Category Archives: Hundred Oaks Series

Review: Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally

Title: Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally
Hundred Oaks Series
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Swim. Eat. Shower. School. Snack. Swim. Swim. Swim. Dinner. Homework. Bed. Repeat.

All of Maggie’s focus and free time is spent swimming.  She’s not only striving to earn scholarships—she’s training to qualify for the Olympics.  It helps that her best friend, Levi, is also on the team, and cheers her on. But Levi’s already earned an Olympic tryout, so Maggie feels even more pressure to succeed.  And it’s not until Maggie’s away on a college visit that she realizes how much of the “typical” high school experience she’s missed by being in the pool.

No one to shy away from a challenge, Maggie decides to squeeze the most out of her senior year.  First up? Making out with a guy.  And Levi could be the perfect candidate.  After all, they already spend a lot of time together.  But as Maggie slowly starts to uncover new feelings for Levi, how much is she willing to sacrifice in the water to win at love?

Review:

Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally is a sweet contemporary young adult novel of friendship and love.

As high graduation approaches, competitive swimmer Maggie King is quite contemplative as she realizes she might be a bit behind the curve when it comes to relationships and life experience. She spends so much time focused on swimming she has little time for a social life. She has a close knit circle of friends which includes fellow swimmer Levi Lucassen, cheerleader Georgia and baseball player Hunter but she has no dating experience.   Although Maggie has absolutely no regrets about the time she devotes to swimming, she is ready to explore her sexuality. Maggie decides to ask her best friend Levi to teach her how to hook up. While Levi is initially a little hesitant to agree to her suggestion, he finally agrees to her plan.  Their lessons quickly turn steamy and their relationship soon becomes complicated by unexpected emotions just as their respective swim competitions heat up.

Levi and Maggie are well-adjusted teenagers who have families who are incredibly supportive.  Their swimming schedules are pretty grueling so there is not much opportunity for typical teen activities. Levi has already made the cut to try out for the Olympics and Maggie is hoping to secure her cut as well.  Neither of them have the time or desire for a relationship and they are taken off guard when their friendship begins to change after they start making out. Maggie is open to discussing what comes next for them but will Levi be open to taking their relationship to the next level?

Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally is a wonderful coming of age novel with a realistic storyline and a fantastic cast of characters. this latest addition to the Hundred Oaks series can easily be read as a standalone but I highly recommend the other books in the series as well.

1 Comment

Filed under Coming Up for Air, Contemporary, Hundred Oaks Series, Miranda Kenneally, Rated B, Review, Romance, Sourcebooks Fire, Young Adult

Review: Defending Taylor by Miranda Kenneally

Title: Defending Taylor by Miranda Kenneally
Hundred Oaks Series
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

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?

Review:

Miranda Kenneally’s newest release, Defending Taylor, is a young adult contemporary that deals with some very relevant topics such as prescription drug abuse, intended and unintended consequences of decisions and family expectations.  

Seventeen year old Taylor Lukens is the overachieving daughter of a Senator who is expelled from her exclusive private school after she impulsively takes the blame for something her boyfriend is responsible for.  Now attending the local public high school, she is struggling with the repercussions from her decision after the scandal becomes public knowledge.  With her father’s chances for re-election slipping, she feels a little abandoned by her family when they distance themselves from her publicly.  With college deadlines looming, Taylor is slowly realizing her family’s expectations for her future are not necessarily what she wants but she is not sure she can disappoint them considering how her recent actions have affected them.  It is not until she reconnects with her former crush, Ezra Carmichael, that she finds the courage to stand up for what she wants, but will Taylor convince him to do the same?

As the youngest child in the family, Taylor feels an enormous amount of pressure to follow the same path as her older siblings.  Expected to attend an Ivy League college and work in her family’s business after graduation, she is extremely focused on padding her college resume with extracurricular activities and volunteer work while maintaining a high GPA and acing her SATs.  Unfortunately, some of her classes do not come easy to her and she spends an inordinate amount of time studying so she sometimes pops Ritalin when she is feeling stressed about doing well on exams and assignments.  With such a strong desire to live up to her family’s expectations, Taylor never really deviates from the path they have set for her but after she begins attending Hundred Oaks, she reevaluates her plans for the future but can she disappoint her family again?

Taking the semester off from college amid objections from his father, Ezra is well aware what can happen when personal dreams conflict with family expectations.  Taylor cannot help but feel there is more to his decision than he is willing to admit to her, but she has no choice but to back off when he asks her to.  Ezra understands what she is going through with her parents but since she once had a crush on him and he broke her heart a few years ago, she is quite hesitant to resume their friendship.  Once Taylor moves past her initial reservations, it is clear the spark between them burns brighter than ever but will she risk her heart again?

Defending Taylor is a captivating young adult novel with a compelling storyline and an appealing cast of characters. Miranda Kenneally has an engaging writing style and she never hesitates to tackle some difficult subject matter.  A heartwarming story that I recommend to readers of all ages, this latest addition to the Hundred Oak series can be read as a standalone.

1 Comment

Filed under Contemporary, Defending Taylor, Hundred Oaks Series, Miranda Kenneally, Rated B+, Review, Romance, Sourcebooks Fire, Young Adult