Never in her wildest dreams does Skyler imagine she’ll land the lead role or that she’ll have her shoes knocked off her feet by the kiss her audition partner, Grey Blackwood, plants on her—a kiss that feels very real and not at all “acted. ”
After throwing a party that causes thousands of dollars of damage to his older brother’s home, reckless musician Grey Blackwood gets roped into working off his debt on the set of his CEO brother’s newest project. Grey spends his days fetching coffee and doing odd jobs around the studio, but he lives for nights when he performs with his band. He knows if he can stay focused, success as a singer is just around the corner. But that’s tough with a distracting pink-haired girl occupying his every waking thought.
Skyler and Grey have every reason to resist each other. But, like a song neither of them can get out of their minds, they have no choice but to go where the music takes them.
Bounce, the third book in the Boomerang trilogy, is pretty much what I’ve come to expect from the duo who make up the penname Noelle August–it’s fluffy, fun, glamorous, sexy. I’m not generally a fan of plain ol’ romance books, particularly in the new adult genre, but I have loved Veronica Rossi’s previous work, and I was interested to see how her new venture panned out.
And I have to say, while the series doesn’t really bring anything new to the table, it’s one of the least problematic new adult series around, which actually says a lot, considering a large proportion of NA is steeped in emotionally-abusive relationships, slut-shaming, and melodrama.
Bounce tells the story of Grey, reckless younger brother of Adam, who was featured in the previous book, and Skyler, a talented cellist. The two first meet up on a movie set, where Grey is assisting and Sky is auditioning. From there, of course, the two have to navigate through their own emotional baggage while figuring out their feelings for each other.
Two things I really enjoyed about the book, and indeed, the series as a whole, is that firstly, it’s unashamedly sex-positive, and secondly, there is a big emphasis on female friendship. Of course, male friendship and brotherhood also forms a big part of the book, but a general trend in YA/NA lit seems to focus on the bitchy, competitive female stereotype instead of women supporting and loving each other.
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However, the book also had its flaws. This quote in particular bothered me:
She’s gorgeous. Full breasts, pale smooth skin. She looks like a woman, curvy, where a lot of girls in this town are so thin. Origami sharp.
Can this trope of thin women not being “real” women go die already? I get that it’s a backlash against the rail-thin, unattainable female figure that is heralded as desirable in society, but trying to bring other women down isn’t the way to go about it. As it is, its stated that the MC is a size 8-10, so she’s not even representative of a “big” woman in the first place.
And yes, there were parts that I found cheesy, and others which were unrealistic, but overall, this book had heart, and if you’re looking for a fun, feel-good contemporary romance, you can’t go wrong with the Boomerang series.
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“Oh, shit.” His smile disappears. “I just realized something awful.”
“What?”
“We’re Grey Sky. I mean, our names together. Grey. Sky. That’s awful.”
Rating: 7/10
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ARC received from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Quotes taken from uncorrected proof and may differ from final publication.
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