What do you think?
Rate this book
Heartland #4
Taking Chances
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 knows that Ty is important to Heartland - and to her. Ty is the only other person who truly understands the meaning of Heartland, who is as dedicated to rescuing and curing horses as she is. But their friendship is thrown off balance when Ben, the new stable hand, arrives. And by the time Amy realizes she's pushed Ty away, he may have decided to leave Heartland forever.
Amy knows that Ty is important to Heartland - and to her. Ty is the only other person who truly understands the meaning of Heartland, who is as dedicated to rescuing and curing horses as she is. But their friendship is thrown off balance when Ben, the new stable hand, arrives. And by the time Amy realizes she's pushed Ty away, he may have decided to leave Heartland forever.
175 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
34 people are currently reading
2611 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
October 9, 2022
The Heartland series by Lauren Brooke is becoming one of my favourite series to slip away into for some positivity and animals. The positive vibes these books bring, and the nostalgia from my youth where books had simple conflicts and simple answers... Ah, I miss those days.
Taking Chances brings friendship, conflict, school crushes, and of course more horses to the world of Heartland. Ben comes to the farm with his horse. Supposedly, he wants to learnt he ways of Heartland, but he isn't all who he is said to be. Through strife and fury, Ty and him come to butt heads. When Amy is forced to take a side, things get rough for the Heartland bunch. But, as always, a positive end with lots of growth comes out favourite characters ways.
I honestly love this series. It's lighthearted, fun, and makes me smile. I miss stories like these - simple yet so lovely. I don't know how much is to be believed on how they take care of the horses (google and textbooks can probably help with that), but I do agree with respecting horses for the number one rule.
Overall, such a great continuation of this series.
Four out of five stars.
Taking Chances brings friendship, conflict, school crushes, and of course more horses to the world of Heartland. Ben comes to the farm with his horse. Supposedly, he wants to learnt he ways of Heartland, but he isn't all who he is said to be. Through strife and fury, Ty and him come to butt heads. When Amy is forced to take a side, things get rough for the Heartland bunch. But, as always, a positive end with lots of growth comes out favourite characters ways.
I honestly love this series. It's lighthearted, fun, and makes me smile. I miss stories like these - simple yet so lovely. I don't know how much is to be believed on how they take care of the horses (google and textbooks can probably help with that), but I do agree with respecting horses for the number one rule.
Overall, such a great continuation of this series.
Four out of five stars.
Want to read
January 17, 2013
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA IT'S SCOTT DISICK!
December 12, 2012
This novel is about a horse farm in Virginia, Heartland. It’s a place where “the scars of the past can be healed, a place where frightened and abused horses learn to trust again.”
In this novel it tests Amy and Ty’s friendship when a new stable hand – Ben – arrives. Having a secret she can’t tell, Amy realises “she’s pushed Ty away, (and) he may have decided to leave Heartland forever.”
But it’s not a love triangle – even though it does sound like it is.
I would recommend this read to readers that like horses. Or maybe in their childhood have watched the Saddle Club.
Honestly, I was hesitant to read this novel at first because it was number 4 in the series. But it was still a pretty good read and I’m thinking of writing stories like this: short, some drama, a conclusion at the end and other stuff.
The story is told in third POV in the eyes of Amy. For me that was something different, because lately I have been reading lots of first POV novels. But I found this point of view to be effective and I felt a connection towards Amy any ways.
At the beginning of the novel, I loved the description of riding a horse because it felt so real, like I was the one riding the horse. I guess it helped that Lauren Brooke had a pony in her life.
In addition there’s a sense of drama from the past, the hidden feelings and emotions, which I feel make the characters here feel real.
I loved the wise wisdom related to life in the novel, as well as the information about the horses. It’s interesting learning how a horse’s personality can be gathered from their face. I'm not sure if it’s factual, but it feels like it. But one thing is for sure, Amy is definitely an expert about horses.
Of course it’s not all informative, it is also pretty funny. For example a conversation between Amy and her best friend, Soraya who notices the new stable hand.
Overall I'm giving this novel a 5 stars because it’s definitely a book I'll read again and makes me want to hunt for the rest of the series.
In this novel it tests Amy and Ty’s friendship when a new stable hand – Ben – arrives. Having a secret she can’t tell, Amy realises “she’s pushed Ty away, (and) he may have decided to leave Heartland forever.”
