Lefty's Lowdown: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
(standalone)
Published: February 14, 2012 by Knopf Books for Young Readers (first published in Australia in 2010)
Source: Purchased

Summary from Goodreads: 
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.

 I first read this book in 2012 and was abosoLUTELY BLOWN AWAY BY IT. This book made me fall in love with contemporary books, which is saying something since contemporary YA is my favorite genre. At te very end of 2016, I decided to give it another go, afraid that it wouldn't live up to what I remembered it being. Fortunately, my fears were unfounded. BECAUSE THIS BOOK WAS JUST AS AMAZING THE SECOND TIME AROUND. Wowza. A stunning combination of gorgeous writing, interesting characters, and a night of adventure make for an utterly intoxicating contemporary read.

The prose in this novel is exceedingly lovely. Things are described in terms of colors and art. I don't want to guarantee that this it's unlike anything else you've ever read, but I'm fairly confident you've never read a book written quite like Graffiti Moon. It's vivid and fascinating and addictive. And I just ADORE the characters. Lucy and Ed are both interesting narrators, artistic and confused about what they want, though I think I was more into Ed's perspective. Both of these characters experience delightful growth. Their relationship is a hate-to-love type, and I am absolutely here for that, even if I wish there was a lil more kissing. The secondary characters are great, too. Jazz and Leo are so funny and they are actually good examples of friendship in YA, which is always a plus.

This review is kind of short simply because this is my second time reading the book, but don't let that make you think I don't love it BECAUSE I DO. I love this book a lot. It is one of my favorite contemporary books (and I read a lot of contemporary). It is beautiful and romantic. Do not sit this one out.

5/5