Book Review: Grenade Bouquets by Lee Matthew Goldberg
The Details
Media Type: Ebook
Title: Grenade Bouquets
Series: Runaway Train #2
Author: Lee Matthew Goldberg
Publisher: Wise Wolf
Pages/Length: Paperback; 286
Release Date: August 5, 2021
Source: XPresso Book Tours/Publisher
Content warning: drugs, alcohol abuse, suicidal ideation
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.
The Review
We all know that is was every grunge girl’s dream, in the 90’s, to tour with a band. That fantasy of touring around the country in beat up van, with your buddies and dream, was part of the norm. What Goldberg tackles in this story though is the part that we probably didn’t think about. The part where this lifestyle might be hard to take mentally. The part where being a young person during this time wasn’t always easy. The part where Nico, our main character finds herself still drowning in the past. She’s living the dream. Or is she?
Nico’s story is definitely nostalgic, that’s for sure. It made me pine for a simpler time, before social media was all the rage and grunge was the thing. I feel like this book really hit that nostalgia right on the money. In fact, the 90s music playlist that this book revolves around was probably the part that hit me most in the feelings. The real kicker here though is the way that Nico’s story evolves. What do you do when your grief is heavy, but your coping mechanisms aren’t exactly what you would call “healthy”? For Nico, much of this story follows her into a downward spiral of destruction. There’s growth there too, but it was nice to see this nostalgic content handled with some realism too.
This was a solid read, for sure. If you’re looking for an angsty coming of age story, set in the pre social media age, this is your jam. If you’re a fan of books that handle real emotions, and show real character growth, this is for your. As a bonus, readers in my age group will probably see a bit of themselves in here too. It’s a ride!
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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