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A review by nicole_reads_everything
Half Pass by Astrid Amara
3.0
3.5 rounded down
Interesting romance with a unique mystery and a bit of a look into the world of competitive horse stuff. I actually grew up not far from where this takes place, with friends who have horses and compete nationally, so I found this interesting from that perspective, and I did think on the whole there was enough horse stuff to provide needed context, but it never felt gratuitously specific, though YMMV there. I enjoyed the characters and the slow build of their connection, though I did find that that the ending felt a little rushed. Estevan spends most of the book (and most of his life) fighting against his sexuality, but seems to really get over it all quite quickly in the end. There were also just so many open questions/loose threads about what it would really mean for Paul to stay and run the stables and for them to be together, that I did find the ending a little lacking in specificity. This is one that I think could have benefited from a tighter wrapping up of the main story, and then maybe an epilogue that took place farther out. I also found myself a little uncomfortable around some of the framing and phrasing around Estevan, who is Brazilian and a person of color. Lots of mentioning about his 'dark complexion' in a way that rubbed me the wrong way on occasion.
Interesting romance with a unique mystery and a bit of a look into the world of competitive horse stuff. I actually grew up not far from where this takes place, with friends who have horses and compete nationally, so I found this interesting from that perspective, and I did think on the whole there was enough horse stuff to provide needed context, but it never felt gratuitously specific, though YMMV there. I enjoyed the characters and the slow build of their connection, though I did find that that the ending felt a little rushed. Estevan spends most of the book (and most of his life) fighting against his sexuality, but seems to really get over it all quite quickly in the end. There were also just so many open questions/loose threads about what it would really mean for Paul to stay and run the stables and for them to be together, that I did find the ending a little lacking in specificity. This is one that I think could have benefited from a tighter wrapping up of the main story, and then maybe an epilogue that took place farther out. I also found myself a little uncomfortable around some of the framing and phrasing around Estevan, who is Brazilian and a person of color. Lots of mentioning about his 'dark complexion' in a way that rubbed me the wrong way on occasion.