Miranda Kenneally

If you loved music enough to keep at it even after your schoolmates made fun of you when your voice cracked and your bandmates (in the band you started a year ago) threw you under the bus, that would mean your commitment was pretty strong. Meet high school senior Maya Henry. She drives a Suzuki bike she rebuilt herself, plays guitar, writes songs and can do an oil change with the best when working at the auto repair place with her dad. Her family is loving and supportive with older brother a show more scout for the Tennessee Titans and crazy in love with his high school sweetheart who now coaches the football team at her alma mater.
On the day her high school principal sets her up to shadow three time grammy winner and teen idol, Jesse Scott (who is his nephew), she's amazed for all of five minutes. That's how long it takes Jesse to start being deliberately rude and obnoxious, but one look at his guitars and she's pumped enough to start sassing him right back. This not only surprises him, but intrigues him as well and in short order, the scripted schedule for her career day gets tossed. By the time it ends, well into the night, they've opened up to each other and shared things neither imagined talking about.
Maya isn't sure what the day meant to herself at first, let alone Jesse, but the more time goes on, the more she realizes her initial hope that they might be friends isn't really how she feels her desire is a lot stronger than friendship. Meanwhile, Jesse has his own doubts and fears to process. The last time he opened himself up to a girl, he was badly hurt and his parents' displeasure with his music (for religious reasons), just made it that much easier to build a wall around his feelings.
How Jesse and Maya work through fear and doubt as well as what happens once she decides that music really IS what makes her feel alive makes a great read. Miranda does as good a job as anyone out there when it comes to describing the emotional energy that moves between two teens on the cusp of loving each other. I've read all her books and have yet to close one without feeling like I just read a great story. show less

Kate was supposed to attend Cumberland Creek Camp with her best friend, Emily. They were supposed to be counselors this year, but recently, Emily and Kate had a blow-out after Emily got pregnant and had an abortion. Even though Kate took her to the doctor’s office, it went against everything Kate believes in, and she is having a very hard time dealing with it.

Determined to put her losses behind her (not only has she lost Emily, but after a knee injury, she was also forced to quit playing show more soccer), Kate starts her job at the camp, reconnecting with Matt, a guy she hasn’t seen in years — the guy who was her first kiss. Matt has blossomed from a nerdy, scrawny kid into a super-hot college guy, and Kate can’t stay away, even though she doesn’t agree with some of the things he does. As the weeks pass, Matt and Kate grow closer and Kate is tested both spiritually and emotionally. She learns that life isn’t always perfect and things aren’t always black and white. Sometimes it’s best to just accept the gray.

I will shamefully admit that until recently, I hadn’t read any of Ms. Kenneally’s books. (Don’t judge!) I read Catching Jordan last month and really enjoyed it. With all of the books I had to review, I wasn’t able to get to Stealing Parker before reading this book (and I wish I had, because Parker is a major character). With that being said, I still enjoyed this one. In fact I liked it even more than Catching Jordan.

Kate, the MC, was a breath of fresh air even though I have to admit that when I started the book, I prepped myself to be really put off by her. Within the first chapter or two, it’s clear that Kate has a very close relationship with God. Now, don’t get me wrong — I’m not put off by religion in the least. In fact I’m A-okay with religion so long as it’s not forced on me and so long as it’s not used as a weapon or as an excuse to hate. I just get a little uncomfortable talking about religion and politics. Both are things I feel are very personal topics.

I was happy to find that Kate wasn’t a hater. She was living the way that was right for her. At first she seems a little preachy, but after spending some time with her, I realized that she was living her life the way that she chose to, so who was I (or any of the characters in the book for that matter) to judge her? Some of them felt as if she was judging them and got all bent out of shape, calling her a Jesus freak and a nosey bitch when she would share her opinion. So what’s the difference? It was okay for them to have an opinion, but not Kate? I loved watching Kate grow, and learn new things. What I loved most was that even though she grew, she never lost touch with who she was and what she wanted from her life.

The rest of the characters are just as engaging. I quickly grew to love Matt, and I really like Parker and Will. I must find time to read Stealing Parker ASAP.

