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160th out of 1,145 books
—
5,762 voters
Graffiti Heaven (Graffiti Heaven #1)
by
Marita A. Hansen (Goodreads Author)
THE BOOK EVERY TEENAGER WILL WANT
...to hide from their parents.
A group of high school students deal with sex, love, bullying, family and betrayal. (Edgy YA)
Life is turned upside down for Ash Rata and Tiana Lilu after they skip school to take their relationship to the next level. When their family and friends find out, they are forced to deal with rumours, bullies, an overp...more
...to hide from their parents.
A group of high school students deal with sex, love, bullying, family and betrayal. (Edgy YA)
Life is turned upside down for Ash Rata and Tiana Lilu after they skip school to take their relationship to the next level. When their family and friends find out, they are forced to deal with rumours, bullies, an overp...more
Kindle Edition
Published
July 30th 2012
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Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
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766)
Sep 12, 2012
Alexis ~*Too many books, not enough time*~
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Edgy YA lovers
Shelves:
edgy_ya,
ya_mature_content,
multiple_pov-s,
fall_2012_sept_oct_nov,
abrupt_ending,
betrayal,
bigotry,
coming_of_age,
danger,
discovery,
eye_4_an_eye,
family-secrets-revealed,
family_drama,
high_school_setting,
interracial-love,
rape,
tbc-storyline,
teen-pregnancy,
unexpected-twist,
tragedy-tragic,
authors_to_lookout_for
Spoiler Free Review
4.5 STARS out of 5
Genre: YA Romance-Mature/Edgy
Series: Book #1 in Graffiti Heaven series
Shocking, Honest and Well Crafted is Graffiti Heaven as Marita A.Hansen shows us how teens live in South Auckland, New Zealand.
This book was chucked full of surprises. Just as secrets are revealed more questions arise in my mind. I could not get enough of this gritty tale as teens struggle with sex, sexuality, suicide, rape, bullying, jealousy and betrayals.
If you are a Marita A.Hansen rea...more
4.5 STARS out of 5
Genre: YA Romance-Mature/Edgy
Series: Book #1 in Graffiti Heaven series
Shocking, Honest and Well Crafted is Graffiti Heaven as Marita A.Hansen shows us how teens live in South Auckland, New Zealand.
This book was chucked full of surprises. Just as secrets are revealed more questions arise in my mind. I could not get enough of this gritty tale as teens struggle with sex, sexuality, suicide, rape, bullying, jealousy and betrayals.
If you are a Marita A.Hansen rea...more
** Re-edited 20/08/2012 **
Oh.My.Sweet.Baby.Jesus.
I cannot believe how much I am in love with this book. Just.. wow!!
This was my very first book by this author and I can safely say I will soon be reading all of her other work!!
I honestly have never read a book that actually had me shouting 'no' when I reached the last page, but this one did! (I even threw a cushion on the floor in outage!)
My emotions are all over the place right now though, I can't even! Okay, so I legit hate Chaz so much (view...more
Oh.My.Sweet.Baby.Jesus.
I cannot believe how much I am in love with this book. Just.. wow!!
This was my very first book by this author and I can safely say I will soon be reading all of her other work!!
I honestly have never read a book that actually had me shouting 'no' when I reached the last page, but this one did! (I even threw a cushion on the floor in outage!)
My emotions are all over the place right now though, I can't even! Okay, so I legit hate Chaz so much (view...more
This was one of the most intense books I have read, but in a very good way. At first I thought it was going to be similar to SKINS, and I suppose it was, sort of. It had the teen angst, the troubled relationships, jealousies, peer pressure, a little bit of drugs and sex, family problems, bullying, the partying, but it felt more personal if you can get what I mean. I think the reason I say this is because, unlike the TV series of SKINS, we are in the heads of these four teenagers and what we expe...more
6 likes · like · see review
Sep 24, 2012
AngielovesYA
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
edgy-ya,
teen-sex,
bullying,
peer-pressure,
high-school-life,
kiwi,
bi-racial-relationships,
prejudice,
homophobia,
sexual-abuse,
racism,
first-love,
first-times,
coming-of-age,
death,
attempted-suicide,
family-issues,
dating-and-sex,
teen-life,
drugs,
teen-pregnancy,
teen-angst,
favourites,
new-zealand,
intense
Who I think Ash, the main character, looks like:
****
This is what I felt like after reading chapter 26:
****
TOPICS in this book: Teen sex, dating, coming of age, first loves, friendship, bullying, high school life, family problems, racism, drugs, pregnancy, sexual abuse, homophobia, death, attempted suicide ... I could go on, because this book basically covers everything to do with being a teen.
