December 26, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday (31)




Author: Caela Carter
Pub Date: 2.7.13
From goodreads.com: When Evelyn decided to piss off her parents with a bad reputation, she wasn't planning to ruin her valedictorian status. She also wasn't planning to fall for Todd-the guy she was just using for sex. And she definitely wasn't planning on getting pregnant. When Todd turns his back on her, Evelyn's not sure where to go. Can a distant mother, a cheating father, an angry best friend, and a (thankfully) loving aunt with adopted daughters of her own help Evelyn make the heart-wrenching decisions that follow?

December 25, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday (32)


This week is a freebie week!  Because it's Christmas, I'm going to go with: 
Top Winter/Holiday books

Get ready to curl up with a cup of hot chocolate and get reading!


1. Decked with Holly - Marni Bates
I'm not gonna lie, I'm not even done with this one yet, but I love it already.  It's set on a cruise, takes place over Christmas, and involves the super hot drummer of a really popular band.  What's not to like?

2. Love Happens - Elizabeth Chandler
I read this book every year at Christmas.  It's really cheesy and embarrassing to read in public, but I don't care.  It's kind of an updated Prince and the Pauper story where the two guys are roommates at a prestigious boarding school.  Quinn (the rich one) would rather go skiing than go visit family friends over the holidays.  He sends his scholarship fund roommate, Jeff, in his place.  Of course Jeff falls for the family's daughter, wacky hijinks ensue, and all is righted in the end.

3. Bittersweet - Sarah Ockler
Cupcakes and ice skating, is there anything better?  Every time I started a new chapter the cupcake description made me want to stop and make cupcakes.  The minute I picked this one up I knew I would love it.

4. The Long Winter - Laura Ingalls Wilder
Pa goes to town for supplies during a giant blizzard AND IT TAKES ALMOST THE WHOLE BOOK TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS TO HIM.  Clearly I was traumatized by this book as a child, but it's my favorite of all the Little House books.

5. Let It Snow - John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle
One snowstorm, three interconnecting stories.  Done by some of the best in YA, Let It Snow should be on everyone's winter reading list.

Bonus mentions: 
6. Ex-Mas - Kate Brian
7. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares - Rachel Cohn & David Levithan


All of these books are sure to help get you into the holiday spirit.
Merry Christmas everyone!

December 24, 2012

In My Mailbox (28)

Hosted by The Story Siren


From Publishers:


Thanks Random House!

On my nook:




I went a little nook crazy this week, but I got some good reads for not a lot of money.


Hope everyone's having a great holiday so far and hopefully we'll have a lot of new books to share with each other next week!

December 19, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday (30)




Author: Robin Benway
Pub Date: 2.26.13
From goodreads.com: Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.

December 18, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday (31)



This week's topic is
Top Ten Books I Read in 2012

Now, I'm going to be a big old cheater this week because I've read SO MANY good books this year that I want to share.  I've managed to cut my list down to 12.  Top 12 in 2012 sounds pretty good to me.  These are in no particular order.


1. The Darkest Minds - Alexandra Bracken  
2. Black Heart - Holly Black
3. Divergent - Veronica Roth
4. My Life Next Door - Huntley Fitzpatrick
5. The Fault in our Stars - John Green
6. Throne of Glass - Sarah Maas
7. Pandemonium - Lauren Oliver
8. The Evolution of Mara Dyer - Michelle Hodkin
9. Girl of Nightmares - Kendare Blake
10. The Piper's Son - Melina Marchetta
11. Second Chance Summer - Morgan Matson
12. Everneath - Brodi Ashton


I can't wait to see what everyone else has picked so I can add them to my reading list for 2013!

December 16, 2012

In My Mailbox (27)

Hosted by the Story Siren




Bought:

When I saw that this was 50% off on Green Monday at Barnes and Noble, I knew I had to own it.  I love everything about this book, but especially its cover.

From Publishers:

I was lucky enough to go to the RH Open House this week and came away with this awesome book from Anna Quindlen.  The panels were fantastic and it was great to be surrounded by fellow book lovers for a day of discussion.  Thanks Random House!

