Bounce by Natasha Friend

by Natasha Friend

Evyn's had enough problems in her life, starting with her mother's death when she was young. But now her father's thrown a whole new batch her way. Not only is he marrying a woman Evyn hardly knows, but he's uprooting Evyn and her brother to go live with this woman... and her children. It's a lot of adjustment to make at once. And, quite frankly, Evyn has no desire to adjust. She wants her old life, her old friends, and her old house. She knows she's supposed to bounce along with the changes... but what happens if she doesn't?Natasha Friend gives us the insightful, heartfelt story of a girl who must learn how to manage her life... even when so many things are beyond her control.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Family, Contemporary, Middle Grade, Chick Lit

Hardcover

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

Natasha Friend is the award-winning author of Perfect, Lush, Bounce, For Keeps, My Life in Black and White, Where You'll Find Me, The Other F-Word, How We Roll, and The Wolves Are Waiting. Natasha lives on the Connecticut shoreline with her family.

Reviews

[ally anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

that was definitely something !!

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would ideally give this book 2.5 stars since it really does fall somewhere between "it was okay" and "I liked it." This was my least favorite Natasha Friend book probably because it seemed the least realistic to me. I didn't really think there was a lot of character development so Evyn seemed really flat compared to Friend's previous protagonists. It was hard to see past her anger although I guess in this sense Friend may have actually nailed down the behavior and emotional capacity of a 12-year-old...

I guess I just felt like Friend tried way too hard to make the problem too complex and that dragged down everything. In the story, Evyn 1) finds out that her dad is getting remarried, 2) the family has to move to Boston, where the fiancee and her family live, 3) the fiancee has SIX kids, 4) Evyn's dad and his fiancee announce that they are having another baby, 5) no one at Evyn's new school likes her, 6) she grows apart from her old best friend, etc., etc., etc. It was just too much and it seemed a bit unreal to me just how detached from reality everyone in the book seemed. I would like to think that in reality the stepmother's character would try harder to make Evyn feel comfortable. There was no scene in the book where she specifically tried to reach out and that bothered me. Every attempt was woven into something more "casual" and I hate that because sometimes when things are tough -- like when your widowed father is remarrying someone -- you (the adult) just have to DO or SAY something DIRECTLY instead of always beating around the bush hoping peple know what you are talking about. It killed me that the adults were so... oblivious.

Maybe this is a reflection on how American family members are so emotionally detached from one another. I'm not sure exactly but I can't seem to let go of the fact that no adult in this book ever sat down with Evyn to really talk to her about what was going on. So that's where the 2 rating comes from.

There was one scene that was very powerful. It was towards the end when Evyn and Eleni (the stepmom) finally sort of bond. They both talk about their dead mothers. It was sad but it had much more depth than any other scene in the rest of the book. Overall, though, I recommend reading Friend's Lush instead.

[Imari]

Have you ever read Bounce, By Natasha Friend? Its a great book, its not boring, dull or anything in that category. This book made me actually feel more mature. I learned a lot from this book. This book will have you emotional, like watching romantic movies with ice cream. The genre is Realistic fiction, because events in this story, they can happen in real life. My final opinion on this book is that I loved it. I could relate to the character and I understood where she was coming from. *Spoiler Alert* Just like when The Narrator Evyn, her brother, and her dad had to move to a different state because of her stepmother and 6 kids. I can relate to that because my mother and father are seperated right now. But her mother passed.

There are a lot of settings. But here is two most important ones. Maine and Boston. Maine is where Evyn, her brother (Mackey), and father(Birdie) lived before he even met her soon to be stepmother (Eleni) and her 6 children. But now that they have met and are getting married, Evyn and her brother have to move to Boston and she has to leave her friends, her house, and more. This is important to the story because it revolves around the conflict. The conflict is person vs. person because not only does she have to move with strangers. Before she was even settled in she had gotten into some problems with a couple of girls at her new school. Also because she hates her new step mom.

Evyn is a average 14 year old. She has been through a lot. With her mother passing away. Even though she died when Evyn was a baby. Also, With her dad (Birdie) getting married to a total stranger. Evyn wanted to stay in Maine with her friends. But her dad brought bad news (well to her) that her, and her brother, also her dad were going to move to Boston because he was getting married to a lady name Eleni, with her 6 kids. So when she finally gets to Boston, she feels like her life is totally over. She meets Eleni and her 6 kids. With all of that going on, there is only one person she can communicate with and have a conversation with, and that is her mother in her head. Her life changes. So then when she finally starts to communicate with Eleni and her children, she finds Linus ( 1 out of the 6 kids) incredibly adorable. But he's 19. He's the only one who makes Evyn smile. Other than Linus Evyn feels neglected by her father because he changed and she misses the old him.

