Racing Savannah (Hundred Oaks, 4)

Miranda Kenneally’s books have a style to them, a particular quality that make them so inherently readable. I love her conversational style of writing -- it makes her books so easy to delve into, and so enjoyable to read. This, her fourth book, focuses on the world of horse racing, something I know absolutely nothing about. I was happy to find myself interested in the subject (you almost can’t help it, it being something Savannah is so passionate about), but not overwhelmed by details or facts.

Our main pair for this book is Savannah and Jack, who are involved in a bit of a forbidden romance, since Savannah is part of the staff at Jack’s family’s farm. There’s a huge class difference between them, and a question of appropriateness since their parents do not approve. That undercurrent about class/money was definitely well written. It showed how having money doesn't mean you have class, but that it also doesn't indicate that you're a snob or a jerk. There was the same message about having less money: that just because that’s the case, it doesn’t mean you’re worth any less. The relationship in Racing Savannah was less swoony (for me) than in past books, but I still really liked these two together. It took some definite growth on both Savannah and Jack’s parts, but I feel like they ended up in a good place.

I really love how Miranda Kenneally brings back characters from past books for more than just two second cameos. There are major characters in this book that are siblings of past main characters, and without getting too spoilery, we get a wedding (!) for a past couple and an engagement for another. I can always picture the couples together in the future, finding weddings and engagements plausible, because the characters (including the ones from this book) are always such great friends. There’s so much more to their relationships than sexual chemistry.

In that regard, I think that Miranda Kenneally’s books are always very honest about sex and the emotions involved in it. They’re realistic about sexual activity, but it’s not presented in a tawdry or cheap way. It talks about how things can be good, but that you can also feel regret if things happen without a commitment. The book basically tells the characters (and the reader by default) that they are worthy, and that they deserve whatever it is they want from a relationship.

I’m a huge fan of Miranda Kenneally’s books: she is an auto-buy author for me. I definitely recommend Racing Savannah to fans of YA contemporary romance, but also for fans of sports books, or fans of just about any type of book that features strong relationships and a good message, without it being preachy in any way.

Heartwarming, fun, and with characters that I felt to know and regard almost like old friends, Racing Savannah was a book I read in literally two nights. I had never read a romance that takes place in a horse-racing backdrop, and I found myself enjoying learning the ins and outs of horse racing almost as much as I enjoyed seeing Savannah and Jack's relationship develop as the story progressed. One thing I love about this author is that she portrays people realistically. Most people in the story, just like most people in the real world, are a mixed bag - and yes, there are exceptions like the creepy son of one of the horse owners. Overall though, Racing Savannah succeeds not just with the main protagonists' relationship but also the side characters which Kenneally puts in to enrich the story. Oh, and any story about a badass girl jockey falling in love is just hard not to love...so I'm giving it 5 stars.

I love the Hundred Oaks books. They have so many layers to them. While romance is the forefront of this book, it delves deep into family issues, social classes, friendships, and new beginnings. I love the secondary characters of Vanessa and Rory and I hope we get to see them again some day. I love Kenneally weaves favorite old characters into the stories. It's great hearing a little tidbit about them. Most of the time, I loved Jack. He had a few moments where I wanted to smack him, but Savannah took care of that. I loved how she set him straight. I loved her strength, her determination, and how she tried to help out her family. A fantastically perfect read, making this one of my favorite contemporary series.

Originally posted on The Canon! [...]

I grew up with a horse in my backyard (we had lots of land, so it was more like we lived on the other side of his pasture). My mom says when I was little, I used to go sit in his barn and talk to him. I remember bits and pieces of this, but mostly I remember mucking out stalls and learning to ride. Horses are near and dear to me because they remind me of my home & of my mom, who is one of the biggest animal lovers I know. Racing Savannah, a romance taking place on a horse farm in Tennessee, was the perfect story for me.

THE CHARACTERS
Savannah is the element of this novel that really won me over. Her spitfire personality mixed with a generous, warm heart and a love for animals created one of the most complex characters I've read so far this year. The entire novel is told through her point of view, so I got to see her thoughts, reasoning and memories, which helped create this amazing character. Her determination to take care of her family and those she loved came before her pride, a quality that is hard to resist admiring.

Jack is presented as the typical rich playboy in the beginning of the novel. Although we never see from his perspective, Kenneally makes it easy to follow his train of thought and motivation. Jack has the power to at once push those boundaries that hold Savannah and her family and be tied up in them all at once. It was fascinating to watch his character struggle with what he wanted versus what he was expected to do. His character was an unexpected pleasure.

