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christajls's review
4.0
This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic
Stealing Parker is a complicated book – and that’s putting things lightly. But it is because of those complications that the novel can explore a variety of themes, and the characters can experience a lot growth and self discovery.
Parker’s life has been a bit of a mess ever since her Mom came out of the closet. It’s not that Parker is against homosexuality. She’s pretty sure her best friend is gay. What affects her more is the way the rest of her community began to treat her after they found out about her Mom. Girls who were once her friends began to tease her, members of her congregation shun her family, and her and her father and brother are left to deal with it alone. I can’t even imagine how difficult their situation would have been. I never felt any ill will towards Parker’s mother – she needed to be honest about herself – but you also really feel for Parker. Most YA books (that I’ve read) which feature LGBTQ parents, generally show a positive relationships between parent and child. It was interesting to see how Parker struggles with the fallout of her Mom’s sexual orientation and the reactions of a small town community.
On the heterosexual side of things, I also really appreciated how honest this story was when it came to Parker’s relationships. She got herself into some really unhealthy situations. I think it’s safe to say she was definitely taken advantage of at certain points but I also think it’s safe to say she made a lot of poor, reckless choices. But that wasn’t it for Parker. She also has some really healthy well adjusted relationships and I think that was more realistic. Parker wasn’t a bad person, she wasn’t a broken person. She was just a girl trying to figure things out. And that led her down both positive and negative paths. I think we’ve all be there.
I could go on and on exploring the complexities of all of Parker’s relationships but I think that would be redundant. Let’s just say that Stealing Parker is an excellent and thoughtful contemporary read about exploring your own values, needs and limits. This was my first Miranda Kenneally book but it won’t be my last.
Recommendation: Stealing Parker is a gripping, authentic story. A must read for YA contemporary fans and those interested in books with realistic parent-child relationships.
Stealing Parker is a complicated book – and that’s putting things lightly. But it is because of those complications that the novel can explore a variety of themes, and the characters can experience a lot growth and self discovery.
Parker’s life has been a bit of a mess ever since her Mom came out of the closet. It’s not that Parker is against homosexuality. She’s pretty sure her best friend is gay. What affects her more is the way the rest of her community began to treat her after they found out about her Mom. Girls who were once her friends began to tease her, members of her congregation shun her family, and her and her father and brother are left to deal with it alone. I can’t even imagine how difficult their situation would have been. I never felt any ill will towards Parker’s mother – she needed to be honest about herself – but you also really feel for Parker. Most YA books (that I’ve read) which feature LGBTQ parents, generally show a positive relationships between parent and child. It was interesting to see how Parker struggles with the fallout of her Mom’s sexual orientation and the reactions of a small town community.
On the heterosexual side of things, I also really appreciated how honest this story was when it came to Parker’s relationships. She got herself into some really unhealthy situations. I think it’s safe to say she was definitely taken advantage of at certain points but I also think it’s safe to say she made a lot of poor, reckless choices. But that wasn’t it for Parker. She also has some really healthy well adjusted relationships and I think that was more realistic. Parker wasn’t a bad person, she wasn’t a broken person. She was just a girl trying to figure things out. And that led her down both positive and negative paths. I think we’ve all be there.
I could go on and on exploring the complexities of all of Parker’s relationships but I think that would be redundant. Let’s just say that Stealing Parker is an excellent and thoughtful contemporary read about exploring your own values, needs and limits. This was my first Miranda Kenneally book but it won’t be my last.
Recommendation: Stealing Parker is a gripping, authentic story. A must read for YA contemporary fans and those interested in books with realistic parent-child relationships.
mfumarolo's review
Parker used to have a pretty perfect life until her mom came out. Now her church has made Parker and her family outsiders and the rumors that Parker must be a lesbian too started flying. So she quit varsity softball, changed the way she dressed, and kisses plenty of boys so no one can question that she likes guys. But things get even more complicated when the cute new assistant baseball coach flirts right back, meanwhile she starts to think of a guy she's always competed against before in a whole new light.
This was a really difficult read for me, if I'm honest. It was complicated for a few reasons, but I'll start with the things I liked. I liked Parker and her complicated emotions about her family and her friends and her church. I liked her relationship with her best friend Drew, too, and how it felt so realistic. Then there's Corndog, another guy on the baseball team who Parker has spent her whole life competing against for valedictorian (and she won). I really enjoyed how Kenneally had him grow, starting off as just one of the guys and emerging as this fantastic friend and someone I was truly rooting for - he was probably my favorite character.