I can relate to the character Evyn because my parents are separated and that's kind of hard because I don't like to see my parents move on from each other. It's like you don't have them both there like you need them to be because you would need one for one thing and need the other for another thing. Also sometimes kids my age hate to see new people replace any of your parents, so I was feeling what Evyn was feeling. I liked how the author made this story relate to some kids. That probably would make kids want to read it more. Me and the Character Evyn are similar because we both do not want are parents to move on from each other. Not only is it effecting them, its also effecting us too. Also she doesn't like her step mother, I am not to fine of my Step-father, because they both try to hard to get us to like them.

I was inspired by this text because it made me a little mature. I use to not like to be around anyone because my parents were separated. But now that I have read this passage I started to look on the bright side. Both of my parents are happy, I guess. I was surprised when Evyn ran away because she couldn't stand not seeing her and mother and father happy together. I mean she was only 14. What 14-year old runs away? I wish the author would've added Evyn's brother, Mackey a point of view because I wanted to know how he felt about his dad giving up on his mom and marrying a total stranger. Every time Evyn would ask him a question about it he would just say either "hmph" or "fgdgj" like he has his on language. Just like Evyn I would most definitely get annoyed.

Lastly, I give Bounce a total of 5 stars because I made a lot of connections with the main character. I Love books when the author makes it similar to real world stuff. I recommend this book to little girls who are going through similar things Evyn is going through. So, if you happen to stop by your school library or even a public library, ask the librarian to help you find it because it is a good book.

[Desirae]

So Evyn is a teenager who lives with her dad who goes by Birdie, but his real name is Albert, and her brother who goes by Mack, but his real name is Mackey in Portland, Maine. Evyn is 13 years old and Mack is 15 years old. Evyn and Mack’s mom died in a car accident when Evyn was only 3 years of age. Evyn being a teenager girl and all, really needs her mom at this point. Up until now Birdie could fill in doing the usual uneven pig tales, and un matching clothes. But one thing he can’t help her with is the changes her body goes through as a teenager. Well Evyn’s dad just found somebody to be a mother figure in hers and Mack’s lives, her name is Eleni Gartos.
Eleni lives in Boston and is Greek. Eleni has six children. Two girls are twins and they’re names are Clio and Cassandra, they are 15 years of age just like Mack. Then there is two other girls one being the oldest of the girls and the other being the youngest of the girls. Thalia is the oldest and Phoebe is only six years of age. She also has two boys, Ajax who is thirteen years of age and Linus who is nineteen years of age. Linus is in collage and has his own dorm.
Well it all starts at dinner one night, Birdie drops a bomb, he wants Evyn and Mack to move to Boston with him and Eleni’s family. Evyn doesn’t take it very well, Mack on the other hand just wants more food. My opinion is that it isn’t Evyn’s fault that she didn’t take it well. She is a girl with feelings and emotions that show. He is just expecting her to move to a new house with a new family in a new town with new people and go to a new school, isn’t that a little much to ask from a girl?
Evyn likes to talk to her mom, and yes im aware she is dead. She talks to her as if she was right here with her. She calls her Stella, and that’s who she gets all of her advice from. But there comes a point when Evyn don’t hear Stella anymore, and then she is completely on her own. She feels very lonely when Stella stops talking to her. She cant stand her new family, or what Birdie has turned into. She has noticed a lot of changes in him after they moved.
This book tells an amazing story. My favorite part was when Linus comes to pick Evyn up from running away because she is so in love with him. While he is talking its like she doesn’t even hear the words. He even lets her stay the night with him in his dorm and that’s when she finds out he has a girl friend. My least favorite part was when Birdie first told Evyn and Mack about Eleni because I would HATE getting told something like that over dinner! My dad has always talked a lot about it before making a big desion like that expecially without asking me and my brother how we felt about it.
I do recommend this book to you. Natasha Friend is one of my favorite Authors. If you are into the whole teenage girl drama thing then this book is for you. Or maybe you can relate to it some how like me. I loved it!

[katarzyna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay, but nothing special. The biggest problem with it was that many aspects seemed like plot contrivances and/or over the top.

