It took me a while to read this book, so I’ll take my sweet time reviewing it, and I’ll do this in a ranking type of way with my top four reasons why I have this one star, ranging from less offensive to most offensive 
If the only thing I found offensive was how formulaic yet messy the plot was, I would’ve given this book three stars. It was clear that it was a debut novel and that the author thought throwing in some elements she had read in other books would make hers good. It didn’t. There were weird cuts and time jumps that made no sense, there were scenes that I’d predicted chapters in advance, and overall there was an angsty YA novel with some added drama that I’ll expand on later because it’s very problematic. 
I can appreciate a bad plot of at least there’s a good romance, but that wasn’t the case in this book either. The guy likes the girl because she has big boobs and can sing, and the girl likes the guy because he’s...hot? There was really no development to their relationship, only a couple of moments when they were sort of forced to be together, but besides a couple of kisses and some banter, there was nothing indicated that they were meant to be together. 
Now let’s go for the actual problematic stuff. The author seems to be applying the same technique I mentioned when describing her plot to adding drama: she goes into stuff without really doing her research or maybe knowingly sharing offensive or problematic ideas. One example is the portrayal of the main character’s grandmother after suffering a stroke. My own grandmother recently had a stroke, and though she’s recovered amazingly well, I can say that no, she won’t be going to a concert in a county fair anytime soon. She also doesn’t use isolated words with perfect accuracy. 
What I found most offensive about this book though was the portrayal of autism and how the main character kept referring to his sister’s condition as something that needed a cure.

Unfortunately I didn't finish this book, as I couldn't get into it - nothing against the author or book, just not to my personal taste. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Way It Hurts.  I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

The Way It Hurts is a YA romance/realistic fiction that involves timely issues for which teens may be able to relate.  Although Elijah has a reputation for being a player, the truth is that he is just performing.  Eli is serious about his music and, after hearing Kristen sing at her high school performance of Cats, he really wants her to join the band that he has with friend Nick and Sam.  Desperate to take the band to the next level, Eli wants to be able to help his family hire caretakers for his 13 year old sister Anna, who has special needs.  Kristen wants to set herself apart from other conservatory applicants and being in a band might just do that.  With the band at odds with each other, emotions running high, will they be able to work past their issues and create great music together?

The Way It Hurts includes current social issues that teen readers may find interesting, especially in regards to the abuse by social media trolls and the way in which it escalated out of control.  The story itself and the characters were good, but this book is really not all that memorable.  It is a cautionary tale at best, giving teen readers and their parents a way to start a dialogue.

This was my first book by Patty and I enjoyed her writing, the pacing, and use of social media- mixing the text conversations with actual conversation to keep it relevant for the time. She created people I felt for, that I loved, that I rooted for, and I believed in.

I unfortunately was not able to read this book before the archive date. Someday I hope to read and review it for my blog. I will give a 5 star review on here so that I don't mess with it's rating.

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. It confused me a lot and I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted.

I really wanted to enjoy this one, but I just couldn't get into it. The characters weren't eye-catching and the plot wasn't intriguing me either.

Patty Blount never fails to make me feel with her writing. I loved the voice of this book and the characters really resonated with me and will stick with me for a long time. Highly recommend this book to music lovers, fans of Blount's other books, and teens and adults alike who want a book that will make them think long after the last page.

Patty Blount is a must buy for my high school library.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. 

Dual narrators Eli and Kristen could not be more opposite. Eli is trying to jumpstart his rock career in a band while Kristen stars in her high school musical. Together they take center stage in the back and forth banter of social media misunderstanding. 

Off the stage both teens are dealing with issues in their own lives - Eli, is protective brother for his autistic sister while Kristen is navigating some issues with her family. When Kristen tries to diversify her musical resume by joining Eli's band, sparks fly but not always in a good way. 

THOUGHTS: I have enjoyed several of Blount's character-driven books. Readers looking for a little music, a few family issues, and some social media drama will enjoy this one. As Eli and Kristen navigate their new fame and friendship, they each have some growing up to do and some big decisions to make about the future.

This novel, for me was missing something. The writing was fantastic, it was showing and not telling, however I feel as though there was something missing from the plot that would have really elevated the novel.

While I think that it tries a bit hard to hit a number of issues in one fell swoop, this book is great fodder for a social studies and/or psychology class. There are some great misunderstandings that occur and having the varying viewpoints helps us as readers to be able to analyze these.

I really liked the social media element. The author addressed a lot of issues that are very relevant to today. There was one plot point that was brought up and never discussed again but I don't know if anything was changed for the final version. Overall, I was really drawn into this story.

How I got it: I received The Way it Hurts via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Why I picked it: A couple of years ago I reviewed Blount's previous novel Some Boys for School Library Journal. Some Boys struck a chord and I was hopeful that The Way it Hurts would do the same.

Plot: 
Kristen wants to spend her summer in an elite music program but finds herself rejected despite her obvious talent for Broadway style vocals.

