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Show Circuit #1
Summer Circuit
WARNING: CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT. RECOMMENDED FOR AGE 16+
It’s the summer before college. Hannah Waer is on her own at the seven-week summer horse show circuit in Vermont. Her father wants her to learn independence and responsibility so she has to take care of her own horse—which might not be a problem if she’d ever picked out a stall, or prepared a horse for the ring. It also doesn’t help that her horse won't jump.
When Hannah crashes (literally) into gorgeous and accomplished grand prix rider, Chris Kern, on her first day at the show, she’s certain her life is over. In fact, it’s just beginning.
The summer becomes one Hannah will never forget—a time of first love, of hard choices, and of learning that life is what you make of it.
It’s the summer before college. Hannah Waer is on her own at the seven-week summer horse show circuit in Vermont. Her father wants her to learn independence and responsibility so she has to take care of her own horse—which might not be a problem if she’d ever picked out a stall, or prepared a horse for the ring. It also doesn’t help that her horse won't jump.
When Hannah crashes (literally) into gorgeous and accomplished grand prix rider, Chris Kern, on her first day at the show, she’s certain her life is over. In fact, it’s just beginning.
The summer becomes one Hannah will never forget—a time of first love, of hard choices, and of learning that life is what you make of it.
- GenresHorsesYoung Adult
296 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 8, 2014
77 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
About the author
Kim Ablon Whitney
21 books50 followersKim moved back to her hometown of Newton, Mass. where she lives with her husband, two young sons, and greyhound. She is a graduate of Tufts University, and has an M.F.A. in creative writing from Emerson College. She is a member of the PEN New England Children’s Book Caucus and is the coordinator of the PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award. A lifelong horse lover and rider, she is a nationally licensed judge and officiates at horse shows around the country. She’s also a passionate Boston sports fan, and an excerpt from her baseball-themed novel-in-progress will appear in the anthology FENWAY FICTION.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 3, 2017
Okay, I'm hooked! After reading Summer Circuit, I'm excited to see where this story goes next and there's 3 more books in this series! When Summer Circuit starts, Hannah is the kind of horse person I usually can't stand -- someone who has a trainer and does none of the "grunt" work herself. However, her dad basically "cuts the purse strings" at the beginning of the story and Hannah has to learn to take care of her own horse, Logan, whom she honestly doesn't even like. She learns to clean his stall, to feed him, to groom him, to clean his (often pooped in) water buckets, and she slowly learns how to ride him, how to figure him out. And, she grows to love him... I appreciated watching her grow as a horsewoman and as a rider and I quickly grew to like Hannah as a character! I teared up in the last scene of this book, watching her and Logan together (no spoilers here... but it was a great ending!).
The other major plot line of Summer Circuit revolves around relationships -- boys and friends and watching Hannah find herself as a young woman. I really enjoyed this too and was rooting for Hannah throughout. Well I'm not certain Chris is the perfect person for her, I was wide-eyed and flipping pages through the ups and downs of the relationship drama. And, the end definitely leaves me wanting to see what happens between Hannah & Chris in the second book!
Overall, I really enjoyed my stay on the circuit...and I'll be picking up book 2, Winter Circuit!
P.S. - just a note that this book does contain mature content. It is categorized as young adult, but probably teeters on the side of new adult (just my opinion and wanted to throw that out there).
Also, you can find more of my equestrian-fiction reviews on Brittney Joy's blog at...
http://brittneyjoybooks.squarespace.c...
The other major plot line of Summer Circuit revolves around relationships -- boys and friends and watching Hannah find herself as a young woman. I really enjoyed this too and was rooting for Hannah throughout. Well I'm not certain Chris is the perfect person for her, I was wide-eyed and flipping pages through the ups and downs of the relationship drama. And, the end definitely leaves me wanting to see what happens between Hannah & Chris in the second book!
Overall, I really enjoyed my stay on the circuit...and I'll be picking up book 2, Winter Circuit!
P.S. - just a note that this book does contain mature content. It is categorized as young adult, but probably teeters on the side of new adult (just my opinion and wanted to throw that out there).
