Author: Miranda Kenneally
Published: December 1st 2011
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Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
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?
During my 1.5 years of blogging, this book, or rather series, has been everywhere. All the bloggers I'm more close with have all been raving about the sensation that is Miranda Kenneally. Did I believe them? I must admit that I was sceptical. Come on! It can't be that a book is just that good, can it? When I ordered Hundred Oaks’ books from The Book Depository, I kept my fingers crossed like no other that they wouldn’t be a disappointment.
“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’m not
going to recap the synopsis in my own words or try to make the novel appealing,
because the real synopsis isn’t spoilery and it’s short, accurate and doesn’t give
away jazz. If you're not familiar with the synopsis, scroll up a bit and read it :)
I thought I had it all figured out. I guess the joke is on me—Catching Jordan was nothing like I expected. Jordan was a great main character. I liked her strength which was spiced with a touch of vulnerability and insecurities. What I enjoy about contemporaries are the characters since fantasy, dystopian and paranormal novels usually require a lot of world-building. Contemporaries, however, are all about the characters and their daily struggles. Jordan made some doubtable decisions I was frustrated with, yet let’s not forget how much pressure was on her by being a senior quarterback, plus the issues with her dad, never having had a boyfriend and having to compete with someone for a starter place in her own team. That’s a lot to deal with and I understand how that can push one’s character down a few steps.
I thought I had it all figured out. I guess the joke is on me—Catching Jordan was nothing like I expected. Jordan was a great main character. I liked her strength which was spiced with a touch of vulnerability and insecurities. What I enjoy about contemporaries are the characters since fantasy, dystopian and paranormal novels usually require a lot of world-building. Contemporaries, however, are all about the characters and their daily struggles. Jordan made some doubtable decisions I was frustrated with, yet let’s not forget how much pressure was on her by being a senior quarterback, plus the issues with her dad, never having had a boyfriend and having to compete with someone for a starter place in her own team. That’s a lot to deal with and I understand how that can push one’s character down a few steps.
This novel
was packed with awesome people and that was what I loved the most. If you
were to ask about my favorite one, I’d say it was Sam Henry, no doubts. At
first, it was hard for me to connect with Jordan, but when I read about her
relationship with her best friend, I was able to somewhat identify with her and little by little she took a place in my heart. Also, I
have never taken interest in American football. Soccer? Um, yes, most
definitely. They’re not exactly the same though, are they? ;) It was a bit
confusing at first, but Jordan was able to make me interested and keep my focus
on the plot throughout the entire book. This one wasn’t an ugly cry for me, but
I cried a lot. Jordan, Henry, JJ, Carter, Jordan’s family, Marie and
Carrie—they all sneaked their way into my heart and it was hard to watch
everything fall apart. I guess when you hit rock bottom, the only way is up. That's exactly what happened with this cast.
The only
reason I’m not giving this pretty 5 stars is that I didn’t connect with the
characters right off the bat. I absolutely adored how permanent and there Jordan’s family was, how the
problems she had were so real and relatable. I had lots of laughing out loud
moments and shed more than a few tears. I think the hype around Miranda and
this series is completely justified. Catching
Jordan couldn’t have ended any better and I’m eagerly looking forward to continuing
this wonderful series of companion novels. If you haven’t tried them yet, I
advise you to do it soon. Read on, lovelies!
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Yay! So glad to hear you loved this one, Siiri! I liked this one too, but I have to say my favorite was the 3rd book in the series. I loved all the characters in that one while with this one, I had trouble connecting with Jordan!
ReplyDeleteFabulous review, Siiri! I can't wait to hear what you think of the other books! :D
I'm so glad that you loved this book Siiri, I remember when you told me you were ordering these books and I was flailing about for a bit. I agree Jordan was a character which was hard to connect to at first, but all the amazing characters made up for this lack of connection. Sam Henry is definitely one of my favourite fictional crushes, he was so sweet and understanding and his friends were so much fun too, I seriously wanted to join up with an American football team, especially if they were all like JJ and the lads. This is another beautiful review Siiri! I hope you end up enjoying the rest of the books just as much! :)
ReplyDeletethe characters sound good once you connect, and I will have to give this one a read
ReplyDeleteYEAH SIIRI!!!! I'm so glad you finally gave this one a try and LOVED it! I did that with Anna and the French Kiss - that book was just everywhere and getting rave reviews, so I kept putting it off because really, what book is so good that EVERYONE loves it? I was an idiot to wait so long to read it, it was amazing, and I'm thrilled you felt the same about Jordan (even if you didn't connect to her immediately). Oh, and YAY SAM HENRY! I adored him:)
ReplyDeleteI am SO happy you enjoyed CJ, Siiri! I was truly surprised by the depth and humor of the story. And yes, Sam is my favorite, too! I still need to read book two, but loved book Things I Can't Forget.
ReplyDeleteGreat review, sweetie!
I was really surprised by this book too - I'm not sports fan and this plod didn't look promising, but I was so wrong. And yes, Jordan is great character - I love this "girl power" books.
ReplyDeleteAwesome review, Siiri.
