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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
the jesus glee episode is what convinced me to read this book. i have no regrets
3,5/5
Disclaimer: I waited way too long to write this review and I'm basing this solely on the notes I took while reading the book because I remember close to nothing about it lol
What happens when an atheist is forced to attend a Catholic high school? He looks for other outcasts that will help him stay afloat. Michael is changing schools after his family had to move yet another time due to his father's job, and he's faced with every teenager's struggle: making new friends. He meets Lucy and he's oh-so-wrong when he thinks she's atheist as well after he sees her argue with a nun during class. Only when he later tries to approach her he will find out that not only she's not an atheist, but her dream is to become a priest. Lucy introduces him to her eclectic group of friends: a Jewish gay boy, a unitarian boy and a politheist girl. Together they form the Heretics Anonymous, an after school group that, at the beginning, was only there so they could vent their frustration towards the school's stricht rules and the false messages it spreads. Things change when they decide that HA could help others as well, and so they start to boycott or find loopholes in the school rules, showing its faults.
What I liked the most about this book was the humor. It's very funny and I found myself laughing out loud at more than one banter and I loved it for that. Unfortunately, I found the plot to be very weak and, even though it started with a bang, I was very let down by the lack of progress in it. It didn't help that a huge part of the book was focused on Michael having a crush on Lucy and, though I'm not against romance, I don't think this aspect of the novel was as important as other subjects it was touching.
Other things I didn't particularly enjoy or understand were, for example, the way that Michael had to censor his feelings for what he was going through at home, because he was afraid Lucy would have judged him and thought he was ungrateful. I get where Lucy was coming from, and I can understand why she thought that having a family was better than having a mom who left. But telling Michael he should be grateful he had a family and should just suck it up and get over it, was disregarding his feelings. I'm not saying that Michael wasn't childish and selfish, because he was. But his father had his family move four times and he was now demanding they move on the other side of the world. He has a right to be upset. He has a right to be angry with his parents, who treated him as an adult only when it was fitting for them, when they wanted him to just get on with the plan, but then avoided telling him about the move until the last minute possible, because they knew they were being unfair. And he has a right to let out his emotions for this issue with his girlfriend and his friends without having to measure each and every single word for fear of being judged.
And while we're talking about his allegedly called 'friends' I sure didn't understand their behavior towards Michael at the end. Like, they were all in this together, and yes, Michael messed up a big deal by doing what he did without telling them first, without thinking really, but they turned their back on him without a second thought. Lucy told them they couldn't talk to him and they just executed her orders. What kind of dictatorship is that??
I'm not even mad at Lucy, because I can understand why she was mad and she had a right to. But the others, oh God, I wanted to strangle them all. They were like, you were only our friend for a few months, so we can basically pretend we weren't even friends to begin with and now we'll just ignore you until the school year is over. They avoided Michael and blamed everything on him and I just don't think it's fair.
I liked how they portrayed the relationship between Max and his dad because it felt real, the way he was rebelling being a teenager but also the fact that, even though the way he relayed his feelings were wrong, Michael was right. His dad wanted for them what he couldn't have when he was growing up, but he did so neglecting his kids and shoving them from one city to another disregarding their feelings.
I think it was a nice read, the humour was great and made me laugh a lot, plus it touches many important topics such as disinformation and homophobia ib a school setting, particularly important considering the setting was catholic.
Disclaimer: I waited way too long to write this review and I'm basing this solely on the notes I took while reading the book because I remember close to nothing about it lol
What happens when an atheist is forced to attend a Catholic high school? He looks for other outcasts that will help him stay afloat. Michael is changing schools after his family had to move yet another time due to his father's job, and he's faced with every teenager's struggle: making new friends. He meets Lucy and he's oh-so-wrong when he thinks she's atheist as well after he sees her argue with a nun during class. Only when he later tries to approach her he will find out that not only she's not an atheist, but her dream is to become a priest. Lucy introduces him to her eclectic group of friends: a Jewish gay boy, a unitarian boy and a politheist girl. Together they form the Heretics Anonymous, an after school group that, at the beginning, was only there so they could vent their frustration towards the school's stricht rules and the false messages it spreads. Things change when they decide that HA could help others as well, and so they start to boycott or find loopholes in the school rules, showing its faults.
