The Way It Hurts

by Patty Blount

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 his swooning face is captured on camera and posted with an out-of-context comment. 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.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Music, Realistic Fiction, Mental Health, Audiobook

280 pages, Nook

First published August 1, 2017

About the author

Patty Blount grew up quiet and a bit invisible in Queens, NY, but found her voice in books. Today, she writes smart and strong characters willing to fight for what’s right. She’s the award-winning author of edgy, realistic, gut-wrenching contemporary and young adult romance. Still a bit introverted, she gets lost often, eats way too much chocolate, and tends to develop mad, passionate crushes on fictional characters. Let’s be real; Patty’s not nearly as cool as her characters, but she is a solid supporter of women’s rights and loves delivering school presentations.

Patty is best known for her internet issues novels, SEND, a 2012 Junior Library Guild Fall Pick and TMI, a 2014 Watty winner, and her #MeToo novels, including SOME BOYS, a 2015 CLMP Firecracker winner and SOMEONE I USED TO KNOW, a 2019 double Athena Award winner. Visit her website at pattyblount.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter. She blogs at YA Outside the Lines and is also active online. She loves hearing from readers, especially when they tell her she’s cool (even though she knows it’s not true), and is easily bribed with chocolate. Never underestimate the power of chocolate.

Reviews

[Deanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

My reviews can also be seen at: https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...

I knew this was a young adult novel before I started reading it. I have read and enjoyed many YA novels before. However, I really struggled while reading this book. As I've mentioned before, I like to read books that deal with social media, and from the description this sounded like it could be a good fit. Unfortunately it didn't turn out the way I'd hoped. I had some real issues with it.

*** I don't think there are any spoilers in this review. But if there are, they are mild. However, I have included some quotes. Please note that some of these quotes may have been changed/removed in the final copy of the book.

All seventeen-year-old, Elijah wants is for his Hard rock band ' Ride Out' to make it big. Music is his life. In all the chaos it's the one thing he has. His parents want him to go to college but he won't need college if the band takes off. Then he can stay close to home and help his parents with Anna. His sister, Anna is thirteen years old with special needs. The older she gets, the stronger she gets, and so her frequent tantrums are harder to control. His parents aren't coping well.

Elijah thinks the band need something provocative to put them on the map.

Kristen had her sights set on a summer program in New York, where she'd be studying drama, voice, and dance. But when she gets the rejection email, she's devastated. She needs something to put on her applications to Julliard, Peabody etc..

Kristen needs to find some other way to impress the college admissions people.

The story is told from Elijah and Kristen's point of view. A large part of the story plays out in tweets and messages.

Kristen is acting as Victoria - the white cat in her high school's version of "Cats", the night her and Elijah meet. Elijah is there because friend and band mate, Sam is dating another actress in the play. Kristen ends up singing the lead solo that night. Elijah is captivated by her voice.

How Elijah describes Kristen's singing:

"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."

How Elijah describes Kristen's look:

"She was incredibly hot-a solid body with an impressive rack."

Okay so I'm old. Yes, I know kids talk that way sometimes, but the way he described her singing vs. her looks?

Elijah wants Kristen to sing with his band. On an impulse he snaps a picture of Kristen in her white cat costume and posts it on Twitter. #CatCall

And soon we have #KrisVsEli

I really had trouble connecting with Elijah. He would get angry when his friends would say something sexual about Kristen, but then he'd say things like:

"Do I think Kristen Cartwright's hot? Absolutely. What's the big deal if I hit that?"

AND I almost threw my Kindle across the room when they said:

"Bros before hos, man"

THEN THEY BUMPED FISTS!

OY!

Some of what is said in the novel is definitely true. The internet loves to see conflict. It's shared, liked, retweeted. People want hits and followers.

Then the band gets an offer to play at the mall. A PAYING gig. But they need Kristen for this to work.

"I've been in this since the beginning. I'm not walking away because of some girl, no matter how impressive her tits are"

I was really having a hard time getting into the story. The characters were difficult to like. However, the times that Elijah spent with his sister, Anna were very touching. She's not very verbal but they communicate with each other through music. The parts describing how Anna struggled and how Elijah tried to help, were very well written. Kristen's relationship with her grandmother/Etta was also heartwarming. I LOVED those parts of the book.

There were many times that I wanted to just put the book down and leave it. But there was part of me that wanted to see if things improved. I had been expecting something completely different. I don't feel like the description of the book accurately reflects what it's about. I also realize I'm not the target audience (ages 14-18).

Normally cursing in books doesn't bother me. However, It felt like a lot of words and phrases were overused. I did a Kindle search on how many times the word "fuck" or variations of it were used...and it was 97 times. That didn't include all of the other cuss words that were said. In addition, there were a lot of references to Kristen's chest (boobs, rack, tits). It all seemed a bit excessive.

I did stick with it and I did enjoy the last couple of chapters and the epilogue. However, I really had issues with a lot of the book. I felt I knew what the author was trying to say, but how it played out just rubbed me wrong. One thing the author definitely does get across is how dangerous and unsafe social media can be and that's a very important message.

Overall this was a story that I found hard to get into. I understand that many readers may love this book, but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an advanced readers copy of this book for me to read in exchange for my honest review.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I received an advance copy of this book for free. Thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Fire and NetGalley.)

“@KristenCartwright Did you scream yet?”

This was a YA story about a teenage band trying to make it big.

It took me a while to warm to Elijah and Kristen, but by the end of the book I did appreciate their good points, their loyalty to one another, and their love for their relations – Elijah’s sister and Kristen’s grandmother.

The storyline in this was about Elijah’s band inviting Kristen to sing with them, and creating an Eli vs. Kris hashtag which took off. Things started to get a bit out of hand with the fans though, with one fan in particular threatening Kristen. It took me a while to get into this story though, and it didn’t seem to hold my attention very well.

The ending to this was okay, and things seemed to work out well for all involved.
6.25 out of 10

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

The Way It Hurts by Patty Blount
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: August 1, 2017
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from NetGalley

Summary (from Goodreads):

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 his swooning face is captured on camera and posted with an out-of-context comment. 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.

What I Liked:

To say that I'm not a huge fan of YA contemporary would be a gross understatement, especially when it comes to what I call "tough-issue YA contemporary. When I decided to try one of Patty Blount's books a few years ago, I had no expectations. It was an early read, and I wasn't too sure I would enjoy the story, but I was curious about. That book was TMI, which I ended up really liking. I went on to read Some Boys, which I loved, and Nothing Left to Burn, which I reread recently and honestly I love that book now even more than I did two years ago. I may say that I don't typically like tough-issue YA contemporary, but I can always count on this author to write really good contemporary, with relevant issues that teen deal with in this time, and a sweet romance to make me smile.

In The Way It Hurts, there is Elijah, lead singer and bass guitarist of the band Ride Out, which he and two friends created when they were in eighth grade. It's a heavy metal type of band, whose music receives a lot of criticism - especially from Kristen Cartwright, a theater girl who can sing, dance, and act like she's on Broadway. But Kristen needs an edge to get into great programs. And Elijah and the band need exposure and popularity - fast. Elijah and Kristen may not agree on music preferences, but they both agree that it would be a smart move for Kristen to join the band. And she does. But at what cost? With the rising popularity of the band and the increasing number of creepy and threatening social media posts Kristen receives, maybe becoming famous isn't what Kristen wants. Especially when things catch up to her in real life.

I usually don't go after books with the "rock star" types because I don't always connect with that protagonist. But from the start, I fell for Elijah. He has a bad-boy reputation and a dangerous image, which he wants. It helps the band and he knows all about perception and illusion. Elijah isn't a punk who likes to scream into a microphone. He is creative, dedicated, and very intelligent, proving over and over that he knows his music inside and out. He is also extremely loyal and very sweet, especially with his younger sister Anna, who is autistic.

