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emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Child abuse, Racism
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism
Minor: Domestic abuse
emotional
funny
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Racism
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I’ve been a big fan of Natalie Naudus since I first got into audiobooks a couple years back. And this time around it was so nice to hear her narrating her own book. The writing is beautiful, a lot of it is Valerie‘s internal monologue, but it works because she’s lonely in a cult. Who else is she gonna talk to? What else is she gonna do except think? (The cult she’s in is very fundie, 19 kids and counting, happy smiley people so please look at the content warnings before picking it up)
When Val picks up a queer book at the library, she begins to question a lot of things. And when Val meet Riley, her whole world changes. She’s able to realize how wild her situation is and how her church is more than just a church. It’s a cult.
The romance is a little Insta lovey, but when I had my first girlfriend at age as a teen, I also rushed into it. That being said, I do wish there was an epilogue. I feel like their story ended a little too soon and it was a good ending but I just wanted more.
One last stop was mentioned bonus points for that I loved the “the narrator was okay” line. This Is How You Lose the Time War was also mentioned, love that. Also the way that Val uses the library and gets support from the librarian was so heartwarming, I really liked that.
Overall, it was a definite five star read. I didn’t grow up in a fundamentalist cult, but I did grow up with Mexican evangelic tias and could relate to several points in the book. It made me touch some scars I didn’t even realize I had. This is another YA book. I wish I could’ve read when I was younger.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Vomit, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Gaslighting
Minor: Domestic abuse, Self harm, Abortion, Alcohol
I don’t know that I have the words yet to articulate how much this story meant to me. Poignant, powerful, heartfelt, and so gentle in its message of love for the queer kids growing up in hateful communities. I’m so glad this book exists.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting
Moderate: Child abuse, Racism
Read this entire sweet story in a day, and it helped hold a part of me that will always be processing a v Christian, mildly culty upbringing.
With that said, I do wish the beginning of the book showed how easy is it for cult-like thinking to become "normal" so (1) we could have a more distinct before and after for this character and (2) it could be more clear that people who find themselves in cults/high-demand-groups are just like you and me.
With that said, I do wish the beginning of the book showed how easy is it for cult-like thinking to become "normal" so (1) we could have a more distinct before and after for this character and (2) it could be more clear that people who find themselves in cults/high-demand-groups are just like you and me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Toxic relationship, Vomit
How do you categorize... Normalization of the sexualization of a minor??
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
I knew this story would be hard for me. I was raised a jehovah's witness and didn't discover my queerness until I was in college. My upbringing was a lot less strict than the MC's, but as Riley reminds Val, trauma and pain isn't a competition; other people having a harder time doesn't mean you have it easy. This is the book I needed as a teen (carefully hidden behind other books), and maybe the book I needed now.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexism, Religious bigotry
Minor: Cursing, Racism
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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:
Yes
Cozy and lovely and definitely made me cry. Thankfully I didn't grow up in Gothardism (I.e. Duggars), but there's more than enough relatable in this book for the more typical USian Christian who figures out they're Queer.
And if you fit that description and would like to learn more about what the Bible actually says about homosexuality (things that are alluded to in this book), I highly recommend you check out the book "Walking the Bridgeless Canyon" by Kathy Baldock or her (free) YouTube video for the Reformation Project.
And if you fit that description and would like to learn more about what the Bible actually says about homosexuality (things that are alluded to in this book), I highly recommend you check out the book "Walking the Bridgeless Canyon" by Kathy Baldock or her (free) YouTube video for the Reformation Project.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was so healing for me. I escaped the Christian faith at least five years ago, but I wasn’t able to get past my own internal homophobia until last year. I had an epiphany, realizing that my views on queerness had been governed by my “faith”, but since I rejected Christianity, why was I still against it? And that’s when I realized I’m Bisexual. That I’ve always been bisexual, but having been raised in a conservative Christian household had forced me to shove it down and hate myself. This book captures so beautifully the feelings I’ve had in the past as a “dutiful daughter” and now a Rocking Rebel. I wish this book had been around when I was a teenager, and that kind people had reached out to me to let me know I am deserving of love, just for being Me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism