Review: Jesse's Girl

Jesse's Girl
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Published: July 7th, 2015
Paperback, 304 pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Everyone at Hundred Oaks High knows that career mentoring day is a joke. So when Maya Henry said she wanted to be a rock star, she never imagined she'd get to shadow *the* Jesse Scott, Nashville's teen idol.

But spending the day with Jesse is far from a dream come true. He's as gorgeous as his music, but seeing all that he's accomplished is just a reminder of everything Maya's lost: her trust, her boyfriend, their band, and any chance to play the music she craves. Not to mention that Jesse's pushy and opinionated. He made it on his own, and he thinks Maya's playing back up to other people's dreams. Does she have what it takes to follow her heart - and go solo?

The Hundred Oaks books always put a smile on my face. The characters are fantastic and I love how each story weaves into the others without any over lap. There is always a new main character, but old characters always pop up to say hi and check in and I love series like that. Maya Henry is Sam's younger sister from Catching Jordan. She dreams of being a rock star and wants desperately to play her own music with her band, but they are into music that's so far beyond her. When she has to pick a job for career mentoring day, she picks rock star and is very surprised when she gets to job shadow Jesse Scott, Nashville's heartthrob. Maya is excited, but Jesse is not at all like she imagined him to be. He's rude, cocky and seems like he doesn't want Maya following him around. Maya isn't looking forward to spending the day with him telling her she's not trying hard enough to play her own music. But then Jessa starts to show her how he really lives, his secret hiding spots, and they have moments where Maya starts to think that maybe she is putting her music second and maybe it's time to step up and take charge of what she wants, and Jesse Scott may just be one of those things.

Miranda knows how to write a swoon worthy boy, and Jesse Scott is no exception.I could picture Hunter Hayes or any other country boy as I read the book, or even a male Taylor Swift. He has a sweet demeanor, but knows just how famous he is and how to use it. His relationship with Maya, though it had a rocky start, is wonderful and heart warming and I love how their relationship progresses through the day. The moments they share together alone, where they can be completely honest about their lives were great to read and made me fall for him even more. He sets her up with his recording studio, helps her with her vocals, and shows her that she is capable of so much more than she's been accomplishing. Compared to her ex-boyfriend, he treats her like a princess and I loved watching Maya gain confidence throughout the novel thanks to Jesse.

Maya and Jesse are adorable together. Miranda knows how to give me all the romance and love I look for in a YA novel and this one delivers. Hundred Oaks is one of my favourite worlds to go into and I was so happy to see Sam and Jordan have a part in this one. It's fun to see a couple that you saw get together being all relationshipy and domestic. They are adorable together and bicker like an old married couple and you can tell that they just belong together. They were there to help Maya when she needed advice and to appease us fans who desperately wanted more of them. I can't wait for more from Miranda and more in this series. This is one of those series that never has to end because it follows different characters every time and there's no way not to make a story about teens in this small town. I love that the other books are sports related and this one focused on music. It branched out from what we've come to expect from Hundred Oaks books and I can see great things in the future of this series. Can't wait for more, Miranda!

"You have to take chances to get a chance at your dreams."

Review: Breathe, Annie, Breathe

Breathe, Annie, Breathe
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Published: July 15th, 2014
Hardcover, 306 pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Annie hates running. No matter how far she jogs, she can't escape the guilt that if she hadn't broken up with Kyle, he might still be alive. So to honour his memory, she starts preparing for the marathon he intended to race.

But the training is even more gruelling than Annie could have imagined. Despite her coaching, she's at war with her body, her mind - and her heart. With every mile that athletic Jeremiah cheers her on, she grows more conflicted. She wants to run into his arms... and sprint in the opposite direction. For Annie, opening up to love again may be ever more of a challenge than crossing the finish line.

Entering back into Hundred Oaks made me smile and Annie's story was just as hard and heartbreaking as every other girl I've met throughout this series. Annie is racked with guilt over her ex boyfriend's death, feeling as though he would still be alive if she hadn't broken up with him. So she plans on running the marathon he would have been running that year, a marathon she is in no way ready to run. She begins her training, her life revolving around miles and food intake, beginning the hard journey to the finish line. Along the way, she meets Jeremiah, a guy who makes her feel things she hasn't felt in a long time and someone that could easily help her guilty mind. But the closer she gets to Jeremiah and the finish line, the more she pulls away, not knowing if by finishing the race she'll actually be able to forgive herself.