THE PLOT
I was really impressed by this plot. There were so many layers, subplots, and side story lines mixing together and by the end of the novel, they slid easily into one cohesive resolution. That's not to say there was too much going on, plot-wise - it felt exactly like sliding into their lives.

The romance really surprised me. I don't know quite what I was expecting, but the tension between Jack and Savannah kept me on my toes, especially after the halfway mark of the novel. I loved how there were so many different factors against them, forcing the plot to twist and turn. I'm trying to not give it away. It was fabulous.

THE WRITING
Kenneally's smooth, invisible writing carried me right off from my couch on the West coast to a horse farm in Tennessee, with the sights and sounds of horses. Truly, it was so easy to slip into this story because of her gorgeous writing.

There was a lot more humor than I expected. Savannah's personality gave a lot of room for little side remarks and, more than once, this novel made me laugh aloud.

FINAL THOUGHTS
I'm disappointed in myself that I haven't picked up one of Kenneally's books before, but I'm going to rectify that as soon as possible. I loved Savannah and Jack's story. My only wish is that there had been a little narration from his point of view, but it isn't a deal breaker. Savannah was such an entertaining character to have as a narrator throughout the story.

Honestly, my initial reaction upon writing this review for Racing Savannah is to want to kick myself in the butt for not reading this one when it released last year. I liked Catching Jordan, Kenneally’s debut novel, but my love for her series was cemented with Stealing Parker and fortified by Things I Can’t Forget. So, knowing I really liked her writing, I should have seized the opportunity and read Racing Savannah when it was in my hands months ago.

Racing Savannah is considered another companion novel in the Hundred Oaks series. But really, it feels more like a new beginning, as readers are introduced to a new generation of characters to fall in love with. I love the familiarity of the community, but also enjoy the newness offered by these fun new people!

But first, let’s focus on the one element that I loved about this book – the horses! I’ve been obsessed with the idea of horses and horseback riding since I was a little girl. (Relevant sidebar: I was a major fan of the Saddle Club books. Holler if you were too.) Though I’ve only really been riding a couple of times, it’s always been a really fun experience that I want to repeat!

Ahem, okay, back to reviewing now.

The story still evokes the Kenneally books of the past, focusing heavily on one character’s personal journey, and her relationships – familial, friendly & romantic. Savannah is our narrator – and she’s a really likable one, too! She’s really a typical teenager, albeit one with a strong interest in horses. Her struggles to give herself the best possible chance at a future (especially after recognizing her father’s financial difficulties), her genuine love for horses (from riding them to caring for them) and her willingness to do things for the people she cared about really won her major points with me. I liked that she made the best of her situation, and also happened to be pretty smart and downright funny at times.

As mentioned, many of Savannah’s relationships become important parts of this novel. She is very close to her father, who is afraid to lose Savannah after losing his wife. She starts out not really caring about her stepmother-to-be, but still willing to do anything for her and the baby she’s carrying. She becomes friends with Rory, a groom at the stables her father works at (and little brother to a guy named Will *winks*) and Vanessa, a surprisingly down-to-earth rich girl. She also has a pretty good repartee with the stable hands, grooms and exercise trainers, and even with the family that owns the stables.

And then there’s Jack. He is a rich boy, determined to prove to his father that he can capably manage their family business – their stables + horses. Jack’s known nothing but privilege all his life, but it’s pretty endearing to see how dedicated he is to making sure he handles business well. There were times when I wanted to tear his eyes out for the things he said or the way he acted, but there were also times that I wanted to hug him. In the end, he turns out to be a guy worth rooting for, that’s for sure.

There are a few things that really surprised me about Racing Savannah – and again, in the best way:

Sex: I was very pleasantly surprised to see that Kenneally didn’t shy away from things of a sexual nature. The reality is that many teenagers are sexually active – and that’s their choice to make. I really appreciated that Kenneally treated it as a part of regular life; it’s an excellent attitude to have.
Social class: This is obviously one of the bigger issues in this novel, as Jack is rich and Savannah is, well, not-so-rich. Seeing how their realities, despite an overlap when it came to working with horses, were so different was pretty startling. I sometimes forget that extremes like this do exist, and I think Kenneally did admirably in painting a picture that seemed pretty unbiased (and didn’t attack one class for particular qualities).
College & the future: One of the things many teens struggle to figure out is what they want for their future, and what they’ll be doing for the rest of their lives. Kenneally depicts two situations here. Jack is set to run the family business, and wants to. Savannah assumes she’ll go straight from high school to working around horses. It’s interesting to see how both situations play out for them, especially Savannah’s, and I really think it felt realistic.
Racing Savannah was the perfect read to get back in the saddle with the Kenneally series. (See what I did there?) Really, it’s got the signature charm of the first three in the series, due to an irresistible combination of characters (including appearances of all of my old favorites) + setting + story. It was a stellar addition to the Hundred Oaks collection, and a very solid contemporary read all in all.

