Review: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
My rating: 3.5 of 5 genies
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction
Published: December 1, 2011
Pages: 281
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Source: Library Loan
Format: Paperback
Purchase At: TheBookDepository.com or Amazon.com

Goodreads Summary

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?

My Thoughts

Catching Jordan is satisfying and delightful with a cast of memorable characters, bursts of personality and tender moments.

Originally, I thought this book was a solid 4/5 genies. I've taken a few days to mull over that rating and the overall result is more like 3.5 genies out of 5; simply because, when the euphoria of reading something new - and actually good - wore off for me, the little problems started to nag. It wasn't like I could pull a Frank Barone and tell them to, "Shut up, Marie!"



That isn't possible. They stuck. And yet, those issues are relatively minimal, I'll share them with you, but keep in mind that we may not necessarily agree and that this is okay. Now on to more important matters. This book's protagonist, Jordan, is living the dream. Not only is she surrounded by fine football players, (how cool is it that she leads them?), but Jordan is kind of loaded. Not like baby Warbucks, but enough. Her dad is famous for playing professional football and while he doesn't exactly support her aspiration to play the sport in college, specifically for Alabama State, the Woods's aren't doing too shabby. I wish I lived like that…

“If I was a rich girl! Na, na, na, na, na, na, na...” Argh, I'm dreaming again! Darn you, Gwen Stefani!

The Good

There was a lot of girl power! I liked that Jordan could take charge of the boys and keep them in line. At the beginning, I was engrossed with everything football - I don't play, but my brothers do - and the sport men is [are] pretty fascinating. The interaction between the other players on the team and Jordan was great, she could hang with the boys without losing her femininity. But Jordan is kind of a guy, in her mentality at least, which explains why she gels so well with the fellas; I have no complains though, Miranda Kenneally had a knack for making her relatable. Some say that the characters really make this novel and I have to agree. Sam is hilarious almost throughout and his antics – bring on the dancing! – never failed to amuse me. It was fun getting sucked up in their lives/happenings and the bonds between all of them really do transcend past the playing field.

Their sense of togetherness touched me; JJ was willing to punch the face off of anyone who messed with his QB, making the respect between him, Jordan, and many others on the team admirable. The camaraderie was like, “I love you, man…Girl…Whatever!” It was sweet.

The…Not so Good?

For most of the book, Jordan is well-rounded, and pretty easy-going. I found myself rooting for her happy ending, and luckily one ensues. However, the road to this was not paved with Hershey kisses. Particularly, there’s this misunderstanding between her and a long-time friend, Sam Henry, which could have made or broken the book for me. The whole situation was like a balancing act, one wrong move could have messed up everything, mainly because they do fight a lot. It was a little unbelievable, that something so trivial could tear two really great friends apart; because of how well Miranda Kenneally built their friendship, I really did expect them to know each other better.

I mentioned before that I wasn’t 100% sold on whether she and Sam will be together forever, that still stands, but I guess the question isn’t that – the question is if the two could survive, and I think so. For a while at least. My sights are still set on Phillips, though. Anyone is better than Ty, really. The dude got creepy. I mean, I know you lost almost everything in that car crash, but get it together son! Creepy behaviour will not be tolerated, that is all.

The dialogue was a smidget bit cliché at times and I caught a bit of hypocrisy from Jordan when she calls another girl’s behaviour slutty when she is the one bullied for hanging out with so many guys,‘supposedly’ sleeping around with the boys on her team. She shouldn't have been judging, not with a history like that.

Overall

Catching Jordan is satisfying and delightful with a cast of memorable characters, bursts of personality and tender moments. I would recommend this book to those of the YA audience because there is mention of sleeping around, coarse language and…sexual situations. Don’t touch it if you aren’t ready for that! Still, this was a great read.

4.5 genies: I couldn't make my mind up about you, you were almost there, almost perfect, but overall something was missing. Still a special piece of literature, though, 3 and a half genies.

Favourite Quotes

“Sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do. To get something better, you know?”

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

“I didn't know crushing on a guy would require me to up my calorie intake.”

Sound off in the comments below! Have you read Catching Jordan? If so, how did you like it?
Lots of hugs!

XX,