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Catching Jordan

June 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally. Genres: YA Contemporary. Published by Sourcebooks Fire December 2011.

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.

Ever see Little Giants? If not, it’s movie about a ragtag football team lead by Rick Moranis whose daughter, the quarterback, falls for a fellow team mate. If you have and liked it, I think you’ll really enjoy Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally. Just like Becky “Icebox” O’Shea in Little Giants, Jordan Woods is just one of the guys who develops a crush on one of her team mates. And not just any team mate, but the new guy in town, Ty. As a senior, and starting quarter back—the only quarter back as far as her team is concerned—she has to decide what’s more important; keeping her position secure or starting a relationship with the one boy who can challenge her place on the team.

I adore Jordan. Being a “jock” in high school (I played Varsity soccer all four years) I really related to her character. Playing sports isn’t always glamorous. You can’t be dainty or afraid to get dirty and we get to see that through her. More than all of that is her character. She’s tough, determined and not an average girl at all. Though she has looks she also has height—she’s over six feet tall—and is built sturdy—can throw a football fifty yards. And she’s not afraid to be herself. She is one of the guys but we never lose sight that she is still a girl.

Another thing I love about this book is the guys. Especially her best friend, Henry. They accept Jordan for who she is. They are her support team. If anyone tries to make fun of her, talk down to her or discourage her, they’ve got her back. No one messes with Jordan when they’re around. The one guy I didn’t care for was her dad. It hurt to see him—the one guy she should look up to and share her life with—not be a part of it when football was concerned. I get why he felt that way, but still, a dad should want nothing for their child except their happiness.

There were two things I didn’t like about the book, and both had to do with Jordan. To me she was a strong, independent girl who had one thing on her mind and that was having a kick ass season and getting into the college of her dreams. The first has to do with the boy she crushes on and how quickly she gave into him. The second dealt with her dream college and how they treated her. They weren’t looking at her to be a star quarter back. In my opinion the only time she’d see the field would be during practice. What they wanted was a Barbie football player they could take photos of for the calendar and show off to the alumni. And Jordan went along with it until her dad stepped in. I know how badly she wanted to play for this school, but to me, a girl like Jordan would have put her foot down the first time they asked her to pose in nothing but a jersey and tiny pair of shorts.

Overall I loved Catching Jordan. The good parts far outweighed the parts I didn’t like.

Filed Under: Contemporary, Young Adult Tagged With: , , , ,

Let’s Talk About Sex

May 24, 2012 By 2 Comments

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger. Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary. Published by Poppy September 5th, 2011.

Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it’s a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part,Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy’s car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend’s attention

Then Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: She and the other players’ girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won’t get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don’t count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. But what Lissa never sees coming is her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling..

This book is not exactly what I thought it would be. Not that that’s a bad thing. But when I first saw the cover I thought it would be about a girl who plays sports. Then when I got the book from a friend and really read the cover, I found out I was wrong. Turns out, it’s about a girl who plays the players of these sports. Sort of.

So what does sports and sex have to do with a young adult novel? In this one, a lot.

Lissa grows sick and tired of the rivalry between her high school’s football and soccer team. That’s right, one school, two teams, at odds. Who ever heard of such craziness? And though Lissa knows the reason behind the war that began ten years ago, most of the guys on the teams couldn’t tell you what they fought over. Even if their life depended on it. So what’s the point of fighting? That’s what Lissa thinks and wants to put a stop to it once and for all. She’s been left high and dry by her boyfriend one too many times thanks to this rivalry and she won’t stand for it anymore. With the help of the other players’ girlfriends, she’s finding a way to stop it.

I know what you’re thinking. “What could a bunch of teenage girls do to get their boyfriends attention and get them to stop this war?” Get them where it counts, of course. Working together, the girls figured out what the best way to get what they want. So what is the best way to get a teenage boys attention besides food and fast cars? Sex. Or rather, a lack of it. That’s right, these girls form a hookup strike. No guy on either team will get any until this war is ended.

And this is how Shut Out brings different views on sex into account. Because not everyone is having it. You get insight from all aspects—girls who have sex and like it, girls who do and don’t like it, girls who aren’t and lie about it, and those who are just aren’t ready and aren’t afraid to admit it. You get it all. And I think it’s fantastic. It’s a great book for a young adult reader, girls and guy. For some girls, it’s hard to talk about this subject matter, and this book is perfect to get the conversation started. For guys it’s a great way to see how girls think.

Through the book we see the characters learn about themselves and each other. Why the girls put labels on one another like slut or prude. Why their afraid not to have sex with their boyfriends. And what they’re willing to give up in order to make themselves happy.

In the end, Shut Out is an incredible story about finding yourself and being around people you respect and that respect you. I can’t wait to read another book by Kody Keplinger.

Filed Under: Contemporary, Young Adult Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols

April 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols. Genres: YA Contemporary. Published by Simon Pulse December 6th 2011.

Gemma can’t believe her luck when the star football player starts flirting with her. Max is totally swoon-worthy, and even gets her quirky sense of humor. So when he asks out her so-called best friend Addison, Gemma’s heartbroken. Then Addison pressures Gemma to join the date with one of Max’s friends. But the more time they all spend together, the harder Gemma falls for Max. She can’t help thinking that Max likes her back — it’s just too bad he’s already dating Addison. How can Gemma get the guy she wants without going after her best friend’s boyfriend?

I’m going to try to review this book without gushing over it. The One That I Want quickly became my favorite Jennifer Echols book (that I’ve read so far). Well, maybe tie for first. It’s hard to top Going Too Far. (Love. That. Book.)

One of the best things about this book, if not THE thing, is the main characters. They are so different from most of what’s out there in YA and it’s refreshing.

Gemma is…she’s special. She now holds a part of my heart. She is strong. Tough. Determined. And man is she stubborn. Though did I had a hard time picturing Gemme at first. And not because there wasn’t a good description, because there was, but it was from Gemma’s point of view and right now, she doesn’t picture herself clearly. When the story opens we learn that Gemma is in the process of losing weight. Not just five to ten pounds that most people are always complaining about, but almost fifty pounds. That’s an incredible amount. But she does it the healthy way which is even more inspiring.  Her reason? She wants to be a majorette in her marching band. Or rather, her best friend does, so they do it together. For this (and many other reasons) Gemma is so my hero. I played in band in high school and would have loved to be a majorette, but I was too self conscious to wear those skimpy outfits (even though I was in pretty good hape. So not the same as wearing a bathing suit) so I never tried out. But Gemma did it. She got to where she felt confident enough and just did it. Watching Gemma discover herself throughout this book was a real eye opener. If this teenage girl can accomplish so much in her life, then why can’t I?

Then there’s Max. Cute, sweet, funny, quirky Max. Sure, he’s your typical hot male athlete. But what’s different about him is he has a sensitive side that shows on more than one occasion. And it’s hard on him because he thinks he already has one strike against him; he’s half Asian. Max, like Gemma, struggles with who he is and who he wants to be and who he’s willing to give up along the way to find that person.

You see Gemma and Max have two different, yet very similar best friends. The type of friend who needs you at first, but after time just uses you to make them feel better about themselves. Something Gemma and Max both learn the hard way. It’s when they stop trusting these friends, and start trusting themselves, that they really learn who they are and what their made of.

Jennifer Echols does a fantastic job of meshing together the oddest of characters and making it work. The chemistry she creates between them is remarkable (and a lot of the time uber hawt). She hit it out of the park with this book.

Filed Under: Contemporary, Young Adult Tagged With: , , , , ,