Grenade Bouquets (Runaway Train, Book 2) by Lee Matthew Goldberg


Publisher:  Wise Wolf Books (August 5, 2021)
Series: Runaway Train, Book 2
Category: Young Adult, Runaways, Outcasts, Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Depression, Mental Illness
Tour dates: August31-September 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1953944078
Available in Print and ebook, 286 pages

Description Grenade Bouquets by Lee Matthew Goldberg

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.

Review Grenade Bouquets by Lee Matthew Goldberg

Guest Review by Mark S.

With no one but her hero, Kurt Cobain to guide her, Nico sets out on a cross country tour with her band, the Grenade Bouquets, seeking fame, fortune and good pizza.

Nico is seventeen, a strange and tumultuous time for a young woman. Added to that, she recently lost her sister and hasn’t really dealt with the magnitude of that loss. But when the band that she is a part of decides to go on tour, Nico can’t say no. Especially since her new boyfriend, Evan is in the band as well. Driving around the country in a beat up VW, Nico learns about the perils of fame, the difficulties of adult relationships and just how much her willpower can take. 

Every beat of ‘Grenade Bouquets’ is magical. Lee Matthew Goldberg perfectly encapsulates the essence of the 90’s, from the music, to the fashion and the lack of parental supervision. Nico is a strong, interesting character and I really appreciated how often she is willing to stand up for herself, especially against the lead singer of the band, a mean girl named Clarissa.

Although Nico’s hero is Kurt Cobain, I think that she is determined not to end up the same way that he did. But that determination is tested when the Grenade Bouquets begin to see some attention from record labels, and things like partying all night and drugs begin to come into the picture.

This book could be thought of as a coming-of-age story with a twist– the toll that fame can take on a mind that is still developing. More than anything, I came out of this book with the impression that it was a great look at the inner thoughts of a teenage girl during a particularly strange time in America. Five lyrical stars for this one!

About Lee Matthew Goldberg

Lee Matthew Goldberg is the author of seven novels including THE ANCESTOR and THE MENTOR, currently in development as a film off his original script, and the YA series RUNAWAY TRAIN. He has been published in multiple languages and nominated for the Prix du Polar. After graduating with an MFA from the New School, his writing has also appeared in The Los Angeles Review of Books, The Millions, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, LitReactor, Monkeybicycle, Fiction Writers Review, Cagibi, Necessary Fiction, Hypertext, If My Book, Past Ten, the anthology Dirty Boulevard, The Montreal Review, The Adirondack Review, The New Plains Review, Underwood Press and others.

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.

Website: http://www.leematthewgoldberg.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeeMatthewG
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leemgol
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leematthewgoldberg/

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Giveaway Grenade Bouquets by Lee Matthew Goldberg

This giveaway is for 3 print or eBook copies, 1 each per winner. Print is open to the U.S. only, eBook is open worldwide. This giveaway ends on September 25, 2021,midnight pacific time.

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