Kristen was an interesting character to watch grow with the story. At first I wasn't a big fan of hers because she seemed a tiny but judgmental and snobby (and she was!). But at the same time, I could see why she was that way. She is proud of her upbringing and her talent, and she has goals and dreams that she is determined to realize. Kristen is a headstrong and tough girl, and she handles all kinds of obstacles that are thrown her way. I really felt for her as the story went on - she didn't deserve all of the horrible things that were directed to her on social media.

That is one of the best and strongest aspects of this book - the effects of social media. Everything starts with a tweet with a specific hashtag which takes off. Suddenly it's Ride Out and a new girl named Kristen, Eli vs. Kristen. Girls hit on Eli and throw themselves at Eli, but Kristen gets disgusting tweets and nasty comments. Isn't this so true of society and fame today? Men are praised and let off the hook for many things, but when are subject to even more scrutiny and criticism, and they are expected to cater and stoop down and bend to the will of others. Blount does an amazing job of hitting on so many issues with society today, involving social media and in general.

The character development of both protagonists is well-written. Kristen is a little stuck-up in the beginning, but by the end, she is more open-minded and realizes how wrong she was about Eli, the band, and their music. Eli has a bit of a chip on his shoulder at first, and he judges Kristen too, but by the end, he lets go of some things, and he starts to see things how Kristen saw them. I liked seeing these characters mature into better (still flawed) people.

I also appreciated the inclusion of a character on the spectrum! Anna (Eli's sister) is a big part of this story, even if she isn't a protagonist. I loved how calm and patient Eli was with Anna - almost all of their interactions are so sweet. And when Kristen meets Anna for the first time - I adored that scene!

Another secondary character that I loved was Etta, Kristen's flamboyant grandmother. She's so interesting and a little eccentric and I thought she was great! Etta is a huge source of support for Kristen, and she is also a big fan of Kristen/Eli, which I thought was funny.

You probably already guessed it, but there is a romance, involving Eli and Kristen. They seem like an unlikely pair on paper, but they are great together! They bicker, they fuss, they get very angry with each other, they hurt each other, they understand each other. Don't misunderstand - this isn't a toxic relationship. It's a very real one though - it starts as a terse partnership for the band, and then it moves into friendship, and then a romantic relationship. I liked the progression of the romance. I would have loved to see more Eli/Kristen scenes, but that's okay. No love triangle, no cheating!

The conflict of the book lies with the band involving Kristen, Kristen and the social media issues, Eli and Kristen's relationship, and Anna too. There is so much going on in this story (though not in an overwhelming way), and it all comes together in the climax. You'll have to read the book to see what happens! I liked the ending very much and really appreciated the epilogue. A great way to end the book!

What I Did Not Like:

Ehh, super major. I did mention that I would have loved more Eli/Kristen scenes, in terms of the romance. You know what I mean. But that's okay! This is a slow-burn romance, and I do like those.

I also would have looooved to know how some of those recurring social media jerks were, and the writer of the article. It seemed kind of significant, who the author would turn out to be, or who that one person on Twitter was (Mikey). But maybe these things weren't actually important. I just like to know.

Would I Recommend It:

I think any teenager/young adult should read this book (or any of Patty Blount's books). The effects of social media are so important to understand, especially the consequences of posting this or that. You don't have to be a YA contemporary fan to enjoy this book. You don't have to be a teen either - we adults could learn a thing or two from this story!

Rating:

4 stars. This book has a little bit of everything for everyone! Like music in books? Check. Like romance? Check. Like bad boys? Check. Like confident heroines? Check. Like issues in the story dealing with social media? Check. Like supportive families who love each other? Check. So many aspects of this book really worked, and the book overall was extremely solid and a very good read. I highly recommend it!

[Sarah Joint · Rating 2 out of 5]

What really confused me is this part of the blurb: "Elijah can't take his eyes off of Kristen's performance, and his swooning face is captured on camera and posted with an out-of-context comment. It goes viral." Did this happen? Did I miss it? I went back but still can't find any mention of a photo of Elijah at the play that was shared by someone else. Comments made by frontman Elijah and a photo of Kristen do get some attention, but what goes viral is about competition between the two main characters, which does not go viral until they pick it up themselves and encourage it.

Kristen has big plans, but they've been put on hold. She hasn't been accepted into the exclusive summer program she desperately wanted. She's a "triple threat"... she's got the amazing voice, the moves, and the acting chops. She's dismayed when she's informed she's "not special enough". She still kills it at her high school's production of Cats, earning her some attention online... and from a certain boy.

Elijah is the frontman to a hard rock band. He seems to care about nothing but his band and little sister. He needs to make it big so he can pay for the kind of care she deserves. She's autistic, and she's started to become harder to handle as she gets older. Their parents are nearing the end of their rope. When he sees Kristin perform, he becomes convinced Kristen is exactly what the band needs: a powerful female voice. Two vocalists.

Problem is, hard rock is definitely not her style. She does need something to set her apart from the score of talented teenagers though. Maybe it'll give her the edge she needs... if only she and Elijah can stop butting heads and she can get along with the rest of the band.

I just didn't like Elijah. I couldn't. This surprised me, because he clearly cares very much for his little sister. I have close family with special needs myself, so I knew that aspect would get to me. It did, but it just wasn't enough to make up for his general toolness. He gets the "sudden urge to rip out his throat" when one of his best friends admires Kristen's body... before he even knows her name or has spoken to her, despite the fact he'd been doing it himself since he'd spotted her and will continue for the rest of the book. He experiences visceral possessive feelings throughout the book, but after Kristen and Elijah become close, he's barely concerned when she receives physical threats. How does that compute?

I have no doubt there are many that will enjoy this book, but it wasn't for me. I found it to be too predictable and was annoyed by most of the characters. Perhaps I'm just annoyed by their naivete, how childish they are. I'd give the author another shot if the book revolved around adult characters. I did like the chapters starting with glimpses from the social media of the main characters. It was a nice touch. I also really enjoyed the character Etta, Kirsten's grandmother.

Props for the use of the Seether lyrics.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Sourcebooks Fire, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

[Brina · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Read full review here: Brina and the Books

I was really looking forward to this novel. The blurb promised a bit of music but most of importantly a storyline that too many people are confronted with on a daily basis: online bullying, haressment, slut-shaming. I know this is a sensitive subject matter for many of us but it is important to acknowledge and talk about it.
The result I got, however, was different than I expected. As you read in the blurb, Elijah and Kristen both love music and love to perform on stage. We see them practice, perform and practice a little more. We learn a lot about music in general: sounds, lyrics, musical intstruments etc. It was interesting, no doubt, but the focus of this story was too much on the music and less on the actual topic of online-bullying.
Don't get me wrong, the online-bullying part was there throughout the whole story. The chapters, alternating between Kristen's and Elijah's POV, started off with their respective social media accounts and consisted of stats, status updates, tweets and retweets. The characters talked about those online comments but unfortunately those conversations were not enough in my opinion. Instead of acting on it, they either fueled up the rumors or turned their conversations to music related topics. For over half the book barely nothing happened. Sure, there was bickering and also sexist and misogynic comments but I was missing the drama that the blurb promised. Only at 68% did something happen, when the promised threats followed them into real life. I wished the drama would have happened earlier in the story.

The just mentioned social media accounts that appeared in the beginning of every chapter was a nice feature in this novel. I really enjoyed keeping track of their accounts and seeing the change in their growing follower base. The added tweets and retweets, that were shocking to read, were a little confusing at first. It seemed that the characters found out about the tweets at the same time the reader did. But after a few chapters I noticed that those were not part of the actual story, it was rather for the reader only. The characters only found out about those tweets in the course of the chapter, which is why a few of those comments in the beginning were repeated in the story, and that made it confusing to me.

As an author, Patty Blount made it her mission to write her novels about realistic issues. Although The Way It Hurts was not what I hoped for, it is still an important book and worth the read.

