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maddieg's review
4.0
I was very excited to read this book and I loved it and didn't like it at the same time. I loved it because of the characters and growth throughout the book. I enjoyed how Parker was trying to get out of her comfort zone that she instilled when her mom left and got back into playing ball, even if it was just managing. Her friendship with Drew and later relationship with Will were so adorable and felt so real, you couldn't help but love them both. I also enjoyed the family dynamic she had with her dad, brother, and mom. I felt that those relationships were just as important, if not more, than the friendships and romances. The issue I had with the book was her relationship with Brian. I found it very cringey that her and the baseball coach who was six years older than her were messing around because it was disgusting. I honestly felt bad for her because she was so desperate but then got taken advantage of.
Favorite Quote: "Sometimes you gotta do what's right for you and forget about everybody else. All that matters is what you want. What you need."
Favorite Quote: "Sometimes you gotta do what's right for you and forget about everybody else. All that matters is what you want. What you need."
shelvesofsecrets's review
4.0
I'm the first to admit that contemporary romance books are not my thing. I'm much more of a fantasy/action/adventure kind of girl. But I heard so many great things about Miranda Kenneally's Hundred Oaks series that I have been giving it a try. I read Catching Jordan quite a while ago and honestly didn't enjoy it all that much, so I was pretty skeptical going into Stealing Parker.
But I ended up really enjoying it! I connected way more with Parker than I did with Jordan. I really felt Parker's struggles and I was rooting for her the whole time (even as I screamed at her when she made decisions I disagreed with). I think they reason why this book worked better for me than Catching Jordan is because Stealing Parker is less of a romance-driven plot and more of a character-driver plot. Sure there are romantic aspects, but they all contribute to Parker's journey within the book.
This book touched on a lot of issues: eating disorders, sexual identity, slut-shaming and inappropriate relationship. Despite the long list, I felt like each issue was handled well by the author.
This book has brightened up my expectations of the Hundred Oaks series and I am looking forward to reading the next book.
But I ended up really enjoying it! I connected way more with Parker than I did with Jordan. I really felt Parker's struggles and I was rooting for her the whole time (even as I screamed at her when she made decisions I disagreed with). I think they reason why this book worked better for me than Catching Jordan is because Stealing Parker is less of a romance-driven plot and more of a character-driver plot. Sure there are romantic aspects, but they all contribute to Parker's journey within the book.
This book touched on a lot of issues: eating disorders, sexual identity, slut-shaming and inappropriate relationship. Despite the long list, I felt like each issue was handled well by the author.
This book has brightened up my expectations of the Hundred Oaks series and I am looking forward to reading the next book.
kristid's review
4.0
Miranda Kenneally, I LOVE YOU!!
Have you read Catching Jordan yet? If you haven’t you really should! It’s sort of a companion novel to Stealing Parker. Same setting and some familiar faces. It’s fun to see that when reading Stealing Parker, plus Catching Jordan is AWESOME. One of my favs!
If you think that these books are all about sports, you couldn’t be more wrong. I was apprehensive about that myself, but they play a very minor role. I think the sports are used more to create this bond between Miranda’s characters. I wasn’t a big athlete but I did participate in some sports and there is a kinship and deep friendship that you develop with your teammates.
Parker loves, er scratch that, loved playing softball. But for reasons you will find out in the novel, she quits playing. Cold turkey. With encouragement from her best friend, Drew, she ends up managing the boys baseball team. It seems like the perfect set-up, she gets to hang out with Drew and get a little bit of that “belonging to a team” feeling back. It’s here that she meets Brian, the new assistant coach. He’s older, gorgeous and Parker can’t help but flirt. Which leads to a secret relationship and as you can imagine all sorts of problems.
Parker’s character growth was probably my favorite thing about this novel. The girl does some really stupid stuff (who hasn’t!) but she learns from all of that in the end. The age difference between her and Brian didn’t bother me, but Brian definitely took advantage of the situation and Parker and THAT bothered me. In the end he shows his true colors and I have to say I wasn’t very surprised. I loved Parker’s relationship with Drew and with Corndog. Though they were very different! And I loved that there was some growth in Parker’s relationship with her mother.
