Full Gallop

This was a tear jerker i have read the saddle club since for about10years and almost think of the characters and pine hollow as being real so i was just as stunned as the characters when well u ll have to read it Please write more I wanna know what happens next where do the characters and the saved horses go from there do they start from scratch or go somewhere else please pleeeeeaaaaassssssssseeeeeee write more !!!!!!! The pine hollows books have been a very nice change of pace from the childish saddle club books they were just getting good and now this tragedy I'm still in shock!!

This book ties up a lot of loose ends that the Pine Hollow series created, but it also makes a lot more. I don't want to spoil the end for readers, so this is all I'm going to say about the plot:Now that Carole and Ben are a couple, everything is working out great between them. Callie and her new horse are a great team. Stevie really likes eventing, the new horse sport she has taken on. And Lisa is begining to really like Scott. But when tradgedy hits, everyone must rethink their priorities-and how much they are willing to risk.

I've been a loyal reader of the Saddle Club books for about seven years, though I no longer fit the target age group. I was thrilled to see Pine Hollow providing a more adult view of the characters at first, but have been quite disappointed with the series (except for the brief bit with Lisa's brother) until this book. For the author to have taken 2 years and 8 months, and 17 volumes, to cover 6-8 months is ridiculous in my opinion. It works for the Saddle Club because each book is an adventure with a definite conclusion, but Pine Hollow is more about everyday life. I was so excited to find a series that had a new book every other month, only to find the pace frustratingly slow. Frankly, I would have liked the series to begin with Lisa's parents divorcing so we could have read about how she coped with all the changes - her father's remarriage and the birth of her sister - and I think she should be in college now dealing with her best friends in high school and her new life being so different. I also find Pine Hollow a bit short on equestrian details - Lisa hardly rides at all anymore and Carole and Stevie don't ride near enough to compete at the level in the series. And don't older riders belong to Pony Club? I'm tired of the obligatory rich-kid-with-an-attitude-that-acts-like she-owns-the-stable character, too - let's have some non-typical antagonists! As for all those who were surprised by the final event in #17, I have to wonder if they've read the last few books, since it was pretty well foreshadowed. Despite my disappointment, I have faithfully purchased every volume as soon as I could find it on the store shelf in hopes that this series would improve. Now that it has it appears to be finished. Aaaaghhhh! Perhaps Bonnie Bryant will see all the reviews in favor of Pine Hollow continuing and decide to resume writing it. I think it would be a real shame for the characters to fade out like this. It seems the Saddle Club books will end with #100, since the preview in #99 seems to allude to Lisa's parents splitting up. A faster pace and maybe bigger books would be welcome, even if they were published less frequently, and the college experiences could be great, especially with more equine stuff - universities have equestrian teams, you know!

Life is changing at Pine Hollow. Lisa has accepted things will never be the same as they were with Alex, and is looking forward to an exciting future with Scott; a relationship she thinks could really turn into something, despite a few problems. Carole and Ben are working harder than ever at the stable, and she has never been happier. The expansion to house the ever-increasing rush of boarders is exciting, even though it's a little hard for her to see Pine Hollow changing so much. Stevie's throwing herself into training for eventing, and Callie's finally enjoying working with Scooby now that George is gone for good. Everyone's looking forward to a bright and happy future now that they've put the problems of the past behind them. But one event can change everything, as the road to the future takes a sudden turn for the worse.Full Gallop was an excellent conclusion to the Pine Hollow series. All the unanswered questions from the previous books were answered, but it wasn't a cheezy tie-up-all-loose-end-so-we-can-finally-finish-the-series book. I really liked reading it, and I cried at the end, which I'm NOT going to give away. It was funny to see the new Veronica at the barn, a stuck-up 12 year old with too much money and not enough brains, and I liked seeing Carole getting somewhere with Ben, as well as Alex with Nicole. I gave it five stars because it's a book any Pine Hollow fan should read, and it was worth the wait.

Full Gallop is the best Pine Hollow book. The end of this book changes everything for the people and the horses at Pine Hollow. If you love the Pine Hollow books then you'll need to read this one. When you get the book don't read the ending first it will ruin the book. This is the book that makes you feel like you're right there with Carole, Stevie and Lisa during one of the hardest moments of there lives when Pine Hollow will never be the same after one sad, cold wintery night.