Saturday, January 21, 2012

Review ~ Catching Jordan, by Miranda Kenneally

Catching JordanWhat 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 on 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 now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starring position on the team... and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate. ~From GoodReads



Catching Jordan is a book that caught my eye the first time I saw it. I love the cover, love the synopsis, and it has gotten glowing reviews from many who've read it. So when I bought it, I expected a great, fun read. But what I got was so. much. more.

From beginning to end, this book was funny, like, laugh out loud funny. Jordan was a riot. She is an insanely easy main character for "real" people to relate to. She's tall, over six feet tall, and has an athletic build. That in itself makes me want to scream "Thank you, Miranda!" to the author. As someone who has always been tall and athletic, it's darn near impossible to find characters to physically relate to. Almost every girl or lady I come across is teeny tiny and dainty, and that's swell. But I can't help but feeling that somewhere, there is a girl (much like me as a teen) who will feel Jordan was written specifically for her. And she will glow at the fact that Jordan is beautiful and perfect, just the way she is, without apologies for being herself. This girl, despite not always making the right choices (but what teen does?), is a fantastic role model.

Here's an example of her down to earth manner:
"The restaurant is dark and romantic and full of flowers, and I find myself wishing it was just myself and [blank]  here, huddled over wine and champagne and crepes or some shit like that."

The supporting characters were as endearing as Jordan. Each served a specific purpose, in their own way assisting Jordan, in moving the story forward. The guys on her team: JJ, a big lug with surprising moments of great advice; Carter, a sweetheart with his own conflicts who is always there to listen; Ty, the new boy in town who is out to steal Jordan's heart; and Henry, Jordan's best friend. Oh, how I loved Sam Henry. Sam is a close second to Jordan as my favorite character. At times he even places first. He is the type of guy everyone will love and all wish we had in our lives. Sam was funny, dependable, goofy, hot as heck, and the kind of boy you want to smoosh with love.

When I started reading Catching Jordan, I was afraid that the fact Jordan is a female quarterback with college aspirations would be glossed over. That her whole life would be bright and shiny. But it's not. The sexism she faces is dealt with in a realistic manner, which as unfair as it is, that's life. And as hard as it is for her to face athletes and coaches who dismiss her, what's even harder is the dismissal from her father, an NFL quarterback. The father/daughter relationship was beautiful and delicate. Watching Jordan and her father dance around their issues was difficult and tear-inducing.
Catching Jordan delivered more of everything that I expected: more laughs, more surprises, and more tears. It's a brilliantly written book that left me swooning, swiping tears and smiling. It quickly captured my heart and has leapt straight to the top of my favorites list. Catching Jordan is a MUST-READ!

Favorite Quote:

"He's fast asleep, curled up at the other end of my bed, looking peaceful. The expression on his face says he's not really sad, and he's not overcompensating for his sadness by acting all crazy or silly, he's just...content. And that makes me glad, because more than anything else, I want him to be happy."
(pg 111)


Paperback, 281 pages
Published December 1st 2011 by Sourcebooks Fire

You can purchase Catching Jordan at:
Barnes & Noble  |  Book Depository  |  Amazon

24 comments:

  1. Great review! I can't wait to read Catching Jordan, but I don't think it's out yet in Australia.

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    Replies
    1. same here/ no ya section here /so it will nevr be in stores here likely

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    2. @treehugger, Thank you! That's a bummer. We in the US are spoiled. Hopefully you'll be able to get Catching Jordan soon-ish.
      Thanks for stopping by.

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    3. @roro, What do you mean, no YA section? At all? That is scary. Like I said, we in the US are spoiled. Can you order from Book Depository?
      Thanks for stopping by.

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  2. You are killing me with your awesome reviews lately. lol!! Okay so this has been on my list for a while, but being new to reading (and loving) contemporary, I have held off on it. (Besides the fact that I am already drowning in books that I keep convincing myself I will get to soon) I literally just went to the B&N website and purchased it for my nook, no lie! I have read tons of great reviews on this so it was only a matter of time, but you are one of my go to people for awesome book recommendations. Much love hon!!

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    Replies
    1. If you're going to try contemporary, Catching Jordan and Statistical Probability are great books to start with. I personally can't stick with only one genre. I hope you love CJ as much as I did!

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  3. Everyone is saying great things about this one! I think I just might step out of my element and give it a try.

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  4. I have to "genre hop" a lot, or I get in a rut. It is soooo good. I loved the characters and the story. I laughed out loud so much. I hope you give it a try!

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  5. Replies
    1. Thank you, Sharon. I'm so happy you loved Catching Jordan, too!
      Thanks for stopping by!

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  6. Well said. I read this last night and fell in love with the story. I want her to continue telling the story, so we can see what happens now! I know she has 2 spin-offs with other characters, so maybe we'll get to see what happens. :)

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    Replies
    1. I know!!! I want to know what happens w/Jordan and you-know-who!! I think I've heard that the characters will be mentioned in the next book! Thanks for stopping by!

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  7. Haha omg I love that quote and you're so right jordan is incredibly likeable to the normal person. I loved her and I also laughed so hard while reading this (during the baby scene I had to stop reading I was laughing too much). It was great and I'm so happy you loved it too! :D

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    Replies
    1. Oh yeah! I did the same thing during the baby scences. Henry is fabulous!

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  8. I've really had a hard time deciding if I wanted to read this one. I love the premise, the idea that a girl is quarterbacking a high school football team, which is just cool. I loved sports when I was a teenager, so this one sounds really good, but I don't always like contemp YA. I'll probably read this one, since I like to try some of those out, once in a while. Your review is great and gives me realistic expectations for the book, which I do think I ought to try out, after all.

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    Replies
    1. Maybe you should try to find a sample, maybe on Amazon?

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  9. Awesome review my dear!!! holy cow! how come I havent read this book yet? I think it is because I havent read a review as greta as this one before! Im SO getting the book from BD next month!!! =D thanks for sharing your thoughts! you totally did it for me!!

    Dazzling Reads

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! You must get this book ASAP! I hope you love it.

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  10. So can't wait to read this!! Great review :)

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  11. I agree. I thought the sexism-which is a really important topic- was handled really well in this book. Men could have been portrayed in a totally negative way, and they weren't because Jordan had some really strong and kind male friends to offset the sexism. Great review.

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    1. Kara- I completely agree. Kenneally handled the sexism issue in such a realistic way. I loved that the guys on Jordan's team were so supportive. Thanks for stopping by, doll!

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  12. I usually only read YA books with a speculative angle, but I might have to step out of my comfort zone with this one! Sounds like it has a lot of heart, which I always love in a book. Also sounds like the sort of story that would make a good movie.

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  13. lol, at that quote.."or some shit like that." This is pretty much how I talk. So I'm sure I will relate to her.

    I'm a little nervous about this one for the single reason, I'm not into football.. At all. But I'll give it a shot. :p

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