Audiobook Review: Shine
by: the amazing Lauren Myracle
published by: Brilliance Audio
release date: May 1, 2011
From Goodreads: When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to go against everyone you know in the name of justice.
So I’m unofficially Lauren Myracle’s biggest fan. As you can see , Lauren and I are TIGHT-as in, she allowed me to hold her leg while she was rocking the YA author-signed Pajants. Yes, I know you are jealous -I’m jealous of me too!
However, she doesn’t just rock pajants, behave like the most awesome person in the world with the whole National Book Award thing (she was ROBBED I tell you!), and is just a super sweet person to us Girls in the Stacks fans (Stacy and Nancy got to escort her around TX one night and she was AMAZING to them as well)-she writes spectacular books!
I will admit right here that the cover threw me -I didn’t like it, and I kept putting off reading it because I’m not one for big flowers on trees. However, once I popped in CD #1, I was hooked! First of all-the cover doesn’t show how the story is part mystery and part coming of age drama. I LOVED the whole mystery angle and how the main character Cat led us to solving not only the mystery of what happened to her gay best friend Patrick, but also what had happened to her so long ago that made her drop all her friends and start hating her seemingly great brother. She has to re-examine what she believes about all the friends she has grown up with and about who she is as a person-love that!
But really-I also loved how true to life it was. This book really isn’t about being gay and hate crimes (although does show how wrong it is that Patrick was somewhat bullied by his friends for being gay), but more about meth addictions and the subsequent destruction they cause. I am not one for drug books (I can’t handle the gritty realness of Ellen Hopkins’ work for example, although she is BRILLIANT) -but this book-THIS BOOK-was funny, plus we had a mystery to solve, and I like a good Nancy Drew mystery any day!
If you like to listen to audiobooks at all, this one is a definite must-the narrator Elizabeth Evans really captures the small-town Southern accent PERFECTLY and really enhanced the reading with her many drawls for each character.
So really-go grab this book-it is an awesome read for those who like mysteries, for those who like realistic YA (without too much gritty darkness), and for those who just like a great story!
*Thanks to Brilliance Audio for giving me a copy to review.
I met Lauren a few months ago, and she is awesome!!!!
Love reading your reviews!
I loved SHINE. I should read more of Lauren’s stuff, yes?