taylorreadsbooks's review
3.0
Loved seeing my name in a book. kind of weird at first. Also loved that she was a soccer player but wish the author had more knowledge of the game and included more in the story.
cebaute's review
2.0
Hard pass. I have loved all of Kenneally's books, but definitely not this one. It was so average. Taylor was annoying. The ENTIRE plot could have been avoided in one sentence. If you enjoy the rest of the hundred oaks series, avoid this book and save yourself.
donttakemybooks's review
3.0
This was cute. I like these Hundred Oaks books... they are not the best romances, but the other stuff in the lives of the characters is very relatable. I really liked seeing Taylor having to learn to balance the serious with the fun and trying not to put so much pressure on herself.
fatimareadsbooks's review
4.0
Thanks to the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, for providing me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way impacted my views & opinions.
Kenneally's Hundred Oaks series has always been 50/50 for me. I hated some of the first few books in the series, but still, I kept reading. Why, you ask? Because every once in a while, I find gems like this book. I hoped Defending Taylor would be a book that I enjoyed, and I was definitely not disappointed. So far, it comes in as my second favorite after [b:Stealing Parker|12551077|Stealing Parker|Miranda Kenneally|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1334451985s/12551077.jpg|17552643]. Yay!
I love how with each book, Kenneally manages to tackle teenagers' flaws and the problems they face in a completely relatable manner. Our studious heroine, Taylor, attends a prestigious private school, that is, until a terrible misstep gets her expelled and transferred to Hundred Oaks High, a public school. Now, she's treated differently by everyone, especially her parents. Her expulsion & the reasons behind it have caused problems for her father's re-election campaign and for her carefully laid out plans to get into Yale. Everything is unraveling and the lies keep building up. With all these pressure, how is Taylor going to be able figure out her goals?
I found Taylor's character to be very... real. She has flaws, but she tries to overcome them. There were many occasions where I felt sorry for her, even. She's trying to figure out what she wants, but the pressure that comes from everyone's expectations is hindering that. There were so many times when I wanted to shake her and yell "What are you doing?!". Still, I couldn't hate her. That's how relatable she is.
Then there's also Ezra, Taylor's childhood best friend whom she believes to have previously betrayed her. He seems to be the only one who understands her and what she's going through. I knew I would love Defending Taylor after I heard that the romance would be with the MC's brother's best friend. I have a weakness for the childhood-friends-turned-lovers trope. It didn't disappoint! This book was so much more mature than the other books in the series, especially because of the sexy time scenes. *wink wink* They were more detailed, and I'm glad they weren't just 'fade-to-black' like in other YA books.
So every Hundred Oaks book has a sport as its focal point, and Defending Taylor's is supposed to be soccer. However, I felt like the soccer plot was just pushed aside in favor of exploring the relationships between Taylor and her family & Ezra. The soccer aspect of the book was more of an incomplete subplot, which wasn't satisfying at all. I don't have a problem with soccer not being the main point of the book, but that cover is pretty misleading. So, yeah, that's a disclaimer if you wanted a more sport-focused book.
Overall, Defending Taylor is a fun summer read with a relatable heroine and no shortage of heart-fluttering romance. It's a beautifully written YA story that is sure to suck you in from the beginning 'till the very end.
Follow me on my blog, Book Whizz | Bloglovin' | Twitter
Kenneally's Hundred Oaks series has always been 50/50 for me. I hated some of the first few books in the series, but still, I kept reading. Why, you ask? Because every once in a while, I find gems like this book. I hoped Defending Taylor would be a book that I enjoyed, and I was definitely not disappointed. So far, it comes in as my second favorite after [b:Stealing Parker|12551077|Stealing Parker|Miranda Kenneally|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1334451985s/12551077.jpg|17552643]. Yay!
