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Heartland #2
After the Storm
Heartland is a horse farm nestled in the hills of Virginia, but it's much more than that. Heartland is like no other place - it's a place where the scars of the past can be healed, a place where frightened and abused horses learn to trust again.
Amy hasn't seen Spartan since the accident - that stormy night that changed their lives forever. Now Spartan is coming to Heartland. He's not the same horse. He's filled with an anger that seems directed at Amy. At the sight of her, he lashes out - teeth bared, hooves flailing. Amy has so much healing to do on her own, it seems she's the last person who could help Spartan. But she might also be the only one.
Amy hasn't seen Spartan since the accident - that stormy night that changed their lives forever. Now Spartan is coming to Heartland. He's not the same horse. He's filled with an anger that seems directed at Amy. At the sight of her, he lashes out - teeth bared, hooves flailing. Amy has so much healing to do on her own, it seems she's the last person who could help Spartan. But she might also be the only one.
171 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2000
76 people are currently reading
3018 people want to read
About the author
Lauren Brooke
121 books639 followersLauren Brooke grew up in a ranch in Virginia and now lives in Leicestershire, England. Her husband is a veterinarian who specializes in horses. Her books have been published by Scholastic since Mid-2000, starting with the first book of the Heartland book series. The first book of her popular Chestnut Hill series was published in 2005.
According to an interview on scholastics' website, Lauren Brooke has been riding since before she could walk. She also said she competes in a few local-level horse shows and events.
There may be some other people in books and movies named Lauren Brooke:
Amazon lists the author of "Book of spiritual regeneration" (1995) as Lauren Brooke.
IMDB.com has a record for an Actress named Lauren Brooke. Her only movie is "Wiseguys vs. Zombies" (2003) as Goat Man's Wife.
According to an interview on scholastics' website, Lauren Brooke has been riding since before she could walk. She also said she competes in a few local-level horse shows and events.
There may be some other people in books and movies named Lauren Brooke:
Amazon lists the author of "Book of spiritual regeneration" (1995) as Lauren Brooke.
IMDB.com has a record for an Actress named Lauren Brooke. Her only movie is "Wiseguys vs. Zombies" (2003) as Goat Man's Wife.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
November 25, 2019
Ahh, Heartland. This middle grade series gives me series nostalgic vibes with all of it's wonderful writing. Lauren Brooke has crafted such a wonderful and sweet story all mashed in one little middle grade novel. These books make my heart swell and take my back to my childhood (even if I didn't read them back in the day).
I highly recommend this series for anyone looking to get their children into middle grade novels. This book is serious cuteness overload - there's horses, drama and education - all throughout this book. It's well written and far better than a lot of the books I was forced to read in my elementary school days. I wish this series was one of the books that was littered throughout my elementary school's library because I would have ate them up.
This book focuses on family and friendships. Amy and her sister Lou, her Grandpa, her friends, Ty, the horses - so many good relationships are presented in this book and they make them all grow and feel so real. While there are dramatic moments in this book, everything grows and feels so affectionately real. The importance of love and friendships is so heavily focused yet it doesn't cheapen the book. And the character development is also starting to take off more... Hopefully it continues with the next book in the series.
Is this book accurate? Not 100%. I don't think a young girl could easily tame a horse as easy as Amy did, but I wouldn't use that against this book. It's for middle grade readers and it's not a horse training non-fiction book. It's a work of fiction.
When I was looking through other reviews I had a good chuckle because Amy talks about how much she misses her Mom. I lost my Dad just before I turned 18, and as a mid-twenty-something I still think everyday how much I miss my dad. Clearly those reviewers have never lost anyone (let alone as a PRE-TEEN and a sudden death...) or don't have an empathetic bone in their body.
Overall, this book is a wonderful little read. It's quick, easy to read and a fun middle grade novel. Being able to enjoy this book as an adult is an absolute gem! It only took me about an hour and a half to read. I can't wait to find the next book in this series and binge the rest of it!