Annie deals with so much in this book. She's finishing high school, about to start university and trying to focus all her energy on this race. She deals with her grief step by step, breath by breath. It's wonderful to see how her running relates to her feelings, we can see it in the writing as she pushes through everything to get to the other side. Kenneally hits the nail on the head in this one, comparing running to death, the hardships involved with both. Annie is a complex character who can't forgive herself for doing something she knew in her heart was what she needed to do. The consequences rack her brain and they stop her from moving on with her life and with Jeremiah. Her relationship with Jeremiah is fast yet slow, steady yet super uneven. Annie is cautious, but her heart is at war with her head and it's such a familiar feeling, one most people have felt, that it was so unbearably real to read. Their love story was lovely and I loved reading it, even though I wasn't sure if they'd make it through most of the time. Jeremiah is a wonderful counterpart to Annie, he believes in her and let her know that she doesn't need to do anything to get better, she just needs to push through it.

I loved seeing some familiar friends again. Matt is Annie's coach and we vaguely met Jeremiah in Things I Can't Forget, which makes me happy that he gets to be the hero of his own story. This book is touching, sad, and uplifting all at once and even though I know nothing about running, I was pulled into the story as Annie ran and ran until she could finally forgive herself. A great book that looks at grief, love, and growing up in a different way than usual an in a way that will leave you smiling.

"Maybe you don't have to figure life out at all. Maybe it just is."

Review: Racing Savannah

Racing Savannah
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Published: December 3rd, 2013
Paperback, 304 pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

They're from two different worlds.

He lives in the estate house, and she spends most of her time in the stables helping her father train horses. In fact, Savannah has always been much more comfortable around horses than boys. especially boys like Jack Goodwin - cocky, popular, and completely out of her league. She knows the rules: no mixing between the staff and the Goodwin family. But Jack has no such boundaries.

With her dream of becoming a horse jockey, Savannah isn't exactly one to follow the rules either. She's not going to let someone tell her a girl isn't tough enough to race. Sure, it's dangerous. Then again, so is dating Jack...

If I thought the Hundred Oaks series couldn't get any cuter, I was seriously wrong. Kenneally has done it again with this sweet story of two people from opposite sides of the track that find a way to fall in love and still me in good with their parents. All Savannah wants to be is a horse jockey. She's short and knows how to get a horse to go fast. But her dad worries for her safety and doesn't want her anywhere near the fast horses unless she's grooming them. But meeting Jack Goodwin proves more dangerous than the horses as Savannah finds herself falling for him quickly and shamelessly. Jack believes in her and wants her to try jockeying a certain horse that seems to respond to her touch. But not everyone is as supportive as he is.

Savannah is adorable. I loved her to pieces and hoped for her to fulfill her dream of jockeying a horse and winning a race. I completely understand where Savannah's dad is coming from. Jockeying is not a light activity and he doesn't want her to get hurt. The relationship between them is wonderful and I love seeing a parent who's so involved with their daughter but not super over protective. The other people who work at the Goodwin house are just as supportive and wonderful. It takes Savannah some time, but she comes around to the idea of living them and starts to appreciate the new family that she has. Jack Goodwin is your typical unattainable guy, but he stands out because of the way he treats Savannah. He was constantly nice to her and even though he had to live a separate live and his father expected a lot from him, he still supported Savannah and wanted the best for her. These two are adorable together and I fell in love right alongside them, praying they'd get a happy ending.

These books are too cute for words. Kenneally treads on difficult subjects, puts her characters in hard situations, and shows us that there is always a way through and that if you dream something hard enough, you can achieve it. I loved seeing old characters show up throughout the book and see some of the original characters grown up and ready to start their lives together (Jordan and Parker were planning their weddings!) The great thing with this series is that it could potentially never end as we go through generations of teenagers living in Hundred Oaks. I'll continue to anticipate more from this author and series.

"But you're kind of like a great book... you know, you pick up a book at the bookstore because it has beautiful cover... but it's what's inside that pulls you in."

Review: Things I Can't Forget

Things I Can't Forget
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Published: March 1st, 2013
Paperback, 308 pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Kate has always been the good girl. Too good, according to some people at school - although they have no idea the guilty secret she carries. But this summer, everything is different...

