This book was awesome, not because of the plot, the setting, or even the fact that we get a glimpse of Jordan's relationship, but because of the characters. Kenneally's ability to created realistic characters and I think that's really her strong suit.

Something I did not expect in this book, though at the same time I wasn't TOO surprised either, was the part that religion played in everything. Parker and her family are avid church goers, but after her mother 'disgraced' their family by coming out of the closet, Parker and her father are ridiculed for her mother's choices. Unfortunately, this only fueled my distaste for institutionalized religion. However, I liked the turn around through the book as Parker learns more about other churches and that God is everywhere, not just in the pews of a white ornate building.

Something I didn't like about this book was Parker's relationship with Brian, the assistant baseball coach. At first he was really nice, and tried to push Parker back into the world of softball, which she had promptly left when her mother did. And I did like him then. He and Parker were epic (I say in a very Caroline voice (I've been watching The Vampire Diaries like an addict the past few days, sorry). Later on though, he REALLY bothered me. After he and Parker started making out (they didn't date, they didn't hook up, they just... kissed. A lot.) he was a real douche, and that killed all my thoughts of shipping them.

Then there was Drew, who Parker suspected was gay. But is he? Will he be the one to end up with Parker (as Sam ended up with Jordan)? Or will it be Corndog, the annoying, yet charming and sweet (when required), former valedictorian rival? That's the thing I love about Miranda Kenneally's books, there's always such an array of characters and who the main character starts off with isn't always who she ends up with.

Stealing Parker was a great book that incorporated the church, but also had a number of characters who were homosexual, bringing into the novel a large, real world issue that is being argued about all throughout the USA. With an amazing cast of characters, Kenneally has hit a home run with this novel (YA SEE WHAT I DID THERE ??) ~!

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4.5/5
World Building: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
GoodReads Rating: 3.84/5

-review by Between Printed Pages