Catching Jordan by Miranda Keneally

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?

My review:

Fantastic book. I completely loved it. Carefully crafted and just perfect.

I wanted this book on Netgalley, but I couldn't get it from the publisher, but I still wanted to read it, so I ended up begrudingly buying it. I always give an honest review, sometimes a little too honest, but I was still kind of bummed about not getting it for review that I planned (in my daydreams) to put a negative spin on my review. But I can't. I liked it that much.

I'm even going to gloss over the parts I think you wouldn't like--namely the copious amounts of swearing. After the first two swears on the first page, I about rolled my eyes and nearly put the book down. Generally I feel a good author should be able to convey emotion in other ways. Finding the best words is an author's business after all. But after a few pages I decided to deal with it, and after a chapter or two, it became clear that these characters could not be portrayed adequately nor the setting even created without the swears. So yeah, some of you might not like it in there, but the book would not work, would absolutely not work work, without it.

Jordan's mom, noticing that Jordan does not open up with her feelings very easily, gives her a journal to use, which Jordan promptly ignores. It sits forever until one day, after the new quarterback shows up on the field and Jordan's world starts to change, she decides she needs to vent and picks it up. What she starts writing comes out as poetry. Yes, poetry. It. Is. Awesome. Not the poetry--it is mediocre at best--but the fact that it's in there. The poetry is such a contrast to Jordan's tomboyishness and it completely works. It directly states the subtext, which is like a little clue that you are feeling and catching what the author intended for you to feel. It is the whole reason I bump this book from the 4/5 stars I would give it to the 5/5 stars I do give it.

Anyway. First love. Love triangle. What's not to like, right?