****
PEOPLE! LOOK DOWN HERE, because this is the start of my review, not the above. Where do I start wit...more
****
This is what I felt like after reading chapter 26:
****
TOPICS in this book: Teen sex, dating, coming of age, first loves, friendship, bullying, high school life, family problems, racism, drugs, pregnancy, sexual abuse, homophobia, death, attempted suicide ... I could go on, because this book basically covers everything to do with being a teen.
****
PEOPLE! LOOK DOWN HERE, because this is the start of my review, not the above. Where do I start wit...more
14 likes · like · see review
"Graffiti Heaven" offers a deep and frank look into teenagers and young adults and the issues they face, not only in New Zealand (where the story is set) but nearly everywhere. Marita Hansen's crisp, lean, and straightforward style plus her ability to ratch up the conflict make for an addictive read, regardless of what genre you are into. I went ahead and plowed through the novel's 359 pages because I liked what I had sampled of the book a while back. The story is told through the perspectives o...more
So, ummmm..... I'm scratching my head here. Lets see... Overall, the book wasn't bad.
The beginning was very tedious and had I not been reading on my iPad would have thrown the book down in frustration. Luckily I should some restraint and my iPad is still intact. (Thank God!) :) The first few chapters had this book feeling like a total chore for me. In the sense that I was dragging my feet and not into it. But my commitment to finish books I start, kept me reading. One thing that annoys me to no...more
The beginning was very tedious and had I not been reading on my iPad would have thrown the book down in frustration. Luckily I should some restraint and my iPad is still intact. (Thank God!) :) The first few chapters had this book feeling like a total chore for me. In the sense that I was dragging my feet and not into it. But my commitment to finish books I start, kept me reading. One thing that annoys me to no...more
Wow, this is certainly a roller-coaster of a book!
Graffiti Heaven follows the lives of several New Zealand teenagers at two schools. All of them are linked in some way, through family ties, friendships and relationships. During the course of the book these characters each have to deal with their own unique but equally dramatic issues, whilst at the same time doing the things that many teenagers do: drink, take drugs, have sex, come to terms with their sexuality etc.
This is a book which doesn't...more
Graffiti Heaven follows the lives of several New Zealand teenagers at two schools. All of them are linked in some way, through family ties, friendships and relationships. During the course of the book these characters each have to deal with their own unique but equally dramatic issues, whilst at the same time doing the things that many teenagers do: drink, take drugs, have sex, come to terms with their sexuality etc.
This is a book which doesn't...more
I read this book because I took part in a group read. Boy - am I ever glad I did! Thanks Book Loving Kiwis!
It took me a little while to get into the swing of the dialogue in this book, even though I lived in South Auckland, but once I became used to it - I was captivated.
Stuff the housework - once I was engrossed in this book - nothing else got a look-in and my house became a mess. Thanks for that Marita! :)
Not afraid to delve into the darker side of human nature, Ms. Hansen delivers a gritty a...more
It took me a little while to get into the swing of the dialogue in this book, even though I lived in South Auckland, but once I became used to it - I was captivated.
Stuff the housework - once I was engrossed in this book - nothing else got a look-in and my house became a mess. Thanks for that Marita! :)
Not afraid to delve into the darker side of human nature, Ms. Hansen delivers a gritty a...more
The world in this book is light-years away from the world I grew up in, and though we were far from rich and we five kids never went to private schools, you'd still have to say I was privileged. By the time we got to secondary school we'd had violent responses socialized out of us and I never saw anyone pushing anyone around, let alone getting into fights. Towards the end of my years at school it was becoming 'fashionable' to swear, but it was never part of an everyday vocabulary. If any of the...more
4 likes · like · see review
Talented new author Marita Hansen is an expert at getting inside the mind of her characters. She takes a firm hold of the reader and drags them kicking and screaming into the pages with her. Not always pleasant and many times downright cringe worthy, she takes us inside the lives of four troubled teenagers. Their souls are laid bare to our eyes, every motive, good and bad, exposed, their deepest, darkest secrets held under a magnifying glass. They live in a hypocritical society, one where people...more
This is not a review but a mention to fans of Graffiti Heaven that it has just received a very favourable review from Harper Collins (UK), who are interested in receiving a revised version. As I am currently writing two books at once, the sequel to Behind the Tears and the sequel for Graffiti Heaven, I will sit on it for a moment to see where this could be heading, as I didn't expect this review, and am very pleased. All the best, Marita.