P.S. If you like this book, or this series, watch the television show! It's just as lovely and it's a Canadian production!
Four out of five stars.
I highly recommend this series for anyone looking to get their children into middle grade novels. This book is serious cuteness overload - there's horses, drama and education - all throughout this book. It's well written and far better than a lot of the books I was forced to read in my elementary school days. I wish this series was one of the books that was littered throughout my elementary school's library because I would have ate them up.
This book focuses on family and friendships. Amy and her sister Lou, her Grandpa, her friends, Ty, the horses - so many good relationships are presented in this book and they make them all grow and feel so real. While there are dramatic moments in this book, everything grows and feels so affectionately real. The importance of love and friendships is so heavily focused yet it doesn't cheapen the book. And the character development is also starting to take off more... Hopefully it continues with the next book in the series.
Is this book accurate? Not 100%. I don't think a young girl could easily tame a horse as easy as Amy did, but I wouldn't use that against this book. It's for middle grade readers and it's not a horse training non-fiction book. It's a work of fiction.
When I was looking through other reviews I had a good chuckle because Amy talks about how much she misses her Mom. I lost my Dad just before I turned 18, and as a mid-twenty-something I still think everyday how much I miss my dad. Clearly those reviewers have never lost anyone (let alone as a PRE-TEEN and a sudden death...) or don't have an empathetic bone in their body.
Overall, this book is a wonderful little read. It's quick, easy to read and a fun middle grade novel. Being able to enjoy this book as an adult is an absolute gem! It only took me about an hour and a half to read. I can't wait to find the next book in this series and binge the rest of it!
P.S. If you like this book, or this series, watch the television show! It's just as lovely and it's a Canadian production!
Four out of five stars.
August 5, 2013
Heartland is a great horse related series, but they definitely aren't to be taken seriously in terms of training techniques or horsemanship.
This is the second book in this series, and the second book from this series I have read. Yes, it was a very light read, fast paced and enjoyable for horse lovers. However, I do have a couple of issues with it.
For instance... the concept of joining up, the way Amy did with Spartan. I guarantee that it would take more than one session with ANY horse, even one who is trained or trusting, to see that much of a difference. The whole healing process for Spartan seemed very rushed and unrealistic. If he was honestly that traumatized, it would take months of rehab and training for a horse to turn around like that.
Another thing I didn't really like is that hunter and jumper seem to be the same thing in horse show world in these books when really they are not at all the same.
I know these books are written for younger. Horse crazy girls who likely won't have the opportunity to do many of the things Amy does in the book. However I can imagine some individuals thinking that these books are realistic and try to rescue a horse, only to be badly hurt because they don't have a full understanding of what they are doing. This book gives you the feeling that anyone can save a horse, which is far from the truth.
That being said, it was a fun light read and enjoyable when taken from a fictional world. I definitely look forward to reading more in this series.
This is the second book in this series, and the second book from this series I have read. Yes, it was a very light read, fast paced and enjoyable for horse lovers. However, I do have a couple of issues with it.
For instance... the concept of joining up, the way Amy did with Spartan. I guarantee that it would take more than one session with ANY horse, even one who is trained or trusting, to see that much of a difference. The whole healing process for Spartan seemed very rushed and unrealistic. If he was honestly that traumatized, it would take months of rehab and training for a horse to turn around like that.
Another thing I didn't really like is that hunter and jumper seem to be the same thing in horse show world in these books when really they are not at all the same.
I know these books are written for younger. Horse crazy girls who likely won't have the opportunity to do many of the things Amy does in the book. However I can imagine some individuals thinking that these books are realistic and try to rescue a horse, only to be badly hurt because they don't have a full understanding of what they are doing. This book gives you the feeling that anyone can save a horse, which is far from the truth.
That being said, it was a fun light read and enjoyable when taken from a fictional world. I definitely look forward to reading more in this series.
October 2, 2010
I thought that this book was absolutley amazing, and I now understand why this series is called Heartland.