What I liked the most about this book was the humor. It's very funny and I found myself laughing out loud at more than one banter and I loved it for that. Unfortunately, I found the plot to be very weak and, even though it started with a bang, I was very let down by the lack of progress in it. It didn't help that a huge part of the book was focused on Michael having a crush on Lucy and, though I'm not against romance, I don't think this aspect of the novel was as important as other subjects it was touching.
Other things I didn't particularly enjoy or understand were, for example, the way that Michael had to censor his feelings for what he was going through at home, because he was afraid Lucy would have judged him and thought he was ungrateful. I get where Lucy was coming from, and I can understand why she thought that having a family was better than having a mom who left. But telling Michael he should be grateful he had a family and should just suck it up and get over it, was disregarding his feelings. I'm not saying that Michael wasn't childish and selfish, because he was. But his father had his family move four times and he was now demanding they move on the other side of the world. He has a right to be upset. He has a right to be angry with his parents, who treated him as an adult only when it was fitting for them, when they wanted him to just get on with the plan, but then avoided telling him about the move until the last minute possible, because they knew they were being unfair. And he has a right to let out his emotions for this issue with his girlfriend and his friends without having to measure each and every single word for fear of being judged.
And while we're talking about his allegedly called 'friends' I sure didn't understand their behavior towards Michael at the end. Like, they were all in this together, and yes, Michael messed up a big deal by doing what he did without telling them first, without thinking really, but they turned their back on him without a second thought. Lucy told them they couldn't talk to him and they just executed her orders. What kind of dictatorship is that??
I'm not even mad at Lucy, because I can understand why she was mad and she had a right to. But the others, oh God, I wanted to strangle them all. They were like, you were only our friend for a few months, so we can basically pretend we weren't even friends to begin with and now we'll just ignore you until the school year is over. They avoided Michael and blamed everything on him and I just don't think it's fair.
I liked how they portrayed the relationship between Max and his dad because it felt real, the way he was rebelling being a teenager but also the fact that, even though the way he relayed his feelings were wrong, Michael was right. His dad wanted for them what he couldn't have when he was growing up, but he did so neglecting his kids and shoving them from one city to another disregarding their feelings.
I think it was a nice read, the humour was great and made me laugh a lot, plus it touches many important topics such as disinformation and homophobia ib a school setting, particularly important considering the setting was catholic.
i surprisingly really enjoyed this book and i wasn't expecting to..
ready?
likes
- whatever the main characters name was
- his stance on religion (wop)
- the pacing of the story, i flew through it
- the issues dealt with, misogyny in religion, family issues etc.
dislikes
- the plot was a little bland
- lack of connection between the characters, like they were just thrown together for the sake of the story
- not heartfelt/dark enough for my taste
overall, i quite liked this.
ready?
likes
- whatever the main characters name was
- his stance on religion (wop)
- the pacing of the story, i flew through it
- the issues dealt with, misogyny in religion, family issues etc.
dislikes
- the plot was a little bland
- lack of connection between the characters, like they were just thrown together for the sake of the story
- not heartfelt/dark enough for my taste
overall, i quite liked this.
*3.5/5*
“Aren’t most wonderful things a little bit strange?” (page 20).
The book “Heretics Anonymous” is in the perspective of a junior in high school who is constantly being moved around. His family moves to a new neighborhood and he is forced to attend a catholic school as an atheist. At this school he meets a group of misfits that he befriends and they make it their job to protest against the many wrongs of the school.
Before I begin with the negatives, I would just like to say the concept of this book was great. Atheism is an underrated idealism, especially in YA novels,that deserves more exposure to younger more influential audiences. With that in mind. I highly appreciate the representation in this novel. I loved the idea of the story and I loved how diverse the characters were.
