I very much enjoyed this book.

Micah and Meg work well within the story both as individual characters, and as a couple. The dynamic between the two is tender yet believable.

The religious aspects of the plot also work quite well within the story and I found myself able to relate a little too much to certain aspects of it.

My main issue was a small nitpick which is that I find it hard to believe that a fundamentalist church would let a new in town 18 year old have charge over 14 year olds. I felt also they likely would not have been quite so accepting of her status as the illegitimate niece of one of their pastors.

Over all however, the characterization of this book rang true and the dialogue flowed easily rather than in the stilted manner many books do.

This book is a worthy companion to More than Maybe which gives us the Luke and Vada backstory.

Review coming soon. Thanks to Erin Hahn, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC; the opinions are mine.

Pub Date 9.7.21

*Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital ARC of this book*

Never Saw You Coming is a dual POV book, with Meg and Micah as the main characters. Both characters are struggling with their faith, relationship with the church, and discovering who they really are. This book does a really good job of displaying the Church and God in both good and bad contexts. I, myself, grew up in church, and it wasn't until I was older and able to form my own views about faith and God that I realized a lot of the hypocrisy and corruption that goes on in the church. I personally have left a lot of my religious beliefs behind, and I don't necessarily like church, which is why I rated this down a star. That's obviously my own personal belief though, and I thought Erin Hahn wrote an amazing story. While I wasn't super excited to pick up a book involving religion as the main plotline, I really enjoyed it. I think the internal conflict that both characters go through is very well done and it doesn't sway you to believe one way or another. If anything, this book is about becoming more accepting than religion tells you to be, and I loved that. It wasn't a book all about praising God and following all the rules, but more so about finding yourself.

Overall, it was a good book that I had a hard time putting down sometimes. Regardless, I am still a little wary of books surrounding religion so openly though, even if I did enjoy Never Saw You Coming. If you are an atheist, I wouldn't recommend this book. If you are a person of faith or member of the Church, I would definitely say to give this book a read!

This novel really opened me up to people and experiences unfamiliar to me. I don't have a lot of insight into conservative Christianity, and if you'd asked me if I would want to read about it, the answer would have been a resounding no. But I loved Hahn's More Than Maybe, and was excited to rejoin the world. She shows Meg as someone who is unlearning some unfortunate ingrained habits, and Micah as someone learning to forgive - including himself. I enjoyed the contrast between refusing to compromise one's beliefs and recognizing that sometimes, beliefs change with new experiences. I think a lot of students from homes like Meg's could really relate to this.

Like a few other reviewers have mentioned, I was also a little apprehensive about starting Never Saw You Coming by Erin Hahn as it revolves around Christianity and I am a non-believer. But I thought "just give a try!" I'm glad I did. The plot centers around Christianity, but in a way that is natural, and allows the characters to question things and is more nuanced than I first thought. It was really well written, and I'm glad I read this one!

Wow. I was extremely apprehensive going into this book, as I do not have a good relationship with Christianity as a whole (and currently do not believe in god) and was worried it would be too religious for me. Instead, it was hard-hitting and relatable, reminding me especially of the shame and purity culture of the Catholic Church in which I was raised. I wish some of the characters could have left the Church or truly questioned their religion, but the discussions they have are complex and nuanced.

In truth, Never Saw You Coming is raw, and it made me cry. Since pub day is so far away, I'll refrain from giving away too many details. However, I really appreciated how the author approached these difficult subjects.

Unfortunately, the overall plot and characters are a little forgettable.

This book was fantastically written, with a vivid storyline and relatable characters. It's a great YA story that I'd certainly recommend to those who grew up to question their Christian upbringing.

Micah and Meg sure came into each other’s lives with a whole lot of baggage. Meg, reeling from finding out the dad she never knew was dead and the man she thought was her dad actually wasn’t. Then there’s Micah, who suffered a different kind of betrayal from his dad, which created a rift in his family. Thankfully they found each other and through the story...helped each other heal.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Never Saw You Coming" and all opinions expressed are my own. I thought this book was okay. Overall a quick read, teen romance and religion as the main subject of the story line.

