Miranda Kenneally

Taylor's always felt pressure to be perfect. That's what happens when you are a senator's daughter. So when she's kicked out of private school for covering for her boyfriend's not-so-legal behavior, she is devastated.Things go from bad to worse as she joins what used to be her rival soccer team at Hundred Oaks High. The only person who seems to understand all that she's going through is her older brother's best friend, Ezra. But Ezra has secrets of his own. Will Taylor repeat past mistakes, or can she score a fresh start?

Defending Taylor

laura

I really enjoyed this read. It was not the prefect sports read and handed more of the self discovery element. This book also look at the complicated half of senior year. I also thought he family dymanics were super fun. I also grew to like the romance. This book was not a typical happily ever after story but I still really enjoyed it. I also liked the sports element. It wa fun read an would def read more in this series in the future.

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I always look forward to the dose of reality and honesty that Miranda Kenneally delivers in her YA Hundred Oaks series. I love how her books tackle tougher issues with grace, but still find a way to make them real and raw. It's been a long time since I've been a teenager, but I'd like to think her characters and their experiences are pretty representative of teens today. 

Defending Taylor was a great read. I didn't always love Taylor, the main character, but I liked her. I mean, yeah, I wanted to shake her for being so stupid as to compromise her future for her boyfriend, but once it was explained, I also kinda got why she was trying to protect him. Kinda. Was it worth the issues it caused for her? Probably not. Was it worth losing the respect of her family? I'd guess no on that, as well. But even through all of it, I have to give Taylor respect for sticking with her story and not throwing Ben under the bus as things got tough. Without all of the things that happened, we wouldn't have gotten this story. Taylor wouldn't have been reunited with Ezra, her first crush. (He was so swoony.) And I would've been sad, because I really did like the path the book took. But, I'm not going to get into all that because that would be spoiling the book for you. 

What you need to know is that I found this a great addition to the Hundred Oaks series. I enjoyed getting a chance to see some of my old favorite characters as Taylor and Ezra's story was playing out. I appreciated Taylor's integrity as she took on a lot of crap and, ultimately grew because of it. The political campaign part gave another dimension to the book, but it also caused me to have some *serious* issues with the behavior of her parents – and her siblings – as things unfolded. I felt protective of Taylor and I hated how they were pushing her aside. She needed someone at that point in her life, so I was thankful she at least had Ezra and a couple friends. All in all, this was a quick, solid read that I enjoyed very much. I'll definitely be looking forward to the next book in the Hundred Oaks series. It's one of my favorite YA contemporary series for a reason. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. 

FAVORITE QUOTES


  Kissing Ben was always good, but kissing Ezra feels vital.

"I'm not your first, right?"
"No," I whisper.
"I should've been."
"Make it up to me now."

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

I've enjoyed the books in the Hundred Oaks series quite a bit. I've only read a few so far, but I will surely be reading the rest. I love how wonderfully Miranda Kenneally can write about teenagers and their lives.

Taylor is an easy character to like and respect. She's extremely hardworking, intelligent, and very well put together. Her family, specifically her parents, had huge dreams for her future. Dreams that she really didn't have a choice but to follow. That is until she makes a mistake that causes her to get booted from her private high school, put into the local public school, with the chance of going to Yale now pretty slim.

My favorite part of this story was the romance. Ezra was the perfect book crush. He wasn't only Taylor's brother's best friend, they also basically grew up together. And though they had feelings for each other when they were younger, because of different misunderstandings those feelings were never acted upon. (Yup, second-chance romance right here!!) This story as a whole was very sex-positive, and the sexual scenes were more on the mature side of YA books. Very swoony and sweet, and sometimes super hawt!

A very important part of this story was the fact that one mistake can change your entire life. No one is perfect. People make mistakes. Covering for someone and keeping the truth from the people around you can end up causing a lot more pain and problems than if you just tell the truth to begin with.

“I’d almost rather be known as a druggie than a snitch. People will forget about pills, but a person’s character isn’t so easily forgotten.”

Family was a large part of this story as well. Though I wasn't a huge fan of Taylor's parents, there were some cute father-daughter moments later on in the story. I did really like Taylor's brother, Oliver, who was a great support to Taylor, yet also had honest feelings as well and was hurt by things that occurred. I loved their connection and really appreciated the sibling bonds that were portrayed.

Overall, another fantastic read in the Hundred Oaks series! I think I can honestly say this is my favorite so far. If you're looking for a super cute, quick read that's heavy on the swoon moments, this is one you'll want to check out. 

 

  


(Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire for the review copy!)

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Haya

Defending Taylor is fun, fast-paced and a delightful book to read, especially around the summer time. Taylor’s character reminded of myself and I’m sure many people will relate to her as well because she works really hard to the point where she sometime forgets to have fun and enjoy living the moment. In this book you see how her character develops and how she handles life’s obstacles, it’s a fun learning process. It talks about friendships, relationships and family ties all in one. There are so many cute moments in this book and there are many frustrating moments as well, it’s like a roller-coaster

Prerana agrawal

There are no mistakes in love. Captain of the soccer team, president of the Debate Club, contender for valedictorian: Taylor's always pushed herself to be perfect. After all, that's what is expected of a senator's daughter. But one impulsive decision-one lie to cover for her boyfriend-and Taylor's kicked out of private school. Everything she's worked so hard for is gone, and now she's starting over at Hundred Oaks High. Soccer has always been Taylor's escape from the pressures of school and family, but it's hard to fit in and play on a team that used to be her rival. The only person who seems to understand all that she's going through is her older brother's best friend, Ezra. Taylor's had a crush on him for as long as she can remember. But it's hard to trust after having been betrayed. Will Taylor repeat her past mistakes or can she score a fresh start? Praise for Jesse's Girl: "A a fun, sexy, suck-me-in read."-Katie McGarry, author of Nowhere But Here and Pushing the Limits "An absorbing story...highly enjoyable."-Kirkus "Inspires as it entertains."-Publishers Weekly

Defending Taylor

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