December 12, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday (29)



Author: Ally Carter
Pub Date: 2.5.13
From goodreads.com: Katarina Bishop and W.W. Hale the fifth were born to lead completely different lives: Kat comes from a long, proud line of loveable criminal masterminds, while Hale is the scion of one of the most seemingly perfect dynasties in the world. If their families have one thing in common, it's that they both know how to stay under the radar while getting--or stealing--whatever they want. No matter the risk, the Bishops can always be counted on, but in Hale's family, all bets are off when money is on the line. When Hale unexpectedly inherits his grandmother's billion dollar corporation, he quickly learns that there's no place for Kat and their old heists in his new role. But Kat won't let him go that easily, especially after she gets tipped off that his grandmother's will might have been altered in an elaborate con to steal the company's fortune. So instead of being the heir--this time, Hale might be the mark. Forced to keep a level head as she and her crew fight for one of their own, Kat comes up with an ambitious and far-reaching plan that only the Bishop family would dare attempt. To pull it off, Kat is prepared to do the impossible, but first, she has to decide if she's willing to save her boyfriend's company if it means losing the boy.

December 11, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday (30)



This week's topic is
Top Ten New To Me Authors I Read in 2012

1. Veronica Roth
2. Jennifer E. Smith
3. Brodi Ashton
4. Melissa Jensen
5. Huntley Fitzpatrick
6. Sarah J. Maas
7. Melina Marchetta
8. Alexandra Bracken
9. Kendare Blake
10. Cassandra Clare
11. Sarah Rees Brennan

Okay, I'm a cheater, but I couldn't bring myself to leave Sarah Rees Brennan off this list, she's hilarious and I love her.  There's a couple big names on my list this year, I'm kind of proud that I've finally read stuff by these guys.  What this really is is a list of authors whose books I'll read no questions asked.  Put it in my hands and I'll fly through it.  I can't wait to see who is on everyone else's list!

December 9, 2012

In My Mailbox (26)

Hosted by the Story Siren

Purchased:


Falling for You - Lisa Schroeder (not really a purchase, but I forgot to take a separate picture)




I went to another Oblong Books signing and came home with way too many books, as usual.  Libba Bray and Gwenda Bond were fantastic and so, so funny.  And I came home with a bonus ARC of Falling for You.


December 6, 2012

The Fine Art of Truth or Dare - Melissa Jensen

Title: The Fine Art of Truth or Dare
Author: Melissa Jensen
Pages: 380
Publisher: Speak

From goodreads.com: Ella is nearly invisible at the Willing School, and that's just fine by her. She's got her friends - the fabulous Frankie and their sweet cohort Sadie. She's got her art - and her idol, the unappreciated 19th-century painter Edward Willing. Still, it's hard being a nobody and having a crush on the biggest somebody in the school: Alex Bainbridge. Especially when he is your French tutor, and lessons have started becoming, well, certainly more interesting than French ever has been before. But can the invisible girl actually end up with a happily ever after with the golden boy, when no one even knows they're dating? And is Ella going to dare to be that girl?

This was a really solid contemporary read.  I was in a bit of a reading slump when I read this and it was exactly what I needed to get back on track.


It's the story of Ella - Ella who comes from a close knit Italian family and is on scholarship to her school - and how she falls for someone "out of her league."  But it's also so much more than that.  It's the story of a girl who has to fight to overcome her insecurities in order to take a chance on something that she wants.  It's about a girl who talks to a long dead painter in her head because that's less scary than actually talking to boys her own age.  She's a girl who spends her free time with her friends at a karaoke lounge playing truth or dare.  There was just the right amount of quirkiness at play here.  I really enjoyed this book and it made me pick up Melissa Jensen's other book, Falling in Love With English Boys (which I just ADORED with everything in me).



December 5, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday (28)




Title: Hysteria
Author: Megan Miranda
Pub Date: 2.5.13
From meganmiranda.com: Mallory killed her boyfriend, Brian. She can’t remember the details of that night but everyone knows it was self-defense, so she isn’t charged. But Mallory still feels Brian’s presence in her life. Is it all in her head? Or is it something more? In desperate need of a fresh start, Mallory is sent to Monroe, a fancy prep school where no one knows her... or anything about her past. But the feeling follows her, as do her secrets. Then, one of her new classmates turns up dead. As suspicion falls on Mallory, she must find a way to remember the details of both deadly nights so she can prove her innocence -- to herself and others.

December 4, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday (29)



This week's topic is
Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing Me



1. Happy Days - Olly Murs
2. Honest - Tulisa Contostavlos

I've been in a British pop star place recently and these two bios are actually on my Christmas list.  We'll see if they actually make it under my tree though.

3. Divergent - Veronica Roth
4. Insurgent - Veronica Roth

I am the worst at reading the big books, so this pair is one that I've put off reading for a long time.  I picked up Divergent last week because it's my book club's December pick and flew through it.  I'm almost done with Insurgent now and I'm officially obsessed.  I know these are books that I'm going to reread many times in the future.  Plus, they're so pretty!