But it’s not a love triangle – even though it does sound like it is.
I would recommend this read to readers that like horses. Or maybe in their childhood have watched the Saddle Club.
Honestly, I was hesitant to read this novel at first because it was number 4 in the series. But it was still a pretty good read and I’m thinking of writing stories like this: short, some drama, a conclusion at the end and other stuff.
The story is told in third POV in the eyes of Amy. For me that was something different, because lately I have been reading lots of first POV novels. But I found this point of view to be effective and I felt a connection towards Amy any ways.
At the beginning of the novel, I loved the description of riding a horse because it felt so real, like I was the one riding the horse. I guess it helped that Lauren Brooke had a pony in her life.
In addition there’s a sense of drama from the past, the hidden feelings and emotions, which I feel make the characters here feel real.
I loved the wise wisdom related to life in the novel, as well as the information about the horses. It’s interesting learning how a horse’s personality can be gathered from their face. I'm not sure if it’s factual, but it feels like it. But one thing is for sure, Amy is definitely an expert about horses.
Of course it’s not all informative, it is also pretty funny. For example a conversation between Amy and her best friend, Soraya who notices the new stable hand.
Soraya: “Poor guy. I guess he’s not going to know anyone around here. I’l just have offer to give him a tour.”
Amy: “Don’t go out of your way, Soraya.”
Overall I'm giving this novel a 5 stars because it’s definitely a book I'll read again and makes me want to hunt for the rest of the series.
November 8, 2018
I LOVE THIS SERIES> I mean, I read it at school but still I LOVE THESE BOOKS!!!
October 18, 2020
Love the horsemanship and the life at heartland with problem horses!!
January 3, 2017
Heartland is a book and Netflix series about horses. The main character Amy grew up around horses and owns a family business at the barn. Ty, one of the stable hands, is best friends with Amy and helps feed the horses and clean out theirs stalls. When this boy Ben,who is going to be another stable hand, shows up things at the barn start to change. I liked how the author, Lauren Brooke, used sensory details. With every sentence, I could picture hat was going on. I would recommend these books for any type of reader because it was really easy to understand and the author didn't use big and complicated words. Reading this series taught me a lot about horses and what its like living on a farm. I can relate most to Amy, the main character, because I have a horse an she has to take care of all of her horses and make sure she rides them and keep them healthy. I thought that the book always keep me guessing if what was going to happen next. The characters in the book seemed real to me because they had the same personalities as some people I know. My favorite part of the book was when Ben learned his lesson. This series has kept me entertained and happy when I am reading these books.
April 4, 2017
If you’ve read my review of an earlier book in this series you will know why I’m reading this and there are a lot of things I don’t need to say because I’ve said them before. Subsequently, this will only be a little review with little to say and poorly written.
For me this book was another OK read. It wasn’t amazing but it kept me entertained and was a nice short read.
The line of ‘Healing horses, healing hearts’ really annoys me. It sounds really wishy washy and a bit sad. I even thought this when I was younger and I can’t read it without mimicking it.
I still love the flawed characters.
I told you this review would be short and it’s definitely not interesting. But hey ho, onto the next one.
For me this book was another OK read. It wasn’t amazing but it kept me entertained and was a nice short read.
The line of ‘Healing horses, healing hearts’ really annoys me. It sounds really wishy washy and a bit sad. I even thought this when I was younger and I can’t read it without mimicking it.
I still love the flawed characters.
I told you this review would be short and it’s definitely not interesting. But hey ho, onto the next one.
August 11, 2022
Again, the author just comes up with more drama and ideas each book. Each book is different, has a different plot, and has very little repetition. I like them because they’re not boring, or has the same problems over and over every book. The books are very entertaining and very good reads. Definitely recommend!
May 4, 2022
At this point I don’t think there is a book in this series I won’t relate five stars. This is such an amazing series from book one. By this book we really see Amy’s growth as a person who is trying to run her mom’s business without her. She has so much to learn about not only horses, but herself.
May 10, 2021
Heartland is such a good series and Ty is definitely my fav character
January 11, 2025
yep!!! again still a VERY good story and the conflict and all is so good but to be honest, the writing style and the whole “middle grade tell instead of show” writing style ruins it for me because the only reason i can picture what the book says is because i’ve seen the show but if i remember the show and all and imagine the how things are described and shown in the SHOW, this book series gets me hooked still!
