Lights, Camera, Action!

Lights, Camera, Action!

• Aug 27, 2015

Bounce by Noelle August

Release Date: August 25, 2015
Publisher: HarperCollins | William Morrow
Pages: 304 pages
Source & Format: Publisher; ARC
Series: Boomerang #3
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Summary (from Goodreads)

Playing the occasional club gig just isn’t cutting it for twenty-two-year-old cellist Skyler Canby, who’s trying to support herself and her mother back home in Kentucky. Persuaded by her best friend Beth to accompany her on an audition for the first feature film launched by Blackwood Entertainment, she figures why not? Beth’s a shoe-in for the lead, but maybe Skyler’s newly dyed pink hair will help her stand out enough to score a small speaking part. 

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. 

Thoughts on Bounce

Last year, I bought Boomerang on a whim after reading a bunch of positive reviews. Even though I don't read a lot of New Adult, I wanted to give it a try because it was co-written by Veronica Rossi. I trusted that she would write something enjoyable, and I was right! It wasn't a favorite, but I received a copy of Rebound for review not long after finishing and decided to continue the series. While it was the opposite for many readers, I actually liked Rebound even more than the first book. Both were a little predictable, but they were still fun reads. So, when a copy of Bounce showed up at my door, I was excited to find out what would happen next!

I noted this in my review for Boomerang, but reading these books makes me feel like I'm watching a romantic comedy. They're a little predictable, but I still enjoy the experience. I loved that the second book focused on secondary characters from the first book and the fact that this continued in the third book. It's cool to get glimpses of the characters from the previous books - and to see how they're connected! While I have my favorite characters, I think they're all well developed. They have families, friends, past relationships, interests, fears and hopes for their futures. They seem like people I would know in real life!

Bounce focuses on two main characters that I grew to love: Skyler Canby and Grey Blackwood. Skyler is a talent cellist who decides to audition for an upcoming film backed by Blackwood Entertainment. She's trying to support herself and her mother back at home, and any little bit helps. Remember Mia from Boomerang? Skyler is one of her roommates! And Grey is Adam Blackwood's little brother. Adam was the founder of Boomerang and the lead in Rebound, so I was excited to see more of his family. Unlike his older brother, Grey is reckless and a little aimless. He loves his band, but that's about it. After throwing a party that damages brother's home, he ends up helping out on set to settle his debt. And there's where he meets Skyler...

Of all three books in this series, this one was my favorite! With the first two books, I found the conflict annoying at times. But that didn't really happen for me with Bounce. There was still some drama, but it kept me racing through the pages instead of rolling my eyes. I liked that most of the tension came from their family relationships rather than past romantic relationships (as was the case in the first two books). I can't really explain it, but it seemed to lessen the overall angst and made the book more enjoyable for me.

Bounce is still a sexier book than I'd typically pick up, but less so than the previous books. I liked the dynamics between Grey and Skyler, so I ended up being quite invested in their relationship. They just seemed like such a good fit together! Grey is younger than Skyler, and I liked the way the age difference was handled. He has moments of immaturity, especially at the beginning of the book, but I loved seeing Grey's personal growth and attempts to take responsibility for his life. Skyler was such a fun character, and I loved her friendship with Mia and Beth. That was one of my favorite parts of the book!

You don't have to read Boomerang or Rebound before picking up Bounce, but I was glad I did. I liked checking in on characters from the earlier books! But if you were only going to read one book from this series, I'd make it Bounce. It was still a little predictable, but it was just so much fun to read. I couldn't put it down, and it perfectly fit the mood I was in. I wanted something that would make me happy, and this fit the bill! If you're a fan of New Adult, I think you'll find a lot to enjoy in this series. And if you're more like me and hesitant to try the genre, this is a great place to start! It's funny, sweet and has just the right amount of swoon.

So Quotable

"It's not that he makes me strong or whole. It's that with him, I remember how strong and whole I am."

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review.