Book Review: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Series: Standalone

Published: December 1st, 2011

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

252 pages (ebook)

Genre: Contemporary young adult

Acquired this book: Bought

Warning: May contain spoilers

{GoodReads || Purchase this book: Book Depository || Amazon}

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?

Catching Jordan is unlike anything I’ve ever read - for that reason alone, it gets major bonus points. And Jordan isn’t your typical leading lady - she’s the captain of her school’s football team, a tomboy, and her best friends are all guys.

Jordan is strong, independent, and focused. She works hard and goes after what she wants. She has her flaws - she can be a bit short-sighted - but it makes her even more believable as a character. I think it’s those flaws and her secret insecurities that make her relatable since it’s likely that the majority of girls who read this book might not necessarily relate to her on the athlete/tomboy level.

One of the things I really love about Jordan is her progression as a character. She learned so much, not only about herself, but also about life in general. Growing up is hard and sometimes painful, and you don’t always get what you want or what you thought you wanted, but sometimes it’s because there’s something even better out there. Jordan overcame a lot of obstacles and never gave up, and I love that she was a tough, fierce character with a lot of heart.

Jordan’s friends are also amazing. Books with standout secondary characters are quickly becoming my favourites. This book has made that list - not only is Jordan a terrific, multi-dimensional character, we also get to know her best friend Henry, her other best friends/teammates JJ and Carter, her love interest Ty, a couple of newfound girl friends, as well as her family. I love that her mom is always there, but in a quiet, understated way - she’s the type of mom most people dream of having. Her dad is made out to be a bit of a villain at first, but as Jordan develops and grows, she sees that he always had her best interests at heart, even if he had a funny way of showing it.

Another fantastic element of this book is the humour. Jordan’s inner dialogue and her conversations with family and friends had me cracking up. Because Jordan isn’t your ‘typical girl’, it’s hard for her to do girly things - wear dresses, fix her hair and makeup, act ladylike, come to terms with having feelings for guys. There was a perfect mixture of humour and genuine relatable emotion. But despite being funny, the story had a surprising amount of depth too, and more than once I actually got teary-eyed.

And finally, I thought the romance was extremely well done. It’s not instalove and it’s definitely not easy - but it’s sweet and funny and different. It’s not all hearts and roses and sunshine, because Jordan’s not that type of girl. It kept me guessing, and also kept me grinning. 

If you’re looking for something that’s funny, cute, heartwarming, and real, with well-developed characters, a sweet romance, and a plot that’s different from the usual YA contemporary, Catching Jordan is a must read.

 Have you read Catching Jordan? What did you think?

{Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Pinterest || YouTube || Author blog || Personal/photography blog}