Schuss by E. J. Noyes.

Thank you Netgalley and Bella books for an e-book arc for an unbiased review.

This is the first book I've read by EJ Noyes, although it is an author I've seen around. This is a YA book, and reading it you can tell immediately it is aimed very much at the late teens, early 20's age bracket.
There is the expected teenage drama, some light angst, and ultimately romance.
The story is told from different POVs.

Overall this story works as it is supposed to. My biggest gripe was the need to reflect too often on 'what if this messes up our friendship' that went on to begin with. It would've been more frustrating had it been drawn out more, but I still felt it was tedious after a while.

I did like that once they had got past the friendship worries, they didn't fall straight into a harmonious relationship. No matter how well you know someone, it takes time to further that process of relationship change. That means it can have the odd bump, and the story reflected that, without being overly dramatic.

I also liked the other relationships through the story, not least Stacey and Gemma's mothers. It brought in a solid storyline outside of just Stacey and Gemma.

We could easily have a sequel to this book. In fact in some ways, I feel it would be an ideal story to continue, to see where they go, how they continue to handle aspects of their lives.

Overall, this book does exactly what it sets out to do. But for the initial reasoning on possibly losing the friendship, that dragged just a little too much for me, I would give it 5 stars. So a solid 4/5 stars 🌟

If you’ve read Gold, you know about Gemma (Cate’s adorable daughter) and Stacey (ski sensation coached by Aspen). In Schuss we get their story, which picks up 4 years after “Gold” and so the first thing I realized was that this was definitely going to be in the new adult / YA territory.

The first person writing always takes me a while to settle into and in this one Noyes offers up both Gemma’s POV and Stacey’s too. Noyes does a good job in keeping the voices and tone different enough to recognize the brash and cocky Stacey vs the thoughtful and calm Gemma. This is a friends to lovers romance and Noyes takes her time establishing how close Gemma and Stacey are as friends and how important they are to each other.
Also I loved the little glimpses of the MCs from Gold - Aspen and Cate. Their interactions, wonderful parenting moments and the hilarious “tips” scene was some of my favorites in this book.

Even though YA books are not always my go to - I do enjoy them for all the angsty drama and big feelings. So while the characters and the voice were spot on, I did feel that this one read a little too teenage angst for my personal preference. This is definitely a slow burn and the “I don’t want to lose our friendship“ hand wringing did go on for a lot longer than I would have liked, but the intimate scenes were really sweetly done. The drama in the angst portion of the story felt a little blown out of proportion, but the resolution was classic Noyes - full of heart and emotion. 🥰

I absolutely adore all of Noyes’ work and while this didn’t quite work for me - If you love NA romance with a side of angsty drama (which by the way suits the setting of the book) this should definitely be on your TBR.

Thank you NetGalley and Bella Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another work of art by one of the most brilliant authors in the genre. I am not normally a fan of YA/NA, but I totally enjoyed the relationship between Stacey and Gemma. They each have been in love with each other forever but were afraid of ruining their friendship. I absolutely adored reliving my senior year in high school with Gemma, following along on Stacey's training journey, catching up with The Moms, and The Talk.

A new release from E.J. Noyes is truly an event to be anticipated and savored ... then just try not to read it in one sitting.

Those who have read Gold would know Gemma had her eyes on Stacey and four years later, the girls take centre stage in Schuss. Crushing on your best friend is difficult, especially when said best friend is an in-demand, hot and attractive sports celebrity. Best friends are to be kept for life but as Gemma matures and her feelings intensify, wishing away her attraction could save their friendship but what if Stacey has something to say about it?

The story was told through points of views of Gemma and Stacey and is there anything E.J Noyes can’t write? Being young adults, their thought processes, behaviours and emotion handling skills were convincing and on point. Though the romance is sweet and low on angst, it is a good fit for younger readers. There are also all kinds of good representations of love here. Aspen and Cate who are still very much in love, Aspen who is a loving and supportive stepmother to Gemma and the young and first love of Gemma and Stacey.

