Book Review: Shine by Lauren Myracle

Title: Shine
Author: Lauren Myracle
Details: egalley, (published Hardcover, 376 pgs.)
Published: May 1st, 2011 by Amulet Books
isbn: 0810984172 (ISBN13: 9780810984172)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Netgalley and the publisher

Description:

When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to go against everyone you know in the name of justice.
Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart, fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work from a beloved author.

I write a lot of good reviews.  I often have a hard time finding words to describe how much I loved the book.  But I think it's pretty rare to find a book that gets to me as much as this one has.  That makes me think this much.  That reminds me of some of my own teenage years in a way completely different from any other book. That really leaves me speechless in my love for it.  For 2011 (my 68th book read this year) it is my favorite so far.

The characters in this book are flawless in their flaws.  Meaning none are perfect, but they are perfectly imperfect, making them easy to relate to and realistic.  Making them us, our friends, our neighbors, people we know.  People we love, people we hate, people we can't help but love and hate at the same time. 

I grew up in a small town.  It wasn't in the south, but it had many of the same issues.  The drug use, the anti-gay feeling from most everyone, the stupidity of people in their close mindedness.  I felt so confined growing up.  Feeling like the only person with an open mind and willing to accept people no matter what color they were, or what their sexual preferences were.

This is a mystery.  Cat is out to find the perpetrator responsible for the hate crime against her friend.  Through the entire book your trying to put two and two together to figure out the person who's guilty.  There are twists all along the way making it impossible to figure out.  On top of that we know that Cat has a secret.  Something happened to her that made her withdraw herself and stop hanging out with her friends.  Something that has kept her from knowing all the secrets that this town is hiding.  It kept me wondering until she finally tells us and then it was quite a ride watching Cat grow as she discovers herself and her strength within.

In my opinion this book had everything.  Though it's focused on the mystery, the self discovery of Cat, as well as a minor romance that we mostly only got a hint of, is also a part of it.  And the town itself sucks you right in.

This story was real.  I can't stress enough how real this book felt to me.  I felt like I was sucked into this world and living it.  This is certainly one of the best books I've ever read.

This is where I give my warnings, or alert people to content.  But this is one of those books that all profanity, drug use and sexual references is significant to the story.   They are what makes this story.  That people go through things like that.  The negligence, the close mindedness, the blindness around us.  This is not a pro drug book and there's not drug use except in reference.  We see what drugs do to people.  If you have a teen they must read this!  There's other content as well that may not always fit in YA books.  It does here.  This book is true.  This is what is happening all across America.  This is a book that every young adult out there needs to read.

Dear Lauren Myracle,
Thank you.  I can't say that enough.  Thank you for writing a story that is true (even if it's fiction), and that matters, really matters.  This book affected me more then pretty much any book I can think of.  It's a book that will sit in a place of honor on my shelves (if I'm able to get my hands on a copy, that is!).

I give this book 5 toadstools, but really it deserves 10/5.  If only it was possible...

Find the author:

Website | Twitter

Purchase:

Shine at Indiebound

Shine at Amazon

Disclosure:  I received an e-galley of this book from netgalley for review purposes.  All opinions expressed are my own and I was not paid or influenced in any way.