Blog Tour (Excerpt and Giveaway): THE WAY IT HURTS by Patty Blount (YA)

I am so very happy to be able to share with you today the release of another contemporary book by Patty Blount!

I have been reading and following Patty Blount since her debut of SEND was released back in 2012. She is a local Long Island author who usually uses NY as the settings to her stories; and who writes about real life teen topics that are very important and that everyone should read more about! 

"In Patty Blount's THE WAY IT HURTS, two teens' quest for fame goes terribly wrong when a single tweet goes viral and the online backlash follows them into real life. Fans of Gayle Forman's If I Stay will like how main characters Elijah and Kristen bond over their music in this edgy, real world contemporary young adult read that examines the impact social media has on the lives of today's youth."

THE WAY IT HURTS

by Patty Blount

Release date: August 1st, 2017

Published by: Sourcebooks Fire

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Formats: Paperback (352 pages), eBook

SUMMARY

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. 

ADVANCED PRAISE FOR The Way It Hurts

"Blount writes authentically; both protagonists' voices are distinct. The author explores the rapidly consuming world of social media and how it affects relationships online and in real life. A relevant read and must-have for all YA collections." 
- School Library Journal

"Elijah and Kristen's personal evolutions through the novel, along with their chemistry, feel as authentic as the conflicts they face. A genuine plot filled with steady tension that twill keep readers hooked." 
- RT Book Reviews 

"This book sensitivity covers topics such as sexism, handicapping conditions, communication, and ageism. Agency is also shown when Kristen says she wants to pursue studying in a conservatory rather than continue in the band and the three young men acknowledge her wish. Talking about what bothers us rather than trying to guess another person's feelings is demonstrated through the actions of the characters. The characters' issues are eventually resolved through hard work and understanding, making this an interesting and informative read." 
- School Library Connection 


EXCERPT

Elijah took my hands. "Okay, look. Maybe you're right. Maybe these people are taking this whole battle thing way too seriously. If you're scared, then we'll stop. No more posts except for appearance information."

"So no more battle of the sexes, no more make Kris scream?"

He held up his hand. "Swear to God."

"Okay." I sighed in relief. "You'd really do that?"

He leaned closer and repeated the vow. "I promise, Kris."

And just like that, I forgot why I was mad at him. I couldn't talk, couldn't breather, couldn't even blink because I was afraid he'd let go. This was the part of him I adored. I clung to him for a long moment, and when his gaze drifted to my mouth, I wondered if - hoped - prayed - he'd finally kiss me.

And then, Etta's voice suddenly spoke inside my head.

"Well, my God, darling, it's the twenty-first century. What on earth are you waiting for? You can kiss him." 

I could. Yes. Yes, I could just lift my head and lean in and kiss Elijah Hamilton like it was a normal, ordinary occurrence. 

Right. Like kidding Elijah Hamilton would ever be ordinary?

I'd watched him kiss that girl at the mall and was sure I'd memorized all the steps in his routine. He'd move in, grip m face between his hands, run his thumb along my jaw, and finally, glide his arm down around my body, pulling me against his own, all the while, peeking through his lashes to see if I enjoyed it. 

I wasn't sure when I decided - even what made me decide. I just touched my lips to his and waited.

it took a second or two. But then there was a sudden, tiny squeak from him, and I felt the pulse in his wrist leap under my fingertips.

And then, his hands were in my hair, angling my head just the way he liked it, his tongue brushing against mine, so soft it might have been my imagination,,, except imaginary kisses were never so intense. He kissed me like I was a song he wrote, lips wrapped around every word until it hummed with hidden meaning and promise, and his hands held me the way they held his guitar - like the music would stop if he let me go.

Copyright THE WAY IT HURTS by Patty Blount 2017

GIVEAWAY

Patty Blount is offering one (1) lucky winner a $50 Amazon Gift Card! 
To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Bumbles and Fairy-Tales will not be held responsible for any lost, damaged, unclaimed, etc. prizes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Patty Blount 

Native New Yorker Patty Blount is the award-winning author of several critically acclaimed 'internet issues' novels for teens as well as a few adult contemporary romances. She is inspired to write by such greats as Judy Blume, J.K. Rowling, and Gayle Forman. In fact, Judy Blume is the reason Patty elected to write under her real name.. so she'd appear on shelves next to her idol. 

Patty adores writing; she's written everything from technical manuals to song lyrics (see THE WAY IT HURTS, coming August 2017). 