== WHAT I LIKED ==

I LOVED the horses This was easily my favourite part of the book. I used to be a huge horse person. I mean, I still love horses, but I used to take horseback riding lessons. I used to fantasize about owning my own horse (and I still think it would be cool!). So reading this book had me overcome with nostalgia. I wanted to be Savannah and live around horses and have some kind of “magic horse touch”. I wanted it all!

I adored Rory and Vanessa!!! Honestly I thought their romance was cuter than Savannah and Jack’s. Maybe it’s because Rory is more my type than Jack LOL! Rory is kind of quirky with a bit of nerd in there. But mostly, I just loved how Rory and Vanessa came from two different worlds (poor farmhand vs rich family) but they didn't care at all. They loved each other and it was so clear that they didn’t care about consequences or expectations. They just went for it and it was SO.SWEET!!! There was never a time when Rory thought, “I don’t deserve her because she’s rich” and never a time when Vanessa thought, “He’s not good enough for me”. That just never crossed their minds.

== WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE ==

I think I got a little too excited about the horse aspect of this book, so I was disappointed when it moved away from that and focused on the romance. I mean, obviously this is a romance book with a horse racing backdrop. It’s NOT the other way around. But somewhere in the middle of the book, I started wishing it was the other way around. I wanted it to turn into an epic Secretariat story LOL! Actually halfway through reading I was like OMG MUST START WATCHING SECRETARIAT NOW EVEN THOUGH IT’S 1:30AM. (And I did, and it was worth it. I adore that movie.)

So I guess that isn’t really a ‘negative’ part of the book.. I just got too excited about the horses and wanted more than the book was going to give. I wanted Savannah to turn into some kind of epic horse jockey that wins tons of famous races.. well obviously that didn’t happen.

I didn’t like the constant “rich people vs poor people” thing. When I read the acknowledgements, I realized that Miranda Kenneally wanted this book to show that there don’t have to be barriers between rich people and poor people. But honestly, I was SHOCKED by the barriers in this book. The way some people acted made me think I was reading a book during civil war times when there were massive gaps between blacks/whites and women/men. Just the way they acted about “status”. Like Savannah hated rich people because “they look down on her” or “a farmhand can’t date a farm owner”. I mean, really? Do people actually act like that these days?

Some of Savannah’s comments and judgments REALLY annoyed me:

"Considering she’s popular and wealthy, I don’t think Rory will ever get her into bed even if he does behave like a perfect gentleman."
"Crazy that she’s interested in Rory, considering they come from very different lives. What will the other kids say when they hear about this? Will they wonder why Vanessa would date a farmhand?"
"I never even considered a girl like her might like my friend."
"Maybe I was right before. Rich people are all alike. Only care about their goddamn money. Only care about what’s best for them."

I HATED how Savannah was so judgmental. She just assumed that all rich people only care about status and money, and if you don’t have either then you’re not worth their time. Instead of judging people like individuals based on their personality or actions, she judged them based on their status.. which is exactly what she complained that rich people did (judge her because she’s poor).

But what really got me was that it always seemed like Savannah was alone in this thinking. Like she said, “What will the other kids say when they hear about this? Will they wonder why Vanessa would date a farmhand?” Clearly Savannah is worried. But I got the impression that no one else cared. I don’t think anyone at their school cared that Rory and Vanessa were dating, despite their differences. But for some reason it was always on Savannah’s mind, and that irked me.

I know that this was supposed to be about growth and character development. Savannah starts out with assumptions about rich people and beliefs about “status”, then she kind of gets proven wrong in the end. So ultimately it does end with a good message.. but I couldn’t stand some of the parts in between. I was so ready for her to grow up and look beyond wealth.

== BUT ULTIMATELY I ENJOYED THE BOOK ==

Mostly I loved the horses, but overall I did enjoy Racing Savannah. It was a fun book to read. The romance wasn’t amazing, but it was “pretty sweet”. I kind of wish that Jack and Savannah’s relationship was more like Rory and Vanessa’s. Now theirs was adorable!

