ONE OF THE BOYS
What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though--she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university.
But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line?
My Thoughts:
Catching Jordan is something different in today's YA, and it's a fun, quick read that kept me turning the pages to see how Jordan would fix the mess she makes of her senior year. Starting out, Jordan has everything. She's quarterback and captain of her high school football team--and hers is a big football school with national attention, so she's a bit of a celebrity. She has a brand new truck, a pimped out gameroom where all the guys hang out on weekends, and a recruiting interview scheduled with the University of Alabama, her dream school. And she has Sam Henry, her uber-hottie best friend, who practically lives with her. But Jordan has zero interest in guys romantically, that is until the day Ty Green walks on to the football team. Having a crush on a boy throws Jordan's stable, purposeful, planned-out life into chaos, and she can't afford to be distracted as the team aims for the state championship. But of course, she is distracted--terribly--and the results are at times humorous, triumphant, and bittersweet.
Jordan's an interesting character. She's grown up playing football like one of the guys, she only hangs out with guys, she only does guy things, but when it comes to matters of the heart she's absolutely clueless about guys! It's fun to watch her discover that having some female friends might not be such a bad thing. Jordan is a real leader too--she's earned the respect of her teammates and her community and she takes the responsibilities that come with it seriously. But she ends up learning a lot of things the hard way, like realizing that what you thought you always wanted wasn't what you really needed, and that sometimes you find what you're looking for where you least expect it. I really like the way the book is constructed, too, with every chapter counting down to Jordan's big interview with Alabama, and a few snippets of stream of conciousness interspersed throughout help make Jordan very real and sympathetic to the reader.
Overall Catching Jordan is a very enjoyable and entertaining read, but I had one big quibble with the book. I was troubled by the casual way these teens treated sex. Ya'll know I like racy reads, but these are kids! Everyone is bed-hopping and nobody seems to care. All the boys on the football team are just looking for their next "lay" and the girls they choose seem to be perfectly content with being used and then hanging out the next day like nothing happened and watching as the boys move on to other girls. Even Jordan, who has really positive self-esteem and a healthy respect for herself--and who was the only virgin at the start of the book--gives it up to the first boy who expresses an interest. At least they're using protection, but I really don't like the message it sends. There are no consequences for such indiscriminate behavior; nobody gets knocked up or catches an STD, nobody's reputation is ruined, there are no broken hearts or even hurt feelings. Even though all of the guys on the team are really supportive and protective of Jordan, I couldn't totally get behind them because guys who behave like that aren't good guys in my book, and I have zero respect for girls that let themselves be used, so I had a hard time with that aspect of the story. (Nothing is portrayed graphically, by the way, it's mostly talked about, but I still would only recommend this for mature teens.)
The book does have some really positive messages, though, about following your heart and your passion--even when it's not easy to do--and turning failed expectations and disappointments into something positive. There's a nice subplot dealing with the gulf that often forms between dads and their teenage daughters, and it was nice to see Jordan and her dad work it out in a fitting and very realistic manner. I also like the way Kenneally depicted a southern high school. The kids on the team all come from different economic backgrounds and home environments, but it doesn't matter to them. Football is the great equalizer. I also thought it was great fun to read about.
My Rating: 4 Stars out of 5
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*Please Note: This review references an advance digital copy received via NetGalley, and the finished copy may differ. Though I received this book for review, these are my unbiased opinions and I was not compensated in any other way for reviewing this book.
tnx 4 the review
ReplyDeleteit's on my wishlist
When my son was in high school there were kids that did treat sex very casually, I'm sad to say, so that portrayal might be more realistic than we'd like to believe. I'm interested in this book for the football aspect.
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