Review: Coming up for Air by Miranda Kenneally (Hundred Oaks)

Coming up for Air

Author: Miranda Kenneally

Series: Hundred Oaks

Publisher / Souce: Sourcefire Books

Release date: 1^st July 2017

Pages: 320

Synopsis (Goodreads)

Swim. Eat. Shower. School. Snack. Swim. Swim. Swim. Dinner. Homework. Bed. Repeat.

All of Maggie’s focus and free time is spent swimming. She’s not only striving to earn scholarships—she’s training to qualify for the Olympics. It helps that her best friend, Levi, is also on the team and cheers her on. But Levi’s already earned an Olympic try out, so she feels even more pressure to succeed. And it’s not until Maggie’s away on a college visit that she realizes how much of the “typical” high school experience she’s missed by being in the pool.

Not one to shy away from a challenge, Maggie decides to squeeze the most out of her senior year. First up? Making out with a guy. And Levi could be the perfect candidate. After all, they already spend a lot of time together. But as Maggie slowly starts to uncover new feelings for Levi, how much is she willing to lose to win? 

Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars

I am such a huge fan of Miranda Kenneally, her books are full of fun, depth, amazingly fabulous characters and storylines that I truly connect with; I was hooked on this book from the very first page and devoured it in one sitting.

Coming Up for Air has one of my all-time favourite tropes, best friends to more and I adored how this played out despite the sometimes awkward, cringe worthy and also upsetting moments.

Our MC is Maggie who has been training to qualify for the Olympics for as long as she can remember, her best friend is Levi who has already earned his tryout. When Maggie propositions Levi to help her gain experience before heading off to college he hesitantly agrees and this is where things become complicated.

Maggie was a fabulous character, passionate and dedicated; she has a select few friends and has devoted her life to swimming but in the process has forgotten to experience fun, daily life because of her strict schedule; Levi was a great friend and support to Maggie and didn’t handle the change in their friendship as much as Maggie did, he was more conflicted but I loved how it all played out.

The side characters were all great, the swimming information was engaging and detailed without being too much, I enjoyed the routine and competing parts most; there were also many sweet and funny moments; it all flowed well and came together nicely.

One thing that did baffle me a little was the rivalry between Maggie and Roxy; nothing really came of this situation when it was highly focussed on throughout the book, I would have liked a little more closure on this.

Coming up for Air is beautifully written and is a wonderful addition to the Hundred Oaks series, I am excited for the next book! The epilogue at the end was also truly special.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy; it is greatly appreciated.

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.

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.

Review: Jesse's Girl (Hundred Oaks) by Miranda Kenneally

Jesse’s Girl

Author: Miranda Kenneally

Series: Hundred Oaks

Pages: 304

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release date: 7^th July 2015

Amazon

Synopsis (Goodreads)

Everyone at Hundred Oaks High knows that career mentoring day is a joke. So when Maya Henry said she wanted to be a rock star, she never imagined she’d get to shadow *the* Jesse Scott, Nashville’s teen idol.

But spending the day with Jesse is far from a dream come true. He’s as gorgeous as his music, but seeing all that he’s accomplished is just a reminder of everything Maya’s lost: her trust, her boyfriend, their band, and any chance to play the music she craves. Not to mention that Jesse’s pushy and opinionated. He made it on his own, and he thinks Maya’s playing back up to other people’s dreams. Does she have what it takes to follow her heart—and go solo?

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

Jesse’s Girl by Miranda Kenneally is another wonderful addition to the Hundred Oaks series and just what I needed at this time, a light-hearted, quick and easy contemporary YA romance.

The story centres around seventeen year-old Maya Henry who wants to play guitar and perform professionally so when the principal arranges for her to shadow his nephew, famous country singer Jesse Scott it is a dream come true. Maya was such a fun, lively and relatable character who I adored from the onset; she’s the sort of girl you’d love as a best friend.

Jesse Scott won a talent contest at a young age and sky-rocketed to fame from then, he’s Nashville’s teen idol but his family and personal life has suffered as a consequence. He’s a gorgeous loner who came across as someone with a chip on his shoulder but as we get to know him we find out what a sweetheart he was.

I adored Maya and Jesse’s initial meeting, it wasn’t what Maya was expecting, Jesse was quite the jerk but as they got to spend some time together and Jesse was able to teach Maya a thing or two their friendship to more was really sweet and it was nice to not have any major unnecessary complications and drama, they talked about things and moved on. I loved how both of these characters wanted to succeed and were willing to do what it took to achieve their dream.

I thoroughly enjoyed Maya’s family dynamics in this book, they were the sweetest, Maya is Sam from Catching Jordan’s younger sister so it was nice to see him and Jordan play a role in this book. Maya’s best friend Dave was wonderful as was Dr Salter/Uncle Bob, Nate was an ass.