Also, you can find more of my equestrian-fiction reviews on Brittney Joy's blog at...
http://brittneyjoybooks.squarespace.c...
May 13, 2016
I was searching late one night for another horse series to read and this book popped up. Happened to get lucky and got it for free on Amazon Kindle Unlimited. I did not put the book down. I read it from start to finish. 1 am to 6 am, with a couple of breaks to cook, though I managed to read with one hand and do cooking stuff with the other. It may have slowed my reading process down, but I was so caught up in the circuit world that Kim Ablon Whitney created that I needed to know the ending before I went to sleep. Hannah is very endearing as the girl who starts out with little-to-no knowledge regarding how to actually take care of her horse. Her trainer is of no help, so she ends up finding solace with a couple of people who use the same trainer. After a run in with Chris, a possible Olympic contender if he had the right horse, the spark begins between them. It's an absolute beautiful story filled with friendship, new love, understanding of horses, and really learning oneself. It felt like I watched Hannah grow up through those weeks on the circuit and I adored who she became as a person with really understanding and going after what she wants.
Definitely read this book! I'm pretty sure it's one I'll definitely want to read again.
Definitely read this book! I'm pretty sure it's one I'll definitely want to read again.
December 26, 2015
I read this book in a single evening--it's a true page-turner! Whitney's experience in the horse world really shines forth in her descriptions of how top-level riders analyze their courses and train their horses. And the author obviously knows how to muck a stall as well as to describe a good trip in a hunter or jumper class. The training tips in the book about how to correctly use a half-halt will actually be useful for me during my own riding lessons! I was particularly interested in one of the secondary characters who is an amazing catch rider and can be incredibly level-headed in the ring...and yet shows very poor judgement about her personal life when not in the saddle. It's a paradox I've observed on many occasions in the 'real life' horse world.
July 17, 2016
Really entertaining, except I did get confused with all of the horse lingo.
I will Definately read the rest in the series.
I will Definately read the rest in the series.
January 8, 2025
It was one of those books where you are just along for a pleasant ride. Sure, there may not be the most enticing plot or something of the sort, but it is a book where you can simply sit back and enjoy the read without having to use a lot of brain power. As someone who had just read a very deep book, the lighter read was very appreciated. I was also very grateful for the attention to detail with the horse show circuit details! I love seeing the equestrian world represented in a fairly accurate way.
December 18, 2017
Who knew that the YA equestrian romance novel was a genre???? I’m hooked.
June 4, 2018
Good read
Good, easy, quick summer read. Enjoyable for anyone that enjoys the show circuit as an amateur, or as a spectator.
Good, easy, quick summer read. Enjoyable for anyone that enjoys the show circuit as an amateur, or as a spectator.
April 21, 2020
Not my cup of tea as far as style of writing.. couldn't get involved.
November 14, 2015
One of the many things I love about Kim Ablon Whitney, besides her first horse novel The Perfect Distance, is her horse knowledge. She showed on the A circuit, and now she's a USEF judge, so those horse facts you want equestrian fiction to always get right? Kim Ablon Whitney always delivers.
Summer Circuit is about Hannah Waer, a privileged girl in her last summer before college. She's riding the summer circuit, a prestigious and intense seven-week horse show in Vermont, without a groom or any help whatsoever because her multimillionaire father has insisted she figure it all out on her own. Hannah, sadly, is totally clueless. When she nearly runs her horse right into grand prix rider Chris Kern on her first day, it's pretty obvious that Hannah needs all the help she can get.
Fortunately for Hannah, Chris is intrigued. He offers to coach her in secret morning lessons, and eventually Hannah begins jumping over jumps in the show ring instead of bulldozing straight through them. As Hannah begins to improve, her fangirl crush on Chris begins to morph into something real. She's sure that Chris couldn't possibly feel the same way, but what if he did?
Summer Circuit is a gutsy little romance novel through and through. It does walk a thin line between young adult and new adult, so there is mature content that readers should be aware of before delving in with both feet. These scenes do feel in place with the theme, and in my opinion are watered down just enough for the young adult set. Where the novel shines is in inserting the reader into Kim's show circuit world, where everything is always richly described and the horse knowledge is, as always, top notch. If there's a sequel, I'll be picking it up.