I love how with each book, Kenneally manages to tackle teenagers' flaws and the problems they face in a completely relatable manner. Our studious heroine, Taylor, attends a prestigious private school, that is, until a terrible misstep gets her expelled and transferred to Hundred Oaks High, a public school. Now, she's treated differently by everyone, especially her parents. Her expulsion & the reasons behind it have caused problems for her father's re-election campaign and for her carefully laid out plans to get into Yale. Everything is unraveling and the lies keep building up. With all these pressure, how is Taylor going to be able figure out her goals?
I found Taylor's character to be very... real. She has flaws, but she tries to overcome them. There were many occasions where I felt sorry for her, even. She's trying to figure out what she wants, but the pressure that comes from everyone's expectations is hindering that. There were so many times when I wanted to shake her and yell "What are you doing?!". Still, I couldn't hate her. That's how relatable she is.
Then there's also Ezra, Taylor's childhood best friend whom she believes to have previously betrayed her. He seems to be the only one who understands her and what she's going through. I knew I would love Defending Taylor after I heard that the romance would be with the MC's brother's best friend. I have a weakness for the childhood-friends-turned-lovers trope. It didn't disappoint! This book was so much more mature than the other books in the series, especially because of the sexy time scenes. *wink wink* They were more detailed, and I'm glad they weren't just 'fade-to-black' like in other YA books.
So every Hundred Oaks book has a sport as its focal point, and Defending Taylor's is supposed to be soccer. However, I felt like the soccer plot was just pushed aside in favor of exploring the relationships between Taylor and her family & Ezra. The soccer aspect of the book was more of an incomplete subplot, which wasn't satisfying at all. I don't have a problem with soccer not being the main point of the book, but that cover is pretty misleading. So, yeah, that's a disclaimer if you wanted a more sport-focused book.
Overall, Defending Taylor is a fun summer read with a relatable heroine and no shortage of heart-fluttering romance. It's a beautifully written YA story that is sure to suck you in from the beginning 'till the very end.
Follow me on my blog, Book Whizz | Bloglovin' | Twitter
kbranfield's review
4.0
4.5 stars.
Miranda Kenneally’s newest release, Defending Taylor, is a young adult contemporary that deals with some very relevant topics such as prescription drug abuse, intended and unintended consequences of decisions and family expectations.
Seventeen year old Taylor Lukens is the overachieving daughter of a Senator who is expelled from her exclusive private school after she impulsively takes the blame for something her boyfriend is responsible for. Now attending the local public high school, she is struggling with the repercussions from her decision after the scandal becomes public knowledge. With her father’s chances for re-election slipping, she feels a little abandoned by her family when they distance themselves from her publicly. With college deadlines looming, Taylor is slowly realizing her family’s expectations for her future are not necessarily what she wants but she is not sure she can disappoint them considering how her recent actions have affected them. It is not until she reconnects with her former crush, Ezra Carmichael, that she finds the courage to stand up for what she wants, but will Taylor convince him to do the same?
As the youngest child in the family, Taylor feels an enormous amount of pressure to follow the same path as her older siblings. Expected to attend an Ivy League college and work in her family’s business after graduation, she is extremely focused on padding her college resume with extracurricular activities and volunteer work while maintaining a high GPA and acing her SATs. Unfortunately, some of her classes do not come easy to her and she spends an inordinate amount of time studying so she sometimes pops Ritalin when she is feeling stressed about doing well on exams and assignments. With such a strong desire to live up to her family’s expectations, Taylor never really deviates from the path they have set for her but after she begins attending Hundred Oaks, she reevaluates her plans for the future but can she disappoint her family again?
Taking the semester off from college amid objections from his father, Ezra is well aware what can happen when personal dreams conflict with family expectations. Taylor cannot help but feel there is more to his decision than he is willing to admit to her, but she has no choice but to back off when he asks her to. Ezra understands what she is going through with her parents but since she once had a crush on him and he broke her heart a few years ago, she is quite hesitant to resume their friendship. Once Taylor moves past her initial reservations, it is clear the spark between them burns brighter than ever but will she risk her heart again?
