Rebound Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

REBOUND
Boomerang #2
Noelle August
Contemporary New Adult
288 pages
William Morrow
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY
At Boomerang, one night can change everything…

Noelle August has taken the New Adult genre by storm, and readers can’t wait to see what chaos, confusion, and connections arise at the Boomerang offices next.

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

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. After nearly flunking out in her senior year of college, she has one chance to redeem herself to her father by proving that she deserves a place in his corporate empire. That means spearheading her father’s plan to sink big money into Adam’s company and launch it into the stratosphere—provided Adam has no skeletons in his closet.

When the two meet, their sizzling chemistry makes it tough to keep things strictly professional. But when Alison discovers Adam’s secret, she knows she should bring it right to her father, who’ll leverage it for his own gain and use it to ruin Adam. The only problem: she’s falling for Adam—hard.

Will earning her father’s approval come at the price of losing her first real love? Or can Adam and Alison leave behind past mistakes and conquer the world—together?

MY THOUGHTS
Rebound takes everything that was successful about its predecessor and improves upon it, keeping the levity but deepening the emotional element as Ali and Adam struggle to get out from underneath the guilt of past actions. While there are plenty of light moments, thanks mostly to a team of standout secondary characters and an absolutely hilarious team building instructor, there's an extra layer of tension to this tale that wasn't present in Boomerang. It's easy to tell early on how things are going to go bad for our lead couple, the business partnership Adam is trying to form with Alison's father causing red flag after red flag to wave madly in our peripheral vision as we prepare to steel ourselves for the inevitable fallout. Luckily for us however, the team of Noelle August never allows their stories to be weighed down too heavily with drama and angst, freeing us from unnecessary entanglements and allowing all that's good about Adam and Ali to shine through.

Ali has some difficult hurdles to overcome in terms of earning reader affection given that cheating for many like myself is a nearly unforgivable offense, but Ali quickly proves she is so much more than a single mistake and it's impossible not to love her after just a few chapters. She never makes excuses for her past actions with Ethan, owning them completely and showing a great deal of remorse, but she also focuses on moving forward and making sure history never repeats itself. Adam is every bit as enjoyable as Ali, largely free of the ego that would typically accompany someone who's experienced the kind of success he has at so young an age, and though it takes him longer to cut free the ties keeping him tethered to his past, by the end he's embraced the totality of his life and is only looking to the future. The two of them together are sweet, vulnerable and oh-so sexy, ensuring they easily find their way onto our shelf of favorites.

In addition to an outstanding lead pair, Noelle August also gives us a cast of secondary characters who beautifully challenge the protagonists for their share of our love, nearly coming out on top a number of times. So many of them, Grey and Cookie in particular, clearly have stories to tell, and here's hoping this series sees them all have their moment in the limelight.

Rating: 4/5

Want a little more Adam and Ali? Then you're in luck because I have a short except to share:

Ali laughs. Her gaze feels like sunshine on my back, but I don’t turn around. I pull my wetsuit up to my waist, adjusting myself so I’m comfortable. The cool Neoprene layer feels familiar and my body responds, my heart thumping hard, anticipation rushing through my veins. The prospect of the ocean always does this to me. This has nothing to do with the girl behind me.

“Adam?”

Ali’s voice is close. Turning, I almost bump into her.

Her wetsuit is all the way on, which is good. And terrible.

“What’s up?” I ask.

She smells like suntan oil and peaches. This close, I see that her cheeks are turning slightly pink from the sun. With her hair pulled back, no makeup, and the wetsuit covering her completely, she looks better than she has all week at the office. Better than she did in the Catwoman costume. There’s something powerful about her now. The way her slender legs are planted firmly on the swaying boat, like she’s not trying at all. She’s at home on the water. This from an admitted equestrian. I can only imagine what she’s like with her horses.

“Sorry, but . . .” She smiles and points at her back. “My zipper’s jammed.” She turns around and pulls her ponytail up. “Can you help me out?”

“Sure. You want this on, right? Just want to be sure.”

I can’t see her face, but I know she’s smiling. “Yes. On please.”

I allow myself a moment to enjoy the way she looks right in front of me. Then I take the zipper leash, letting my knuckles drift over her back, just above the knot of her bikini.

If I weren’t completely focused on her, I’d have missed the way she curls slightly toward me.

Focus, Blackwood. Zip the wetsuit up.

Amazon • B&N • IndieBound

And get ready to Bounce in August of 2015 when the third book in Boomerang series releases!

• • • • • • • • • • • 

Question: What do you get when friends pen a story with heart, plenty of laughs, and toe-curling kissing scenes? Answer: Noelle August, the pseudonym for renowned editor and award-winning writer Lorin Oberweger and New York Times bestselling YA author Veronica Rossi, the masterminds behind the Boomerang series.

Website • Facebook • Twitter

• • • • • • • • • • •

GIVEAWAY

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Interview: Noelle August + Boomerang

I'm absurdly excited today to welcome Noelle August, also known as Veronica Rossi and Lorin Oberweger, to the blog to talk a little bit about their recent contemporary New Adult release, Boomerang. I couldn't have loved this book more, it was everything I've ever wished for in a New Adult novel and I can't wait to see what these two have in store for us next! If you're looking for a fun and flirty read, don't hesitate to add Boomerang to your lists. A huge thank you to Veronica and Lorin for taking the time to answer my questions, and I hope you all enjoy the interview!