I believe it is called heart land because these stories just touch your heart especially if you are a horse lover like myself.
I cried so much near the end of the book when I had found out that Amy was going to have to put Pegasus down, because of the tumor that was in his chest. It just touched me when I read this book and found out how really important this farm is to Amy, especially now that she has more bussiness, and Heartland will go on.
I believe it is called heart land because these stories just touch your heart especially if you are a horse lover like myself.
I cried so much near the end of the book when I had found out that Amy was going to have to put Pegasus down, because of the tumor that was in his chest. It just touched me when I read this book and found out how really important this farm is to Amy, especially now that she has more bussiness, and Heartland will go on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2019
I did not care for this book. The main character spent the entire book mourning her mother. It was a tragedy, but that already went on in the first book. The author needed to move the plot along.
January 3, 2019
I really liked the part of the book when Amy and Lou really started understanding that they each have different talents and they need to respect each other in that. I think it is harder for them to communicate, because they both took it hard when their mother was killed. I think Amy has a hard time communicating with others because she is trying to keep the ranch open. They only parts of the book I don't like it when they talk about how they help the horses they bring in. I think if they get more people to go and help on the ranch it will be easier for them to keep it open. They also need to get more of a business side to it. They could run it more as a business and not a hobby. The ranch is on their mothers fathers land so he takes care of the girls. He is older so he can't do as much of the working part on the ranch. He could do more of the business side just to keep it up and going. I really liked the book, could have been a little better with explaining how they are doing things.
October 5, 2015
This series is quite addictive... The writer is pretty good, succeeding in giving a frame to these little stories, an extra spark here and there. I just wanted to know what kind of books my daughter reads, but now I think I'll read the series. After all, it doesn't take long.
Can anyone tell me why there is a different girl on each cover though? And this one looks like she was terminally sick...
Can anyone tell me why there is a different girl on each cover though? And this one looks like she was terminally sick...
November 7, 2017
The book “ Heartland “ by Lauren Brooke is a sad and sweet book to read. I believe it is a good book to read because it describes the experience a young girl in middle school who is going through a tornado and her mom’s car breaks down. I enjoyed this book because it is sad and sweet and teaches you to appreciate what you have. I would recommend this book to 6th graders and 7th graders.
January 9, 2020
It was an amazing story this at almost had me to tears. This story about two sisters most defiantly is worth reading again. I liked it so much that i was going to buy them for myself even though my local Library has them. If you ever get the chance to read these books please do. They are an easy read with a great story.
August 21, 2018
I just now discovered this was book 2, so first let me point out that I haven't read the first book. In this one, Amy desperately wants to help a horse that she feels connected to, due to an accident. I enjoyed reading this heartfelt, loving story. It was fast-paced, kept my attention, and I really liked the ending.
June 15, 2009
This was cute like the first one and finished off the story of Amy and Spartan, the horse that had been in an accident that left her mother dead and the horse mistrustful of Amy. It's a great read for a young girl.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 22, 2019
Reread from my childhood. I still enjoyed reading this one, but it felt repetitive and Amy was pretty annoying even though she was still mourning.
April 6, 2012
mehhh,
I first read these books when I was about 10 years old, and I was totally enchanted by the way Amy could work with horses, and the way she trained with natural methods, using herbs and alternative therapy.
Now being 15 years old, and training my own horses using alternative training methods and herbs, I see many things wrong and vague with these books.
Lauren Brooke has made it seem that all you need to do to train a horse is "ask" politely (using words!), give it a rub of this and drop of that, chase it around a round pen, stick it in its stall, and voila, cured horse! Horse training is SOOOOO not like that. Horses are not people!
While herbs are very helpful, and so is round pen work (all though you don't just get join up by chasing a horse with a lead rope, it takes way more finesse and technique than that), Amy never does the absolute obvious with problem horses. She rarely has a vet check to rule out any pain, and saddle and/or bit fitting have never been mentioned in any of the books. Those two things are absolutely KEY in working with a problem horse. First you have to rule out any outside pain!
