Thank you to Wednesday Books for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Raised by conservative parents, 18-year-old Meg Hennessey just found out her entire childhood was a lie. Instead of taking a gap year before college to find herself, she ends up traveling north to meet what’s left of the family she never knew existed. While there, she meets Micah Allen, a former pastor’s kid whose dad ended up in prison, leaving Micah with his own complicated relationship about the church. The clock is ticking on Pastor Allen’s probation hearing and Micah, now 19, feels the pressure to forgive - even when he can’t possibly forget. As Meg and Micah grow closer, they are confronted with the heavy flutterings of first love and all the complications it brings. Together, they must navigate the sometimes-painful process of cutting ties with childhood beliefs as they build toward something truer and straight from the heart. In Erin Hahn’s Never Saw You Coming, sometimes it takes a leap of faith to find yourself. Never Saw You Coming is an earnest and heartfelt recounting of Meg's journey to finding faith in herself and keeping her beliefs through a challenging time of transition. I haven't read a lot of novels where religion and the church are major themes, and I feel there's a slight bias against books that have religious characters. I appreciated Hahn's deconstruction of purity culture and how Meg was exposed to new people and environments that led her to challenge the beliefs she'd grown up with. I'm not Christian. I feel like I should throw that out there. However I love reading books about characters from different backgrounds and as a reader, I have the ability to empathize with them and understand that an author isn't moralizing at me just because their characters have beliefs that I don't share. Some people are of different opinions. I've seen a few critiques of NSYC that discuss how Meg's faith in God and Jesus made them feel, and that's totally valid! If you don't think this is your thing, please pass. However, I'd encourage you to take a chance on this book. Hahn offers a well-rounded discussion on the Church, and it's a great novel to read if you'd like to challenge your perspective. The romance was sweet--Meg and Micah clearly had chemistry, and they worked hard to be together in ways that felt comfortable to them, especially given each of their different perspectives on what a relationship should look like. Their relationship is so considerate and communicative, and I was totally swooning by the end. Hahn isn't afraid to jump into difficult discussions, like the Church's treatment of queer individuals and body-shaming young women, and the narrative is very streamlined throughout. Never Saw You Coming is an inherently readable novel--I didn't want to put it down for a second. Overall, I'm giving Never Saw You Coming 4/5 stars, and I think it's set up to be one of the fall season's most acclaimed novels. I'd highly encourage you to preorder your copy or to reserve at a local library!
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The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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