Summer Circuit is about Hannah Waer, a privileged girl in her last summer before college. She's riding the summer circuit, a prestigious and intense seven-week horse show in Vermont, without a groom or any help whatsoever because her multimillionaire father has insisted she figure it all out on her own. Hannah, sadly, is totally clueless. When she nearly runs her horse right into grand prix rider Chris Kern on her first day, it's pretty obvious that Hannah needs all the help she can get.
Fortunately for Hannah, Chris is intrigued. He offers to coach her in secret morning lessons, and eventually Hannah begins jumping over jumps in the show ring instead of bulldozing straight through them. As Hannah begins to improve, her fangirl crush on Chris begins to morph into something real. She's sure that Chris couldn't possibly feel the same way, but what if he did?
Summer Circuit is a gutsy little romance novel through and through. It does walk a thin line between young adult and new adult, so there is mature content that readers should be aware of before delving in with both feet. These scenes do feel in place with the theme, and in my opinion are watered down just enough for the young adult set. Where the novel shines is in inserting the reader into Kim's show circuit world, where everything is always richly described and the horse knowledge is, as always, top notch. If there's a sequel, I'll be picking it up.
August 3, 2016
I LOVED this book so much. Even though the super corny book covers almost steered me away, this book was a total page turner. I actually became very anti social upon reading this book because I wanted to find every spare minute possible to read the book.
This was probably the best equestrian book I've ever read. And I've read a LOT of equestrian books. As a former equestrian, I could tell that this author knew her stuff and put a lot of thought into this book. She did a really good job writing the riding scenes - I feel like jumping can be difficult to translate through writing, if that makes any sense.
This is a definite MUST READ for any person into horses or horseback reading - but even on its own, it's a great plot line. The only thing that annoyed me was how Hannah didn't know how to take care of her horse - how did she not know how to take care of him??? Like how can you own a horse and not know this stuff? I get that she had grooms, but taking care of your horse is part of the experience and is rewarding and enjoyable. So that kind of made me frustrated with the character.
I really enjoyed the characters in this book. They all had their own personalities, which was nice and made them more real. Jed was actually pretty funny. The chapter where he imitated Jamie had me internally LOLing.
This was probably the best equestrian book I've ever read. And I've read a LOT of equestrian books. As a former equestrian, I could tell that this author knew her stuff and put a lot of thought into this book. She did a really good job writing the riding scenes - I feel like jumping can be difficult to translate through writing, if that makes any sense.
This is a definite MUST READ for any person into horses or horseback reading - but even on its own, it's a great plot line. The only thing that annoyed me was how Hannah didn't know how to take care of her horse - how did she not know how to take care of him??? Like how can you own a horse and not know this stuff? I get that she had grooms, but taking care of your horse is part of the experience and is rewarding and enjoyable. So that kind of made me frustrated with the character.
I really enjoyed the characters in this book. They all had their own personalities, which was nice and made them more real. Jed was actually pretty funny. The chapter where he imitated Jamie had me internally LOLing.
August 16, 2016
Alright so I'm going to be brutally honest about how I feel about this novel. Starting off it felt almost like I was reading something that could become a guilty pleasure. Horses and romance mixed together, what could be better for a horse lover such as myself? But boy was I wrong. While Hannah is not an unlikable character, I couldn't enjoy her personality at all since I (unlike her) am not a spoiled barn brat. I was trained to muck stalls, scrub water buckets, feed horses, groom horses, tack horses, clean tack ect, from the minute I started bouncing around on a horses back. Reading about a spoiled girl who has to learn everything from the ground up was disappointing to me in many ways. But I was willing to look past it if the information provided was accurate. And since the information was accurate I was willing to push myself to keep reading until about 60% of the way through. But then by the time I got there I decided to give up all pretenses and skip over various parts just to see what happens at the end. Another pet peeve of mine was Chris' inability to give Hannah any sexual gratification, while he got all the gratification he could possibly need. If you really love somebody you give as much as you take. All in all, I won't be picking up the next in this series and would tell all horse lovers to STAY AWAY FROM IT!
