Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Hardcover, 272 pages
Published February 14th 2012 by Random House Children's Books
Source: Borrowed from library

Synopsis 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.

My Thoughts:

Graffiti Moon takes place over the course of one day night. The two main characters, Lucy and Ed, have a bit of history between them and it makes for quite a few interesting moments. I loved the alternating POVs and being able to see the story unfold from 2 very different perspectives. The secondary characters were exceptional and added to the overall depth and enjoyment of the story.

There is something that the darkness brings out in both Ed and Lucy. Like they can share their most intimate thoughts with each other and still feel safe and protected because they are wrapped up in the dark. I loved the way they interacted - a bit wary and skeptical at first, but as the night wore on and they became more comfortable and trusting of each other, they were able to be more honest and open up. They ended up having a funny and bittersweet night full of misadventures.

Lucy is smart and has such high hopes and dreams of artistic greatness. She is very optimistic and a bit naive. Ed, surprisingly enough, is very sensitive. He has trouble verbalizing his thoughts and feelings, so he turned to art to express himself. He had this wonderful way of imagining how he would paint the scene in the book that was going on at that moment. Ed is sweet in that swoony kind of way, and I dare you not to have a crush on him by the end of Graffiti Moon.

I really enjoyed the artistic aspect of Graffiti Moon. Ed and Lucy were able to express themselves through very different forms of art, yet they had a connection due to the meaning and feelings that inspire each of their creations. The reader gets great insight and learns what motivates both Ed and Lucy through their art.

Graffiti Moon is a very good story, well written and believable, with really great characters. It is sweet and romantic, but not overly so, and is a great contemporary read.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars