HOOKED by Liz Fichera

 

Okay, I read this one a while back and didn't review b/c I had some issues with the love interest (and his best friend).  But I'm determined to complete the Debut Author Challenge, so here we go...

 

I liked Hooked--for the most part.  Love the cover and title, especially how the pink plays off the gray, very eye-catching.  Also since Fred, our heroine, plays golf like a pro, I appreciated that aspect of the story.  I enjoy books where the focus is on a particular sport and the MC's love of the game.  It's written in dual perspective, so we get to really see both Fred's and Ryan's thoughts.

 

Fred is Native American, relatively poor, and got her amazing golf swing from practicing every spare minute on the course for which her father is the groundskeeper.  Her best friend, Sam, is in love with her.  I liked Fred a lot--though if I was in her shoes, I would've gone for reliable, loyal Sam instead of the hot rich guy any day.

 

Ryan is white, extremely rich, and has a membership at that same golf club.  He and his friends enjoy forcing Native Americans off the road, calling them "Pocahontas," and putting bricks into their golf bags.  He's still with his shallow girlfriend and his awful, racist BFF Seth b/c…well it's always been that way.  And Ryan doesn't have the balls to stand up for what's right.

 

*Phew*  Obviously, I wasn't Ryan's biggest fan.  But can you blame me?  For the better part of the story, he let his friends bully and push Fred around--even though he KNEW it was wrong.  Yes, Seth was the psycho and Ryan was just his "friend," but he had so many opportunities to stand up to Seth and…didn't.

 

Towards the end, Psycho Seth even tries to run Fred down in the dead of night with his truck.  0__o  C-R-A-Z-Y, like truly insane not to mention a total hate crime.  And they--both Fred and Ryan--basically take pity on him, "do the right thing," and help him afterward?!?!?!?!?!?

 

Call me vindictive, but I'd leave the guy to rot.  Such is the ninja way ;).  Anyway, the romance was well-written, but I couldn't get past my dislike of Ryan.  Again, we get to see his POV, so we know that he knows what he's doing is wrong.

 

I really liked Fred's character, a lot actually.  I thought she could've done much better than Ryan.

 

This story was very much Pretty in Pink--and to be honest I've always been more a Some Kind of Wonderful girl!!  Blane got on my last nerve with his wishy-washy ways; Andie couldn't get over herself and see how much Ducky loved her.  Give me Watts and Keith any day!

 

So yeah, I liked the story, despised the best friend, and thought Fred would've been better off with Sam--but whatever.  My favorite character was Ryan's sister, Riley.  She was good and kind and not judgmental unlike her brother.  She was everything Ryan should've been.  Fichera's next book, Played, is Riley and Sam's story.  All I can say is: I'm looking forward to it!

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl



STEALING PARKER by Miranda Kenneally

Stealing Parker, Miranda Kenneally's second book, was a very enjoyable read.  It had romance, funny times, and the sports bent--which Kenneally writes SO well.  The friends you can't help but love (Sam and Tate and Corndog and Drew!) were there in full force.  And Parker, the main character, is a girl who readers will root for--even when she makes mistakes.

I'm not going to lie.  I was pulled in from page 1.  We immediately find out why Parker is the way that she is, and we also get a taste of her voice.

"I hate baseball.  I know, I know.  That means I'm not a true American.  It probably means I'm not human.  But I gave up foam fingers, peanuts, and the Atlanta Braves when my mom announced she's a lesbian and ran off with her friend who was more than just a friend.  A year ago January, she divorced my dad, and I divorced her dreams of me playing softball for Hundred Oaks."--Stealing Parker, pg. 1

It was an intriguing plot.  Here's this girl whose life is flipped upside down, and she doesn't even have her mother to help her through the hard times because…well, her mom caused it all.  I wanted to see how Parker would deal.  I had to know.

To prove she's not like her mom, Parker becomes the ultimate girly girl.  She quits softball (which she loves) and kisses a whole bunch of guys (which gives her a reputation).  Of course, the small town church folk give her a hard time.  This sucks b/c Parker used to love her church, and she can't even find peace there.  Then her BFF Drew signs her up to manage their baseball team.  Enter Brian Hoffman, the young assistant baseball coach and hottie in that scruffy, older man, gum-chewing baseball player way, and you have a recipe for trouble.

The teacher/student romance is a hard sell for me as a reader.  I mean, I never had a Brian Hoffman at my school.  Trust me.  I would remember.  The coaches were all wayyyy older, like 40s-50s, and kinda mean, and basically jerks, and…yeah.  My teen self did not go all starry-eyed at the sight of their farmer's tans lol. 