But then there was the whole situation with the assistant coach, Brian. I was disgusted to the point of literally nearly throwing up. This story was a kind of trigger for me, taking me back to some particularly difficult things it took me a very long time to finally deal with, and I wasn't expecting it based on the blurb. He's 23 working in a high school, and Parker is only 17. He's the adult, and as a 24 year old educator myself who works with people Parker's age every day, I was just horrified and incredibly uncomfortable. Did he have to be a teacher? I think maybe I could have handled it better if he was just an older guy, but the fact that he was an educator made it even worse (as if the situation weren't bad enough already). As a teacher and librarian, I fight every day to make sure my students know I'm someone they can trust, and Brian is just evil. There were multiple times that I thought I was going to have to stop reading and give up on this book because I wasn't sure I could make it. There was also the behavior of the people from Parker's church, which was horrible but also fairly realistic. This did, however, lead to the novel feeling a bit preachy at times.
Overall, I can say that I like Kenneally's writing style and I look forward to reading more of her books (this was the first of hers I've been able to get my hands on). However, I'm not sure how readily I'd recommend this particular book to my students or teens for fear of them being triggered the same way I was.
This was a really difficult read for me, if I'm honest. It was complicated for a few reasons, but I'll start with the things I liked. I liked Parker and her complicated emotions about her family and her friends and her church. I liked her relationship with her best friend Drew, too, and how it felt so realistic. Then there's Corndog, another guy on the baseball team who Parker has spent her whole life competing against for valedictorian (and she won). I really enjoyed how Kenneally had him grow, starting off as just one of the guys and emerging as this fantastic friend and someone I was truly rooting for - he was probably my favorite character.
But then there was the whole situation with the assistant coach, Brian. I was disgusted to the point of literally nearly throwing up. This story was a kind of trigger for me, taking me back to some particularly difficult things it took me a very long time to finally deal with, and I wasn't expecting it based on the blurb. He's 23 working in a high school, and Parker is only 17. He's the adult, and as a 24 year old educator myself who works with people Parker's age every day, I was just horrified and incredibly uncomfortable. Did he have to be a teacher? I think maybe I could have handled it better if he was just an older guy, but the fact that he was an educator made it even worse (as if the situation weren't bad enough already). As a teacher and librarian, I fight every day to make sure my students know I'm someone they can trust, and Brian is just evil. There were multiple times that I thought I was going to have to stop reading and give up on this book because I wasn't sure I could make it. There was also the behavior of the people from Parker's church, which was horrible but also fairly realistic. This did, however, lead to the novel feeling a bit preachy at times.
Overall, I can say that I like Kenneally's writing style and I look forward to reading more of her books (this was the first of hers I've been able to get my hands on). However, I'm not sure how readily I'd recommend this particular book to my students or teens for fear of them being triggered the same way I was.
kaylareadsbooks's review
5.0
Parker’s life has turned on its head when her mom leaves her dad for someone else. Her moms new life leaves Parker with a rocky foundation and feeling totally alone. She quits the one thing that she really loves and starts turning to others for comfort.
As you know, I am a HUGE fan of the Hundred Oaks books. I love these characters and getting to know them more and more in each book.
Parker is a complex character. She knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it but at the same time, her faith makes her feel guilty. She wants to prove to her friends, or should I say, her old friends that she isn’t anything like her mom. But her determination for this, takes her away from what’s important and what’s been right in front of her this whole time.
Parker has a lot of things going for her, she is class valedictorian and used to play on the varsity softball team. She has a best friend, Drew, who will always be there for her. She has great friends from her church and a good head on her shoulders.
This book touches a bunch of different heavier topics that are really important. It talks about divorce, drug abuse, age gaps in relationships, navigating high schools and more.
Parker is a very different character than Jordan was, and not in a bad way at all. We get to meet different people who are on the sports teams in this world. And I love it.
The writing of this book was just as amazing as the one before and the next one, I didn’t start reading them in order, but now I’m following though with the order of the series. The books are sex positive, showing the characters having the same doubts and thoughts that are common in teenagers.
Parker takes her parents splitting up really hard and resents her mom for ruining the family. She refuses to talk to her but towards the end of the book we see her change and realize that there is no one she needs more than her mom.
I love Drew and Will. They are such good friends to Parker and Will’s little brother, Bo, is just such a yummy little kid. The characters are fun and developed, which is not a surprise because thats something common in her novels.
This book is filled with complicated relationships, swoony guys and a lot of food.
There is SO MUCH MORE I want to say about this book but I can’t because it’ll give away SO much! So everyone, please go out and read this book and the whole series!
