Review: Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

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 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...

Review:

Contemporary is one of my favorite genres, and Miranda Kenneally is an absolute gem of a contemporary writer (Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker are proof of this). Therefore, it was no surprise that I simply adored Things I Can't Forget, her third book in the Hundred Oaks series. It contained everything I enjoyed about her prior books: strong, likable characters, a swoon worthy romance, and lots of heart. More importantly, though, it managed to tackle a hard subject - religion- and while I was hesitant about that aspect at first, I feel that Miranda had a did a beautiful job of gracefully intertwining into Things I Can't Forget's "heart."

Things I Can't Forget tells the story of Kate, a girl who has been through a lot in the last few months. From the first chapter, I was instantly taken with Kate's story. She was facing something that most protagonists in YA don't encounter too often: the dilemma of being her definition of a good christian while also being a good friend. I felt that Kate's struggle between the two jumped right off the page and came to life. I could feel her confusion and pain over it. More importantly, though, I could relate to it, and I'm sure most, if not all, other readers will feel some degree at the same, because at the heart of this it Kate's dilemma is not necessarily all about religion. Instead, it is about finding a common ground between what you believe in and making choices based on it while also finding it in you to respect and see reason behind other people's choices and beliefs as well. It something that's incredibly important even behind the religion aspect, and I feel that Miranda did a great job of taking it past that point, and having it so that this book wasn't a "preachy" religious book. Instead, it showed a protagonist's journey in balancing her religion and relationships with others AND also balancing her viewpoints and relationships in general. It was interesting addition to the book, in my opinion, and one that has given me a new sense of respect for Miranda Kenneally as a writer.

Adding to this, I loved seeing the transformation Kate made over the course of the book due to this all, as not only did she truly bloom and come to life as a person, but she formed some pretty fabulous friendships as well. One was her friendship with Parker, a former leading lady of Kenneally's. It was interesting to see them become friends over the course of the book, and get over their differences and find common ground, as not only was it an important stepping stone for Kate but Parker as well (Parker surprisingly had some more growing to do in this book, and with that, I felt that it was a great little extension off of Stealing Parker). I also enjoyed seeing Kate's relationship with Matt bloom over the course of the novel as well. Just like Parker, he made her see a new side of herself, one that while made her question her morals and choices, lead to important self discoveries over time. Plus, there little romance was adorable to see unfold....I was continually rooting for them to make it work.

The camp backdrop of this one also provided some fun entertainment. The little camp drama and dilemmas that popped up added important aspects to the plot and character development while also providing something even more important at times: laughs. However, I do resent it a little for making me even more wishful for the summer season.

In all, Thing I Can't Forget is yet another fabulous book by Miranda Kenneally, one that I would suggest to contemporary lovers out there.

Grade: A

Things I Can't Forget (Amazon, BN, Goodreads) is now out! 

Source: Bought from Amazon 

Review: Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

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?

Review: 

Ever since reading Catching Jordan last year, Miranda Kenneally has become my MOST favorite YA contemporary romance author EVER! With Stealing Parker, this was only made more official, as to put it simply: Stealing Parker was AMAZING! It was funny. It was heartbreaking. It included a hot and steamy romance. And most of all, it was real. Basically, you all need to read this book NOW.

Stealing Parker begins the story of Parker Shelton, a girl whose life has seemingly fallen apart ever since her mom (A) announced she was a lesbian and (B) moved hundreds of miles away with her secret girlfriend. Ever since then, Parker has faced the brunt of her mother's actions from her overly religious community. She's faced the jeers and the taunts as well as the whole "what if Parker is a LESBIAN questions?!" And to put that last one to rest especially, she's becomes the girl all the guys want. However, the more she sinks into this new life, the more she looses herself. However, everything changes when she's asked to manage the boy's baseball team. She begins to loose herself in a forbidden relationship and makes a surprising ally in an incredibly sweet boy. What happens, though, when she sinks to an all time low? Will she fix everything once and all, or run away from everything at an even faster speed? Only time and more pages can tell in this fast paced and fun read sure to have any reader reading late into the night!

