While this book was to religion heavy for me too love it, I really enjoyed the varying perspectives and opinions on religion explored through the lenses of our two main characters. For anyone who grew up going to church and youth groups, this novel talks about all the things we grew up being instructed to abstain from and avoid. I also appreciated seeing the two MCs struggling with different aspects of their faith as a result of what life has thrown at them. For those reasons, I highly recommend as I know a lot of us are often too hard on ourselves and hopefully you can connect with these characters like I did.

A contemporary YA story that tackles religious themes and conservatism without impressing beliefs and/or preaching at the reader, I feel like Never Saw You Coming is unique and I like the aspect of offering a nuanced conversation regarding religious beliefs and coming-of-age.

Kids struggle with crises of faith, and this text can offer them two perspectives of grappling with that particular coming of age moment.

Overall, I don't tend to lean towards texts with subliminal or overtones of religion, but I can appreciate how and why this narrative is needed and represented in a classroom library.

Erin Hahn's books always hit me right in the feels, and Never Saw You Coming was no exception. Great plot.

Id give it 3.5 stars. It was just ok to me. I liked it but not sure how some people would like the "religious" aspect of it. It was just a tad too religious for me. I think Micah was my favorite out of the characters.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the ARC in return for my honest opinion.

I’m not much of a fan of religious based books. It was okay. The characters weren’t interesting to me. And I just had a hard time connecting to the story

As a former Religious Studies major during my undergrad years, I am always intrigued by YA novels that tackle the topic of religion, though many popular titles in the past few years have seemed to focus more on the extreme side (Devoted, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, The Project, etc.). I was intrigued to read a novel where the religious aspects seemed more naturally woven in with the contemporary elements, which is definitely the case in Never Saw You Coming, which follows 18 year old protagonist Meg as she strikes out on her own for the first time in a bit of crisis of faith after finding out a deeply buried family secret.

Though I didn’t always agree with Meg or her love interest, Micah, I appreciated that the story was a coming of age tale of two teenagers who are struggling with their faith and relationship with their church in different ways, and have to work through those issues not just for themselves but in order to have their relationship work as well. They both go through a reckoning of having to unlearn certain lessons, morals and beliefs that were impressed upon them at a young age and examine which align with their personalities and how they want to live their lives, and which ones don’t. I think it’s a brave topic to explore in a mainstream YA novel as religion is so personal and at times controversial in its execution and interpretation, but for many teens I imagine it’s a huge part of coming into their own as a young adult, which is a perfect fit for the themes of the YA genre in general.

That being said, there were elements of the book that while sweet, didn’t always hold my attention, such as Micah and Meg’s budding romance with working next door to each other (at an outdoor sporting goods store and a bakery, respectively), the stereotypical mean girl ex-girlfriend, nosy, interfering neighbors, etc. I was really intrigued by the journey both Meg and Micah had with exploring their own beliefs and limitations and processing complicated emotions about their faith, and that’s really what stood out for me with this book, rather than the contemporary romance element.

Overall: A contemporary YA story that tackles religious themes and conservatism without impressing beliefs/preaching at the reader, I think Never Saw You Coming is unique in the vast sea of contemporary releases. I do hope we continue to see books that tackle religion in such a nuanced way being released!

I swallow hard, fill my lungs, and leap off into the sky. I've got a heart to retrieve."

I highlighted this quote on my kindle while reading, and I realized after that it's the scene from the cover, how perfect! This review is long overdue. I'm trying to play catch up on a bunch from last year. I think I read this last Summer? Fall? It's been a while!

Meg Hennessey, raised by uber-religious and conservative parents, has just graduated high school when she learns everything she knew about her family is a lie. The father she knew isn't her birth father, and she leaves for Northern Michigan to find what's left of her biological family.

While in Michigan that summer, she meets Micah, another young adult raised in the church who struggles with his own faith.

This coming-of-age story was definitely not what I was expecting. If you're looking for a young adult romance, this one probably isn't it. It focuses a lot on how being raised in the church impacted both Meg and Micah and the issues and pressures that teens face today.

Thank you so much to net galley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book! I loved this book I was expecting it to be a more negative view of god but it wasn’t what I was expecting and I loved that I find it strang sometimes when people have issues with the church and end of completely hating god and religious people in general.

