Monday, August 30, 2021

Book Review: "Never Saw You Coming" by Erin Hahn

What do you do when your faith is tested? Erin Hahn explores how two teenagers deal with this in her upcoming book, Never Saw You Coming.

Meg has always done what was expected of her. She sings in her church’s praise band, gets homeschooled, dresses modestly, and never really interacts with guys beyond a strictly platonic level. But when she finds out that her whole childhood has been a lie, her world is shaken.

Micah’s father was a preacher who is now in jail, found guilty of embezzlement as well as numerous infidelities. His father was his best friend, and his betrayal shattered their family. Six years later, his father is scheduled for parole and Micah isn’t sure if he wants anything to do with him, much less be drawn back into the scandal surrounding his crimes.

When Meg takes her planned gap year before college and travels to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to meet family she never knew she had, she starts to challenge some of the strict rules she lived under. And when she meets Micah, they bond quickly over their shared struggles with their faith and family, and when friendship starts to turn into attraction and love, things get even more complicated.

This book was beautiful and so thought-provoking, an exploration of faith and how it means different things to different people, and it was also a look at the hypocrisy that exists in religion, particularly in its treatment of women and girls and LGBTQIA+ people. But at its heart, this is a story about friendship, family, love, and finding your own path.

It’s funny, as a gay Jewish guy of a certain age I’m probably the furthest from Hahn’s “audience,” but I’ve loved every single one of her books. They just grab me from the start and touch my emotions in so many ways.

NetGalley and Wednesday Books provided me with a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!!

Never Saw You Coming publishes 9/7.

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