I just reviewed Schuss by E.J Noyes. Thank you NetGalley and Bella Books for the ARC.

Noyes has offered us a sequel to her much loved novel, Gold and although I highly recommend reading Gold for its entertainment value, it is not necessary to understand Shuss. 

This is a new adult story told by twenty year old Stacey, an Olympic medal skier and her eighteen year old best friend Gemma who is the introverted daughter of her coach. We are given both their points of view to tell the story of first love.

I know that I will be in the minority but I could not get invested in Stacey or Gemma and their story. There was something off putting about their speaking voice. It was too childish for the serious content which resulted in a serious disconnect for me.

I am a huge fan of Noyes and understand this novel is not aimed for my age group. I am positive that younger readers will embrace this novel.

I received a free advance review copy from Bella Books through NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Four years have passed since Aspen and Cate’s happily ever after in Gold, and their daughter Gemma is (almost) all grown up. Eighteen, and only months from graduating from high school, life is great. She knows she wants to be a filmmaker and not to be too far from her family and her BFF.

Stacey, Aspen’s young protégé is a ski superstar, with the fans and followers watching her every move. Her confidence and swagger get her anything she wants, and she is used to calling the shots. Her life is dedicated to her sport, and in her spare time, the only person she wants to spend time with is Gemma, her best friend.
Being best friends has never felt like enough though, and when both women admit to harbouring real feelings of love towards the other, they begin to navigate the rocky path of first love, sex, celebrity and other people’s expectations.

Stacey and Gemma are awesome, and together they seem perfect. They do hit a few obstacles, of course, otherwise, the story would be boring, but they work through them, and we don’t even have to sit through the sometimes painful miscommunication trope.

E.J. Noyes gives the readers a look back into Aspen and Cate’s life which is a bonus because they are two characters who readers are sure to still be asking questions about. Getting a glimpse into their way of parenting Gemma, and even Aspen’s role as Stacey’s coach opened the story up to be visible from more than the two young women’s perspectives.

Schuss is a beautiful follow-up to Gold, and choosing to base it on Gemma and Stacey was genius.

A cute read about some very young adults. Believable drama based on their youth and inexperience. It was nice revisiting some familiar characters but reading this mostly made me want to go back and re-read Gold (again!), to spend more time with our beloved Aspen and Cate.

Noyes is a master writer. I’m sure she does amazing research because there is never a misstep about her locations or sports she writes about. I’ve live hours from Beaver Creek, Golden, Veil and other places mentioned and I never have to pause and think something isn’t correct. Schuss is a YA/NA novel with a best friends to more romance. The characters were younger teens in Gold (2018).

Stacey Evans is 20 and already an Olympic medalist in Alpine ski racing. She loves and is dedicated to the sport that has her competing or training full time. Gemma Archer is 18 and a few weeks from graduating high school. Her step mom Aspen is Stacey’s coach. (Aspen and Cate are the love interests from Gold.) Both girls have big LOVE feelings for each other but neither wants to upset the best friend relationship. When Stacey breaks up with her latest it may finally be time to give their feelings a chance.

This is a very typical YA/NA romance. The story covers a fews in time is told alternating from both POV’s. I did get a little weary of how many times I read the concerns of not wanting to mess up their best friend relationship. But once they make the decision I love that everything doesn’t go smoothly. There are bumps in the road as they transition to being in a relationship. This is minimal angst but feels so much bigger as this is first real relationship for both.

Highlights for me include The Talk from the moms and the maternal letter. The love, communication and awkwardness is perfect. Stacey’s mom also is great with supportive advice. Gemma is one of the most self aware introverts I’ve ever read. The communication she exhibits with Stacey and her parents is beyond her years. Noyes handles the intimacies and consent so sweetly. There is only two years age difference but that bubble of almost adult with someone who has traveled the world is a leap.

