Graffiti Moon (original 2010; edition 2012)

Graffiti Moon has hundreds of glowing reviews so I think it's safe to say it has wide appeal and has captivated many readers. The book's description didn't give me much of an idea of what to expect or what kind of tone the book would have so I was really curious as to what I'd find. While I really liked Graffiti Moon, I didn't adore it and it didn't take my breath away. It was a good, quick read that I was done with in a few sittings but not one that will stay with me forever.

Graffiti Moon is the story of a group of young people on the night they finish year twelve. It specifically focuses on Lucy and Ed. Lucy is searching for someone- the graffiti artist whose art she has fallen for after seeing it pop up all over her town. She is really determined to find ''Shadow'' and has definitely romanticized him in her mind. I liked Lucy a lot! I didn't expect her to be so fun. I liked the way she views the world and enjoyed her observations. Her family is a little wacky and so is she. She's independent and I enjoyed that about her.

Ed is hiding secrets of his own. I didn't enjoy his narration as much as Lucy's. It wasn't bad but I just didn't find it very interesting. Some of the phrases he said when contemplating situations were written nicely but for the most part I didn't find him to be an incredibly exciting character. He was however well developed and certainly believable. He's just a regular guy who has a lot of stuff going on in his personal life. I liked that he was so loyal to those around him and willing to forgive peoples' mistakes!

I enjoyed their journey through the night at the beginning but did grow weary of it after a while. There is a lot of talking and contemplating and sometimes I found it hard to concentrate on just wanted to skim it. By the last 50 pages or so, I was just wishing the book would hurry up and end already! It just lost its spark for me and I felt like in the end, the book really hadn't built up to all that much. Overall, I definitely have mixed feelings about this one but I'd recommend it as I can see why many people would love it. ( )

I didn't just read Aussie author Cath Crowley's novel - I inhaled it. I read the entire two hundred sixty seven page novel in just under a three hour period; I couldn't put it down to eat, play with the dogs or even move from my desk to the reading chair. It's gripping, consuming and alive in a way very few stories are - and more should be. I want to pull huge sections from the narrative to quote - my whole review would be quotes if I were clever enough. This is, simply put, a beautiful book - beautifully written, carried, developed and ended. Graffiti Moon is a young-adult novel that transcends the genre of its origin; all ages of readers who appreciate a deftly woven, compelling read would treasure this book. It's brilliantly descriptive and full of evocative and moving imagery. This book moved me.

The story begins and ends with Lucy, a teenage girl who just wants to find something real; a boy that she can understand, one that likes what moves her in her core: art. Out of a graffiti artist known only as 'Shadow', Lucy creates her dream guy - one that is perfect for her and utterly unlike the fellow from the one date she's ever had ("I spent the weekend after our date wishing I could stab him with my Fluffy Duck pen and staring at the phone hoping he'd call. Dating is a very tricky business.") Lucy is distinctive and an incredibly relatable character; almost every part of her narrative sent a wave of remembrance or nostalgia for my own teenage years into my head. Crowley captures the feel, the urgency and frailty of teens perfectly - Lucy is vibrant, delightfully individualistic (one character asks her, "Are you doing that thing where you stare at the stars until your problems seem insignificant?"), but also vulnerable. Also, she is hilarious and just different ("'I sit down next to him and concentrate really hard. 'What are you doing?' he says. 'Trying to bend the laws of time so I can get here five minutes earlier.'") See - told you I want to quote the whole book at you. Every line is perfect, every chapter moves at just the right pace, every character nuanced and interesting.

Ed, both the unbeknownst-to-Lucy Shadow and the one she would desire to stab with a pen for the bad date, was my absolute favorite character. I loved Lucy, but Ed came alive for me as a reader. He's the secretly creative, artsy guy, hiding behind the stereotypical 'tough guy/hard case', when he's truly something much more. Being a typical teenage girl, Lucy does not see the wonderful, deep man in front of her, only seeing the hard edges and the wall around his heart. The only way Ed can express himself is through his painting ("See this, see this, see this. See me emptied onto a wall."), and boy does he. The descriptions of Ed's art were animated and alive. It's almost a compulsion Ed cannot stop; after losing Lucy, his father-figure Bert, and his mom-supporting job, Ed has only painting as an outlet for his pain. He sees himself as a "painted ghost trapped in a jar," one of the more revealing self-portraits Ed paints. Ed's quiet but intensely personal heartbreak and desperation are in sharp contrast to Lucy's more stable life, though her need to belong draws her to Shadow.

The two main background characters, that of Lucy's best friend Jazz and Ed's cohort in crime/best friend Leo were also pleasant, if not as fully developed. Jazz was a splash of whimsy and crazy, and Leo was a more romantic exploration of the same problems as Ed. I appreciated the functional, healthy friendship depicted between the two girls (and another, Daisy). I grow very tired of the catty teen girl in fiction, and this kind of believable and genuine bond is a nice change of pace. As for Ed's best friend/occasional roommate Leo, I liked him well enough, but I must admit his (admittedly rare) poem POV's were the weakest parts of the novel. I had a favorite poem of "Poet"'s (Here, p. 242) but on the whole, I wished the POV had been limited to just Ed and Lucy. The "villain" of the novel is much reduced and serves as a mere plot point for the real story: that of looking beyond the exterior and seeing the beauty within. Since the novel takes place over a single night, the book moves at a brisk pace, but one that is extremely easy to fall into.

The final chapter is moving and beautiful - happily, without veering into saccharine territory or overt teenage melodrama. It's hopeful, without being absolutely definite and final. Lucy and Ed will go on - maybe with each other, maybe not, but hopefully together. While the pairing off of three couples might strain my credulity, one minor gripe against the face of all the awesome --- this is a book not to be missed. Major kudos from me to Ms. Crowley - this is something special, this is a novel I'm going to love forever. I received the NetGalley eBook, but when this is republished in February I will be buying my own copy to treasure and love. ( )

A young glass blower spends a night searching for the graffiti artist she is sure she’s in love with. Her guide in none other than the artist himself but he doesn’t tell her until the very end of the night. Star crossed lovers end up with each other in the end. Good 4/13 ( )

On the night following their last day in twelfth grade, Lucy and some friends go out to celebrate. Little does Lucy know that the guy she's known for years and is now out with, the one who says he will show her the work of the mysterious graffiti artist she admires, is more than she suspects. ( )

Ah! What a lovely escape from life! This book was great

Good: I loved loved loved all the characters! I loved Ed (Shadow) and Leo (Poet), Jazz and Lucy. I thought they were all very developed and I felt I could relate to them which is important when you're writing for a YA audience. There were some AMAZING lines in this book. It was written so beautifully. Reading this book made me want to write like her. It flows off the page so easily...like it took nothing to write. I felt like I was a fly on the wall watching Lucy and Ed rekindle their relationship and Poet and Jazz navigate a potential new relationship. Ed reminded me of those grafitti artists that have been blowing up in popularity like Banksy. Wonderful artists making great art. I loved the back story of the characters, Lucy's parents and Ed's mom. I LOVE the aussie talk. (It's written by an Australian writer and set in Australia). I pretty much love everything about this book!

The Bad: Nothing bad to say about this book!

Such a cute wonderfully written book! I highly recommend this for a quick, lovely read! A!

**I received this book free from the publisher through www.netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. ( )