Sports novels (especially those regarding American sports) aren’t usually my thing – I don’t know the difference between a linebacker and an outfielder and that’s despite watching four seasons of Friday Night Lights – but I’ve been hearing nothing but good things about Miranda Kenneally’s young adult books set in Hundred Oaks High. So I decided to take a break from all the paranormal novels I’ve been reading lately and see if Catching Jordan lived up to the hype.
Title: Catching Jordan
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Sports, Realistic Fiction
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: December 2011
Pages: 281 pages
Rating: 3 stars
Synopsis (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?
My Review:
Jordan Woods, high school senior and respected captain of the football team has everything planned out. Lead the team to victory and impress the college football scouts. Donovan Woods, Jordan’s father, is a professional quarterback and seems to support everyone in living their dreams except for Jordan. Because she’s a girl.
But Jordan has always just been one of the boys. She prefers practical to pretty and would rather spend her nights watching game tape to parties and make up. That is until Ty Green shows up on her pitch. He’s unbelievably gorgeous and one of the best players Jordan has seen on a high school team. Only problem is he wants her position and with Jordan mesmerized by the new arrival she’s can’t keep her head in the game.
There’s a lot to like about this story. I loved the fact that despite Jordan being female, she was able to hold her own with her team-mates. That’s not to say that sexism in the sport wasn’t addressed. I really admired the author for being able to tackle the issue without it becoming the main focus of the novel.
The romance was really well done. I liked how everything played out between the characters – I don’t want to get too much into it because I don’t want to ruin anything except to say that I was satisfied by Jordan’s choices romantically speaking.
I didn’t quite understand why someone who claimed to be one of the boys, hates typical female activities and was so focused on her goals was so over the top, heart over heels besotted with Ty – to the point of doodling their names in her diary and losing sleep – after just one very brief meeting. The instalove there really bothered me because from everything I’d been told about Jordan that just seemed so very out of character that it sort of bugged me. But despite that I thought that Jordan was a strong character who stood by her choices and her friends.
Overall I quite enjoyed this novel – and you don’t need to know a thing about sport to understand what’s going on. There are some fun and adorable characters, a well-thought out, entertaining plot that was well out together and a love story and pleased the romantic in me.
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