5.  The John Green boxed set

It's just so pretty.  I love whoever designed the outer box to this set, it's perfect.  And I just googled the poster that's inside and I MUST HAVE IT.


6. Meant to Be - Lauren Morrill

I've been wanting to read this one for what feels like forever.  It finally came out and I still haven't read it.  If it was in my possession it would be easier to rectify this.

7. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight - Jennifer E. Smith

I love this book and its cover so much, I just want to have it.

8. Delirium - Lauren Oliver
9. Pandemonium - Lauren Oliver
10. Requiem - Lauren Oliver

Love love love this series.  I have ARCs of the first two, but would love hardcover copies.  Plus if Santa wouldn't mind preordering Requiem I wouldn't hate it.


November 29, 2012

Anna Dressed in Blood - Kendare Blake

Title: Anna Dressed in Blood
Author: Kendare Blake
Pages: 316
Publisher: Tor Teen

From goodreads.com: Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story...

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. 

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.


I picked up Anna Dressed in Blood right around Halloween.  I was looking for a spooky read and I figured what could be better than a ghosty love story?

Let me start by saying that I really enjoyed this book.  I love male narrators when they're done well and Cas was done very well.  It wasn't as spooky as I wanted it to be, but I enjoyed the ghost aspect nonetheless.  I love how the ghosts were tied to the world, unable to stop themselves from hurting others. The best part of this book was Anna.  I loved that she was this legend - a dark goddess ghost - who was in reality just a girl who was horrifically killed.  I'm not going to spoil how, but OH MY GOD what a story.

I also really loved Cas, who was a ghost hunter kind of by default.  He took up the reins after his dad died.  I loved his wanting to avenge his father's death, his mom's witch business (I love me some witches), and I especially loved Cas' attachment to the people in this town.  Carmel and Thomas started out as minor annoyances when Cas first came to town and it turned out that Cas really needed them in his life.


Best quote:
"You make me want things I can't have."

November 27, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday (27)





Title: Uses For Boys
Author: Erica Lorraine Scheidt
Pub Date: 1.15.13
From goodreads.com: Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.

Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical,  Uses for Boys  is a story of breaking down and growing up.

Top Ten Tuesday (28)



This week's topic is
Top Ten Most Anticipated Books for 2013

My first five are continuations of series that I've been reading that I am dying for.  The other five are authors that I love and can't wait to see what they come out with next.





1. Isla and the Happily Ever After - Stephanie Perkins
5.07.13
Falling in love in the world’s most romantic city is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year at the School of America in Paris, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to deal with the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever. Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.

2. Requiem - Lauren Oliver
3.05.13
Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.
After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor. Requiem is told from both Lena’s and Hana’s points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

3. Everbound - Brodi Ashton
1.22.13
Nikki Beckett could only watch as her boyfriend, Jack, sacrificed himself to save her, taking her place in the Tunnels of the Everneath for eternity — a debt that should’ve been hers. She’s living a borrowed life, and she doesn’t know what to do with the guilt. And every night Jack appears in her dreams, lost and confused and wasting away.
Desperate for answers, Nikki turns to Cole, the immortal bad boy who wants to make her his queen — and the one person least likely to help. But his heart has been touched by everything about Nikki, and he agrees to assist her in the only way he can: by taking her to the Everneath himself.
Nikki and Cole descend into the Everneath, only to discover that their journey will be more difficult than they’d anticipated — and more deadly. But Nikki vows to stop at nothing to save Jack — even if it means making an incredible sacrifice of her own.

4. The Retribution of Mara Dyer - Michelle Hodkin
2013
The third and final installment in the very awesome Mara Dyer series.

5. Emblaze - Jessica Shirvington
3.01.13
Violet has come to terms with the fact that being part angel, part human, means her life will never be as it was.
Now Violet has something Phoenix - the exiled angel who betrayed her - will do anything for, and she has no intention of letting it fall into his hands. The only problem is that he has something she needs too. 
Not afraid to raise the stakes, Phoenix seemingly holds all the power, always one step ahead. And when he puts the final pieces of the prophecy together, it doesn't take him long to realise exactly who he needs in order to open the gates of Hell.
With the help of surprising new allies, ancient prophecies are deciphered, a destination set and, after a shattering confrontation with her father, Violet leaves for the islands of Greece without knowing if she will have a home to return to...

6. Hysteria - Megan Miranda
2.05.13
After stabbing and killing her boyfriend, sixteen-year-old Mallory, who has no memory of the event, is sent away to a boarding school to escape the gossip and threats, but someone or something is following her.

