A review by fictionalkate
Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally
4.0
After her mother leaving her family (and for another woman at that!), Parker Shelton is a girl trying to get a reputation. No one will ever doubt that she is a girl who likes boys. Most of her old friends abandoned her when she needed them most but her bff, Drew, refuses to let the old Parker fade away completely. He signs Parker up to team manager for the boy’s baseball team.
It’s there that the new coach, Brian, catches her eye. It’s sparks from the first moment she lays eyes on him but being twenty-three (and six years older than Parker) there are some lines that shouldn’t be crossed. Or should they?
There’s a about Stealing Parker that felt VERY familiar after reading the first book, Catching Jordan. But this book managed to set itself apart. The heroine, Parker, is interesting. She’s been betrayed – not only by her friends and family but she feels like even her God has abandoned her. So she tries to change herself. Changes her interests, loses a lot of weight and attempts to lose the girl she was. To be honest, I found her rather annoying for the first half of the novel. But she grew on me and I was on her side by the end. I wanted her to succeed and to fix her family and reputation.
Teacher/Student relationships are something that I often have a problem with and I felt like Brian took advantage of the situation and Parker on more than one occasion. And whilst I felt like he got off a little too easily, I did like how the author addressed the situation and the consequences that result from a relationship like that.
I have to admit I’m a little surprised that I adored a character named “Corndog”. Unlike the type of stereotype a name like that might bring to mind, Will “Corndog” Whitfield, was smart, funny, generous and just the perfect leading male for Parker. I loved the drama associated with their relationship and thought the ending was perfect.
One of the highlights of this book was the religious angle. For me, I’m often against YA novels with a Christian flavour – they’re at times over the top and start leaning towards being preachy – but I really enjoyed how Miranda Kenneally wove Parker’s religious beliefs into the storyline. It was tastefully done and I loved how it turned out.
Whilst I may not have learned anything about baseball from reading this book, I enjoyed the sports angle and by the time I finished the novel I adored the romance.
It’s there that the new coach, Brian, catches her eye. It’s sparks from the first moment she lays eyes on him but being twenty-three (and six years older than Parker) there are some lines that shouldn’t be crossed. Or should they?
There’s a about Stealing Parker that felt VERY familiar after reading the first book, Catching Jordan. But this book managed to set itself apart. The heroine, Parker, is interesting. She’s been betrayed – not only by her friends and family but she feels like even her God has abandoned her. So she tries to change herself. Changes her interests, loses a lot of weight and attempts to lose the girl she was. To be honest, I found her rather annoying for the first half of the novel. But she grew on me and I was on her side by the end. I wanted her to succeed and to fix her family and reputation.
Teacher/Student relationships are something that I often have a problem with and I felt like Brian took advantage of the situation and Parker on more than one occasion. And whilst I felt like he got off a little too easily, I did like how the author addressed the situation and the consequences that result from a relationship like that.
I have to admit I’m a little surprised that I adored a character named “Corndog”. Unlike the type of stereotype a name like that might bring to mind, Will “Corndog” Whitfield, was smart, funny, generous and just the perfect leading male for Parker. I loved the drama associated with their relationship and thought the ending was perfect.
One of the highlights of this book was the religious angle. For me, I’m often against YA novels with a Christian flavour – they’re at times over the top and start leaning towards being preachy – but I really enjoyed how Miranda Kenneally wove Parker’s religious beliefs into the storyline. It was tastefully done and I loved how it turned out.
Whilst I may not have learned anything about baseball from reading this book, I enjoyed the sports angle and by the time I finished the novel I adored the romance.