Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally

Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally
Release Date: October 1, 2012
Publisher:  Sourcebooks Fire
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages:  256


Summary: 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?

Companion to CATCHING JORDAN.

My Thoughts: You don’t have to read Catching Jordan to read this, but I still suggest you do! Read it first!

Back in September I was soooo excited when I first got a glimpse at Stealing Parker on goodreads! So Excited! After reading Catching Jordan and falling in love with it, I knew I would read whatever Miranda wrote next.

Stealing Parker is just as sweet and excellent as Catching Jordan was.  Aren’t these titles catchy?

Catching Jordan was a wonderful debut. But unlike football, I do actually enjoy baseball. I played when I was younger, I watched it on tv, so I know a little bit about it.

We are introduced to Parker whose known around town to kiss a lot of boys. Ever since her mom left to pursue a relationship with a women, Parker has lost weight and quit the softball team and she wants everyone to know she’s not like her mother, so she kisses a lot of boys. Even Parker’s church is talking about her mother. Everyone knows. Parker dropped the weight so she doesn’t look butch, and all she does is hang out with her best friend Drew.  

Lets talk about the main characters for a second.

Parker was exactly the kind of main character I want to read about. She’s bright, talented, full of courage, caring, strong spoken, and funny. She’s the kind of girl I’d end up friends with. Even though she has problems with her family, you can see how much she truly loves them.

Drew who is Parker’s best friend.  Drew was a sweet guy. He would stick up for Parker when nobody else would. He would fall asleep in Parker’s bed watching Harry Potter. He was brave enough to be who he was and admit it to his friends.

Corndog who is Drew’s other friend. Corndog was pretty darn funny. Who drives a lawnmower down the street to see how fast it would go? Corndog was a pretty nice guy.

Brian who is the assistant baseball coach. First thought when reading the summary, hot baseball coach, yum.... But then again, Parker is only 17, even though you know it is bad, you still want to read about this relationship. You want to know what is going to happen.  Brian should have known better but he was young and didn’t have much experience with this kind of thing.

And yep, Jordan and Henry are mentioned in the book!

Parker is popular, but I don’t quite know if its in a good way, at least not since her mom left. All the boys make jokes to her about putting out, they tease her, and Corndog tells her not to hurt Drew. He just assumes he’s next up on her to do list. Crude.  Parker is also smart, she’s so smart she was competing with Corndog for valedictorian. She’s going to go to a great college and she’ll have an amazing future.

Now, lets talk about the plot. Okay, so a 6 year age difference? This isn’t that big of a deal in the real world,  except that Parker is still a minor. But you still think to yourself, a hot older guy, a book about baseball, best friends, and a guy named Corndog. You just know this book is gonna be funny and great.

And it was... Simple as that. It was freaking awesome, and I loved it. I loved the characters, I loved the plot, I loved Parker, Drew, and especially Corndog.  And I even liked Brian there for a while. There were so many moments throughout the novel that my heart warmed. From the minute  Parker picks up Bo to the moment Drew tells Parker his secret. This book is full of win win win!!!

From a catchy title, to a beautiful cover, to a amazing story, this novel is everything I wanted it to be and more.  Well done, Kenneally, well done! Thanks for making me truly happy and giddy while reading this novel! Now, I shall go hop down the road like a bunny with a huge smile on my face!!!  

I was even surprised how many secrets come out through the novel, and who Parker ended up with. I was a little surprised when that happened, because when I started the novel, I thought it was going to be someone else.

Overall: Loved Loved Loved! One of my favorites of the year.  If you like stories about forbidden relationships, this is the book for you! If you like books about friends and baseball you’ll enjoy this!  Or if you're a fan of contemporary YA, you’ll love this as much as me! Truly a wonderful, delightful, and amazing novel! Kenneally, please write faster!

Cover: Oh gosh, it's amazing. I love the way they are laying there holding hands, and the baseball glove is between them. I also love how we can’t quite see their faces. And the grass! It just makes me want to go lay outside right now!

What I'd Give It: