Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Goodreads Summary:
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 now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starting position... suddenly she's hoping he'll see her as more than just a teammate.


My Review:

Catching Jordan is the story of a girl who plays quarterback for her high school football team. She dreams of playing college football for Alabama. A new boy arrives at her school and he also plays quarterback. She's also having fantasies about him off the field.

I really enjoyed reading this book. My daughter and I had just finished watching Friday Night Lights when I read this. It was a great follow-up to watching that series. I didn't have any problem following the football games. It was also fun to see just how clueless Jordan was. I think I'm a bit clueless myself because I did not see one of the twists coming. I like the character Jordan and think the author did an excellent job of showing us what made Jordan tick.

I loved all of the characters in this book. It was fun watching them grow. I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to reading more by this author.

Perfect Chemistry (Perfect Chemistry #1) by Simone Elkeles

Goodreads Summary:


A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers.

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more.  In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.


My Review:

Perfect Chemistry is the story of Brittany and Alex. She is the perfect student who lives in the nice area of town. Alex lives on the wrong side of the tracks and is a member of the gang. At beginning of senior year they become chemistry partners and both of them have to learn to overcome the prejudices that they each have against the other. This story is told from both of their point of view.

I absolutely loved book. I wasn't sure what to think at 1st but I was quickly drawn into the story. Neither person is really how they seem on the outside and they both had to learn how to put their differences aside.

I really liked Brittany. She had an older sister Shelley who had cerebral palsy. She loved her sister more than anything and wanted to take care of her. She had cultivated perfect image and not let anybody at school know the person behind the image. Her parents continually threatened to send Shelley away and tried to control her that way.

I think the reason I love Brittany so much is because I could relate to her in so many ways. My younger brother also has cerebral palsy and I grew up helping to take care of him. My mother also wanted everything to appear perfect.

Alex is a very smart young man. He wanted to do well in school but do to circumstances beyond his control he was in a gang. He wanted to protect his family which is why he was in the gang. He hoped that he could keep his brothers out of the gang. He was a bad boy on the surface but underneath it all he was a good guy. I also loved that he rode a motorcycle that he had rebuilt himself.

I loved the way everything worked out in this book. I wasn't sure that it would work out. They both had a lot to overcome. I cried a lot but it was in a good way.

In Dreams by J. Sterling

Summary:
When Katherine Johns starts dreaming about a boy she doesn't know, her roommate Taylor is determined to find him. Convinced he must exist, Taylor is relentless... until she finds out exactly WHO he really is. The realization rocks the girls to their core and sends them down a path of unimaginable heartbreak. Follow their journey through love,friendship and tragedy in this debut novel.


My Review:

In Dreams is the debut novel by J. Sterling. Katherine and Taylor are college roommates. One night Katherine has a dream about a boy she has a heartfelt connection with. Taylor is convinced that the boy is real and wants to find him.

Overall I enjoyed reading this book. I like Katherine. I like the fact that she wanted to experience new things so she went to college across country. There were times I wanted to smack her. She did learn and grow from her mistakes.

I also liked Taylor her roommate. Taylor was a good friend and she helped balance Katherine out. She was very confident in herself.

I also liked Cooper. He was a really nice guy and a hockey player to boot. He stood by Katherine even when she pushed him away.

A couple of things that I didn't really care for were: things were a little too perfect from the start. For example Taylor and Katherine were instant best friends.

Overall I enjoyed reading this book.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Goodreads Summary:
Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?


My Review:

Anna is a pretty typical high school senior. Her father is a best-selling author (based on Nicholas Sparks) and he has decided that she needs to go to Paris for her senior year. While she's there she meets a boy, Etienne St. Clair. Over this school year they become very good friends but will they ever become more?

I really liked Anna and the French Kiss. It was a fun book to read. Anna and St. Clair were two stupid teenagers. All their problems could have been solved if they had just sat down and talk to each other about what they were feeling. However, we would not have had a book then.

I  liked Anna. She definitely had a 1st world problem (going to boarding school in Paris) that she did work to make the best of. I could relate to Anna especially since my parents moved between my sophomore and junior years of high school and I had to change schools. She learned some things about herself along the way and maked some new friends. There are times I just want to smack her but she is a teenager. She's not perfect but she did grow during the book.

I loved St. Clair. I love that he is extremely knit worthy. His mom made him a purple and red hat. He wore it even though his friends teased him about it. As a former knitter, that endeared me to him forever. Like Anna, St. Clair is not perfect but he does learn and grow.

The bottom line is I really like this book and will definitely be reading it again.