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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Interesting take on a teen having to endure catholic school along with the latest in a series of moves due to his father climbing the corporate ladder. A lot of teen anger and angst along with some solid discussions on norms, values hypocrisy & belief.
Heretics Anonymous is a YA contemporary wherein an atheist teen named Michael is sent to a Catholic private school. Michael doesn’t think there’s a place for him at St Clare’s, but quickly finds that he’s not the only student rallying against the church.
I definitely bought into the Booktube hype too much. It’s a good read, but not the 5-star read that Booktube led me to believe. And the audiobook narrator Michael Crouch sounds like a sardonic version of Sheldon Cooper…...do what you will with that information.
That being said, the character development in the story was excellent and sooooo slick. Michael has clear and satisfying arcs in his relationships with his father, Lucy, the school, and organised religion. He is a compelling character and doesn’t back down, calling his parents and the school out on how helpless they make him feel. And though he has some really valid points he’s not infallible; going through experiences that prove that he doesn’t, in fact, know everything.
I also really enjoyed the friendship group. While they all poke fun at and question each others’ religions, it’s usually done in a respectful way that doesn’t make people feel bad about themselves. I just wish we’d had more scenes of the kids giving me my Breakfast Club fantasy! The romance was also fantastic and a gradual build up - before I knew it I was more invested than I have been in a contemporary romance in ages.
Overall: This book was an enjoyable read with a complex protagonist, friendship group, and character arcs. It's not mindblowing and I will likely never reread it, but it was a fun YA contemporary that veers away from the norm.
I definitely bought into the Booktube hype too much. It’s a good read, but not the 5-star read that Booktube led me to believe. And the audiobook narrator Michael Crouch sounds like a sardonic version of Sheldon Cooper…...do what you will with that information.
That being said, the character development in the story was excellent and sooooo slick. Michael has clear and satisfying arcs in his relationships with his father, Lucy, the school, and organised religion. He is a compelling character and doesn’t back down, calling his parents and the school out on how helpless they make him feel. And though he has some really valid points he’s not infallible; going through experiences that prove that he doesn’t, in fact, know everything.
I also really enjoyed the friendship group. While they all poke fun at and question each others’ religions, it’s usually done in a respectful way that doesn’t make people feel bad about themselves. I just wish we’d had more scenes of the kids giving me my Breakfast Club fantasy! The romance was also fantastic and a gradual build up - before I knew it I was more invested than I have been in a contemporary romance in ages.
Overall: This book was an enjoyable read with a complex protagonist, friendship group, and character arcs. It's not mindblowing and I will likely never reread it, but it was a fun YA contemporary that veers away from the norm.
This book blew my mind as a freshman in high school. Not sure how it’d hold up now but I loved it then.
6/10
I think the main character was a bit annoying but i understood why he was the way he is and grew endeared to him. As well as Lucy sometimes getting on my nerves. I think the humour was really fun most of the time and if not, didn't leave a bad taste in my mouth. I wish we had seen more of Avi, Eden and Max as i found them really fun and enjoyed the whole group's interactions.
Overall i enjoyed the book and the way it presented the opinions of others in the book and the way that actions have of people and how they're remembered. Wish that Micheal and Lucy hadn't gotten back so quickly and would've preferred an epilogue, but it's still cute!
I think the main character was a bit annoying but i understood why he was the way he is and grew endeared to him. As well as Lucy sometimes getting on my nerves. I think the humour was really fun most of the time and if not, didn't leave a bad taste in my mouth. I wish we had seen more of Avi, Eden and Max as i found them really fun and enjoyed the whole group's interactions.
Overall i enjoyed the book and the way it presented the opinions of others in the book and the way that actions have of people and how they're remembered. Wish that Micheal and Lucy hadn't gotten back so quickly and would've preferred an epilogue, but it's still cute!
This book was so funny, I don't remember the last time I laughed so much while reading a book. I found this book really related to my high school experience at catholic schools. I was not as brave as Michael is to stand up to my parents about moving so much and to school authorities about their rules.
emotional
reflective
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:
Yes
Interesting concept, some good discussions about religion, faith, and atheism, and some good relationship-building. Once the romance got introduced it seemed to lose force, though.
3.5/5. This book was really well-paced and the characters and the lessons they learned were great, but in terms of plot, there was just something missing for me. However, I liked how the plot and the main character's narrative arc mirrored the Bible and biblical lessons -- I thought that was a clever touch.
