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samone2's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Body shaming, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Self harm
abookwanderer's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Never Saw You Coming is the first book I’ve read by Erin Hahn, despite having had her previous novel, More Than Maybe on my TBR since it was released. And while I was fairly confident I would enjoy this YA romance that also deals with young adults struggling with their faith, I didn’t expect it to be somewhat healing for me, as well.
It’s not something I talk about often, but I was raised in a conservative Christian church. (Let me clarify, when I talk about the church, I mean the institution. Not God, not faith. Those are different topics that I won’t even try to get into here.) In fact, it’s only in the last three to four years that I’ve stopped attending church. And it’s not a coincidence that the timing coincided with a certain president-who-shall-not-be-named’s election. I still have unresolved feelings and thoughts about church, and I’ve pretty much been content to ignore them for now. I know it’s something I’ll deal with eventually but it’s true that when you step away from something that has had such a powerful influence over you for so long, it takes time to let go of those influences. When you wake up one day and feel like you’ve been mislead all your life, it’s hard to reconcile that quickly.
But I’m not here to talk about me (or at least I’ll try not to 😉), I just wanted to share where I’m coming from and why I might have connected with this novel differently than someone who’s never been in church… or someone who still is. And I will say that if you’ve never attended church and you pick up this book, it may shock you a bit; it may even make you think it must be embellished. But it’s not. Sadly, this is the experience for many who attend church here in the US. But, even saying that, some of the religious aspects of the novel were a little heavy-handed for me. Without giving any spoilers, I couldn’t understand how Meg, after everything she’s been through, still wanted to attend a church. But it does become a plot point so I was okay with it in the end.
When I started this book I didn’t know that Meg was a side character in Hahn’s previous novel. It didn’t take me long to figure it out. The main characters from More Than Maybemake an appearance and now I need to go back and read it, as well, because I’m so intrigued by them.
Hahn has done a superb job of making her characters real. They’re well-rounded, flawed, and very recognizable. Meg is brave and individualistic. I fully expected her to be another timid and quiet heroine, typical of many YA female characters, but she is quite the opposite. It’s refreshing.
And despite what Meg’s going through—realizing her whole life is a lie—she is just what Micah needs. I adored watching these two find their strength and each other, fully disproving the old theory that you have to find yourself before you find love. Sometimes we need other people to show us our best selves. Their story is sweet and romantic and inspiring.
I highlighted so many passages in this book that hit close to home. One of the many, many reasons we left the church is the toxicity of the purity culture. When our then-teenage daughters began to point out how unfair it was—the double standards for females as opposed to males—we couldn’t ignore it. Sadly, it never occurred to me when I was a teenager myself to even question it. This book questions it and illustrates how harmful it is. It can lead to many mental health issues, including depression and anxiety, issues I know about first hand now.
This may not be a book for everyone, but I would especially recommend it to readers who’ve been hurt by the church. It’s a less intrusive way to ponder some heavy and serious issues. Well-written and engaging, it’s also just a sweet love story.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced reader’s copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
It’s not something I talk about often, but I was raised in a conservative Christian church. (Let me clarify, when I talk about the church, I mean the institution. Not God, not faith. Those are different topics that I won’t even try to get into here.) In fact, it’s only in the last three to four years that I’ve stopped attending church. And it’s not a coincidence that the timing coincided with a certain president-who-shall-not-be-named’s election. I still have unresolved feelings and thoughts about church, and I’ve pretty much been content to ignore them for now. I know it’s something I’ll deal with eventually but it’s true that when you step away from something that has had such a powerful influence over you for so long, it takes time to let go of those influences. When you wake up one day and feel like you’ve been mislead all your life, it’s hard to reconcile that quickly.
But I’m not here to talk about me (or at least I’ll try not to 😉), I just wanted to share where I’m coming from and why I might have connected with this novel differently than someone who’s never been in church… or someone who still is. And I will say that if you’ve never attended church and you pick up this book, it may shock you a bit; it may even make you think it must be embellished. But it’s not. Sadly, this is the experience for many who attend church here in the US. But, even saying that, some of the religious aspects of the novel were a little heavy-handed for me. Without giving any spoilers, I couldn’t understand how Meg, after everything she’s been through, still wanted to attend a church. But it does become a plot point so I was okay with it in the end.
When I started this book I didn’t know that Meg was a side character in Hahn’s previous novel. It didn’t take me long to figure it out. The main characters from More Than Maybemake an appearance and now I need to go back and read it, as well, because I’m so intrigued by them.
Hahn has done a superb job of making her characters real. They’re well-rounded, flawed, and very recognizable. Meg is brave and individualistic. I fully expected her to be another timid and quiet heroine, typical of many YA female characters, but she is quite the opposite. It’s refreshing.
And despite what Meg’s going through—realizing her whole life is a lie—she is just what Micah needs. I adored watching these two find their strength and each other, fully disproving the old theory that you have to find yourself before you find love. Sometimes we need other people to show us our best selves. Their story is sweet and romantic and inspiring.
I highlighted so many passages in this book that hit close to home. One of the many, many reasons we left the church is the toxicity of the purity culture. When our then-teenage daughters began to point out how unfair it was—the double standards for females as opposed to males—we couldn’t ignore it. Sadly, it never occurred to me when I was a teenager myself to even question it. This book questions it and illustrates how harmful it is. It can lead to many mental health issues, including depression and anxiety, issues I know about first hand now.
This may not be a book for everyone, but I would especially recommend it to readers who’ve been hurt by the church. It’s a less intrusive way to ponder some heavy and serious issues. Well-written and engaging, it’s also just a sweet love story.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced reader’s copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
Content Warnings
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, and Body shaming
bookishlynerdy's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Erin Hahn does it again. This woman is beginning to own my emotions. The way she weaved religion into NSYC and yet it didn't make me uncomfortable was absolutely amazing. I've never attended church regularly but my parents were raised deep catholic. Like light-a-candle catholic. My mom is a bit more religious than my dad but both like to sometimes use religion and it's teachings on my siblings and I in a not so great way. NSYC was such a heavy hitter, using religion to drive a point home. Recommendation: keep a box of tissues and sticky marks nearby when you read this one. The toxic purity double standard culture that is giant in a lot of faith practices in this day and age is front and center and Hahn doesn't pull any punches. Meg and Micah are the absolute cutest couple ever, And what I adore the most is that, between them, there was zero drama. They never allowed that between them. They never followed that romance formula. They were bettering themselves, Not for each other but because of each other. Character driven, I read this in one afternoon. I want to erase this book from my mind. So I can read it all over again for the first time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Religious bigotry
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