Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

   RATING : 2.75-3 STARS

I have been meaning to read an Aussie book for a very long time and all of a sudden I came across Graffiti Moon on ivy book bindings blog and immediately added to my to-be-read list. I love to read about Australia and its culture so I managed to snag a copy of Graffiti Moon from my library. Just because all good reviews and rave comments my expectations were high enough but unfortunately it did not live up to my expectation. I'm a little hesitant to give a less than  glowing review, but it doesn't mean Crowley isn't an amazing writer. She is. Her writing style is good and that kept me reading till the end. 

The story is told in alternating perspectives of Lucy, Ed and occasionally Leo's point of  view. It starts out with Lucy pedaling on her bike to see Shadow, a Graffiti artist whose works she adores. Lucy thinks Shadow could be her dream guy and when she gets there she misses him by five minutes. Downhearted Lucy meets her friends Jazz and Daisy and they spend the night out to celebrate the successful completion of senior year of high school. Jazz assumes herself to be psychic and she says that they will hook up with guys who sits next to them. The girls meet Ed whose nose Lucy broke in tenth grade, Leo and Dylan at the same place. Daisy and Dylan have been seeing each other and there is not much of introduction needed to hook up with these guys. Daisy with Dylan, Jazz with Leo and Lucy is left with Ed. Ed tells Lucy that he knows where to find Shadow and the adventure and blooming romance begins not only for the girls but also for the reader. 

I loved to walk through the streets of Melbourne with orange late evening sky with Lucy and Ed. Crowley made it so beautiful with vivid explanation of the nature. When I read the story I found myself having late night adventure. The best part of Graffiti Moon is the artistic explanation of Graffiti art and Glass Blowing works. Alternating perspective was done flawlessly. Romance between Lucy and Ed is not at all overly done which is very rare to find in Young Adult books. Although Lucy and Ed had a rocky start, openness between them and their conversation about the art was beautifully written. I liked the small references to the classic books- Pride and Prejudice, To kill a mockingbird. 

Coming to the characters, Bert, owner of the paint shop where Ed works and Al, owner of the studio where Lucy learns Glass blowing techniques were wonderful people whom you would like to meet once in your lifetime. Though Ed's mom played a very teeny-tiny part, Crowley made her character so well and incredibly relatable. 

Although I liked Graffiti Moon, I had some issues with it. Now lets get to that. First off, I found the girls talk to be exasperating sometimes and same applies with the guys talk. Though they all are high school seniors, I found them to act like middle graders at certain moments in the book. Second, about half the story I could predict where the story goes. I found all these made the story drag a little bit for me. Though many readers loved the poems in Leo's perspective, I did not find it amazing. But trust me through Crowley's writing we can experience the beauty of Australia and the art works. 

If you're an artistic person and would love to read about Glass blowing techniques and adding colors to glass, Graffiti Moon is for you. I didn't fall head-over-heels with it but that doesn't mean Graffiti Moon isn't a good book. Overall it was a good read.