Without a future epilogue this book screams for a sequel down the road. I want to know if they’ve stay together and if they achieve their individual goals and dreams. And if Noyes writes it, I will line up to read it, or anything else she writes in the mean time. Thank you to NetGalley and Bella Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Big fan of E.J Noyes, I enjoy almost all her books in one way or another. One thing that she always succeeds in is making me like stories that aren't usually told in my preferred styled.

First-person stories with ditsy inner monologues do not really fit into my library but somehow Noyes just sneaks in and always gives me a fine read.

Stacey is in love with her best friend Gemma and her best friend Gemma is in love with her. A very classic best-friends-to-lovers trope with little specialization but nevertheless, entertaining writing.

In terms of plot, as I've mentioned, Noyes didn't bring anything drastically new to the trope but she does give us playful entertaining characters and a truckload of awkward cuteness. I would go a little bit to say that the book may have added a nuance take to the trope with the inclusion of social media and such.

Now with characters, I gravitated more toward Gemma. She was a very caring and all-around wholesome character with good intentions. Stacey is not at that level, she makes a few questionable choices and didn't really take responsibility for her part in them. They had good chemistry together, though a few more scenes with them and solely that chemistry free from conflict and nervousness would've gone a long way in cementing my faith in that relationship. I find it hard to imagine them actually staying together outside where the story leaves us.

Overall, this book was a fine read though I was left feeling unsatisfied. At the end of the last chapter, I found myself legitimately taken aback by it being the last chapter.

Do I recommend it? Sure. It makes a fine short read if you're busy and don't have time to catch up on complicated plots.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for the honest review.

Schuss is a follow-up to the story told in Gold, one of my favorites by EJ Noyes. Gemma Archer and Stacey Evans are best friends who both want more from each other but are afraid to reveal their true feelings not wanting to jeopardize their friendship. They each are going through life's hurdles and being young adults trying to plan futures in uncertain circumstances makes it all the more complicated.
This was a great excuse to re-read Gold and get to know Gemma in a new light now that she's a bit older. These two are very mature for their age but also still growing up which made for some interesting interactions. I really loved revisiting Cate and Aspen and seeing them act as parental figures for both Gemma and Stacey. Throwing in Stacey's successful career as an alpine ski racer kept me entertained as she navigated the training, races and her blossoming celebrity. I always love books by EJ Noyes but this one was special in allowing us to get a glimpse of the future of some of our favorite characters and I'll be first in line if there are any more additions to the mix.

With high expectations I started the new E.J. Noyes novel Schuss. Just last week I reread the connected book Gold, which is one of my favorites of Noyes, but who am I kidding they are almost all favorites. So, I dropped everything else and immediately started reading Schuss and it was once again an excellent read.
The two MCs in this book are already introduced in Gold and get their own YA/NA romance. Luckily also Aspen and Cate, the two MCs in Gold also reappear in Schuss. The writing is of high quality as usual and if you’re looking for a sports themed low angst YA/NA book with sizzling chemistry, and yes, even some relatively steamy scenes for a YA/NA book, look no further.

This book can be read as a standalone, but if you’re planning on reading both then I recommend to read them in order as Schuss does contain some spoilers about Gold. Time wise this book is about three years after Gold with Gemma (18) now about to graduate from high school and start college, and Stacey (20) who has just won her first Olympic medal.

Stacey and Gemma are best friends and from page one it’s clear they both want to be more than that but are afraid of their friendship and how it could mess up so much more if it doesn’t work out due to their connection to Aspen (who’s Gemma’s mom and Stacey’s coach). I already indicated that for me the chemistry between them was the best aspect of the book, and ow all the pining. There is some great parenting too, go Aspen and Cate! I also loved reading about Stacey’s training. I don’t know what it is, but it’s so satisfying to read about people who drive themselves to their limits while realizing you’re being a total couch potato yourself in the same moment.

