YA author Patty Blount is back with another novel that addresses one of today’s most pressing issues facing today’s youth. SOME BOYS is a gutwrenching and edgy love story told from alternating points of view that’s perfect for fans of Simone Elkeles and Katie McGarry.
About SOME BOYS:
Some Boys go too far. Some Boys will break your heart. But One Boy can make you whole.
Seventeen-year-old lacrosse player Ian Russell—sidelined by a concussion—is sentenced to spend spring break scrubbing out lockers. It’s bad enough when Ian discovers his partner for the week is Grace Collier, the girl who claims his best friend raped her at a party in the woods a few weeks ago. But what sucks most of all is that he used to have a thing for Grace… before Zac MacMahon got to her first.
Grace wants to crawl into one of the lockers and die. Ian was the only reason Grace even bothered to go that stupid party, but he never showed up. Not until… after. Suddenly, someone was shaking her awake. The last thing she remembers is the expression on Zac’s face. But Zac told the entire school the sex was consensual and posted a video on Facebook to prove it. Her best friends have abandoned her and even her parents aren’t too sure.
But Ian and Grace surprise each other. He never disrespects her, and she even helps him when a dizzy spell hits. Ian still likes Grace with her bad-ass style. Unlike the rest of the school, who has rejected Grace, calling her a slut and a liar, Ian is funny and kind with secrets of his own. But how do you trust the best friend of the boy who raped you? How do you challenge your best friend and call him a liar? How do you believe in love?
Excerpt:
A large shard, all jagged edges and sharp points shines in the center of the light beam like it’s on stage.
Seductive.
I pick it up, fondle it for a minute, glide it against my skin. It’s cold and smooth, and with just one flip of my hand, I figure it’ll bite. It’ll hurt. But it can’t be any worse than what I feel right now, and when it’s done, I’ll be done too.
I adjust my grip on my piece of glass, my passport to freedom, and shut my eyes, imagining it, imagining the peace, the end of the pain, just…an end. I grip it harder, and a jagged edge reveals its teeth. My hand shakes, and my breath hitches.
No.
I drop the shard, fall to my knees, and cover my face.
“Jesus H. Christ, you scared the shit out of me.”
I swing the light beam around, and Ian steps into my clearing.
Maybe there’s a God. Maybe there isn’t. Something got him here just as I’m ready to break, and I wonder, Is he here to save me or smash me himself? He’s not happy—that’s clear. His eyes have shadows, and his face is tense. I pick up my bottle and chug, then stretch out on the ground against a tree.
“What are you doing, Grace?”
I lift my eyebrows at his painfully obvious question and don’t bother to answer. I swallow another drink, feel it burn a path to my stomach. A few seconds later he takes my bottle, swallows some, makes a face.
“Can I sit?”
I go still. Me wearing my kick-ass boots, drinking in the woods alone with a boy, and he wants permission to sit? Are you completely insane? every cell in my body screams at me, but I shift over a bit because it just doesn’t matter. What can he possibly do to me that hasn’t already been done? He crouches beside me, leans against my tree, and passes back my bottle.
“So why didn’t you do it?” He picks up my piece of glass, tosses it far out of the way. I mourn the loss as I follow its trajectory and swill more rum when it plops somewhere behind a shrub. Why didn’t I do it? Damn good question. How can I possibly explain it? I wanted to. I still do. But there’s something else I want more. Need like I need air to breathe.
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“SOME BOYS belongs in every YA collection.” – School Library Journal
“5 stars. Very well-deserved! This book did quite a number on me – unlike most books (contemporary or not), this one made me FEEL, and feel really strongly.” – The Eater of Books
Also by Patty Blount: TMI and SEND!
About Patty Blount:
In addition to writing novels for teens, Patty Blount writes technical information for a computer company. Her first novel, Send, was inspired after a manager suggested she learn more about social networks. A short version of that same novel finished in the top ten of the Writer’s Digest 79th Annual Writing Competition. She is also the author of the young adult book, TMI. She lives on Long Island with her family. Visit her at pattyblount.com.
Want to get to know Patty better? Check out this exclusive interview!
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