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bookdevouringmisfit's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I want a Corndog. Both the person and the food.
I want a Corndog. Both the person and the food.
halynah's review against another edition
5.0
Another great book from Miranda Kenneally focused on many important issues - from friendship and family relations to understanding some aspects about religion ( unfortunately it's often the case, that narrow-minded and hypocritical pastors scare teenagers off the church and taint their belief). I liked the main character and felt very sorry for her lack of luck with friends (I think Drew turned out to be only slightly better than Laura). There were many interesting secondary characters like Tate, Bo and Veena, but Brian irritated me with his constant gum-chomping - how can one admire a guy, who is constantly chewing like a cow?????? I wasn't very happy with Corndog - he was too judgemental and touchy, but that was a realistic character - in reality real guys who don't act like drama queens are very rare :-( It was good to have glimpses of Sam and Jordan :-) All in all - excellent book - highly recommended!
julie_reads15's review against another edition
4.0
Stealing Parker was a lighthearted romance book which dealt with deep and meaningful issues. What kept me reading was the urge to see who Parker would end up with.
I wish Parker's relationships with Corndog and Drew were explored more deeply.
Although I am not religious, I liked reading Parker's letters to God because it added a more personal element to the story. It was a quick and easy read.
I wish Parker's relationships with Corndog and Drew were explored more deeply.
Although I am not religious, I liked reading Parker's letters to God because it added a more personal element to the story. It was a quick and easy read.
mehsi's review against another edition
1.0
I read Catching Jordan some time ago, and really liked. Then I found out there were more books and decided to try those. Well.. sadly this one was a big disappointment. I got a bit tired of how the main lead was thinking, and the constant omg my mom is lesbian and omg my church and everyone hates me, got quite boring. I have nothing against Lesbians or such, but I just felt it could have said once or twice and then continue with a good story about a girl who is doubting things and in the end finds a nice guy.
kaeliesreads's review against another edition
5.0
This is the 2nd book that I have finished in the Hundred oaks series. I like that they are based on Sports
jillec's review against another edition
5.0
This book was amazing!! *SPOILER*
I want someone who treats me like Will treats Parker
I want someone who treats me like Will treats Parker
jackiehorne's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 Reeling after her mother leaves her father for another woman, senior Parker quits the softball team and goes on a hook-up make-out campaign to prove that she's not a lesbian like her mother. But Kenneally's novel doesn't really depict this, but instead opens after Parker begins to think better of her casual kissing. Yet her next decision—to act on her attraction towards the new assistant baseball coach, and fall into a secret make-out relationship with him—isn't really much better. Things get even more complicated when her best male friend, Drew, comes out of the closet, and the boy who's been her competition for valedictorian begins to show signs that he wants to be friends rather than enemies. But Drew has a crush on Will, and Parker keeps meeting up with Brian...
Rather more heavy-handed and "tell-y" than CATCHING PARKER, and bogged down by a few too many weighty themes. I know what the author was after with her "go for what you want" message at book's end, but a more nuanced approach to the issue would have been appreciated, given that even Parker realizes that such an approach did not stand her in good stead earlier in the story.
It was interesting to read this one right after finishing J. H. Trumble's [b:Where You Are|15806991|Where You Are|J.H. Trumble|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355074165s/15806991.jpg|18009242], also about a romantic/sexual relationship between a teacher and a student. The relationship here, between senior former softball star Parker and new assistant baseball coach Brian, is far different than the one depicted in Trumble's book—lust and nostalgia driving Brian, rather than true caring and attraction to a person as well as to a body, as with Robert and Andrew.
Rather more heavy-handed and "tell-y" than CATCHING PARKER, and bogged down by a few too many weighty themes. I know what the author was after with her "go for what you want" message at book's end, but a more nuanced approach to the issue would have been appreciated, given that even Parker realizes that such an approach did not stand her in good stead earlier in the story.
It was interesting to read this one right after finishing J. H. Trumble's [b:Where You Are|15806991|Where You Are|J.H. Trumble|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355074165s/15806991.jpg|18009242], also about a romantic/sexual relationship between a teacher and a student. The relationship here, between senior former softball star Parker and new assistant baseball coach Brian, is far different than the one depicted in Trumble's book—lust and nostalgia driving Brian, rather than true caring and attraction to a person as well as to a body, as with Robert and Andrew.
shirleymak's review against another edition
5.0
OHMYJESUS YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS BOOK. I CRIED LIKE THERE WAS NO TOMORROW TOWARDS THE LAST SECTIONS OF THE BOOK. OHMYYYYYGOL HOLY MOLY I LOVE MIRANDA KENNEALLY OMG I LOVE THIS BOOK AKJSDFLKAJSDKFJKALDJFKLADJKLFJASKLJF I KNEW IT I KNEW THEY WERE GONNA END UP TOGETHER OHMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
sarverv's review against another edition
5.0
I reallly liked this book. It's a stupid teenage book, but I was soo surprised with how much I enjoyed it.
nicolemhewitt's review against another edition
4.0
This review and many others can be found on my blog - Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I'm pretty much reading this series all in a row (with an occasional book in between) so that I can get to Breathe, Annie, Breathe, which was just released. These books are all quick and easy reads and I'm really enjoying getting to know the kids of Hundred Oaks!
