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.

Jordan Woods is Captain and starting Quarterback of her high school’s football team. Football is and always has been her entire life. She has dreams of playing football for the University of Alabama, the best college team in the entire country. All she has to do is keep playing like she’s been playing and they’ll give her a full ride, for sure. Enter transfer student and Chace Crawford look-a-like Tyler Green. From the very first moment he steps onto her field, Jordan knows he’s a distraction. Even worse? He may just be gunning for her position.

I liked the setup and unique premise of this book, at first. Jordan is very serious about football. She plays well, better than most guys, and she’s respected. She’s just one of the guys and instead of her teammates constantly berating and ostracizing her, as you might expect, they accept and defend her. Jordan’s teammates are her friends and Sam Henry, in particular, is her best friend. He eats dinner with her family several times a week and often sleeps over, even sharing a bed with Jordan like they have since they were little. Jordan’s so focused on football and friends from the team that she doesn’t really have much time to think about boys or even consider having girl friends. But Ty changes everything. She finds herself falling for them and while she feels like she can confide in her guy friends, it soon becomes clear that she needs a little female insight.

Basically, I liked this book up until Ty showed up. Ty sucks. And I have a hard time believing that someone as smart and independent as Jordan can just fall for Ty so easily. One look at his Chace Crawford-esque good looks and Jordan’s a limp noodle. But his looks and football skills are really all he has going for him. He’s controlling, rude, and he and Jordan have virtually nothing in common. He freaks out about every aspect of Jordan’s life that he can’t control, even when they’ve only been dating for five days. Then he blames his neurosis on the fact that his parents died in a car crash, which evokes our sympathy, but doesn’t excuse his behavior. At least, I wouldn’t excuse his behavior. Jordan’s just so happy to be dating a male model that she overlooks all his flaws.

But sometimes people are blind to warning signs right in front of their faces, so I can forgive Jordan for that. What I can’t forgive her for is how annoying she becomes throughout the book. She starts off as this fun, strong character who won’t take crap from anyone. By the end of the book, she’s a sobbing mess. Literally, each chapter has her breaking down and crying about something. It’s exhausting. And it quickly becomes apparent that she’s not just blind to the fact that Ty isn’t right for her, but she’s blind to everything: Henry’s true feelings, her future at the University of Alabama, the motivation behind her father’s actions. She’s just completely oblivious and this becomes increasingly frustrating as the story progresses.

Despite my major problems with Jordan, there were a lot of aspects of Catching Jordan that I liked. For instance, Sam Henry. He’s adorable and lovable and the kind of guy I want for my best friend/secret crush. I also liked the way Kenneally worked in Jordan’s poetry. While she’s not the greatest poet, that’s kind of the point, and it’s nice that other, hidden layer of Jordan. It was also nice to see Jordan grow into her friendships with Carrie and Marie (though the similarity between the two names is awfully confusing), demonstrating that not all cheerleaders are stereotypes.

Basically, there were things I loved and things I hated about Catching Jordan. It’s a light, quick read so if you’re interested, don’t hesitate to pick it up. This book will definitely appeal to sports lovers. I’ve never been interested in football, but I found myself intrigued by all the descriptions and thorough explanations of the game, so much so that I think I’ll actually understand and care about the next game I watch. And while Jordan may not be the most likable or relatable main character, there are a ton of interesting secondary characters to keep your attention.

Pages: 281
Publication Date : December 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Challenge: N/A
Rating :

Teaser Quote: “Ty’s eyes seem to fill with pain, and he looks down at the ground. I’ve never seen a QB act like this before. Most are cocky, full of attitude. Leaders. I can’t imagine following a guy whose eyes give so much away.“

“OMG. Year 11 results are out TODAY, my boyfriend is MIA and my mum is acting TOTALLY WEIRD. I’d turn to my BF Kat, that her life has suddenly gone from hero to ZERO. I don’t know who to talk to an everyone’s got their OWN problems. What would life be better if I wasn’t such a STRESSHEAD?”

Stresshead is a light, easy read that is very, very Australian. Told in the voice of Dennie, we learn about her woes with life and pressure to live up to expectations.

I largely liked this book. I related to Dennie (real name: Denise) easily and quickly (I am a huge chronic worrier), however she sort of got on my nerves occasionally with her internal voice. I liked all of the characters. They were all colourful, unique and fiery. Admittedly, I was a little confused in the first few pages; so many characters are introduced so quickly. But I loved the atmosphere, Webster really got the right feeling to it; it felt like a real family.