7. Just One Day - Gayle Forman
1.08.13
When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

8. This Is What Happy Looks Like - Jennifer E. Smith
4.02.13
In This is What Happy Looks Like, Jennifer E. Smith's new YA novel, perfect strangers Graham Larkin and Ellie O'Neill meet—albeit virtually—when Graham accidentally sends Ellie an email about his pet pig, Wilbur. In the tradition of romantic movies like "You've Got Mail" and "Sleepless in Seattle," the two 17-year-olds strike up an email relationship, even though they live on opposite sides of the country and don't even know each other's first names.
Through a series of funny and poignant messages, Graham and Ellie make a true connection, sharing intimate details about their lives, hopes and fears. But they don't tell each other everything; Graham doesn't know the major secret hidden in Ellie's family tree, and Ellie is innocently unaware that Graham is actually a world-famous teen actor living in Los Angeles.
When the location for the shoot of Graham's new film falls through, he sees an opportunity to take their relationship from online to in-person, managing to get the production relocated to picturesque Henley, Maine, where Ellie lives. But can a star as famous as Graham have a real relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie's mom want her to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?

9. Shadowlands - Kate Brian
1.08.13
Rory Miller had one chance to fight back and she took it. Rory survived… and the serial killer who attacked her escaped. Now that the infamous Steven Nell is on the loose, Rory must enter the witness protection with her father and sister, Darcy, leaving their friends and family without so much as a goodbye. 
Starting over in a new town with only each other is unimaginable for Rory and Darcy. They were inseparable as children, but now they can barely stand each other. As the sisters settle in to Juniper Landing, a picturesque vacation island, it seems like their new home may be just the fresh start they need. They fall in with a group of beautiful, carefree teens and spend their days surfing, partying on the beach, and hiking into endless sunsets. But just as they’re starting to feel safe again, one of their new friends goes missing. Is it a coincidence? Or is the nightmare beginning all over again?

10. When You Were Here - Daisy Whitney
June 2013
Danny's mother lost her five-year battle with cancer three weeks before his graduation-the one day that she was hanging on to see.
Now Danny is left alone, with only his memories, his dog, and his heart-breaking ex-girlfriend for company. He doesn't know how to figure out what to do with her estate, what to say for his Valedictorian speech, let alone how to live or be happy anymore.
When he gets a letter from his mom's property manager in Tokyo, where she had been going for treatment, it shows a side of a side of his mother he never knew. So, with no other sense of direction, Danny travels to Tokyo to connect with his mother's memory and make sense of her final months, which seemed filled with more joy than Danny ever knew. There, among the cherry blossoms, temples, and crowds, and with the help of an almost-but-definitely-not Harijuku girl, he begins to see how it may not have been ancient magic or mystical treatment that kept his mother going. Perhaps, the secret of how to live lies in how she died.




I can't wait to see what everyone else is excited for!

November 25, 2012

In My Mailbox (25)

Hosted by The Story Siren


From the library:


I went a little library crazy this week.  We're coming upon December and I'm a bit behind on my Good Reads 2012 challenge.  I basically grabbed a bunch of things that looked like quick reads that have either been on my TBR list or looked like they would get me in the wintery spirit.  I think you can see which is which.

Gifted:


I LOVED Falling in Love With English Boys when I read it earlier in the year, so I was really excited when my sister got it for me for my birthday!

November 22, 2012

Debut Author Challenge 2013

12 Debut YA Books in 2013

So while I'm scrambling to complete my 2012 challenges, I've decided to sign up for the Debut Author Challenge for 2013.  I didn't do this one last year because I didn't want to take on too much, but I'm going to try and be better this year.  Wish me luck!

November 20, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday (27)


This week's topic is
Top Ten Books/Authors I'm Thankful For

I found, when I was making this list, that most of my authors/books are contemporary.  I think the reason for that is that there are so many really bad YA contemporaries out there that when I find a good one or, even rarer, a great one I'm so so happy.  They become those books that I'll read over and over or an author that I'll read anything they write without question.

Meg Cabot
Stephanie Perkins
The Westing Game
Holly Black
The Secret Society Girl series
JK Rowling
Kate Brian/Kieran Scott
The Fault in our Stars
Deb Caletti
My Life Next Door

I hope everyone has a really happy, healthy Thanksgiving full of all the delicious food you can stand.  We're having family over to our house for dinner and then I'm looking forward to our annual first viewing of White Christmas!

