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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
emotional
fast-paced
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
One of those books that you're glad exists for younger kids and that you wish had been around when you were a kid. We get a bit of a whirlwind romance (but hey, lesbians gonna lesbian) between a girl already doubting the fundamentalist church she's been raised in and the new girl who's been bought into their group as they both realize the bullshit they've been inundated in most of their life and try to get out before one or both of them are married off as child brides. A good example of a book you hope you can pass to a kid in your life to let them know that there's hope on the other side and that maybe being excommunicated or running away from your parents isn't such a bad thing after all. (It's still a best case scenario all things considered because mom helps them get out.) If you're also looking for a book that lays out the stages of these sorts of realizations in a clear way for the youth, also a good example.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Val lives in an extremely religious homeschooled household, which is her norm. She doesn’t question anything until she finds a queer book in the library and begins to diversify her reading. Shortly after, she meets Riley who was forced to join the homeschooling crew after she was kicked out of her Christian school for kissing another girl.
Multiracial teens living in white Christian households, Riley opens Val’s eyes to the cultish life she’s been living, allowing her to break free while finding love in the process.
I wish the book spent more time exploring the multiracial aspect of living in a white fundamentalist community. I also feel like Val would have experienced more of a loss of her sense of Self as she was dismantling her religion’s hold on her life, but perhaps she did not feel that loss since she actually was gaining her true queer Self. Either way, this was a warming love story filled with some cute moments!
Multiracial teens living in white Christian households, Riley opens Val’s eyes to the cultish life she’s been living, allowing her to break free while finding love in the process.
I wish the book spent more time exploring the multiracial aspect of living in a white fundamentalist community. I also feel like Val would have experienced more of a loss of her sense of Self as she was dismantling her religion’s hold on her life, but perhaps she did not feel that loss since she actually was gaining her true queer Self. Either way, this was a warming love story filled with some cute moments!
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It would be lovely if leaving was that easy. It isn't.
really wanted to love this book—as a sapphic, biracial, former fundie homeschooler it sounded like it was written for me. i might be being too hard on it given that it’s YA, but ultimately I was just disappointed by how surface level everything felt.
So so much telling not showing. Most of the deconstruction happens off page with just references to “reading about critical race theory”. Very little exploration into faith/losing your faith—whether or not the main character believed in God wasn’t even mentioned until a very late chapter. It felt like she just flipped a switch and was suddenly self aware and no longer indoctrinated. Perhaps that’s what some people’s deconstruction looks like, but I wish we had seen more of a slow progression. I also didn’t like how she was just suddenly perfect—no missteps due to her upbringing, just a perfect liberal who can easily poke fun at her baby making cult. She mentioned multiple times how weird it was to see the strange reality of things she’d always considered normal; it would’ve been nice to see that demonstrated with her accidentally making a reference to the world being 6000 years old or something, and not realizing she was wrong.
Perhaps I’m not the target audience for this one (which is amusing given it feels like it was written about me), but it really felt like it was written more for shock value (“look at that crazy cult!”) or fans of fundiesnark pages rather than trying to actually portray what it’s like to grow up in a religious cult. It didn’t really feel like a romance either—the relationship felt very shallow and sort of insta-love.
There were some good moments though. I really liked the part when someone made a racist comment and Riley had to sort of tell Val she was allowed to be upset. I also could very much relate to the discomfort of dealing with racism from your white parent and having to unlearn/unpack that. There were also some good bits near the end where she explored trying to separate her love for her family with the pain they had caused, which also resonated. Just wish all of those things had been dealt with a little deeper (but again, maybe i’m asking too much of a YA novel ?)
So so much telling not showing. Most of the deconstruction happens off page with just references to “reading about critical race theory”. Very little exploration into faith/losing your faith—whether or not the main character believed in God wasn’t even mentioned until a very late chapter. It felt like she just flipped a switch and was suddenly self aware and no longer indoctrinated. Perhaps that’s what some people’s deconstruction looks like, but I wish we had seen more of a slow progression. I also didn’t like how she was just suddenly perfect—no missteps due to her upbringing, just a perfect liberal who can easily poke fun at her baby making cult. She mentioned multiple times how weird it was to see the strange reality of things she’d always considered normal; it would’ve been nice to see that demonstrated with her accidentally making a reference to the world being 6000 years old or something, and not realizing she was wrong.
Perhaps I’m not the target audience for this one (which is amusing given it feels like it was written about me), but it really felt like it was written more for shock value (“look at that crazy cult!”) or fans of fundiesnark pages rather than trying to actually portray what it’s like to grow up in a religious cult. It didn’t really feel like a romance either—the relationship felt very shallow and sort of insta-love.
There were some good moments though. I really liked the part when someone made a racist comment and Riley had to sort of tell Val she was allowed to be upset. I also could very much relate to the discomfort of dealing with racism from your white parent and having to unlearn/unpack that. There were also some good bits near the end where she explored trying to separate her love for her family with the pain they had caused, which also resonated. Just wish all of those things had been dealt with a little deeper (but again, maybe i’m asking too much of a YA novel ?)
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
this was just the sweetest coming of age story i’ve read in a while. the writing is incredible and so lovingly passionate, and perfectly encapsulates the mind of someone questioning their lifelong faith. the narration in the audiobook is also incredible and well acted. i have no notes honesty, i just really loved this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Racism