19 September 2011

(ARC) YA Book Review: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Release Date:December 2011
Publisher:Sourcebooks Fire
Source: Around the World ARC Tours

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Goodreads description:
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.
My Thoughts...

Catching Jordan was everything that I hoped it would be and more! This delightful contemporary read will truly tug at your heartstrings. It's the kind of book that you pick up to read and find that you can't put it down until you've turned the last page! I promise you'll fly through this one and it will leave you begging for more of Ms. Kenneally's engaging writing and storytelling.

Jordan is not your average high school girl.  She traded in her pompoms for cleats, pads, and helmets in Kindergarten and never looked back. Now, as a senior in high school, she is the football team's starting quarterback and team captain--confident in her abilities and driven to achieve her single-minded goal: a full-ride and a spot on the team at Alabama. Everything's looking like it's going her way when a new boy shows up in town--one who makes Jordan rethink her tomboy nature and want something more with a boy for the first time. How it all plays out...well, it's not at all what you expect and Jordan is put on an emotion roller coaster.

I loved Jordan instantly, despite lacking any real knowledge of football. She's tough and driven yet has the vulnerability of someone without much worldly experience. She's very much one of the guys and Kenneally does a great job depicting that relationship by showing her readers the "crude" side of boys--no sugar-coated "good boys" here. As a reader, I thoroughly enjoyed Jordan experience so many firsts throughout the book and I even enjoyed watching her struggles--not because I wanted her to struggle but because it made her that much more realistic. Early on Jordan also starts keeping a journal that I absolutely loved reading. It gave you this deeper perspective on her personality and inner struggles/conflict.

I really enjoyed the minor characters in this book as well. They aren't as well-developed, but they are still integral to the story. I would say that there's not a single character that didn't "belong" in the story. The two boys are, well, boys. They both have a sort of "damaged-goods-nice-guy" vibe to them. There is no easy solution to Jordan's relationship with either boy, and in the end, everything works out perfectly. Trust me when I say this is totally a feel-good happy ending type of book.

This is truly one of the most delightful books that I've read this year. It's a must read for YA contemporary fans--and trust me, you don't even have to LIKE football to get into this story.  The characters will endear themselves to you from page one. You should pre-order this book NOW (or put it on your Christmas list or something!).

5 comments:

Chel said...

I don't like football but I love YA books about sports. I've been hearing a lot about this book and whenever I do, I only hear positive feedback! Really can't wait to read Catching Jordan! :)

Chel @ The Procrastinator's Corner

Bookish Brunette said...

This is definitely on my TBR!!!!

Nerdgirls said...

Ooooh I am going to put this on my to-read list! Great review!

Alexa said...

I loved this one as well and it is going at the top of my X-mas wish list.

Reflectionsofabookaholic said...

Girls are allowed to play football?  I didn't know that.  This sounds like a must read for sure.  Nice review.

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