Heidi Gage is all about sun, skating and waves until her twin sister, Harper, dislocates her knee.
If Harper doesn't go to jillaroo camp at Winmaroo - and seriously impress the teachers - she can kiss her dream school goodbye. And what's the point of having a twin sister if you can't switch places now and then, right?
Blame it on guilt, or on sisterly love, but before the dust has settled Heidi is heading to the country for ten days of horses, snakes, rats and creepy crawlies and trying to look like she knows what she's doing.
Heidi's about to learn a lot can happen in ten days. Flying under the radar isn't easy when you're falling in love.
Fifteen-year-old surfer girl Heidi leaves her skateboard lying around only for her identical twin, the horse loving Harper, to slip on it when taking a night time toilet trip leaving her hospitalised.
But Harper has places to be, and hospital isn’t one of them! So they hatch a plan for Heidi to take Harper’s place at Winmaroo’s Jillaroo and Jackaroo school where Harper hopes to impress and gain a scholarship to the exclusive Agricoll College for Year 11 & 12.
But you know what happens to the best laid plans…
Her first problem is Trent (who is Harper’s nemesis from school) is also there and he knows everything about Harper. Added to the fact Heidi has no idea about horses, mending fences, milking cows and doesn’t even know what on earth dipping sheep involves, their grand plan is looking shaky from the start.
To make matters worse, someone is setting Heidi up as a thief and manipulator and she can’t possibly know why. And then there is Chaz, who knew she would find love in such a foreign environment?
All this makes for a great new novel by Australian Kaz Delaney with a genuinely nice, gutsy female lead character and great storyline in the hugely successful rural romance genre for a teenage audience.
Girls 13+ will find it an easy and captivating read.
Reviewed by Rob