GaryJones5
A heartfelt and haunting coming-of-age story about the friendship that shaped a lifetime and the silent hurt that almost shattered it.
Diane is the golden girl of Crestwood High-star cheerleader, straight-A student, a girl who moves through the world with effortless grace. Jimmy is the quiet boy from the wrong side of town, whose only solace is found in the margins of his notebook and the songs on his ancient cassette player. Since childhood, they've shared a private, sacred friendship. But in the glaring light of high school hierarchy, Diane only acknowledges Jimmy when no one else is watching.
Everything changes when Jimmy leaves a mixtape in Diane's bag, with a single, devastating Culture Club song as its centerpiece. The lyrics become the soundtrack to his pain and the mirror to her blindness: Do you really want to hurt me?
Told in alternating perspectives, this lyrical and emotionally raw novel follows the unraveling and tentative reconstruction of a bond built on secrets. As Diane confronts the casual cruelty of her double life, and Jimmy learns to turn his anguish into art, they must both ask: can a fracture become a foundation? Can the very thing that broke you be the material you use to build something new?
Perfect for fans of Nina LaCour's melancholic tenderness, the social tensions of The Sky is Everywhere, and the nostalgic ache of Normal People, Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? is a poignant exploration of memory, music, and the courage it takes to look back-and to finally, truly see.