Parker doesn't have a lot of girlfriends - she's pretty much shut people out because most of her friends shunned her after her mom announced that she was gay and left their family for a woman. She now pretty much sticks to her best (guy) friend Drew. She's even given up on softball because it's something she shared with her mom and she just can't face her teammates anymore. Parker feels like she has to prove that she's not like her mom, so she makes out with as many guys as she can, but she doesn't feel anything for any of them. Until she meets the new boys' baseball coach.
What I loved:
Parker.
I loved Parker's struggle with her own identity - who she was and who others perceived her to be. Parker was messed up in a lot of ways and didn't always make the best decisions, but I could understand why she acted the way she did based on her past experiences. She was soul searching - not always in the healthiest of ways. I enjoyed her journey. One of Parker's best qualities is her fierce loyalty to her friends - this loyalty sometimes caused her pain, but she never wavered, nonetheless!
Drew and Will.
While Parker didn't have any friends who were girls, she did have Drew, her best friend, who stuck by her no matter what. She also developed a friendship throughout the book with her one-time rival, Will (who everyone called Corndog). These relationships were the best part of the book!
Handling of religion.
I really liked the way that Kenneally handled the religious issues in this book. The book definitely addressed religion without getting preachy. While I didn't love that so many people at Parker's church judged her family because of her mother's sexuality, the reality is that homosexuality is a hot button issue for many Christians and there are plenty of people (especially in a small town environment) who would react just this way. I was thankful that Kenneally also gave us more open-minded Christian characters as well, though. She showed both sides of the story, which I appreciated. Parker learned a lot about herself and her relationship with God throughout the book, which I loved!
Realistic portrayal of student/teacher relationship.
Kenneally handles the issue of a student/teacher affair a bit differently than I've seen in other books. I don't want to give too much away, but I felt like the real issues that would come up due to age difference and the fact that they are at different places in their lives were actually explored in a realistic way. At the same time, this did lead to my negative ...
The negatives:
Aspects of the romance.
While I appreciated the fact that the student/teacher relationship was handled realistically, there were some moments between them that just made me uncomfortable because they felt kind of ... wrong. Not merely because of the fact that they were student and teacher, but because of the characters' own obvious discomfort with the situation. Like Catching Jordan, this book made me nervous at times that the romance was heading in a bad direction. Still, just like in the first book in the series, Kenneally does redeem things in the end.
So, overall, this was another successful trip to Hundred Oaks! I'm really enjoying this series! I give Stealing Parker 4/5 Stars.
I'm pretty much reading this series all in a row (with an occasional book in between) so that I can get to Breathe, Annie, Breathe, which was just released. These books are all quick and easy reads and I'm really enjoying getting to know the kids of Hundred Oaks!
Parker doesn't have a lot of girlfriends - she's pretty much shut people out because most of her friends shunned her after her mom announced that she was gay and left their family for a woman. She now pretty much sticks to her best (guy) friend Drew. She's even given up on softball because it's something she shared with her mom and she just can't face her teammates anymore. Parker feels like she has to prove that she's not like her mom, so she makes out with as many guys as she can, but she doesn't feel anything for any of them. Until she meets the new boys' baseball coach.
What I loved:
Parker.
I loved Parker's struggle with her own identity - who she was and who others perceived her to be. Parker was messed up in a lot of ways and didn't always make the best decisions, but I could understand why she acted the way she did based on her past experiences. She was soul searching - not always in the healthiest of ways. I enjoyed her journey. One of Parker's best qualities is her fierce loyalty to her friends - this loyalty sometimes caused her pain, but she never wavered, nonetheless!
Drew and Will.
While Parker didn't have any friends who were girls, she did have Drew, her best friend, who stuck by her no matter what. She also developed a friendship throughout the book with her one-time rival, Will (who everyone called Corndog). These relationships were the best part of the book!
Handling of religion.
I really liked the way that Kenneally handled the religious issues in this book. The book definitely addressed religion without getting preachy. While I didn't love that so many people at Parker's church judged her family because of her mother's sexuality, the reality is that homosexuality is a hot button issue for many Christians and there are plenty of people (especially in a small town environment) who would react just this way. I was thankful that Kenneally also gave us more open-minded Christian characters as well, though. She showed both sides of the story, which I appreciated. Parker learned a lot about herself and her relationship with God throughout the book, which I loved!
Realistic portrayal of student/teacher relationship.
Kenneally handles the issue of a student/teacher affair a bit differently than I've seen in other books. I don't want to give too much away, but I felt like the real issues that would come up due to age difference and the fact that they are at different places in their lives were actually explored in a realistic way. At the same time, this did lead to my negative ...
The negatives:
Aspects of the romance.
While I appreciated the fact that the student/teacher relationship was handled realistically, there were some moments between them that just made me uncomfortable because they felt kind of ... wrong. Not merely because of the fact that they were student and teacher, but because of the characters' own obvious discomfort with the situation. Like Catching Jordan, this book made me nervous at times that the romance was heading in a bad direction. Still, just like in the first book in the series, Kenneally does redeem things in the end.
So, overall, this was another successful trip to Hundred Oaks! I'm really enjoying this series! I give Stealing Parker 4/5 Stars.