The family that main character Evyn's father marries was very sitcom-y and stereotypical. They had that silly, very Baby-Sitter's Club thing going where there's a ton of kids who are basically the same ages in one family for the sake of plot contrivances.

There were other absurd things, too (like that Eleni couldn't be more of a Greek stereotype if you dipped her in tzatziki, the idea that a school would even bother to offer Latin class if only one kid signed up for it, and Evyn's brother being inexplicably practically mute and emotionless). I also hated how the dog was only there as a plot device, as he completely disappears until it's convenient. I don't know any real life pet owners who are that detached, so I think if you can't actually write it realistically, why bother sticking the dog in at all?

Complaints aside, I think middle school readers would enjoy this one for this most part, though to me, Friend's Lush and Perfect were much more engaging.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a typical teen story but with a twist. This book was about the main character, Evyn, who lives with her father, Birdie, and her brother, Mackey. Birdie drops a surprise on Evyn and Mackey, he is getting married and they are moving from Maine to Boston. Evyn gets very upset at this decision and doesn't want to move in with complete strangers, but Birdie makes them move in with his future wife and 6 other kids! Throughout the book, Evyn has to deal with many problems like adjusting to a new family, school and city, which is not easy for her. Altogether, i thought this book was okay, but not the best. I thought that the overall story flowed nicely and the plot was good but i felt that i just got bored with the story. I decided to read this book since i enjoyed the previous books that i read by Natasha Friend, but in my opinion, this book was my least favorite out of the three that i read. I felt more connected with the characters and story lines for the other books, but i still think that this book was an enjoyable story.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was such a fun and wonderful book. I wished it had and stated less detail, but other than that, great!!

[Neila Fitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine if your mom passed away when you were little and had to deal with things like your dad getting married, moving, and having a lot of step sisters and brothers. If you have gone through these things then this book is for you Evyn a teenage girl wants to be left alone because not once did her father ask her what she thought about moving and him getting married.The genre of this book is realistic fiction just like all the other ones.
The setting in this book has a lot of settings but it mostly takes place at a school. Evyn wants her old life back she didn't want a new school, new friends, and a new mom. It's a lot of adjustment to make all at once and she knows that she has to just go with it. It was really hard to fit in at school but everyone found out that she was brothers with Ajax the cutest guy at school so everyone just talked to her to find out things about him they didn't even know her name. she didn't really care because at least they talked to her. She felt alone when her dad told them that they were going to move into his girlfriend's house because they were getting married. She felt alone because her own brother was happy that they were moving but she was not she had no one to talk to but her dead mother but she also had no one to go to because her dad was always busy with his so called wife and his other children that his wife had. She was so upset that her father never actually payed any attention to her after the wedding. When her dad and stepmom announced that they were****SPOILER ALERT**** going to have a baby she felt like running away so she did she took some money from her Stepmom and ran away she felt invisible so she thought that they weren't going to notice but she was wrong her step brother/her crush found her and told her that everybody were looking for her and were worried sick about her. She was shocked but was glad that they found her because she was scared. Evyn then had to learn to like her stepmom and appreciated that she tried to bound with her even though she didn't want to but she did it for her dad because she knew that he was in love with her. The conflict in the book is person vs person because when she found out that her stepmom was going to have a baby she hated her so much that she ran away. The theme of the book is love because her stepmom knew that Evyn didn't like her but was still trying to bound with her because she loved Evyn. There are a lot more themes that this book could have but this one stood out.
The title relates to the book because before his dad was getting married he gave Evyn a necklace and told her that it used to be her mom's she valued the necklace and never took it off. The necklace reminded her of what her mom used to say and she would always say bounce when she felt mad and what she meant was just shake it off and move on so that's what she did every time she got mad. That was special to her because she missed her mom so much because her mom died when she was really young.
I was satisfied when Evyn ran away because she was trying to get attention and that was the only way to get it. When she did run away she got so much attention so she told her dad how she felt and he understood what she was going through but still told her that they were going to stay there and she was fine with that as long as he still loved her and payed attention to her because she has no one to go to when she want's to talk about something private.
In conclusion, I rated the book a five because to me it was the greatest book I have ever read. I would recommend this book to Melissa because she likes books like these and I know she will love this just like I did. I am really glad that my friend Lesy recommend me this book I hope if you liked my review I encourage you to read this book because it stood out to me and I hope it does the same for you!!!!!