Glass @ Way Too Hot Books
I cannot believe this. I like you have heard like worships for this book and I'm still all what's the big deal, I mean it cannot be perfect. Damn it really is. And here I though it's just same old thing. Thanks for pointing out this and now I must read this book. I need to meet Jordan! Great review dear :)
ReplyDeleteReally? HEY HEY I thought we were close, ms. pumpkin, and I haven't been raving about Miranda Kenneally (just haven't tried her work yet o.o). I take it this one was retrieved from your bowl? A book can totally be that good! Don't start to doubt it thanks to hype.
ReplyDeleteNothing like you expected? The plot or the book? Hey, there's still world-building required in contemporaries too :P like Jordan's daily struggles with football, as you say. And the town where's she playing, living, etc. Just of a different variety. And you know, what you wrote about being frustrated with her decisions - I think it was Veronica Roth who said this but I just love repeating it - that us getting frustrated with that character is a sign she's real since that's what happens to us all the time :D. Even better is that you still liked her despite the doubtable aspect of those relationships.
SIIRI it's like you read my mind ;). I was going to ask who your favorite was. Does Sam Henry make top ten lists of awesome characters or no? Yeah, American football is not that interesting... and we really need to stop calling it football o.o.
Now I'm curious what your 5 star reads were... the ones you recommended to me or? I hope the rest of the series is just as satisfying for you! There are quite a few more, no :)?
LOL. We are close indeed and I should have added 'most' of the bloggers I'm close with. Would have been more accurate :)
DeleteBoth, actually. I wasn't expecting for it to have twists and turns such as it had. I thought it'd be quite like the synopsis implied, but it was way more complex and had lots of surprises for me. As for the book, I wasn't expecting to love it so much! I thought it'd be a cute YA contemporary book, but it held way more in it than I was expecting to find. Ms. Roth is an intelligent woman :) She was a flawed character that you cannot help but forgive because we've all been there and done that, but at the end of the day she came through and did what was right and proved herself.
Ha! Sam Henry is officially one of my book boyfriends lol. He made me mad in one scene, but he was hurt.. so I guess it wasn't that hard to understand. However, he was an amazing character and I can't wait to read more about him in the companions. LOL. Soccer is something that I love but American football? Hmmmm.. You know! An Estonian player made his debute in NFL last weekend! He was the second draft for this team this summer. That's the reason I know a little about American football. Well, now I know more thanks to Catching Jordan :D
They were all 4-5 stars. TSoT was a definite 5 star read though. I think I gave Pushing the Limits 5 stars as well, but I'm not sure. If a book is 4 stars or more, it's usually among my favorite books and are basically all recommendations ;) And yes! 6 books in total I think. I own the first three and the 4th one is already pre-ordered ;)
Oh no! Now I'm the only one who hasn't read this series yet. You are putting me to shame, Siiri! I am so happy that you ended up loving this book despite your initial hesitation. I also love to hear that it wasn't what you were expecting - in a good way! I will add your review to the list of my friends who are telling me to read it as well! Are you going to read the rest soon? Great review!
ReplyDeleteYes, I want to read them soon. With my new paper slip system, I don't know when I'll get to them, but I'd love to read them asap. Jordan was good and I'm so very excited for the rest of the series :)
DeletePacked with awesome people?! I definitely need to read this one. I think my sis ordered a copy. So I may have to snatch it from her. She read a couple pages and said it sounded like it was written for a lot younger audience, so maybe she just didn't get farther into the book to really see. And I love, love, love that it was unexpected for you. I'm so curious now!
ReplyDeleteIt was, Becca! I think you'd be a bit annoyed with Jordan at times, but I'm more than sure you'd love Sam Henry and have fun with the plot. It's targeted towards 16-17 year olds I guess, but I know 30 year olds who love it like no other and at the age of 21, I loved it as well. You're only year older than me, so.. perhaps you'd love it, too ;) Heh.
DeleteI loved Sam Henry in spite of the drama at the end! Jordan made a few decisions in the beginning that annoyed me but I did adore this read! Great review, Siiri! :)
ReplyDeleteHaha, me too, Rachel! Jordan was a bit annoying in some scenes, but for the most part, I enjoyed being in her head :)
DeleteI've actually had this book for the longest time, but never found the time or the interest to read it. But your review definitely makes me want to pick it up and give it a try :) The characters sound awesome! Great review.
ReplyDeleteJanina @ Synchronized Reading
You have it? Dude, READ IT!!!!! :D It's good, good, good :)
DeleteI KNOW! I truly thought it's not possible to be that good, but it was really, really good. It's fun for the most part, but I just got so into Jordan's character by the end of it and the way her friendship with Henry went downhill at some point really touched me, I guess. I hope you love this book :)
ReplyDeleteI guess I need to read this too now, right?! ;) I've been hearing so much about this author over the last year or two, and most of it positive, but for some reason or another, I still haven't picked this book up yet! I've been thinking about it recently though and your review is exactly the final push that I need. I'll definitely be squeezing it in next month. Thanks so much, Siiri! And lovely review. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. :)
ReplyDeleteYOU HAVEN'T READ IT YET? Our friendship is done! LOL. Just kidding! I loved loved loved it! I hope that you'll enjoy this one. It's just that summery, sweet, cute contemporary that really makes you feel all the feels. I hope you enjoy it, babe!
Delete