The Way It Hurts

The Way it Hurts is supposedly written for a younger teen audience, but the theme of the novel is intended for an older, mature audience. It is more of a moral lesson on the use and abuse of social media and misinterpretations rather than a story about teenagers. The story follows a player-type guy who is in a band and a girl who has dreams of being an actress. It is a bit predictable and stereotypical. The two hate each other at first, but they secretly like each other.

As someone who is not that interested in social media, this is not a book that I recommend. The author does not have any complex word-use or imagery. In fact, there is a significant amount of vulgar gestures and profanity. It’s as if the author is trying too hard to imitate teen life and missed the mark. The characters were not like anyone I could relate to or would associate with in real life.

I honestly struggled to read this book and wouldn’t recommend it.