⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 stars | I've read all of Erin Hahn's books and Never Saw You Coming is her best work yet. It's obvious how personal and close to the heart this topic is for the author and it shows in every word.
Meg Hennessey has been raised by conservative parents and her mother in particular has drilled certain thoughts and beliefs into her head for as long as she can remember. So when secrets about her life come to light, she decides to take a gap year before college and travels to meet and stay with family she never knew existed. As she learns more about her past, she also meets Micah Allen, a former pastor's kid whose dad is in prison, and as a result now has a complicated relationship with church.
It's no surprise that Meg and Micah strike up a friendship and later a romance. But what was surprising was the mature way it unfolded. Both are dealing with big heavy issues related to family, religion, and their conservative upbringings. For Micah, he's been dealing with his conflicting feelings for some time now but for Meg, the questions she's raising about her faith are new to her. Together, they inspire one another to find the answers they're each looking for and lend unwavering support on that journey. I was raised Catholic by two very devout parents but I have family who are Baptist so I'm familiar with their community and culture (is that the right word?). This book is a deep, honest look into all of that and I appreciated it so much because it's a perspective we very rarely see in YA books (the other two I can think of are Things We Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally and The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord). Growing up in a religious household is so common and I hope this is the start of normalizing that, without it being labeled a certain type of fiction.
Do I recommend? Yes! I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Every element of the book (family, friends, religious) was solid.
0 comments