[Angelica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Before reading a book, I usually go to it’s Goodreads’ page and check it out, even if I have read the synopsis before, I like to prepare myself for what I am about to read.

So, when I went to the Goodreads page for this novel, I was a little bit afraid. When I requested this book on NetGalley, it had a 4.0 rating. When I went to check it again before reading, the rating had dropped to a 3.38. Technically that’s more than 50%, but it’s also technically a failing grade. I usually like the books I read to be rated at least at 4.0. Occasionally, I will read a 3.8 or above, but life is way too short to be reading bad books.

But, alas, I was given this book for review so that was exactly what I was going to do. So, I read it. And to be honest, despite the rating I gave it, it wasn’t as bad as I was lead to believe it would be. I mean, I obviously didn’t love it, but it also wasn’t the worst book I ever read. Trust me, I have read some seriously high rated books that have seriously sucked. (I’m looking at you Tiger's Curse and your 4.08 rating!)

First of all, the synopsis lies. Let’s just put that out there. It says one thing and then in the book, another thing happens, but I will let you figure that out if you read it. It just made it seem like a different type of book I suppose. Like these characters were terrible victims of a horrible thing. That’s not exactly how it goes.

Anyway, this book is about two people: Elijah and Kristin, their love of music, and an online scandal. For half a moment I thought that this would be deep and meaningful. I thought that it would take the real issues of online bullying the dangers of social media and make something out of them. It’s not what happened.

There was little emphasis on the issues of online bullying and sexism that Kristin faced. Sure, it was mentioned, but I don’t think that it was handled well enough. There was nothing for me as a reader to take away from it. It was more about music than it was about the social issue that it was actually trying to present. This is the third music/band romance YA novel that I have read this year, and you know what I have found out? I don’t like them very much. I wanted more of the actual advertised plot and less band practice.

Also, it seemed like Eli didn’t really care about what was happening to Kristin at all, despite it being in part his fault. It wasn’t until the issue started affecting him and his family that he saw the problem and decided to actually care. That’s just not cool. He came off as a little misogynistic to me.

I did like Eli’s love for his autistic sister. I liked his loyalty to his family. The other side characters though just weren’t doing it for me.

In the end, I wanted more. I wanted the book I was promised. Sadly, I didn’t get it.

[Danielle (Life of a Literary Nerd) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

I don't care why we liked music, how it affected us, or why it was so important. I only knew that it mattered.

The Way It Hurts is a story of music, family, love, and discovery. Elijah Hamilton, rocker extraordinaire, is floored by aspiring Broadways star, Kristin Cartwright , and invited Kristin to join his band so they have the edge they need to break big. We follow the teens as they learn more about the nastiness of social media, deal with intense family drama, and navigate their feeling for each other with the good of the band. The Way It Hurts was a surprising emotional read, that was really easy to become invested in the characters.

Things I Liked
I really loved the family dynamics in the story. Kristin adores her grandmother Etta and wishes to follow in her footsteps of a life on the stage. They have a very open and fun relationship that is incredible supportive and encouraging. Elijah is a fantastic brother. He cares about his sister Anna more than anything in the world, and it was really great to see that side of him.

Things I Didn't Like
I feel like there was an overall lack of direction. There was so much stuff going on, that I don't know if everything got the attention it deserved. Eli and Kristin also didn't feel clearly defined, like they were torn between two stereotypes.

The side characters were pretty absent. We don't really learn anything about Sam and Nick, the other band members, or Eli or Kristin's families. It made the world feel smaller, which was a shame.

I don't think enough attention was given to the online harassment and extreme sexism that Kristin faces in the story. It represents a very serious real world problem countless women face, so I would have liked to confront the problem, especially the band's own sexism more.

This was a good story, that could have been more. I thought the relationships were all really well developed and made me want to continue the story. The characters were all a little flat for me, but the emotions felt real so I still enjoyed the story - despite my complaints. This was a good story that blended music and family really well.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Hristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Patty Blount is one of the authors I keep hearing about, authors whose books I have on my to-read shelf, but I just haven’t gotten around to reading a title. Getting a chance to read her writing was very exciting. Said writing is the thing that shines in this book, I really like Mrs. Blount’s style, and I will consider giving her books another chance.
This book had a promising idea behind it, I found the plot intriguing, and the subjects it touches on are serious and it’s important to include them in YA. But this book only partly delivered. Not to mention, the synopsis is inaccurate.
I really enjoyed reading it, but I can’t deny that it had its problems. I can’t get behind every behavior that the characters showcased, I found their actions somewhat unrealistic. Elijah’s misogyny is evident, and it isn’t dealt with properly, it’s basically dropped. Neither is the subject of online threats, it’s just stops being the main focus to the point where I felt like it’s totally forgotten about.
Those important subjects I mentioned need to be dealt with in a better manner. That's why I couldn't fall in love with this book as much as I wanted to.

3/5 stars

**Copy received through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review**

[Thamy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kristen has always criticized Elijah's band on a social media site focused on artists, at times attracting a streak of offenses from band members and too-dedicated fans. It is at least an irony that the moment the first meet, the two feel attract and Elijah knows his band needs exactly what only Kristen's talent can provide. And he's desperate enough to get money for his sister to do anything.

I think this story had a real good idea, and the book presented great situations that show how scary the internet can be nowadays. In theory, it was so good I feel it's a pity it didn't translate into a superb book. It's still nice. I'd give it 3.5 but the many flaws got in the way of rounding it up.

I think this shouldn't have been a romance. Kristen and Elijah's relationship is too twisted, and I didn't get the feeling of love conquers all that was needed to convince me they could work. Still, they for sure were characters that felt real.

First, we have Kristen, who is basically an internet troll without even noticing. Her messages to the band are offensive, she stirs up the fans and she never gives up, always ready to criticize the same things. as chauvinistic as the band's lyrics and behavior could be, two wrongs don't make a right. (And aside from a pogo stick mention, we only saw them behaving like that but never the lyrics themselves to have an opinion of our own).

And yes, Elijah misbehave on purpose, because that's what he understands metal is, what their fans like. It took him really long to notice his ways and I'm not so confident he really changed. He uses Kristen, despite her objections, and allow it all to explode. He's too blind to notice all the fame the fake online battle between Kristen and him attracted to care about Kristen's actual safety in the real world. And the worst is it's almost all forgiven just because that was just his persona, he's not really like that.

I acknowledge the characters did change through the book. But I don't think it was enough, which does happen in real life. Really, who changes 100%? But when you're reading a romance, you want to cheer for the characters and that is hard when there's a bad aftertaste. Also, the side characters could have been more than stereotypes, maybe that could have distracted me.

This would have been a great story if the author's goal wasn't so obviously the romance. As such, I think she failed to give each of them the redemption they needed.

Still, this was nice, and intense, and surely engaging. Notwithstanding my critic on the side characters, I think the author portrayed Elijah's sister very well, she's autistic and that for sure demanded a hell lot of research she could have easily avoided. Not that I'm knowledgeable in the topic but for me it seemed much superior to what others are doing out there.

This is a good book but it brings sensitive content and sure lots of possible triggers, like online abuse. It's really a twisted story, which was given a romance treatment. It's not that it doesn't knowledge the former—unlike Hush, Hush or Twilight—, it really does. But it doesn't do enough, in my opinion, to leave us with those dreamy eyes romances were supposed to. At last, this was my first Patty Blount but her talent is undeniable; there will be a next.


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

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

**Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary cops of THE WAY IT HURTS in exchange for my honest review.**

Eli maintains a rock star attitude to keep up appearances for his band. Underneath his cool exterior, he worries his parents want to send his social needs sister, Anna, to a residential home. Kristen is broadway bound hoping to follow in her grandmother Etta's footsteps. She has no time for heavy metal music or sexist players like Eli. But when Kristen joins his band, sparks fly setting in motion a series of viral posts, trolls and threats on and offline which bring the stressors in both their families to a crescendo.