Eli strives to make it big with his heavy metal band Ride Out and use the fame and fortune to provide safe at home care for his autistic younger sister. 

The two have never met in person but rival one another in an online forum similar to twitter designed to help musicians offer one another feedback. When Kristen and Eli meet at a performance of Cats they quickly realize that working together can help them both get what they want. By joining forces Kristen is able to stand out to potential conservatory scouts and Eli is able to help Ride Out appeal to a wider audience. 

Feedback: Although the bands ascension is front and center in this book there is a subplot that cannot be overlooked. Eli and his bandmates use sexism to appeal to their target audience at the expense of Kristen's safety. Though romantic lead Eli often voices that he doesn't approve of what the fans say he refrains from taking a stand on the subject. At no point in the book does Eli's character evolve. At no point in the book does Kristen's character acknowledge that her love interest is actively putting her in danger for the sake of the band. Given the strong stance Blount took against sexual assault and harassment in Some Boys I anticipated a similar approach in The Way it Hurts. I figured it was slow coming to prove a point about the fact that people don't take sexual harassment seriously enough or that online harassment can be dangerous outside of the internet as well but the final chapter came and went without ever delivering the message. 

Verdict:  This was a disappointing read. There was a lot of material here that could have been used to show teens yet another permutation of dangerous online behavior. Maybe the subject is getting old but the danger is still out there. No, predators aren't picking young girls and boys up on Myspace anymore but that doesn't mean that there aren't people out there using tools like Twitter and Facebook to stalk and harass people. I would have liked to see Kristen and Eli recognize that danger and make an effort to stop it. Instead readers got a neatly packaged romantic ending where everyone's dreams come true.

Fabulous, in part. There were moments where the pacing and character building was off for me. But, beyond that, it was a fabulous story - as it usually is with Patty Blount.

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.

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!

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.

First off I’d like to apologize for my radio silence this last month. I have had a lot going on in my life and though I finished this book weeks ago and I am just now finding the time and energy to write this down. Plus, my son has been obsessed with the care bears and it is really hard to concentrate with 24 he’s of that on repeat! Honestly when I’m done I’m probably going to take a nap! So, on to The Way it Hurts!

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This book was fantastic! This book was the first book I have read that has a strong social media presence as a part of the plot. It is raw, genuine and 100% relatable in today’s society of ever present social media. Our lives have been shaped in descent years due to the fact that social media plays such a large part in our day to day lives and this social economical change is both good and bad.

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It is an open platform for people to express their opinions for which they may not usually feel comfortable doing, and it adds a certain anonymity. It takes the human element out because seemingly you are talking to a computer, but this book is a prime example how things aren’t always what they seem or interpreted as intended. Social media is not all that social at all and is kind of a mask.

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The Way it Hurts follows two teenage kids who through different channels are thrust into roles of perfection. They each come from similar backgrounds but couldn’t be more different, or similar. They both are trying to grow as performers for their own reasons and take on responsibilities that maybe they shouldn’t have on their shoulders at this age in their lives.

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Elijah is the metal rock lead in his band called Ride Out. He and his friends have worked real hard to gain the following that they have found and take a front too far when they start receiving constructive criticism on social media.

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Kristen has dreamed of Broadway her whole life, its in her blood. When she starts getting blasted online she takes it personal and things tend to get out of hand and things out of context.

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Then when the two meet only one thing seems to make sense, they need to perform together. After that things start to snowball and get out of hand both professionally and personally. Sparks ignite and the two try to keep things professional but it proves difficult and they both nearly loose all they worked so hard to achieve.

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This is a young adult romance that is more about real life, social media and how it shapes things and passion for an art than the actual romance. I found it refreshing, relatable and believable.

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So, my little booklings, young adult readers and the like, this book is fantastic and I recommend that you pick it up and read it with the passion and lust for life, art and rock and roll!

3.5/5 Stars baby! Chao!

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And in case you missed it we had a huge celestial event on Monday, a full solar eclipse. I live very close to the totality zone and it was pretty cool and a little eerie.

Kristen and Elijah are both passionate about music--though, from their social media account's postings, it seems that they are biased to their separate genres, Broadway and Rock music. As an online battle begins between the two a chance real life encounter leads to each teen's interest being piqued. After hearing Kristen's voice Elijah believes her voice would be a perfect addition to his rock band Ride Out. Kristen is drawn first by his eyes and then by the passion he has for music... and the Elijah Hamilton that she sees when he isn't working to project his "rock god" image. Can they work together? Will the things that people post online tear about the band?

It is interesting to see how much of an impact social media plays in this book-- getting to see both character's reactions to the postings of others and the fake news. There was a larger part of the book that I wanted to grab Elijah and shake some sense into him--thinking that rape threats were just a form of advertisement for their music. He was too naïve.

I am going to include my blog link so you can read my review there: http://cindysloveofbooks.com/2017/07/review-the-way-it-hurts-by-patty-blount/

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.