The characters were well-developed, and I found myself invested in their lives. The plot was well thought out and had enough twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat. I appreciated the attention to detail, and the author did a great job of creating a vivid world that was easy to picture in my mind.
The themes explored in the book were thought-provoking. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story with well-developed characters.
Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with this book and would definitely read it again. It was a great addition to my reading collection, and I can't wait to see what else this author has in store.

Grenade Bouquets is the sequel to runaway train. But has enough description and backstory that it can easily be read as a standalone novel.
It's an easy and fun read that will appeal to those who love the celebrity rockstar trope.

Thank you to Netgalley for this eaely copy of GRENADE BOUQUETS. This was an interesting and unique story.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This follows on from runaway train and is a really good sequel. Nico joins grenade bouquets on tour and the book mostly revolves around the band’s journey. The evolution of the band getting signed, making a record etc. flew a little too fast for me. I would have liked this part of the story to be a little longer.

All the characters are perfectly flawed, which makes all the interactions so interesting. The ending is left open ended so there could be a possibility of a third book in this series. I’d definitely read it if there was.

This book is the second book in the Runaway Train series. This book begins where the last book ended. This book centers around 17 year old Nico. Nico is leaving her home in LA and going on tour with a band called Grenade Bouquets. Her boyfriend, Evan, is part of the band and Nico will be singing just a few songs on the tour as the lead singer, Clarissa, is back from Italy.

Nico’s middle name is Drama as she and Clarissa are both vying for Evan’s attention. During a concert, things get out of hand between the two ladies but that incident starts a rolling boulder that ends with an offer of a recording contract.

Fame is what Nico thinks she wants, but as her drinking increases, her friends are few, and tension in the band rose, she must decide what her future will hold.

This book is set in 1994-1995 and focuses on the grunge music scene. Every chapter also has a song title that heads it. I wasn’t into grunge music and in that time frame, I was an 8th grade English teacher, pregnant with my first child and staring 30 hard in the face. I actually spent time looking up the lyrics of several of the songs and I plan on listening to the songs as this week progresses. I feel like this book does a great job with the atmosphere of that time period in that music genre.

Even though the main characters are teenagers, this also has a very adult feel because of the emotions that Nico is facing and of course the time setting.

I really liked this one and liked not only the story itself, I liked the underlying story of the evolution of music in the 1990s. I like the way the characters’ continue to evolve! I’m hopeful that the this series will continue.

I adored Runaway Train and now I adore Grenade Bouquets too. This book is a flashback to the 90's for me and I loved reliving those moments. The young love angst, the mosh pits and the culture of the grunge music scene, flannel and Doc Martens, friendships made and lost along the way, artists gone too soon. The author captures the spirit of those days beautifully and it was an amazing ride for a Daughter of the 90's. You'll want to read this to understand the journey.

Goldberg sends his readers into the unknowns of famous life and teenage addiction and angst in this new installment of the Runaway Train series.

After I read Runaway Train, I thought that was it for Nico and Evan and Kristin, but then Goldberg surprised me. I could not turn away this book. The loss, guilt, and beauty of these characters blow me away. This is a book where I feel transformed. I feel like I can conquer another day like Winter, Jeremy, Nico, and all the other characters have. I love Goldberg's ability to make these side characters their own people that have their own voices and actually have a place in the story. It is remarkable to see how this story can fit into real life with the importance of certain people in your life, but also the fallout of other relationships.

Goldberg never fails to blow me away! 5/5 stars! Totally recommend for more grunge, hope, and love!

**Thank you NetGalley for giving me a free copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

“Grenade Bouquets” was a great continuation to “Runaway Train,” and I enjoyed revisiting Nico as she tours with her band.

What struck me out about the story is how different it was from “Runaway Train.” The author takes the account to a new level to see the hardships and complexities Nico faces with the band and how the limelight affects their relationships. I enjoyed the drama between Nico and Clarissa as they fight over Evan. It was interesting to see if Nico and Evan’s relationship would withstand the story as they go through many ups and downs.

However, the highlight of the story was Nico and Winter. Considering that these two were besties in the previous novel, I was shocked to see how their friendship gets rocky in this one. Nevertheless, their scenes had me glued to the pages and were my favorite part of the story.

Some of my favorite scenes were when Nico meets Winter and tries to reach through with her. I also liked the part when the band participates in the interview. Once again, the author did a fantastic job with the pop-culture references, similar to book 1. I felt as though I was re-living the 90s with 90210 and Ace of Base.