5 likes · like · see review
3.5 stars. I read Behind the Tears first, which was awesome. I had to find out the background on Ash, so here I am. Both of these series are really full of life issues but you need to read them with an open mind. I really love reading a different version of English. I am thinking of adding some of Their terms to my vocab. This book seemed to drag a bit.
I'm ashamed to admit I havn't read alot of kiwi authors over the years but thanks to GR's I am so pleased I found Marita Hansen! What a storyteller! I was engaged from beginning to end. Looking forward to the next book in this series....
This was one intense read from beginning to end! It was well written, and I *got* every single character whether I liked them or not. It was so interesting to watch these characters change/grow as the book progressed. Not all of them are likeable, yet they had redeeming qualities, and the more I read from each perspective, the more I learned about each character, the more I understood them (maybe not agreed with the choices/actions, but understood a little better). Most seem to be change for the...more
3 likes · like · see review
Excellent writing style, very relevant YA issues sensitively dealt with. Cracking read.
Excellent. Left a 5-star review on Amazon.
1 like · like · see review
This was too gritty for me. Very well-written, I accept that this has to be the reality of some people, but I ended up being filled with misery and hate. Mainly hating a society that fucked up as to enable such conditions.
I can't say I want to read more about these people, as I have the feeling I'd end up in a white heat road rage, and that's not good for my blood pressure ;)
I can't say I want to read more about these people, as I have the feeling I'd end up in a white heat road rage, and that's not good for my blood pressure ;)
I'm thinking this is a story based on Romeo and Juliet, but I don't care. I don't care about any of the characters. I won't even think about this book again after I hit enter on the review.
May 22, 2013
Jennifer
marked it as to-read
May 22, 2013
Anne-claire
marked it as to-read
May 20, 2013
Amanda
marked it as to-read
May 16, 2013
Heather
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May 15, 2013
Monica
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May 13, 2013
Shabreal Joseph
marked it as to-read
May 13, 2013
Holli Parker
marked it as to-read
May 13, 2013
Jean
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May 12, 2013
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book Loving Kiwis: Graffiti Heaven | 101 | 39 | Jan 09, 2013 12:09am | |
| JD Nixon: Anyone interested in buddy-reading this here? | 1 | 18 | Dec 29, 2012 02:33pm | |
| Edgy YA: Graffiti Heaven | 10 | 13 | Sep 28, 2012 03:49am | |
| Q&A with Mari...: Controversial or Not Controversial | 3 | 5 | Sep 25, 2012 02:44am | |
| Q&A with Mari...: GRAFFITI HEAVEN | 10 | 18 | Aug 08, 2012 05:21pm |
SOME FACTS ABOUT ME:
NATIONALITY AND CULTURAL CONNECTIONS: I'm a true blue Aucklander, born and bred in New Zealand. I tend to write about cultures I have connections to, such as Croatian and Maori. I would love to visit Croatia again as I have family there.
SPORTS: As a teen my favourite sports were karate, badmington, and running. I also did unarmed combat and played in a touch rugby team (my gym...more
More about Marita A. Hansen...
NATIONALITY AND CULTURAL CONNECTIONS: I'm a true blue Aucklander, born and bred in New Zealand. I tend to write about cultures I have connections to, such as Croatian and Maori. I would love to visit Croatia again as I have family there.
SPORTS: As a teen my favourite sports were karate, badmington, and running. I also did unarmed combat and played in a touch rugby team (my gym...more
Sep 11, 2012 10:38pm
Nov 28, 2012 06:02pm