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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
cute, easy, and if you're the intended audience, would really scratch the surface of what's wrong with the catholic SYSTEM
the family stuff hit hard and also the questioning god about why bad things happen 😅
the family stuff hit hard and also the questioning god about why bad things happen 😅
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
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:
No
fast-paced
I really liked this! I laughed so hard at parts, and I enjoyed the characters. I like the subject matter and the overall dialogue of the issues raised. It was thought-provoking while also being entertaining. I even got choked up at a moment. This was out of my comfort zone and I’m thoroughly glad I read it.
A majority of the YA contemporary books I read have some sort of tight-knit, found family trope, and when I saw this one at the library and saw that it was about a friend group at a Catholic school made up of non-Catholics, I thought that this book would be amazing. The specific lack of religion or derailment from the norms is not something that I normally read about in YA fiction, so I was excited to see how it was tackled in this book. However, I enjoy serious books 99 times over more humorous ones, so from the beginning when I learned that this book was taking more of a humorous approach to religion, I immediately became wary. However, I feel as if I should state that I did not find the humor offensive, but it did poke fun at some of the more ridiculous aspects of Catholic tradition, so be wary of that.
Unfortunately, in this novel, I think that the humor was a device used to try and disguise the lack of character development and surface level plot. There were parts that were funny and made me smile, but after looking at other reviews, I did not find it as laugh out loud funny as other people did. Different people have different tastes. In my opinion, religion is a heavy and serious topic that warrants more serious discussion to unpack the issues that are rampant, and the humorous approach did not allow these topics to be examined to their fullest extent in order to really make an impact.
I think that the characters were not quite fleshed out enough. Lucy and Michael, the protagonist, were definitely the most developed, but there were four other characters in the Heretics Anonymous friend group that I felt as though were only outlines of people, more traits and one liners than fully developed people with goals and passions and emotions. None of them were memorable, and although I liked it in the moment, looking back I don’t remember any defining facts about them apart from their staunch anti-Catholic views.
Overall, I thought that some of the family dynamics in Michael and Lucy’s families were more interesting than the friend group dynamic that initially drew me into the story. If you like quick, fast paced YA books that will make you smile and are lighthearted and don’t make you think, pick this up. But if you’re looking for something memorable with deep, stimulating conversations on religion, than I would pass on this book.
Unfortunately, in this novel, I think that the humor was a device used to try and disguise the lack of character development and surface level plot. There were parts that were funny and made me smile, but after looking at other reviews, I did not find it as laugh out loud funny as other people did. Different people have different tastes. In my opinion, religion is a heavy and serious topic that warrants more serious discussion to unpack the issues that are rampant, and the humorous approach did not allow these topics to be examined to their fullest extent in order to really make an impact.
I think that the characters were not quite fleshed out enough. Lucy and Michael, the protagonist, were definitely the most developed, but there were four other characters in the Heretics Anonymous friend group that I felt as though were only outlines of people, more traits and one liners than fully developed people with goals and passions and emotions. None of them were memorable, and although I liked it in the moment, looking back I don’t remember any defining facts about them apart from their staunch anti-Catholic views.
Overall, I thought that some of the family dynamics in Michael and Lucy’s families were more interesting than the friend group dynamic that initially drew me into the story. If you like quick, fast paced YA books that will make you smile and are lighthearted and don’t make you think, pick this up. But if you’re looking for something memorable with deep, stimulating conversations on religion, than I would pass on this book.
Damn, read it one day! I missed reading books in one day and Contemporary YA have the amazing talent to make me stay up late and read them.
Now: I'm not a Christian. Nor Catholic. I'm actually a Pagan and have been Pagan for over 10 years. So I was a bit... reticent on whether I would like this book or not. I knew there was a Celtic Reconstructionist character and that was a huge boost for me to read it, I admit! But the rest of the characters weren't that bad! Even Lucy, I actually liked her a lot. And I understood her perfectly, even though our religions are the opposite of one another. She's passionate about God and about her practice and religion and I'm the same with my Goddesses and my religion. I could relate to her and understand what she was saying and believing.
And, at the same time, I can understand Michael's POV, especially with his father. I can actually relate to that to some extent. I do believe he went too far and was a bit too extreme but I can kind of understand why? As a teen, I could understand and agree and now I can understand but not agree with, of course.
I did love how religion was talked about in this book and how the author approached several religions and made it all balanced. It was amazing, especially in a time when religion is such a breaking theme and that can divide people and families. I really liked this book and I think the author did an amazing job!
Don't avoid reading this book just because you're not Christian. As a non-christian I can assure you the book is fantastic and DOES NOT shove religion down your throat, it shows how balanced the coexistence between several different types of religions can be.
Now: I'm not a Christian. Nor Catholic. I'm actually a Pagan and have been Pagan for over 10 years. So I was a bit... reticent on whether I would like this book or not. I knew there was a Celtic Reconstructionist character and that was a huge boost for me to read it, I admit! But the rest of the characters weren't that bad! Even Lucy, I actually liked her a lot. And I understood her perfectly, even though our religions are the opposite of one another. She's passionate about God and about her practice and religion and I'm the same with my Goddesses and my religion. I could relate to her and understand what she was saying and believing.
And, at the same time, I can understand Michael's POV, especially with his father. I can actually relate to that to some extent. I do believe he went too far and was a bit too extreme but I can kind of understand why? As a teen, I could understand and agree and now I can understand but not agree with, of course.
I did love how religion was talked about in this book and how the author approached several religions and made it all balanced. It was amazing, especially in a time when religion is such a breaking theme and that can divide people and families. I really liked this book and I think the author did an amazing job!
Don't avoid reading this book just because you're not Christian. As a non-christian I can assure you the book is fantastic and DOES NOT shove religion down your throat, it shows how balanced the coexistence between several different types of religions can be.
emotional
lighthearted
medium-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:
Yes
Interesting read, liked it more in the beginning until Michael became more and more annoying. He sort of redeemed himself. It's a fairly interesting look at faith but I think it could've done more to recognize the complexities of Church/Organized Religion and faith
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
Really interesting concept and fun characters but I could really do without the teenage romance. I also love how the book talked about Christianity and colonialism in no uncertain way.