However, while I loved how the story distinguishes itself from the first book, I missed some elements. For instance, I enjoyed “Runaway Train” for the emotional trauma Nico goes through regarding Kristen’s death and her parent’s separation. The first book also felt like a beautiful adventure ride. But in Grenade Bouquets, I thought that these themes were missing as they focused highly on drama.

Nevertheless, “Grenade Bouquets” is an excellent sequel to “Runaway Train,” and I can’t wait to read more books by the author!

The year is 1994 and alternative music was all the rage. Nico is on summer break and she and the band are on tour in Las Vegas. A music producer notices her and Grouch Records made them an offer for their first song that Nico wrote about her dead sister. The record went up to #9 in the charts! They were stars, however things get complicated when the band members don’t see eye to eye.
This is the second book in the series and the way it was left, I think there will be a book 3 and I can’t wait to see if Nico can make it big on her own.

Nico's life just became a whole lot better when her parents agreed to let her take the summer of 1995 and go on tour with her boyfriend's band, The Grenade Bouquets as a backup singer. Evan's ex-girlfriend, Clarissa is the lead singer of the band and is putting out major jealousy vibes; however, Nico's presence on stage is astounding and gets the band noticed by a record executive. Soon, Grenade Bouquets are in the recording studio and on the radio and Nico is a real life Rockstar. Life as a Rockstar isn't as easy as it sounds as Nico is dealing with issues on all sides.



Grenade Bouquets is an ode to the 1990's and perfectly captures the feel of the 90's and the emerging Grunge and Alternative Rock scenes. Grenade Bouquets is the second book in the Runaway Train series, and I would recommend reading book one before to understand Nico and her past. Once again, I absolutely loved that the chapters titles were song tracks from the year that the book was set in. This led me on a deep nostalgia trip as well as perfectly setting the tone for the chapter. I felt like I was rejoining Nico's life as I read Grenade Bouquets, her life exploding suddenly in a roller coaster of new highs, lows, challenges, and feats while trying to navigate life as a teenager while in a famous band. Nico's emotions are real and raw as she deals with normal teenage issues along with the pressures of navigating stardom and a music career. I loved that she still wanted to connect with her friends at home and cared for her friend, Winter as she went through her own trauma. I was surprised by Nico's actions with Clarissa and how little consequence there was to her actions. The ending was emotional and well thought out. I can't wait to see what is in store for Nico next.





This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Well Nico, we meet again! I loved Goldberg's first book, Runaway Train, and reviewed it back in April of this year. We didn't have to wait too long for the next installment and I was excited to find out what Nico has been up to since finishing her road trip of self discovery.

This picks up where the first book left off. Nico has grown into herself and seems to know exactly what she wants in life. She has her life together again and has goals. Her parents agree to let her go on tour with the band for the summer and Nico is excited to be on the road and singing, not to mention she gets to tour with her new boyfriend who is also in the band!

As the tour progresses and the band starts to get noticed, the dynamics between band members start to change. The prospect of fame and fortune can make or break a person, and emotions between them all run high. Nico goes through a whole new wave of self discovery in this novel and while I loved book one, the plot of this book was pretty predicable.

Don't get me wrong, this was a wild, raw, emotional ride but the entire premise of a 17 year old teenager given permission to join the grunge music world without parental or even adult supervision just seemed odd to me. This was a girl who just ran away in the last book, now her parents are like "yeah, pack up and travel in a crappy van to sing lead for a band you just met"... It just didn't sit right with me and was on the back of my mind the entire time.

The characters from the first book fill the pages of this book too. The author did a wonderful job with continuing to grow them out for the reader. We get to know the bandmates a bit more and hear some backstories about how music came to be big in their lives. The plot moves quickly though, and there were times I wish we could just pause and be in the moment- get more details about what the characters went through and how they felt instead of just breezing through what felt like a big moment.

I will admit that I was not not a fan of Nico for most of this book. I too was once a teenage girl in the 90s, but just could not relate to most of Nico's choices and actions. I know this is a time of self discovery and exploration, but Nico was downright hateful, selfish, and so immature most of the time (which added to my "where are her parents" thoughts) that it got old reading about her bad choices she makes while drinking and doing drugs.

You will need to be ready to create and/or add songs to your 90s playlist while reading! Every chapter is named after a song and band from the 90s. I was surprised that there were a couple I had forgotten about and went to immediately add to my Apple playlist! The nostalgia in this book is just as high as it was in the first book. 90s references of music, clothing, and even movies and tv shows will leave you longing for your teen years again.