Because of the way Patty Blount handles social issues with subtlety and purpose, she is a must read for me so I was thrilled to receive an ARC of THE WAY IT HURTS. Both Eli and Kristen have interesting, complex families and backstories. I loved her devotion to Etta and his to Anna. Anna's storyline with both profound autism and a chromosomal disorder and the severity of her conditions with a residential facility a real possibility is not often found in YA literature and was realistically portrayed, except the availability of centers and no mention of funds to pay for such a costly facility. I appreciated how Blount dealt with the more severe side of the spectrum with no easy answers. Eli's devotion to Anna was incredibly sweet.

Plotwise, THE WAY IT HURTS started slow with band and music details setting up the important second half of the story. I couldn't put the book down during the last 50%.

THEMES:

-Miscommunication on and offline filled the story, with both characters often making assumptions without checking for the source.
-Internet bullies and trolling
-Danger of giving location online
-The importance of family
-Special needs siblings
-Misogyny

THE WAY IT HURTS has broad appeal to male and female audiences including reluctant readers. She delivers social commentary subtly without beating readers over the head with her important points.

[Read InAGarden · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really loved Patty Blount's previous books. But build up in The Way It Hurts took too long. From the description readers are lead to believe that the novel is about a social media backlash but almost the first half of the book is a typical YA musician/band novel with little substance. Mostly based on the stellar nature of the previous works by this author, I expected a lot more from this novel.

[Madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Way It Hurts is a story about music and the passion to take that music to as many people as possible. It is also a story about the impact of social media. The Way It Hurts is a novel with plenty of drama and characters with very strong emotions.

Kristin is counting on a summer music program to give her an edge when it comes time for her conservatory application. For Kristin, singing, performing, and dancing is everything. Elijah wants to take his heavy metal band all the way. He dreams of fame. When he sees Kristin perform, he knows her voice could be the thing to promote his band. He posts a picture of her and a comment about wanting her in his band. But convincing Kristin to sing with them might be hard after she discovers he is the one she spars with online and his post quickly sparks a derogatory backlash. But Kristin decides that performing with Ride Out could benefit her, and so starts to use the social media outcry to her own advantage. But when the comments online become increasingly sinister and her relationship with Elijah's band mates struggles from the beginning, Elijah and Kristin will have to decide how much they will risk for what they want.

Firstly, let me state that I found the synopsis originally provided with this book misleading. There is no picture taken of Eli's swooning face, he takes a photo of Kristen and posts his own, easily misconstrued, comment. And I don't think Elijah and Kristen finds themselves in the midst of a social media maelstrom - they have a large part in creating it. As it escalates, Kristin is forced to bear the brunt of rude comments and disgusting photos and suggestions, which Elijah largely dismisses until it begins to effect him.

There is no shortage of drama in this book. The focus of the book is predominately on music and Elijah's band. There are practice sessions, song writing, performances, and plenty of band promotion, which is what starts the problems on social media. This will all, perhaps, appeal to readers who enjoy this side of the music industry, particularly heavy metal.

I believe the underlying theme of this novel is so important. Social media and the way it can be used to both help and hurt is a huge issue, as is understanding staying safe on social networks. However, while I think The Way It Hurts raises these issues, I do not believe that it was consistent in its message. Elijah remains largely oblivious to the impact of his comments and postings. When Kristin tries to address the concerns she has, he brushes her off. Unfortunately, Kristin very easily becomes distracted by Elijah, one minute angry at him because he is not listening to her and then suddenly over her anger because he has a soft look in his eyes. Because of this, I felt that the issues of online safety were not truly addressed. It quickly becomes a background issue to the band and relationship drama.

Further, I am uncertain about what messages this book was trying to send about social media. How the characters deal with the backlash might be one solution, it doesn't provide a solution to staying safe while still partaking in online social media forums. A secondary character points out to Elijah his part in starting and perpetuating the backlash against Kristin, but this only seems to sink in because the outcry began to impact his sister. I'm sure there any many interpretations that could be taken from the characters and their actions, but I was left feeling unresolved and uncertain about the book's position and how positive it is.

Elijah's sister was, I thought, a beautiful and important addition to the story, as was the support for those with Autism and the people who care for them, as was the discussion around home care verses institutional care.

Kristin and Elijah spend a lot of time fighting, Kristin and Elijiah are both very self confident and opinionated, but there are some sweet moments when they put everything aside and support each other. Their romance remains - for a large portion of the book - as an impossibility, which raises the tension. However, this also creates some jealousy. On that note, seriously, why must we resort to name calling when another girl is talking to a guy you like!? Not cool. I don't care if that's what authors think teenagers really do! Let's not promote it.

The epilogue just made me angry, so I won't address my concerns here at length, let me just say, wouldn't life be nice if everything worked out like that, but I didn't find it helpful or particularly relevant, but perhaps it is nice if you are promoting the message that dreams can be achieved.

I would recommend this book for readers who enjoy music, the creation of music and the fame to which that can lead, or for readers who enjoy books with lots of drama and conflict between characters.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

Find more reviews, reading age guides, content advisory, and recommendations on my blog Madison's Library.

[Jenny Jo Weir · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad, not great. Cute enough and light reading. Check it out if you are just looking for something to fill time without a lot of fuss.

[Ailisha King · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book because it plays both points of views of the two main characters. It's about really how trust goes over time and first impressions don't really show the persons true colors.

[Cora Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 2.5

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love books with music and romance, and the fact that the blurb indicated that this story would have all that plus drama I was interested in seeing how the story would play out.

Here's what I liked:
Elijah's love and protectiveness of his sister was believable. Her autism and its effect on him and their parents was portrayed in a realistic way and showed how it varied.

What rubbed me the wrong way:
Elijah's tool-like behavior. Sometimes he'd post sexist things, say sexist things, and would treat Kristen like an object. Not only did it turn me off, but it also made their "romance" seem unreal.

Kristen had her faults too. She'd contradict herself at times or make statements that put her in a conceited light. None of that justified the boys' behavior toward her and she definitely didn't deserve to be harassed, both online and in public.

Overall, not a bad story, it just could have done away with certain remarks and Elijah would've been a better character had he treated girls the way he treated his sister and mother.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Punteggio reale: 3,5 stelle.


La trama è leggermente fuorviante, ma questo non è il primo libro che leggo di Patty Blount - quindi sapevo già a cosa sarei andata incontro.

Ho letto Some Boys due anni fa e vi è mai capitato di sfogliare cosi tante pagine e parti di un libro da avere quasi l'impressione di averlo letto senza averlo effettivamente fatto? Questo è il mio caso con Someone I Used to Know - non l'ho ufficialmente letto e quindi non esiste una recensione da nessuna parte, ma un giorno ero curiosa e ho cominciato a sfogliarlo finendo per leggerne così tanto da sapere la storia molto più che a grandi linee.

Quindi so come l'autrice si comporta con i suoi personaggi maschili - so come te li fa odiare prima di far vedere loro la luce in merito ai propri errori e portarli poi alla redenzione. Questo però mi è piaciuto meno degli altri due.


Elijah Hamilton (seriamente, le mie ossessioni mi seguono oppure il destino e le sue coincidenze si divertono a farsi grasse risate alle mie spalle o forse sono io che ho una mira particolare) suona in una band hard-rock/metal insieme ai suoi amici Sam e Nick. Vuole sfondare a tutti i costi perché vede come i suoi genitori stiano facendo fatica a prendersi ancora cura di Anna, la sua sorellina autistica, e pensa che se riuscisse a diventare famoso e a guadagnare abbastanza soldi, allora potrebbe permettersi delle persone specializzate a casa per Anna invece di doverla rinchiudere in un istituto. Elijah vuole la fama, ma i followers sui social network, sul canale YouTube e sul sito The Beat - dove la band posta i propri pezzi per sentire l'apprezzamento o le critiche degli altri utenti - ancora non sono tanti quanti Elijah vorrebbe.