Meg Hennessey's world is upended when she finds out most of her life has been a lie. She planned to take a gap year before going to college, but decides to road trip to meet her newfound family, finding friendships and love while also wrestling with her Christian upbringing.

Erin Hahn has created a unique spin on Christian YA fiction and made it realistic, without all the sanitizing you normally get from the genre. Refreshing!

if you use a Taylor Swift lyric as a title you know I'm going to add it to my tbr right

TW: slut-shaming (contested), purity culture, religious trauma, discussion of and attempted suicide, near-death experience

I don't have words for what this book meant to me and how perfectly I needed it.

NEVER SAW YOU COMING is faith positive, purity culture shaming, and sex positive. It's set in Michigan. There's a beautiful romance, a wonderful side character coming to terms with his sexuality, discussion of mental health, a search-and-rescue adventure, a v cute dog, a love interest described as Nick Miller, and fun adventures at part-time jobs. The main characters are 18 and 19.

"The uncomfortable truth is, while the church loves sinners in their pews, they don't want them in front of a crowd. It's the difference between acceptance and tolerance."


I don't want to get too personal in this Goodreads review [as I proceed to get incredibly personal], but recently I've been questioning my belonging within my church. I love God, I love His gospel, but WHEW His people leading the church? Some of the shittiest people I've ever met in my life. The amount of shame, judgement, and prejudice within the religion--a religion that believes loving God and loving your neighbor are the first two commandments--is stifling and toxic.

Not to get all cheesy and spiritual on you, but I know God is real because He prompted me to read this arc at this moment in my life. This book is going down as one that changed my life.

I've felt seen. Validated. And now I have the courage to actually set those boundaries with myself and my church and decide to take a step back. I feel like I'm leaning more towards Micah's position on church than Meg's, but all that to say, faith is a spectrum and is fluid. I can be more or less involved with a specific religion later in life too. And that is also something this book taught me.

"Call it my heterosexual white girl privilege (I do), but I've never had a reason to feel like I didn't belong."


Meg is such a deeply relatable character. She learned some things about her past that completely contradict everything she understands about her life. She runs away to find her biological dad's family and meets and falls for a boy shamed by his church after his pastor father cheated and scammed the whole congregation. She explores her sexuality, her identity, her life in a liberated and (relatively) judgement free place. Her "dark" past of reading smutty fan fiction and longing to wear a two-piece with her friends was my childhood, tenfold.

A crucial part of Meg's journey is also seeing the church's perspective on modesty and LGBTQ+ people. The blame and damnation assigned to everyone but the cishet men was an upsetting revelation, one she couldn't fully grasp living in the thick of things. Escaping her regular life led to her recognizing her privilege within her church--and in turn, my own--was eye-opening for both of us.

Micah was a top-tier love interest, and is actually inspired by Erin Hahn and her real-life meet cute with her husband! I wasn't a big fan of Hahn's debut, but this book completely changed my perspective on her writing. The vulnerability crackles on page. You can feel her real-life inspiration in every discussion on parental issues, the church, teenage sexuality, and embracing yourself.

A gorgeously coming-0f-age story that I will think about for a very long time.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the arc. All opinions are my own.

This. Was. So. Good! I was mildly apprehensive about the faith based nature of this book, but oh my goodness it ended up being perfection. I see my past in so many of the experiences of these kids, and it just hurt my heart to see it on page, but also gave me so much hope, because these kids are awesome. Definitely will be looking for more by Erin Hahn!

Wonderful YA/NA contemporary about self-discovery. Readers follow Vada’s bestie, Meg, from ‘More Than Maybe’ and newcomer Micah on their paths to self-discovery and finding happiness with each other. Both have had their worlds forever shifted by their parents’ actions and are figuring out how to balance expectations put on them by their families, their church communities, and society at large.

‘Never Saw You Coming’ can stand on it’s own, even if you haven’t read Erin Hahn’s excellent ‘More Than Maybe.’ You also don’t need to be part of a church community to enjoy this book.

