Title: Acid & Bribery
Author: Jeanne Ann Off
Publisher: LitFire Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-63524-256-0
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 158
Reviewed by: Allison Walker
Pacific Book Review
Kelsey is a sixteen-year-old girl who loves horses and is lucky enough to work at a racetrack. When her favorite horse is the victim of an attempt to end his racing career forever, Kelsey races into action to discover who is trying to shut down Derbyrun Downs. Along with her best friend, Saira, Kelsey hurries to solve the mystery before more racehorses are hurt. When the girls get too close to finding answers, they begin to worry they may become the next victims.
While Kelsey’s job at the racetrack is all about horses, her life is not. Whether she’s snooping for suspects or going to the movie theatre with her friends, Kelsey is an incredibly relatable character. She’s just a teenage girl; she makes poor decisions that her mother has to help her out of, she worries about whether the cute security guard wants to go out with her, and she struggles to forgive her previously absent father and his new wife. Saira also works at the racetrack, and gives Kelsey lessons in horseback riding and speaking Spanish. The best girlfriends get into trouble and get out of it with the help of their friends and families. Together the two are a dynamic duo who work hard and play hard.
As an author, Jeanne Ann Off creates a suspenseful mystery with all the makings of a young adult hit. Acid & Bribery is fun, fast and might actually teach the reader something about the racehorse industry. Off’s effort at realism separates her novel from scores of pony-in-the-bedroom books, and appeals to readers with mud on their boots and horse hair permanently installed in the lining of their jacket. The only obstacle to Acid & Bribery‘s place in the winner’s circle are a number of significant punctuation and grammatical errors. This issue can become distracting at times from the actual story.
Acid & Bribery takes readers behind the barns at the racetrack, through the eyes of sixteen-year-old Kelsey. We cheer with her as her horses cross the finish line, and we cheer for her when the cute security guard finally asks her on a date. Kelsey is an adventurous teenage girl who dreams big and works hard to achieve her goal of becoming a racehorse trainer. She’s a good role model, and the best friend you could ever want to guide you through the mystery of Acid & Bribery. Overall, I did enjoy the book as a whole. The storyline was a great idea and the characters have potential to be favorites. For anyone that likes to get lost in a story, I would recommend Acid & Briberyby Jeanne Ann Off.