With that being said, I wasn’t completely obsessed with this book. In it’s defense I had set very high expectations so I guess it was only natural of it to not quite meet them. Anyways, first and foremost, in regards to the protagonist, Michael, I just could not get behind him. Something about him just always seemed off. He was always a bit of an ass and because I loved Lucy so much I just felt like he was lacking.
Speaking of Lucy, let me go onto the romance of this novel. For starters, I didn’t really expect a romance when reading this book, and when I began reading it I just think the story could have done without it. My opinion of course may be a bit bias due to my love for Lucy, however I just feel like she deserved more than having to put up with not only a harsh home life, but an ass she has to call her boyfriend. (by this point you can tell I genuinely do not like Michael)
There were of course other small issues and problems I just found hard to disregard such as when Eden (who I primarily like) had said something along the lines of Lucy just easily being able to leave her religion. These small conflicts were quite nagging to read through.
Before I end this review I would like to say, my two favorite characters and loves of this book were Jenny and Lucy. They were honestly the most accepting and kindest and most admirable of all the characters. (This was probably an unnecessary segment however I felt the need to mention it)
I definitely would recommend trying to read this book because the amount of diversity and great preface almost makes the book redeemable, however that is up for you to judge.
“Aren’t most wonderful things a little bit strange?” (page 20).
The book “Heretics Anonymous” is in the perspective of a junior in high school who is constantly being moved around. His family moves to a new neighborhood and he is forced to attend a catholic school as an atheist. At this school he meets a group of misfits that he befriends and they make it their job to protest against the many wrongs of the school.
Before I begin with the negatives, I would just like to say the concept of this book was great. Atheism is an underrated idealism, especially in YA novels,that deserves more exposure to younger more influential audiences. With that in mind. I highly appreciate the representation in this novel. I loved the idea of the story and I loved how diverse the characters were.
With that being said, I wasn’t completely obsessed with this book. In it’s defense I had set very high expectations so I guess it was only natural of it to not quite meet them. Anyways, first and foremost, in regards to the protagonist, Michael, I just could not get behind him. Something about him just always seemed off. He was always a bit of an ass and because I loved Lucy so much I just felt like he was lacking.
Speaking of Lucy, let me go onto the romance of this novel. For starters, I didn’t really expect a romance when reading this book, and when I began reading it I just think the story could have done without it. My opinion of course may be a bit bias due to my love for Lucy, however I just feel like she deserved more than having to put up with not only a harsh home life, but an ass she has to call her boyfriend. (by this point you can tell I genuinely do not like Michael)
There were of course other small issues and problems I just found hard to disregard such as when Eden (who I primarily like) had said something along the lines of Lucy just easily being able to leave her religion. These small conflicts were quite nagging to read through.
Before I end this review I would like to say, my two favorite characters and loves of this book were Jenny and Lucy. They were honestly the most accepting and kindest and most admirable of all the characters. (This was probably an unnecessary segment however I felt the need to mention it)
I definitely would recommend trying to read this book because the amount of diversity and great preface almost makes the book redeemable, however that is up for you to judge.
challenging
funny
reflective
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
A fun read for anyone who felt like the black sheep in school.
I have a lot of feelings about this book- it certainly resonated with me a bunch. I enjoyed the diverse relationships to faith and organized religion that were portrayed by the characters. As someone who was raised Catholic but is now decidedly not, I found it talked about some of the issues I have with the Church (history of mysoginy, colonialism, homophobia, etc) in way that i feel didn't belittle those who chose to belong to the organization. I also enjoyed how funny the book was, especially in the first half. Also, there is bread on the cover- aka my favorite food. Not really relevant to my review but delicious nonetheless.