Una sera viene trascinato ad un musical scolastico che mette in scena Cats e al quale partecipa la ragazza di Nick, ma non è Leah a catturare la sua attenzione - è invece la ragazza che interpreta The White Cat, che non solo ha un corpo da urlo, ma anche una voce che colpisce Elijah dritto allo stomaco e gli fa capire che ai Ride Out serve una presenza femminile con quella voce lì per sfondare.
Quella ragazza è Kristen Cartwright, ma ancora durante lo spettacolo Elijah le scatta una foto in costume - costume che mette molto in evidenza il seno - la mette su Twitter così: Wanna make her scream. #CatCall

Ora, Elijah intendeva un urlo metal/screamo - come tanti di quelli presenti nelle canzoni che ascolto. Non vi devo dire io però come la sua affermazione - accompagnata alla foto - può essere equivocata e non vi devo dire io che il cat-calling (che lui invece usa come gioco di parole) viene invece inteso dal pubblico online come un invito alle molestie verbali nei confronti di Kristen.

Dopo lo spettacolo, Elijah e Kristen si incontrano e lui le chiede di unirsi alla sua band. Kristen dapprima rifiuta perché la musica di Elijah non è proprio il suo genere, ma sua nonna Etta - anche a seguito del rifiuto al programma estivo della Tisch - la esorta ad accettare, convinta che la sua presenza in una rock band le darà quel mordente in più necessario ad essere ammessa al conservatorio.

Ma non è tutto rose e fiori: Sam non tollera la sua presenza e non vuole condividere la ribalta, convinto che la presenza di "Yoko" porterà alla rovina la band; Kristen stessa, quando scopre che Elijah è l'autore di quei testi misogini che lei ha tanto criticato su The Beat e che è l'autore di quel tweet diventato virale, ha dei ripensamenti - scegliendo poi di dar vita all'hashtag #KrisVsEli per sfruttarlo e ottenere entrambi ciò che vogliono.

Ma si sa come funziona su Twitter: i troll si moltiplicano anche se li ignori e, quando li ignori, a volte possono diventare molto pericolosi.


Sapevo già che avrei odiato Elijah - almeno all'inizio.
Patty Blount scrive così i suoi personaggi maschili: li rende ciechi di fronte ai problemi che una donna deve affrontare e pian piano cerca di farli redimere.

Elijah scrive un tweet che neanche si rende conto di quanto può essere frainteso e lui stesso, tacendo credendo che sia il modo migliore per far sparire i leoni da tastiera, con il silenzio alimenta tutto l'odio online che non vuole una ragazza in una band metal, che le dice di tornarsene a fare musical e di lasciare la vera musica agli uomini, che commenta in maniera indecente il suo corpo e che la oggettifica, che vuole farla "urlare" in altri modi che vanno ben oltre un grido screamo in una canzone, che arrivano a minacciarla di stuprarla in nome della lealtà ad Elijah e alla band - perché quella battaglia #KrisVsEli che tra loro era nata quasi per scherzo in relazione alle loro diverse visioni musicali, per il mondo online invece ha assunto un significato molto più serio.

Elijah pensa solo ai numeri - alle statistiche dei video della band, ai followers che aumentano, alla condivisioni e ai retweets. Anche a fronte di Kristen che gli dice di essere preoccupata, di avere paura, di temere di essere aggredita (di nuovo), lui sminuisce la cosa dicendo che è qualcosa con cui si deve scendere a patti quando si diventa famosi - gli schiaffoni che non gli avrei dato.
E questo perché è il primo che ah, sì, che bella voce Kristen, ma caspita che tette.

Quindi sì, sapevo che avrei avuto dei problemi con Elijah - è una cosa che do per scontata con questa autrice. Quello che non mi aspettavo è che invece avrei avuto qualche problema anche con Kristen.
Questo perché Kristen è la prima a fare ogni tanto dello slut-shaming quando la fama porta Elijah ad essere riconosciuto e avvicinato da altre ragazze e la gelosia prende il sopravvento. Che poi anche Kristen fa il bello e il cattivo tempo: teme di non essere lì solo per la sua voce quando Elijah le fissa il seno e si arrabbia, Elijah non ci prova perché l'ha promesso e Kristen si arrabbia perché lui non si fa avanti, Elijah tenta di consolarla dopo che una tragedia famigliare l'ha colpita duramente e lei si arrabbia perché pensa che lui in quel momento ci stia provando e via di questo passo.

Ci sono indubbiamente temi importanti contenuti in questo libro ma, sebbene Elijah mi abbia fatta arrabbiare e mi sia anche spaventata per Kristen, devo dire che questo libro non mi ha presa "visceralmente" quanto gli altri due dell'autrice passati per le mie mani - stavolta mi è mancato "qualcosa".

Però quest'autrice mi piace tanto - ne ho minimo altri tre di romanzi suoi che voglio leggere - perché prende un argomento sociale e poi lo sviscera. Con gli altri due era lo stupro e il non essere creduta (con il secondo che approfondiva ancora di più il tradimento da parte della famiglia), qui invece si parla di come 140 caratteri possano dare il via ad una serie di fraintendimenti e minacce - come 140 caratteri trasformino una frase che magari era detta con le migliori intenzioni in un'onda anomala incontrollabile.

Patty Blount insegna ad Elijah cose che un uomo non può capire e non capirà forse mai perché se sono gli uomini a postare cose negative a loro non succede niente, ma se invece è una donna a criticare qualcosa subito si passa alle minacce di stupro e a tanto altro schifo online. E ho apprezzato anche il fatto che sia stata una "nemica" di Kristen - una che non si era astenuta da battute al limite dello slut-shaming nei confronti di Kristen - a far capire ad Elijah ciò che le donne sono costrette a subire quando vengono viste solo come un oggetto.

Insomma, come "performance" dei personaggi - tanto per restare in tema - ho trovato The Way It Hurts inferiore rispetto a Some Boys e , ma resta comunque un libro che merita e deve essere letto.

[✨Fallon Rasinski✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️4.3/5⭐️


Well, that was a fun novel! By the cover alone, I had a way different idea of what I was about to read, but my perspective changed as I read. I think the cover is a little deceiving if I’m honest.
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The story overall is pretty basic. Nothing too special about it. Boy and girl start falling for each other, but life and social media make it difficult. Very “drama, teenage love” type. It could have used more umph or spice from the two main characters. I liked that they added the defensive side of Elijah with his sister. That he’s not always a hard-a**.
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I wouldn’t say this was a bad novel per say, but it isn’t gonna hit my top 10 anytime soon. I’m glad I read it though, because it is something different; no crime, no mystery, but still a story. Patty Blount seems like a good author, and I may just have to read more of her novels.

[Kimberly Sabatini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of reading an early copy of THE WAY IT HURTS by Patty Blount. This story is insanely relevant in our quickly evolving world of social media. It asks the important question...who is the person behind the profile?

This story also challenges us to examine who we want to be. Additionally, 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. There are no easy answers when things spin out of control, but Blount reminds us we can ride out any storm if the right people are in our lives.

I can't wait to see what Blount writes next.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance digital copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For Elijah and Kristen, it's all about the music. Eli's working hard to help his heavy metal band, Ride Out. succeed and hit it big. Kristen loves the theater, and is looking to get in to a summer music program to further her career. But when Kristen is turned down for her music program, she finds another opportunity when Eli hears her singing in a school musical and invites her to sing with his band. But with success and fame comes a price. What started as a marketing ploy on social media quickly becomes more than Eli or Kristen expected, and it's not all positive.

