Lucas by Kevin Brooks

Caitlin is spending the summer on the windswept island that is her home. She is caught between girlhood and maturity, and feels utterly isolated from the rest of the world. Then she meets Lucas, who is the embodiment of freedom and honesty. She is instantly drawn to him. But Caitlin must also grapple with the darker forces that seem to be confronting her family. Lucas himself further complicates matters when he is hunted for an awful crime that Caitlin herself becomes involved in. This gripping story, which takes place over one incredible month, will captivate young adult readers.

 So I picked up this book thinking it would be a light teenage romance novel - but it was much more than that. For me, this novel was absolutely brilliant. It's rare to find a novel that truly deals with certain issues, and really gets down into it - but this novel does. Not in a way that makes you uncomfortable, but a way that lets you see into what it's like. Brooks is an absolutely excellent author, and the way he characterized both Cait and Lucas was brilliant; you felt that Cait was at an awkward age between maturing and being a child - and Lucas was a 'lone wolf' and was mostly animal, full of instinct. Personally, I felt like I truly got under the skin of Cait, and I could relate to the relationship between her and Bill quite well. Even though I think I'm relatively mature, like Cait, I do have other friends that are like Bill, and want to try drugs and alcohol and sex and partying and all that, and I understand what a divide it can have on an otherwise strong friendship. The emotions from every character were so raw and real that I couldn't help forgetting that they are just fictional. It was a really great novel, and I would recommend it strongly to anyone 12+.
Rating:4/5