Stealing Parker By Miranda Kenneally {Review}

Title: Stealing Parker

Series: Hundred Oaks

Author: Miranda Kenneally

Publication Date: October 2012

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

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?

I want to start this review by saying that, I love Miranda Kenneally's books! I always reach for them when I'm in the mood for a fun and quick read, meaning that, they're incredibly easy to get through. No struggle for me there, because it usually takes me one to two days to read them and it's a process that I truthfully enjoy. Immensely.

Now, Stealing Parker is probably my least favorite from the ones I've managed to read this far. The characters were likable enough but I didn't connect with them as much as I would've liked. Both as a reader and as a person. Because, I felt like the balance was way off. The beginning, truth be told, was promising enough but things got kind of iffy from there on. If that makes any sense whatsoever...

Firstly, the romance, love triangle or whatever that was did nothing for me. I hated the coach person, whose name I can't even remember and the fact that Parker did whatever he wanted, just because he gave her a bit of attention. Their problem of course was that, they couldn't be together because he was obviously a teacher at her school and he was older by a couple of years. Right? Well, explain to me why the heck he, mature person that he claimed he was, decided that it was a wise choice for him to lead Parker on, down a very dangerous and forbidden path mind you, and then just walk away. Why? Because he OBVIOUSLY could not decide what he wanted from life. And then he goes and gets all possessive and jealous and I just sit there, staring at the book in front of me, full of frustration and more than ready to punch someone in the face. Him, preferably.

It was ridiculous to say the least. I was extremely angry at the little stunt he pulled a couple of chapters before the end and it was quite obvious that, he was contradicting himself throughout the book. Poor Parker wanted a normal relationship, but he made it quite clear from the beginning that, he had other plans. But, a girl can only take that much before she explodes. And that exactly what Parker did. She spend so much time, trying to prevent herself from being like her mother, as if her mother's choices could decide, just like that, her own. Which is understandable, but I feel like she lost herself and what she truly wanted from life in the process.

One silver lining people, was Will. I adored Will from the moment he was introduced and I swooned over him so many times, I lost count. He was honest and it was obvious that, he made Parker genuinely happy. Plus, his little brother was adorable! And Parker herself, was a very loving and caring character. She just tried so hard to please others in order to convince them that, she was nothing like her mother. Resulting in searching for a Parker that did not exist, instead of embracing the Parker that lived within her and was struggling to be heard.

Last thing I want to address, is the whole church thing. I don't have a problem with religion nor content of the particular topic in books. But I found the setting in Stealing Parker, completely ridiculous. No offense but, seriously? It was too much for my taste. Things got way out of hand and I felt overwhelmed by all these people, trying to make the main character and her family feel like shit and isolating them from everyone, instead of supporting them through the difficult times they went through and kept going through as the book progressed. It was wrong on their part and made me question the sincerity of it all, in this world we live in. How could they stand on the sidelines, not only watching from afar as a family fell apart, but also judging them? How could they look down upon people who went through so many things and prevent them from finding true happiness with their spiteful words and judgmental comments?

Stealing Parker was not one of my favorites, but that doesn't mean anything. I love Miranda Keneally's writing and I would definitely recommend her books, if you're looking for a quick, easy and enjoyable read! She has her own, unique way of creating realistic and very vivid story lines, with characters that could easily be your next door neighbors!