As you know, I am a HUGE fan of the Hundred Oaks books. I love these characters and getting to know them more and more in each book.
Parker is a complex character. She knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it but at the same time, her faith makes her feel guilty. She wants to prove to her friends, or should I say, her old friends that she isn’t anything like her mom. But her determination for this, takes her away from what’s important and what’s been right in front of her this whole time.
Parker has a lot of things going for her, she is class valedictorian and used to play on the varsity softball team. She has a best friend, Drew, who will always be there for her. She has great friends from her church and a good head on her shoulders.
This book touches a bunch of different heavier topics that are really important. It talks about divorce, drug abuse, age gaps in relationships, navigating high schools and more.
Parker is a very different character than Jordan was, and not in a bad way at all. We get to meet different people who are on the sports teams in this world. And I love it.
The writing of this book was just as amazing as the one before and the next one, I didn’t start reading them in order, but now I’m following though with the order of the series. The books are sex positive, showing the characters having the same doubts and thoughts that are common in teenagers.
Parker takes her parents splitting up really hard and resents her mom for ruining the family. She refuses to talk to her but towards the end of the book we see her change and realize that there is no one she needs more than her mom.
I love Drew and Will. They are such good friends to Parker and Will’s little brother, Bo, is just such a yummy little kid. The characters are fun and developed, which is not a surprise because thats something common in her novels.
This book is filled with complicated relationships, swoony guys and a lot of food.
There is SO MUCH MORE I want to say about this book but I can’t because it’ll give away SO much! So everyone, please go out and read this book and the whole series!
nagam's review
4.0
[Review originally posted on Rather Be Reading!]
Parker’s mom had a secret, one she kept for many years. She finally decided to be honest and the truth has rocked Parker’s world. Parker used to be an all-star athlete, extremely involved in her church, and had tons of friends. She’s since quit the softball team, questions her faith, and finds herself lonely as her ex-best friends circulate rumors about her.
Parker’s church has completely turned on her since her mother’s secret was announced. Her ex-best friend (the pastor’s daughter) was forced to end their friendship. (Why she felt the need to be so atrocious, I’ll never understand.) Church ladies gossip when she walks by and she doesn’t understand how her family could be ripped apart like this. She’s just not sure where she stands anymore. A part of Parker still believes there is a God, as evidenced by the prayers she writes (and subsequently burns). She seeks normalcy — for her drug-using-former-perfect-student-brother to go back to his old self and for her dad to acknowledge that things are messed up. Her prayers are her true self – the things she feels she cannot tell anyone. She fears getting close to many people again because they always screw her over.
To receive a different kind of attention, Parker loses herself to kissing boys and remaking herself into a skinnier new girl. She wants to prove she’s different from her mom. She kisses anyone she wants, but never pursues relationships with the boys, giving her a not-so-great reputation. She’s never felt the need to date someone she doesn’t see herself with in the future. Besides, kissing is just fun.
When she meets the new assistant baseball coach, twenty-three year old Brian Huffman, she’s smitten with him. He’s cute and doesn’t know all her secrets (therefore doesn’t judge her). As the team manager, she gets to spend an abundance of time with the new coach. Their relationship slowly progresses into more than a friendship between student and teacher. Maybe kissing isn’t enough with Coach Huff.
On the flip side, she starts getting to know Corndog (Will) better. He’s always been her biggest competition for valedictorian, but now that she’s been officially deemed number one, their rivalry has subsided. Parker begins hanging out with Will and her best friend Drew outside of practices. It seems that Drew’s withdrawing a bit, and has his own secrets. Things get incredibly complicated as Parker’s secrets and friendships collide with Drew’s secrets and everyone learns the truth. Despite the multiple plot lines that were chaotically interwoven, Kenneally handled each one perfectly and never let anything take away from the story and Parker’s journey.
Stealing Parker definitely felt more intense and somber than Catching Jordan. It’s about a girl’s exploration to find herself and understand her relationship with God amidst a huge small-town scandal that rocks her world. It’s about her endeavor to understand (and explore) her sexuality. Parker is faced with a lot of responsibility being the bearer of her own secrets and eventually Drew’s. The weight of her mom’s decisions and her own, mixed with an obligation to stay true to her best friend, puts her under a considerable amount of pressure.
Kenneally gripped me from the first page with Parker’s story. I couldn’t tear myself away from the pages of Stealing Parker. While Kenneally won me over with Jordan and Henry’s incredible story in Catching Jordan, she has earned my readership for life with Stealing Parker.
