[Review + Giveaway] Rebound by Noelle August

 
Title: Rebound
Author: Noelle August
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Release Date: February 10, 2015
Goodreads

Hooking up is only the beginning of the fun in this sexy and irresistible second installment of the thrilling New Adult series, Boomerang.

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.

THOUGHTS:

Boomerang employees sure do have a knack for awkward dating situations. Seriously. In the first book, Boomerang, Mia and Ethan hook up one drunken night only to discover the next morning that they would basically be competing with each other for a job. The same thing pretty much happens to Alison and Adam, our main characters - they meet in a Halloween costume party, are about to hook up... only to discover that they'll be working together for the next few weeks. Here in Rebound, however, the stakes are higher. Alison and Adam, our main characters, are essentially fighting over 20 million dollars - Alison has to find out for her father whether or not Boomerang is a worthwhile investment venture, and Adam has to convince Alison and her father that he and his company deserve the money. Not that complicated, really, but the attraction between Alison and Adam is NOT cooling down any time soon...

I loved Boomerang and its male MC Ethan so much that a part for me didn't really want to read Rebound because of Alison. From what I know of Alison from Boomerang, I did not like her. At all. She treated Ethan so horribly, and she seemed like your quintessential ice queen. She definitely did not seem like a character I can like, and I have no idea how August can make me root for her after everything that she has done. While beginning this book, I was so prepared to continue to dislike her! On the other side of the spectrum, Adam wasn't really a character that I wanted to read about either. I didn't feel that strongly against him just like I did with Alison, but I don't know... nothing about him piqued my interest. I didn't think that there was a story there - he seemed like your typical eccentric genius - not ordinary, but not extraordinary either.

Oh how wrong I was. It turns out that I did not know both Alison and Adam after all. They are so, so different from how I initially perceived them through the little focus they received in Boomerang!

I was so prepared to continue hating Alison, but that did not happen. I didn't think it possible, but August made me adore Alison! Heck, I actually consider Alison's character development the strongest aspect of Rebound. She may have made terrible choices in the past, but she's aware that there are consequences that she has to face, and she's facing them head on. August also carefully explored Alison's character to show us just why she made those choices and those decisions, and while I would never excuse the fact that she cheated on Ethan, I kind of understand why she did. Also, I like how she owned up to it, and made no excuses for what she did. She made mistakes, she's sorry, but she's also ready to move past them. Alison has matured so much from what we know of her from Ethan and the first book, and every single thing I discovered about her (like her affinity for horses, and her friendship with Paolo), I loved.

And now... let's talk about Adam. Adam Adam Adam. Well... one thing is for sure - he is definitely NOT a boring character. There is so much more to him than that eccentric boss we saw in Boomerang, and you would be glad to know that August peels off his layers one by one. Off the bat, I love that he put so much work and effort into Boomerang, and you can see just how much his employees all adore and respect him. I especially love how protective Cookie is of him, and at the same time, just how much Adam value Cookie's opinions. (A little bit off-topic here but can we please have a book about Cookie? PLEASE. She's a STAR!) We may have had only a few Adam-Cookie interactions, but I love that August shone light on such a heartwarming boss-employee relationship. It also shows us a facet of Adam's character that we didn't get to see much in Boomerang - his warm, nurturing, and caring side.

I mentioned earlier that Alison's character development was my favorite part of Rebound, but the development of Alison and Adam's relationship is a close second. It was obvious from the first chapter that there is an intense attraction between the two, and as the story progresses, that there is something more brewing. However, despite this, Alison and Adam don't rush into anything. They take the time to actually get to know each other, and to find out if that something between them can turn into something real. I like that there were more in-depth conversations between the two than quick hook-ups - I don't know about you guys, but this made me believe that they were actually serious about each other. Moreover, I loved that the focus of Rebound was never on Alison and Adam's pasts, but rather how they willed each other to finally stand tall and move on.

All in all, Rebound made for a great second book in the Boomerang series. I actually liked this one better than I did Boomerang - I found it easier to connect with the characters, and while Rebound had more angst and the whole 'secret past' plot line, it didn't deter from my enjoyment while reading. It also introduced us to more supporting characters who I would love to read more about in the future, and it allowed us to discover more about the characters whom we already know. If you're looking for a fun NA read with a little bit of angst (but not too much!), Rebound is the book for you!