[Elizbette Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever been having a hard time trying to get over things? Or have you ever wished things were like in the past? Well the main character, Evyn, in the book Bounce has. Bounce is a realistic fiction story and an entertaining book. I personally really liked this book because I felt like I was really in the story. I actually felt all the feelings Evyn was.
Overall, I was really impressed by this book.

In summary, Bounce is a book about a teenage girl named Evyn. Her mother has passed away when she was one. She has a brother named Mackey, who got bullied at their old school In Maine. People called him Lurch or Pizza Face because he had a lot of zits. They lived with their father, Birdie. Their father all of a sudden comes with the news that he's getting married and that they are moving. Evyn didn't take this so easily at first. She missed her old life at Maine. She missed looking at the stars at night and having "a real backyard." Now she had to live in a really big house with twin sisters that always argued and four brothers. She had to go to a new school and everything. Her first weeks of school were terrible, she didn't fit in at all. Then a group of popular girls let her sit with them at lunch. They only let Evyn sit there to see if she knew who Linus liked. She obviously didn't so she lied to them and said Andrea. There was a dance and Linus asked another girl to dance with him. The popular group of girls all started to hate Evyn and called her names. All the name calling got to her and she cried. Evyn talks to her mom, not literally but she pictures her in her mind and she can see and sometimes feel her. She called her Stella. What Stella told her to make insults bounce off of her. That she's rubber and they are glue. This helped her a lot throughout the story.
After that. Evyn started getting really used to the new house and family. She met better friends that she can actually trust . Her life was finally getting put together.

The moral of this book was that even though life is hard at first, it gets better in the end. I think this is a very great thing to learn because what may seem like a huge deal now is going to be nothing in the future. I was moved by all the amazing quotes this book had. For example, one quote I found was," I'm tired. It's funny how you can go from not being able to sleep at all to being so exhausted you can't even see straight." I know that we all have at least experienced one time what Evyn was feeling. A lot of her feelings were relatable. My favorite part from the whole book was in the end when she was finally happy. I personally want everyone to feel happiness because it's an amazing feeling. And just knowing that Evyn was finally happy made me feel a rush of enjoyment even if she's not necessarily a real person. I thought the ending of the book was pretty satisfying. I thought the author could've done a better job because it felt like towards the end they didn't know how to end it so it was just kinda confusing.

Overall, I give this book a four out of five stars because it was a really good book with amazing quotes and a wonderful plot. I would recommend this book to anyone who has read Lush or Perfect by the same author.
I know I'm going to read more of Natasha Friend's books. Just remember to not let any words get to you and let them bounce off of you.

[Ashanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever went through trouble trying to get used to things, that changed? Well I've have , and I've also read a book about the situation. The book I read is called Bounce By Natasha Friend. This book is a Realistic Fiction book because what she is going through can actually happen to someone or has happened to someone. This book is a dramatic romantic book. Its mostly romantic but it's also dramatic.

This book is about a 14 year old girl named Evyn, whose mother passed when she was little and her father (Birdie) has to take care of her and her brother (Mackey). But as they get older he falls in love again with a lady name Eleni with her 6 children. Birdie and Eleni get married and Birdie decides to move in with Eleni and her 6 kids. Birdie brings along Evyn and Mackey of course but Evyn doesn't like his decision so she thinks she going to be miserable for the rest of her life because she doesn't like Eleni, but on the other hand Mackey doesn't really seem to care about Birdie's decision. After they move in Evyn thinks her life is getting even worse when her best friend Julie switched up on her, she thinks she is "too cool" for Evyn. Then right after she gets heart broken because of her friend she finds out **Spoiler Alert** her stepmother is pregnant. This story is a PersonVSPerson story because Evyn is against her stepmother. **Spoiler Alert** At the beginning of the story Evyn doesn't like her stepmother but at the end she finally opens up to her stepmother and treats her like she's means something to her.

I was surprised in this story when Eleni told Evyn she was pregnant. For me this was a moment where as I was reading my mouth dropped open. But then I kept reading because I was dying to figure out what Evyn was going to do and think. What Evyn did was try to run back to Maine but that didn't work. I couldn't understand why Evyn lied to Andrea (one of her friends at school) about who Cleanser Boy liked, why she didn't just figure out who she like the next day or something.