This is a young adult book which addresses issues of strict religious upbringing vs. the modern world and our own human frailties. Meg, age 19, accidentally discovers that her dad is not her dad. In fact, her ultra religious mom had an out of wedlock pregnancy. Shattered and angry she sets off to find out more about her now deceased biological parent. Micah, the son of a church pastor, is devastated to learn that the dad he loved and defended is actually a self-centered con man guilty of fraud and inappropriate sexual encounters. There’s a love story in play for Meg and Micah; and especially for Meg, there’s also a struggle between her learned definition of “sin,” and her newly discovered sexual longing.

If you’re still of the opinion that church rules are never to be questioned or broken, this is not the book for you. For me, as I’ve struggled over the years with my Catholic faith, it was an interesting read. I learned that some religions require a “purity pledge” for teens asserting that they will not have sex before marriage. The book implied that only girls must take the pledge, which seems unfair. I thought the author did a good job of reinforcing my same opinion that organized religion tends to over-sell the avoidance of sin, and under-sell love for one’s self and fellow human beings.

But, there’s more to the book than religious hypocrisy. That’s the background message, but it was also a nice love story. The plot moved along easily with interesting characters and good dialogue.

Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Erin Hahn’s ‘Never Saw You Coming’ is a bold, poignant story about self-discovery and personal growth. Though it focuses on the Christian-steeped faith journeys of its respective protagonists, there is a universality to the novel that transcends its subject material. It’s also an interconnected standalone that builds on the world that Hahn expertly crafted in ‘More Than Maybe.’

When Meg Hennessey finds out that her childhood was a lie, she decides to seek out the family she’s just discovered she has, and begins to examine the belief system in which she was raised. Micah Allen is a former pastor’s kid with some battle scars of his own, including a fraught relationship with his father’s former congregation. As Meg and Micah become closer, they grapple with their feelings for each other and about their evolving core beliefs.

This novel engendered such a wealth of feelings that it’s difficult to decide where to begin. At its core, it’s a story about leaving childhood behind and becoming who you were meant to be. I think the themes contained in this book are so ubiquitous that it will resonate with all readers, regardless of whether or not they’re familiar with this particular sort of life and culture.

As someone who was raised in a similar faith tradition as what’s described on page, I felt an intense connection to the growing pains that Meg and Micah both feel as they grapple with what truths they still hold and which traditions they wish to reject. This novel so beautifully articulates the challenges and the triumphs of faith and life transitions, and I think it’s a really important work, especially now. (I also love how we get glimpses of beloved characters from ‘More Than Maybe,’ which is another book that I could not put down. Do yourself a favor, and read them both!)

This is definitely making my top ten list for 2021.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with an ARC of ‘Never Saw You Coming’ in exchange for my honest review.

ugh i’d forgotten how great the ya genre is! i’m not a religious person, and honestly read the first couple pages of this and debated quitting. BUT I DIDN’T, and am truly glad; i couldn’t put it down! not to get too deep into things here, but i really identified with how meg and micah grew in their respective faiths and views of the church. fingers crossed that we get duke’s story next!

#netgalley

This novel is a feel good, finding yourself kind of book. There is a lot of religion and religious belief in the background that plays a part in the lives of the main characters but I feel that it has been portrayed effectively. It highlights the standards put on girls in faith and how suffocating it can be while the boys have little to none. This contemporary romance was a slow burn and I enjoyed reading it.
Full review will be posted in my blog, thanks again for the opportunity to read this book.

Two teens struggle with hurts, church hypocrisy, and expectations in this true to life story. As they accept their humanness, others are not so quick to do so.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was my first foray into alternative Christian fiction, and as a Jew, it felt daring and thought-provoking as it covered sensitive topics like sexual awakening, homophobia, chuch, religion, and personal beliefs. I was surprised at how realistically things were handled, but I was also raised as a Reform Jew, so I grew up wearing tank tops and shorts, but I had an understanding of the importance of modesty. Meg & Micah as a couple were charming. It was a nice change of pace to read about people having great chemistry, and not of the sexual variety.
I did not know this was a spin-off of "More Than Maybe", but I'm definitely adding that to the list since I didn't get enough Luke & Vada. Or Duke. I HOPE DUKE GETS HIS OWN BOOK. HE *DESERVES* ONE.
The message of "God is love so the Church should be too" was beautiful and so important. It breaks my heart that so many people believe themselves to be judge and jury in his name, resulting in such horrible feelings.
***Warning: this book is very critical [in reasonable ways] of the evangelical church, especially in regards to the purity movement, sex ed, shady leadership, and treatment of LGBTQIA people.***

**Disclaimer: I received a free early access copy of Never Saw You Coming by Erin Hahn through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity.