I came into this book cautious. I knew it was going to have religious material which can be upsetting for me, but the way the summary was written I was hoping that it would at least offer me a chance to feel heard and understood about my issues, but this book took a turn that I wasn't expecting and I didn't get that.

After events shake up Meg's world, she begins to question everything she knows. On a journey to discover herself, she moves up north to meet family that she only recently found out existed. Micah is struggling with the relationship he has with his father who is in prison as his probation hearing is coming up. The pressure on him to forgive is insane and he doesn't know if he even knows how.

With both their worlds being turned upside down, Micah and Meg find themselves growing closer together. They can relate to each other in a way that it seems like no one else has been able too. But, as their feelings for one another grow, so do a number of other complications.

Micah and Meg were cute together. They understood each other and were incredibly thoughtful and communicative to each other. It was nice to see them communicate so well for them being young and not having the common miscommunication plot line used here.

Now, beyond that I don't even know where to begin. This is probably going to be a rambling mess and everyone is forewarned now.

The amount of religious content in here was far more than I expected. Far more to the point where it's became a little preachy. For a book that I was hoping would help me understand and feel heard about my religious trauma, this wasn't it. It was a lot to take in and really made this something to slog through rather than slowly read because it's hurting and healing at the same time.

Meg and Micah are both struggling with their religion and while Meg does hinge on this more than he does, they both seem to have the attitude of "well God will get me through this. Just gotta believe" and... I don't have the words for how upsetting this is to constantly hear.

While I do appreciate that Hahn brought up issues within the church and tried to make note of them and challenge them (the sexism, abuse, LGBT+, etc) this did not turn out to be the book that I was hoping it might be. Instead I still got a Christian novel with characters who recognize that living in today's times doesn't make everything they do a sin they'll be going to hell for. It wasn't healing for me and leaned more on the upsetting route than anything.

I enjoyed this book because it touched topics such as faith and searching for the truth so deeply, that all the other elements seemed so little? I mean Micah and Meg meet-cute was good, they each played the part of helping the other in finding, discovering the answers they were looking for — but I felt this blooming romance secondary to the plot.

I'm not going to lie, as much as I adore Erin Hahn (and truly, her first two novels are some of my favorites of all time), it took me a while to muster the courage to read this. I'm not a church-goer and my relationship with God is complicated and, I thought, maybe not the type that should be reading a "christian" romance.

This is the book I wish existed when I was a teenager. I am so, so, so grateful that it exists now.

I kept trying to get into Never Saw You Coming but I couldn't get into it when I first read it. I will try to give it another try in the future. One star rating for now due to not finishing early on.

I really liked the start of this book, especially because the catalys kicked the story off really fast and it didn't feel dragged. However, both the main character and the love interest felt underdeveloped and flat with their actions and behaviours. They lacked motivation, especially Meg, as it seemed her only personality trait was that she was angry her life was a lie. Only towards the end did she switch from constantly thinking about that to something else. Other than that, the dialogue and the pacing really suited this novel and the ending was well rounded and satisying.

Erin Hahn is one of my favorite YA contemporary authors, and I admit - I downloaded this book expecting a fluffy read ala her previous titles. It features a great romance, but at the center of the story is faith and religion. I admit, this was a difficult book for me to get through as I don't particularly like reading about anything to do with faith in my fiction books. but as always, Hahn won me over. I applaud her for penning a book like this, it can't be easy, but it's also very important that teens read a book like this one.

As someone who grew up in the church, it felt refreshing to find characters who spoke that language in this YA book. “Never Saw You Coming” offered a lot of pushback against purity culture and offered permission for deconstructing faith in a way that I've yet to experience in a YA book.

While I don't agree with everything that Erin Hahn chose to include in her story or how she resolved some of the problems (particularly theologically,) I deeply appreciated her heart (she shares her "why" in the afterward) and her compassion for teenagers who grow up hearing harmful messages. Plus, I couldn't help but root for Meg and Micah.

I will say the faith deconstruction for Meg and Micah definitely took center stage of this book, over the romance. If you're heading into this expecting a light hearted YA romance, this is probably not the right book for you. But if you’re open to it taking backstage to this story of wrestling and deconstructing faith, this one is worth a try.

B for me.

Ps. Thanks to the publisher and @netgalley for my ARC of this one!