Patty wants you to know she loves chocolate... really, really loves chocolate. 

When not crushing on actors Gilles Marini or Sam Heughan, Patty can be found sitting in traffic somewhere on the Long Island Expressway, listening to audio books or talking wildly to herself about plots and characters. Prone to falling madly in love with fictional characters, Patty suffers frequent broken hearts when they all invariably prefer the heroine to her... go figure. 

When she's not writing, Patty loves to watch bad sci-fi movies and live tweet the hilarity, and scour Pinterest for ideas on awesome bookcases. 

Patty lives on Long Island with her family in a house that, sadly, lacks bookcases.

LINKS: Goodreads / Website / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest

BLOG TOUR HOSTED BY:

http://www.barclaypublicity.com

Waiting On Wednesday #40: THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE by Jennifer E. Smith

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by  Breaking the Spine. 

This is were we get to 'spotlight' books that we are anxiously waiting to be released! The ones that we are dying to get our hands on and read into the wee hours of the night and, quite possibly, to make our shelves look all pretty too :)

What I'm waiting on... 

This is What Happy Looks Like

by Jennifer E. Smith

Expected release date: April 2nd, 2013

Published by: Poppy (Hachette) 

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary, Romance 

SUMMARY 

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

In This is What Happy Looks Like, Jennifer E. Smith's new YA novel, perfect strangers Graham Larkin and Ellie O'Neill meet - albeit virtually - when Graham accidentally sends Ellie an email abou this pet pig, Wilbur. In the tradition of romantic movies like "You've Got Mail" and "Sleepless in Seattle," the two 17-year-olds strike up an email relationship, even though they live on opposite sides of the country and don't even know each other's first names. 

Through a series of funny poignant messages, Graham and Ellie make a true connection, sharing intimate details about their lives, hopes and fears. But they don't tell each other everything; Graham doesn't know the major secret hidden in Ellie's family tree, and Ellie is innocently unaware that Graham is actually a world-famous teen actor living in Los Angeles. 

When the location for the shoot of Graham's new film falls through, he sees an opportunity to take their relationship from online to in-person, managing to get the production relocated to picturesque Henley, Maine, where Ellie lives. But can a star as famous as Graham have a real relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie's mom want her to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?

Just as they did in The Statistical Probability Love at First Sight, the hands of fate intervene in wondrous ways in this YA novel that delivers on high concept romance in lush and thoughtful prose. 

Why I'm waiting on This is What Happy Looks Like... 

It had me at the mentions of two of my most favorite movies ever!!!

I can sit here and watch "You've Got Mail" all. day. long.

And I am so very curious to know what Ellie's family is trying to hide from everyone...

And isn't the cover SO unique and incredible?!
Love the black/white with bit of yellow :)

Can't wait to read this one!

SO, what are you waiting for???

Waiting On Wednesday #38: GOING VINTAGE by Lindsey Leavitt

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by  Breaking the Spine. 

This is were we get to 'spotlight' books that we are anxiously waiting to be released! The ones that we are dying to get our hands on and read into the wee hours of the night and, quite possibly, to make our shelves look all pretty too :)

What I'm waiting on... 

Going Vintage

by Lindsey Leavitt

Expected release date: March 26th, 2013

Published by: Bloomsbury

Genre: YA Contemporary

SUMMARY

When Mallory discovers that her boyfriend, Jeremy, is cheating on her with an online girlfriend, she swears off boys. She also swears off modern technology. 

Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in 1962, Mallory decides to "go vintage" and return to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn't cheat on you online.)

She sets out to complete grandma's list: 

run for pep club secretary, host a dinner party, sew a homecoming dress, find a steady, do something dangerous. 

But the list is trickier than it looks. And obviously finding a steady is out...

no matter how good Oliver (Jeremy's cousin) smells. 

But with the help of her sister, she'll get it done. Somehow.

Lindsey Leavitt perfectly pairs heartfelt family moments, laugh-out-loud humor, and a little bit of romance in this delightful contemporary novel. 

Why I'm waiting on Going Vintage... 

First off, isn't the cover super delish?! I love the color combo of this pink and green!

This debut sounds super cute and a whole lotta fun!

I am really looking forward to seeing how Mallory is going to accomplish her grandmothers list! and whether or not she'll cave in and go "steady" with Oliver! He sounds dreamy already, lol!

It's your turn! 

What are you waiting for this week??? 

Waiting On Wednesday #37: DARE YOU TO by Katie McGarry

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by  Breaking the Spine. 