I also thought that the religious aspect of the story was interesting. I don’t want to scare you, or possibly turn you off with that statement, this isn’t a religious book, it’s not preaching to you. But the town that Parker lives in is very religious and there are two very different churches in this book and I loved that Miranda did that. You’ll see what I mean and even if you are a church goer or not, I think you’ll appreciate what Miranda did too.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. Catching Jordan is still my favorite of the two, but I can’t wait to read what Miranda has in store for us next!
Have you read Catching Jordan yet? If you haven’t you really should! It’s sort of a companion novel to Stealing Parker. Same setting and some familiar faces. It’s fun to see that when reading Stealing Parker, plus Catching Jordan is AWESOME. One of my favs!
If you think that these books are all about sports, you couldn’t be more wrong. I was apprehensive about that myself, but they play a very minor role. I think the sports are used more to create this bond between Miranda’s characters. I wasn’t a big athlete but I did participate in some sports and there is a kinship and deep friendship that you develop with your teammates.
Parker loves, er scratch that, loved playing softball. But for reasons you will find out in the novel, she quits playing. Cold turkey. With encouragement from her best friend, Drew, she ends up managing the boys baseball team. It seems like the perfect set-up, she gets to hang out with Drew and get a little bit of that “belonging to a team” feeling back. It’s here that she meets Brian, the new assistant coach. He’s older, gorgeous and Parker can’t help but flirt. Which leads to a secret relationship and as you can imagine all sorts of problems.
Parker’s character growth was probably my favorite thing about this novel. The girl does some really stupid stuff (who hasn’t!) but she learns from all of that in the end. The age difference between her and Brian didn’t bother me, but Brian definitely took advantage of the situation and Parker and THAT bothered me. In the end he shows his true colors and I have to say I wasn’t very surprised. I loved Parker’s relationship with Drew and with Corndog. Though they were very different! And I loved that there was some growth in Parker’s relationship with her mother.
I also thought that the religious aspect of the story was interesting. I don’t want to scare you, or possibly turn you off with that statement, this isn’t a religious book, it’s not preaching to you. But the town that Parker lives in is very religious and there are two very different churches in this book and I loved that Miranda did that. You’ll see what I mean and even if you are a church goer or not, I think you’ll appreciate what Miranda did too.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. Catching Jordan is still my favorite of the two, but I can’t wait to read what Miranda has in store for us next!
andreathereader's review
3.0
Parker’s mom realizes she’s gay and leaves her family to move in with another woman. Parker’s religious and intolerant town turns their back on the entire family. Parker’s brother turns to drugs to cope, her dad turns to denial, and Parker decides to turn into the town slut.
The characters were hard for me to really get into. The book jumped right into the present day, so we didn’t get to know Parker before she lost weight and turned into a tramp, or her brother before he became a stoner waste-case, or her father before he checked out. It was hard to feel for the characters and what they were going through because we didn’t care for them beforehand. Parker was silly, with her talk of being a slut and “hooking up” and “being with” guys when all she did was kiss them. Big deal, so you kissed a few guys. I think that’s pretty natural for teenagers. Then again, she was a product of her extremely narrow-minded church, so maybe that’s what made the kissing seem so nefarious to her and her friends.
Speaking of her friends, I loved Drew, the 1 person who stuck by her after everyone else ditched her for being the daughter of a lesbian. He was kind and sweet and she was lucky to have him. Coach Hoffman was an… interesting character. He was older, and on the faculty at her school, but I thought he and Parker had great chemistry. He kept on about her age and whatnot, but it didn’t seem to bother him as much as he kept insisting. Parker’s father made me so mad, he was in such a state of denial about the town, Parker and her brother. His solution to everything was “Let’s pray about it.” I think we only saw her brother maybe 3 or 4 times, and he was high every one of those times, so I never got a read on him.
The dialogue was pretty normal stuff, aside from all the “You’re going to hell because your mom’s a lesbian” crap. There were some funny bits and a few witty comebacks, but I was surprised at the tameness of it all. There was a lot of talk about church and religion, it was a central theme in the novel, but I never felt like anything was being pushed down my throat. There was some sex talk, and a few detailed sexual situations, but nothing I would call graphic, or too much for the average teenager.