(Oh, and…! I’m happy to announce you’ll get to connect with Jordan and Henry from Catching Jordan again via a few awesome cameos!)
Parker’s mom had a secret, one she kept for many years. She finally decided to be honest and the truth has rocked Parker’s world. Parker used to be an all-star athlete, extremely involved in her church, and had tons of friends. She’s since quit the softball team, questions her faith, and finds herself lonely as her ex-best friends circulate rumors about her.
Parker’s church has completely turned on her since her mother’s secret was announced. Her ex-best friend (the pastor’s daughter) was forced to end their friendship. (Why she felt the need to be so atrocious, I’ll never understand.) Church ladies gossip when she walks by and she doesn’t understand how her family could be ripped apart like this. She’s just not sure where she stands anymore. A part of Parker still believes there is a God, as evidenced by the prayers she writes (and subsequently burns). She seeks normalcy — for her drug-using-former-perfect-student-brother to go back to his old self and for her dad to acknowledge that things are messed up. Her prayers are her true self – the things she feels she cannot tell anyone. She fears getting close to many people again because they always screw her over.
To receive a different kind of attention, Parker loses herself to kissing boys and remaking herself into a skinnier new girl. She wants to prove she’s different from her mom. She kisses anyone she wants, but never pursues relationships with the boys, giving her a not-so-great reputation. She’s never felt the need to date someone she doesn’t see herself with in the future. Besides, kissing is just fun.
When she meets the new assistant baseball coach, twenty-three year old Brian Huffman, she’s smitten with him. He’s cute and doesn’t know all her secrets (therefore doesn’t judge her). As the team manager, she gets to spend an abundance of time with the new coach. Their relationship slowly progresses into more than a friendship between student and teacher. Maybe kissing isn’t enough with Coach Huff.
On the flip side, she starts getting to know Corndog (Will) better. He’s always been her biggest competition for valedictorian, but now that she’s been officially deemed number one, their rivalry has subsided. Parker begins hanging out with Will and her best friend Drew outside of practices. It seems that Drew’s withdrawing a bit, and has his own secrets. Things get incredibly complicated as Parker’s secrets and friendships collide with Drew’s secrets and everyone learns the truth. Despite the multiple plot lines that were chaotically interwoven, Kenneally handled each one perfectly and never let anything take away from the story and Parker’s journey.
Stealing Parker definitely felt more intense and somber than Catching Jordan. It’s about a girl’s exploration to find herself and understand her relationship with God amidst a huge small-town scandal that rocks her world. It’s about her endeavor to understand (and explore) her sexuality. Parker is faced with a lot of responsibility being the bearer of her own secrets and eventually Drew’s. The weight of her mom’s decisions and her own, mixed with an obligation to stay true to her best friend, puts her under a considerable amount of pressure.
Kenneally gripped me from the first page with Parker’s story. I couldn’t tear myself away from the pages of Stealing Parker. While Kenneally won me over with Jordan and Henry’s incredible story in Catching Jordan, she has earned my readership for life with Stealing Parker.
(Oh, and…! I’m happy to announce you’ll get to connect with Jordan and Henry from Catching Jordan again via a few awesome cameos!)
catherine_silva25's review
2.0
What to say. This book has too much going on. I like that she tried to incorporate religion into her book but it just came off weird. Teacher-student relationship
charlottenw1's review
4.0
I love the characters in this series and every story shows how they get over their own personal hurdles and the hurdles they have as a couple. The writing was emotional and grasped me as a reader throughout the book.
heyjudy's review
3.0
~3-3.5/5
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
This book was not what I was expecting. A lot of it didn’t go as I thought it would, and it’s taken me a bit to decide whether I like the direction it took or not. I’m still kind of not sure.
Parker used to play softball. But then her mother left, and she quit, and she started fooling around with a lot of different boys. Her best friend, a boy on the boys’ baseball team, convinces her to be the manager of the baseball team, and she meets their new assistant (and then temporary) coach.
I’m not sure how I feel about Parker. She has some rather serious issues she needs to work out, as does pretty much all of her family, although they’re all pretty much handled by the end of the book. Parker makes some mistakes, does some dumb things, but she’s not particularly weak, she doesn’t give something up when she doesn’t want to. And she’s in a much better place at the end of the book.
I liked where her family was at the end of the book. I liked her mom, and how she came in when she was needed and handled things. I didn’t like how her family reacted to what she did in the first place. Parker’s father, I was not a very big fan of. And her brother needed help, which it seemed like he was finally getting.