This is were we get to 'spotlight' books that we are anxiously waiting to be released! The ones that we are dying to get our hands on and read into the wee hours of the night and, quite possibly, to make our shelves look all pretty too :)

What I'm waiting on... 

Dare You To 

(Pushing the Limits #2) 

by Katie McGarry 

Expected release date: May 28th, 2013

Published by: Harlequin Teen

Genre: Young Adult - Contemporary, Romance

SUMMARY 

"I dare you..." 

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does...

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock - with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him. 

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams - and his life - for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all. 

Why I'm waiting on DARE YOU TO...

Ummmm, WHAT?!?! 

Who's this Ryan dude??? 

Where did Beth go that Isaiah is not mentioned here???

Are we to assume already... {sob!}

Saying that I LOVED Pushing the Limits is an understatement - 
{you can see my review here}

there are no words, that book will stay for me for forever!

So, I am trusting you, Katie McGarry ;) 

SO, what are you all waiting for this week??? 

A Book Tour: Someone Else, Somewhere Else by Jenelle Jack Pierre

Welcome to day one to the Someone Else Somewhere Else Virtual Tour!

Someone Else Somewhere Else 

by Jenelle Jack Pierre 

Release Date: February 15th, 2012 

Format: eBook 

Publisher: Self-published by Jenelle Jack Pierre 

SUMMARY

“Though we were four years younger than Ariya, we’d watched teenagers before at an older cousin’s house. They talked on the phone, they texted their boyfriends, they watched movies on DVDs. Sometimes, they tidied up the house by wiping the table with a damp sponge after feeding us, removing the crumbs and ring spots from the bottom of our glasses. But we’d never seen any of them work like Ariya did.”

Twin sisters. Stepdaughters. Neighbors. In this short fiction, the lives of the twins are forever changed when their mother remarries and they move next door to a family unlike their own. Could their lives have been different with a flip of a coin?"

MY REVIEW

What I love about short stories is, well... how short they are, lol!
What I sometimes dislike about short stories... how short they are!
And in the case of Someone Else, Somewhere Else - I really do wish that it was longer...

The story is about twin sisters that live with their mother and step-father, who have just moved to a new small town located on the island of Antigua.
Throughout the story, the girls names are never mentioned - they are oftentimes referred to as 'girls'. I have to admit, I'm a stickler with names. But in this story, I did not even notice the lack of information until I had finished reading it and had to think about it.

Pierre's writing style flows prettily. Very descriptive and inviting.
The girls are at a curious age were they notice all the little details and want to know why.
They spend a great deal at their neighbors house, even though their parents know what is going on, which confused me a bit. As a parent, if I suspected any type of odd behavior or abuse, I truly believe that I would not allow my children to be near the situation.
I was also under the impression that the story was taking place in the past - with laundry being hung out in the back and potato peeling being done on the front steps, until there was mention of the children sitting in the living room playing Xbox.

In the end, I really did wish that the story would have continued. I would have liked to have really gotten to know the girls (perhaps their names too, lol), see what they would have thought about what they had discovered with what had happened next door and whether or not they were still aloud to continue to be friends with them.

Hopefully Pierre will turn this short story into a novel someday. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

"I was born in Trinidad and raised in Maryland. My parents encouraged my love of reading with lots of books. I’m an only child, which means I’m good at board games, especially Scrabble.

I started writing as a way to entertain myself, mostly poetry. I majored in Communication Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park and after college, I became a media researcher (radio) at a PR software company. Soon after that, I interned and studied writing at Johns Hopkins University.

Before I Breathe is my first YA novel.  I also write contemporary short stories.

I have a variety of interests apart from writing, including reading, hanging out with my husband, cooking, and traveling." 

Official Website, Goodreads, Twitter  


Someone Else, Somewhere Else is available now for Free on Amazon, BN.com and iTunes. 

TOUR DATES:
May 20 Tour Stop & Giveaway: Margie, Bumbles and Fairy-Tales 

May 22  Tour Stop & Giveaway: Melissa, adventures of frugal mom 

May 24  Tour Stop & Giveaway: Reena, Ramblings of an Amateur Writer 

May 25  Tour Stop & Giveaway: Ali, Ali's Bookshelf 

May 26  Tour Stop & Giveaway: Mary Ann, All Things Writing 

A Promo/Blog Tour for: 

http://innovativeonlinebooktours.com/

Thanks you for stopping by today!
Happy reading :) 

In My Mailbox #11

"In My Mailbox" is a weekly meme created by 

The Story Siren 

The idea is to post whatever 'books' you may have received from the week (before), whether you purchased them, gifted to you, borrowed, traded, etc.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
I hope you are all enjoying being 'green' today ;)

Again, I was NOT going to buy anything this week -
I have accumulated SO many good books in the last 2 months, I really want to get through them all first... but the NEED to have more good ones is just too enticing and hard to resist... dang you new releases! lol... here are two that I got this week...

