Defending Taylor - Miranda Kenneally

Defending Taylor by Miranda Kenneally
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Blurb (on back of book): 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 OPINION: **
The concept of this book wasn't my favorite. I didn't like the plot or the characters, resulting in my low rating.

Taylor was kicked out of her elite private school St. Andrews after being caught with drugs in her system. However, none of it was her fault; she was covering for her boyfriend, which in my opinion was really stupid. Her father is running for senator so it's important that they keep up a good image. Her father sends her to Hundred Oaks public school and ruins her dreams of going to Yale. Everyone in her family are extreme overachievers and are on the Ivy League route, which is where Taylor is also headed before her mistake.

Taylor was previously her school's soccer captain and it's a harsh blow at her new school as she struggles to assimilate with the other girls on their soccer team.

Ezra is her brother's best friend who she had a crush on before he missed her sixteenth birthday party to supposedly hook up with a girl. I did not ship them at all and felt absolutely zero chemistry between them. There was more lust than love and Taylor as a whole was unbelievably petty about the fact that he didn't come to her sixteenth birthday party. She never even let him explain himself and just chose to believe the gossip she heard.

Ezra has just dropped out of Cornell and wanted to pursue his own path of becoming an architect. I hated how Taylor tried to force him into going back when he so obviously was not feeling happy at college.

I would have liked to have seen more of a conclusion to this book overall. Taylor had a lot of conflicts with her soccer team, most especially Nicole, but they never resolved it. The coach kicked her off the team after stories of her drugs got out but that wasn't ever resolved either.

It took me forever to read this book because it wasn't intriguing enough to force me to keep reading in one sitting. I didn't like the writing style and the overall story wasn't my favorite. I am almost done with this series though so I will be finishing it out but I've only really liked a few of these throughout the eight-book series.

I would recommend this book to readers looking for a short summer contemporary romance.

Main Character: Taylor
Sidekick(s): Ezra, family, Nicole, etc
Villain(s): Drugs, misunderstandings, gossip, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book was all very real to life.