2 out of 4 stars
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The Henesey family consists of six children, all of whom live on the family farm with their mother. Erika is one of these children, an 18-year-old who has a passion for horseback riding, especially with her favorite horse Ben. Life seems to be at a standstill; with her daily chores on the farm, Erika doesn't have any time for self-discovery or serious relationships.
All that changes when Reeve arrives, a grad student sent to help with the restoration of their old, historically important family barn. Erika is hesitant to get too close to him – she still hasn't recovered from her father's death, and she doesn't think she's ready for a relationship. Things get even more hectic when Reeve suggests Erika tries show jumping, a competitive equestrian sport, with the help of his aunt who has connections in the field. How will Erika cope with all these changes disrupting her idyllic farm life?
In Jump at the Chance, Karin Halls describes Erika's coming-of-age story, featuring a cast of multiple other characters with their own subplots. The highlights of the book are definitely the uncommon farm setting, as well as Erika's character development. City dwellers like myself will certainly appreciate the seemingly simpler aspects of life in the country, surrounded by animals and nature.
Erika is an average character at the start, but the best part is watching her grow from an unsure young girl to a confident, mature young woman. While she's extremely family-focused in the beginning, she comes to learn that one can balance career and family. Her father's death, which used to hold her back, eventually becomes a motivating force for her. Following your dreams really does work out sometimes.
Unfortunately, the book is not without its weaknesses. Oftentimes, authors ramble and use more words than necessary. The opposite is true here. At only 194 pages long, there are far too few words for everything that is going on. Many descriptions are left out entirely. For instance, Reeve tells Erika that he wants to take her out to "the most unusual place" for dinner. The next scene shows the conversation they have there, with absolutely no description of what makes this place so unusual. We have no idea where they even are.
The short length also leads to everything feeling fast-paced – there is simply far too much plot to stuff into so little words. Reeve arrives on page 6; by page 20, his and Erika's relationship has progressed to the point where she tells him she can't get close to him because she hasn't moved on from her father's death. It felt like it came out of nowhere.
Ultimately, this book would benefit from using the advice of showing and not telling. For the most part, the author does not describe the characters' movements or facial expressions while they are conversing. Things change without warning; in one scene, Erika makes a phone call to Reeve. Mid-conversation, the author writes that Erika calls her family. There are no goodbyes or anything, as if they got cut off while talking. There are multiple other sudden scene changes more drastic than this one.
There are also a number of grammatical errors present. The word "then" is commonly misused in places that require a comma before or after it, as well as some other minor errors. Some sentences feel rather old-fashioned and awkward. For example, "I have an even greater respect for Dad now" would sound more natural if it were simply "I respect Dad even more now."
I wanted to enjoy this book a lot more, but I can't give it more than 2 out of 4 stars due to its improper writing. It definitely deserves more than 1 star for its heartfelt characterization and setting.
Although the book features minimal profanity, a few curses are present. There are strong Christian themes; abortion is discouraged, and Erika wants to save sex for marriage. A minor female villain is shown to be sexually promiscuous, adding to the traditional theme that sex is only for marriage. All in all, older religious people would probably enjoy this book the most.
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Jump at the Chance
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