The ending... just didn't satisfy. Things felt too up in the air and I look forward to seeing if book number 3 is in the works!

It took me less than a day to finish this book so I did enjoy it and recommend reading both books! "Grenade Bouquets" is out today, August 5, 2021, so get it now! You won't be disappointed.

Thanks to Netgalley and Wise Wolf Books for allowing me an advanced e-copy to read and give my honest review. It was a 4 star read for me!

Happy Reading!

Lee Matthew Goldberg does it again! Another grungy, angsty, coming-of-age story that I devoured in less than two days.

Seventeen year old Nico is still reeling from her sister Kristen’s death. While she is doing better a year later, Kristen’s tragic death still has a hold on Nico and sometimes causes her depression and anger to flare, making bad decisions along the way.

Now touring with her new band, Grenade Bouquets, Nico is making her way in the music industry, becoming a rock star seemingly overnight. The only thing standing in her way is Clarissa, her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend and current lead singer in Grenade Bouquets. But with Nico’s confidence building the more they perform, she has a plan to get Clarissa out of her way for good.

Can Nico keep up the rock star life and keep her bandmates and boyfriend happy? Is she too obsessed with potential fame and money to truly see what is best for the band? And when tension rises between bandmates, is Nico strong enough to ward off her previous dependence on drugs and alcohol?

Book two of the Runaway Train series was a bit slower paced than the first, and a bit more repetitive because of the tour and performances, but it still packed a punch. I felt like Nico was more grounded and predictable this time, but she still had her moments where it felt like she might explode. Everything would build up until she just unleashed it all, and then would go on a bender with pot and alcohol and make waves with her bandmates. All the while she is touring, her best friend back home, Winter, is getting in with the wrong crowd and making her own terrible decisions, shutting Nico out in the process. Nico is trying to deal with her new-found fame and how to process what feels like the loss of her best friend at the same time.

I really loved that Nico was still the same angsty, tough, yet vulnerable girl that we met in book one. I think she had grown up a little bit, but she was still on the verge of explosion ay any given moment. She was created as a very real character, her flaws were always front and center throughout both books, and her decision making was very on-point for a teenager.

Like book one, every chapter in Grenade Bouquets was titled as a song from a mix tape. I felt like the songs were very accurate for what was happening in the chapters, and it was a form of foreshadowing if you were familiar with the song. I think this is very clever and unique and makes this book stand out.

I could continue gushing about this book (and series) but I think it would just be best for you to read them yourself. These coming-of-age stories are packed full of adventure and mishap and bad decisions, but it is a wild ride that you do not want to miss! I don’t necessarily think that you need to read them in order, they could be stand-alone novels, but I think it would be more beneficial to the back story to read them in order.

Overall, I would recommend this book. Another fast read and bomb waiting to explode, you need to add this to your TBR. 4 stars.

Grenade Bouquets is a love letter to 90s grunge music. The follow-up to Runaway Train, it can be read as a standalone, I definitely suggest reading Runaway Train first, so you have a better background of Nico's journey, plus how she came to join Grenade Bouquets.

Grenade Bouquets picks up where Runaway Train leaves off, with Nico meeting up with the band to tour the country in a VW van. With a new recording deal and tour schedule, Nico starts to quickly unravel, spiraling further into self destruction with drugs and booze over her feud with fellow lead singer Clarissa. To top it off, she is still trying to deal with the grief of her sister’s death. Despite having massive star power, her off stage antics are catching up to her, putting the band’s future in jeopardy.

While the first book leaves Nico in a good place, being thrust back into the spotlight, especially as a high school year before the era of cell phones and social media, she quickly succumbs to self-inflicted pressure to always perform. Coupled with the grueling recording and touring schedule, the spotlight Nico craves is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it makes her feel alive, but on the other hand, it also leads her to destructive behavior. I love how the book shined a light on the pressures of fame, especially on young stars in the 90s. It's the ultimate story of survival and figuring out what you truly want.

Thank you to the author and Suzy Approved Book Tours for the gifted copy.

If you are anything like me, you'd have loved the first one of these and hoping that beloved Nico is doing OK.
It picks up quite quickly after the 1st and Nico is going on tour!
I would say on this occasion, I think you are better off reading book1 before this one as you'll get more out of it,
Packed with the music references that we all know and loved from last time but Nico goes on less of a metaphorical journey this time and more of a physical one.
Loved the old characters coming back and felt like I was re-joining old friends.
Good story, less drama than the 1st but some great moments.