Ratings - 3.5 out of 5 stars
Just when Michael thought that they were done with the whole packing up and leaving, his parents announce otherwise. Now, he has to attend St. Clare's Catholic School, which isn't exactly the best place to be for an atheist like him. His presumptions of everyone being uptight and religious are flung out the window, when he gets initiated into a secret club called Heretics Anonymous. Even within the austere boundaries of this school, there exists a group of students who choose to have differing beliefs and aren't ready to get brainwashed by the system. But when Michael takes it all a step too far, he jeopardizes everything he has worked to build.
10 points for that cover!
What started out as a hilarious book soon turns into a bit of a serious read and rightly so. Michael's wit and sarcasm will surely make you crack up at times. There's such honesty in his thoughts. But underlying all that bravado you get the sense of boy flailing at his inability to stay rooted to a place, and therefore distraught by the constant disruption in his life. This is Katie Henry's debut novel and I must admit that she has crafted a remarkable storyline. With everything that's going on in our world, religious intolerance is something that has been cause for concern for a long time now. But do we ever stop to think how children perceive themselves through a religious angle, how do they fit into all this?
In this novel, it is very refreshing to see teenagers who are not only well informed about their choices but also standing up for their beliefs, however different they may be. When Michael joins Heretics Anonymous, he is met with a broad range of thought processes; those belonging to a Celtic Reconstructionist Pagan, a Catholic Christian and others that I hadn't even heard about. The author's writing complements the story, in that, you feel like you've been taken back to your school days. It's not wordy or hard to digest. It has everything a high-school fiction usually does - drama, betrayal, romance (puppy love?), rebelling. But on top of all that, it has some mature viewpoints too!
Michael's relation with his father is strained but I couldn't help feeling bad for them both. In my opinion, they are both right on their part. I just wish that they'd talked it out sooner, because it would've prevented a lot of negativity. I didn't personally connect with any of the characters, but that didn't deter me from being invested in their story. In conclusion, I did enjoy reading this book, even though I couldn't understand the hype. If you are the kind of person who gets easily offended by religious and spiritual diversity, maybe this book is not for you. But I hope that's not true. I hope you can pick up a book like this in good faith and just have fun reading it.
What do you get out of it? New perspective on religious identities and all the excitement of attending high-school.
Thank you HarperCollins for this eARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Just when Michael thought that they were done with the whole packing up and leaving, his parents announce otherwise. Now, he has to attend St. Clare's Catholic School, which isn't exactly the best place to be for an atheist like him. His presumptions of everyone being uptight and religious are flung out the window, when he gets initiated into a secret club called Heretics Anonymous. Even within the austere boundaries of this school, there exists a group of students who choose to have differing beliefs and aren't ready to get brainwashed by the system. But when Michael takes it all a step too far, he jeopardizes everything he has worked to build.
10 points for that cover!
What started out as a hilarious book soon turns into a bit of a serious read and rightly so. Michael's wit and sarcasm will surely make you crack up at times. There's such honesty in his thoughts. But underlying all that bravado you get the sense of boy flailing at his inability to stay rooted to a place, and therefore distraught by the constant disruption in his life. This is Katie Henry's debut novel and I must admit that she has crafted a remarkable storyline. With everything that's going on in our world, religious intolerance is something that has been cause for concern for a long time now. But do we ever stop to think how children perceive themselves through a religious angle, how do they fit into all this?
In this novel, it is very refreshing to see teenagers who are not only well informed about their choices but also standing up for their beliefs, however different they may be. When Michael joins Heretics Anonymous, he is met with a broad range of thought processes; those belonging to a Celtic Reconstructionist Pagan, a Catholic Christian and others that I hadn't even heard about. The author's writing complements the story, in that, you feel like you've been taken back to your school days. It's not wordy or hard to digest. It has everything a high-school fiction usually does - drama, betrayal, romance (puppy love?), rebelling. But on top of all that, it has some mature viewpoints too!
Michael's relation with his father is strained but I couldn't help feeling bad for them both. In my opinion, they are both right on their part. I just wish that they'd talked it out sooner, because it would've prevented a lot of negativity. I didn't personally connect with any of the characters, but that didn't deter me from being invested in their story. In conclusion, I did enjoy reading this book, even though I couldn't understand the hype. If you are the kind of person who gets easily offended by religious and spiritual diversity, maybe this book is not for you. But I hope that's not true. I hope you can pick up a book like this in good faith and just have fun reading it.
What do you get out of it? New perspective on religious identities and all the excitement of attending high-school.
Thank you HarperCollins for this eARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.