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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Michael does not believe in a deity of any sort, so ending up at a private Catholic school is a bit of a stretch for him. Still, he quickly falls into a group of friends with different beliefs: Catholic, UU, Jewish, and pagan, to name a few, making Michael the token atheist. Through the course of his time at his new school, Michael learns a lot about when to accept things, when to challenge things, and when to open his mind to new differences. This was a cute, easy read.
I have a lot of thoughts about this book but I'm going to try to condense it the best I can.
I felt a personal connection to Michael. He's an atheist surrounded by die-hard pious kids and adults in a strictly Catholic environment, and it reminded me a lot of myself as a high schooler living in the Bible Belt. Although I went to a secular rather than religiously affiliated private school, I felt the pressure of staunchly religious views on a daily basis. I was I had the luxury of a Heretics Anonymous!
I used to be an avid consumer of Young Adult contemporary, but now that I have graduated from college, high school plots are a bore to me. Moreover, these books often contain underdeveloped and juvenile themes. I'm so sick of heroines complaining that Tripp, the star quarterback, decided to ask another girl to homecoming. What I appreciated about Katie Henry's writing was the presence of mature themes in a book about immature teenagers. It had pretty awesome representation too.
There was a subplot of romance in this book, and if you had asked me about it in the first 50% of the novel, I would have rolled my eyes and told you it was a pointless addition, but toward the end I started to understand why the author chose to include it. Not only did Michael grow to understand and respect people of different faiths, but the people around him, especially the ones closest to him, also grew to appreciate his points of view. If high schoolers can learn to do this in a little Catholic school bubble, so can you!
I felt a personal connection to Michael. He's an atheist surrounded by die-hard pious kids and adults in a strictly Catholic environment, and it reminded me a lot of myself as a high schooler living in the Bible Belt. Although I went to a secular rather than religiously affiliated private school, I felt the pressure of staunchly religious views on a daily basis. I was I had the luxury of a Heretics Anonymous!
I used to be an avid consumer of Young Adult contemporary, but now that I have graduated from college, high school plots are a bore to me. Moreover, these books often contain underdeveloped and juvenile themes. I'm so sick of heroines complaining that Tripp, the star quarterback, decided to ask another girl to homecoming. What I appreciated about Katie Henry's writing was the presence of mature themes in a book about immature teenagers. It had pretty awesome representation too.
There was a subplot of romance in this book, and if you had asked me about it in the first 50% of the novel, I would have rolled my eyes and told you it was a pointless addition, but toward the end I started to understand why the author chose to include it. Not only did Michael grow to understand and respect people of different faiths, but the people around him, especially the ones closest to him, also grew to appreciate his points of view. If high schoolers can learn to do this in a little Catholic school bubble, so can you!
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this was SO GOOD that I feel like it’s unfair to any other YA books about religion, you know? because it gets it. it reminds you that educating yourself about religion and understanding it is different than actually believing in it. it pushes this message that we are all capable of loving each other, because that’s the core of every religion.
we *can* get along. and im so...like, this makes so much sense to me. the entire part where he tells Lucy that his church is her? that hit me in such a real way. because when i pray to the portraits of the Hindu gods in my home, I don’t do it because I believe in them. I do it because I believe in my mother and the amount of faith she has in them. so I pray to her, for her, more than anything.
god I JUST LOVED THIS BOOK PLEASE READ IT
we *can* get along. and im so...like, this makes so much sense to me. the entire part where he tells Lucy that his church is her? that hit me in such a real way. because when i pray to the portraits of the Hindu gods in my home, I don’t do it because I believe in them. I do it because I believe in my mother and the amount of faith she has in them. so I pray to her, for her, more than anything.
god I JUST LOVED THIS BOOK PLEASE READ IT
I had heard good things and was really looking forward to reading this, but it was such a flop. I absolutely hated the main character. He is a total "pick me" boy and his relationship with Lucy is absolute garbage. He's a crappy boyfriend. And he's a super crappy and ungrateful kid to his parents.
Basically, this had the potential to be such a great story. I was super excited about the premise: an atheist going to a private Catholic school, gets invited to a secret society of "Heretics" that don't really fit within the religious constraints of their school. But the execution was poor and really an utter failure. I was so upset with how much I despised Michael (the MC) that I couldn't even actually focus on the plot.
Basically, this had the potential to be such a great story. I was super excited about the premise: an atheist going to a private Catholic school, gets invited to a secret society of "Heretics" that don't really fit within the religious constraints of their school. But the execution was poor and really an utter failure. I was so upset with how much I despised Michael (the MC) that I couldn't even actually focus on the plot.
One of my favorite YA contemporaries I’ve read this year. This warm, funny story follows this teenage boy named Michael who doesn’t believe in God but is forced to go to Catholic school when his family moves. He has all these preconceived notions about faith that he is forced to reconsider when he falls in with this band of misfits at the school including several non-Catholics but also this badass feminist Catholic girl named Lucy.
It’s not a conversion story at all (which I think makes it better) but proclaims such an awesome message of striving to understand people different from us, from a religious perspective. It points a critical lens at Catholicism and especially Catholic education but does so while still doing justice and paying respect to the incredible way the faith influences some people’s lives. It was the first really genuine portrayal of Catholic teenagers that really care about their faith but still act like normal teenagers that I’ve ever read in YA.
I loved everything about this, especially having gone to Catholic school myself and struggling, then and now, to understand many teachings and practices of the Church. Thought provoking, relatable, and absolutely hilarious, this is such a brilliant book and something that YA lit needs so much more of!
It’s not a conversion story at all (which I think makes it better) but proclaims such an awesome message of striving to understand people different from us, from a religious perspective. It points a critical lens at Catholicism and especially Catholic education but does so while still doing justice and paying respect to the incredible way the faith influences some people’s lives. It was the first really genuine portrayal of Catholic teenagers that really care about their faith but still act like normal teenagers that I’ve ever read in YA.
I loved everything about this, especially having gone to Catholic school myself and struggling, then and now, to understand many teachings and practices of the Church. Thought provoking, relatable, and absolutely hilarious, this is such a brilliant book and something that YA lit needs so much more of!
If I could give it a 10/5 I would. This book is almost a mashup of The Breakfast Club and Saved. It dealt with maybe problems about religion in a way that I felt was fairly nuanced for YA. Overall just a great book.
A great book! Probably not going to ever list it as a favorite, but I still absolutely ADORE the cover, and it's one of those books that would be great to discuss in relation to current events (i.e. religion, high school, etc)