Schuss by E.J. Noyes is a novel I’ve been looking forward to. First, it’s written by one of my favorite authors. Second, it’s a continuation of another book by the same writer called Gold. I enjoy revisiting characters that I’ve come to love, and see their stories continue, and Schuss does exactly that.
The story takes place about four years after Gold ends. Gemma (Gem) Archer is now eighteen and a senior in high school. She also has a secret (or maybe not so secret) crush on her best friend Stacey Evens. Twenty-year-old Stacey is a professional alpine ski racer and a world cup and Olympic medalist. Her coach, Aspen Archer is Gemma’s stepmom. Stacey has a full life with training, skiing and the occasional girlfriend to keep her company off the skis. Maybe that girlfriend is also a way to keep her mind off the secret crush she has on her best friend Gemma. After all, falling in love with your coach’s daughter could cause huge problems professionally and personally.
This is an absolutely charming first-love, new-adult romance between characters that I had already bonded with. Seeing how they have grown and matured in the four years is a treat, and watching the two struggle with their feelings for each other just melted my heart. The setting of the novel is described perfectly. I know the author is an avid skier themselves, and I’m sure this helped with the setting. It feels very real to me, especially since we just got several inches of snow where I live, and the ski hill down the road is rapidly making snow so they can open early this season.
Schuss could be read as a standalone novel, but honestly, I think you should read both books together. They are wonderful stories, and I highly recommend them.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bella Books for an honest review.
Rainbow Reflections 