One of the parts of the book that rang the most true to me was the purity assembly with guest speaker. Ours was a married couple that had Barbie dolls as props. They assured us that it was not too late to commit (or recommit if that ship had sailed) to waiting until marriage, and gave us white candles so we may have a visual reminder of our virginity. Were we instructed to light the candle on our wedding night? IDK, this was over 12 years ago but I feel like yes?
The other part of the book that mirrored my real life experience was that [minor spoiler ahead] their newspaper advisor was fired for having a commitment ceremony with her girlfriend just like mine was. (Ok, in the strictest sense mine was just asked to resign but w/e).
I did find they talked about saints in their daily education way more than was true to my experience. Though I do distinctly remember a grade school teacher telling the class that "good Catholics" name their kids after saints, causing me to be heartbroken that there was no St. Katelyn. Also, there was one year where on the Feast of St. Nicholas all the kids in the school named Nick or Nicole had their names called off after Mass and were invited to come up to get massive candy canes. I was not named Nick or Nicole (obviously) and was devastatingly jealous. I can maybe think of two other instances in grade school where we talked about saints (one year we weren't allowed to wear Halloween costumes, but we could dress as a saint for All Saints Day and I was one of like three kids who took advantage of that out of uniform opportunity), but saint talk definitely wasn't a daily occurrence, especially in high school.
So. For better or for worse*, my 13 years of Catholic school definitely shaped me into the person I am today. This book made me think about that in a way I haven't thought about in a while. It also got me to string together more than two sentences for the review, which is a miracle (weak pun), as getting me to write anything is like pulling teeth. I am certain this book will not be as appealing to everyone as I found it, but it certainly had a ring of universal truth to me.
*An example of worse: our religion teacher definitely had us watch a video where a priest was trying to make a point about something and advised us to punch someone who was having a seizure in the face. Thankfully, my teacher told us not to do that. I cannot for the life of me remember the point of the video, but I will always remember that #dubiousadvice.
One of the parts of the book that rang the most true to me was the purity assembly with guest speaker. Ours was a married couple that had Barbie dolls as props. They assured us that it was not too late to commit (or recommit if that ship had sailed) to waiting until marriage, and gave us white candles so we may have a visual reminder of our virginity. Were we instructed to light the candle on our wedding night? IDK, this was over 12 years ago but I feel like yes?
The other part of the book that mirrored my real life experience was that [minor spoiler ahead] their newspaper advisor was fired for having a commitment ceremony with her girlfriend just like mine was. (Ok, in the strictest sense mine was just asked to resign but w/e).
I did find they talked about saints in their daily education way more than was true to my experience. Though I do distinctly remember a grade school teacher telling the class that "good Catholics" name their kids after saints, causing me to be heartbroken that there was no St. Katelyn. Also, there was one year where on the Feast of St. Nicholas all the kids in the school named Nick or Nicole had their names called off after Mass and were invited to come up to get massive candy canes. I was not named Nick or Nicole (obviously) and was devastatingly jealous. I can maybe think of two other instances in grade school where we talked about saints (one year we weren't allowed to wear Halloween costumes, but we could dress as a saint for All Saints Day and I was one of like three kids who took advantage of that out of uniform opportunity), but saint talk definitely wasn't a daily occurrence, especially in high school.
So. For better or for worse*, my 13 years of Catholic school definitely shaped me into the person I am today. This book made me think about that in a way I haven't thought about in a while. It also got me to string together more than two sentences for the review, which is a miracle (weak pun), as getting me to write anything is like pulling teeth. I am certain this book will not be as appealing to everyone as I found it, but it certainly had a ring of universal truth to me.
*An example of worse: our religion teacher definitely had us watch a video where a priest was trying to make a point about something and advised us to punch someone who was having a seizure in the face. Thankfully, my teacher told us not to do that. I cannot for the life of me remember the point of the video, but I will always remember that #dubiousadvice.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
I read halfway into this book but just couldn't continue it due to the main characters being so annoying. I tried to ignore it and read on but it just doesn't work for me but I thought the side characters were better!
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes