Have you ever wondered about the fate of young children whose parents pass away suddenly? Are these children destined for lives full of hardships or are they capable of creating their own happy endings, regardless of their beginnings? Shine answers those questions in the author's own brilliant way. At the tender age of three, Ellie's life was forever changed when her father was killed by a crazed lunatic in a small town in New Jersey, a tragedy that would result in bold headlines, broken hearts, and tough times. She would spend a majority of her childhood and teenage years battling bullies and frenemies, as well as her own internal conflict, while looking for (and finding) love in all of the wrong places. In a life packed with irony and endless self-searching, Ellie kept her soul in tact, overcoming it all. Shine is an emotional yet optimistic coming of age tale that will pull readers in and keep them captivated by proving that with enough faith, the broken can become the blessed... but first, you must choose to shine through the darkness.