First of all, just like in Catching Jordan, I LOVED the characters in this one! Parker was somehow who has been through a lot in the past year, and while there were times were I just wanted to shake her on the shoulders and yell "stand up for yourself girl!", I could understand why she changed everything. What I liked most about Parker, however, though was her sassy attitude. She was funny and sarcastic and that just made the story fly by! Another one of my favorite parts about her character was seeing her relationship with Corndog blossom. He was favorite of mine in Catching Jordan so it was fun to see him take on a bigger role in this one. Plus it didn't hurt how that he was incredibly swoon worthy in all ways possible. The one person I was always too big on, though, was Parker's best friend. He always seemed to be incredibly mood, especially towards the end, and while I could understand why he was that way as well, he still got on my nerves no matter how hard I tried to stop it. 

The plot in this was also a ton of fun. I enjoyed seeing the sports aspect, even though I'm not a huge sports person. Kenneally did a great job with the religious part as well. I'm not always big on religion being part of books, because it can usually go come off one of two ways: (1) incredibly pushy or (2) well done. Thankfully, it was the later of the two in this one, and more importantly, it played an important part in Parker's overall development as a character. Talking about Parker, her relationship with the assistant baseball coach was also interesting and kept the book moving. I was never a huge fan of him. I thought he was pushy and not that great. Plus I'm team Corndog all the way. However, just like the religious aspect, it played a big part in Parker's evolution as a character, and the book wouldn't be nearly the same without it. 

Lastly, Kenneally's writing was fantastic in this! She always does such a great job of creating a solid and unique teen voice, and I just love the way she always pushes the lines with her books. 

In all, Stealing Parker is another winner in my eyes, so I demand that you all get your hands on this book ASAP. It's amazing...trust me! However, I have one tiny problem right now: I'm DYING to read the next one! 

Grade: A+

Stealing Parker (Amazon/ BN/ Goodreads) is now out!

Source: Publisher via Netgalley 

Review: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Summary/Cover Image from Author's Website:

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 on 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 starring position on the team…and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate.

Review:

Catching Jordan has been on my wishlist for what seems like years now, but in reality, it's probably been barley a year since I first heard about it. Regardless of that, from the moment I first heard about this book, I had a strong feeling I would enjoy it, even though I wasn't a fan of football. As it turns out, my prediction was straight on!

There are so many things that I ADORED about this book. The characters, the writing, the romance, even the football in some ways...

However, I have to say the thing that made Catching Jordan superb in my eyes was, without a doubt, the characters! Funny, diverse, and just all around interesting people, I loved nearly every one of them, even the ones that weren't always the nicest. My favorite, though, would have to be Jordan, the main character! Now if that girl didn't totally show girl power to the fullest, I don't know who does. Jordan was strong and funny, but don't let that make you think she's perfect because she's wasn't. She sometimes thought the best in people in who don't deserve; she sometimes got a little too over her head with certain things. However, all of these "flaws" are what made her 100% likable, in my opinion, because it showed that she was realistic rather than perfect. Another favorite character of mine would have to be Sam Henry! Oh, how that boy made my heart swoon! :) Seriously, though, Henry has to be one of the sweetest boys I've come across in a YA book, and while he sometimes ended up on a different path than he should have been on (as did Jordan), he still ended up getting right back on the correct one in the end. I also adored the wide variety of other characters Miranda introduced in this one. From Jordan's family to her teammates to the cheerleaders everyone was fully developed to say the least!

I have to admit that after reading the summary for this one I thought I had the whole book figured out. However, that wasn't the case at all. Instead, I was constantly surprised with how everything turned out from who Jordan ended up with to who was actually the "good guy" in the end, I don't think there was an exact area where my predication was dead on, which made me love Catching Jordan all the more! One of the plot areas I loved the most was Jordan's football career. Reminiscent of the Dairy Queen trilogy, it was always interesting to see how female football players are perceived in the sport to how much or little opportunity they receive I also really enjoyed the romance part of this one as well, because not only did it allow Jordan to grow and bloom as a character, but it also created lots of tension as well as twists and turns, all of which are things I live for in books! I really enjoyed the character of Ty, especially given all the things that came out of the woodwork with his arrival.

Lastly, I adored Miranda Kenneally's writing in this one! She made the characters in this one jump of the page and come to life completely, and oh my gosh, the ending she dealt was perfect! It was everything I had hoped and wanted it to be, and I wasn't even that mad she kept me on my toes for a little while there....

In all, Catching Jordan is a one of a kind read! Perfect for fans of Simone Elkels and Jennifer Echols, Catching Jordan is sure to amass a whole team of fans for Miranda Kenneally, ones who will eagerly be awaiting her newest book.

Grade: A+

Catching Jordan (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Goodreads) is now out! You can read an excerpt here.

Source: Publisher via Netgalley