November 15, 2012

Embrace by Jessica Shirvington

Title: Embrace
Author: Jessica Shirvington
Pages: 369
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

From the flap:
It starts with a whisper.
"It's time for you to know who you are..."
Strange dreams leave her with very real injuries and there's a dark tattoo weaving its way up her arms.  They guy she thought she could fall in love with just told her he's only half-human - oh, and the same goes for her.  And she keeps hearing a distant fluttering of wings.
Violet Eden is having a very bad 17th birthday.
But if angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden...

Embrace was my first angel novel guys!  I'm kinda proud of myself because every time I've seen a book about angels I've automatically been like, "Next!" but something about this one spoke to me.  First off, the cover is gorge.  I would love to have this girls hair.  Other things I love about the cover?  The suggestion of wings done with smoke and the pretty pretty purple background.  I was actually really upset when I saw that the cover of  Entice was totally different.

I have to say, I really enjoyed Embrace.  It is not without its issues, but it was a fun book.  I kind of felt how I did when I first started watching The Vampire Diaries.  Nowadays, TVD is v. serious business (with a side of SQUEE!) but when I first started watching it, it was like, "Well, why wouldn't I take a chance on this show with these two very hot, often half naked boys in it."  Yup, I just compared this book to watching CW actors naked chests.  I hope you're all running to read it right now.

Now, for my main problem.  I really felt that there was no need for Violet to be 17.  The characters all felt much older to me.  They never go to school, Violet's mom is dead and her dad is never around, and they spent a lot of time in clubs.  Violet and Steph could have at least been in college, then we wouldn't have had to spend so much time making up excuses for these things. 

Even with my issues with it, Embrace left me wanting more so I'll definitely be checking out the sequels!

November 14, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday (26)




Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Pub Date: 4.2.13
From goodreads.com: In This is What Happy Looks Like, Jennifer E. Smith's new YA novel, perfect strangers Graham Larkin and Ellie O'Neill meet—albeit virtually—when Graham accidentally sends Ellie an email about his pet pig, Wilbur. In the tradition of romantic movies like "You've Got Mail" and "Sleepless in Seattle," the two 17-year-olds strike up an email relationship, even though they live on opposite sides of the country and don't even know each other's first names.

Through a series of funny and poignant messages, Graham and Ellie make a true connection, sharing intimate details about their lives, hopes and fears. But they don't tell each other everything; Graham doesn't know the major secret hidden in Ellie's family tree, and Ellie is innocently unaware that Graham is actually a world-famous teen actor living in Los Angeles.

When the location for the shoot of Graham's new film falls through, he sees an opportunity to take their relationship from online to in-person, managing to get the production relocated to picturesque Henley, Maine, where Ellie lives. But can a star as famous as Graham have a real relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie's mom want her to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?

November 11, 2012

In My Mailbox (24)

Hosted by The Story Siren

On my nook:



It's only $4.99 on nook right now, so I figured why not?  I love a good college story.

Borrowed:


Thanks to my sister for letting me borrow this one!  It's been on my TBR list for a while now.

November 8, 2012

Catching Jordan - Miranda Kenneally

Title: Catching Jordan
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Pages: 281
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

From goodreads.com: 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 everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Greeen moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line?


I had heard good things about Catching Jordan before I read it.  I checked out the summary and it sounded kind of different than the other sporty girl books that I've read in the past.  I have loved Little Giants since I first saw it (in 1996) and it has a similar story but with older teens.  A new boy comes to town and joins Jordan's team, she starts to like him, and her feelings start to mess her game up.  Instead of pee wee football it's high school so there was even more romance potential.  I also played sports from when I was very young all the way through my senior year of high school so I was pretty confident that I was going to like this one.

Lord, was I wrong.  I found the characters - all of them - to be unlikable.  Jordan is supposed to be a strong, tough girl.  She is someone who her team looks to as a pillar of strength and every other chapter she's crying.  Now, I'm not saying strong girls can't cry, but every other chapter?  Too much.  I couldn't root for Ty.  That boy had some serious emotional issues and definitely needed therapy.  His and Jordan's relationship moved way too fast for it to be believable.

Jordan's issues with her father didn't sit right with me either.  He is a football player who doesn't want his daughter to play football.  Even when they were hashing it out at the end of the story - he doesn't want his child hurt playing at a higher level, which would have been a fine explanation of his feelings BUT HER BROTHER PLAYS AT A HIGHER LEVEL.  I think I would've been more okay with it if it had just been that he doesn't think girls should play football.  It would have made more sense within the story.  And Jordan just accepts his reasoning.  Ugh.


I'm sad about this one.  I was so looking forward to reading it after all the good things that I heard, but I was very disappointed.