Defending Taylor by Miranda KenneallySeries: Hundred Oaks #7
Published by: Sourcebooks Fire on July 5, 2016
Genre: Contemporary, Family, Romance, Sports
Pages: 304
Source: NetGalley
Book Details
Rating: ★★★★★
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?
I always know who to turn to when I want a fun, relatable, sports romance: Miranda Kenneally. She can do no wrong. The Hundred Oaks series is full of delicious, wonderful, sporty books. All crazy fun! Defending Taylor was no different.
I loved all the layers of this book.
- Sports
- Making friends
- Getting through high school
- Preparing for college
- Dealing with family expectations
- Choosing your own path in life
- Romance
- The moral struggle of doing what’s right vs what’s best for you vs not betraying friends
I think what I loved most was how real Taylor’s struggle felt. This is something that so many people have to go through: managing family expectations, planning for the future, following your heart. It was so relatable!
The family dynamics were interesting too. There was a good mix of “sweet family” and “slightly dysfunctional family”, which is probably true of a lot of people. There are some kinks in those relationships because Taylor’s dad is a senator so he definitely makes some family mistakes for the sake of his campaign. But at the same time, you can see how everyone in the family means well, even if they don’t always make the right choices.
And like you can expect from Miranda, the romance in Defending Taylor was glorious! Hot, swoony, totally adorable. I like how Taylor had a crush on Ezra for so long then it was rekindled. So cute!
If you’re a Hundred Oaks fan, don’t miss out! ♥
The Verdict
Great review! I actually didn’t love this one like the rest of the series but I completely agree with you re: Taylor’s struggle and MK’s ability to capture real teens in this series — she is awesome at it!!
my review