I wish I hadn’t gone into Stealing Parker expecting something as great as Catching Jordan. But I did, and I was disappointed. It didn’t suck me in or make me care about the characters like I did with Catching Jordan. Maybe I shouldn’t be comparing the two, but I can’t help it.
The cover is cute and simple. I love it.
The sum up:
Stealing Parker is a light story that tries to deliver a deeper message, but doesn’t have the heart to back it up.
The characters were hard for me to really get into. The book jumped right into the present day, so we didn’t get to know Parker before she lost weight and turned into a tramp, or her brother before he became a stoner waste-case, or her father before he checked out. It was hard to feel for the characters and what they were going through because we didn’t care for them beforehand. Parker was silly, with her talk of being a slut and “hooking up” and “being with” guys when all she did was kiss them. Big deal, so you kissed a few guys. I think that’s pretty natural for teenagers. Then again, she was a product of her extremely narrow-minded church, so maybe that’s what made the kissing seem so nefarious to her and her friends.
Speaking of her friends, I loved Drew, the 1 person who stuck by her after everyone else ditched her for being the daughter of a lesbian. He was kind and sweet and she was lucky to have him. Coach Hoffman was an… interesting character. He was older, and on the faculty at her school, but I thought he and Parker had great chemistry. He kept on about her age and whatnot, but it didn’t seem to bother him as much as he kept insisting. Parker’s father made me so mad, he was in such a state of denial about the town, Parker and her brother. His solution to everything was “Let’s pray about it.” I think we only saw her brother maybe 3 or 4 times, and he was high every one of those times, so I never got a read on him.
The dialogue was pretty normal stuff, aside from all the “You’re going to hell because your mom’s a lesbian” crap. There were some funny bits and a few witty comebacks, but I was surprised at the tameness of it all. There was a lot of talk about church and religion, it was a central theme in the novel, but I never felt like anything was being pushed down my throat. There was some sex talk, and a few detailed sexual situations, but nothing I would call graphic, or too much for the average teenager.
I wish I hadn’t gone into Stealing Parker expecting something as great as Catching Jordan. But I did, and I was disappointed. It didn’t suck me in or make me care about the characters like I did with Catching Jordan. Maybe I shouldn’t be comparing the two, but I can’t help it.
The cover is cute and simple. I love it.
The sum up:
Stealing Parker is a light story that tries to deliver a deeper message, but doesn’t have the heart to back it up.
adlerje1's review
4.0
It was a good book. I didnt like how religion was a big factor in the book and how she was very vein and too concerned about her self image at such a young age. The romance was good and she did finally grow some balls but overall it was okay.
kaitrosereads's review
5.0
Miranda Kenneally is quickly becoming one of my favorite contemporary authors; right up there with Jennifer Echols, Sarah Dessen, and Sarah Ockler. I had very high hopes for Stealing Parker and I am so happy to say that I was not at all disappointed.
Parker is a lot like Jordan in some ways. She’s feisty, strong-willed, athletic, and most of her friends are boys. However that is where the similarities end. Parker is not nearly as easy to like as Jordan was. Parker does some stupid things and she’s very messed up. She doesn’t always think things through and sometimes she’s very selfish. She is a good person at heart though and a great friend. She just doesn’t quite know how to handle life anymore. Her family kind of spiraled out of control and she can’t fix it. Her friendships went the same way and she just gave up. Now she spends all her time trying to control what she can: her life, especially her love life. It’s not easy for Parker to trust people or to love them so instead of looking for a relationship, she looks for one night hookups. All that changes though when she starts to fall for someone that she just might want to be with for more than one night.
Once again the boys are what make this book and I’m not just talking the love interests. Miranda Kenneally has a way of writing friendships betweens guys and girls that are just natural and perfect. Drew is Parker’s best friend and he was a guy I would love to have as a friend. He stood up for Parker to his friends, he was there for her no matter what, and he liked Harry Potter marathons. Drew was a boy after my own heart! Then there was Corndog (Will). Corndog cracked me up! He’s a guy who thinks outside the box and never does what people expect him to. He’s a nice guy and a total sweetheart. And of course there is Brian, the assistant baseball coach, who Parker falls for. I actually really liked Brian and felt that he was just really confused. Sure he should have known better than to act how he did with Parker but other than that he was a pretty good guy.
