Rating Clarification: 4.5 
 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 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. 
 I didn't really know what to expect from this book. The cover is mesmerizing, I think the bud in the center of the page express the concept of shining in a delicate, perfect way. What really hooked me, though, was the heroine: Cat is a good girl from a small village where she lives with her aunt and her brother Christian. She is a loner, but not for choice - not a rational one: years ago, a drunk friend of her brother's tried to take advantage of her, an experience that will mark her soul, causing her to slowly drift away from her friends, even from Patrick, her long-time best (gay) friend. 
 When Patrick gets beaten up and goes into a coma, she decides it is time to react and go on with her life and starts looking for anything that could help with the inquiry. But her brother, along with his friends, are acting funny and someone is not so subtle about not wanting Cat to poke her nose in others' business. 
 During the development of the novel, we get to know more about Cat's life, family and ex-friends. Her submissive character starts strengthening into a strong, determined one, thanks to her faith in God, her memories of Patrick and the light that an unexpected person brings in her life. 
 Shine is surely one of the best books I've read lately. The writing is great, Cat's perspective of the world was so realistic and so well developed it made me love every single page of this book. There were several flashbacks about Cat's life and I really enjoyed them, they uncovered the story one bit at a time. 
 The setting was...unsettling. The amount of alcoholic, strict, absent and/or violent parents was astounding and some of the villager's behaviours were just unbelievable, and not in a good way. But I guess that's exactly what the title means: that in a world of shadows, pain and evil, there always is something, or better, someone that with his light can help you to find the right path. That will help you shine.