Review: Catching Jordan

Goodreads Summary: "Whoever said football and girls don't mix hasn't read Catching Jordan. I couldn't put it down " -- Simone Elkeles, New York Times bestselling author of the Perfect Chemistry series

ONE OF THE BOYS

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 of 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 everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line?

Three hours. I read this book in THREE HOURS. If that isn't a sign that a book is a great read then I don't know what it is. Seriously! I picked it up first thing this morning and wasn't able to put it down for a second! 

I liked that this book was a bit on the unconventional side. As Simone Elkeles said in her blurb, "Whoever said football and girls don't mix hasn't read Catching Jordan!" I mean, I'm not much of a football girl myself, I only just barely understand the basics and never watch a game on television, though I did go to A LOT of high school games to cheer my guys on, but it isn't a football book. Its not a sports book. I think you could love sports and thoroughly enjoy this book or be like me and not be the athletic type and still find yourself enjoying it.

Being a tomboy myself, (I know a total shocker with my pink obsession and all else that you see nowadays) I could relate to Jordan. I remember when shaving my legs wasn't a priority and yet still had the power to embarrass me, when sweats or baggy t-shirts and jeans were just so much easier and there didn't seem to be much of a point to dressing up or shopping and how much easier boys were then girls (sometimes I still think this!). I liked her. I genuinely liked her as a character. She's the type of girl I would have hung out with way back when. 

I absolutely LOVED the boys on the team. Someone else mentioned in their review that despite the romantic entanglements Catching Jordan was a novel about friendships and I couldn't agree more. It really was. I loved how close Jordan was with the other guys on the team, to her family and to other people whom she went to school with. I loved seeing how they developed together and apart, how they came to terms with one another and so on. They were just a great group of characters and I really enjoyed reading the interactions between the teammates especially.

The romance was sweet. The kind of thing that you, or at least I did way back when, daydream over when you're in high school yourself [or maybe even after!] and while its sweet it isn't perfect. There are issues that the characters have to work through and things don't come to them too easily. People make mistakes. People get jealous. People are proud and don't back down easily. Catching Jordan manages to live up to that sweet daydream of first love while still being realistic. Though for those of you that avoid them like the plague, I have to warn you that there is a love triangle. 

All in all this was the perfect read for me to scoop up while I was on Spring Break (so glad I have the next two too!) because it was sweet, fun, and impossible to put down. Definitely pick this one up if you're looking for a great YA contemporary!

4/5