I really liked everything about this book. The writing is perfect, the characters all deeply realized and the plot is great. There’s something about a contemporary romance that takes place over the summer (be it summer camp, a family vacation to the beach, etc) that I love. I don’t know what it is, but I love those types of books. The romance was done well and everything moved at a perfect pace. When I finished the book, I felt a deep sense of gratification.

If you are a fan of Ms. Kenneally’s work, then this is a must read. If you haven’t read her books, I encourage you to start now. I love her voice and her characters, and she always has a good message to give without being preachy. Don’t let the religion thing turn you off if you’re not into that. In fact, I encourage you to open your mind and embrace Kate. You may learn something from her. show less

For those of you thinking that this is just a book about football, you’re quite mistaken. And for those of you thinking this is just another YA love story, well, you’ve got a lovely surprise waiting for you as well. CATCHING JORDAN, Miranda Kenneally‘s debut novel, is the perfect mix of steamy romance, family drama, strong characters, and action both on and off the field.

Jordan Woods is the quarterback of her high school football team. That’s right — her. And she’s one of the show more best players in Tennessee. In order to play with the boys, she has to keep up appearances as a tough girl — a girl who doesn’t cry, get crushes on team mates, or write in a journal.

Except she does all of those things. Especially after Ty comes into the picture. Just moving to town from Texas, Ty is the apple of every cheerleader’s eye — and for good reason. He’s smokin’ hot, and sweet to boot. What Jordan doesn’t expect is that Ty thinks she’s pretty cute, too. But things aren’t as simple as they should be. If Jordan wants to be with Ty, it could cost her respect on the football team. And rumors are spreading int he girls’ locker room, too. About her and her best friend, Sam Henry, a fellow football player who recently broke up with his girlfriend — and he won’t even tell Jordan what happened. To make matters worse, it seems like at every possible opportunity, Jordan’s father — the great NFL player Donovan Woods — is trying to hold her back, supporting her friends and her brother but discouraging her from playing college ball.

CATCHING JORDAN has so much going for it. Characters you fall in love with, swoon-worthy romance, and an accidental education in football (I think I might be able to follow a game on TV after reading Miranda‘s book). Plus, Jordan Woods is not only a strong narrator, but a strong girl that you absolutely want to root for. You want her to get what she wants and deserves, rather than siding with one of the romantic leads. You’re not on team Ty or team Henry — you’re on team Jordan. And as a member of team Jordan, you can bet I’ll be recommending this book to anyone who will listen — football fan or not. Keep your eyes peeled for CATCHING JORDAN, which I’m sure will be popping up on recommended reading lists from both the ALA and state organizations. It’s just that good! show less

Parker's story is very different from Jordan's story, but it is still an excellent read. Parker is a girl who is trying desperately seperate herself from her mother's lifestyle and the rumors it sprouted about her. She's also trying to come to terms with her faith and dealing with a highly inappropriate crush on the new baseball coach. We get to see Parker's internal struggle with God and her need to know why things have happened to her and her family. I'm not a religious person and I don't show more typically read things that have religion incorporated, but it was done so well here and it never became preachy. It really helped the story, by showing the battle that was going on inside of Parker and even gave some insight into why she's made some of the choices she is now dealing with.

I know it's totally cliche to jump right to talking about the guys, but I can't help myself. Firstly, Brian gave me creepy feelings the whole time I was reading and those didn't get any better when he proved to be a huge jerk. I felt for Parker because at her age, the kind of attention she was getting from him, would be so easy to make into something bigger. I could see the ending that Parker couldn't, and I just wanted to shake her and tell her to stop letting this guy take advantage of you. Will, on the other hand, is so many kinds of adorable. I love this boy to pieces and I really liked how their friendship evolved throughout the whole story. They've known each other for years, but they had always just kind of been on the outskirts of each other's lives, and that all changes when Parker starts managing the baseball team.

I don't know what it is about Miranda's writing, but I love the sports stuff that is incorporated into her stories, even though I don't actually like sports. It doesn't take over the story, but it's definitely a big part of the characters lives and it helps everything kind of gel together. This one was a one sitting read for me and it will definitely be on my re-read shelf. I honestly believe you can't go wrong with a book by Miranda Kenneally. She writes excellent female protagonists and totally swoonworthy boys! Definitely one to add to your shelves :0) show less