I bought The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin 
and Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard 

I got these two cuties from Gibbs Smith for review: 

2 Baby Lit books!
Little Miss Bronte: Jane Eyre
and Little Master Carroll: Alice in Wonderland
by Jennifer Adams and Art by Alison Oliver
My review will be up on Tuesday! 

Two R.A.K.s for my Nook, from Lori of Romancing the Darkside:
Thank you SOOO very much, Lori :)

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
I don't know much about this series, but looks good and the cover is so pretty! and
Firelight by Sophie Jordan - I am SO excited to finally start this series - Dragons!!! 

And I love giveaways! I never met a person who didn't/doesn't -
here's some of the stuffs that I won recently and came in the mail this week...

From Kathy of I Am Not A Reader I Am A Writer, an ARC of
Slide by Jill Hathaway (which I am reading right now!)

Thank you, Kathy!!!

I am SO thrilled to have gotten this! 

... and from Kristen of The Book Monsters,
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins :)

Thank you, Kristen!!!
I've been waaaanting this and Anna and the French Kiss for what feels like a very long time, lol! So since I won this one, I caved and ordered Anna and the French Kiss a few days ago ;)
It's my first time ordering something from The Book Depository, and I am anxious to see how long it takes to get here!

I also won some bookmarks from the author herself, Gretchen McNeil!
The bookmarks promote both of her books:
Possess and Ten (which will be released 9/2012)

Thank you, Gretchen!

And of course, I could never forget to share with you what my boys got this week too :)

Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! by Mo Willems 
George Brown Class Clown: Super Burp! by Nancy E Krulik and Aaron Blecha 
The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey 


And that is it for me/us for this week!
What did you get in your mailbox???

A Review: Red Deception by J.C. Murtagh

Hello there! I finally have another review to share - 

I have been on a reading frenzy! I have a ton more of reviews to share, but I haven't been able to stop reading to type them up, lol! So be prepared to see a lot of them in the next few days :) 

Title: Red Deception 

Author: J.C. Murtagh 

Release Date: 12/28/2011

Age Group: 18+ 

Publisher: Jennifer Casale 

Available Formats: Paperback (65 pages), Kindle 

Author's Sites: Website, Blog, Twitter 

From Goodreads: 

"Judith Timbolt lives a life of poverty and servitude until the day she finds a new beginning in the hands of the deceased, Lady Lora Noire. Donning her red cloak and identity, Judith embarks on a fairytale life she could only dream of. When she steals the heart of the powerful Baron Blacwin, her dreams become a reality. 

Will Judith's fairytale unravel or will she be able to uphold her falsehood under the cloak of deception she has weaved?"

Sounds really good, right???

Yes, it is a really good "quick" read, really good,
I really struggled with how to review this book, and here's why...

Right away we're introduced into Judith Timbolt's life, she is a wife, mother and daughter-in-law. Her husband seems timid and in denial, her son is sweet and a typical boy, and her in-laws are mean and abusive towards her. By page 4 Judith is ready to run away from it all and start a new life.
I told you it was a quick, fast moving story.

I feel that the book/story was shortened for space and it was squished into the 64 short pages -
I would have liked to have seen more of Judith's personality, her thoughts and her reasons for doing the things that she did. Why and how was she able to leave her little boy behind so quickly, why and how was she able to leave her new situation by the next day and go back to her old life. It felt like she made her decisions to quickly and forced - did she really want to go back because she missed her son, or did it have more to do with the fact that her true identity was about to be revealed - a bit of both?

The story is good! The story is there! I want more!!!
I feel that this book was more of a novella or intro - this story can easily gain another 100 or even 200 pages!

The writing, not too sure - the story flowed well but I was distracted with all of the grammar mistakes, and there was a lot of them. I'm not sure if the copy that I received is an ARC or not, since it doesn't say, so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt and going with that it is :)

I'm giving this book 3 stars - the story is good, potential - I want more ;)