Rapid City Summer

By: Connie Richardson

Narrated by: Rachael Faber

“One of the worst things you can do is stay in your comfort zone.”

Fifteen-year-old Natalie Ryba reluctantly moves from the Illinois suburbs to Rapid City, South Dakota, when her mom accepts a new job in the Black Hills. More than anything, Natalie wants to find the same peace and sense of belonging she had in Illinois with her friends and track team. But moving across the country, living minutes from her estranged, eccentric grandmother, and developing a crush on her next-door neighbor put that dream out of reach.

The move turns Natalie’s life upside down, and she realizes how much she doesn’t know about the world, her family, and herself. She embraces the culture of her new home by learning how to fly fish. Through fly fishing, Natalie becomes more confident and adventurous. But after returning home from a fly fishing trip to Montana, Natalie receives life- altering news. Can she apply the new skills she’s learned over the summer–physical and personal–to overcome her obstacles?

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Leave your comfort zone to find your true self!

This is a perfect coming-of-age finding yourself book for a middle school girl. Natalie moves from her home that she has loved her whole life and leaves her best friend behind. However, on this journey of moving to a new state, she finds out who she really is and learns about real true friends. I love the infusion of the grandmother relationship as well. I also love that she moves out of her comfort zone and starts doing amazing things. What a message that we can all live by.

Connie Richardson tells a dramatic YA story

In Rapid City Summer, the listener is brought into the life of Natalie, a fifteen-year-old that has to move away from everything and everyone she knows, because her mother got a new job. There is a big difference from the culture and life from the Chicago Suburbs, and then being transported to Rapid City, in South Dakota. Talk about differences, and of course, no teenager enjoys moving, and leaving their friends and school behind, only to be the new kid at another school. I haven't listened anything by this author before, and what a hidden gem. I enjoyed it so much, that I have now followed the author and look for more books to read and listen to. I have read this print book and now have listened to the audio. This narration was able to bring out the loneliness and angst of a teenager, and also her family. The entire family has to make a new life in a different city, and it's not just Natalie that is trying to make the best of a new situation. Insert eccentric grandma, who now just lives down the street. Trish seems ambivalent to living close to her mother, but there are some underlying tensions that come to the surface. This story was written well told, and many listeners will be able to relate, especially when it's family, and adjustments need to be made, and secrets are hidden. This story is engaging, and it is unpredictable at times This narration really brought this story to life. This author is a great storyteller. Rapid City Summer on audiobook is a definite listening recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I look forward to listening to many more titles by this author. Amy's Bookshelf Reviews recommends that anyone who listens to this book, to also write a review.