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 atm...
read full description
reviews
Aug 17, 2011
Tatiana
rated it: 
3.5 stars
I only know Lauren Myracle's name in connection with her ttyl books. I haven't read that series, but it's pretty safe to say Shine is nothing like those stories about girls texting each other (or whatever they do).
Shine is most and foremost a story about small-town bigotry. Cat's childhood gay friend Patrick is brutally assaulted - hit with a baseball bat, tied to a gas pump with a fuel nozzle stuffed in his mouth, with words Suck this, faggot written on his bar More...
I only know Lauren Myracle's name in connection with her ttyl books. I haven't read that series, but it's pretty safe to say Shine is nothing like those stories about girls texting each other (or whatever they do).
Shine is most and foremost a story about small-town bigotry. Cat's childhood gay friend Patrick is brutally assaulted - hit with a baseball bat, tied to a gas pump with a fuel nozzle stuffed in his mouth, with words Suck this, faggot written on his bar More...
24 comments
like
(42 people liked it)
Feb 15, 2012
Nancy
rated it:
I became curious about this book after it was mistakenly nominated as a finalist for the National Book Awards, instead of another similar-sounding title. It also appealed to me because it is about teenagers growing up in the rural south, the problems kids normally deal with, and the bigotry, poverty, drug addiction, and provincialism that affects everyone.
17-year-old openly gay Patrick lies comatose in a hospital bed after a brutal beating that occurred at the convenience store whe More...
17-year-old openly gay Patrick lies comatose in a hospital bed after a brutal beating that occurred at the convenience store whe More...
2 comments
like
(17 people liked it)
Apr 22, 2011
Becky
rated it:
I've never read any of Lauren Myracle's other books. I'm not much into the whole "txt-spk" thing, so those books have never sparked my interest. Not my cup of tea. Other than those, I couldn't have named another book Myracle had written before today. But this... this book called out to me. Not only because of the absolutely gorgeous cover, but because of the premise, and because it's set in the South. I love me some books set in the South. And because it has Issues. Issues with a capit
More...
2 comments
like
(13 people liked it)
Mar 18, 2011
Vinaya
rated it: 
3.5 stars
I'm always a little guilty and anxious when I give books a lower rating than all my friends. I'll be wondering, why didn't I like it, did I miss something there? With Shine, it was double the anxiety, since both Ceilidh and Tatiana loved it, and I respect their opinions quite a bit! But somehow, this book fell short for me, maybe because I expected too much of it.
Shine is about sixteen year old Cat, a girl from a small Southern town whose friend falls victim to More...
I'm always a little guilty and anxious when I give books a lower rating than all my friends. I'll be wondering, why didn't I like it, did I miss something there? With Shine, it was double the anxiety, since both Ceilidh and Tatiana loved it, and I respect their opinions quite a bit! But somehow, this book fell short for me, maybe because I expected too much of it.
Shine is about sixteen year old Cat, a girl from a small Southern town whose friend falls victim to More...
8 comments
like
(11 people liked it)
Nov 26, 2011
Halley
rated it: 
This poignant tale about a supposed hate crime in a small North Carolinian town is not for faint-hearted readers. 16-year old Cat must finally come out of her self-imposed exile from her community when her childhood best friend is put into a coma. Patrick was found outside the convenience store where he worked. He was hit in the head with a baseball bat, a gas nozzle was shoved down his throat, and scrawled across his chest in blood were the words: “Suck on this f-----.” The town is eager to bla
More...
0 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Apr 08, 2011
Justin
rated it:
This is the first of Myracle’s books that I’ve read, since her popular Internet Girls series is well outside the realm of my interest. However, after reading Shine, I may have to take a look at those books after all. I managed to secure an advance reader’s copy after hearing some other librarians rave about this book, and while initially skeptical, I was surprised at how quickly this book grabbed me. While it has its oddities and weak spots, Shine is a powerful, well-written book that does an ex
More...
0 comments
like
(4 people liked it)
Jan 30, 2012
Erica
rated it:
I read this book after all of the controversy with the National Book Awards and Lauren Myracle being asked to remove herself from the finalist list after being accidentally put on the list. If you haven't heard anything about the controversy - here's a brief article.
I went into reading this book with high expectations since so many people said it was National Book Award finalist material. I enjoyed it though at times I found the middle dragged a bit (a common problem for me with a lo More...
