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About The
Way It Hurts:
Title: The Way It
Hurts
Author: Patty
Blount
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: August 1, 2017
Genre: Young
Adult Contemporary
Pages:
352 pages
Format:
Paperback and Digital
Print
ISBN: 978-1-492632-788
Digital ASIN:
B06XR172ZD
Synopsis:
There may be two sides to every story, but sometimes there's
only one way to set things right...
Music is Elijah's life. His band plays loud and hard, and he'll do
anything to get them a big break. He needs that success to help take care of
his sister, who has special needs. So he'd rather be practicing when his
friends drag him to a musical in the next town...until the lead starts to sing.
Kristen dreams of a career on stage like her grandmother's. She knows
she needs an edge to get into a competitive theater program--and being the star
in her high school musical isn't going to cut it. The applause and the
attention only encourage her to work harder.
Elijah can't take his eyes off of Kristen's performance, and snaps a
photo of her in costume that he posts online with a comment that everybody misunderstands.
It goes viral. Suddenly, Elijah and Kristen are in a new spotlight as the
online backlash spins out of control. And the consequences are bigger than they
both could have ever imagined because these threats don't stay online...they
follow them into real life.
Advanced
Praise for The Way It Hurts:
"Blount writes
authentically; both protagonists’ voices are distinct. The author explores the
rapidly consuming world of social media and how it affects relationships online
and in real life. A relevant read and must-have for all YA collections."
–
School Library Journal
"THE WAY IT HURTS draws our attention
to the joy, heartache and confusing contradictions that arise as we try to find
our place in the real world and the virtual one." –
Kimberly Sabatini
“Elijah
and Kristen’s personal evolutions through the novel, along with their
chemistry, feel as authentic as the conflicts they face. A genuine plot filled
with steady tension that will keep readers hooked.” –
RT Book Reviews
“This
book sensitively covers topics such as sexism, handicapping conditions,
communication, and ageism. Agency is also shown when Kristen says she wants to
pursue studying in a conservatory rather than continue in the band and the
three young men acknowledge her wish. Talking about what bothers us rather than
trying to guess another person’s feelings is demonstrated through the actions
of the characters. The characters’ issues are eventually resolved through hard
work and understanding, making this an interesting and informative read." – School Library
Connection
Excerpt:
I
shifted in my broken seat, wondering how many more minutes of the hell that was
Bear River High School North’s production of Cats I’d have to endure. My fingers itched for my guitar and
notepad. Melodies played in my head, begging to be put down on paper, and there
were a dozen other things we should have been doing to promote Ride Out so we
could get the band some notice.
The
music rose. Beside me, Nick sucked in a breath. I didn’t know Leah. Nick met
her at a concert a few months back, and they’d been hanging out whenever they
could because, Nick claimed, Leah was the One.
I hid
half a laugh and shook my head. I didn’t get the whole concept of the One, but
I’d help Nick get what he wanted.
Leah
raised her face. When she opened her mouth, I sat up a little straighter. Her
voice... Jesus, it was astounding. Clear. Strong. Powerful but sweet. I watched
and listened, the audience around me fading away. Her voice swelled, and she
attacked the high notes without hesitating, making goose bumps jump out of my
skin. What was the top note of her range? She glided across the stage; she
never struggled or stumbled. The audience waited for the crescendo, and when
she reached it, holy God, it was like a...a promise kept. She blew me away. The
notes faded out, and the rest of the production was a blur. I had no idea Leah
could sing like that and couldn’t take my eyes off—
My
best friend’s girl. Shit.
The
lights came up, and everybody got to their feet, applauding like mad. Nick held
up this lame poster board sign he’d made. I used that time to get my hormones
under control and put Leah and her amazing voice out of my head. The rest of
the cast assembled on the stage for their curtain call, and I locked eyes with
one of the actors— the White Cat. She was incredibly hot—a solid body with an
impressive rack. Her solo dance was the best part of the show up until Leah’s
song. She looked amazing in that white cat suit. So freakin’ hot.
“Ladies
and gentlemen, a moment please.” A teacher walked to the right of the stage and
waved her hands. “Thank you all for attending our opening night performance! I
am so proud of these kids. They made all their own costumes and designed the
set themselves. And tonight, I want to share with you an amazing last-minute
change-up to our program. Grizabella, played by Leah Russo, is ill and was
unable to sing this evening. Her songs were actually sung by our White Cat, played
by Kristen Cartwright.”
The
teacher’s hand swung to my favorite cat, and my jaw dropped. That awesome voice
was hers? Whoa. I stuck two fingers
in my mouth and let loose with a shrill whistle while the audience roared their
approval. The white cat’s eyes met mine, and I started to picture her in
different clothes...maybe some black leather, studded bands on her wrists, hair
long and wild down her back, strutting across a stage while I shredded the hell
out of the guitar. If she could sing Broadway songs without breaking a sweat,
what could she do with a hard metal rock track? I wondered—again—what her range
was. Could she get low with some Halestorm or full-on mean with a Slipknot
metal scream? I should put her in Ride Out right now. I grinned like a maniac
because I knew that would really twist BroadwayBaby17 into a knot.
A
brilliant idea struck. I pulled out my phone, snapped a photo of the white cat,
and from the band’s Twitter account, posted this:
Ride_Out: This cat’s HAWT! And damn, can she sing.
It
needed a hashtag. I tapped out “#CatCall.” Oh, this was awesome. My phone
buzzed a minute later with a reply from a fan calling himself JJStix88.
Sweet! Get her to meow. #CatCall
I tapped out another post.
JJStix88: Make her arch that back! #CatCall
Ride_Out: Wanna hear her scream! #CatCall
Copyright © The Way It
Hurts 2017 by Patty Blount
About Patty
Blount:
Native
New Yorker Patty Blount is the award-winning author of several critically
acclaimed internet issues novels for teens as well as a few adult contemporary
romances. She is inspired to write by such greats as Judy Blume, JK Rowling,
and Gayle Forman. In fact, Judy Blume is the reason Patty elected to write
under her real name…so she’d appear on shelves next to her idol. Patty adores
writing; she’s written everything from technical manuals to song lyrics (see
THE WAY IT HURTS, coming August 2017). Patty wants you to know she loves
chocolate…really, really
loves chocolate.
When not crushing on actors Gilles Marini or Sam Heughan,
Patty can be found sitting in traffic somewhere on the Long Island Expressway,
listening to audio books or talking wildly to herself about plots and
characters. Prone to falling madly in love with fictional characters, Patty
suffers frequent broken hearts when they all invariably prefer the heroine
to her… go figure. When she’s not writing, Patty loves to watch bad sci-fi
movies and live tweet the hilarity, and scour Pinterest for ideas on awesome
bookcases. Patty lives on Long Island with her family in a house that, sadly,
lacks bookcases.
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