I wish there was more of the book to read because I wanted to learn did Evyn baby sit a lot, did she like the baby, was it a boy or girl but sadly I didn't get to learn those things. The character changed at the end of the book because at the beginning she didn't like Evyn not even a little bit she didn't even like her smile, but at the end of book she changed she started to like her.

I would rate this book 4 stars it was a good book even though I wish there was more for me to read. I would recommend this book for people who like to read romantic books. This book was a really interesting book if you have ever have experienced what Evyn went through or similar.

[Annie Li · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.25 - 3.5
It's a good book - especially after reading a stressful 600 page long one with a lot of action. This is initially just meant to be a quick read, but it turned out to be much better than I expected. Yes, it was cliche, but not to the point where it was incredibly predictable and overwhelming. This book didn't even need any cheesy romances to be good - it just was; a lot of authors these days use romance to hide the flaws of a book, but this one was subtle, and even though I like romance, this was perfect. Now, it's not the type of book I'd do completely ballistic for, like I did with The Selection Series, but it's worth reading and a considerably easy read. It's a book easy to forget, but it's also very good, and more complex than it may appear.

The Scene with Andrea and her Mother - I'd like to have seen the aftermath of that, and thought that maybe Evyn would interact with her or even become real friends, but the scene never came. It was a cliche part, but it's never a bad thing to see what the seemingly "popular, perfect girl" is going through.

Evyn and her Stepbrothers - I just thought that Ajax and Linus were both so cute and so sweet and preferred them over the twins/Thalia/Phoebe. They just seem to care more, in comparison to the rest, including Mackey. I wish there were some more scenes with those two, because I found them completely adorable.

Evyn and Eleni - I found the last scene, where they bond, to be very touching and probably the most complex scene throughout the story. Yes, she would never replace her mother, but she's a close second, and one thing I just loved about this book, was that it was easy to follow along with the main character. When she was angry, sad, uncertain, frustrated, or beginning to like another person(character), I felt the same way, and felt like I was along for the ride. :)))

Not a dull scene(with the exception of the first couple of pages), and a good book worth the read. I recommend this book to anyone who has the guilty pleasure of reading a sweet, cliche, but still complex book. :D No crazy romances, but perfectly subtle. It's my first time reading a book by this author, so I'm excited to read more and happy to hear the lush is an even better book. :)

[Brooke Duppel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Bounce was about how Evyn's had a lot of problems during her life. For example it all started with her mother dying when she was a little kid. Also, now her father is marrying a woman that she doesn't even though that well. Her little brother and Evyn are being forced to live with her. She has 6 kids that are all pretty young. On the other hand, they just announced to the family that they are expecting another baby which is going to be very confusing for her because that means that she's not going to get all the attention that she needs through these couple processes. Since, they are getting married they have to move into a new house where they all fit into. That then means that she has to leave her school, her friends, and her old life. She then gets really upset because she has to leave all of her friends and the house that she grew up in. She's also upset because she was just getting comfortable with all of the people that were being mean to her because they didn't know what was going on in her life. Evyn just wishes that she can get her old life back with her old friends and that she can see her mother again but sadly she died. I rated this book a rating of 4 stars is because the book itself was a pretty good book but I was hoping it was it was about something else besides the fact of being dying and then marrying something else with how ever many kids. Also, how they are moving a the kids have to go to a different school and they get upset because they wish they can stay their with all of their friends and not have to say good-bye to them. The people who I think would enjoy this book is people who are going through the same situation as them and people who are having a difficult time adaption to a new environment.

[Chloe Zuber]

If you've read "Lush", or any other book written by Natasha Friend, I highly recommend looking into this novel. Personally, I first read Natasha Friends book "Lush", And immediately after I finished I was in the library looking for another book in the series.

"Bounce", will slowley bring you into the daily life of Everlyn Liney. Her father recently gets remarried and Evelyn and her brother Mack are forced to join the ride. They move from their home in maine to Boston, where they will be mushed into another family with six kids. Everlyn longs for her old life, and her best friend Jules. But now she has to go to a new school, new house, and she has to learn to get along with her brand new siblings.

I loved every single part of this book, from the smallest detail to biggest event. Not only does the author draw you in from the beginning, but she keeps you hooked all the way to the end. Somehow I managed to read this book in two settings. The first time was during class when I first picked out the book, and the second was when I layed down determined to not get up until the book was completely finished.

Once again I'm going to tell you that you should definetly read this book. Natasha Friend is an amazing writer, and will leave you off wanting to read more.