Rebound is now available in Fully Booked.

Rating: 4 Stars

I'm giving away 2 copies of Rebound, and as long as you live in the Philippines, you're eligible to join. Thank you so much to Fully Booked for sponsoring this giveaway!

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[Review + Giveaway] Boomerang by Noelle August

Title: Boomerang
Author: Noelle August
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Release Date: July 14, 2014
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?

THOUGHTS:

I love New Adult, and it has always been my go-to genre if ever there's a time I just want to read something that I know for sure that I'll enjoy. Granted I don't read as much New Adult as I did last 2012 and 2013, but in no way has my love for the genre diminished. It's just that at this point in my life, I've having a difficult time relating to most New Adult books I come across. I could be wrong, of course, but most New Adult books I see are always set in college, and as a genre that targets readers in their mid-twenties, I felt that my age and my currently lifestyle are under-represented. Where are all these New Adult novels that talk about careers, the work place, and 'real life' outside school? This is why I was so excited to read Boomerang - finally, here's a book under the New Adult genre that I feel like I can relate to!

Awkward is the first word that I can think of to describe Mia and Ethan's first meeting. (Well, it's not really their first, but given that they can't really remember all the shenanigans of the night before...) They wake up remembering only bits and pieces of what happened the previous night, realize that they are about to be late for their first day on the job, share a taxi to their respective workplaces (because Ethan discovers that he doesn't have enough money to get his own), and promptly find out that they're going to the same place. That they're going to be working together as interns... and ultimately, that only one of them will get a regular position after their internships. Like all of this isn't already awkward enough, Mia and Ethan are then informed that the company they work for, Boomerang, has a strict policy against co-workers dating. Never mind the apparent chemistry, or the connection... No. Dating. Allowed.

See, I told you - awkward.

Right off the bat, it was obvious to me that there is so much more to Boomerang than the romance angle and sex (unlike most New Adult books I see these days). It wasn't just about the 'do we or do we not give dating a try?' for both Mia and Ethan. This job is important to the both of them, and as a result, Boomerang revolved around the two of them busting their asses at their jobs... and I LOVED IT. A major plot point of the book focused on Mia and Ethan working on a project for the company, and it was so adamantly obvious just how driven they were to prove to the higher-ups just how deserving they were of the regular position. Ethan needs the money and views this job as his 'last chance', while Mia is desperate to prove to herself that she is so much more than her mother's, a renowned photographer, muse. They learn to navigate around the workplace, and given that they spend a lot of time together, they can't help but learn more about each other as well. While Mia and Ethan realize that they do want to give whatever it is that's going on between them a shot, things are never, ever that simple.

Boomerang has a little bit of everything about the workplace - it deals with office politics, how to work with people you're not really fond of, and the reality that there will always be competition in a working environment. However, Boomerang is not just about work, careers, competitions or whatnot - we're also treated to a very character-driven story. Not only do we see Mia and Ethan each come into their own as members of the work force, we also see them grow as characters. We see them interact with their co-workers, their families, their friends, and of course, each other. Also, given that this book is written in dual POVs, we also read Mia and Ethan's innermost thoughts and all that they're thinking about, and that in turn really fleshes out and gives depth to their characters. Boomerang also tackles Mia and Ethan facing the pasts that they have been running way from, and while they each lend a helping hand to each other, ultimately, they had to do the dirty work themselves, and that's something I really enjoyed reading.

As mentioned above, what I really loved about Boomerang is that it's a multifaceted story. It's not just about one thing - rather, it tackles so many subjects, and that it does relatively well. My only misgiving with this book is that it sometimes doesn't transition very well between chapters, but I was able to look past that because I was so invested with both the story and the main characters. I also liked how the authors took their time in building the relationship between Mia and Ethan - it never felt rushed or anything like that. You get to see just how much they cared about each other, and how the attraction developed to something more. The romance aspect was marvelously done, if I do say so myself!

All in all, I was surprised at just how much I liked Boomerang. It had its fair share of humor, just enough romance and drama, an interesting storyline, but most of all, it had characters I can relate to. I really, really hope that there would be more New Adult books like Boomerang in the future!

Boomerang is available in Fully Booked.

Rating: 4 Stars

I'm giving away 2 copies of Boomerang, and as long as you live in the Philippines, you're eligible to join. Thank you so much to Fully Booked for sponsoring this giveaway!

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