I went into reading this book with high expectations since so many people said it was National Book Award finalist material. I enjoyed it though at times I found the middle dragged a bit (a common problem for me with a lo More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jul 12, 2011
Laura Lulu
rated it:
Set in a small town in the South, this book is about bigotry, and friendship, and love. It's about seeing the best in people, and seeing the worst. It is a beautifully written story about a brutal hate crime.
Cat's best friend, Patrick, is the victim of a gay bashing--smashed in the head with a bat, tied to a gas pump with the nozzle shoved in his mouth, and the words Suck this faggot written on his chest in blood. He is in a coma, and they don't know if he's going to make it.
More...
Cat's best friend, Patrick, is the victim of a gay bashing--smashed in the head with a bat, tied to a gas pump with the nozzle shoved in his mouth, and the words Suck this faggot written on his chest in blood. He is in a coma, and they don't know if he's going to make it.
More...
0 comments
like
(8 people liked it)
Jul 17, 2011
Cinnamon
rated it:
This review may also be found on A Thousand Little Pages.
An article recently came out in the Wall Street Journal that generated quite a buzz in the young adult book community. It basically slanders every YA novel out there that is “dark” by their standards and indirectly blames the books for familiarizing and possibly prompting trauma, violence, and profanity within the average teen. Shine received an honorary place in the article and was complained about quite a bit. So, dear Ms. Gurd More...
An article recently came out in the Wall Street Journal that generated quite a buzz in the young adult book community. It basically slanders every YA novel out there that is “dark” by their standards and indirectly blames the books for familiarizing and possibly prompting trauma, violence, and profanity within the average teen. Shine received an honorary place in the article and was complained about quite a bit. So, dear Ms. Gurd More...
0 comments
like
(5 people liked it)
Oct 20, 2011
Kaethe
rated it:
It's probably going to take me a little while to let this settle in. It was a very emotional book for me to read. I've never lived in any place so destitute, so small, so isolated. But it all felt as if I had.
***
Serendipitously, I followed up this reading with Pie. It was a good pairing, because the two address some of the same issues, but in age-appropriate ways. But it also gave me a foil and a different angle.
Cat is grieving because her best friend has bee More...
***
Serendipitously, I followed up this reading with Pie. It was a good pairing, because the two address some of the same issues, but in age-appropriate ways. But it also gave me a foil and a different angle.
Cat is grieving because her best friend has bee More...
4 comments
like
(4 people liked it)
Sep 10, 2011
Aneeqah
rated it: 
This story is about a girl named Cat. She's trying to figure out the person who attacked her best friend is. She stopped being best friends with him years ago. Yet she finds the need to figure out the mystery.
I must say, it took a very long time for the mystery part to actually start. Actually, I would say it barely existed. The whole story was just about Cat, Cat, Cat. And it didn't even reveal her whole past until the near end of the book.
There were also a few disconne More...
I must say, it took a very long time for the mystery part to actually start. Actually, I would say it barely existed. The whole story was just about Cat, Cat, Cat. And it didn't even reveal her whole past until the near end of the book.
There were also a few disconne More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Feb 19, 2012
Maggie
rated it:
Certain folks have started calling Lauren Myracle the next Judy Blume, and I don't think they're wrong. Everything, from her nuanced characterization to her lush settings to her simultaneously simple, original, and brilliant plots, speaks of YA that will be remembered for many years to come. I read my first Myracle book, Ttyl, just before I read Shine, and thought both were startling in their grasp of teen life. Objectively, I thought both were excellent. Subjectively, however, neither did as mu
More...
Jan 23, 2012
Dana
rated it:
As far as addressing some extremely important social issues - I loved how Myracle was able to include so many without making it cliche or unrealistic. Bravo for that! But it did seem a little "canned" as far as the story...or maybe I just had different expectations.
Solid read: brings a lot of great questions and concerns to the forefront of people's minds, I'm sure.
"So I'd stabbed needles into my eyes and pretended not to see certain things. Bad things. Onl More...
Solid read: brings a lot of great questions and concerns to the forefront of people's minds, I'm sure.
"So I'd stabbed needles into my eyes and pretended not to see certain things. Bad things. Onl More...
Jan 22, 2012
Megan
rated it:
Pros: The beginning third of this book was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Myracle does a fabulous job establishing characters, setting, etc. As a Southerner, I thought her depcitions of Southern cultural dynamics - especially in regards to homosexuality and religion - were spot on. I was instantly drawn in by her lyrical prose, the emotional life of her protagonist, and the strong sense of place that Myracle cultivated early on. Furthermore, the subject matter of this book is important and exc
More...