[Jocey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bounce by Natasha friend is a book about a 13 year old girl. Her name is Evyn Linney. Evyn lived with her father and brother in Maine. Evyn has to move in with a new family when her father gets married. Her main internal struggle is that she misses her dead mother. Her main external struggle is that she living with people she doesn’t know and she’s starting to like them.
During my time reading this book I made a text-to-self connection. Throughout the whole book Evyn missed her mother. This reminded me of myself. I miss my friends from my previous school. Even though we both miss someone we learn its okay to except others. We realize that excepting others help heal our missing others.
I would give this book 5 stars. I really liked that I was able to connect to the character. I also liked how I could melt into the story. The author did an excellent job writing this book. I would recommend this book to someone who likes to really get into the story. Also to someone who likes to connect to the characters

[Emily Miller]

Bounce is a fiction book by Natasha Friend. The story is told in first person, and the setting takes place in Boston. The main character is Evyn Linney and she lives with her dad, Birdie and her brother, Mackey in Portland, Maine. Since Evyn’s mom has died, she doesn’t know what it’s like to have a mother in her life. Because of that, Evyn goes from having a brother to being one of eight children with her new stepmother Eleni Gartos. Evyn’s dad and Eleni get married and decided that they should move in with her and her family in Boston. Since then, Evyn has a hard time fitting in. Evyn has to deal with many problems including school, family and the city. She misses her best friend in Boston and her old life. The internal conflict of the story is she has to overcome her feelings of being alone and not fitting in. The external conflict is how Evyn has to deal being with her new family. The tone throughout the story changes depending on the events happening, and I think that the theme of the story is good things will come if you believe.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet little book. I can totally relate to Evyn's brother Mickey. All my brother ever does is play games on his computer and eat and he also can't speak english. It's usually grunts. But my brother is definitely not a twig. I didn't really think much of this book, it did take me two years to finish it. Okay, not really I just picked it up again, but it just kind of went by really fast. It was shortish. I don't know. It was really good though. But if anyone in my family ever made me move in with that many people and I had to share a room with anyone I'd kill myself. I seriously can't imagine moving from a house I've lived in my whole life. And Evyn's friend Jules, well I can relate to the whole friends moving on to better people thing. Except my friend didn't totally get rejected by a bleep and come back to me, but I think I'm better off with out her. Overall a great book.
~Tori

[Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my review on Bounce by Natasha Friend. This is a realistic fiction novel. The story takes place in mostly Boston, Massachusetts. This is about a young teen named Evyn. Her father falls in love with another woman after her mom's passing. Evyn, her brother and father move in with her and her six kids. She goes through a rough time adjusting to this new lifestyle. New school, new friends, new family. In my opinion, this book was "eh". I wasn't really interested in it. The theme of this book is coming of age and family. I would not recommend this book to a friend, because it's not all that entertaining and it's plainly written. I would rate this 2 stars, it's okay. <3

[Catherine Barroso · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. I love how the main character is a strong girl, but it's not like she's made out of steel. Bounce was a short book to read, in my opinion, but the author did a great job of expressing the characters well. I like how the story goes in a not-too-slow pace; it got me more engaged in the story. Maybe this was a bit too typical, but there's really nothing to hate about it. Even so, I truly did enjoy reading Bounce. I plan to read more of Natasha Friend's books.

[Keziah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was amazing. It talked about how u have to find true friends not fake ones, and also how life might go the way u don't want it to go but it is ok because it always ends well. The girl in the book went thought lots of struggles with her dad and new step siblings. At the end she finally realizes her brother out and gets to see him performance!!

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book. It was about a girl named Evyn whos mom died and her dad decided to marry a girl named Eleni. She was not happy about this she had to move from Maine. This book discussed how she had felt through the whole thing and why she liked it or hated everything she was going through and what was happening. This book also discussed a topic that many kids can relate to.

[CHEERBUG! · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS ONE WAS OKAY THAT GOOD THOUGH MY FAVORITE CHARATER BESIDES THE MAIN WOULD HAVE TO BE HER BROTHER ''mACKEY'' EVEN THOUGH PEOPLE CALL HIM PIZZA THATS MESSED UP.bUT YEAH THE LEAST FAVORITE CHARACTER TO ME WOULD HAVE TO BE HER DADDY '' BIRDIE

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I showed tons of meaning. It was a page turner and had lots of surprises.

[Em theglitterybookworm_ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.0/5.0 Only two stars because of Evyn. But then I added a star because of Birdie.