The romance is rather straightforward with typical YA/NA insecurities and some light drama. For my personal preferences I would have liked to see a little bit more happening. When I start a new book by Noyes I’m expecting something extra, a twist, some action, angst or drama, and while this book was an excellent read as always, it missed that extra factor for me that would make it 5 stars. But if you prefer a lighter book, this might very well be that 5-star read, so go check it out! Connected to the YA/NA trope the ending can be interpreted as HEA or HFN. I for one would like to read more about these two a couple years down the road.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

'Arc provided by both NetGalley and The Publisher (Bella Books) in exchange for a honest review'

**'Words in any story means something unless they have some kinda truth to them plus those same words should be used in telling a good story..'

4.5stars!
In 'SCHUSS' an additional or follow-up story to E.J.'s previously well written 'GOLD' book, Noyes cleverly and powerfully branch out into telling how the romance between Stacey and Gemma started -- from the very beginning through their ups, downs, close friendship, honesty, underlying intimate feelings and the surprising parental support of Aspen & Cate --- who's intuitiveness aided aside from readers getting a brief glimpse at how after being married for 3+ years their life was flourishing.
But this story was more focus on the development of young Love, trust, innocence, family, education, rigorous sports training, fail relationships etc. etc. etc.. while it's also largely well written from the first chapter and onward.
By the time readers finish this book, they will almost certainly be mesmerized by their (Stacey & Gemma) shared intimacies and feels as if they have a connection to their ever evolving romantic relationship. Furthermore, because of those few dramatic moments, they will also be enamored over 'SCHUSS's' delectable intricacies long after turning the last page.
Another highly recommended book from E.J. Noyes!

This is a story about Olympic bronze medal skier Stacy and her best friend Gemma. Gemma’s mom Cate and her wife Aspen Archer who we met in Noyes’ book Gold, are back in this book. This is a YA book where both Stacy and Gemma have romantic feeling for each other and each are afraid to tell the other because they might lose their friendship.

This book had very mild angst and lots of teenage drama. I thought Gemma was a bit immature in her reactions to Stacy’s career obligations and celebrity status. But they were a cute couple and had great feels for each other.

ARC received from Net Galley for an honest and voluntary review.

Another 5-star read from E.J. Noyes. I love that Stacy and Gemma were given their own book, best friends to lovers done right! Plus, appearances from Aspen and Cate. Stacy and Gemma were adorable together and I enjoyed seeing their transition from friends to more. Will highly recommend this one.

I was excited to read this book since I finished Gold a few months back. In my review for Gold I said Noyes can’t do anything wrong and I maintain that. Schuss will be a little different because it’s a YA romance between two friends. We witnessed the beginning of Stacey and Gemma’s friendship in Gold and now we get to see how they navigate they friendship and the growing feelings they find hard to ignore. Added bonus that we get to see Cate and Aspen rocking parenthood (and their relationship). I am, not so secretly, hoping for another book in this series.
Free ARC from Bella via NetGalley

I am hoping for a sequel to this. Perhaps showing their lives together after they’ve established their respective careers.
I was not sure if I would like this as it is about an almost college student and a young Olympian medallist. So very young. I usually prefer my MCs a bit more mature. I like the author which is why I wanted to read it. It did have two characters (the mothers of the student) from another book which I’d liked.
This was a story about two BFFs who fall in love and how they come together. An enjoyable read with hardly any angst.

When I say I woke up during the night thinking about this book, my under eye bags proved it. E.J. Noyes has this way of writing characters that you get completely absorbed into. When we were left with that Gemma and Stacey cliffhanger in Gold, I was hoping we’d get their story and it was phenomenal.

Aspen and Cate giving Gemma advice and then the maternal note…genius. Definitely won’t spoil anything in the note but it was mastery at its finest. Speaking of, I can’t recall a book I’ve read that included so much of the not so sexy parts around being intimate, no matter the ages of the MCs. It really shined a light on the reality of all of that and was beautifully done.

Then the skiing references that were woven in were superb. I won’t lie, I googled “Schuss” when the book title was revealed (I had forgotten about the bar name until I reread Gold prior to this) and the different ways it was used in this book, so good. Also, now I want to book a trip to go skiing for the first time.

To conclude this lengthy review: buy this book when it comes out on November 17, read this book and enjoy the schuss down.