Review: Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally

Title: Stealing Parker (Hundred Oaks #2)

Author: Miranda Kenneally

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: October 1st, 2012

Source: Borrowed ARC

My Rating: 3/5

Red-hot author Miranda Kenneally hits one out of the park in this return to Catching Jordan's Hundred Oaks High.

Parker Shelton pretty much has the perfect life. She’s on her way to becoming valedictorian at Hundred Oaks High, she’s made the all-star softball team, and she has plenty of friends. Then her mother’s scandal rocks their small town and suddenly no one will talk to her.

Now Parker wants a new life.

So she quits softball. Drops twenty pounds. And she figures why kiss one guy when she can kiss three? Or four. Why limit herself to high school boys when the majorly cute new baseball coach seems especially flirty?

But how far is too far before she loses herself completely?

I really, really wanted to like this book but I could tell almost right away that it was going to fall short. It's companion novel Catching Jordan, was smart and heart-warming, but Stealing Parker lacked the spark of its predecessor. The story itself lacked warmth and humor, and did not live up to the potential the concept presented.

Reading a book about female athletes makes me so so happy. I adore sports, and played them a lot when I was younger. Although baseball is probably my least favorite sport, I was really looking forward to reading about the team dynamics and sports enthusiasm. And while that was an awesome part of the book, it was few and far between. Instead, the focus was on Parker's home life and her relationship with her older coach. I think I would have enjoyed that part of the story had it been done right, but instead I found the majority of it unrealistic and predictable.   

I think the real thing this book was missing was the heart of Catching Jordan. I found Jordan to be such a passionate character, and I loved her desire to push the boundaries set before her. She was not content to just sit back and hope for the best, but wanted to earn respect and pride. Unlike Jordan, Parker was a very flat character. She mostly let things happen to her and never really did anything. Her situation was different than Jordan's but there was so much opportunity for growth and, in the end, I wasn't entirely sold on the new Parker. She said a lot but I find that actions, be them purposeful or unconscious, speak much more about a character than their words. Parker was going through a crisis, no doubt, and I can't fault her for not responding to it well, but she didn't do anything to change her situation either. By the end of the book, I was proud of where she ended up but I don't feel as if it was genuine. She seemed as if she was put there rather than working her way there.

The whole plot itself I found pretty formulaic. I wasn't looking for twists and turns, but I felt like the whole book was just going through the motions. There was no power behind it. This book could have had some fantastic messages about self-discovery, about being your own person, but it lacked the passion to really drive home the point.

On the positive note, Miranda Kenneally really knows how to write great love interests. I mean, I was swooning all over the place because of Will. He was so sweet, earnest, and fun. The kind of guy I would just love to hang out with. His scene with Parker were enjoyable, and they seemed to bring out the best in each other.

I think, overall, I just expected more from Stealing Parker. More heart, better characters, and a story that would have made me smile. I'm a bit disappointed with this one, but I do look forward to the next companion novels. The heart is there, I think it was just missing in this installment.

- Ciara (Lost at Midnight)

Find This Book: Amazon | Chapters/Indigo | Goodreads | Miranda Kenneally's Website

Stacking the Shelves (15)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews in which bloggers share the books they stacked their shelves with during the week!

I wasn't planning on getting any books this week, since the cost of going to Ireland has decimated my bank account! But, I ways lucky enough to borrow an awesome release from one fantastic Ottawa Blogger! I'm really excited to read it, and considering there's so far no copies in all of Ottawa, I'm glad I got one. Also I forgot to feature a book earlier so here they both are!

Borrowed:
- (ARC) Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally (Huge thanks to Kathy for lending me her ARC!)
- Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols (Huge thanks to Emilie for lending me her copy!)

That's all for the next couple weeks! I'm off exploring the Emerald Isle, but be sure to check out the blog on Monday for a very exciting guest post week!

Happy Reading!

- Ciara (Lost at Midnight)

All Covered Up: Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally

I've been trying to feature covers more on the blog, but have been having a bit of trouble (mostly cause I have a seriously irrational fear that I'm going to do some sort of copyright infringement or something and be sued. My anxiety of random things often gets the better of me). I adore covers. I think they can really add to the atmosphere of a book and can add so much more appeal. So to balance my cover love and odd fears, I've decided to post about both new covers and ones that I really enjoy!

Recently the cover was revealed for Miranda Kenneally's third novel, Things I Can't Forget. And I absolutely adore it. Here it is with the very short description courtesy of Goodreads.

Companion to Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker. Set at summer camp, this book is about a girl named Kate falling in love for the first time. 

I'm such a fan of this cover. It's pretty clean and simple, but has a sweet and light edge to it. Oddly enough, the story seems to have a much heavier subject, dealing with issues like religion and abortion (this according to Kenneally's website). I love the old school bikes, and the couple holding hands, and I really want that girl's dress! I also like that a sports field is incorporated, as most of Kenneally's novels seem to deal with female athletes. It's a great cover for what is sure to be a great novel. Her debut, Catching Jordan was awesome, so I'm really looking forward to this novel, as well as her fall release, Stealing Parker.

Things I Can't Forget is out April 1st, 2013 from Sourcebooks Fire! And if that's too long of a wait, Stealing Parker is out in October!

Review: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Title: Catching Jordan

Author: Miranda Kenneally

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: December 1st, 2011

Source: Purchased

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

 

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starting position... suddenly she's hoping he'll see her as more than just a teammate.

Hearing literally nothing but good things about a book usually puts it on my TBR pile automatically. After the crazy out-pouring of love from the book community about Catching Jordan I knew I had to pick it up. The concept itself sounded interesting (I happen to enjoy football and hot boys) and I was in the mood for a light contemporary.

Catching Jordan was definitely what everyone said it was: fun, heart-warming, and fantastic. It was also pretty unexpected. I thought the plot was going in a certain direction and quickly realized I should not of judged a book by it's summary! There was much more than just budding romance and football plays to this novel. There were ideas of acceptance, choice, and defying boundaries that really added to the overall story.

Of course, the romance was a huge element. Let me just say, I never root for the best friend. It's nothing against the characters, I just always end up choosing the main love interest! This time was different. I was rooting for Sam Henry from page one. As soon as his blond locks and adorable personality popped into the story, I was in love. Yeah, Ty was nice and all, but nothing compared to the squeeze I got when Henry was on the scene. He captured my heart, without a doubt, and I spent the novel hoping he would catch Jordan's. And Jordan herself was great. As a huge tomboy growing up, I was insanely happy to see a tough girl taking on all the boys. She was fierce, yet sensitive, and insanely talented. She knew what she wanted, and she was determined to get it, making me ridiculously proud of her. I also loved the secondary characters. They all had their own back story, and important element in Jordan's tale. The teammates were great fun, and the girls were really sweet. The characters definitely made this story as fantastic as it was.

If you're reading the description and thinking "Ugh, football" fear not! Although the sport is tied in throughout the novel, it isn't overwhelming or difficult to understand. Kenneally does a great job of writing a novel about football that doesn't completely focus on football. As a football fan (now, not a HUGE football fan. Don't start asking me about players and stats. I will stare at you blankly), I loved the sports element. Although, I loved the characters even more.


Overall, although there was a couple things that bugged me (they're spoilers though, so I'm just going to say there were THINGS) I loved Catching Jordan. I read it all and one sitting, laughed out loud, and caught myself smiling many times. If you're looking for a fun, romance, and a touch chick that isn't fighting a corrupt government, check out Catching Jordan!

-Ciara who is lost at midnight

Find this book: Amazon | Goodreads | The Book Depository