Racing Savannah

October 14, 2013
Kenneally’s (Things I Can’t Forget) equestrian-themed romance is energized by another winning heroine: pragmatic and hardworking Savannah Barrow. The 17-year-old keeps her spirits up even though she’s been forced to move with her father and pregnant stepmother from West Virginia to ritzy Cedar Hill Farms in Tennessee, where her father is the new head groom for horses entered in the Kentucky Derby and other prestigious races. Savannah is immediately attracted to the farm owner’s son, Jack, but also intimidated by the class divide between them. She focuses her attention on saving money for a future that includes college and training Tennessee Star, a willful thoroughbred who will be sold unless he starts winning races. Savannah’s relationship with Star, her steamy but clandestine romance with Jack, and her budding career as a jockey help her confront her fears and recover from her mother’s death years earlier. Kenneally’s story about considering the importance of one’s own happiness should appeal to a wide audience; despite some bumps in the road, there’s never any doubt that all will end well. Ages 13–up. Agent: Sara Megibow, Nelson Literary Agency.

December 1, 2013

Gr 9 Up-This predictable teen romance set on a horse ranch in contemporary Tennessee will engage readers with a strong female protagonist and accessible writing. Spunky Savannah falls for the ranch owner's son while helping an underperforming horse live up to his prestigious bloodline. The characters are complicated with a bit of backstory and the writing keeps things moving with everyday dialogue and abbreviated descriptions. The plot conflicts seem too easily resolved, although interpersonal conflicts like parental disagreements and Savannah's resentment of her father's pregnant girlfriend take more twists and turns than the equine problems. Regrettably, the portions of the book on horse racing are too vague and brief to satisfy any particular interest in horses. The novel contains sex and sexual situations appropriate for teen audiences. The author's obvious endorsement of college-level education will appease those who would like fun stories to contain some sort of moral and the tacked-on theme of taking the "road less traveled" gives the book somewhat illusory depth. Nonetheless, fans of the author's previous titles will probably appreciate this entertaining if formulaic read. -Erin Reilly-Sanders, Ohio State University, Columbus

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2013
Grades 9-12 Kenneally (Stealing Parker, 2012) again looks at sports through a female lens, this time tackling male-dominated horse racing, in this fourth Hundred Oaks novel. Savannah, her widowed horse-trainer father, and her father's pregnant girlfriend move to Tennessee's Cedar Hill, a farm that trains horses for races including the Kentucky Derby. When the teen notices that she is the only one who can control Star, a horse that bucks all riders, she seizes the chance to realize her dream of becoming a jockey. But placing herself in this potentially deadly sport is not Savannah's only danger. There's also her instant attraction to Jack Goodwin, the farm owner's cocky, flirtatious son. Savannah decides she wants more than friends with benefits (even if she can't stop thinking about those skin-to-skin benefits), but wonders if she will always be considered the help in Jack's world of privilege. The author's knack for weaving forbidden romance, breezy dialogue, and details of this lesser-known sports venue places it in the winner's circle for reluctant readers and chick-lit fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)