This review and others like it available at confessionsofanadultteenreader.blogspot.ca

There are so many great parts to Racing Savannah. From the humor (especially the character of Rory, whose script ideas ranged from groan inducing to eyebrow raising), to the different family dynamics, the ridiculously amazing setting, and the personified animals, the novel is so full and so fulfilling for readers. All of those aspects may be great, but seeing a character grow to accept who she is the way Savannah does, is incomparable in its greatness. Jumping out of her comfort zone and taking chances turns out to be the best possible thing Savannah could do. Savannah goes from having insecurities about where she comes from and who she is, to realizing that she is the one who has set her own bar of expectations too low. She moves from insecurity to empowerment, and that journey is invigorating and powerful for the reader.

The one element of Racing Savannah that I could have done without was, second half of the novel's Jack. I know I'm probably alone in this, and that Jack and Savannah's relationship will probably have a large number of fans, but I couldn't get past the way he made Savannah feel in the beginning - as though she was lesser than him because his family has money. Jack grows and changes positively throughout the novel, almost as much as Savannah, but I don't feel that I could have gotten past the initial hurt he caused in the same way Savannah does. I really liked that Savannah empowers herself by being true to who she is without apology, especially when she stands up for herself against Jack. I felt in forgiving him as completely as she does, a small part of that empowerment was taken away.

Reading Racing Savannah leaves you with an ooey gooey warm love feeling - an exceptional feat given that Savannah's life is far from being all sugar and lollipops (you'll get the reference when you read it!). Savannah is one of those characters that you can literally see grow before your eyes, and you love her so much for it. For every bit of humour, and every supportive relationship Savannah builds, there's an equal amount of disappointment and hurt just waiting to work its way into her life. The balance of happy and hardship is so perfect and realistic, you'll have a really hard time not falling completely head over heal in love with the characters and the novel.

Sidenote - I thought this novel was a standalone. I had no idea it is book four in a series. You may get some additional benefit reading the other novels beforehand, but I thought it worked really well on its own.

Rating 4.5/5

*** I received a copy of the novel from the publisher to read and honestly review. I was in no way compensated.

I don’t think it really comes as a surprise that I loved Racing Savannah by Miranda Kenneally. As a matter of fact, I think I’ve enjoyed all of the books in the Hundred Oaks Series and if she keeps writing like this, I don’t see that changing any time soon.

While I loved this one, I kind of wanted Savannah to have a bit more fire to her. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t want her to be a ‘take on the world single-handedly’ kind of character, I just wanted her to have a bit more sass. And even though she wasn’t assertive as I would have liked, she certainly wasn’t a pushover. She had respect for herself and she wasn’t afraid to show it while at the same time she managed to retain a vulnerability that made her likable.

Likewise, Jack managed to exhibit a strange combination of charm, clueless, and douche behaviour that for some reason just worked for his character and the overall dynamic between him and Savannah. It was like you could see the glimpse of the man that he could turn out into and all he needed was a nudge in the correct direction.

What I particularly like about Kenneally’s writing is that she manages to make me interested in things that I would normally have absolutely no interest in, like horse racing. She makes me learn something without realizing it and does it in such a way that she is not just dumping information or throwing statistics at me, which I can tell you is greatly appreciated. She also gets bonus points for dealing with the whole class prejudice issue in such a way that shows that it is not one sided, but rather goes both ways. It’s done in such a subtle way that while anyone can recognize the right and wrong, they can also relate to it.

Racing Savannah by Miranda Kenneally is just a great read that anyone can really delve into and enjoy.

This review was originally posted at:[...]
My Initial Thoughts:

I loved Catching Jordan, I hated Stealing Parker, and I liked Things We Can’t Forget. In my head, I didn’t know if I would love this book or hate it. What did perk me up was the whole ranching side and racing horses aspect of the story. That intrigued me, but apart from that, I really didn’t know what my reaction to this book would be.

Review:

I am going to be absolutely honest with you… I LOVED THIS BOOK. I fangirled throughout the whole entire book. I love the way Miranda Kenneally develops her characters, how we can see them grow. I love that this book takes place several years after the first book, Catching Jordan, and we are able to see what has happened to our favorite characters in the past 4 years.

The romance in this novel is believable. Jack, that lovable bastard, is it just me or did he remind you of Adrian Ivashkov a little? Anyone? Maybe just me, but man I loved him as a character. He has his faults, several at the beginning, but he sees his wrongs and changes. That’s why I love him.

Savannah was also a character I enjoyed because she didn’t let a guy define her. She one knew her worth and did not lower herself to please a guy in a way that degrades her. We need more girl characters in YA that know their self-worth and fight for their life instead of letting a guy fix all of their problems.

