“The biggest mistake we make is trying to keep God tidy…. He doesn’t mind a mess. He finds messiness beautiful.”

This is definitely a different kind of YA romance from Erin Hahn. This is the story of how Meg meets Micah, but it’s also the story of how Meg solidifies her relationship with Jesus and the Church, and how Micah works through trauma and personal growth.

As someone who was raised in the Catholic Church, I grew up learning the message. However, as I grew as an individual, the message from the church didn’t seem to make sense to me in the ways they were delivering it. Coming out as a teenager, the word of the church start to haunt you. You won’t go to heaven. You’re a sinner. You’re going to hell. You start to worry about your place in the world and second guess yourself. Your family is ashamed. Maybe not your immediate family, but your extended family. God made me, so if this is how I am, did He do it wrong or does He not exist?

I loved this story. I think it has such poignant and quotable lines that will make me think and rethink over and over again for years to come.

Erin Hahn's More than Maybe was one of my top ten reads of 2020, I'm not huge on contemporary romance but it hit all the right notes for me. Vada and Luke were quirky fun teenagers coming of age, passionate about music and their futures. In Never Saw You Coming, we get another pair of teens who are finding their way in life becoming adults free of the sins of their parents when they are enamored by one another.

Meg has fled home on her gap year after finding out that her father is not her biological one. She is forced to confront the falseness of the strict religious upbringing her parents forced upon her in atonement for their own sins. She wanders to the town where her real father’s family is and finds herself, finds a home and finds Micah.

Micah is also from a religious family, his father is one of those pastors who lost his way and abused folks in his parish. Micah is disillusioned with the church and the world but is a good person trying to make his way into adulthood. His best friend, Duke, is trying to figure out his sexuality and offers more fodder for the overall discussion of right versus wrong in the church versus what's acceptable in the secular world.

As I read, I felt the tension Meg carried as she navigated her upbringing and her love for Jesus with the realities of being a teen in the world. It was perhaps more heavy handed of a religious contemporary read than I would generally go for but when I read the author's note I really wanted to cheer for what Hahn was trying to do. The quote that I loved was: “I think that’s the night I stopped caring about hurting the church’s feelings.”

I agreed with the sentiment that the church sometimes loses the forest for the trees and that loving Jesus and following a bunch of antiquated, arbitrary rules are not the same. I think this book will be a bit polarizing but I thought it had just the right tone for a clean teen romance trying to promote real ethical and moral conduct to teens without austerity.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the free review copy.

3.5 stars... I think? - I've got a lot of mixed feeling about this one!

Erin Hahn herself has said this book will not be for everyone and that’s very true. There will be people who are not Christian that feel that they can’t relate to a lot of the story, there will be Christians that feel like Hahn is attacking the church, but there will also be a group that feels incredibly seen and understood.

I don’t agree with everything in this book and I found it extremely heavy handed, but... I also think I’m grateful that this book is out in the world. It’s a book to remind you that what ultimately matters is that God loves us even when people fail us… even when a church fails us. Many people have been wronged by churches and Hahn displays that in this book, but I would have loved to see a bit more representation for all the amazing churches and Christian leaders out there. Although… maybe that’s supposed to be what our main character represents.

Lots of mixed feelings, but in the end I wish I’d had another viewpoint like what’s in this book as a teen and the message of God’s love for us shines through and that’s what I loved about this book.

NEVER SAW YOU COMING follows Meg, a devout Christian, who learns she’s the result of premarital sex—and that her biological dad is dead. When she decides to take a gap year and leave her home and her mom, who she feels betrayed her by lying all these years, she goes to meet her biological dad’s family. Which is where she meets Micah, an angry (ex-)pastor’s kid, who also feels betrayed and hurt by his dad, who’s currently in prison. The two of them get close as they become each others’ support systems and bond over their family problems. Meg begins to realize how messed up the church is, with its double standards for teenage girls, especially, and Micah shows her she can love God and have a relationship with Him without going, if that’s what she wants. Meanwhile, Micah begins to work through his feelings about his down dad. And the two of them find love—with each other, but also with family and friends.

