ARC Review: Rebound (Boomerang #2)

Title/Author: Rebound by Noelle August

Publication Date/Publisher: February 10, 2015/William Morrow Paperbacks

Series: Boomerang #2

Source and Format:
I received this book for free from the publisher. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Rating: 2 stars

From Goodreads:

Adam Blackwood has it all. At twenty-two, he’s fabulously wealthy, Ryan Gosling-hot and at the top of the heap in the business world. His life is perfect, until a scandal from his past resurfaces and knocks the tech wunderkind down, throwing his company, Boomerang, a hook-up site for millennials, into chaos.

Three years ago, Adam married his high school love—and then lost her in a tragic accident. Now, the heartbreak and guilt he’s tried to bury with work and women begins to take over his life.

Alison Quick, the twenty-one-year-old daughter of a business tycoon—and the very ex-girlfriend of Boomerang’s former intern, Ethan—has a problem of her own. She’s got one chance to prove to her father that she deserves a place in his empire by grabbing control of Boomerang and taking Adam down.

But as Alison moves in on him, armed with a cadre of lawyers and accountants, she discovers there’s much more to Adam and Boomerang than meets the eye. Will earning her father’s approval come at the price of losing her first real love? It appears so, unless Adam can forgive her for wrecking his life and trying to steal his livelihood. But Alison hopes that old adage is right. Maybe love can conquer all.

I was pretty excited for Rebound, but it just didn’t live up to my expectations.

Boomerang was really cute and sexy in the forbidden love story, and Rebound is the exact same story, but at an executive level. Which ramps it up to executive level problems that could easily be solved or even avoided with some entry level communication.

Here’s the thing. Adam is 23 and Alison is 22 but really they’re 35 year olds. It’s the only thing that makes sense – you don’t just get that kind of life experience (even extreeeeemely privileged life experience) when you’re that young. Adam believes his drive and business acumen got him where he is ($$), and has probably never thought that it has anything to do with the fancy education his parents paid for and the opportunities that would present him. I couldn’t get a handle on Alison at all – she appears to still live at home and rely on Daddy to buy her horses…but I don’t remember her ever actually being at the house. She communicates with her father strictly through texts messages if they’re not in the same room or on the same yacht.

The “forbidden romance” is too forbidden and takes way to long to get going. If Alison and Adam are apart, they’re thinking about each other. If they’re together, they’re thinking about each other while flirting. JUST ACT LIKE THE 35 YEAR OLDS YOU ARE! So far in my life, I’ve never told someone to “put their tongue back in my mouth”, so I can only imagine that’s going to be a future like…like in 6 or so years when I am the same secret age as these two?

I’m probably done with this series. I imagine subsequent books will be more of this exact same story and I’ve already read it at least twice.

Coffee Talk: Authors With Multiple Names

(Disclaimer: I wrote this several weeks ago, so while my thoughts still apply, my main point may seem a little behind the times.)

 

If you haven’t already heard, Katie Finn is Morgan Matson and she is the reason for today’s Coffee Talk.

I, for one, am not crazy about all these authors using different names. If I like your books, I want to be able to find more of your books. This is quite a departure from Second Chance Summer, Since You’ve Been Gone, and Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour, so I can’t help but think authors are trying to keep their fans from their work, especially if some of it might be deemed inferior.

When I don’t like it: It makes a little bit of sense to me when the author goes the NA route, like Diana Peterfreund or Veronica Rossi (for example) have done. I appreciate that they made big announcements saying they were publishing books under other names so the information was accessible. Not like with Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things To Mend where it was like a big guessing game until you went to Katie Finn’s goodreads page or website and it was obviously a picture of Morgan Matson. She has written several books under that name that I’ve never heard of, and now I have no inclination to read them because of my feelings towards Broken Hearts.

Another, and perhaps most recognizable, example is Jennifer Armentrout, or J. Lynn, Jennifer L. Armentrout, or whatever other combination of names she writes under. She puts her full name WITH the alias, so I’m extremely perplexed as to WHAT IS EVEN THE POINT of that. I’ve read one of her books and I didn’t much care for it so I would not be interested in reading her other books under her other names – even the much fawned over Lux series.

The Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant Conundrum: Because I’m only familiar with the Mira Grant titles, I have no desire to read Seanan McGuire’s work under that name because there’s got to be a reason to keep the work separate right? Even if it’s well known that they’re the same person, I feel like it’s taking too big a chance. If they all the work was similar in scope and style and terrificness (I LOOOOVED Newsflesh series and tore through last years Parasite), they would all be under the same name.

