Well deserving of all the praise it's received. I went in hesitant and came out a firm believer. Maybe I'll give some of Cath Crowley's other books a try.

I love this book, I read it every year. Thank you Cath, this book leaves me with "nothing but light and colour".

LovedItLovedItLovedIt so much.
It's taken me less than 2 hours to read it and it's lovely and full of quotes and paintings and things to visualize in your head - definitely unexpected, bit awesome.

I love how art and poetry were incorporated so flawlessly into Graffiti Moon. Rather than focusing on plot, this book revolves far more on characterization and traces the journey of three different protagonists as they learn more about themselves and each other. TCrowley's prose is beautiful, almost lyrical, and although there was a little too much profanity for my taste, there's plenty of humor to balance it out.

3.5. good book. funny and simple. not likely to reread though.

This started out slow... but it blossomed into a truly lovely, visual story. Just love love love! The freckle on her neck... FINALLY!

There are just so many amazing elements to this story - the descriptions, the flow, the pacing, the characters, the final wall... the hope... ::happy sigh::

This book is sort of heavenly in it's execution, and near perfect in it's characterization.

Imagine if Melina Marchetta wrote The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight. Well, she didn't, but one woman, Cath Crowley, managed to pull off that concept.

This is a love story written entirely in poetry, even when not in verse.

Very cute and easy to read.I really like the idea of the author that everything might happen in 24 hours. I love how the book is full of art. It was unexpected good.It was really good book to read to chill with it.

My reaction: Plenty of bloggers have raved about this book, so I'm sorry to have to say it, but Graffiti Moon really didn't do much for me. I don't feel passionate about it one way or the other. It's not poorly written — Cath Crowley has a talent for stringing words together and conjuring up imagery through description — but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

I found the plot to be quite boring, or more to the point, non-existent. Not a lot really happens in this book, and the little that does happen occurs at a painstakingly slow pace. It's very much about the characters and their relationships and introspective discoveries. Most of the story is just Lucy and Ed wandering around the city one night and discussing artwork. Now, I like art as much as the next person, but unless you are an art aficionado it might get a little old. Also, the reveal of the "mystery" of Shadow's identity (which is not a mystery to the reader for most of the book, but is to Lucy) was anti-climactic and quite frankly, rather confusing.

As for the characters, I couldn't visualize them that well and their personal details just weren't sticking in my head. Generally, they're kind of quirky/strange, with Lucy being one of the more "normal" of the bunch. Lucy's a relatable enough narrator, but she didn't make me care strongly about her. I did feel sorry for Ed, as he's had a pretty rough past. Sometimes he makes poor choices, but he has good intentions and he learns some valuable lessons throughout this book. I thought his perspective was written quite well and, though not a "typical" male teen voice, felt authentic for his personality.

Best aspect: There were some great humorous lines sprinkled throughout, and also some thought-provoking commentaries on life. And I enjoyed seeing Lucy and Ed go from this uneasy, mocking relationship to one where they actually are interested in each other, and trust each other enough to share things they've hidden pretty deep inside themselves.

If I could change something... I'd give it more of a plot, I guess. And maybe cut out a couple of seemingly extraneous side characters so that the main ones get more focus. I didn't feel like we got to know Daisy and Dylan very well, for example, and they really weren't necessary (except, I suppose, as a refreshing change from the more eccentric characters). And I'd make the dialogue more teen-believable. Yes, these are atypical, geeky teens, but they were spouting contemplative, wise-beyond-their-years statements a few too many times.

Ultimately, though, judging by the praise heaped on this book by some readers, I think this is a case of just a wrong fit for me.

If you haven't read it: and you are into art, "deep" realizations, and plenty of dialogue, you might enjoy this book.

If you have read it: did you love it like most of the YA blogosphere did? Or did you have an apathetic reaction like mine?

Just one more thing I want to mention: it would've been neat to have some actual illustrations accompany this book. That might've heightened the artistic aspect of the story and helped keep my interest a little more.

Final verdict: 3 shooting stars. Since there's virtually no plot to speak of, a book like this hangs on its characters — and I just couldn't care very much about them.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book for review from the publisher.

I'm not positive if this book falls in the "new adult" category, but I'm counting it towards the challenge!

This book follows Lucy and Ed on the night she graduates from her senior year of high school and they get stuck together. Lucy, an apprentice glass blower, is searching for Shadow and Poet, a graffiti artist and a poet that she admires the work of. Ed and his friends say they know him and can help Lucy and her friends find them – so they set off in search while going. Lucy and Ed have had a first, and only, date that didn’t go as Lucy expected and she isn’t thrilled to be stuck with Ed for the night. After going to a party that she isn’t quite enjoying – she realizes Ed is cooler than she thought and they head off to find Shadow on their own. On the journey Ed and Lucy get to know each other and discover there is more to one another than they ever thought before.

This was a sweet contemporary novel about finding yourself and what you truly crave. It was written from the point of view of Lucy and Ed and interspersed with poems from Poet. Hearing the history between Ed and Lucy, and of their moments when they are pushed together in the rest of the book – it’s just wonderful. The entire book speaks of art and what the characters see and feel when the look and create art. Even something as simple as a color evokes such responses from them. While only the short poems in the book are truly considered poetry, the entire novel is written in such beautiful language, you can’t help but to feel that it is poetry of it’s own kind. The only drawback for me was that the story was predictable and the relationships were easy to figure out. When you consider the beauty of the writing and don’t need much excitement or mystery, it’s a great book.

Reviewed by Jessica for Book Sake.