This story was ADORABLE. I loved the main characters so much! Meg was funny and honest and sweet. And while I hated that Micah was so angry (and the reasons why), I loved that he channeled his anger, then compartmentalized it, and was SO SWEET and caring, especially toward Meg, but also to everyone around him. And beyond the likable characters with interesting arcs, Hahn did an amazing job showing the way the church’s strict rules might affect a teenage girl—right down to falling back into her old ways when she feels shamed for something that appears to have happened, even if it didn’t. The book had me rooting for Meg and Micah to stop feeling bad about themselves and to just be happy with each other.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially to anyone (ESPECIALLY TEENS) directly dealing with the church/purity culture and who feels alone…or shame. It feels like a very important book/story.

Never Saw You Coming was new territory for me. I have never read a book that made God and religion such an integral part of the story. But Meg and Micah had it all figured out- much more than they gave themselves credit for! Both were raised in conservative religious households and both carried baggage from their upbringing. They show that talking through things always makes things better. They also learned that parents aren’t perfect and they also had lives before you were born. This book will give you a lot to think about. Go in with an open mind and heart.

"This is dedicated to all the church kids. No matter what you might've heard [...] : You deserve love, are worthy of love, and are commissioned to love. That's it. No caveats, conditions, or stipulations." 😭😭😭😭💛

"The truth is, the only time churches are worried about modesty and purity is when it comes to their teenage girls."

I really wanted to love this book, but I had trouble connecting with the characters. Nonetheless, the message is super important, and the quotes above mean so much to me. I wish this book existed when I was a teen, and I'm so glad it exists now and I hope it can help other teens feel valid 💛💛💛

While I am normally not into Christian-based novels, this one was really, really well done. The author calls it an "alternative-Christian" novel, and it definitely challenges the viewpoint that teenage girls need to be pure/modest until marriage. No sex, but exploring. I appreciated how this might help teenage girls feel better about themselves and the feelings they might be having about life and love. There are a few LGBTQ+ characters who are accepted fully by the main characters and the majority of others, and it's refreshing to see. I was really pleased with how this book went.

After reading both You'd Be Mine and More Than Maybe last year, I requested this book just because of the author. In hindsight, I wish I had read the description a little more closely because I probably would have passed if I knew this was "alternative Christian fiction". Not that being a Christian book is a bad thing, it's just not necessarily my cup of tea as a lapsed Catholic. This book solidified, for me at least, that Catholocism and Evangelical Christianity are wildly different. Catholocism seems to be much more about the pomp and circumstance than anything else, so some of the God-talk in this book felt squidgy to me, but that's a personal thing.

With that preface, I'll say this book fell right in the middle for me. The good was the characters and setting -Meg and Micah are well-developed characters and their relationship felt incredibly natural. I love a romance where the conflict isn't just a stupid argument or misunderstanding that could have been solved with one conversation. Meg and Micah were the solid part - it was everything else around them that created the drama. I also really enjoyed the side characters, especially Duke, Betty, Vada, and Amanda. That statement doesn't extend to James. He knows what he did.

I liked that the conflict wasn't one between Meg and Micah, but it made for somewhat of a slow-moving plot. This book is one about internal conflict, which doesn't necessarily help move a story forward. Not much happened in this book in all honesty. As others have noted in their reviews, the inclusion of religion is very heavy-handed. And it really ramps up about halfway through the book. And unfortunately, I just couldn't relate. I'm very glad that the religious perspective is one of questioning rather than outright acceptance - there are so many sore topics in Christianity and religion in general that don't jive with modern culture - purity culture, sexism, the meaning of sin - Hahn handles these topics very well, and it's clear why that is when you read the author's note at the end.

