ARC, 290 pages
Release Date: July 5, 2016Published by: Sourcebooks Fire
Read from: July 2-July 4, 2016Hundred Oaks, #7Source: TLA 2016For fans of: Contemporary Romance, Sports, Realistic Fiction, Chick-it, Companion, YA
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?
*MY THOUGHTS*
“Love is just not worth the pain.”pg. 5
Taylor makes one spur of the moment decision and it changes her entire life around. And not in a good way. She’s forced to changes schools and to leave her soccer team and best friends behind. The most unfortunate part is the way she’s worked so hard to become the perfect student: Great GPA, Good extra curriculars, and friends with everyone, and then its all for nothing. The only person that seems to understand though, is someone that she’d rather not remember.
“Money changes a lot of stuff.”pg. 13
Ok, I really loved this one. I loved the soccer aspect most. Seeing the competitiveness in Taylor both on the field and in the classroom. I related to her so much because I was an athlete as well as a good student, and it felt great to have this shown in YA. I love to see books with positive female athletes, hence the reason I love Kenneally.
“It’s just a title. You don’t need that to lead.”pg. 84
I also loved the romance in this one. Defending Taylor has the most smexy times I remember from a Hundred Oaks book! All the other seemed to be tamed and this one showed Kenneally breaking her barriers. I appreciated that she was able to do it tastefully and still made me blush when reading some spots in public. I have to say I loved the romance, but I didn’t quite fall for Ezra. I loved what he said and things he did for Taylor, but my favorite Hundred Oaks man is still Jack Goodwin <3.
“…people never notice good news. They flock to the bad.”pg. 86
The only thing I didn’t care for was the way Taylor’s parents treated her. I understand that that’s politics, but there are things more important than your job. And that’s family. I don’t know, maybe it’s because as a reader I knew Taylor’s thoughts so I knew what really happened, but I still feel she didn’t deserve some of the things that they did to her. That would scar anyone, let alone a teen. It just seemed a little unfair.
“…should you play a game if you don’t know what the prize is?”pg. 234
Kenneally has made yet another amazing installment to her series with Defending Taylor. With this one being this good, I can’t imagine what the next one will be about!
