Grenade Bouquets
Lee Matthew Goldberg
(Runaway Train, #2)
Publication date: August 5th 2021
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
I had stars in my eyes and I couldn’t see around them…
The year is 1995 and my parents have finally allowed me to take the summer to tour in a VW van across the country with my boyfriend Evan and our band. Yes, my dream to be a singer became reality. Even with Clarissa, Evan’s jealous ex-girlfriend, as the lead singer, it’s my presence on stage that led us to a major record deal. There are moments you’ll always remember in life, but I can’t imagine anything more cool than hearing your song on the radio for the first time.
But being a Rockstar isn’t as easy as it sounds. Using alcohol and drugs as coping mechanisms, nothing but tension surrounded me, hurting my still blossoming relationship, and continued grieving over my sister’s death.
A love letter to the nineties and a journey of a girl becoming a woman, Grenade Bouquets charts the rollercoaster ride of a band primed to explode on the scene, as long as they keep from actually exploding.
“An engaging ’90s pastiche with an earnest heart beating at its center.”– Kirkus Reviews on Runaway Train.
My Review:
Grenade Bouquets is the second book in Lee Matthew Goldberg’s Runaway Train series. Grenade Bouquets picks up where Runaway Train leaves off. Nico is still grieving the death of her sister Kristen. Nico is trying to get her life back on track after she jumped ship and took off on a road trip.
She has finally talked her parents into letting her go on tour with her boyfriend and their band, Grenade Bouquets for the summer. Nico is still trying to get her head on straight and move on after her sister’s death but it is still proving to be difficult for her but she is managing.
I think singing with the band would help Nico a lot more if it were not for Clarissa, Evan's jealous ex-girlfriend, the lead singer. Clarissa has an attitude problem, she wants everything to revolve around her. She wants all eyes trained on her at all times. I think she still wants Evan or maybe she just wants him because she can’t have him.
Nico’s best friend Winter seems to be giving her the cold shoulder treatment. She is not answering Nico’s phone calls nor is she returning them. Nico wonders what is going on with Winter. She has been acting so strange, different. But she keeps trying as Nico and Winter have been friends for a long time and she is not just going to give up on her like that.
I liked that the title for each chapter was a song title and author, it was like having a playlist for the Grenade Bouquets. I can just hear the Grenade Bouquets singing each song in my head and see them up there on stage. I also liked that Nico referred to her parents as the rents. I am looking forward to the next book in the Runaway Train series.
Would I recommend Grenade Bouquets? You bet I do. So grab your copy of Grenade Bouquets today! Be sure and check out the first book in the series, Runaway Train so that you can get the whole picture and not feel as if you are missing out on anything.
Author Bio:
Lee Matthew Goldberg is the author of the novels THE ANCESTOR, THE MENTOR, THE DESIRE CARD and SLOW DOWN. He has been published in multiple languages and nominated for the Prix du Polar. His first YA series RUNAWAY TRAIN is forthcoming in 2021 along with a sci-fi novel ORANGE CITY. After graduating with an MFA from the New School, his writing has also appeared in The Millions, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, LitReactor, Monkeybicycle, Fiction Writers Review, Cagibi, Necessary Fiction, the anthology Dirty Boulevard, The Montreal Review, The Adirondack Review, The New Plains Review, Underwood Press and others. He is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of Fringe, dedicated to publishing fiction that’s outside-of-the-box. His pilots and screenplays have been finalists in Script Pipeline, Book Pipeline, Stage 32, We Screenplay, the New York Screenplay, Screencraft, and the Hollywood Screenplay contests. He is the co-curator of The Guerrilla Lit Reading Series and lives in New York City. Follow him at LeeMatthewGoldberg.com
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