Defending Taylor is a captivating young adult novel with a compelling storyline and an appealing cast of characters. Miranda Kenneally has an engaging writing style and she never hesitates to tackle some difficult subject matter. A heartwarming story that I recommend to readers of all ages, this latest addition to the Hundred Oak series can be read as a standalone.
Miranda Kenneally’s newest release, Defending Taylor, is a young adult contemporary that deals with some very relevant topics such as prescription drug abuse, intended and unintended consequences of decisions and family expectations.
Seventeen year old Taylor Lukens is the overachieving daughter of a Senator who is expelled from her exclusive private school after she impulsively takes the blame for something her boyfriend is responsible for. Now attending the local public high school, she is struggling with the repercussions from her decision after the scandal becomes public knowledge. With her father’s chances for re-election slipping, she feels a little abandoned by her family when they distance themselves from her publicly. With college deadlines looming, Taylor is slowly realizing her family’s expectations for her future are not necessarily what she wants but she is not sure she can disappoint them considering how her recent actions have affected them. It is not until she reconnects with her former crush, Ezra Carmichael, that she finds the courage to stand up for what she wants, but will Taylor convince him to do the same?
As the youngest child in the family, Taylor feels an enormous amount of pressure to follow the same path as her older siblings. Expected to attend an Ivy League college and work in her family’s business after graduation, she is extremely focused on padding her college resume with extracurricular activities and volunteer work while maintaining a high GPA and acing her SATs. Unfortunately, some of her classes do not come easy to her and she spends an inordinate amount of time studying so she sometimes pops Ritalin when she is feeling stressed about doing well on exams and assignments. With such a strong desire to live up to her family’s expectations, Taylor never really deviates from the path they have set for her but after she begins attending Hundred Oaks, she reevaluates her plans for the future but can she disappoint her family again?
Taking the semester off from college amid objections from his father, Ezra is well aware what can happen when personal dreams conflict with family expectations. Taylor cannot help but feel there is more to his decision than he is willing to admit to her, but she has no choice but to back off when he asks her to. Ezra understands what she is going through with her parents but since she once had a crush on him and he broke her heart a few years ago, she is quite hesitant to resume their friendship. Once Taylor moves past her initial reservations, it is clear the spark between them burns brighter than ever but will she risk her heart again?
Defending Taylor is a captivating young adult novel with a compelling storyline and an appealing cast of characters. Miranda Kenneally has an engaging writing style and she never hesitates to tackle some difficult subject matter. A heartwarming story that I recommend to readers of all ages, this latest addition to the Hundred Oak series can be read as a standalone.
caromoncayo's review
3.0
Cute and fast read. two?? three?? words I would use to describe this book, that’s about it haha
michellesantiago's review
5.0
On a purely enjoyment level I'm giving Defending Taylor 4.5/5 stars. I loved it--it has EVERYTHING I love in a YA contemporary!
Defending Taylor is my new favorite novel by Miranda Kenneally. I basically devoured this entire book in a day.
Taylor was under a lot of pressure and works herself to the bone to achieve her goals and her parents' expectations, but she had a pretty great life. She attends a prestigious private school, she's the captain of the soccer team, and she grew up in wealth and privilege as a senator's daughter. Then, everything came crashing down for Taylor after one wrong decision. She was found with numerous Adderall pills that actually belonged to her then-boyfriend Ben. There was also Adderall in her system because she took a couple previously to help her stay up to do her homework. She covered for Ben, saying that the pills were hers because she (being a senator's daughter) thought she'd get a slap on the wrist while Ben, being a scholarship student, would get kicked out. Instead, her father refused to help bail her out of the mess and she got expelled. As she continues to hide the truth about the pills, she realized that her choices had bigger repercussions, especially with her father's chances for re-election.
I really enjoyed Taylor's character. I found her easy to like, and I related to her because my parents had certain expectations and put a lot of pressure on me during high school and college. It was wonderful seeing her grow throughout the novel, seeing her navigate through her new school, meeting new friends, and figure things out and come to important realizations about working hard but also living her life. I was with her the whole way and rooted for her.