I can see the point this book was trying to make, but I dont think it quite hit it. While this could just be reader error in my part, I thought I would be getting a very different book than what I got based on the synopsis. The synopsis mentions that when Eli first sees and hears Kristen sing for the first time, his swooning face is photographed and posted online with a misleading caption that causes unintended consequences. So, from that, my understanding would be that this book would cover the topic of online bullying and the very real effects it has on people. While that is definitely mentioned in this book, it just didn't quite seem fully fleshed out and addressed. Not to mention, the picture thing never even happens, unless I totally missed something. Eli does post something that gets twisted out of context, but that's it. Overall, it seemed like the book was much more about the music and the relationships. The bullying is mentioned throughout the book, and especially as Ride Out becomes more successful, but Kristen seems to be the only one to take it seriously. When she is actually approached in real life by some of these online bullies, she gets rightfully scared. But when she tries to tell Elijah, he brushes her off. I get that guys don't get the same threats that girls do, but for someone who says he cares so much about Kristen, you'd think he'd at least listen to her and try to understand. It frustrated me that he so casually brushed it off, telling her it was just a price of fame, and to ignore it. Sure, there's going to be nasty comments, but just ignoring it is way easier said than done. I also don't know that I was fully satisfied with how Kristen and Eli handled the whole online situation at the end. I don't think it was a bad choice necessarily, but it just didn't feel like the problem was being fully addressed. However, I do believe that each individual should do what they feel is best to protect themselves so if that's what it took, then I think it was an important step.

Now, as far as the characters go, I honestly didn't like Eli all that much. I get that as a rocker, he felt the need to uphold a certain image, but even when he wasn't playing the part, he still wasn't overly appealing. His best side was shown when he was with his sister, Anna, who has special needs. But as far as how he talked about Kristen in the beginning, I could do without all his comments about her body. I understand she's an attractive girl, but the size of her chest was mentioned far too often for my taste. Then near the end of the book, he literally says something about searching the crowd for "red boots and clevage." Yeah, no thanks. He just left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. I never could fully buy into his character. And honestly, I never fully connected to Kristen either. I loved Etta though. She was so over the top, but it worked for her. I do wish Kristen's friend Rachel was mentioned more. I'm not sure why she wasn't there for Kristen when the online comments started really spinning out of control. Instead she's just mentioned a little bit in the beginning and then briefly at the end.

Overall, it wasn't a bad book necessarily, it just wasn't my favorite. It didn't grab and hold my attention like other books. I think the topic of online bullying that it tries to cover is an important one though, and I appreciate this book shedding light on the subject. It's especially important in a world that's becoming so driven by social media. I hope more books in the future cover this topic.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must-read for music lovers. Patty Blount creates a captivating story about the dark side of fame and the struggles that artists must go through to achieve their dreams. The dual POV for Kristen and Elijah worked wonderfully, and I liked to see the tweets and twitter stats at the start of each chapter.

At first, I didn’t totally love Kristen. She came off as a bit of a stuck up drama kid, but as the story evolved and I got to see the girl behind the act, I realized my misconception at the start. Her relationship with her grandmother, Etta, was touching and I loved how close they are, because I’m extremely close to my grandmother as well. I can confidently say that I stayed up reading (and crying) as I yearned to find out where their story arc would go next. I especially empathized with Kristen when she was dealing with the double standards of being in a heavy metal/rock band.

For those of you who haven’t read my reviews about music before, I’m a singer and drummer in my own band. I’m the first to admit that my band hasn’t received nearly as much attention as Ride Out, but I can attest that the standards for girls in bands is a lot higher than boys. My band is currently working on our debut EP, but about a year and a half ago we were in the studio working, and we posted up a picture of me sitting behind my drum set to the Facebook page of the company my cymbals were made at. The company reposted the picture, along with other shots of just the cymbals. Not really any of the comments had to do with me, which was fine; except for one by some random man, who commented something along the lines of the recording studio/drum set being a weird looking kitchen, insinuating that I, a 16 year old girl at the time, shouldn’t have been playing drums.

Around the same time, my band took first place at a local battle of the bands, and won some prizes from Fender, some of which were free t-shirts; and a man old enough to be our grandparent felt the need to respond to it claiming that we were the winners of the wet t-shirt contest. One of the things my band tried to avoid is pulling the gender card. We take responsibility for when we lose at battles, but there have been a few times where it was clear that if we had put on the same exact show, but we were boys, we would definitely would have won over the boy band that was chosen over us.

What’s the point to this whole rant that at this point you probably don’t think is at all connected to the book? It’s just a few personal examples to show that the online abuse and double standards Kristen must deal with throughout the book aren’t being exaggerated for the plot. Girls are judged much harder than boys, and I applaud the author for her portrayal of it. As much as I love cute band romance stories (because I do!) this book felt raw and real and I loved it.

Elijah changed throughout the book as well, especially from the start when he thought nothing of how his comments actually effected Kristen and how others viewed her, apart from any publicity being good publicity. I think this summed up how some guys think, in terms of not taking threats seriously, or brushing off Kristen’s concerns about the comments she was receiving online. His relationship with his younger sister, Anna, who is on the autism spectrum was portrayed well. It was nice to see the contrast in how he acted when he was playing a role versus how he acted when he was himself, which was around Anna. While I would love to continue reading about Kristen and Elijah’s story, I felt the end was a satisfying conclusion to a great story.

I also felt that Elijah and Kris’s relationship developed nicely and didn’t feel rushed, which can be the case in young adult novels. The symbolism behind the title of the book is also made clear, and as a reader I love it when the title has a greater meaning than just words a marketing team thought would attract buyers.

Overall, I felt that this book tackled current issues in a respectful way, and explored both the negative and positive effects of social media and the internet. The inclusion of personal family struggles for both main characters helped to make them feel more real and flushed out, and this book is so much more than just a story about a band trying to make it big.

[Carina Hung · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me, stories centered around the arts are a hit or miss. I either end up a squealing fangirl or I struggle through the book. Perhaps the problem is that many of these novels have similar themes, such as passion or competition, which make the sub-sub-genre more predictable. It takes a degree of uniqueness to make a novel about the arts stand out. Upon reading the summary of The Way It Hurts by Patty Blount, I saw the promise of the story and was eager to give it a try. 

Kristen and Elijah may have the same end goal, but they are complete opposites when it comes to musical genres. Kristen performs in musicals, hoping to follow in the path of her grandmother, an ex-theater queen and a woman of elegance in even her older age. Elijah plays in a hard rock band with friends, posting their performances on YouTube and hoping to make it big so that he can stay and help out with his autistic sister. When Elijah's friends bring him to a high school performance of Cats, he is impressed by Kristen's voice onstage and offers her a place to sing with his band. Kristen, charmed by Elijah, considers his offer before discovering his true identity as a member of the very band she had criticized under an alias online. Despite her hesitancy, she takes Elijah up on his offer at her grandmother's suggestion to boost her chances of getting into the theater program of her dreams. Singing with the band isn't so easy.

As I mentioned previously, the story has a promising premise. The sub-plots of the characters are definitely emotionally-driven. For some or even most, they hit home. It's scary when someone you look up to, someone dear, suddenly faces a medical crisis and possibly death. At especially an older age, there's the question of how much time you have left with the aforementioned person. Kristen, seeing her grandmother in a hospital bed and so void of the vivacity she once exuded, realizes the reality of the situation and what it means. Then, there's the difficulty of guaranteeing safety and sanctuary for someone in a world lacking of privacy and respect. It's hard to trust someone other than yourself to treat people you love as they deserve, and Elijah struggles with that. These sub-plots are my favorite aspect of the novel because they invoke thought. 

However, on the emotional front, the delivery falls short and consequently creates melodrama. The banter, although entertaining, begins to drag on with the lack of action between exchanged words. There is also an overuse of lyrics, even as they align with events in the novel. Throughout the book, the one time I felt emotionally connected with the characters was when there was a raw and honest interaction between Kristen and her grandmother. I might have teared up reading it, but I wanted to see more of that interaction. It was lovely! 

