Book Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

 Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Series: Standalone

Genre: YA Contemporary
Publication Date: February 14, 2012
Publisher: Random House Children's books
Format: eARC
Pages: 272
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she's going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He's out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy's stuck at a party with Ed, the guy she's managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow, they're suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes. (Summary from Goodreads.com)

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This book. Oh my, this freakin' book! I didn't realize I'd fallen out of love with reading until I fell back in love while reading Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley. It is so so so spectacular! It is very rare and takes an awful lot for a contemporary novel to stun me, bu Cath Crowley crashed into my heart with one adventurous night full of deception, art, mostly unpleasant memories, and of course--romantic tension. And it all takes place in Australia, the place I am obsessed with more than anything.

The writing in this book literally made me sigh in contentment. It is told in alternating points of view from Lucy and Ed, who are both a little weird and a lot artistic. They feel in terms of colors and shapes and pictures, they see the world through this artistic lens that most people don't. Some of the metaphors and descriptions in this book are strange, and they shouldn't make sense, yet this book is written in such an honest way that you feel it all.

Ed, Lucy, and even Leo are the same way; written so honestly that you love them despite their flaws. I mean, Ed is really messed up. He can hardly read, dropped out of high school in the 10th grade, lost his job when his boss died, and he has no real plans for the future. But what's worse than all that is that he hates himself for all those reasons. He doesn't think he's good enough for anyone. He lets those negative traits define them. But what he feels is so raw that you love him. I loved him. From the very beginning. And Lucy...Well, she's a hardcore romantic. A Jane Austen-time romantic. She craves the kind of relationship where she can stay up all night with a guy and talk about art and books. She sees this graffiti on walls all over the town by some guy named Shadow, and she feels a connection to this guy's art and suspects that Shadow is the guy she's been waiting for. She looks for him all the time, desperate to meet him, but not in a super creepy stalker way. Just like before, it's so pure and true how she feels connected to his art (plus, she's weird) that you just accept her obsession with this Shadow guy.

But what's better is how she obviously feels about Ed--and vice-versa! He's given her "static" for years, but that got kind of screwed up when she broke his nose on their first date. But as the night progresses, their awkwardness dissipates and their feelings for one another grow. They talk about their lives, art...and chocolate. You can see it and feel it and you want it. You know that they belong together AND YOU JUST WANT THEM TO KISS!!! They're perfect for each other. But Ed has his secrets and he knows that in order for him to have Lucy--to really have her--he needs to tell her his secrets, but he's too afraid. The static is there and crackling loudly. I felt it from my scalp to my toe nails.

Art is a very prominent aspect in this novel. Painting, glass-blowing, poetry. It's so amazing! I'm not an artist by any means, much to my dismay. I've always wished that I could paint or draw well, so reading about all the art in this book is really interesting to me, and I adore the way Cath Crowley makes it come alive in my head. I also loved how sometimes in between Lucy and Ed's chapters, there was a Poet (Shadow's partner in crime) chapter with a single poem that said SO FREAKIN' MUCH and gives readers a very special connection to him.

This book technically takes place all in one night, but there are a lot of memories that really help you understand the characters and love them. The memories give you insight into their love of art, their personal lives, and even their feelings for each other, considering their strange history.

Obviously, I love this book more than those few paragraphs above could possibly express. This may sound like the corniest thing in the entire world, but while I was reading Graffiti Moon I seriously felt like my chest wanted to open up so my heart could capture the words and wrap around them and hold them there so I never lose them. This was the first book I stayed up all night (until 4:30 AM) reading, despite my bloodshot eyes and the fact I knew I would regret it the next day. I couldn't help it! I tried telling myself just one more chapter and I'd save the rest for the next day, but my mind just kept devouring the words. Even if you aren't particularly fond of contempCath Crowley and immersing myself into her gorgeous writing for many books to come!