Never Saw You Coming by Erin Hahn is an upper YA contemporary novel about a girl named Meg and a boy named Micah.  They both have complicated relationships with the church and with faith.  However, they come together in a wonderful way.  The story is set to be published on September 7th, 2021.  I rated it 5 stars on Goodreads.


Here's the summary from Goodreads:

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. 

Erin Hahn has become an autobuy author for me, and I have loved every single book she has come out with.  I have reviews of her debut and sophomore novels up on the blog.  She writes realistic teenagers and deep conflicts that feel real and plausible.  Her stories are wonderfully real.  Never Saw You Coming was no exception to that point.

I have to admit that I'm not a religious person, so I didn't personally relate to that aspects of the story.  However, I did feel that it was handled in a mature and respectful way.   She addressed real issues in the church and it was nice to see them addressed in the way that they were.  Additionally, I appreciated the way that she talked about how it's totally fine to have different kinds of faith.  You can still have your beliefs about God, but that doesn't mean that you have to go to church and celebrate/revere Him in one specific way. There are different ways to be spiritual, and I think that's important to acknowledge.

Another thing that I really liked was the dynamic between Meg and Micah.  I wouldn't say that either was what one might expect in a partner for the other one at a first glance, but I genuinely feel like they were very well suited for each other.  They brought out the best in each other, which I really loved.  They were good at communicating and they helped each other out.  I also appreciated how this book didn't necessarily fall into that typical romance plot of having lots of relationship drama that's completely unnecessary.  There's nothing wrong with books that do of course, and I have enjoyed books that have that as a part of their plot, but I loved that they were together and a functioning couple (with a few little snags) for much of the book.  Most of the conflict came from other areas, which felt different and nice.

I also like how this novel was a bit of a companion to her second novel, More Than Maybe.  Meg is Vada's, the protagonist of More Than Maybe, best friend and so it was nice to see her blossom more and get her own storyline.  I also liked that we got an update on Vada and Luke and got to see them both a couple of times.  I just always like when authors make the worlds of their novels interconnected (partially because Tamora Pierce is one of my all time favourite authors).  

I really enjoyed how much the characters grew of the course of the novel.  They really grew as people and came to understand a greater perspective outside of their own, but also I felt that they came to understand themselves even better.

Overall, the story was beautifully well written and I could talk about it all day.  I just genuinely loved this book and highly recommend that you check it out when it publishes in September.

I wasn't really sure about this going into it. I'm pretty much agnostic, so I didn't think this story would really be for me, but it absolutely did not hinder my enjoyment in any way. I DO think this would resonate even more with somebody who is Christian or struggles with their Christian upbringing though, I thought this was quite simply put a fantastic YA coming-of-age/romance novel. The characters were vivid and realistic, and even if I couldn't fully relate to their struggles, I felt so defensive of both of our main characters throughout. Meg and Micah were both such loveable characters and I cheered hard for them to make it through every adversity they faced from Micah's relationship with his father to Meg's struggle with identifying her body with sin. The side characters were also fantastic and beautifully developed, and I hope we'll get a spin-off with Duke who I absolutely adored. I didn't realize going into it that this was a spin-off from her previous book More Than Maybe, but I definitely will check that one out as well!

Erin Hahn's writing is compulsively readable, I haven't read an over 300 page book that quickly in quite awhile, I just had to know how it would end and if everything would turn out ok. In her author's note, Erin Hahn mentions that she wanted to write "alternative Christian fiction," and I think this really hits that note perfectly, and could definitely be enjoyed by a wide variety of people, including myself. Definitely a perfect Summer read with all of the feels (I smiled and cried and my heart melted in equal measures).