Grenade Bouquets: A Runaway Train Novel

Review\n"Runaway Train is a high-energy testimonial to the redemptive power of a road trip with an awesome soundtrack. Lee Matthew Goldberg balances the urgency of youth with a whiff of anticipatory nostalgia for the music and misadventures of late adolescence. Attuned to way distinctions between music genres and teen idols can feel like impermeable walls worth defending, and then crumble as a teen like Nico Sullivan finds her own voice." -- Jenn Stroud Rossman, author of The Place You're Supposed to Laugh"Raw. Riveting. Runaway Train stays true to its title as it explores the deep pain of a teenager desperately trying to find peace in a world full of pain. Lee Matthew Goldberg is a master at bestowing sympathy and strength on deeply flawed characters. Realistic and shocking, hopeful and satisfying, Runaway Train will keep readers turning the page." -- USA Today Bestselling Author Rebecca Forster "It's an incredibly challenging task for an author to utilize a darkly comedic tone without coming across as disingenuous--but Goldberg executes it here with expert precision. Brimming over with the visceral atmosphere of the early 90s grunge era, RUNAWAY TRAIN is a must-read for those willing to buckle up for the ride."--Peter Malone Elliott (Director of Operations, Book Pipeline) "An engaging '90s pastiche with an earnest heart beating at its center." -- Kirkus Reviews "In Runaway Train, Nico takes the leap every teenager dreams of taking, but it's a leap few writers have handled as well as Goldberg. He pulls apart the teen puzzle of feeling both adrift and intentional in the same moment and reminds us that finding a way to be heard is the only way anybody finds themselves." -- Rick Polito, Off Trail "Goldberg's atmospheric RUNAWAY TRAIN will take you back to the Nineties faster than a Pearl Jam track and a lace choker." --Alisha Sevigny, author of SUMMER CONSTELLATIONS and THE SECRET OF THE SANDS series. "All fans of '90s alternative, no matter their generation, will find something to love in this book. A story of a young, drifting woman, who has lost her older sister abruptly and decides, as her family crumbles, to run away, Runaway Train presents an adventure, an escape fantasy, and the possibilities of life when you're young and on the margins. This book is a delight for readers of all ages." -Alex DiFrancesco, author of All City and Transmutation: Stories\n"Grenade Bouquets is a 90s MOOD, and Nico is electric with life and emotion. Love the attitude and heart Lee always brings to his characters." --Meagan McIsaac, author of Movers and Shadows\nI had stars in my eyes and I couldn’t see around them…\nThe 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.