My other favorite thing was Taylor's family--I'm adding the Lukens on my short list of favorite families in YA. I love how they're a pretty close-knit family even though her parents are very busy being in politics and her older siblings (twins Jenna and Oliver) are away in college. Her rapport with Jenna and Oliver was fun, but I especially love how Taylor and her dad worked on their relationship.
As with other Miranda Kenneally books, romance plays a big part in the novel and she doesn't disappoint here. The romance was everything I wanted in my YA contemporary. Taylor and Ezra are definitely my new favorite Hundred Oaks couple. Ezra was the sweetest and definitely swoon-worthy. He is Taylor's brother Oliver's best friend and Taylor has had a crush on him forever but miscommunication kept them apart. Taylor was still reeling over what happened with her ex-boyfriend Ben, so it took a little bit for them to get together but once they did they couldn't keep their hands off each other. While this book isn't as explicit as Stealing Parker I still say the romance is more appropriate for older YA readers because things did get pretty hot and heavy. I did love the romance though, and it's great that while it's a big part of the novel it didn't overtake everything. The main story is still about Taylor working through her problems and growing up.
And, if you're like me, and you've read the other Hundred Oaks books then you'll appreciate cameo appearances of characters in previous books, like Jack Goodwin (love interested in Racing Savannah) who was in a few scenes and was mentioned quite a bit (since he used to date Taylor's sister Jenna).
Overall, Defending Taylor was an entertaining, compulsively readable YA contemporary. I absolutely LOVED it! It's also a really good book to read when you're in a reading slump--it's a quick, light read but it has substance that it's not all fluff, great characters, and it has a swoony/steamy romance. If you're a fan of contemporary YAs with a strong romance and/or a fan of the Hundred Oaks series, it's a must-read and you'll devour Defending Taylor like I did.
Defending Taylor is my new favorite novel by Miranda Kenneally. I basically devoured this entire book in a day.
Taylor was under a lot of pressure and works herself to the bone to achieve her goals and her parents' expectations, but she had a pretty great life. She attends a prestigious private school, she's the captain of the soccer team, and she grew up in wealth and privilege as a senator's daughter. Then, everything came crashing down for Taylor after one wrong decision. She was found with numerous Adderall pills that actually belonged to her then-boyfriend Ben. There was also Adderall in her system because she took a couple previously to help her stay up to do her homework. She covered for Ben, saying that the pills were hers because she (being a senator's daughter) thought she'd get a slap on the wrist while Ben, being a scholarship student, would get kicked out. Instead, her father refused to help bail her out of the mess and she got expelled. As she continues to hide the truth about the pills, she realized that her choices had bigger repercussions, especially with her father's chances for re-election.
I really enjoyed Taylor's character. I found her easy to like, and I related to her because my parents had certain expectations and put a lot of pressure on me during high school and college. It was wonderful seeing her grow throughout the novel, seeing her navigate through her new school, meeting new friends, and figure things out and come to important realizations about working hard but also living her life. I was with her the whole way and rooted for her.
My other favorite thing was Taylor's family--I'm adding the Lukens on my short list of favorite families in YA. I love how they're a pretty close-knit family even though her parents are very busy being in politics and her older siblings (twins Jenna and Oliver) are away in college. Her rapport with Jenna and Oliver was fun, but I especially love how Taylor and her dad worked on their relationship.
As with other Miranda Kenneally books, romance plays a big part in the novel and she doesn't disappoint here. The romance was everything I wanted in my YA contemporary. Taylor and Ezra are definitely my new favorite Hundred Oaks couple. Ezra was the sweetest and definitely swoon-worthy. He is Taylor's brother Oliver's best friend and Taylor has had a crush on him forever but miscommunication kept them apart. Taylor was still reeling over what happened with her ex-boyfriend Ben, so it took a little bit for them to get together but once they did they couldn't keep their hands off each other. While this book isn't as explicit as Stealing Parker I still say the romance is more appropriate for older YA readers because things did get pretty hot and heavy. I did love the romance though, and it's great that while it's a big part of the novel it didn't overtake everything. The main story is still about Taylor working through her problems and growing up.
