Shine by Lauren Myracle

Shine by Lauren Myracle
"When her former best friend, Patrick, is found near death, tied to the pump of the local gas station, sixteen-year-old loner Cat is forced into action. The local sheriff blames out-of-towners, but Cat knows someone in their tightly-knit Southern community is guilty of the crime. And only she has the will- and the fury fueled by a still raw wound- to find him."-summary from back of ARC

I was a bit worried to read this because it's so different from what Myracle's written before, but I shouldn't have been because it's absolutely amazing. The setting of the book is done so well and makes the book feel very atmospheric. There are quite a few issues brought up in the book, such as poverty, hate crimes, homophobia, loss, and love, all of which Myracle handles deftly and realistically.

The mystery pulled me through the book, and Myracle had me suspecting several people so I could never be sure who was behind it. I will say though that halfway through the book, I had a feeling who it was and I was right (the motive I also guessed too), which NEVER happens. But even so, I enjoyed reading the book and it ended on a hopeful note, which I loved. The climax was heart-poundingly suspenseful.

All of the characters were fully fleshed out and just leapt off the pages. Cat was a fantastic main character and her interactions with the rest of the characters was great. I especially enjoyed seeing her relationship develop with Jason.

Overall, this is a must-read book- it's raw, realistic, and just deserves to be read by everyone. I am extremely proud of Lauren for writing this book because it needs to be told, especially in these times.

FTC: Received ARC from publisher (with help from Lauren!). Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.