Customer Reviews

Bounce

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Evyn's father has just announced that he is getting remarried, and they will be moving from Maine to Boston immediately. With barely time to say good-bye to her best friend, Jules, Evyn finds herself living with a constantly smiling and cooking stepmother and five new step-siblings.

Evyn's mother died in a car accident when Evyn was only one. Since then it's been just her brother Mackey and their dad, who they both call Birdie. Things have gone along just fine. Now her world has turned upside down.

It is one major adjustment at a time. There is a new school to get used to. A group of popular girls seems ready to admit Evyn into their sacred circle, but she soon finds out it's because they have a total fascination with her new stepbrother, Ajax. Then there's the loud, over-friendly stepmother to contend with, and the sudden changes that have her father acting like someone she's never met before.

In an effort to deal with all of the change, Evyn finds herself continuing the mental conversations she's been having with her dead mother for as long as she can remember. It helps for a while, but Evyn eventually realizes she is going to need to make some adjustments and learn to live in this new and strange family arrangement.

Natasha Friend, author of Perfect: A Novel and Lush, takes readers on the roller coaster ride that is Evyn's new life. You'll feel her frustration, sadness, and fear on every page.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Here's how Evyn's father broked the news: he took Evyn and her brother Mackey out for seafood and once they were stuffing their faces he just let it fly, "'Kids, I'm getting married.' Then, `We're moving to Boston.' And there you have it. Blammo! Life as we know it, over."

Just that quickly, everything in Evyn's life changes, and changes drastically. For twelve of her thirteen years, it's been Evyn, her brother and her father. Just the three of them living next to the ocean on the coast of Maine in a house with a big backyard. Now they are moving into her father's fiancee's house with her stepmother-to-be and five of her six kids.

Evyn's miserable, but she doesn't know what to do about it and doesn't want to let it show. Her father seems so happy with his new family, in fact, he hardly seems like the same person Evyn grew up with. Even Mackey is content with their crazy new life and their `mandatory moments of family bonding.' Evyn knows she should try to adjust, to bounce along with all the changes, but somehow she just can't.

Natasha Friend captures the anger, insecurity and sadness that often come with a beloved parent's second marriage. Evyn's vulnerability, as well as her stubborn refusal to like anything about her new situation, are perfectly portrayed.

When 13 year old Evyn's father breaks some big news to her, she is sure that this will mean the end of her world. Her mother died when Evyn was one, so she grew up with only her brother Mack and her father Birdie. Twelve years after her mom's death, her dad meets a woman named Eleni and they decide that they are going to get married. Evyn is in for a surprise when she learns that her future stepmother has a load of children. But why is the woman who is to become her stepmother being so especially kind and nice? That is what Evyn is determined to find out. Evyn must adjust to her new life but she refuses to forget her old one. Can she do it?

I liked that this book was so realistic and how easy it was to relate to. The author also did a great job conveyed Evyn's sadness, fear, and hope.

Spoilers. This story of a modern-day Brady Bunch type remarriage with stepsiblings story captures the ache of moving and fearing that the people you love the most are changing before your eyes. In this case, for Evyn, it's her father, Birdie, who is changing, both in appearance and style, and when he and Eleni announce they're having a baby, Evyn is even more fearful that her role in the family will be displaced. Even her best friend back home is making new best friends, while her brother discovers the theater and settles in, and she doesn't know where she fits in. To cope, she talks to her long-dead mother, and these conversations are the most heartfelt in the book as Evyn teaches herself, by proxy, to let go. There's also a crush involved, though I won't spoil the fun of that for you. This is a fast read and while it doesn't pack quite the emotional wallop of Friend's previous YA novels Lush and Perfect, it does capture Evyn's sense that her world is collapsing and she doesn't know who to trust.

Evyn has never felt like she's completely fit in, but she can generally make do. And she was doing just fine with her wacky father, her nerdy older brother, and her best friend Jules, but now her father is getting remarried. It's been twelve years since Evyn's mother died, but Evyn doesn't want to trade what little memories she has of her mother for a woman she barely knows and that woman's six children, not to mention a new home in an entirely new setting. It's almost too much change for Evyn to handle at once. How's a girl supposed to accept all this new when all she wants is for the old to be back?

Bounce is a sweet and moving coming of age story. Friend captures the awkward tween/teen years so well in Evyn's character. Thirteen is a borderline age, when the real teenage years loom ever closer and you're torn between wanting to stay the same forever and wishing you were much cooler. Evyn has to deal with all this, her friends trading her for popularity and her new classmates' appearances pressuring her to change the way she dresses, in addition to an even greater change--a new family. Evyn is very resistant to this change because all the new additions to her life are too overwhelming to just take in a stride. Friend portrays this angst so realistically, and in a way readers can relate to. Readers will love Evyn and sympathize with her because of the emotional trials she faces but also because of how she learns to deal with all the changes in her life. Though Evyn responds in a childish way at first, she matures throughout the story into a more understanding young lady. This understanding and eventual acceptance is what makes Bounce so sweet. It reminds the readers that the future always holds something to look forward to.

Bounce is a good pick for any teen or tween in a rut. I recommend this novel for fans of Perfect by Natasha Friend, Class Favorite by Taylor Morris, and The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaefer.

Bounce by Natasha Friend was a touching story about a teenage girl's struggle to find herself and cope with her quickly changing life. Evyn's mother had died when she was extremely young, to the point that she could barely remember spending time with her. However, Evyn grew up loving her mom more each and every day. She wanted to have known her more than anything in the world--she even spoke to her at night. Her father Birdie was always talking about how wonderful and beautiful and amazing Evyn's mom was, which only made her miss her mother more. That's why her world was turned completely upside down when her father told her that he was getting married to Eleni, a professor with five children. Before she knew it, Evyn was leaving her entire life behind her and moving to Boston just so she could be thrust into a whole new world and a whole new family. She was miserable at first but she used her mother's words to get through it all. When they "talked" at night, her mom would always say "bounce"...let the tough stuff bounce right off of you because it can't touch you. It was hard for Evyn but she managed to find comfort with her new family and accept her new life. She realizes that the situation isn't that bad and that she can get through it. In the end, Evyn is happy. She learns a whole lot more about who she is and life.
I really liked this book because it got a fantastic message across-that you can make the best of any situation. And that sometimes you can learn a lot from things that you think will do nothing but harm. It wasn't as challenging as I had hoped for, and wasn't stellar but it was a joy to read. There was a great storyline and you really felt for the characters which I liked. The book was pretty straightforward and I would have liked a little more depth, but it was a fun summer read that I didn't want to put down. Overall, Natasha Friend did a wonderful job portraying the characters and their emotions and I finished the book feeling very satisfied. I recommend this book to all teenagers because it sheds light on what seems like a horrific event. Sometimes we just need a little hope.

I just wrote a review for Lush saying it was my favorite by Friend but I have changed my mind...I think I liked this one best. It really doesn't deal with problems like eating disorders or alcoholics like in Friends other novels but about Evyn and her brother, their father gets remarried to a women with a lot of kids. It's pretty much about how Evyn's life falls apart. I think some people would call it unbelievable but it always feels like when something goes wrong everything else does! I really liked Bounce!

I just finished the newest book by Friend. Usually, I am a huge fan of her writing but this book left me cold. For one thing, Friend usually writes about some type of addiction or social issue - and in this case, although she writes about families blending after a marriage - this story falls flat and feels recycled to me. Also, I was not a fan of any of the characters and I kept wanting to scream at the main character to stop her whining and just step up and say what it is she has to say.

Overal, a very average read which is okay for most writers, but I have come to expect so much more from Friend.