June 24, 2016
Meh... I don't like rating books poorly when the author didn't really do anything wrong but this was definitely too over the top for me.
Read it for the horses, not the love story.
In truth, I felt the story moved along at a realistic pace, the characters behaved in real ways and the romance was believable enough. BUT I really didn't like Hannah. She was whiney and stupid and naïve and I didn't really ever wish her success.
Chris was too perfect in every way.
Zoe's story was interesting and probably the most believable of all of the characters. The rest of the secondary characters were well developed and believable.
Overall, if you really want a horsey fix, read it but I found this too YA for me.
Read it for the horses, not the love story.
In truth, I felt the story moved along at a realistic pace, the characters behaved in real ways and the romance was believable enough. BUT I really didn't like Hannah. She was whiney and stupid and naïve and I didn't really ever wish her success.
Chris was too perfect in every way.
Zoe's story was interesting and probably the most believable of all of the characters. The rest of the secondary characters were well developed and believable.
Overall, if you really want a horsey fix, read it but I found this too YA for me.
August 14, 2016
Underside of the Horse Show Circuit
I thought the Arabian horse world was wild until starting to read novels about the hunter/jumper and saddle seat circuits.
Kim Ablon Whitney may be the most literate of the authors of these young adult-themed novels. Her plots are full of gritty real life in the adolescent-turningadult world and she relates the sadness of the "hook-up culture" without slipping into sleaze or porn. Good read for horsey adults and older teens. Parents might want to review these books with their kids and engage them in realistic conversation about real life and values for living. Horses really can help girls mature and develop life skills, but only with involved, nurturing parents.
I thought the Arabian horse world was wild until starting to read novels about the hunter/jumper and saddle seat circuits.
Kim Ablon Whitney may be the most literate of the authors of these young adult-themed novels. Her plots are full of gritty real life in the adolescent-turningadult world and she relates the sadness of the "hook-up culture" without slipping into sleaze or porn. Good read for horsey adults and older teens. Parents might want to review these books with their kids and engage them in realistic conversation about real life and values for living. Horses really can help girls mature and develop life skills, but only with involved, nurturing parents.
December 26, 2017
I downloaded a copy of Summer Circuit recently for free over at Instafreebie as a part of the Equestrian Horse Book Giveaway. Of all the books on offer, it was the only one I hadn’t yet read! Summer Circuit was a great look into the show jumping world from an interesting point of view. Hannah Waer is an eighteen-year-old who is used to the comfort that money brings. It’s how she got her horse Logan and is a part of the show jumping world.
Read more at http://equus-blog.com/summer-circuit-...
Read more at http://equus-blog.com/summer-circuit-...
March 16, 2015
I really enjoyed this book - especially reading it coming off a psychological thriller - it was lovely to like the characters, and I did like them very much. Loved the descriptions of the coaching relationship between Hannah and Chris. It was very much a page-turner, and I completely agree there could be a sequel. Also, yes, I understand the warning of mature content, but it's not explicit or graphic - not out of place - it's part of the story and, as such, perfectly fine.
December 21, 2014
This was quite good! I loved that Hannah wasn't the best rider - made her seem more real. Hope there's a sequel - I want to know what happens after the summer!
June 4, 2015
This was really a good book, I just wish it was longer. I felt like there was supposed to be more to the story by the end. Hope there is a sequel.
January 1, 2016
Great horse / love story
I enjoyed this very much. I can't wait to read the next book! Love the horse show scene and the love story was icing on the cake.
I enjoyed this very much. I can't wait to read the next book! Love the horse show scene and the love story was icing on the cake.
August 15, 2016
A book that takes place during Summer
May 13, 2016
A nice teen romance, set apart by its vivid descriptions of the world of show jumping. Anybody who has spent time in the saddle should enjoy this - I did!
May 27, 2015
An amazing book with the perfect amount of horses and romance.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews