Review: Defending Taylor by Miranda Kenneally

Defending Taylor

Author: Mianda Kenneally

Series: Hundred Oaks

Pages: 304

Publisher: Sourcefire Books

Release date: 5^th July 2016

Source: Netgalley

Synopsis (Goodreads) – Captain of the soccer team, president of the Debate Club, contender for valedictorian: Taylor’s always pushed herself to be perfect. After all, that’s what is expected of a senator’s daughter. But one impulsive decision—one lie to cover for her boyfriend—and Taylor’s kicked out of private school. Everything she’s worked so hard for is gone, and now she’s starting over at Hundred Oaks High.

Soccer has always been Taylor’s escape from the pressures of school and family, but it’s hard to fit in and play on a team that used to be her rival. The only person who seems to understand all that she’s going through is her older brother’s best friend, Ezra. Taylor’s had a crush on him for as long as she can remember. But it’s hard to trust after having been betrayed. Will Taylor repeat her past mistakes or can she score a fresh start?

Review: 3½ out of 5 stars

I am a huge Miranda Kenneally fan and devour her books the moment I download them, they are true to life realistic and her characters are wonderful.

Our MC is Taylor, the perfectly imperfect character who I adored from the first page. With a Senator father, siblings in Ivy League colleges and the perfect mother she is expected to be the picture-perfect daughter but when she is expelled from her boarding school everything from her college prospects, relationships with not only her boyfriend but also her family and also her love of soccer and captaining the team is no longer and she is forced to pretty much start over with a tarnished record.

Taylor has made some pretty big mistakes but I liked the way she dealt with or tried to deal with them, she was far from perfect but the way she was treated was terrible! I was mad at her parents on so many occasions for her, her only saving grace seemed to be her brother’s best friend Ezra who she had a crush on from a young age but due to a misunderstanding they had drifted apart.

Ezra was such a great love interest, I liked his back-story and his interactions with Taylor, they complimented each other well and understood each other’s needs perfectly. Their relationship was sweet and genuine but wasn’t without drama but it was dealt with maturely.

This book is about self-discovery, with high profile families came high expectations; it wasn’t easy for Taylor or Ezra but I liked how they were able to work things out for themselves for their futures rather than cave to their parents’ wishes.

We have an interesting cast of side characters, I especially liked Oliver but other than him I can’t say I was a huge fan of the others, especially Taylor’s new soccer captain Nicole, she was horrible!

I can’t fault Miranda Kenneally’s effortless writing, it flows well and is a quick and easy read; her characters are wonderful and her storylines engaging. I am looking forward to reading more books in this series.

Thank you to Sourcefire Books via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Defending Taylor.

About the author: Growing up in Tennessee, Miranda Kenneally dreamed of becoming an Atlanta Brave, a country singer (cliché!), or a UN interpreter. Instead she writes, and works for the State Department in Washington, D.C., where George W. Bush once used her shoulder as an armrest. Miranda loves Twitter, Star Trek and her husband.