What I'm worried about with these books is that little horse loving girls will go out and get a pony, and try to train it using the methods in these books. But, because they're so vague, they will ultimately fail, and have a very messed up, angry or fearful horse on their hands. I know this, because I was one of those girls. I took an abused 2 year old filly, and attempted to train her using these books. It did not end well, and if I had not found a wonderful, classically trained mentor to teach me, my parents would have sold my horse to slaughter, because she had become too dangerous. I have also helped horses of people I go to school with, who have attempted to train horses from story books, and failed.
These books are not all bad. They are a great 1-2 hour read if you want drama and a sob story. They show that there are alternative ways to train and work with horses, and that you don't have to use a crop all the time. However, the absolute simplicity of these books can lead young (and even older) wanna be trainers into trouble, because they don't show how horse training really is, or how it is done.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it ;)
I first read these books when I was about 10 years old, and I was totally enchanted by the way Amy could work with horses, and the way she trained with natural methods, using herbs and alternative therapy.
Now being 15 years old, and training my own horses using alternative training methods and herbs, I see many things wrong and vague with these books.
Lauren Brooke has made it seem that all you need to do to train a horse is "ask" politely (using words!), give it a rub of this and drop of that, chase it around a round pen, stick it in its stall, and voila, cured horse! Horse training is SOOOOO not like that. Horses are not people!
While herbs are very helpful, and so is round pen work (all though you don't just get join up by chasing a horse with a lead rope, it takes way more finesse and technique than that), Amy never does the absolute obvious with problem horses. She rarely has a vet check to rule out any pain, and saddle and/or bit fitting have never been mentioned in any of the books. Those two things are absolutely KEY in working with a problem horse. First you have to rule out any outside pain!
What I'm worried about with these books is that little horse loving girls will go out and get a pony, and try to train it using the methods in these books. But, because they're so vague, they will ultimately fail, and have a very messed up, angry or fearful horse on their hands. I know this, because I was one of those girls. I took an abused 2 year old filly, and attempted to train her using these books. It did not end well, and if I had not found a wonderful, classically trained mentor to teach me, my parents would have sold my horse to slaughter, because she had become too dangerous. I have also helped horses of people I go to school with, who have attempted to train horses from story books, and failed.
These books are not all bad. They are a great 1-2 hour read if you want drama and a sob story. They show that there are alternative ways to train and work with horses, and that you don't have to use a crop all the time. However, the absolute simplicity of these books can lead young (and even older) wanna be trainers into trouble, because they don't show how horse training really is, or how it is done.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it ;)
August 31, 2016
If you love horses I think you should consider reading the Heartland series by Lauren Brooke. You can also watch Heartland on Netflix. A girl named Amy is the main character. Her and her family live on a barn and own a business. Amy has learned a lot about horses because her mom grew up with horses and is a horse whisperer.
One day Amy and her mom went to go save a horse that was abandoned. It was rainy and windy that day so the roads were extra slippery, they had lots of trouble trying to get the horse out of the barn. When they finally got the horse out they loaded him into the trailer and started to head back. The road to get back was full of sharp turns.SPOILER ALERT since it was rainy that day and the road was slippery her mom lost control of the wheel and crashed. Her mom unfortunately died and Amy was sent to the hospital.
The story begins when Amy had a nightmare about the crash. Later on in the book Amy starts to work with the horse she saved. His name is Spartan, he was afraid of the trailer because of the crash. She used the tips that her mom gave her and they worked a lot. Amy helps a lot of other horses during her journey. My favorite character is Amy because she is a lot like me. She loves horses, loves to go on adventures, and loves to try new things.
I love reading Heartland books because it always leaves you guessing on what is going to happen next. One of the things I liked about the author was that she gave lots of sensory details and really painted a picture in your mind on what was going on.