Boomerang.com is a dating site for which both Ethan and Mia want to work. For those readers who have yet to meet the two of them, could they each share a few brief tidbits about themselves that might appear in their profiles with Boomerang if they were to create their own?

Sure! Ethan is a recent graduate of UCLA, where he was a forward on the soccer team. He's originally from Colorado Springs. He's around six foot one, brown haired and blue-eyed, smart, fun and easy-going--but when he wants something, he's very competitive and determined. He goes after it!

And Mia’s a recent graduate of Occidental College and absolutely obsessed with filmmaking. She wants to write screenplays and direct long form documentaries and other films. She’s a little shy of average height, curvy, with striking green eyes, and a crazy mess of curly hair that serves as a barometer of her mood. She’s bright, funny, and just as driven as Ethan—which makes for some fireworks between the two!

Anyone who’s had a summer job or internship usually walks away from it with a few stories to share. Do either of you have a fun/embarrassing/shocking internship or first-job related story?

Veronica: My first job was for a major television network in the publicity department. During big events, I was pretty much a slave to whatever star I'd be assigned to look after. We'd get these insane requests. I carried around one celebrity's dog for six hours. It wasn't even a small dog or a very nice one. And I had a friend who had to track down a ten-pound solid chocolate phone. In a day. Don't ask. It was nuts!

Lorin: In college, I spent a summer picking strawberries, along with my roommates. I think we made something like $1 a quart, and it took me about an hour to actually fill a quart container. Little kids used to come with their parents and just blaze down the fields, probably making ten times my hourly wage because they were a whole lot closer to the ground. And the berries made these awful little squeaks when you pulled them off the plant. Maybe my writerly imagination was a little too vivid for the job. I KNOW my writerly butt didn’t appreciate tumbling off the back of the truck that took us from field to field—something I managed on a twice weekly basis, at least.

If either of you were to find yourself in Mia’s shoes–hugely attracted to a co-worker in a situation where dating is against corporate policy–how hard/easy would it be to keep your interest under wraps?

Veronica: I'd think it would be really hard for me. I'm not very good at hiding how I feel!

Lorin: Impossible for me! Like Veronica, I’m no good at playing it cool. And I’ve also got a pretty developed subversive streak that makes me want to break the rules. :)

Writing as a team is sure to have a number of both benefits and challenges. What’s one thing each of you feels the other truly excels at when it comes to executing a cohesive story?

Veronica: Lorin has a real knack for writing these lovely dimensional, real characters. And she has a fantastic comedic style!

Lorin: Veronica brings a propulsive discipline to the process and is awesome at all aspects of fiction craft, especially creating wonderful, “shapely” scenes.

If Mia were to make a film about her life from the moment she met Ethan in the bar to the end of events in Boomerang, what would the tagline for that film be?

Life, love, and some questionable choices.

Let’s say we’re granted access to Boomerang’s files and find Ethan’s cover letter along with his application. What line of his cover letter would jump out at us as something that made the company sit up and take note of him?

If you give me this opportunity, you won't ever regret it.

If Ethan and Mia could summarize their time at Boomerang.com in a single word, what word would each of them use?

Ethan: Rewarding.

Mia: Hair-raising. :)

• • • • • • • • • • • 

BOOMERANG

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?

Goodreads • Amazon

• • • • • • • • • • •

NOELLE AUGUST

NOELLE AUGUST is an anagram for Veronica Rossi and Lorin Oberweger. Just kidding, it’s a pen name!

VERONICA ROSSI is the author of the New York Times Best-selling UNDER THE NEVER SKY trilogy for young adults. The books are available in more than thirty countries and the film rights have been optioned by Warner Bros.

Veronica completed undergraduate studies at UCLA and lives in Northern California with her husband and two sons. She is fond of dresses with pockets, fluffy dogs, and cheese and chocolate — but not together.

LORIN OBERWEGER began her storytelling career by captivating her first-grade class with tales of her summers on a kibbutz in Israel.

Lorin had never been to Israel.

While teacher/parent night put an end to her first experiments in fiction, she’d already caught the bug and eventually made a career of all things story.

As a long-time independent editor and story development guru, Lorin’s client successes range from small press publications to major bestselling novels. She’s an award-winning author and has also worked behind the scenes as a ghostwriter on a variety of projects. Her work has received starred Kirkus reviews and glowing mentions in The New York Times.

Oh, she did get to see a kibbutz, eventually, and found out she had it pretty much right all along.

Veronica and Lorin met at a writing workshop and just knew they were destined to create awesome things together. 

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Review: Boomerang

BOOMERANG
Boomerang #1
Noelle August
Contemporary New Adult
304 pages
William Morrow
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (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?

