Gold Rush by Jennifer Comeaux: Book Review

After loving her Ice Series, I read Gold Rush; a standalone novel that delves into the life of a very important side character from the Ice Series, Liza Petrov, and gives her significant dimension. I'll be going through the pros and cons of the book, with minor spoilers ahead.

Pros of Gold Rush by Jennifer Comeaux

Figure Skating

Of course, that's what lead me to the books in the first place, and as always, Comeaux vividly described the world of figure skating making me feel like I was right in it. I love the excitement of impending Nationals competitions, and of course the Olympics that are anticipated by all the characters.

Timeline

I noticed the timeline of this book happens somewhere in between Losing The Ice and Taking The Ice, as Liza's story as well as Josh and Courtney's intertwine. There are moments that can be recognized in Gold Rush that are seen in the Ice Series, but of course in those books we got Courtney and Josh's perspective rather than Liza's, where her standalone book goes much deeper into situations that we had no idea about by just reading the Ice Series.

Liza and Sergei

The relationship between Liza and Sergei is very sweet, him being her father and skating coach, they have a professional and personal relationship that kind of melt together for the better. Sergei is obviously invested in Liza's success because it's his daughter, but he's also a professional himself who's helped several skating pairs make it to the Olympics in the past so he knows what he's doing. They trust each other and respect each other more than most teenagers and fathers do, then again, their relationship is put in situations deeper and more intense than most.

Cons of Gold Rush by Jennifer Comeaux

Liza and Braden

Okay, so don't come at me with the pitchforks and knives, but I didn't really like Liza and Braden. I would have much rather they stayed friends, I just couldn't feel the chemistry from them like I did in the Ice Series with Josh and Courtney. Maybe because I'm still caught up with those two and their perfection, but I really didn't get much out of Liza and Braden's relationship.

Subject Matter

This book was definitely darker than the Ice Series, Liza and Braden dealing with more intense situations than Josh and Courtney (they had their fair share especially in Losing The Ice, but I digress). Something tragic had happened to Liza in the past and she finds it very hard to move on and accept the situation. Braden experiences something similar, taking the blame for something that he had no part in but he can't help but feel guilty. Liza searches to understand her trauma better, only to ultimately make it worse at the same time putting herself in potential danger; I just feel like as a public figure she'd have been watched way more carefully than she was.

I liked this book, it was cute and I love the figure skating element, but I just felt more of a connection between the Ice Series' characters, and certain things grabbed my attention more than others. I rated this a 3.5/5 on Goodreads, because like I said, it was enjoyable, just not my absolute die hard favourite. That being said, I've ordered the Ice Series in paperback to have them on my shelf!

Have you read Gold Rush by Jennifer Comeaux? Do you want to? Let's chat and have a conversation, find me on Instagram or comment here!

Personal IG @melissa_dia

Bookstagram @cozyannotations

A presto,

Melissa