I recommend this series to someone who enjoys horses and loves guessing what is going to happen next. I would rate this book 5 stars because I enjoyed reading this series and loved reading other books by this author.
One day Amy and her mom went to go save a horse that was abandoned. It was rainy and windy that day so the roads were extra slippery, they had lots of trouble trying to get the horse out of the barn. When they finally got the horse out they loaded him into the trailer and started to head back. The road to get back was full of sharp turns.SPOILER ALERT since it was rainy that day and the road was slippery her mom lost control of the wheel and crashed. Her mom unfortunately died and Amy was sent to the hospital.
The story begins when Amy had a nightmare about the crash. Later on in the book Amy starts to work with the horse she saved. His name is Spartan, he was afraid of the trailer because of the crash. She used the tips that her mom gave her and they worked a lot. Amy helps a lot of other horses during her journey. My favorite character is Amy because she is a lot like me. She loves horses, loves to go on adventures, and loves to try new things.
I love reading Heartland books because it always leaves you guessing on what is going to happen next. One of the things I liked about the author was that she gave lots of sensory details and really painted a picture in your mind on what was going on.
I recommend this series to someone who enjoys horses and loves guessing what is going to happen next. I would rate this book 5 stars because I enjoyed reading this series and loved reading other books by this author.
October 19, 2018
The second book is not as good as the 1 one but this is about how she get new horse and that how the farm is going to get shot down and that she doesn't want it to be shot down and they had people come look and they said you have 1 week to look better then it is now and when we come back we will let you know is it going to be closed down and after school she would come and work afternoon on the farm and weekend she would wake up early and work on it till it is dark out so she can keep this place running. The one thing she was doing was taking over her mom's job after she died and every one missed her and he sister said she will come but then she never did so amy never believed that she will come but then when day she came and that make her happy then near the end it got really good.
April 12, 2018
As I mentioned yesterday, After the Storm never fails to make me tear up. There's the poem early on when the family have the ceremony celebrating Marion's life, and then at the end when Spartan gets his forever home with his old owners.
And at least we only have to put up with Carl for one book. :)
Still strange to think of Spartan staying at Heartland now I'm watching more of the TV show, but anyway. Either this year or next (more realistically), I want to properly learn to horse ride. Heartland is the perfect reason to get me back into making that dream a reality. :)
And at least we only have to put up with Carl for one book. :)
Still strange to think of Spartan staying at Heartland now I'm watching more of the TV show, but anyway. Either this year or next (more realistically), I want to properly learn to horse ride. Heartland is the perfect reason to get me back into making that dream a reality. :)
August 3, 2021
It was a good book, pretty emotional.
September 30, 2023
This book is so good. I love heartland!
February 1, 2025
4 stars
May 2, 2019
I think maybe this book has too many balls up in the air because it had some issues juggling them. The first half of the book was about a girl who’d lost her mother in a tragic accident. Then after the dramatic midpoint, that thread was dropped almost altogether.
Like, I was so confused when her best friend came home from camp. I’m not sure how long this camp lasted, but when she came back, all the girls talked about were boys. Your best friend just had an accident that left her in a coma??? In which her mother DIED? And they didn’t bring it up once? Not once did Soraya go, “Hey, how are you holding up?” Like????
It just felt weird that once Spartan was on the path to being healed, the mom storyline disappeared. I assume the horse-healing process was super fast-tracked because fiction and I’m willing to suspend belief there, but I'm not sure if I can suspend disbelief quite so much when it comes to human trauma.
The latter half of the book was really more about whether Lou would stay & what would happen to Spartan, and I sort of think this book would've been stronger if that was the main conflict. The two obviously tie together in the themes of finding a home, and while plot wise, I guess the two halves hang, it just didn't quite work for me on an emotional level.
Wasn't super excited about most of the characterization, though. I get that Lou was 23 because it wouldn’t have worked if the age gap was too great between the sisters, but 23 is like, a year out of college. And we’re supposed to buy that she’s used to bossing people around at her high-powered job? In a story full of stretches of the imagination, that’s definitely one of them that kept pulling me up short. (Probably says a lot about where I am in life though that she was my favourite character.)
