Stay the Distance, Book 1

By: Mara Dabrishus

Narrated by: Sarah Mollo-Christensen

July Carter's world is perfect from the back of a horse. From the ground, everything is a complete mess: Her jockey mom ran off for California years ago, her dad always seems more interested in the horses than in her, and the horse July wants for herself will never be hers.

Even though the New York racing circuit has taught her not to get attached, July can't help connecting with Kali, a hopeless filly that refuses to run when it counts. When bankruptcy rumors start swirling around the barn, the future is murkier than ever. July can't stand losing one more thing, and Beck, the barn owner's son, knows more about the rumors than anyone else. July will get the truth, even if she has to pry it out of him, for Kali's sake and her own.

©2015 Mara Dabrishus (P)2016 Mara Dabrishus

So, So Good!!

Narration - Sarah Mollo-Christensen - Really Terrific! Love her voice! Love her narrative voice, loved her character voices, really great production quality! I've listened to one other of her productions and I thought it was good but this one is even better!

I really enjoyed this book. I don't think the blurb really does it justice. The story primarily revolves around the horse racing circuit with sub-plots regarding July's family and the abandonment by her mother, the Delaney family, and a romance.

I would categorize this as a 'smart' book. Well written and the author obviously knows her stuff about horses and racing, (or she at least convinced me that she knows about it) as I am someone who knows only the extraneous information about horses and racing.

July is kind of an emotional mess where her mom is concerned and yet she's smart and strong at the same time. The banter between her and Beck is really enjoyable. She's spent her whole life around horses and at 18 is yet to have a boyfriend or even been kissed.

Beck has lived the privileged life - his parents own the barn and all the horses where July and her father work and train - and he still calls her 'kiddo' even though he's less than a year older than her.

The races are explained with remarkable drama and detail even down to the personalities and idiosyncrasies of the different horses. I'm bummed that I can't blaze right into the next book in this series. I'm kinda invested in July and her family now and most certainly will be looking for the next installment in this series.

Really terrific audiobook!

I received a copy of this audiobook free of charge from AudiobookBoom in exchange for an unbiased review

Stay the Distance, Book 1

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

This book is very horse centered, with a dysfunctional family to tell the horses stories.

The narration was well done. The characters were excellently portrayed, with exception of July. She was a 17 - 18 year old, but voice sounded 35.

I felt like I was there, riding alongside July!

Would you consider the audio edition of Stay the Distance, Book 1 to be better than the print version?

The audio is just as good as the print version, but it's hard to say if it's better or not. For people who like switching back and forth, it would be ideal. They are easy to switch between. And for those who prefer audio, this is a great listen.

What other book might you compare Stay the Distance, Book 1 to and why?

There aren't really any books that I could compare this to. Mara does teen horse books better than anyone else I've read.

What about Sarah Mollo-Christensen’s performance did you like?

She brought the characters to life. Having read the print version previously, I wasn't sure if she would match up with what was in my head, but she does! Obviously she really gave July, as the POV main character, life, but I adored her reading of Beck. She got him just right. And Martina! It was just how I would have imagined it. Everyone, really. It was just what I had in my head, given a voice. And it was a nice voice to listen to.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Being a horse girl myself, there were some horsey related scenes that really hit home for me. Hearing it read was even more powerful because Sarah got the emotion just right.

Any additional comments?

Since I'm not very into audio books, I wasn't sure that I would love this as much listening to it. I was wrong. I loved it just as much listening as I did while reading it. I can never listen to more than an hour or so at once when I have a book on audio, but this one was addictive. I love the story and the narration was so easy to listen to that I never found it frustrating or giving me a headache (which is sometimes what happens when I listen too long). Highly recommended to anyone who wants a horsey book to listen to.

Sweet, fresh, real.....

Where does Stay the Distance, Book 1 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I was gifted this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I would say this book ranks in my top 50 audiobooks:)

What did you like best about this story?

As an avid equestrian I was appreciative of the knowledge of horses/racing that was entirely accurate down to the smallest of details.

I loved that the story itself was very realistic- the characters were likeable, and the problems were normal every day things so many of us encounter.

Have you listened to any of Sarah Mollo-Christensen’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not, but I did enjoy her as the narrator and would definitely listen to a book narrated by her again:)

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did feel some kinship with the main character, in how she views the horses in her care, and comes t terms with that she can control and that which she must just accept.

Any additional comments?

All in all definitely a worthwhile read, I'm excited for the next in this series!

I really enjoyed this story.

Any additional comments?

Disclosure: We received a copy from the author/publisher in exchanged for an honest review. This does not influence my review in any shape or form.

I have to say that the one thing that made me want to request this was the cover. I have never read a novel that involved horses and was really curious to see how this would turn out.

The storyline was definitely unique. I wouldn’t classify this as a YA novel because the main character just graduated high school. I would say it’s like that middle ground of YA and NA minus the sexy times.

I loved the writing and the narrator did a great job of bring the story to life. I felt all the emotions that July was feeling because the narrator did such a good job of expressing them throughout the story.

I loved how the story focused on the family, horseracing and training of the horses. It was definitely a unique approach to the novel and I liked it. I loved how you could go into the novel without knowing much about horses or horse racing and you had a basic understanding about the training and everything that goes into the horseracing world.

As horrible as this may sound, I enjoyed the fact that the dysfunctional family included the mother leaving and not the father. I’ve read a ton of novels where the father runs off and it gets tiring because mothers do it too. I really liked the fact that it included the mother not being around it showed a different perspective for those who have gone through it.

Stay The Distance was definitely unique and I would read another book by the author.

reader sucks

I can't listen to a whisper reader,it's hard to listen abd understand,please use your big girl voice.I will never know if I like the book,can't get pass whisper.