Book Review: Racing Savannah by Miranda Kenneally

Racing Savannah

By Miranda Kenneally

Release Date: December 3, 2013

Source: Author

Summary: They’re from two different worlds.

He lives in the estate house, and she spends most of her time in the stables helping her father train horses. In fact, Savannah has always been much more comfortable around horses than boys. Especially boys like Jack Goodwin—cocky, popular and completely out of her league. She knows the rules: no mixing between the staff and the Goodwin family. But Jack has no such boundaries.

With her dream of becoming a horse jockey, Savannah isn’t exactly one to follow the rules either. She’s not going to let someone tell her a girl isn’t tough enough to race. Sure, it’s dangerous. Then again, so is dating Jack…

Review: I have been obsessed with Miranda Kenneally's books ever since Catching Jordan came out two years ago. Since then, gobbled up every book she's come out with and have been dying to get my hands on Racing Savannah ever since I heard about it. Who wouldn't want to read a story about a girl who works training horses and falls for the boss's son? 

Savannah has been living a life where she's always had to work with her Dad just to get by. When her Dad gets his girlfriend pregnant, though, money's even tighter and the family moves to the Goodwin Estate, where Savannah's Dad starts working with the horses while his girlfriend works in the house. All Savannah knows is horses, so she's determined to work in the stables too, but what she doesn't expect is to be working for Jack, the rich and gorgeous Jack who's learning how to take over the family business. Savannah can't keep her mind off of Jack, but it's obvious to everyone just how different their two worlds are. 

Alone, this book is awesome. But when you compare it to all of Miranda's other books, it didn't wow me as much as her previous novels did. For me, I think the problem lies in Savannah. While I liked Savannah's character, it seemed a bit forced whenever she would bring up the fact that she was poor and Jack was rich. Every time he even remotely snubbed her, she said it was because she was poor and "the help." I felt like she was being pretty selfish whenever that happened, because the way others act doesn't always have to do with her. So I think her feelings about being "the help" could have been a bit toned down. 

I really loved the whole horse aspect of this book. Miranda Kenneally always creates a world that explores some athletic life (like football and baseball with her other books), and she always immerses the reader into that world. I loved Savannah's passion for racing and her relationship with her horses. Her background really played into her connecting with Star, and it was awesome how Savannah could walk all over all of the men who worked at the stables too. It was a fun atmosphere and the perfect world for Savannah's story to take place in. 

Now, onto the romance. I think the romance between Savannah's best friends was a fun little added storyline, but I'm not quite sure what I think about the main relationship. Savannah and Jack seemed a bit cliche and I didn't find myself falling in love with them like I did in all of Miranda's other books. It was great, though, how the three couples from the three previous books made an appearance in this one. I always love it when authors do that, and it was fun to see where those couples all are now. 

Overall, this was a sweet romance that had a little thrill with the race horse plot. Savannah is a headstrong character who works hard for what she wants, but she's also a vulnerable girl who just wants someone who can be there for her. It's not my favorite from the Hundred Oaks series, but it was still a fun read with a fun and engaging storyline.