I had mixed feelings about this one. The topics it tackles - a broken home because one parent has come out as gay, homosexuality and homophobia in a religious community, a student-teacher relationship, hints of an eating disorder - are a lot more serious than [b:Catching Jordan|9888775|Catching Jordan|Miranda Kenneally|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327875803l/9888775._SY75_.jpg|14780777] and I'm not sure Kenneally quite did them justice.

Having said that, I found myself very invested in the story and regularly muttering, "Parker, no!" which is always a sign of an entertaining book. Also hurting on Parker's behalf for how some of the supposed friends and Christians in her life were treating her.

And I didn't hate the mentions of religion! It was handled as an important part of Parker's life and character while at the same time highlighting both the good and bad aspects.

He has two bumper stickers: one is for the Braves, the other reads coexist and is covered by all these symbols that I recognise from Brother John's PowerPoint presentation on devil worshipping signs.

The love triangle followed the same pattern as [b:Catching Jordan|9888775|Catching Jordan|Miranda Kenneally|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327875803l/9888775._SY75_.jpg|14780777] with the new-arrival hot dude not actually being the best choice - the better romantic option had been there all along. At the start I thought Drew would be the friend-to-more character which would have been a bit too similar, but thankfully that got shut down pretty quickly. And of course there was the added complication that Brian was 23 and a teacher.

I was also a bit disappointed with the idea that Drew and Tate must automatically like each other because they're the only two gay guys that Parker knows, but at least there was a mention of it being good for them to have someone else to talk to about the struggles of being gay in a small town as well.

I was frustrated that Parker kept pursuing Brian when she knew that their relationship could cost him not only his job at Hundred Oaks but his entire career and possibly his freedom (depending on how seriously Tennessee law treats relationships with minors). BUT that immaturity is part of why those laws about age of consent exist! I'm more angry that Brian kept seeing her and kissing her and pressuring her to have sex - massive squick for me there. If Brian was a responsible, non-creepy adult that whole thing would never have happened because he would never have accepted her Facebook friend request and never seen her outside of school.

And if God's watching us, maybe he's saying, Sure, a bunch of shit had to happen, but a mother and daughter are back together. A mother can love her daughter even if she's been sinning like it's going out of style. A daughter can love her mother even if she acted selfishly.

( )

Great teen romance

I love sports romances and this was super cute. I like that the main character Parker wasn't perfect and made some bad decisions before she realized what was important in her life. There were several facets of this book. There was Parker's relationship with her family, the mom that left, dad who is on denial and brother who's spiraling out of control. Then there's her relationship with softball and her old teammates; figuring out what makes her happy and why she stopped playing. Parker's relationship with boys was very interesting, she was the one who used boys, not the other way around. And lastly, her relationship with God. I liked all the notes she wrote about what she wanted, what she was thankful for, and why certain things happened to her and her family. Great book! ( )

I felt fully invested in Stealing Parker in the beginning. My anxiety about this older coach was immense. Her conversation with her best friend Drew was so fun to read about. And the boy named Corndog was stealing my heart. After a while, something got me a little bored I guess. I think it felt like everything happening was dragging on or that the people's reactions in the story didn't make feel anything. Overall, though I did have a nice time and luckily Parker was able to stop caring about what everyone thinks and start caring for herself. ( )

Why did I read Stealing Parker?
This past winter I finally got around to reading Catching Jordan. I had read so many fantastic reviews for Catching Jordan but doubted that I would love it as much as everyone else had. Much to my surprise I LOVED it! I knew as soon as I finished that I would be picking up Stealing Parker as soon as I possibly could. It took a few months but I finally got my hands on a copy and went in to my read with high expectations.

How does it compare to Catching Jordan?
I did not love this nearly as much as I loved Catching Jordan. It's the same basic formula: new boy catches girl's attention and along the way she discovers someone who has been in front of her all along. I actually kind of enjoyed that aspect of Stealing Parker. I guess what I had a hard time with was the character of Parker. The way she processes things is just beyond ridiculous to me, especially when it comes to the situation with her mother.

Another aspect that I enjoyed in Catching Jordan that wasn't found in Stealing Parker is the friendship that can exist amongst girls. The girls in this book were catty and were not about to get over that anytime soon. I just think there is already so much of that and I love books that show that girls really can be friends! I guess it gives me hope for my gender.

How is the romance?
The romances are incredibly predictable. I am, however, surprised and disappointed with the way one of the romances ends as nothing seems to really be resolved in that situation. Overall, I didn't find myself as excited about the romances in the way I found myself excited for the romance in Catching Jordan.

What made me keep turning the pages?
I don't know what this says about me but I kept turning the pages because of the relationship between Parker and the coach. I really wanted to see how that all played out. I think this intrigued me so much because this kind of situation seems to happen quite a bit but no one really talks about why it is happening or what the people in the situation are actually thinking when it is happening. I just want to understand. Unfortunately his thoughts weren't all that clear and overall he came off as a total sleazeball. I doubt that everyone who finds themselves involved in such a situation is a sleazeball.

I also loved catching peeks into the lives of the characters of Catching Jordan.

Why is this not quite a home run?
I don't think the situations and characters were developed nearly enough for this to be a home run. I was left wanting much more from the novel. Hopefully the next installment will be better. ( )

I enjoyed this continuation of The Hundred Oaks series. Parker's mom has divorced her husband when she is tired of living a lie. She moves in with her female lover and Parker and her family have to live with the gossip and judging by others. Parker is having a hard time dealing with it and quits softball. She argues with her dad about going to church also. She feels more alone as she has a fight with her best friend, Drew, who will not listen to her explanations. I liked this story. I like how Parker has a crush on the baseball coach and tries to begin a relationship with him. She also is falling for one the of baseball players who is on the team she is managing at school. She's trying not to betray her best friend and is trying to get her dad to open his eyes to the problems of her older brother, Ryan. When it looks like she has lost everything, she listens to the answer to her prayers and calls her mom. Her mom is very clear-eyed and open. She tries to help Parker see that much that happened was not Parker's fault and that Parker is not responsible for the choices others make. I liked how religion is brought into the story. It is not preachy but very realistic in the portrayal of what works and what does not. I liked that Parker grew up during this story and we saw the process. I keep hoping that her dad opens his eyes. ( )