Review: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Catching Jordan 
by Miranda Kenneally

Release Date: December, 1 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 281
Genre: YA Romance
Source: Library
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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 now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starting position... suddenly she's hoping he'll see her as more than just a teammate.

This book majorly impressed me. I'm not a big fan of contemporary but I throw a few into the reading pile usually hoping they will be light and fluffy and put me in a good mood. This one definitely exceeded my expectations and was a lot deeper than I expected. The only thing I was a little bit worried about when I first picked this one up was that it was about football. I honestly hate football. My eye starts twitching just thinking about the hard cold stand seats and the many hours of suffering I endured on Sundays from many ex boyfriends. Ugh never again! LOL But Jordan made me feel passion for the game! At over six feet tall and 170 pounds Jordan can hold her own. She comes from a family of football players, her dad plays professionally in the NFL and her brother is playing in college and planning on an NFL career. She has loved the game since she was a little girl.

The way Jordan talked about what she will do after college when she can't play anymore and what it will be like if she can't even play in college was so sad. How much she enjoys playing in high school and how she may never be able to feel that way again. I'm tearing up just thinking about it. I find it so upsetting that someone may not be able to do something they love just because they are female. I was also upset by her dad for most of the book. He was worried about her getting hurt and didn't want her to play. I can totally understand being scared of her getting hurt but he wasn't at all worried about his son. He constantly complemented her brother and her friends but never her. I wanted to jump in the book and slap him. But Jordan is determined and he does finally begin to see how much it truly means to her. I was very happy about the way their father/daughter relationship progressed.

Now onto the romance. I felt like the romance almost came second over Jordan and her dreams and I surprisingly liked that a lot. Jordan never dated much because she was always practicing football and mostly only hung out with the team. She never wanted to date anyone on the team because she knew them too well and that could cause drama and awkwardness. She likes being one of the guys and she worked really hard to earn her teams respect. I loved the football team dynamic. They always had her back, especially her best friend Henry. Even the way they met was adorable. She caught a ball he threw and then threw it back to him with a way better throw. She took his spot as quarterback on the team and the rest was history. I loved their friendship and the whole time I was hoping something would happen between them. He supported her and was always there for her. Also their scenes together were hilarious. They even teamed up at one point to parent one of those fake babies for school and it was pure genius. I knew that whether or not it became romantic like I wanted, that those two belong together in some way.

But along came Ty Green. New in town and brand new on the team, he may just be a better quarterback than Jordan. Jordan knows she needs to fight for her spot but she can't help notice how incredibly hot he is and how he seems to notice her as well. Jordan didn't want a relationship between them to start team drama so she fought her feelings for awhile. I liked Ty as well. He was willing to give up so much to take care of his family. I hate love triangles more than most people but I never felt like this was too torturous. Both guys were great but it was just that one was better for Jordan. I grew to love both guys even with their many faults and what each guy had with Jordan. Jordan never let them really define her. She worked at football and worked at making everything work out the best way possible. It took time but I thought everything eventually worked out perfectly. I loved all the characters and all their developments. I loved the humor, the emotion, and the way the chapters were set up. I loved the chapter titles and the little writings from Jordan's journal that were included between chapters. I was just very much in love with this book and read it all in one night. Very much looking forward to the release of Stealing Parker.

"This must be the weirdest thing a football coach has ever seen: two quarterbacks making out."

"Why were you watching me change?" I explain. "Uh, 'cause I'm a guy?" He flips the pillow and slaps it, fluffing it. Then he rolls over and closes his eyes again.

"Jordan, he's loved you forever. It's obvious. Have you not seen how he stares at you?"

 "Love hurts worse than getting slammed by a 250-pound linebacker."

"Henry?" JJ asks.
"Asleep in my bed."
"What?" Ty exclaims.

He whispers, "You're beautiful."
"Thank you." I'm not so scared anymore. If he likes me for who I am, it doesn't matter what kind of underwear I'm wearing. Or that I'm not wearing makeup. Or that I'm over six feet tall. "You're really cute too," I say, giving him another kiss on the lips, digging my fingertips into his abs.
"I've never wanted anyone so much in my life."

Rating: 5/5 Stars!