Jan 15, 2012
Allison
rated it:
Wow. That is one serious story. Shine reminded me a bit of Winter's Bone (the movie, I never read the book) with its depiction of a small, poor rural town and the hard-scrabble life of its residents, many of whom aren't what they seem. In both, the young female protagonist has to uncover information by seeking out and confronting her neighbors, many of whom are meth addicts or dealers, and almost gets in over her head for tracking down the truth. Myracle's depiction of life in this rural souther
More...
Jan 10, 2012
Katie
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Dec 10, 2011
Sandy
rated it:
A friend posted a link to Libba Bray's blog about this book, and since I'm a fan of Libba Bray, I took Bray's advice to read this book (armed with her indignation about the way the National Book Foundation screwed up in handling their award nominations): http://libba-bray.livejournal.com/62266....
Set in a poor, rural North Carolina community, it is the story of Cat, a teenaged girl who finally steps out of her own guilt-ridden isolation to get to the bottom of a terrible hate crime. More...
Set in a poor, rural North Carolina community, it is the story of Cat, a teenaged girl who finally steps out of her own guilt-ridden isolation to get to the bottom of a terrible hate crime. More...
Dec 09, 2011
Sherri
rated it:
I picked up this book when it was nominated for a National Book Award. Unfortunately, it was removed from the list because the group presenting the awards made a clerical error. Well, after reading this book, I think it belonged on the list and should have remained there. SHINE is truly an excellent book.
This book is a poignant tale about a supposed hate crime against an openly gay man in a small North Carolina town. It is both powerful and authentic but it is not for faint-hearted More...
This book is a poignant tale about a supposed hate crime against an openly gay man in a small North Carolina town. It is both powerful and authentic but it is not for faint-hearted More...
Nov 10, 2011
Christina (Reading Thru The Night)
rated it:
The Short of It
Brutal attack. Who will bear witness?
The Long of It
Set in a small Southern town, it’s no surprise really that a gay hate crime might be pushed to the back burner. Especially if there is any suspicion from the law that it might have been by the hand of one of their own. Small towns equal everyone knowing everyone AND everyone’s business. Cat, a solemn stained loner, is determined to seek out the truth of Patrick’s attack causing everyone she knows t More...
Brutal attack. Who will bear witness?
The Long of It
Set in a small Southern town, it’s no surprise really that a gay hate crime might be pushed to the back burner. Especially if there is any suspicion from the law that it might have been by the hand of one of their own. Small towns equal everyone knowing everyone AND everyone’s business. Cat, a solemn stained loner, is determined to seek out the truth of Patrick’s attack causing everyone she knows t More...
Nov 10, 2011
Kirsti
rated it:
Wow, I'm glad i picked this one up after the disappointments of the rest of my day's reading.
To start with, we have Cat. She lives in a small, backwards kind of town, and has spent the past three years avoiding her friends and life in general after an horrific event caused her to break away from people. One person in particular, she regrets ignoring, and just at that time he has been brutally bashed and left for dead. Cat tries to find out who did it, and along the way uncovers many More...
To start with, we have Cat. She lives in a small, backwards kind of town, and has spent the past three years avoiding her friends and life in general after an horrific event caused her to break away from people. One person in particular, she regrets ignoring, and just at that time he has been brutally bashed and left for dead. Cat tries to find out who did it, and along the way uncovers many More...
Nov 03, 2011
Sara
rated it:
When the National Book Foundation called Lauren Myracle to tell her that her book "Shine" (Amulet Books, 2011) was a finalist for the National Book Award in the Young People's Literature category, she was surprised--and thrilled. A short time later, in an unprecedented move, the Foundation added a sixth finalist, Franny Billingsley's "Chime" (Dial Books, 2011). Two days later, Myracle got another call from the Foundation. It seems there had a been a mix-up: the judges had rea
More...
Oct 28, 2011
Matt
rated it:
Shine is a gripping, gritty, fantastically written mystery novel. So good I read it in practically one sitting. Be warned, this book is devastating in its narrative style and the issues discussed are very dark, disturbing, and realistically gritty.
Dealing with the aftermath of a hate crime, Shine follows 16-year old Cat as she tries to discover who in her small town, economically devastated, meth infused community tried to kill her former best friend, Patrick. The narrative is full More...
Dealing with the aftermath of a hate crime, Shine follows 16-year old Cat as she tries to discover who in her small town, economically devastated, meth infused community tried to kill her former best friend, Patrick. The narrative is full More...
