Massachusetts-based Y.A. Novel Adeptly Explores the Consequences of Drug Abuse

Posted byAuthor Stacy A. PadulaPosted inUncategorized

Written by Olivia Halle, Hingham, Massachusetts

Olivia Halle is a senior at Hingham High School. She is a member of the Varsity Tennis Team and also enjoys sailing, reading, and hiking. Olivia is involved in Hingham’s Mentor Program, Green Team, and Medical Sciences Club along with being president of her school’s National Honor Society. 

Gripped Part 2: Blindsided by Stacy A. Padula adeptly explores the consequences of drug abuse in a manner that is digestible for middle schoolers and high schoolers. Through reading Blindsided, readers expose themselves to the buildup of addiction, the effects it has on relationships, and its fatal consequences. Readers will learn universally applicable lessons that will best prepare them to not only learn how to navigate the world of substances, but also how to maintain healthy relationships and the benefits of open communication. As the story progresses, readers will be all consumed by the complex relationships, creating conflict, drama, and attachment to the characters of the series. 

The reader immediately becomes immersed in the new developments of Taylor’s complicated position, in which he is tangled in family, football, and drug dealing. Padula’s writing places emphasis on the tribulations of escaping addiction, as Taylor and others, such as Chris, begin to understand the negative implications of substance abuse. Readers will feel emotionally invested in the relationships of the likes of Chris and Lisa, Cathy and Jayson, and many others as they all begin to realize how they are changing for the worse. By the end of the novel, readers will surely want to keep reading to ensure that their favorite characters will continue to take strides on the right path, while they will be hoping for others to escape the consequences of their addictions.

Synopsis

Now being adapted for TV by Emmy-winning producer Mark Blutman!

Fourteen-year-old Chris Dunkin is known for being the life of the party and everyone’s favorite friend. Despite his amicable nature, he carries around deep-seated pain from his childhood that he frequently numbs with alcohol and drugs.

After hosting a party, Chris awakes with a strange vibe running through his body and no recollection of the previous night. When he learns the horrifying truth of what his night entailed, the trajectory of his life is changed forever.

Published by Author Stacy A. Padula

Stacy Padula has spent the last 14 years working daily with teenagers as a college counselor, mentor, and life coach. She was named "Top Inspirational Author of the Year" for 2022 by the International Association of Top Professionals (New York, NY). In 2021, she was broadcast on the famous Reuters Building in Times Square as "Empowered Woman of the Year." Her Gripped book series is currently being adapted for TV by Emmy-winning producer Mark Blutman. She is the founder and CEO of Briley & Baxter Publications: a publishing company that donates a portion of its proceeds to animal rescues each month. She has edited and published a variety of titles, including Boston Bruins Anthem Singer Todd Angilly and Rachel Goguen's The Adventures of Owen & the Anthem Singer, LaTonya Pinkard of Netflix's Last Chance U's Nate & His Magic Lion, and former NHL player Norm Beaudin's memoir The Original: Living Life Through Hockey. Stacy resides in Plymouth, Massachusetts with her husband Tim and two miniature dachshunds, Briley and Baxter.