Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Title: Catching Jordan
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Published: December 2011 by Sourcebooks

My Rating: 4.5 stars
Tags: YA | Romance | Realistic | Football
Includes: Sexuality, Profanity

First Lines: I once read that football was invented so people wouldn't notice summer ending. But I couldn't wait for summer vacation to end. I couldn't wait for football.

Jordan Woods, a senior in high school, is the captain and quarterback of the football team. In fact, she's one of the best quarterbacks in the state of Tennessee! As Jordan tries to score a scholarship to her dream college, Alabama, she's also trying to gain respect from her father, who disapproves of her playing football. Jordan has always been 'one of the guys', constantly hanging out with her teammates and best friend, Sam Henry. But at the beginning of senior year a new guy comes to town and joins the football team. A very cute new guy, named Ty...who happens to be the quarterback at his old school. Can Jordan keep her head in the game and focus on leading her team, or will she be distracted by Ty, who just may be competing for her position and her heart?

I have never been a fan of football nor have I ever seen a football game in my life. However, this book - with its mix of girls, football, romance, and friendship - I am definitely a fan of. Just because you aren't a sports fanatic doesn't mean that you can't enjoy this awesome book! Right away I liked Jordan's strong character. She has a tough exterior, but also has a sweet, emotional side buried deep within. I admired how she stood up for herself and was a willful, determined person.

You would never have guessed that this is Kenneally's debut novel, because her writing is stunning! She has a way of weaving together words to create a flawless visual of what's happening in the story. It was almost exactly like watching a movie because I could imagine the characters and events so perfectly. The relationships in this story were probably one of my favorite things about the book. I liked seeing Jordan and Ty's fling quickly become romantic. Even though I think their steamy relationship happened way too soon, it was definitely believable and never felt forced. I loved the friendships between Jordan and her teammates, too! Henry, JJ, and Carter were typical high school boys, letting their pride and testosterone make decisions for them. But they were so sweet at times and protected Jordan when the need arose.

From page 79
Flipping through the channels, I stop on ESPN as Henry sits down on the sofa cushion next to me. He slumps down and closes his eyes, and even though he was acting normal a couple of minutes ago, I can feel sadness radiating off him like steam rising from hot asphalt in summertime.

The actual storyline itself was extremely predictable and I guessed right away what would happen, but I still really enjoyed reading it. The strong character ties were so realistic and there were some super cute scenes in the book. I would recommend reading this great debut novel, football lover or not!

Cover Thoughts: It's sweet and I'm so glad that the characters' faces are not showing, so that we can imagine what they look like instead.