Oct 26, 2011
Melissa
rated it:
I took this book out of the library in righteous indignation, shortly after the NBA debacle. I was poised to love it and hoped that I would, if only to add to my fury. However, I never warmed up to Cat, the main character, which is a huge problem for me. I also didn't like most of the other characters, except for Patrick, who was in a coma and we learned about mostly through flashbacks and dialogue. Cat spent much of the book dwelling on an incident from the past, and once the incident was final
More...
Oct 23, 2011
Ashley
rated it:
The whole time I was reading Lauren Myracle's Shine, I kept thinking this could be the next IMPORTANT book. Important in exposing an ugly underbelly in the same way To Kill A Mockingbird was important in exposing racism.
In the small mountain town of Black Creek, North Carolina, local youth Patrick Truman has been the victim of a horrible hate crime. No one in law enforcement is looking too hard to find his attacker, so Patrick's childhood friend, Cat, takes it upon herself to find out More...
In the small mountain town of Black Creek, North Carolina, local youth Patrick Truman has been the victim of a horrible hate crime. No one in law enforcement is looking too hard to find his attacker, so Patrick's childhood friend, Cat, takes it upon herself to find out More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Oct 18, 2011
Book Sp(l)ot
rated it:
When her best friend, Patrick falls victim to a hate crime, Cat isn't content to sit back and let their small town sheriff handle the investigation (what little there seems to be), instead, she's going to find the perpetrator.
While the police are sure it's an outsider, someone outside of their tiny town of Black Creek, North Carolina, Cat thinks someone they know did it - and she's determined to find out who.
With Patrick in a coma, Cat will talk to friends she hasn't spoken t More...
While the police are sure it's an outsider, someone outside of their tiny town of Black Creek, North Carolina, Cat thinks someone they know did it - and she's determined to find out who.
With Patrick in a coma, Cat will talk to friends she hasn't spoken t More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Oct 15, 2011
Elizabeth
rated it:
When searching through Net Galley to find some good reads, I stumbled upon Lauren Myracle’s name. I had seen her TTYL series in the bookstores and heard of Let It Snow, a collaboration book she wrote with Maureen Johnson and John Green. But from what I understand, Shine is something totally different. It’s definitely a much darker novel compared to what she has previously published and definitely darker than a lot of literature I’ve read. I attempted to read this right after I finished Mocki
More...
Oct 11, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
This novel was so not what I typically go for in books. What I usually go for? Paranormal Romance, basically. This was a whole different kind of book. Best described as a contemporary/realistic/drama/mystery. It was an adult book with adult themes and adult situations featuring teenage characters. To me this can hardly be described as YA. Just because the characters are young doesn't really make the book Young Adult, right? I mean this book takes on some series issues--sexuality, hate cr
More...
Aug 05, 2011
Veronica
rated it:
Age of Readership:
14 years and up
Genre:
mystery
Diversity:
LGBTQ, Southern culture, Small-town culture
Illustrations:
There were no actual illustrations, but the book was specifically designed. Each day is separated with a scene of a field and dilapidated shack. The beginning of each chapter had a design of branches, tying it to the cover.
Personal response:
There is a reason this genre is the More...
14 years and up
Genre:
mystery
Diversity:
LGBTQ, Southern culture, Small-town culture
Illustrations:
There were no actual illustrations, but the book was specifically designed. Each day is separated with a scene of a field and dilapidated shack. The beginning of each chapter had a design of branches, tying it to the cover.
Personal response:
There is a reason this genre is the More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Aug 04, 2011
Lisa
rated it:
Shine, a book marketed as an adolescent novel, but which is really only appropriate for readers in the upper age range of that bracket or very mature younger readers, takes on some difficult subjects with candor, sexually explicit scenes, and rather raw language. The novel is told by Cat, a rising senior in a poverty stricken area of the North Carolina mountains. Because of a sexual assault she suffered when she was thirteen she has become socially shut down, closing herself off from all of he
More...
Jul 26, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
Black Creek, North Carolina is a small town where everyone knows everyone's business. Teenagers at the local high school have grown up together, and it's a tragedy when 17-year-old Patrick Truman is found brutally beaten outside the convenience store where he worked. What is more shocking is that Patrick appears to be the victim of a vicious hate crime. Police are searching for suspects but they have no leads, and no witnesses have come forward.
16-year-old Cat used to be best frie More...
16-year-old Cat used to be best frie More...