Lord, I LOVE Erin Hahn. She has been an auto buy since her debut, but NEVER SAW YOU COMING is her best work yet. It's such a raw and honest take on the cost of pressuring youth in religion with no nuance and easy villianization. I can tell this was a scary book to write coming from this background herself, but I am so grateful for it. Meg and Micah both feel so real. I'm so honored to have this book to recommend teens struggling with faith in our modern age.

Cover Story: Cartoon Cutesy
BFF Charm: Roger Murtaugh
Talky Talk: Youth Group
Factor: Religion
Anti-Bonus Factor: Awful Grown-ups
Relationship Status: Losing My Religion

Cover Story: Cartoon Cutesy

They got the details right, but the cartoon cutesy cover style has become so ubiquitous that it’s hard to be super jazzed about one anymore. I also thought the tagline used on this cover was a bit inaccurate. Sure, she went looking for answers and found him…but she also found answers! Possibly answers that are bigger and more important than him!

The Deal:

Meg has just graduated from high school when she finds out that her whole life has been a lie. Her conservative, religious parents who raised her in an Evangelical church finally admit that Meg’s dad…isn’t her dad. Her mom got knocked up by the lead singer of an alternative Christian band in high school and married her best friend to cover it up. But after 18 years of marriage, they can’t keep up the charade anymore, and Meg’s adoptive father leaves town.

Determined to find out the truth about her life, Meg heads north to find her father’s mother and brother. But when she arrives in town she also meets Micah, the son of a disgraced pastor who is currently waiting on his probation hearing. Micah has his own complicated relationship with the church, clearly, and feels pressure from everyone in his life to forgive his father.

As Meg and Micah grow closer, they struggle to learn who they are outside of the church they’ve always known.

BFF Charm: Roger Murtaugh

From the moment Meg said she was known for wearing fairy wings everywhere she went, I knew I was too old for this shit. But Meg’s immaturity is completely understandable, considering the conservative Christian environment she was raised in. I mean, how the hell are you supposed to mature if you aren’t allowed to watch R-rated movies? But that said…are you ready to be doing sex stuff if you can’t even speak aloud the words for the sex stuff you’re doing? I was trying to be patient with Meg, given her circumstances, but at the end of the day – and I say this from my heart – this girl needs a lot of therapy.

Hell, EVERYONE in this book needs a lot of therapy.

Swoonworthy Scale: 6

Micah is a legit cutie. Rugged and employed, he works at the local outdoor outfitters store selling Patagonia fleece jackets and leading adventure tours. And Micah’s had his own issues with the church ever since his priest father was imprisoned for a smattering of unsavory actions.

The romance between Meg and Micah started out SUPER strong. Very good, innocent, butterfly-inducing swoon happening betwixt these pages! But alas, they lost their momentum in the second half. I think Hahn could’ve spent a little longer on build-up, because much of the romance in the second half of the story felt melodramatic. There were a lot of existential and moral freak-outs every time they made out that had me rolling my eyes a bit.

Talky Talk: Youth Group

In the epilogue, Hahn calls this “alternative Christian fiction” and I sort of wish I’d known this before I read it. I’m probably not the best person to review Christian fiction of any sort. Hahn is a great contemporary fiction writer: her characters didn’t feel too one dimensional, her jokes landed, her romance was swoony.

For me, the complications are with the messaging. I think the idea here is that a lot of Christianity, and a lot of Christians, is/are imperfect and will undoubtedly let you down, but God won’t. And even as a non-religious person, that’s a sentiment I can generally get behind. Hahn certainly calls out the problems with fire-and-brimstone preaching, but even her characters who are learning the error of their ways still backtrack often enough that it was hard for me to like them.

Factor: Religion

As previously mentioned, this book is considered “alternative Christian fiction.” That may be a bonus for some, an anti-bonus for others. I think whichever side of that balance beam you fall on, this book will most likely be either too religious for your tastes or not religious enough.

Anti-Bonus Factor: Awful Grown-Ups

Phew, girl, this book was CHOCK full of awful grown-ups. Meg’s dad: the worst! Meg’s mom: Not great! Even James, who is written as ~not a regular church-going uncle but a cool church-going uncle~, still couldn’t escape his super shitty religious hangups at times.