This summer she's a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, and she wants to put the past behind her. This summer Matt is back as a counselor too. He's the first guy she ever kissed, and he's gone from a geeky songwriter who loved The Hardy Boys to a buff lifeguard who loves to flirt - with her.

Kate used to think the world was black and white, right and wrong. Turns out, life isn't that easy...

Kate is not the kind of character you see in a book very often and it was great seeing someone so into their faith have the spotlight in a book. Religion is not something authors feel comfortable discussing anymore, as there is so much speculation that surrounds it. But I'm glad Kenneally was brave enough to make Kate very religious and not hold that against her. Kate struggles with a lot of things that I struggled with as a teen and i'm sure most others did too. She's not ready to go past kissing, even though everyone around her is, and nor is she comfortable sleeping in the same room as a member of the opposite sex even though everyone else is doing it. Her beliefs are a lot stronger than mine, but reading about her struggles to stay strong and keep her values in a world where peer pressure can turn anyone.

Working at a Christian camp is just what Kate wants to do the summer before college. She's excited to be around like minded people but she soon realizes that not everyone has the same morals as her. The counselors are shacking up together, hanging out alone at night and doing things Kate wouldn't dream of doing, that is, until she sees Matt. Matt was her first kiss when they were eleven and he's changed a lot for the better since then. Now he is very good looking and likes to flirt with Kate. He makes her feel something she's never felt and it scares her. The more they hang out, the more Kate wants to go further than she ever thought she would before marriage and both scares and excites her. Suddenly the summer becomes more than just money for school, it becomes about finding out who she really is and how her relationship with God may change.

Kenneally's books have all had a religious connection in them and I love that about them. They stand out from the rest of the YA Contemporary out there and I'm glad that her characters have beliefs. Kate is judged right away for her old-fashioned beliefs, but Matt never judges her. The romance between them is wonderful and slow, but there are moments where Kate wants to feel more than what she's feeling, just like any girl in love. Kenneally captured the fear between your beliefs and what your body is telling you as Kate goes through so many feelings and moments, until she finally decides who she really is. Matt is certainly swoon-worthy and I fell in love with him as easily as Kate did. Kenneally has a way with her characters, making me love the girl and the guy and the relationship I can only hope comes between them. It was great seeing some old characters, something that I now look for when reading these books. Having Jordan and Parker be there for Kate as she goes through this crazy time was really nice and I love seeing girl friendships in books. For some reason, this is hard to find even though most of my friends were girls in high school. One of the most important parts of this book was that when Kate changed her mind about how far she wanted to go with Matt, he completely respected her decision and did not pressure her into anything. Sadly, this too is hard to find and I'm glad it was very prominent in this book.

Kenneally's books capture the essence of teenage life. Facing hard decisions, figuring out who we are. Falling in love. This series is the perfect go to for any lover of Stephanie Perkins or Kasie West.

"Maybe all that matters is that he's right for me, and I'm right for him."

"Learning is never a bad thing. And neither is changing your mind about things... It's always good to reevaluate. To think and consider all sides."

Review: Stealing Parker

Stealing Parker
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Published: October 1st, 2012
Paperback, 242 pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

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?

Parker quickly became one of my favourite Kenneally characters. Her school status has been taken away and instead of sulking, she starts living a life that gathers a lot of attention. She starts making out with a lot of different guys, wearing skimpier clothes, and doing whatever she feels like doing. The other kids at Hundred Oaks High have been treating her awfully since her mom came out of the closet. It's awful, yet much too real, and she feels like an outcast now, so she takes revenge by doing whatever she pleases. But she's not happy, she wants to play softball again but she can't stand to be near the girls who whisper about her behind her back. So when she's offered the manager job for the guys' baseball team, she takes it, and quickly becomes infatuated with the new assistant coach, Brian.