And, if you're like me, and you've read the other Hundred Oaks books then you'll appreciate cameo appearances of characters in previous books, like Jack Goodwin (love interested in Racing Savannah) who was in a few scenes and was mentioned quite a bit (since he used to date Taylor's sister Jenna).
Overall, Defending Taylor was an entertaining, compulsively readable YA contemporary. I absolutely LOVED it! It's also a really good book to read when you're in a reading slump--it's a quick, light read but it has substance that it's not all fluff, great characters, and it has a swoony/steamy romance. If you're a fan of contemporary YAs with a strong romance and/or a fan of the Hundred Oaks series, it's a must-read and you'll devour Defending Taylor like I did.
jlove731's review
5.0
Thank you, Miranda Kenneally. I could not put this book down and was consistently reading it no matter where I was. That is always a sign of an amazing book to me. Even more so now, considering it's become very hard for me to read as often as I used to. Defending Taylor does not disappoint in the Hundred Oaks series. It has the drama, the breakdowns, the melt-your-heart moments, and of course some kind of physical activity (I mean soccer! Sports! Get your brains out of the gutter, reading community. *wink*)
Following Taylor, our protagonist, was such a roller coaster of everything I adore in a character. Firstly, she's obsessed with coffee and animals...which is exactly me. More than that, she consistently tries her hardest for her friends, family, and herself. Watching Taylor grow from the beginning to the end is always a quality I love reading about. It's inspiring.
With the other characters, I love that we get to revisit some of the old characters we have already fallen in love it yet at the same time meet new ones. For example, Ezra...oh yes, Ezra. First off, gorgeous and unique name but more than that he has the physical and emotional hotness to match. Ezra is every girls dream guy. He's good looking, hard-working, and loves to his fullest. Watching his and Taylor's lives intertwine couldn't have been better. Other than Ezra, I loved her new and old friends that we get to meet along the way. They each have their own unique qualities and yet perfectly fit into the story and Taylor's life.
I respect the fact that Kenneally always beautifully weaves family, emotions, and relationships. There is never only one focus but we get to see many sides of our protagonists and it's such a breathe of fresh air. Overall, Defending Taylor was an absolute joy to read and I couldn't have loved it more.
Find this review at Shortie Says
Following Taylor, our protagonist, was such a roller coaster of everything I adore in a character. Firstly, she's obsessed with coffee and animals...which is exactly me. More than that, she consistently tries her hardest for her friends, family, and herself. Watching Taylor grow from the beginning to the end is always a quality I love reading about. It's inspiring.
With the other characters, I love that we get to revisit some of the old characters we have already fallen in love it yet at the same time meet new ones. For example, Ezra...oh yes, Ezra. First off, gorgeous and unique name but more than that he has the physical and emotional hotness to match. Ezra is every girls dream guy. He's good looking, hard-working, and loves to his fullest. Watching his and Taylor's lives intertwine couldn't have been better. Other than Ezra, I loved her new and old friends that we get to meet along the way. They each have their own unique qualities and yet perfectly fit into the story and Taylor's life.
I respect the fact that Kenneally always beautifully weaves family, emotions, and relationships. There is never only one focus but we get to see many sides of our protagonists and it's such a breathe of fresh air. Overall, Defending Taylor was an absolute joy to read and I couldn't have loved it more.
Find this review at Shortie Says
booklirious's review
3.0
How far you are willing to protect someone without hurting yourself in the end? Defending Taylor was a quick and enjoyable read. Unfortunately, I didn't feel the chemistry between the love interests, shucks. But it was refreshing to see relationship growth between Taylor and her father.
taylortotorp's review
3.75
I loved this book and not only because my name is Taylor and I play soccer!