Review: Stealing Parker

Red-hot author Miranda Kenneally hits one out of the park in this return to Catching Jordan's Hundred Oaks High.
Parker Shelton pretty much has the perfect life. She’s on her way to becoming valedictorian at Hundred Oaks High, she’s made the all-star softball team, and she has plenty of friends. Then her mother’s scandal rocks their small town and suddenly no one will talk to her.
Now Parker wants a new life.
So she quits softball. Drops twenty pounds. And she figures why kiss one guy when she can kiss three? Or four. Why limit herself to high school boys when the majorly cute new baseball coach seems especially flirty?
But how far is too far before she loses herself completely?

Stealing Parker is another contemporary to die for! While at ALA I got the chance to stop by the Miranda Kenneally signing and get an ARC of the Stealing Parker. I have yet to read Catching Jordan, but if it's just as good as Stealing Parker I need to get a copy asap!

Parker is both academic and athletic, she has a great boyfriend, and she pretty much has the perfect life. When people find out her mother is gay, all hell breaks lose, and Parker loses her life as she knew it. She has lost who she really is, and this is her story how she gets her life back on track.

This book has a lot going on. It's not a lot in the sense that there is just too much information, but it is a lot in the sense that there are some topics that are pretty risque. Parker takes many actions throughout the story that one would consider stupid. She has selfish tendencies, and at times she doesn't think things through. She is, by far, not the ideal female role model. But over time, she does grow on you, and she becomes much more relatable. Parker is a great dynamic character, and the way Kenneally swiftly created her story kept to you engrossed in the novel.

Before reading Stealing Parker, I had heard from other bloggers that Kenneally knew how to write swoon worthy guys. They weren't wrong. I loved the relationship between Will aka Corndog and Parker. You know something between them exists, but Parker being the good friend she is doesn't approach him...yet. Then Will, is the boy next door; he is smart, sweet, caring, and from what I can tell really good looking. Then there is Parker's best friend, Drew. He is such a sweet heart, he understands Parker like no one else, and he treats her like she should be treated. The relationships Kenneally creates between Parker, Drew, and Will made me jealous. All three understand and want the best for each other.

All the relationships, character development, and simplified [but still exciting] plot made Stealing Parker a successful contemporary. There is more to the story than what it seems on the surface. Once you start reading emotions, words, actions, and a deeper meaning will start to flow out of the novel. This is a great book for those looking for a new, fun and beautifully executed contemporary. I would give this book a 4.5/5.