"Okay. I have to get to school. And, Etta, the band—well, my band—we're playing at the mall and at the county festival this summer, and you'll be there, of course, because I'm your favorite granddaughter, right?" That was our joke... I was her only granddaughter. Tears dripped down by face, falling onto Etta's arm.

Stories should be relatable. It is said that they allow us to travel to different worlds, but emotions keep us tethered to the real world and our inner selves. This may just be a me thing, but I can't understand how Elijah is so eager to share his stage and is not in the least bit nervous or jealous about Kristen changing his band or stealing the spotlight. Sure, he wants to take care of his sister and is willing to go so far to do that, but there's got to be some little part of him that's conflicted. I just can't imagine someone that selfless both inside and out. Kristen and Elijah don't know each other for long before he trusts her readily, out of character for someone who has his guard up with even long-time friends. Maybe it's just because I'm not much of an insta-crush person. 

On the topic of insta-crushes, there are other romantic interests who are minor characters and they appear almost child-like and innocent in their behavior. The accuracy of portrayal is distracting, especially when the band later becomes locally famous. In the age of modern internet, fame is usually wide-spread. They have a good following, but it's not impressive enough for, in terms of a realistic worldwide ratio, a good turn-out at a local performance.  

Despite the cheesiness of the story, I did enjoy reading it. It is a quick read and, while I don't particularly like Kristen or Elijah, I love the kooky grandmother Etta. The ending is also a nice one. I'm sorry to rate The Way It Hurts only two out of five stars because I feel like there are those out there will enjoy the read. It just didn't suit my taste, which docked a majority of the stars.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

“The Way it Hurts” is an intriguing YA novel about two musical teens, Elijah and Kristen. Elijah (Eli) is the lead singer for the hard rock band, Ride Out, which has a few diehard fans but not the following they are hoping for to make it big. Eli is really banking on Ride Out working as a thing so that he can help take care of his special needs sister, Anna. Kristen plans to become a star like her grandmother Etta (one of the best characters in the book) and has the amazing voice to do it. She is planning to go to an amazing musical school for college, which should help launch her career. She already participates in an online forum designed to help artists with feedback and has critiqued Ride Out for their sexist lyrics.

Eli attends Kristen’s high school production of “Cats” and falls in love with her voice (and body) right there. He begins a trending topic by tweeting things like that he’d like to make her scream #catcall and begins to pursue her. He thinks that she could be the perfect element to take Ride Out to the next level. Their online war heats up as does their personal interactions, sparking a #KrisvsEli that gives them the publicity to go with the talent. Combating personal/familial problems and balancing the band plus social media is not as easy as it seems for Kristen and Eli.

Things get pretty scary for Kristen when fans take the online banter too seriously, threaten her with rape, and begin stalking her around town. The demonstration of this fear and potential for harm are a really good thing for teens to observe. However, what is really lacking is the ability to properly handle this fear- especially when it’s confronting her in everyday life with people stalking and attacking her. This book had a lot of potential when handling such an intense and powerful topic, but I feel it fell short on showing teens about the resources available and what they could do if ever put in this situation. Also, Eli said some pretty sexist things but since he cares about his sister, it seems like it’s written off. This type of dialogue should never be excused, no matter how nice a man/boy is to another woman. I feel like there was a missed opportunity for some personal growth. He starts to get an idea of how harmful this could be, but I think it misses the mark overall.

The focus of the book ends up being on their romance, resisting the pull to be together and the banter back and forth. I think a better focus would have been on how to handle the online sexism and violence towards Kristen- we observe it happen but then don’t see how it can be resolved (except to delete all her accounts? But this would not stop stalkers who have decided to target her). I was surprised that they didn’t really follow up on this/kept the focus on the teenage romance. I read the whole book and feel that it was a great start, but I would have wanted more (resolution/growth/help), so I am giving it a middling star review for it’s OK, but I think it could have been even better.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

[Carrie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elijah is a heavy metal rock god - or at least that's the image he relentlessly displays to the world. In reality, he's a devoted brother who is doing everything in his power to keep his sister, who has special needs, with the family. He's also an amazing musician - writer, composer, guitar player, and singer. He is dedicated, down to his core, to his band, Ride Out, and to making music that is solid and honest.

Kristen is a goddess of the stage. She sings like a Broadway angel and dances like a dream. She lives to make her grandmother, Etta, proud by making it in the professional theater industry. She's talented, driven, and drop-dead gorgeous.

After seeing her perform in the musical Cats, Elijah is sure that Kristen is just what his band needs to finally make it big. He convinces her to join his heavy metal band (a musical genre that Kristen has little respect for) and play some gigs with them. But an unfortunate,misconstrued hashtag and an online rivalry between Kristen and Elijah (purely done for marketing purposes?) quickly spiral out of control. Kristen is physically threatened; Elijah is mobbed; arrests and hard decisions are made. When the fallout from this online storm settles, who will be let standing?

It took me quite awhile to finish this book. It just didn't hook me like some of Ms. Blount's other books have. But once I finally had time to sit down and really read for a long period of time, I fell more into the story. This book honestly explores a couple of important topics - living with a severely disabled family member and the frightening side of social media. I helped care for a severely disabled individual before, but I have no first-hand knowledge of what life is like when that person is a family member and lives with you 24 / 7. But, to me, it seemed like Ms. Blount really captured the love these families have, but also the struggle and heartache a family goes through when that is their reality.

The social media aspect of this book, though... just. W.O.W. I'm not a big user of social media - my online presence is almost nonexistent, and this is EXACTLY why! In her Acknowledgements, Ms. Blout speaks briefly about her take on social media, and she is exactly right, that social media gives everyone an equal voice, and sometimes those voices are used to say terrible, hurtful, violent things. What really got me about this story, though, was the people who took their voices offline and brought that hurt and violence into the real world. Kristen's experiences and fear will speak directly to many, many teen readers (unfortunately)! But, hopefully, this book will serve as a cautionary tale and spark dialogue about how to make social media better and safer for everyone who uses it.

Most of this book was great and spot-on. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I got a little tired of the angst between Kristen and Elijah. Things would be great and then something completely trivial would drive them apart again - something that apparently carried more force than it reasonably should. And then the Epilogue. Gag me with a sappy spoon! But, overall, a very moving, powerful read!

[J. d'Merricksson · Rating 5 out of 5]

**This book was reviewed for Sourcebooks/Fire via Netgalley, and for Barclay Publicity

The Way It Hurts is told through the alternating viewpoints of Kristen and Elijah. Kristen is a singer and actor. Elijah is part of a rock band called Ride Out. He hears Kristen sing at a high school performance of Cats and wants her talent in his band. After foolishly posting a tweet without considering the full ramifications, he approaches her and asks if she'll join them. She finally decided to give it a try, hoping for something unique to add to applications to conservatories. As things progress, the initial tweet posted by Elijah, later added to in deliberate publicity efforts by both Kristen and himself, gets wildly out of control, leading to threats and more than one physical assault on Kristen. Eventually this and severe miscommunications lead to a break between the pair. What will it take to repair the damage done?

Blount’s The Way It Hurts is a spectacular read addressing a number of issues pertinent to young adults (and adults) in the world today. Chief among these is communication, played out on so many different levels. It ties to the nature of social networks, which may connect thousands of people, but they often do the opposite of fostering useful communication, especially when the face to face or verbal aspects of communication are cut off. You cannot see the people you would hurt with words, so it's okay. Misunderstandings are common, too, once nonverbal cues and verbal inflection is removed. The fracturing of such communication allows the nasty, the vicious, the crude, to come to the foreground because they tend to be the loudest… like annoying yappy dogs barking at nothing. Music as a method of communication is very strong, especially in regards to Anna and Maggie, who are autistic. Elijah can converse with Anna through music alone. Also stressed is the need to be direct in our communication, to speak what we truly feel. How much interpersonal conflict could be averted if both parties were open with one another instead of leaving things to guesswork. We will always guess based on how we would react, but that other person isn't us and wasn't shaped by the same things that shaped us.