I liked Drew, Parker’s best friend. I liked Will, and was surprised by his part in the book, although it grew on me rather easily. Something happened between the three of them that I think should have been fixed and talked about a lot sooner, especially with Drew. I was expecting to like Brian, and open to liking him, from the beginning. And at first it was okay. And then he started turning into a creep, and I wasn’t very happy about that. I generally wasn’t very happy with him, really. Although overall I didn’t feel the connection between them as well as I think I should have, or as well as Parker seemed to. There just weren’t enough interactions, or chemistry between them for me.
The whole teacher-student romance thing I don’t mind, as long as the ages are not too far apart. But this one didn’t turn out how I thought it would. And that’s mostly where my problem with this book is, although I’m starting to accept it, because the ending was actually really fitting for Parker. It needed to happen for Parker, too.
The romance wasn’t what I was expecting, but it was good. I was also expecting more sexy stuff (not like actual sex scenes, because that doesn’t usually happen in YA), but there wasn’t very much. And it wasn’t particularly hot, either. But still not bad.
Then there was this whole religious part of the book that I was really not expecting. And kind of rubbed me the wrong way, especially when it seemed to connect with her whole virginity issue. That whole bit just left a bad taste in my mouth, and I hope that it isn’t the same in Kenneally’s other books.
This book just wasn’t what I expected. I expected to really like Kenneally’s writing, but it didn’t really win me over. I’ll be getting her first book, Catching Jordan, soon, and I hope it’s better. I hope I like it more. If not, we’ll see.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
This book was not what I was expecting. A lot of it didn’t go as I thought it would, and it’s taken me a bit to decide whether I like the direction it took or not. I’m still kind of not sure.
Parker used to play softball. But then her mother left, and she quit, and she started fooling around with a lot of different boys. Her best friend, a boy on the boys’ baseball team, convinces her to be the manager of the baseball team, and she meets their new assistant (and then temporary) coach.
I’m not sure how I feel about Parker. She has some rather serious issues she needs to work out, as does pretty much all of her family, although they’re all pretty much handled by the end of the book. Parker makes some mistakes, does some dumb things, but she’s not particularly weak, she doesn’t give something up when she doesn’t want to. And she’s in a much better place at the end of the book.
I liked where her family was at the end of the book. I liked her mom, and how she came in when she was needed and handled things. I didn’t like how her family reacted to what she did in the first place. Parker’s father, I was not a very big fan of. And her brother needed help, which it seemed like he was finally getting.
I liked Drew, Parker’s best friend. I liked Will, and was surprised by his part in the book, although it grew on me rather easily. Something happened between the three of them that I think should have been fixed and talked about a lot sooner, especially with Drew. I was expecting to like Brian, and open to liking him, from the beginning. And at first it was okay. And then he started turning into a creep, and I wasn’t very happy about that. I generally wasn’t very happy with him, really. Although overall I didn’t feel the connection between them as well as I think I should have, or as well as Parker seemed to. There just weren’t enough interactions, or chemistry between them for me.
The whole teacher-student romance thing I don’t mind, as long as the ages are not too far apart. But this one didn’t turn out how I thought it would. And that’s mostly where my problem with this book is, although I’m starting to accept it, because the ending was actually really fitting for Parker. It needed to happen for Parker, too.
The romance wasn’t what I was expecting, but it was good. I was also expecting more sexy stuff (not like actual sex scenes, because that doesn’t usually happen in YA), but there wasn’t very much. And it wasn’t particularly hot, either. But still not bad.
Then there was this whole religious part of the book that I was really not expecting. And kind of rubbed me the wrong way, especially when it seemed to connect with her whole virginity issue. That whole bit just left a bad taste in my mouth, and I hope that it isn’t the same in Kenneally’s other books.
This book just wasn’t what I expected. I expected to really like Kenneally’s writing, but it didn’t really win me over. I’ll be getting her first book, Catching Jordan, soon, and I hope it’s better. I hope I like it more. If not, we’ll see.
pixelski's review
3.0
Ngaw this was adorbs. Poor Parker though, she's an absolute hot mess and can't catch a break. She really needs better friends. Will is such a gentleman and sweetheart. But honestly, this was way too dramatic for my liking.
merkyr's review
3.0
I enjoyed this, super fast and light read that brought up some interesting issues regarding religion etc. I liked that it delved a bit beyond fluff, though I am pretty sure the MC had a eating disorder that was glorified a bit...or at least never addressed. I still thought the world creation was great, and it made me feel like I knew a bit more about going to high school in the sports-loving south.