Join Up (Island Trilogy #3) by Tudor Robins

Young Adult eBook Edition

Last year, I read the first two novels in the Island Trilogy (Appaloosa Summer and Wednesday Riders) by Tudor Robins and really enjoyed reading them both. So, I looked forward to reading the final novel in the Island Trilogy when it was released. 

I recently devoured Join Up (Island Trilogy #3) by Tudor Robins in a 24 hour period.

Unfortunately, Join Up (Island Trilogy #3) by Tudor Robins didn't hit the mark for me, which was such a disappointment as I loved the first to novels in this young adult series!!

First off, the first two novels in the Island Trilogy prominently feature Meg Traherne and Jared Strickland as the leading characters. In Join Up, Lacey Strickland (cousin to Jared) is the leading character, with both Meg and Jared only having minor roles in Join Up... For me, personally, I wanted Meg and Jared to be leading characters in Join Up as well... I felt like having Lacey Strickland be the leading character wasn't in keeping with the series itself. I also didn't enjoy that most of the story/plot for Join Up didn't take place on the island. I mean if you're going to call the series the Island Trilogy, then keep the story on the island.

I also felt that Join Up (Island Trilogy #3) by Tudor Robins started off to slowly/was difficult to get into. The story picked up towards the middle of the novel. I liked Lacey Strickland's character the best in Join Up... Fitch's character was grating at first and I didn't like his character in the beginning. But Fitch became likable by the end. Lacey and Fitch's romance becomes a case of insta-love and too perfect to be true type of romance to be realistic, which was another negative for me.

Some minor drama occurs in Join Up (Island Trilogy #3) by Tudor Robins, but nothing earth shattering... And the ending of Join Up (Island Trilogy #3) by Tudor Robins was kind of boring.

I kind of felt like the author wore out of steam when it came to writing Join Up and wished that it had lived up to the standards of the first two novels in the Island Trilogy.

The plot summary for Join Up (Island Trilogy #3) by Tudor Robins from Amazon:

A summer at one of the poshest riding camps in the province. A hundred horses. Rolling hills ribboned with hacking trails and cross-country jumps.

It could be perfect. Unless you’re Lacey Strickland, and you’re leaving Salem, Meg, and Jared behind on the island.

The only thing that isn’t hard to leave is Lacey’s memory of her first kiss, delivered in a spring-scented hayfield, which sizzled, then fizzled into nothing at all.

The other thing making camp less-than-perfect for Lacey? She’s not a cosseted camper, but a staff member – teaching riding lessons from sun-up to sun-down.

In Meg’s first letter to Lacey, she writes: “I bet anything there’s at least one amazing horse waiting for you there. And maybe a new great – if not best – friend.”

Is Meg right? Could Lacey meet a horse she’ll love just as much as Salem? And are there new friends in her future? Maybe even somebody who could give her more than just one kiss in a hayfield?

I am giving Join Up (Island Trilogy #3) by Tudor Robins a rating of 2 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!