Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Book Description via Goodreads:

Ebook, 272 pages

February 14, 2012, Knopf Books for Young Readers 

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.

Source: Netgalley & Random House (Thank you!)

My Thoughts:

Lucy was crazy for the graffiti artist, Shadow, who had his pieces out in the streets. There was only one obstacle: she hasn’t met him. But through his art pieces, she knew his thoughts and his feelings. But most of all, Lucy knew that Shadow was the one for her. With the help and enthusiasm of Jazz, her psychic friend, the complicated couple Daisy and Dylan, her first date disaster, Ed, and his friend who Jazz liked, Leo. She was the reflection of a hopeful girl. I liked her hopefulness, her uniqueness and her ability to protect herself. I could easily connect with her.

Ed was Shadow, the guy Lucy was so crazy about. The funny thing about this was that a few years ago, he was the one crazy about Lucy. He didn’t want to reveal his identity especially to Lucy as he led her to a ‘search’ for Shadow. But as the night progressed and he discovered Lucy’s thoughts and feelings about Shadow and his buried feelings for her, could he really keep his secret? Ed was a complex, intriguing character. He was talented in so many ways, unique, realistic and flawed. He was a boy with talents, with a certain spark inside of him. He was a boy who wasn’t given a chance by fate to be better, to reach his fullest potential. This was what made it easy for me to connect to him. He reminded me of someone in a similar situation and my heart ached for him.

Seeing the world through Lucy’s and Ed’s eyes was one of the most amazing things in the world. Imagine splashing everything in color, peppering the world with words and commentaries straight from your head and bathing it in the kind of buttery, golden sunlight that’s so beautiful you’d want to put it in a glass box and keep it. That’s how their world looked like to them. I found it very beautiful.

Three persons narrated Graffiti Moon: Lucy, Ed and Poet (Leo). Lucy and Ed’s point of views were like two halves of a whole. Each perspective complimented and completed the essence of the other. Without one, I probably wouldn’t be able to fully understand the story. Leo’s narrative came in the form of poems. He revealed little bits of his life and his thoughts. His narrative followed the trajectory of his love life – his relationship with his last girlfriend, his involvement without commitment with several girls and finally, his possible connection with Jazz. The plot was simple yet fascinating. I’m a sucker for love stories and this one really captivated me. With art, flashbacks and just the right amount of commentaries, I enjoyed this.

The cast of characters were well-developed and flawed. I loved how the author gave us flawed characters, highlighted their best and worst and gave me all the reasons to love and hate them. I also liked how the author’s writing made my brain run in a thousand directions. The novel was more of a show than tell novel – much like the way The Mortal Instruments was. This was greatly appreciated.

Graffiti Moon is a stunning, touching and unforgettable contemporary romance. Beautifully crafted, this novel will show readers life, truth, reality and the world through three pairs of eyes. I highly recommend this to contemporary readers and romance readers!

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