Ty, from the moment he stepped on the page, was obviously gonna be the endgame boyfriend, but I appreciate that since it's a slow burn across multiple books, Lauren Brooke took her sweet time showing us how hot he was.
Like, I was so confused when her best friend came home from camp. I’m not sure how long this camp lasted, but when she came back, all the girls talked about were boys. Your best friend just had an accident that left her in a coma??? In which her mother DIED? And they didn’t bring it up once? Not once did Soraya go, “Hey, how are you holding up?” Like????
It just felt weird that once Spartan was on the path to being healed, the mom storyline disappeared. I assume the horse-healing process was super fast-tracked because fiction and I’m willing to suspend belief there, but I'm not sure if I can suspend disbelief quite so much when it comes to human trauma.
The latter half of the book was really more about whether Lou would stay & what would happen to Spartan, and I sort of think this book would've been stronger if that was the main conflict. The two obviously tie together in the themes of finding a home, and while plot wise, I guess the two halves hang, it just didn't quite work for me on an emotional level.
Wasn't super excited about most of the characterization, though. I get that Lou was 23 because it wouldn’t have worked if the age gap was too great between the sisters, but 23 is like, a year out of college. And we’re supposed to buy that she’s used to bossing people around at her high-powered job? In a story full of stretches of the imagination, that’s definitely one of them that kept pulling me up short. (Probably says a lot about where I am in life though that she was my favourite character.)
Ty, from the moment he stepped on the page, was obviously gonna be the endgame boyfriend, but I appreciate that since it's a slow burn across multiple books, Lauren Brooke took her sweet time showing us how hot he was.
April 3, 2019
The book heartland-after the storm by Lauren Brooke is about a girl called Amy and a horse named spartan. It takes place in Heartland, a horse farm nestled in the hills of Virginia. But Heartland isn't like any other horse farm. Heartland is much more special than that. It's a place where frightened and abused horses learn to trust again. Spartan and Amy hadn't seen each other since the "accident", where Spartan had lost all of the trust he had in Amy. He felt alone ad scared. Now, Spartan is coming back to Heartland, but there was something about him that had changed. He wasn't the same horse. The horse who once loved Amy, is now terrified of her. He was angry. But it seems as if all of his anger is directed toward Amy. Amy tries to help him, but instead, he throws himself at Amy. The full force of his body slamming into her and knocking against the wall. She felt like she should be the last person to be helping Spartan, but she also might be the only one. I enjoyed the book because it shares the story of Amy and how she had to teach, not a person, but a horse to trust again. Specifically, trust her again. I would recommend this book to 6th grade girls because I think it's a story they would find interesting.
July 14, 2017
I liked the book and thought that it could be a good book for horse lovers. My only issue is that the ending was less interesting that I hoped and that it is written quite childless (in my opinion) but then you need to remember that people from 10 yeard old should already read it and then I think the writing style was good.
July 23, 2017
Really super book and a very quick read! The only thing I have an issue with is how join up solves everrrrrything and they repeat join up which you shouldn't do but hey, it's good and it's about horses!
January 19, 2018
reading Heartland is revisiting my childhood and it brings back all the happy memories. The book series meant for younger readers but I still enjoy the story line and how easy and fast the books are to read.
3.5 Stars !
3.5 Stars !
October 29, 2018
This was a good book. It wasn't the best one of the series that I've read but it was still good. I think that the book definitely had some very good parts to the story though. the confrontation in Amy's head was definitely the best part of the book.
July 31, 2013
This main character kills me.
March 3, 2016
Gooodd
June 7, 2017
This book was awesome 😢😢😢
July 19, 2017
3.5⭐️ character development AND nostalgia. Huzzah
March 20, 2018
Great book although it uses the Lord's name in vain one time
Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews