much-needed depth to the story.
As a side note, the language started to bother me by the end - I don't know any actual teenagers who use the words 'like' and 'whatever' in every second sentence. If you're looking for a Gossip-girl-type of story about rich people interacting without ever really connecting, you'll like this book. But if you're looking for something with heart, this isn't it.
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19 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Bad Trash, July 22, 2011
Last night, I finally finished reading The A Circuit, the first in a series of young adult novels that gives the down and dirty DL on the glamorous lives of top equestrians.
It was the absolute worst book I have ever read. Its vapidity is second only to that of its author, Georgina Bloomberg, daughter of the mayor of New York, and on whom the book is obviously based. In fact, all of the actually writing was done by the co-author, Catherine Hapka, who seems only too happy to cater to Bloomberg's egotism and wealth.
As far as plot, The A Circuit reads like an episode of The Hills. Events are based purely on the characters' motivations for sex and success, and very little horsemanship is discussed. As for the cast populating this scintillating novel, the main character is a dead-ringer for the "author" herself - so good, so driven, so talented, and, of course, so beautiful. Everyone else is some crony or another, enemies and frenemies alike.
And, as if that weren't enough, the pages are filled with sexism, homophobia, and racism. The only males featured in the story are either chauvinistic playboys or don't "swing that way," thus rending themselves irrelevant. The stable staff is largely Hispanic, the most prominent of which is, of course, an illegal immigrant. Add copious doses of under-aged drinking and drug use, and, well, you really don't have much of anything at all - only what Stephen King's mother would anecdotally refer to as "bad trash."
Overall, this book was a mind-numbing disappointment. It was hyped by all the major publications and blogs, but for what? I bought it knowing full well that it would be dishy, but I had no idea it would be so remarkably bad. Needless to say, I will not be following the adventures of Tommi, Zara (yes), and Kate. I see no need, and can only imagine where their tiny little fictional lives will lead them. Really, one star is one too many.
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