But Kenneally's approach was different.  1) Brian was Parker's friend first.  2) Parker was a confused girl looking for something--or someone--to make her feel special.  3) After it got started, Kenneally didn't romanticize the relationship.  Parker learns some cold, hard truths, and I can appreciate that.  Though, I felt so sad for her at times.

On the other hand, I loved Corndog!!  As far as love interests go, this guy was a sweetie pie.  He watched chick flicks with Parker, for goodness sakes.  He looked out for his friends--our MC included--and forgave her when she made a seemingly unforgivable mistake.  *Sigh*

And Drew.  He was such a great BFF.  Sometimes you get the feeling that an author really has a soft spot for her side characters, and this was definitely the case here.  He was funny, fully developed and fun to be around, and he never let Parker down.  Loved him.

Parker made mistakes, but she had a lot of crap to deal with.  In the end, she finally found herself.  Though I liked Jordan more, I enjoyed Parker's story and Kenneally's writing.  Her YA contemporaries always make me laugh.  And that is a definite win!!

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl

CATCHING JORDAN by Miranda Kenneally

I've been busy with revisions, and my girls had their first competition/convention this weekend (the teachers threw a lot of choreo at us, but didn't teach very much, and the comp ran until midnight).  Just wanted to let you know why I haven't been posting as regularly.  But today, I'm back with a good book and a new review J

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally is a book I heard about long before the release date.  This is both good and bad.  Good because I got to add it to my mental TBR pile long before most people knew about it (fun fact: Score was the book's original title).  Bad because I had to wait…and wait…and wait some more.  But it was worth it.  The book delivered on all counts: relatable characters, angsty romance and a fresh take on the whole girl-in-a-man's-sport premise.

Seventeen-year-old Jordan Woods wants to play college ball.  With a football legend as a father and a brother who plays for the University of Tennessee, getting into Bama should be a cakewalk.  There's just one problem: Jordan Woods is a girl.  No matter how talented she is--and Jordan is incredibly talented, one of the best high school QBs in the state of Tennessee--that's one obstacle she'll have to overcome over and over again if she wants to play in the NCAA.

Her team's behind her one hundred percent.  They're out to win a state championship, and Jordan is too--until Ty Green moves to town.  With his killer spiral and sexy grin, Ty throws Jordan completely off her game.  Is he there to take her spot?  What's up with all the flirting?  And why's her best friend and best wide receiver, Henry, acting so weird all of a sudden?

The mixing of YA sensibilities, sports action, and romance was so seamless I burned through the pages lightning fast.  My favorite parts were the ones with JJ, Carter, Henry and Jordan.  Her friendship with her teammates, the camaraderie there, never felt forced or fake.  I absolutely bought the fact that Jordan preferred hanging out with her boys--even with their cursing and hooking up and eating everything in sight--over hanging with girls who didn't know a thing about football.  The humor in those scenes was infectious.  Made me wish I had guy friends like that J  Plus, I learned more about Jordan's character and liked her more b/c of her interactions with the guys.

 Loved the bit with the father.  Football Dad not wanting his little girl to play in college b/c he's afraid she'll get hurt and Jordan taking that as he doesn't believe in her?  It was great to see both sides of that story, watching Dad and Jordan find their way toward understanding each other.  Heart wrenching, but definitely one of the best parts of the book imo.

The one issue I had was with the Jordan/Henry dynamic.

*****Spoiler*****  When Jordan finds out that Henry's been in love with her all this time, and then confronts Henry, offering to give their relationship a try, he turns her down.  That's where the book went a little off for me.  Unlike Anna and the French Kiss (where Etienne's had a longtime girlfriend and--more importantly--he's just found out his mom has cancer), I didn't understand what was holding Jordan and Henry apart.  They both admitted to wanting each other.  There was no huge chasm, both characters seemed to be on the same page…but Henry pushed her away…toward Ty???  *****End Spoiler*****

I liked Henry as the supportive best friend, and I really disliked it when he kind of abandoned her.  But they got it together in the end.  It was great to see Jordan find a place that wanted her for the player she was.  It was great seeing her get her guy.  Overall, the book was a really fun read, and I enjoyed it.  The side characters (especially JJ, Carter, and her brother Mike) were wonderful.  Jordan was focused and driven and inexperienced in love, and I liked watching her go for her goals.

Have any of you guys read the book?  I'd love to hear your thoughts :D

Happy reading, 

Ninja Girl