Runaway Train Series by Lee Matthew Goldberg

They told me I was an out-of-control train about to crash…Everything changed when the police officer knocked on the door to tell me – a 16-year-old – that my older sister Kristen had died of a brain aneurysm. Cue the start of my parents neglecting me and my whole life spiraling out of control.I decided now was the perfect time to skip town. It’s the early 90’s, Kurt Cobain runs the grunge music scene and I just experienced some serious trauma... moreThey told me I was an out-of-control train about to crash…Everything changed when the police officer knocked on the door to tell me – a 16-year-old – that my older sister Kristen had died of a brain aneurysm. Cue the start of my parents neglecting me and my whole life spiraling out of control.I decided now was the perfect time to skip town. It’s the early 90’s, Kurt Cobain runs the grunge music scene and I just experienced some serious trauma. What’s a girl supposed to do? I didn’t want to end up like Kristen, so I grabbed my bucket list, turned up my mixtape of the greatest 90’s hits and fled L.A.. The goal was to end up at Kurt Cobain’s house in Seattle, but I never could have guessed what would happen along the way. At turns heartbreaking, inspiring, and laugh out loud funny, Runaway Train is a wild journey of a bygone era and a portrait of a one-of-a-kind teenage girl trying to find herself again the only way she knows how. less

I had stars in my eyes and I couldn't see around them...The 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... moreI had stars in my eyes and I couldn't see around them...The 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. less

Get swept up once more in the tantalizing drama that surrounds Nico Sullivan as Lee Matthew Goldberg’s young-adult Runaway Train trilogy comes to an end.When former singer Nico Sullivan goes missing, her estranged daughter, Love, finds her mom’s old diary. Using each entry as a clue to her mother’s whereabouts, Love takes a trip to L.A. with her best friends Frankie and Caden where she discovers that her feelings for Frankie may run deeper than she’s willing to let on... moreGet swept up once more in the tantalizing drama that surrounds Nico Sullivan as Lee Matthew Goldberg’s young-adult Runaway Train trilogy comes to an end.When former singer Nico Sullivan goes missing, her estranged daughter, Love, finds her mom’s old diary. Using each entry as a clue to her mother’s whereabouts, Love takes a trip to L.A. with her best friends Frankie and Caden where she discovers that her feelings for Frankie may run deeper than she’s willing to let on.While diving deeper into her mother’s old life, Love struggles with her own social insecurities and abandonment issues. But as she’s searching for lost parts of herself, Love also discovers something unexpected—a deep-rooted and shared love of 90s grunge music with that of her missing mother. At turns heartbreaking, inspiring and mysterious, Vanish Me is a portrait of a teenage girl desperate to find herself among the cracks her mother left behind. [RUNAWAY TRAIN] is a mixtape of the 90s, paired with a beautiful story of love, loss, and finding yourself. I couldn't put it down!" - Raegan Revord, Missy Cooper on TVs Young Sheldon and founder of the #ReadingWithRaegan book club. less