The Way It Hurts

June 15, 2017
The romance between musicians Eli and Kristen is plagued with discordant notes. Eli's image as a rock god is all about his hard-rock band, but readers are supposed to believe he's really a nice guy whose priority is his severely autistic sister, Anna. When he hears Kristen and their high school production of Cats, Eli is so attracted to her voice--and her body--that he takes a photo of her and posts it to the band's Twitter account: "This cat's HAWT!" (Irritatingly, this conflicts with the back-cover summary that implies that he's an innocent victim of an out-of-context post.) With the narrative clumsily integrating "screenshots" of social media into the transitions between their two perspectives, Kristen starts singing with the band. But the staged online battle that becomes #KrisVsEli quickly gets out of control, with Kristen facing misogynistic comments and physical threats. Eli brushes aside her concerns and keeps focusing on the band's success and his desire for Kristen. Even when Kristen is assaulted by a fan, Eli doesn't seem particularly concerned. But when fan behavior harms Anna, too, Eli finally wakes up. Although Eli clearly cares about his sister, it's not enough to overcome his sexist persona and his too-late epiphany. Like Eli, his family, and Kristen, the supporting cast is a white one. Not only does Kristen deserve better, so do readers. (Romance. 14-18)

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June 1, 2017

Gr 8 Up-Music is everything. This is one thing that Elijah and Kristen can agree on. Beyond that, they could not be more different. Elijah is part of the band Ride Out, known for its head-banging, heavy metal, hard rock sound. He dreams of hitting it big and using the money to help his sister Anna, who has special needs. Kristen, on the other hand, yearns to become a star on the Broadway stage. The teens' worlds collide when Elijah and his friends attend Kristen's high school musical production of Cats and Elijah cannot take his eyes off Kristen. One tweet about Elijah changes their lives forever as their social media war takes center stage. Amid their Twitter battle, and with her grandmother Etta's guidance, Kristen decides to join Ride Out. Will it give her the edge she needs to get into a competitive theater program? Or will the teens' lives spiral out of control as the backlash from their social media war becomes very real? Blount writes authentically; both protagonists' voices are distinct. The author explores the rapidly consuming world of social media and how it affects relationships online and in real life. VERDICT A relevant read and must-have for all YA collections.-Elizabeth Blake, Brooklyn Public Library

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