Overall, I recommend this book. It is a quick read that will have you gushing and screaming of joy. I can’t wait for Breathe, Annie, Breathe which is Ms. Kenneally’s next novel.

Rating: 5/5

This is the second novel of Miranda Kenneally’s that I’ve read. Catching Jordan didn’t really work for me because I couldn’t relate to Jordan. Racing Savannah, on the other hand, worked on almost every level. I loved Savannah, though, like Jack, I was little disappointed with her life choices- at first. As Savannah is allowed to chase after her dreams, they begin to evolve and grow, and she quickly realizes that, despite her humble background, there isn’t a race that she can’t win. By the end of the book, I was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. This is a satisfying fairy tale, and it all revolves around one of the things I love best; horses.

Savannah’s family has up and moved to Tennessee just days before her senior year of high school. She’s not happy to be in new surroundings, crowded in a small community house for the employees of her father’s new boss, but the move is a step up for him. The farm is beautiful, her father is the head groom of a million dollar racing outfit, and the horses are spirited and fast. Savannah is determined to work as an exercise rider to help pay the medical bills crippling her father’s finances. Her mother’s terminal illness left them under a crushing amount of debt. To make their financial outlook even more bleak, her father has gotten his new girlfriend pregnant, and Savannah won’t just sit by and watch her new sibling suffer the same meager childhood she experienced.

I’ll be jumping around during this review. Sorry! There was a lot going on in the book, and I wanted to address some of the major conflicts in Savannah’s life separately. Nobody in her family finished high school, let alone college, so she doesn’t even think about going down that route. She does know that she isn’t going to be like her father, working minimum wage jobs and struggling to put food on the table. She is going to be an exercise rider, because they make more money. Savannah has been raised around racetracks, and a life doing anything without horses isn’t a consideration. She loves them, she loves riding, and she can’t comprehend doing anything else. Money is always a concern of hers, and now with a new family member on the way, she’s consumed with it. How can she make things better for everyone? Later in the novel, her father accuses her of being selfish and only doing what she wants to do; I wanted to slap him upside the head and tell him what a selfish jerk he was. And what about setting a good example for his daughter? Don’t get your girlfriend pregnant when you have no means to support the family you already have. Idiot!

The farm is owned by the Goodwin family. They are dripping with old money, and when Savannah meets their son, Jack, she breaks one of the rules for the staff; staff is not allowed to mingle with the family. They should know their place. Jack and Savannah are instantly attracted to each other, despite the objections of both of their families. Jack’s father is afraid of tainting the family name if Jack is caught dating a servant, and Savannah’s dad is afraid of losing his job. When Jack wants to keep their relationship a secret, Savannah’s heart is broken, but she realizes it’s time to move on. She won’t allow herself to be used, or to be a secret, and I had more respect for her for sticking to her guns about that.

For the next year, Jack is in charge of the farm, and that’s one of the things that didn’t work for me. I found it difficult to believe that his father, who is so controlling, would allow his high school aged son to actually make all of the major decisions for the business while Jack’s also studying and trying to score well on his college entrance exams. While this gave Savannah and Jack many opportunities to spend time together, I just didn’t find it very believable.

While I don’t know much about horse racing, there wasn’t anything about the horsey parts of the book that I found jarring. In order for the story to work, Savannah has an uncanny ability to understand the horses under her care in ways no one else can. When she’s hired as an exercise rider, one of the horses, a promising young stallion with a bloodline to die for, is struggling with his racing. His career record sucks, and considering the amount of money Jack agreed to pay for the stud fees, he is under pressure to get the horse into a winning way. Savannah’s exercise times with the horse are impressive, and as she continues to work with Star, she thinks she understands why he is so skittish during races. This opens the door for her to look beyond her original life plan for herself. There is something more for her, a higher calling, if you will. Once she’s given the responsibility to take charge of Star’s racing future, she also begins to take charge of her own future. I loved this part of Racing Savannah. Savannah learns to give herself more credit and she develops a larger world view. Life won’t be restricted to exercising horses. She is going to reach for the stars that she can see outside of her tiny window. Sometimes, it isn’t the view that’s important – it’s the courage to reach outside your comfort zone and grab hold of something new.

I read this in a few hours, and I couldn’t put it down. Some might find the horse racing aspects tedious, but I loved them, as well as how the horses were meshed into Jack and Savannah’s relationship. I was so invested in the story, too. I wanted Savannah to chase down her dreams, and to not settle. Not for a dead-end job, an unfaithful boyfriend, or life with few expectations. I wanted to yell to her, “Run, Savannah, and catch those dreams!” And in the end, the horses weren’t the only ones winning their races.

Grade: B+