Never Saw You Coming is a great addition to the genre just because we need that variety. The focus on religion might not have been for me, but I'm glad those who partake in that lifestyle read about characters they can potentially see themselves in. We all deserve that as readers.

Not usually a fan of young adult books but this one was super cute. Not big on the religious aspect, luckily it wasn't too much. I'd recommend.

Erin Hahn knows how to write real life flesh and blood characters who you want to read over and over again; Never Saw You Coming is just that, a book with beautifully genuinely flawed teenage characters that you can’t resist to admire and want on your bookshelf.

A heartfelt book with a fixed beating pulse, readers will be besotted by Meg and Micah burgeoning relationship from the very first page.

If you loved More Than Maybe you’ll enjoy one of the side characters having their own book. Where Meg transforms page after page realizing who she wants to be and how she’ll be the one to determine the shape of her religion. For those teenagers who question or struggle with their Christian faith, Hahn thoughtfully creates a space for that very conversation.

Even if the Christian religious aspects of the book is not for you, Never Saw You Coming has Hahn’s hallmark romance that will have you aching for more. Meg and Micah are adorable, possibly as cute as Vada and Luke.

Further, I love how Hahn writes teenagers into fruition. Like Becky Albertalli, she has this way of crafting people who feel like someone you know or people you want to get to know. It’s a skill that I think makes a book more memorable. When days, weeks, or months go by, you can still remember the characters: their voices and the shape of their being a long while after you’ve closed the book.

Happy Reading ̴ Cece

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.

I fell in love with these characters and their love story and I put off writing my review for awhile so I could just digest and sit with how much I felt for this story. It was bold and daring but still just made me feel so much happiness and made my heart full. I will be recommending this one to friends for a long time.

Engaging and fun to read. I enjoyed the premise and it was incredibly readable. I found myself wanting to turn the pages. Enjoyed! Really sweet ending.

As a fan of Hahn, when I saw she had a new book coming out, I checked Netgalley daily to see if I could get my hands on it early. I love her books because she writes relatable characters immersed in a super fun storyline. Never Saw You Coming is no different.

Hahn has tackled a bit of Christian Fiction but has made her characters fallible and real. She's questioned the hypocrisy of the church in a thoughtful and challenging way. Through Meg, we see the Christian guilt that lives in so many people from their lives in the church. As Vada so perfectly puts it: "I can't pretend to understand this compulsion you guys have to hide your humanity at the risk of appearing human."

Micah is the perfect person for Meg. He's been through a lot of what she is. They're both struggling with their faith in vastly different ways. It was a blast watching Meg experience the world for the first time. Her infatuation with Micah's calves and abs is completely relatable. There are moments that have you swooning, and then others that have you laughing out loud, which makes for a super fun read from start to finish. Thank you, St. Martin's/Wednesday Books, for sending this along!

I suppose I'll address the elephant in the room first: this is a Jesus book.

I know, I know. That probably seems completely off-brand - but here we are.

Yup. There's a lot of talk about God, and Jesus, and faith, and church. Meg is a church kid in a way that I, even after 12 years of Catholic school, was never a church kid and this story is essentially about her faith being tested and her coming to terms with what God, Jesus, faith, and church mean to her as an adult. Which, frankly, is a journey I can relate to, even if mine was remarkably different than Meg's.

All that is to say, if this is going to bother you, you probably want to pass on this book.

It did not, however, bother me. At all. I actually felt like Erin Hahn handled the subject matter very well. It was an honest take on Christianity (warts and all), and the overall message of the book was an important one. Especially to young people who may be struggling in the way that Meg (and Micah) were struggling.

What I loved was how real these characters felt, and how easy it was to love them. Sometimes I had trouble understanding Meg, but I chalked that up to not relating to how she was raised more than anything. I adored Micah though. And I crazy adored the sweet, adorable relationship they formed. I loved their connection, their communication, and their honesty with each other. I loved how loyal they were - both Micah and Meg, both to each other and to the other people they cared about. I loved, so much, how they supported each other through their tough times - sometimes quietly, other times loudly - but always in this way that felt so healthy and important. These two were #goals from start to finish.