The plot felt like it was trying to go in ten different directions. It was trying to be funny, yet serious, yet growing up. This led to confusion. The pacing, as well, was also very cruisey – I didn’t feel any inclination to read chapter after chapter.

However, the author really got the voice of a teenage girl, and the writing was good. There were moments when the things Den worried over were so silly they were funny.

Unfortunately, the setting of Sydney wasn’t really used. While the Australian-ess of it all was obvious, I didn’t really get a feel for anything except the feeling when the family are together.

The family, itself is a very, very important element in the book. It really brings home and collects all the mistakes. In their own dysfunctional way, Dennie’s family truly show the essence of family. I applaud Allayne Webster for that.

Overall, Stresshead is an enjoyable book that ensures you that no matter how screwed up you think your family is, the fictional ones are ten times more.

Pages: 213

Publication Date: May 1^st 2011

Publisher: Omnibus Books

Challenge: n/a

Rating: :

Quote: “I’m toast. I’m burnt toast. I’m the charcoal you scrape off the toast with your knife”

Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it’s a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part, Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy’s car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend’s attention

Then Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: She and the other players’ girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won’t get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don’t count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. But what Lissa never sees coming is her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling.

Shut Out is Kody Keplinger’s second novel, a sort of modern-day retelling of the play Lysistrata. Lissa is dating star quarterback Randy, but she feels like he focuses way too much time and energy on the rivalry between the soccer and football teams. Not only is this pointless rivalry annoying, but it’s dangerous. If it doesn’t end soon, someone will end up seriously hurt. So Lissa has the brilliant idea to gather all the girlfriends of soccer and football players and convince them to go on a sex strike until the boys agree to end the rivalry.

So, pretty intriguing, right? Keplinger made waves with her debut novel The DUFF. While I liked The DUFF — particularly the realistic portrayal of teenagers — I didn’t love it. But I feel like Keplinger has really hit her stride with Shut Out. In my eyes, Lissa is a much more likable protagonist than Bianca was. She’s kind, sweet, and firm, if a little dense and naive at times. Anyone with eyes can see Randy’s a jerk, but Lissa’s so caught up in her first real relationship that she overlooks a lot of his negative qualities — something we’re probably all guilty of at one time or another. What’s nice about Lissa is that she’s not the most outgoing, the most popular, the funniest girl in school, but she does have an idea and she uses that idea to bring a group of girls together. She’s easy to relate to, believes in herself, and makes a lot of mistakes that teach her a lot about herself throughout Shut Out.

While Lissa’s not exactly the most unique main character, there are three things about this book that really stand out to me and make this one of my favorite reads of the year: the plot, the sex talk, and Cash Sterling. First of all, even though Keplinger borrows the idea of a sex strike from Lysistrata, I’ve never read the play and so the plot of Shut Out was a fresh concept for me. But even if it hadn’t been, I would’ve been riveted. And I should clarify, obviously all these girls aren’t having sex with their boyfriends. The strike includes no kissing for those couples not going as far, and no hooking up for those couples that are. And the whole idea of the strike inspires very open dialogue about sex and what hooking up means and the double-standards imposed on girls who sleep around as opposed to boys. The girls are at first hesitant to broach this taboo topic, but once they do they start asking all the questions that we all keep to ourselves, questions we’re too scared or embarrassed or nervous to ask. Keplinger takes a huge leap in addressing these topics and Shut Out won’t be for everyone, but for those with questions, Keplinger points out something we should all keep in mind — you’re not alone. She handles the situation with maturity and accuracy, perfectly capturing the mindset of curious teenage girls.

And to top it all off, there’s Cash Sterling. He’s dreaming, charming, and so, so sweet. He’s high school royalty, the nice guy who flirts with everyone and dates no one. As in, off-limits. Don’t even get your hopes up because he’s not looking for a relationship. Except how can you not get your hopes up when he’s so cute and chivalrous and just all-around amazing? He’s a perfect example of why I fall in love with book characters and I guarantee you’ll understand upon reading Shut Out. Keplinger is clearly an author to watch out for. She delivers interesting situations, realistic characters, and snappy dialogue once again, and she’s sure to do the same in the future.

Pages: 273
Publication Date : September 2011
Publisher: Poppy
Challenge: N/A
Rating :

Teaser Quote: “Part of me knew I should be mad, but I was mostly just hurt. After more than a year together, I hoped I came first to Randy. But the fact that he forgot me so easily because of a stupid egg on his car? It stung.“