DanaSquare

Passions and Pain follows the story of Elena who is going to a performing arts school in hopes to be a successful dancer and actress. I personally can't dance but my opinion is those who can't do should read or watch about it on TV. Fans of the movies Fame and Step Up will love this novel. It is fun but also has a lot of drama because when you go to a school that has a focus of drama you know there will be some Drama Queens.My friend goes to La Guardia High School which is the fame school in Manhattan so I kept thinking is this what her high school experience is like. Not really. So is it completely realistic that people are this competitive in a school like this not so much but then again it is dramatized who would want to read a book with zero conflict.Letitia is the perfect mean girl. She acts a foil to Elena. Letitia is everything that Elena isn't; she is assured and knows exactly who she is. She is horrible to Elena and all you want is for Elena to take Letitia off her pedestal. I loved the relationship between Sebastien and Elena right off the bat it was insanely adorable. Elena too was really great but I think it was the supporting characters who were the most outstanding in this book. But Elena is great because who doesn't enjoy rooting for the under dog.Passion and Pain is a quick read that you will be zooming through as you root for Elena to improve as both an actress, dancer, and as a person. I could definitely see Passion and Pain as a movie a cross between Step Up and Bring It On. With both dancing and intense competition fans of young adult contemporary novels will fall in love with Passion and Pain. I can't wait to read Bitter Sweet the sequel to Passion and Pain which is out now!*I received this book for review all opinions are my own*