Shine by Lauren Myracle

Published: May 1st 2011
Pages: 359
Format: Paperback (New)
Stars: ★ ★ ★ ★

When her best guy friend falls victim to what seems like a vicious hate crime, 16-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.
Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart, fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work from a beloved author.

This is a book I've wanted to read since it first came out but I wanted until it came out in paperback for some unknown reason. Just something I would pass every time I was at the bookstore. The plot however always jumped out at me because you see a lot of YA books about depressed teenagers and same sex relationships but usually not actual hate crime stories. Sadly it's something that happens all the time but not a lot of authors (YA wise) actually write about it.
Now, I will be the first to say that through most of the book, I didn't like Cat all that much. I just found her to be too goody-goody, younger then she was suppose to be (16) and annoying. But as I got more into the book, the more I liked her.
As for the setting of the book and the other characters, I LOVED. It was very realistic and I felt that I was actually part of the story. The other Characters were raw and very real. The only real complaint I have is that I think certain words were used in the book way too much (cocksucker,   faggot, fag..etc) Which I understand it was realistic and the plot of this book, it worked but I felt that at times, the words were used for the fun of it.
Overall, I would say the plot to this book is very important for younger people to read and even adults because it shows how awful it is to treat people badly because of their sexual per fences and how bad choices hurt everyone around them.