Jesse’s Girl is a light-hearted and fun read, Miranda Kenneally’s writing is engaging and her story-lines enjoyable and drama-free without unnecessary clichés and stereotypes which I love she also gives us a sex-positive portrayal that wasn’t over the top or written in just for the hell of it.

One small gripe – the cover! Maya is a punkish grungy girl; it would have been nice to see this reflected on the cover with her purple cowboy boots and Jesse with his red ones.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for the opportunity to read and review Jesse’s Girl.

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.

Review: Breathe, Annie, Breathe (Hundred Oak) by Miranda Kenneally

Breathe, Annie, Breathe

Author: Miranda Kenneally

Series: Hundred Oak

Pages: 306

Release date: 7^th April 2015

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Amazon

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Annie hates running. No matter how far she jogs, she can’t escape the guilt that if she hadn’t broken up with Kyle, he might still be alive. So to honor his memory, she starts preparing for the marathon he intended to race.

But the training is even more grueling than Annie could have imagined. Despite her coaching, she’s at war with her body, her mind—and her heart. With every mile that athletic Jeremiah cheers her on, she grows more conflicted. She wants to run into his arms…and sprint in the opposite direction. For Annie, opening up to love again may be even more of a challenge than crossing the finish line.

"Breathe, Annie, Breathe is an emotional, heartfelt, and beautiful story about finding yourself after loss and learning to love. It gave me so many feels. Her best book yet." — Jennifer Armentrout, New York Times bestselling author of Wait for You 

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

I have only read one book in the Hundred Oak series but I’ll definitely be picking up more after reading this little gem.

Annie Winters is a girl dealing with heartache and blame after her long-term boyfriend, Kyle passed away, he was the person she would eventually marry, he was her best friend and the one she was planning a future with. As a way to honor him, she is training for a Country Music Marathon that he intended to race. We get a good glimpse into Annie’s pain, we see her push herself to achieve success, she goes through agony but she moves forward never losing sight of her goal despite hating running herself.

When Annie meets Jeremiah Brown, her trainers little brother he slowly brings her out of her slump but she is wary of this adrenalin junkie; she doesn’t want to lose anyone again but she can’t avoid his charm and his kindness, I adored their interactions and call me a perv but I thought that their smexy times were done really well! The chemistry between Annie and Jere was off the charts so I loved all of their interactions together – it was rushed initially and then slowed to a more believable pace that I loved reading about, they complimented each other well.

I loved the sporting aspect, I'm not a runner at all - I'd trip over my own feet and it was gruelling to read about what they go through to achieve their goals; I was cheering Annie on as she trained daily so that she could honour Kyle and it was great to see everyone support her along the way. It was nice to see family play an important role in this book.

Breathe, Annie, Breathe is filled with wonderful, engaging writing and relatable characters that you can’t help but cheer for. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Annie’s progress and finding herself through her grief, it wasn’t easy for her but I admired her dedication – she was a fabulous character that I could really relate to.

I did struggle in the initial stages of this book because of my Netgalley copy – it was missing certain letters which skewed words, I found it hard to get used to but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the overall book. I also found the ending to be a little anti-climactic, all the preparations were over with in a brief moment; I would have loved more.

Overall, a highly recommended, well written sporting romance. Thank you kindly to Sourcebooks Fire for the opportunity to read and review Breathe, Annie, Breathe.

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.

REVIEW: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

 

Author: Miranda Kenneally

Pages: 281

Genre: Young Adult - Sports

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Amazon: Catching Jordan

Synopsis (Goodreads)

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 on 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 starring position on the team... and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate

REVIEW: 5 out of 5 stars

Cathing Jordan was kindly provided to me by Netgalley for Sourcebooks Publishing.

Jordan Woods is the star quarterback and captain of the Hundred Oaks High football team, Football is her life and her dream is to play for the University of Alabama. She prides herself on her focus until Ty Green transfers from Texas, is accepted on the team and also plays the position of quarterback.

Jordan is instantly attracted to Ty and the feeling mutual but she has her fears about stepping into a relationship when impressing college scouts and her game play is more important, she didn’t want to lose focus but she gave in and gave Ty a chance. I wasn’t completely hooked on the relationship between Ty and Jordan, probably because I adored her best friend of ten years, Sam Henry and wanted her to acknowledge him as more than just a friend. Their friendship was the sweetest; I loved the little they’d play together and their snarky banter.

I loved each of the secondary characters, the football team was great and I enjoyed the Wood’s family dynamic, there were a few issues between Jordan and her father but the sense of care on his part was always there, I appreciated his views about his daughter’s dream to play football and I loved the way her mother and brother supported and believed in her.

The only thing I felt was repeated too often was the football teams’ sexual behavior; it was a tad OTT and was considered acceptable and boasted about, It just seemed a bit unbelievable to me.

I really enjoyed the concept of Catching Jordan and was really eager to see Jordan achieve her dream. The writing for me was perfect, the plot solid and engaging; it was a real page turner with lots of fun, drama and romance and I will definitely look out for more books by Ms Kenneally.