MY THOUGHTS
Boomerang is one of those reads that brings a smile to our faces and gets a laugh out of us with every chapter, the sheer cuteness of Ethan and Mia together ensuring the desire to start the book over again as soon as we finish is uniquely high. While romance is certainly the focus as things with Ethan and Mia progress–and hit a snag or two thanks to corporate policy and past relationship issues–everything about the two of them together feels utterly genuine, the well-known dramatics of the New Adult genre gloriously absent, and in their place we find humor, sexual tension, and maturity when it comes to communication.

Mia is as adorable as they come, her ability to adapt to a one night stand morning after situation impressive and her handling of both Ethan and her foggy memory absolutely delightful. She admits to not remembering certain things even as it pains her to do so, and with one notable (and understandable) exception, she lets Ethan know what's on her mind no matter how personal or slightly embarrassing it may be. When Boomerang's required “research” is put into effect, sending both Mia and Ethan out on separate dates at the same time, her jealousy mirrors our own and we can't help but smile as she gets increasingly irritated at being relegated to the sidelines when she wants nothing more than to be the one sitting opposite Ethan.

Ethan, for his part, is as personable as Mia, meeting her toe to toe in terms of wit and playing it charmingly cool through what could have been a miserably awkward situation. He banters with her easily, their humor well-matched to the benefit of all of us readers, finding his way into our hearts with little trouble despite a distinct lack of brooding, tattoos, or any other bad-boy staples to help him along. He's sweet and smart, and when things with Mia reach their breaking point, he allows his hurt to show without saying or doing anything exceedingly reckless that would only make their road back together that much longer and more painful.

Overall, Boomerang is pure fun, engaging from first page to last with a cast of characters who are driven yet don't take themselves so seriously that they can't poke fun at their own mistakes or inadequacies. It looks as though a companion novel is underway, and it simply cannot release fast enough for me.

Rating: 4/5

Find Noelle:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

  
*Be sure and stop by tomorrow as Veronica and Lorin (Noelle August) will be here answering questions!

Boomerang by Noelle August: Part 1 is FREE + A Giveaway!

Hey Everyone!

I just wanted to do a quick post this afternoon to let you know that part one of contemporary NA novel Boomerang by Noelle August (also known as Veronica Rossi and Lorin Oberweger) is now free for one week! The rest of the book will be released according to the below schedule:

June 24: Part 1 (Free)
July 1: Part 2 ($0.99)
July 8: Part 3 ($1.99) + Full Book ($2.99)

The hugely generous team at HarperCollins is also offering up a fabulous giveaway, so be sure and check the bottom of the post for those details. I couldn't be more excited for this book, so enjoy everyone!

BOOMERANG

Welcome to BOOMERANG, the hottest startup in the coolest city: Los Angeles, CA. Why? Because it’s about no-strings, no-fuss relationships for those on the rebound and those who crave connection without all the baggage of long-term promises. While it’s THE dating site for the millennial gen, their offices are even steamier than the hook-ups the website produces.

But that buzz is fading as Boomerang struggles to grow, the solution? Find two brilliant interns and give them a crack at turning this ship back to shore.

Enter MIA GALLIANO and ETHAN VANCE. These young strangers—Mia an aspiring filmmaker, and Ethan at the end of a collegiate sports career—are both bright and motivated. And for very different reasons, although they’re both hungry and way up for the challenge.

But things go wrong from day one. For one thing, Ethan and Mia aren’t strangers. The night before their stint at Boomerang begins, Ethan and Mia meet at a bar and fall into bed together. Or so they think. They’re both hazy on the details. They just know it’s aaaawkward when they share a post hookup taxi…to the same place.

Will the competition get to them, or do they have a future together? Find out come July!

• • • • • • • • • • •

GIVEAWAY

Three lucky winners will receive a copy of Boomerang, so enter via the Rafflecopter form below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: Boomerang by Noelle August

I'm super excited today to share with you the cover for Boomerang, the first installment of a new trilogy from William Morrow releasing in July. My excitement for today's post is twofold: One, I love covers in general so it's always fun for me to see a new design in all its glory, and two, Noelle August is the pen name for authors Lorin Oberweger and Veronica Rossi. I happen to be a complete Veronica Rossi fangirl, so I cannot wait to get my hands on Boomerang!

BOOMERANG

Welcome to BOOMERANG, the hottest startup in the coolest city: Los Angeles, CA. Why? Because it’s about no-strings, no-fuss relationships for those on the rebound and those who crave connection without all the baggage of long-term promises. While it’s THE dating site for the millennial gen, their offices are even steamier than the hook-ups the website produces.

But that buzz is fading as Boomerang struggles to grow, the solution? Find two brilliant interns and give them a crack at turning this ship back to shore.

Enter MIA GALLIANO and ETHAN VANCE. These young strangers—Mia an aspiring filmmaker, and Ethan at the end of a collegiate sports career—are both bright and motivated. And for very different reasons, although they’re both hungry and way up for the challenge.

But things go wrong from day one. For one thing, Ethan and Mia aren’t strangers. The night before their stint at Boomerang begins, Ethan and Mia meet at a bar and fall into bed together. Or so they think. They’re both hazy on the details. They just know it’s aaaawkward when they share a post hookup taxi…to the same place.

Will the competition get to them, or do they have a future together?