Shine by Lauren Myracle

Synopsis:
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.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Who Recommended it to Me: No one in particular. I like this author though so that's why i picked it up in the first place. 
Who I Would Recommend it to: everyone who wants a mystery that is haunting and will give them the chills. Probably ages 13 and up, unless you're a mature reader. 

My review:
There is rarely a time when I don't close a book after I'm finished with it.  Usually I close the book, think about it for a minute, and then move on to a different book. But this book--well, let's just say it was different. I left the book open and let all of its 350 pages blow back and forth in the wind coming from the open window to my room.  This book is positively mind-blowing and I couldn't help but think that it was pure awesomeness when I reading it. I suggest you read it too! 

First of all I love the whole girl detective, murder-mystery type books. Although this book doesn't really fit into the same category as Ally Carter's books (Gallagher Girls, Heist Society) or Nancy Drew, even, for that matter, it had a similar feel.  Watching as the reader as Cat wove the strands of the story together to create a couple different suspicions was fun, interesting, and most of all, spine-chilling. I love books like that! Some people don't understand my love for chilling mysteries, but I just can't get enough of them. This book was fabulous!

Reading this book made me marvel at how ignorant people can be, how stupid. I know that everyone makes mistakes, but as Cat talked to each person, it was an amazing realization that hit me--that people are just so ignorant and stupid twenty four hours a day, myself and the ones I love included! And Cat was definitely not a flawless heroine--she had her ups and downs throughout the book and that's what I love about her.  Lauren Myracle has hit her readers hard with the realization that no one is perfect, actually, we're all the definition of imperfect. All of us are stupid, selfish, ignorant, awful people. :) (Don't take that the wrong way. I only mean sometimes we are.)

Next, Cat. I looovvved her! She was awesome-sauce. Not only did she stand up for herself and those she loved, she was dedicated and didn't let what others think stand in the way of her goal--to uncover the mystery of what happened to Patrick.  Patrick's her friend who she hasn't talked to in three years, but still she cares deeply about his future, which I think is the mark of a true friend.  And Jason! Holy fricking god, I loved him from the start, even when he called Cat a non-repeatable name in the library and half the time he was swearing at himself and dropping the F-bomb, but that was just what I loved about him. I added a status update on Goodreads that said, "I kind of feel bad for college boy, even though that's awful..." and I looked back on it and laughed because trusting your instincts on books is the best thing you can do. 

You should be warned, though, that this is not like Lauren Myracle's other books. Not even close to the Internet Girls or even The Winnie Years. I was expecting it to be more like those, but they were completely different books, which I like. I hate it when all of authors books are the exact same thing. Myracle has branched out a bit, and I love that! This book is YA, but it's less on the "Y" side and a little bit more on the "A" side, even though I think 13-year-olds and up could read it.  I'm not even 13 yet so there were moments when I was like, "Oo-kay, I really shouldn't be reading about some of this stuff," but really and truly, this book was awesome!

so if you are a) a mature preteen, b) a book crazy teenager, c) a mystery-loving person, or d) looking for a YA book that'll give you the biggest case of chills possible, then go out RIGHT THIS MINUTE and buy this book! Or get it from the library like I did! Because this book is just totally, totally, totally awesome and I can't think of another word for it! <3 Happy reading to y'all!*

*I'm not Southern. i live in the Mid-Atlantic. That's just how the characters in Shine talk to each other :)