Defending Taylor (Hundred Oaks, 7) - Softcover

Kenneally, Miranda

Softcover

ISBN 10: 149263008X ISBN 13: 9781492630081

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire, 2016

Synopsis

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

About this title

About the Author

Growing up in Tennessee, MIRANDA KENNEALLY dreamed of becoming an Atlanta Brave, a country singer (cliché!), or a UN interpreter. Instead she writes and works for the State Department in Washington, D.C., where George W. Bush once used her shoulder as an armrest. Miranda loves Twitter, Star Trek and her husband. Visit mirandakenneally.com

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—Seventeen-year-old Taylor Lukens has life all figured out. Captain of her soccer team, president of the debate team, and daughter of a Tennessee senator, she dreams of early acceptance to Yale. However, she gets expelled from her prestigious boarding school after she takes the fall for her Adderall-dealing boyfriend. Before Taylor knows it, she's back at home and starting over at Hundred Oaks High, friendless and forced to play defense on the soccer team that used to be her rival. Torn apart by the damage that she's done to her father's reelection campaign and her relationship with her parents, the teen refuses to tell the world that she is innocent, thinking that her father will view her as a snitch, the worst fate of all. But then she reconnects with her old crush, Ezra Carmichael, and he inspires her to question all of the truths that she has held dear. On the surface, this work presents itself as a formulaic yet totally enjoyable summer read. However, this title has depth. Kenneally frankly discusses the realities of Adderall, Ritalin, and other drugs, and the sexually charged relationship between Taylor and Ezra feels authentic and unique compared with the cookie-cutter teen romances that this volume initially seems to resemble. VERDICT Purchase for collections in need of sports fiction, deeper summer reading, and realistic romance.—Laura Lintz, Henrietta Public Library, Rochester, NY

About this edition

• Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 149263008X
• ISBN 13: 9781492630081
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304