Kenneally covers a whole lot of topics in her books. Love, sex, friendship and family. Her characters have flaws and they grow so much throughout the book. Like in Catching Jordan, this book focuses on a sport, in this case baseball, and I love that sports play a big theme in her books. I didn't know much about football, but baseball I love so I was glad to have a book where there would be scenes of games and Parker still being in love with the sport. Teamwork is the best part of sports and Kenneally has captured that camaraderie between players and the friendships that are built over time. Parker, like Jordan, has a lot of guy friends and she may or may not have made out with a few of them. But once Brian comes along, she's ready to kiss a real man and she'll stop at nothing to get him. Their relationship isn't healthy at all. They meet in secret and he does not want to take her out in public or have her meet any of his friends. It's not fun to read about Parker in this situation, but it's important to the story and in life. Girls put themselves in relationships like this all the time and tell themselves its fine, but it's not. Girls need someone who will treat them fairly and lovingly. Drew, Parker's long time friend, treats her perfectly and they get along great, perhaps there is something more there? And Corndog, one of the other players, who lives to annoy but also has a soft, sweet side that he only shows Parker. It soon becomes apparent that we have no idea who Parker might end up with and I loved that, knowing there are these guys that treat her nicely and deserve to make her happy. This is one of the parts I love about Kenneally's books, you never really know who the main will end up with and you don't really know who you're hoping she ends up with until the end.

Romance is the heart and soul of these books. Her girls are teenagers, falling in love for the first time and discovering the ups and downs of having that happen. What I love is that it's not just about the romance. Friendships run deep and they are constantly a part of the books, which is so important to me since girls tend to forget their friends when they're in love (we've all done it). Family plays a huge part too, especially in this one as Parker needs to learn to forgive her mom even though she did nothing wrong. Hundred Oaks is very religious, with church cliques and shunning. Parker's family was once part of the loving community, but after her mom came out, they were shunned away. It felt very old-fashioned, but I understand that there are still places like this all over the world and it was great to see this side of the religion. Throughout the novel, Parker writes letters to God, showing us this side of her that she's not quite sure of anymore. It hurts me that there are people who treat others like this, but I know how realistic it is.

This book made me laugh, cry, and swoon like crazy. I couldn't put it down and even now that I've read all of Keneally's books, this one still stands at the top. Parker is my favourite kind of heroine, trying to bring herself back up after falling and doing some things she's not proud of. The characters were wonderful and I was happy to see some that I met in Catching Jordan. I'm a sucker for books where other characters make cameos, so I know I've picked the right series to read.

"You only live once, and if something feels right to you and you want it, you should go after it."

Review: Catching Jordan

Catching Jordan
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Published: December 1, 2011
Paperback, 283 pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

One of the boys.

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 Green 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?

It took me a long time to pick up a Kenneally book and I regret not reading this sooner. There aren't that many YA books with sports as a main theme, and though I don't know much about football, I really enjoyed reading about girl keeping up with the guys. Jordan is the Queen of the field, both the captain and the quarterback of her high school team and she's determined to get a scholarship and play football in college. Her father doesn't want her to play in college, worried that she'll get hurt, but she's not worried, she just wants to play. But when Ty Green shows up at school one day, the new kid and a damn good quarterback, she feels immediately threatened. But the more she tries to hate him, she the more she falls for him instead.

Every character in this book stood out to me. Jordan is brave, fierce, and determined. She's a really good friend to all the guys on the time and they are just as good back, willing to do anything to protect her. They never treat her like a girl and she likes it that way. Her best friend Sam Henry is with her every step of the way, rooting for her to get into a good school and play football in the big leagues. It's pretty obvious that he loves her, but she doesn't see this as she starts dating Ty. Ty was sweet and never tried to steal the QB position from Jordan, instead he encouraged her along with the rest of the guys.

Jordan's life isn't perfect though and she has to deal with a lot of problems that most teenagers face. She feels like her dad doesn't believe she can play as he never comes to watch her but he always goes to her brother's games. He's scared for her but she is determined to prove to him that she can do it. She is scouted by a college, but they only want her for her looks and because she is a girl and she knows she'll never actually get to play if she goes there. She's worried about her weight and what she looks like because she's bigger than the other girls in school. And of course she's fragile around Ty. her feelings overruling her head and she's not sure what to do. This is the perfect contemporary book, with a good plot and great characters. Kenneally has what it takes to be a great contemporary author and I'm excited to read her other books in this series.

"One thing I learned a long time a go is that even if you think you're meant to be with someone, that doesn't necessarily mean you get to be with them."

'When unrequited love is the most expensive thing on the menu, sometimes you settle for the daily special."