Hannah & Chris: Before the Circuit
Hannah & Chris: Before the Circuit by Kim Ablon WhitneyI am so into short stories right now. Between publishing Saratoga Summers in December, and working on finishing my super secret novella project for however long that’s going to take, I have come to really want more short stories in my life.
For some reason, Kim and I seem to be on the same page. Hannah & Chris: Before the Circuit is a prequel to the first book in the series, Summer Circuit. It’s the older YA/New Adult horse book I wasn’t aware I wanted, but now really want more of–so happily Kim is providing me my fix. Thanks, Kim!
Before the Circuit is a lovely short story set in two parts that explain how Hannah and Chris come to be at the Vermont show in Summer Circuit. In the first part, we have Hannah. Hannah is over-privileged, unsure of how to do the simple things like tack up her problem horse, Logan. Riding is becoming a chore that serves only to get Hannah out of the house, since she’s not skilled enough to figure out how to get through to Logan, and no one at the barn is interested in seeing her succeed. Hannah is facing down an aimless summer before college, but her dad has other plans. The show circuit. Vermont. Without a groom. Hannah balks, but she’s also standing on the edge of becoming just like her mom–friendless, a shut-in from the world–and if she doesn’t take on her dad’s challenge, how will she escape that fate?
Chris is Hannah’s polar opposite. Instead of not having anything to do, he potentially has too much. There are too many people, too many horses, too many responsibilities that can easily go wrong. His best horse doesn’t feel right, and the owner of that horse is impossible to talk sense into. Then there’s his ex-girlfriend, who wants to get back together. Maybe Chris wants that…but maybe not. Chris is on the verge of change, whether he likes it or not. Something’s going to happen, and it’s going to happen in Vermont.
Kim sets the stage for Summer Circuit so well in Before the Circuit. I especially loved getting into Chris’s head, seeing his side of the story for a change. I hope there will be more snippets and stories in between Summer Circuit and the second book in the series, Winter Circuit. There can never be enough short stories!