AND DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED on the church adults. Everyone seemed to have a really weird obsession with these teen girls’ sexual encounters and modesty and it made me super uncomf.

Relationship Status: Losing My Religion

I definitely think there’s a need for this book. With so many teens figuring themselves out under the roofs of Evangelical or conservative Christian parents, religion can cause trauma that takes years to unpack and process. I grew up in a household where church was more about love and less about fire and brimstone, but I still felt triggered by some aspects of this story. Ultimately, the main characters were likable, but the whole thing was just too…religious for me.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start this review by saying that I’ve been trying to write it for months. I read this book before it was released, but I’ve been struggling to find the words to talk about it because it’s the book that I didn’t know that I needed in my life.

Never Saw You Coming is a coming-of-age book that features a super cute romance, but it also deals with some heavy topics, like balancing faith and the Church, specifically the Evangelical church.

The first thing that I want to talk about are the two main characters in this book. Meg Hennessey grew up in a very conservative and Christian home, where she was homeschooled, and the Church had a massive influence on her life. When she finds out that her parents kept a giant secret from her, she starts to question everything that she thought she knew, including her faith. She decides to travel to Northern Michigan to meet the family she didn’t know existed and take some time to evaluate everything in her life and decide what happens next. Micah Allen is hurting. His father, who he adored and was a pastor, is in prison for crimes against his congregation. Micah isn’t reading to forgive his father, even though he’s feeling the pressure to do so. He’s also questioning everything he thought he knew and evaluating his life and what happens next. Both of these characters are struggling with their relationship with the Church they grew up in and with God.

Meg and Micah are both memorable characters, and I loved both of them. It’s clear that both of them are hurting, they’re conflicted, and they’re trying to navigate life now that their worlds have been flipped upside down. Meg and Micah are both dealing with similar things, and they’re able to relate to each other, become friends, and eventually become more than friends. I liked how their friendship progressed into a romantic relationship and how they could help each other navigate everything that was going on in their lives.

As far as the religious aspect goes, this is why this book is the book I didn’t know I needed in my life. I grew up Catholic; I went to church basically every Sunday, volunteered with the youth group, and all of that jazz until I went away for university. However, I’ve always had an internal issue reconciling faith and belief in God with the Church as an organization. I’ve often thought that it’s strange that God is supposed to love us, but the Church adds a bunch of terms and conditions to that love. Anyway, I bring this up because this struggle is similar to Meg’s struggle, and I really enjoyed reading about it.

From the last paragraph, it’s clear that this book deals with some heavy topics. It’s critical of the Evangelical church and how you can do everything right and love God with all of your heart, then be shunned for one little sin. It also deals with a Pastor who was found guilty of taking advantage of his congregation and committed several transgressions. Finally, there’s a search and rescue scene in the book that left me on the edge of my seat, and there were moments during it that were a bit tough to get through.

I also liked the side characters in this book. Meg’s friend Vega seems amazing, and I’m hoping to read More Than Maybe soon, which features her as the main character. I also liked Micah’s best friend, whose name I cannot remember for the life of me, but I’d be interested in reading a book where he’s the main character. This book also features a very lovable dog, and I think all books should feature loveable four-legged creatures.

This book isn’t for everyone. There will be many people who pick this up and are totally turned off by the religious aspect, or they just won’t get it. But for that section of the population of people who grew up with the Church playing a role in their lives and they’ve questioned or struggled with faith versus the Church, this book will make you feel less alone. The romance is also super cute, which is an excellent bonus.

This one was cute. Erin Hahn does a great job at stories with heart. I haven't really been in a YA mood, so it took me a while to get through it, but that is a me problem. I would always recommend Erin Hahn's books!

I wish I had read the author's note prior to reading this novel as I think that it made such a big impact on the story. That aside, I'd heard that this book dealt with Christianity and some trauma associated with expectations accordingly. Those thoughts made me a little timid as I knew it was going to hit close to home.
I really loved Meg. I found her to be completely relatable and her thoughts are some I've had many times over the years.
On the flipside, I struggled with Micah. I didn't find him to be likeable for the majority of the book with exception to how he treated Meg.
I believe Erin's voice made this unforgettable. This is the first book I've had the opportunity to read and I'm very interested to read her backlist.
Thank you to Wednesday Books for the #gifted copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.