And, can we talk about what a scene stealer Duke was? Oh my goodness I wanted to give that guy the biggest hug. And also hang out with him and be his best friend. The secondary character game in this book was on point, but - without question - Duke was my favorite.

I also loved the way Meg's storyline with her family played out. In many ways, the "kids" (or rather young adults) in this story were more mature than the adults and that was evident in how Meg communicated and forgave her parents and how she so easily and graciously accepted the way her family dynamic shifted on her - both in good ways and in bad ways.

There was a lot to unpack in this story - but overall, I really enjoyed it. It was sweet, sometimes funny, and often adorable. It was also sometimes heavy and meaningful in a way I wasn't really expecting. It was a quick and easy read for me, and I'm glad to have read it. This is one I would absolutely recommend for older teens or young adults!

I was really looking forward to this book. I’m really interested in things that explore “Christian” (I put it in quotations because I, personally, believe there is nothing really Christ-like about judgemental purity culture) purity culture and shaming of women, and I think this book tackled it very well. It is very heavy on the Christian influence, but not in a shaming way, but in a way that explores faith as something very personal that cannot necessarily be defined by an institution or a group of people who think they know the rules. The romance in this book was also very heartwarming, and I loved the side characters (Duke absolutely steals the show). Overall, I’m very happy this book exists and will hopefully help those who have been victims of toxic church culture. I give it 4/5 stars.

I LOVED this book. Last summer I read More Than Maybe (which has some of the characters from Never Saw You Coming) and I gave it a 4,5 star review. This book is just as well written but with much complex and developed characters. The only other book that I read that approached church toxicity was Serpent King by Jeff Zentner. If you liked that book, you will surely love this book. And, I am hoping for a Duke story in Erin Hahn's next book!

Erin is absolutely the master of ya romance. Her references to songs are perfect for the mood & what’s happening at the time in the story. This book in particular is spectacular in addressing the culture of shaming and purity nonsense in many churches.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

And thank you Erin Hahn, for writing this.
I connected with this story from the first freaking line. It was my adolescence, and my young adult years as well, falling in love with a boy and going to church and struggling with what felt fake and false and my pieces didn’t fit the conservative mold, but I knew Jesus loved me. It’s the thing that keeps me up at night, thinking about other teens struggling, feeling confused or misled or rejected by the church.

So I say all that to say—this book was a breath of fresh air. Thank you, thank you, for writing it. I for one am so pleased you did. I cried and laughed, fell in love with the characters you created, and whispered prayers throughout the story. Thank you.

On the heels of Vada and Luke’s romance in Erin Hahn’s previous YA novel, More than Maybe, Meg Hennessey gets her own story in the standalone novel Never Saw You Coming. More than a romance story, this novel grapples with the ever-present problem of toxic purity found from churches and some of the congregation, which Meg herself has been on the inside of and doesn’t question, until she learns the truth about her birth- the man who raised her as her father is not biologically related to her, and her mother had sex out of wedlock at a large youth church convention. This leaves her faith shaken, not just in her mother, but in the religious, puritanical upbringing, and instead of spending a gap year working at a church-based ranch, she heads to northern Michigan to meet her dead father’s relatives, and meets Micah Allen, a young man who’s own feelings about the church are twisted up in the actions his father, a former pastor, which landed himself in prison.
Meg and Micah grapple with their attraction under the ever-present eye of the church congregation, Meg’s newly discovered uncle, who is a pastor at the church, and Meg’s preconceived ideas about how to be a good follower of the Bible. This novel is a wonderfully crafted story that challenges the toxicity of purity culture in religion, especially when it comes to the double standards that young women face compared to men, and Hahn handles this topic with deft and grace.