May 21, 2024
Pegasus 🥲🥲 also side note these books are so short and cute and have cured me of my reading slump, they take like an hour and a half to read and just makes me think of my childhood and it makes me happy
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 ;)
March 18, 2025
Again, as they are quite small books I ended up finishing this in a day as I had to find out what was going to happen! Ben is a new stable hand, sent over to learn about the techniques used by Amy and Ty (the stable hand and family friend) at Heartland by his Aunt, who owns a well know yard. Amongst the bustle of life Amy tries to balance helping her new school friend with her young, high spirited horse and showing Ben the ropes around the farm. But as tensions rise between Ben and Ty, will Amy be able to help or will she be pushing Ty away from Heartland and her forever?? 🐴 💕
*Feel free to check out my overview for the Heartland series over on my Substack blog:
https://thepaintedcaravan.substack.co...
Isabella Ann of The Painted Caravan
*Feel free to check out my overview for the Heartland series over on my Substack blog:
https://thepaintedcaravan.substack.co...
Isabella Ann of The Painted Caravan
June 21, 2018
Amy and Ty are really close to each other, but all that changes when the new stable hand, Ben, arrives. Ben seems to have no interest in what Heartland; all that he seems to care about is riding his horse, Red.
I found Ben's treatment of Red throughout the book to be really abusive. No matter how many times both Amy and Ty tell him not to work Red too hard, he doesn't listen.
We also have Claire, a young girl with a spirited horse named Flint. Claire's mom thinks that Flint should be sold, but, with Amy's help, Claire is able to keep him.
I liked the end with Ben deciding to learn more about Heartland. That was a good ending!
I found Ben's treatment of Red throughout the book to be really abusive. No matter how many times both Amy and Ty tell him not to work Red too hard, he doesn't listen.
We also have Claire, a young girl with a spirited horse named Flint. Claire's mom thinks that Flint should be sold, but, with Amy's help, Claire is able to keep him.
I liked the end with Ben deciding to learn more about Heartland. That was a good ending!
July 18, 2020
Dont ask me why I read this as a 21 year old woman ... whilst I don't think I was the target demographic for this book, I enjoyed it nonetheless. I found it whilst I was sorting through old things, and I think I would have loved it as my teenage horse obsessed self. Shame I didn't get round to reading it when I was in my early teens. Can't say I regret reading it all those years later. It was a short, easy read.
September 4, 2023
"Taking Chances" is the fourth book in the Heartland series, and it was just as sweet as the first three. I love the innocence of these books. I love the the simple feel to it and the lovable characters.
I loved seeing Amy and Ty's friendship blossom. We see their friendship in the first three books, but in this book you can really feel their connection and how important they are to each other.
Ben's storyline was interesting. At first I didn't like him, but as the story went on he grew on me. Especially at the end when he admitted his faults and wanted to better his relationship with his horse Red.
I loved Claire and her horse Flint's storyline. It was fun to see her grow confidence and work with him. It was also great to see Amy follow in her mothers footsteps and become a great trainer. She's becoming her own person, while still following the "Heartland ways".
I love how simple and easy to read these stories are, but there is still so much going on to keep your interest.
Overall this was a cute, heartfelt book and I am loving seeing Amy grow and experience different people and challenges that come her way.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved seeing Amy and Ty's friendship blossom. We see their friendship in the first three books, but in this book you can really feel their connection and how important they are to each other.
Ben's storyline was interesting. At first I didn't like him, but as the story went on he grew on me. Especially at the end when he admitted his faults and wanted to better his relationship with his horse Red.
I loved Claire and her horse Flint's storyline. It was fun to see her grow confidence and work with him. It was also great to see Amy follow in her mothers footsteps and become a great trainer. She's becoming her own person, while still following the "Heartland ways".
I love how simple and easy to read these stories are, but there is still so much going on to keep your interest.
Overall this was a cute, heartfelt book and I am loving seeing Amy grow and experience different people and challenges that come her way.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
May 3, 2025
Okay hear me out, Amy was pretty insufferable in this story. We get a new stable hand who is Ben. Another handsome teenager that is passionate about horses too. His methods on training his horse Red, unethical. But he gets a ‘pass’ because he comes from a pretty broken home life. The only person who can’t accept him is Ty. Our OG handsome stable hand. For 17 years old he is significantly more mature than anyone in this book. Amy treats him like dirt when her emotions get the best of her. It’s baffling that Ty is so forgiving. And Lou is also stupid about having Amy keep a damn secret and she sucks at it.