[Cherish · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Bounce by Natasha Friend is about a 13 year old girl named Evyn that is going through family and school problems . Her mom died when she was just a baby . Her dad , ends up marrying a lady named Eleni , and Evyn really doesn’t like it . She feels like he is moving too fast , and he didn’t even consult his kids . Eleni and her dad and brother end up moving in with Eleni with her kids in Boston . Eleni and her new siblings don’t really get along that well .


On top of that , Evyn doesn’t really fit in , in her new school . She feels like everybody looks and acts the same , and she doesn’t like it . The only way she can fit in is if she gets information on her step brother Ajax . All the girls have a crush and him and they try to get information about him through Evyn. They are basically using her because they never even asked her name . All the girls gossip about boys and lipgloss while she just wants to talk about the new comic book that dropped . She calls her best friend , only to find out that she changed too .She starts hanging out with people that used to make fun of her and Evyn . Evyn feels all alone at home and at school . She feels like she has no one to talk to . To make matters worse , Eleni and Evyns dad are having a baby .

All the other kids are happy about the baby , But Ev isn’t . Her emotions end up getting the best of her , and she ends up running away . She gets found by her Step brother Linus . Ev secretly has a crush on Linus , but will never tell him that . They end up staying at Linus’s house and talking about life . Ev finally feels like she isn’t alone and has someone to talk to . “ For the first time in a long time , I feel like I have someone to talk to.'' In the end , Eleni and Birdie ( what Evyn calls her dad ) end up getting married . Ev finally talks to her dad about how she feels . Everything falls into place . Ev ends up making some new friends , she ends up giving Eleni a chance , and everything begins to work out at home .
In conclusion , I would recommend this book to people that have family issues . It shows that no family is perfect , and no ones life is perfect . Everyone goes through hardships .

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 STARS

Evyn’s widowed father Birdie announces he’s getting married and they’re moving from Maine to Boston. And her brother Mackey is happy. Not only that, bride-to-be has six kids and Evyn will share a bedroom with twins she can’t tell apart.

Natasha Friend captures the angst of middle school and stepfamilies in BOUNCE. Though a bit more Pollyannaish than real life, Evyn’s journey from awkward, unhappy misfit to a bit less awkward and bit more content is at times realistically cringeworthy, we’ve all been there. BOUNCE will appeal more to younger middle-grade readers due to its lack of edge and saccharine predictability.

Though not my favorite Friend book, BOUNCE is an above average read.

[Ava Pratt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Evyn's home life isn't to great it all started when her dad say that they will be moving in with his new wife, Birde. Birde has 6 kids, and Evyn is not to fond of kids. After a while of their relationship, she becomes to hate all of Birde's rambunctious kids even more. She also has to get through a new school life, she is bullied and is struggling with her academics. Will Evyn get through all of this new drama coming up?

I rated this book with 3 stars because something was always happening, with either her family, her step-mother and school, that was one thing that I loved about this book. Overall, I found this book really interesting!

[Savannah Alfaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book bounce was a very good book. I read it in 5th grade and it was nice to read it again. The story follows the main character, Evyn Linney, as she transitions from a 13-year-old girl living with her father and brother in Portland, Maine to being one of eight children with her new stepmother, Eleni Gartos, in Boston. When Evyn was just one, her mother was killed in a car accident. She has never known what it is like to have a mother in her life. Because of this, Ev makes up a mother in her head, Stella. Ev talks to Stella and Stella even talks back to Ev.

[anna j · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to try another one of Natasha Friend's books out, and I simply love the way she writes books. They are easy to read and super well imaginable. I hate books that are hard to comprehend or read, and her books are the opposite of that. I give her book another 4 out of 5 stars and recommend her and her books to teen girls.
I like how she makes a short intro and gets right to the characters but keeps them easy and simple. Her storylines in her books are great to follow along with and I could connect each of her stories to friends' experiences/lives. Her books are some of my favorite books I've read this school year and will try to find more of her books to continue reading.

[Evelyn8/9 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good. This book out you through a child perspective of moving and getting a new mother. This book really helps you understand how a kid feels when you put them through this kind of thing. Kids are not just dolls you cant just throw them around, you need to talk with them about whatever it is to see if they are okay.

[710anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great! I think that most teenagers could relate to the way family problems were shown in this book, and overall how things are changing as we get older. It was honest and real and I'm excited to read more books by this author.