I mean, if Neil Gaiman started producing works under an alias, I would still read the crap out of them. As it is, he writes adult books, graphic novels, middle grade, AND children’s books all under one name. It’s name that carries more weight in the publishing world than others mentioned, but it’s easy to find – if not easy to sort through such a collection.

I’m interested in what other people think about this. What do you like or dislike about authors using multiple names? Would an alias stop you from reading your favorite author?

 

ARC Review: Boomerang

Title/Author: Boomerang by Noelle August

Publication Date/Publisher: July 15, 2014/William Morrow Paperbacks

Series: Yes, Boomerang #1

Source and Format: Received advanced copy from publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review

Rating: 4 stars

From Goodreads:

Welcome to Boomerang.com, the dating site for the millennial gen with its no-fuss, no-commitments matchups, and where work is steamier than any random hook-up

Mia Galliano is an aspiring filmmaker. Ethan Vance has just played his last game as a collegiate soccer star. They’re sharp, hungry for success, and they share a secret.

Last night, Ethan and Mia met at a bar, and, well . . . one thing led to another, which led to them waking up the next morning—together. Things turned awkward in a hurry when they found themselves sharing a post hookup taxi . . . to the same place: Boomerang headquarters.

What began as a powerful connection between them is treated to a cold shower courtesy of two major complications. First, Boomerang has a strict policy against co-worker dating. And second, they’re now competitors for only one job at the end of summer.

As their internships come to an end, will they manage to keep their eyes on the future and their hands off each other, or will the pull of attraction put them right back where they started?

Mia wakes up in an unfamiliar apartment and M.I.A. (haha!) underwear. She doesn’t remember the name of her new friend, or what exactly they got up to last night. Ethan isn’t faring much better, but at least he remembers Mia’s name.

Boomerang opens on an incredibly awkward morning after that just keeps going. Ethan and Mia both have somewhere to be for a new job early in the morning, and share a cab…to the same address. They’re about to be co-interns at Boomerang, a new online dating site just for getting that rebound out of the way. Which is what they both just did last night.

Boomerang is SO CUTE. It’s NA where the focus is on the storyline and not just sexual encounters – though there are at least two! (And now we know what Perry and Aria are getting up to…I mean, what?)

It’s mostly a fun, light romance but I shed some tears. I love the rich cast – Mia and Ethan’s families and friends are fully fleshed out characters and more than anything, I loved Mia’s friends/roommates. I love their closeness and was completely envious of their bond.

Boomerang is going to be a great read for the beach or poolside – blame your flushed cheeks on getting too much sun.

(I’m kind of sad that boomerang.com is not an actual tie-in site.)

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books in My Beach Bag

This week, The Broke and the Bookish is asking for the Top Ten Books in my Beach bag this Summer. I recently posed about recent releases YOU need for summer, but here’s what I’ll have in my beach bag…or, on my kindle in my beach bag. I’m going for a little bit of everything: NA, fantasy series, re-tellings.

• Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo: I ordered a special edition that won’t ship until 6/17 but BN ALREADY CHARGED ME FOR IT even though they say they won’t charge until it ships. Liars. Anywaaaay, I have big plans for me, Sturmhond, and the puppy pool on my patio.
• Boomerang by Noelle August: Veronica Rossi + internet dating! I’m there!
• Get Even by Gretchen McNeil: I think this is going to be the hit I need from Gretchen McNeil – prep school and secret societys are practically a home run in my mind.
• Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard: series binge! A good series binge is one of my favorite things in life. I love it so much I’ll do it at least twice this summer…
• The Courier’s Daughter by CJ Redwine: series binge!
• Wild by Alex Mallory: I can’t even form coherent thoughts about how excited I am for this Tarzan retelling.
• Kiss Kill Vanish by Jessica Martinez: Murder mysteries are perfect for summer!
• Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang: Early reviews are in and I CAN’T WAIT to be emotionally destroyed.
• Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant: “He offers the wicked a game. If they win, they go free. If they lose, they will live their greatest fear. Either way, their sanity will be challenged.” YESSSSSSS
• Exquisite Captive by Heather Demetrios: The Art of Wishing fell flat for me, so I’m ready for a jinni book that will sweep me off my feet.