Anyways this was my least favorite of the series so far. We love Ty. We hate Ben and Amy.
Anyways this was my least favorite of the series so far. We love Ty. We hate Ben and Amy.
May 12, 2018
Lecture faite en 2004 au format papier. Suite des tome 1 &2.
Il es fortement conseillé de lire les tomes précédents de cette série pour adolescent afin de bien comprendre l'histoire.
On suit les aventures de Laura à Heartland ou elle va découvrir que vivre dans un ranch ne se résume pas à monter son cheval pendant des heures et que malgré toute sa bonne volonté les animaux peuvent tomber malade.
Comme d'habitude je vous conseille cette série !
Il es fortement conseillé de lire les tomes précédents de cette série pour adolescent afin de bien comprendre l'histoire.
On suit les aventures de Laura à Heartland ou elle va découvrir que vivre dans un ranch ne se résume pas à monter son cheval pendant des heures et que malgré toute sa bonne volonté les animaux peuvent tomber malade.
Comme d'habitude je vous conseille cette série !
January 17, 2025
Taas jälleen ihan paras kirja. Se miten Benin saapuminen kuvattiin ja miten koko pakka meni sekaisin yhden ihmisen takia oli ihan tosi hyvin kuvattu, ja välillä pääni sisällä huusin, että puhukaa toisillenne, keskustelkaa. Ja se mihin tilanteeseen Amy joutui kun Lou kertoi Benin tilanteen oli tosi kurja. Toisaalta ymmärsi, että eihän siitä voi mennä huutelemaan, mutta sitten taas Ty kohtaan tilanne oli kyl epäily kun joutui pimentoon tilanteesta.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2023
This book sees the introduction of a new farm hand, causing strife between Amy and Ty. Ty and Amy are very close, and Amy feels like he is the one person who really understands her. It is unfortunate to lose someone that you love, like your mother, and then realize you are pushing away the people that care about you and want the best for you. It was nice to see Amy grow over the series.
November 6, 2023
I love the TV show so I bought the first book and enjoyed it. There are dozens of books in the series though and didn’t seem worth it to me to buy more. This one showed up in a Little Free Library, so I was excited to grab it. But it’s pretty basic teenage angst, misunderstandings and happy endings.
September 5, 2024
I like that we are getting a different variety of horses as Heartland is doing better. I do like the addition of Ben, though in this particular book, I don't like the extra drama as they go through their growing pains. I did really enjoy the main client Amy takes on in this one and how she has to listen to Ty in order to help them.
February 4, 2018
can I admit to being annoyed at how cliche the characters are? I was annoyed with the fake dilemma of do I keep the secret or side against a friend? to be honest, Ty is like an adult and Amy is an annoying tween. not a fan of the animal abuse by Ben, nor how they cover for it.
May 2, 2022
Unlike most people, who read the books then watch the show, I watched the show and then am now reading the books. I LOVE HEARTLAND!!!!!!! So amazing! Definitely a great read! (In my option the show is better and has more depth, but the books are good too!)
February 1, 2024
Cercavo una lettura leggera e ha rispettato le mie aspettative, storia bella ma nulla di particolare, libro scorrevole, essendo anche corto ti tiene incollata alle pagine però è più adatto a ragazze più piccole di 12/14 anni.
(di questo libro ho dei bei ricordi della mia infanzia)
(di questo libro ho dei bei ricordi della mia infanzia)
May 29, 2024
Definitely 5/5 or even more
I love this series of books, even though I have read the entire series many times, each time the story captivates me in the same way.
I really like the slow development of the relationship between Amy and Treg
I love these natural methods of working with horses!
I love this series of books, even though I have read the entire series many times, each time the story captivates me in the same way.
I really like the slow development of the relationship between Amy and Treg
I love these natural methods of working with horses!
February 15, 2025
Not a bad culmination of the series. I enjoy the horsemanship in these books, as they're accurate and interesting. Tye and Amy's problem was exasperating because I felt like Lori was a bit unfair, but I enjoyed the resolution and how Ben finally woke up to his problem with his horse.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews