Review: Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally

Red-hot author Miranda Kenneally hits one out of the park in this return to Catching Jordan's Hundred Oaks High.

Parker Shelton pretty much has the perfect life. She’s on her way to becoming valedictorian at Hundred Oaks High, she’s made the all-star softball team, and she has plenty of friends. Then her mother’s scandal rocks their small town and suddenly no one will talk to her.

Now Parker wants a new life.

So she quits softball. Drops twenty pounds. And she figures why kiss one guy when she can kiss three? Or four. Why limit herself to high school boys when the majorly cute new baseball coach seems especially flirty?

But how far is too far before she loses herself completely?

My Review:

As a fan of Miranda Kenneally Catching Jordan, I was looking forward to reading Stealing Parker.  It did not disappoint, and I thought it was equally good as the previous book in teh series.  I also want to say that I love how all the covers in this set of companion novels complement each other.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

Parker is a great main character to read about.  After her mom leaves her family to go live with another woman, Parker's friend starts the rumor that she is "a butch softball player who probably likes girls."  After that rumor starts, she goes out of her way to prove that this isn't true.  She kisses many different guys, and she quits softball.  Then her best friend Drew signs her up to be the manager of the school baseball team.  Little does she know that this will soon lead to many romantic complications, especially when she starts to fall for the new young assistant coach.  

The relationship between Brian and Parker is clearly one that is wrong since he is a coach, and she is a senior in high school.  At first, he seems like a sweet guy, but then he becomes pushier and not so great of a guy.  I think that both he and Parker are to blame for their relationship.  She pushed him into starting a relationship, but he should have known better than to agree to a relationship with a high schooler.  The other guy who is clearly better for Parker, is Corndog, whose real name is Will.   He is the boy who competed with Parker for valedictorian, and she beat him.  Through much of high school, they were academic rivals, but once she starts managing his baseball team, they become friends.  It becomes clear to the reader that Will has a crush on Parker.  The relationship between them is sweet and slow-developing.  Some complications keep the road to romance from being easy, but they still make it.

The other secondary characters in this book are well written.  One of them is Drew, Parker's best friend.  He is not interested in her romantically since he actually likes Will.  This causes some issues for Parker and Will because Parker doesn't want to hurt Drew by dating the guy he likes.  Parker's family also play a role in the book.  After her mom leaves them, Parker shuts her mom, but she realizes during the book that she still needs her mom.  Her brother Ryan has some problems with drinking and drugs, but her dad is clearly in denial about this.

If you like YA contemporary, read this book.

Katie