Another broad issue is perception, which Elijah comments on. There's no truth, only perception. By ignoring certain things, it allowed them to mushroom instead of collapse because people are gossips and will make stuff up happily if they are not provided accounts by the people in question. Perception comes into play again in regards to how people view certain things, say heavy metal music, without taking time to understand it.

Falling under these two broad issues are a host of others like ageism (Etta is awesome!), sexism, perpetuation of rape culture, and discrimination against the disabled. I was horrified with people's reactions to Anna, and later Maggie, disgusted that they should think these girls have no right to be out in public at all. It happens all too often in the real world.


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[☘Tara Sheehan☘ · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I read the synopsis I was intrigued right away because I recently dealt with my own issue of being trolled online and it amazed me how different men are treated versus women. I had someone post a pic of their 9mm and my parents address but neither Facebook nor the police took my fear of this seriously or understood how I could feel threatened, seriously? I completely bonded with the female character and her fear of what was being done to her and felt the author did a great job in capturing the accuracy of what people say online, do in real life and how men seem to brush off women’s concerns of feeling threatened.

The synopsis didn’t feel accurate though because it made it seem like Eli was this victim who got caught up in the trolling with Kristen but that wasn’t accurate so it took something away once I realized the tone of the story was actually very different. The main characters actually seemed to have cause the social media fiasco they find themselves enveloped in and egg it on until it begins to blow up in their faces. It also seems like most of this book is about the dark side of social media but the first half is just a typical YA / music / want stardom story.

Any readers who are really into the music scene, particularly heavy metal, will enjoy this book as it’s def more about that than social media. It still portrays an important lesson about social media though and the power it can wield for either good or bad depending on intentions. It’s not stable throughout the story though because one minute Kristin is trying to point all this out while Eli is apathetic then Kristen seems to stop caring because Eli flirts with her. It’s not realistic, when you’re being threatened that badly you aren’t going to stop caring just because someone makes googly eyes at you. The author had a real chance to stress safety and how to handle threats but she just didn’t take it.

A huge positive for me as someone who has family on the spectrum was the inclusion of a character with Autism as well as the respectful and realistic way her life was handled including the horrifyingly real possibility of having a loved one put into a restricted home environment.

[Summer · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this had compelling moments, I felt like it could have dug a little deeper sometimes with the plot and characters.

Kristen, an aspiring musical theater performer, and Elijah, lead singer and guitar player in a metal band, join forces in an effort to gain the level of fame they think they need to achieve their goals, for her that’s getting into a prestigious conservatory, for him, that’s making the kind of money that will allow his severely autistic sister to remain at home rather than be moved to a facility.

The drama in the band, the walking out of rehearsals and snapping at each other, it got old for me really fast, though to be fair, that totally is the dynamic of tons of famous bands, egos constantly clashing, so there is a certain amount of authenticity to their annoying behavior. I feel like maybe I would have enjoyed this contentious aspect of the book more if I’d had a greater understanding of where Sam was coming from aside from just being told that he liked all the spotlight for himself, if maybe he’d had a few more conversations one-on-one with Elijah and Kristen, if I'd learned more about his life his point of view was conveyed with more clarity, it might have felt like the arguments and storming out were happening for a well-motivated personal reason rather than just for the sake of drama in the book.

As far as romance goes, there was a decent spark between Elijah and Kristen, it’s just that even though you do discover he’s a decent guy with his sister, it was challenging for me to get past the #catcall stuff in the beginning and see Elijah in a romantic light, I think that might be what kept me from ever feeling one hundred percent invested in them romantically.

The story was at its strongest whenever the focus shifted to family, I liked that Kristen’s grandma is very much a best friend to her, and I liked how close Elijah is to his sister, they were the most emotional and heartfelt relationships in the book, and whether in the contented moments or the crisis moments, I felt much more engaged with their scenes than with the other storylines in the book.

I received this book through a giveaway.

[Stephanie (ITakePicturesOfBooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

~Disclaimer~
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.
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This book is told from two points of view, Kristen and Elijah. Eli is in a Rock band hell bent on making it big. His one wish is to make enough money to care for his autistic sister Anna. Kristen wants to be on broadway. She wants to beef up her resume to get into a good arts school. Their world collide when Eli sees Kristen preform o
in her schools production of Cats. He thinks she would be a key addition for his band to finally make it. He wants her. One of his band mates thinks sh will be their Yoko and break up the band. Eli promises that he will stay away from her. But will he be able to? At what lengths will he go to to give their band exposure?

I like that this book was told using two points of view. It gave different prespectives on the same issue. Eli and Kristen had opposite reactions to what was happening on social media. Eli thought that things being said online didn't really matter because they were just words. As long as people were talking about their band that's all that mattered. Whereas Kristen was very frightened about what was being said about her, she took it as threats. Women can be treated very badly online. This book really shows how what someone writes about you online can scare and affect you. People started going after Kristen personally, going so far as to threaten her online and in public. Just because these things are being said online doesn't make them any less real or frightening.
I thought that this book was very relevant to todays teens. Social media is a big part of teenage life. A lot of bullying now occurs online versus in person. It is easier to be mean behind a screen.
This is a good read to start a conversation about online perceptions, bullying and online threats.

4/5 ⭐

[Sharrice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patty Blount does it again. Not even kidding I’ve love her books and I when I saw she was coming out with a new one, i knew I had to have it.

Elijah only cares about music. When we meet Elijah I had a whole slew of mixed emotions about him. At first I thought he was a complete jerk. He’s a bit of a sexist pig who only cares about his music and his sister. His friends seem to be a means to an end, and everything in his life is about making it big. Elijah is not a relatable or likable character at all. The only redeeming quality he had throughout the story was his love for his sister. I mean this truly. His sister has Autism Spectrum Disorder and is becoming more and more lost in her own world. Elijah wants to make it big so that his sister will always have the care she needs. It’s difficult not to like someone like that, but at the same time, it was difficult to like him.

Elijah meets Kristen a girl he’s been harassing online for a while about he lack of taste in music. He meets her at a performance of Cats and she does so well he wants her to perform with his band. Kristen agrees to help the band out only if Elijah helps her write an original piece so she can get into college. I liked Kristen. I think she struggled a lot with who she thought she should be and what she truly wanted.

The only issue I truly had with the book was some of the message I feel got lost in the whole “I love music message.” I think this stories synopsis made it seem like something was going to go horribly wrong, and it did, but not in the way you suspect. I guess I just wish it would have focused more on the negative consequences of social media rather than the music aspect.

I love how Patty Blount didn’t make this into just a a romance. I never doubted this story was just going to be a romance, but I loved the depth behind the story. There was a message and a reason. It’s gut-wrenching and painful beyond belief, but so so beautiful.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I requested this book on Netgalley I anticipated a music based YA romance, but what I got was that and so much more.

Blount mixes a hard metal rock band with a broadway musical singer in this story, teaching me a few things about both genres, and whilst lead singer Elijah is pretty much what you might expect of a YA male protagonist, Kristen is not. So many YA novels I have recently read offer a female mc who is a bit geeky, unsure of herself and average-ish in the looks department (N.B I am totally a fan of this!) but I have wondered if a girl was portrayed as hot – rather than beautiful – as well as talented and intelligent, would I like or connect with her. Kristen is all of those things and yes, it was easy to connect with her.

A main aspect of the novel revolves around Kristen’s physical appearance and how women are repeatedly exploited for their looks – whether intentionally or not. The dual narrative of Kristen and Elijah definitely exposed how men aren’t even aware of how and when they do this. Blount also critiques social media and it’s spiraling effects in the real world. Again, with a feminist take, considering how the consequences often effect women in a more real and frightening way.

Add in to all of this vivid family members with their own challenges and a best friend with an overbearing ego and you have a gritty YA novel that gave me a lot more than I expected.