Review: Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.
Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.
Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.
Well, sort of.
Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.
It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.
As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.

Published in US: May 2010
First in series
Source: Won from YABooksCentral

My review:
   Shade is beautifully written and it is so emotional. Ms. Smith-Ready really managed to write her characters in such a way that I feel for them and with them, and want the best for them, even if what two characters want conflict. That takes some real talent.
   I didn't really know what to expect going in, but one of my writer and reader friends really loves this book (and Shift) and I respect her opinion so it's been high on my TBR since then. But let me tell you, I was blown away at what I found.
   Even though music and partying are big elements in this book, and they are not so much my thing, Aura and Logan, Megan and the rest of the Keeleys made it work, and made me care about what matters to them. That being said, there is sex, rock and roll, partying, death and grief all in this book, and teens should know that going in and be able to handle it. I don't think that any of it is gratuitous or in poor taste, just to be clear.
    I would be remiss if I didn't mention the love triangle and which side I'm on. I totally am a sucker for the accent, so Zachary had me at hello. As for Aura... I really admire the depth of her love for Logan, and even though she can see and talk to ghosts... being dead put him out of the running for me. It was hard to reconcile my want for her to be in a different place in life and just be able to be with Zachary to the fact that Logan, and her love for him is very central to this book. His life, death, ghostly status, along with the mystery of her mother, and her puzzling connection to Zachary (the non-romantic one that is) all makes up the story, and it's hard to stay firmly planted on my Zachary side.
    For me, I am so glad that I have Shift ready to start, because that ending... yeah. It's one of the special cliffhangers that leaves your jaw dropped, and lusting for more.