I think this was a weaker, more formulaic book than the preceding three anyway, but the terrible racing parts didn't help.

Do better with your horse stories! ( )

The author of the book is Miranda Kenneally, and the book is called Racing Savannah. This is a book about trial and error, love and heartbreak, and passion for the sport that all the characters love so much. Savannah is a young girl still in high school who is forced to move from North Carolina to Tennessee when her dad finds a better paying job her senior year of high school. Savannah goes unwillingly to the horse ranch where her father will be working. She get to the ranch and falls in love with one horse in particular and decides she is going to race this horse and win all the big prizes. Along the way she finds love and becomes a great female horse jockey, and the rest is history between Savanna and Jake. The cover of the book is girl in jeans and yellow rain boots sitting on the edge of a fence and a guy leaned up against the fence next to her. They are surrounded in by a field of green grass. This book is more for teenagers and young adults, girls would like this book a lot more as well. ( )

I wanted to read this one because I've seen a lot of good things about the series and the author. This is the only one in the series that I have read, and I wasn't lost, there were other characters mentioned and it did seem like a drop in to see how they were doing, but that was okay with me. It especially spoke to me because when I was younger I love the Thoroughbred series and I rode horses of my own so that's always something that's interesting story line for me with the personal connections as well.

While racing Savannah that was some pretty heavy issues including are losing her mother. she also takes on some of the responsibility for her family they are pretty low income and her step mom is pregnant and having a hard time working social take on some of these shows that her step mom supposed to do. this really told me a lot about Savannah's character that she was very giving and she had a really good heart that she wanted to help. I also liked how determined she was and that she learn to dream and she learned sometimes helping herself in the short term will help family and friends in the long term as far as her dreams and aspirations and finally entertaining the thought of college for herself.

Racing Savannah also dealt with some classes since the romantic interest jack is currently working under his father learning to take over running their farm which entails breeding horses racing horses and the care of them. Jack and his family are really well off they have people to take care of their house their horses and all sorts of things and Savannah and her family are hired by Jack's father.

I like Jack, he really seemed to bond with Savannah and he really respected hard time because Savannah just had a way with words of understanding them and figuring out what they want and how to get them to perform. there's a lot of chemistry between Jack and Savannah but Jack is also just learning to take over the business and he very much considers what his dad would think and how he would react to basically dating the help. His family is also in negotiations with another Pharm and he has kind of been pushed up on the daughter and order to help seal a business deal and this also affects the kind of how I saw Jack. But I love his character development even though for quite a while in the book I kind of question his motives and if he was going to be the man that Savannah needed him to be set of just two people who have a lot of chemistry and then she kind of moves on to someone else but I really appreciate how it was done and I ended up liking that romantic angle by the end of the book.

I would read more of the Hundred Oaks, but am a little sad that horses won't be featured in the other books.

Bottom Line: Quick, entertaining, like the horse aspect and Savannah as a character. ( )

Great young adult story from Miranda Kenneally. Now Im in the mood to watch The Black Stallion or Secretariat again. (How does she manage that? First read for me was taking up running again with Breathe, Annie, Breathe and now horses...)

The moral of the story spoke loudly to me: No matter where you've been, where you are, or where your Robert Frosted Road takes you, you can accomplish pretty much anything so long as you are willing to reach for your dreams.

That message couched in some talented writing makes one fine story. ( )

While Racing Savannah is considered part of the Hundred Oak series, each of the books is a standalone, so I’m not really sure why it’s considered a series. Anyway, this is the first Miranda Kenneally book I’ve read. I was never interested in any of the other books in the set but this one caught my eye because it sounded like the old ABC Family show, Wildfire. I’m obsessed with that show and it’s not often you see books about a girl jockey or horse racing.

While I loved the horse farm setting and the actual horse racing scenes I found myself sorely disappointed in the rest. I honestly didn’t like a single character in this book, main, secondary or otherwise.

Savannah really got on my nerves more and more as the story went on. She tries to act tough and prove herself in a mostly male dominated job by mouthing off and pretty much being a jerk. I also felt like she had no ideas for herself. She never once considered being a jocky until Jack mentioned it and then suddenly it’s her life dream. She also never considered going to college but when she tells Jack and he is shocked and disappointed in her all of a sudden she HAS to go to college. Basically she had no dreams or ambitions for herself, except to not be poor all her life.

Jack Goodwin was no better. Yes, he was attractive and flashed that thousand watt smile all the time but he was still cocky as hell. He was willing to fool around with Savannah in secret but wasn’t willing to be a real couple because “that wouldn’t look good for the farm” the owners son and a lowley horse groomers daughter. You really picked a winner there Savannah!

The romance didn’t feel genuine at all, it was more like raging teen hormones than any true feelings for one another. That goes for secondary characters, Rory & Vanessa as well. Hard core making out in line full of people at the local restaurant is just gross =P especially when people are yelling at you to stop!

Overall, while I loved the horse racing backdrop and a girl jockey working to prove herself I just didn’t connect with or care about any of the characters. Now that I’ve tried and know what Keannelly’s books are like I won’t bother reading any others. ( )