Oh and there are a few mentions of Henry and Jordan in the book! Yay!
Stealing Parker is a rather short book and it’s super fast-paced. Things take off very quickly and it’s impossible to stop reading until you know exactly how everything is going to work out. There is quite a bit going on, what with the family drama, the church drama, and relationship drama but it’s never too much. And yes there is some religious stuff in Stealing Parker but it’s never preachy and never overdone. It fit perfectly with the story and I thought it really added to everything going on.
Overall, Stealing Parker is another must-read from Miranda Kenneally. You don’t need to read Catching Jordan first but I do recommend it. (Also, I just like any excuse to tell people to read that book.)
Parker is a lot like Jordan in some ways. She’s feisty, strong-willed, athletic, and most of her friends are boys. However that is where the similarities end. Parker is not nearly as easy to like as Jordan was. Parker does some stupid things and she’s very messed up. She doesn’t always think things through and sometimes she’s very selfish. She is a good person at heart though and a great friend. She just doesn’t quite know how to handle life anymore. Her family kind of spiraled out of control and she can’t fix it. Her friendships went the same way and she just gave up. Now she spends all her time trying to control what she can: her life, especially her love life. It’s not easy for Parker to trust people or to love them so instead of looking for a relationship, she looks for one night hookups. All that changes though when she starts to fall for someone that she just might want to be with for more than one night.
Once again the boys are what make this book and I’m not just talking the love interests. Miranda Kenneally has a way of writing friendships betweens guys and girls that are just natural and perfect. Drew is Parker’s best friend and he was a guy I would love to have as a friend. He stood up for Parker to his friends, he was there for her no matter what, and he liked Harry Potter marathons. Drew was a boy after my own heart! Then there was Corndog (Will). Corndog cracked me up! He’s a guy who thinks outside the box and never does what people expect him to. He’s a nice guy and a total sweetheart. And of course there is Brian, the assistant baseball coach, who Parker falls for. I actually really liked Brian and felt that he was just really confused. Sure he should have known better than to act how he did with Parker but other than that he was a pretty good guy.
Oh and there are a few mentions of Henry and Jordan in the book! Yay!
Stealing Parker is a rather short book and it’s super fast-paced. Things take off very quickly and it’s impossible to stop reading until you know exactly how everything is going to work out. There is quite a bit going on, what with the family drama, the church drama, and relationship drama but it’s never too much. And yes there is some religious stuff in Stealing Parker but it’s never preachy and never overdone. It fit perfectly with the story and I thought it really added to everything going on.
Overall, Stealing Parker is another must-read from Miranda Kenneally. You don’t need to read Catching Jordan first but I do recommend it. (Also, I just like any excuse to tell people to read that book.)
wwrlad's review
3.0
Parker was harder to like than Jordan and I felt you could see the plot coming a mile away. I did end up enjoying the story and rooting for Parker even when she made stupid decisions. I also was not expecting the religious aspect to the story (since I try to avoid religious books) but it wasn't heavy handed and I liked how it was handled.
brittys_books's review
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
staceyhust88's review
5.0
I simply loved this book. The angst, the confusing emotions, the not knowing which way things would end up. It was surprisingly light but heartfelt read. I'm fully enjoying this series of companion books.
cjyu's review
4.0
4.5 stars
I'm officially addicted to this series. Just that kick of contemporary you need that isn't heavy or extremely serious, but not light and fluffy enough to be a chick-lit.
And it was totes adorbs to Sam and Jordan ohemgee.
Ok now I'm just a small squealing mess.
I'm officially addicted to this series. Just that kick of contemporary you need that isn't heavy or extremely serious, but not light and fluffy enough to be a chick-lit.
And it was totes adorbs to Sam and Jordan ohemgee.
Ok now I'm just a small squealing mess.