A review by crispycaulfield
Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Ahhh, I really thought this was going to be a four stars but that resolution/ending was so rushed and way too easy, so I can't in good conscience give it 4 stars when it was fumbled like that.

I really had fun reading this, though. It's funny and lighthearted but some moments were still really cute and heartwarming. I think it's also a really good conversation starter about religions, especially at a YA level since that's a subject the age group doesn't treat very often. It was really interesting!

The only thing that icked me was the way Michael spoke of the love interest, sometimes the more sexual comments felt out of place and more "textbook cliché teenage boy" than necessary. Since the book is written by a woman, it just felt forced. And, considering the love interest's faith, I think it was a missed opportunity to go further into the subject of purity culture and discuss teenage sexuality in that context. Sure, there was a big section on something similar, but I think it would've been nice for the subject to be developed directly through the character I have in mind, and it didn't achieve what I would've loved to see from it. 

Either way, it was a nice book and I've had it on my TBR for so long, I can't believe I've finally read it!