A Photo Finish

“Fake it ‘til you make it, Vi. It doesn’t matter how I got here. I rode that race, and it wasn’t an easy one. DD and I deserve this win, and I’m going to accept it with grace rather than beat myself up about not deserving it.”

Though much of A Photo Finish addresses Cole’s lack of self-confidence, this early excerpt from Violet’s internal monologue indicates that she, too, experiences moments of self-doubt, particularly during her freshman season as a jockey. However, unlike Cole, whose self-doubt overwhelms him, Violet refuses to let her questions about deserving her role as a jockey drown out her sense of accomplishment. Her ability to fight for her self-confidence becomes a model for Cole and is one of the things he most admires and loves about her.

“Usually, I’m hard on my body. Usually, I think everything is a little too small, not what I’d consider ‘womanly,’ but in this picture…I feel sexy.”

In the flashback timeline, Violet feels insecure about her smaller stature, which makes her feel as though she can’t be sexual. This stature ends up being a professional boon, since it’s the ideal body type for a jockey. Her career helps her reframe her attitude toward her body, which she’s more confident about in the novel’s main timeline.

“The pony rider is completely different from a jockey. They ensure we get to the gate safely, like a security blanket for a nervous horse. An important member of the team.”

This reference to the horse pony rider being an “important member of the team” foreshadows Cole’s decision to support Violet’s career by serving as the pony rider. His taking on this role later in the novel enables him to actively support Violet in achieving her dream and ensure that she’s as safe as possible while performing her dangerous job.