Calder grew up in a religious cultlike community with no modern conveniences, no room for dreams or ambitions, It's all he's ever known. Until Eden is brought to the community, prophecied to bring peace and betrothed to the cult leader. She's kept secluded, but from the first he felt drawn to her. With every forbidden encounter, he starts to dream of more. They can never be together in Acadia, but can he really choose to leave everything he's ever known... for her?
This is such an emotional story of young love. My emotions were on such a roller coaster. Details of life in this cult had me frustrated and angry, sad at how Calder grew up, angry at Eden's betrothal to a man so much older, the list goes on. And after that cliffhanger I can't wait to read what happens next!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"Becoming Calder" by Mia Sheridan is a gripping and emotionally charged story of forbidden love, set in a secluded and rigid community where dreams and individuality are not allowed.

The novel introduces readers to Calder, a young man with a strong physique and a warrior's heart, living in a community known as Acadia. In this isolated place, modern conveniences don't exist, and the residents are expected to conform to a strict way of life. Calder, however, dreams of something more, especially when he encounters Eden, a girl of his age with an angelic face.

Sheridan expertly explores the complexities of their relationship, which is fraught with tension and longing. Eden, who is betrothed to Acadia's leader, was never meant to be with Calder, and their love becomes a dangerous secret. As their hearts become entwined, they must navigate the treacherous path between following their desires and adhering to the community's rules.

The author's writing is beautifully descriptive, immersing readers in the world of Acadia and the struggles of its inhabitants. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and their emotional journey is deeply moving. Calder and Eden's love story is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, making readers root for their happiness.

"Becoming Calder" is not just a romance but a story of resilience, rebellion, and the pursuit of love and freedom in the face of adversity. It raises thought-provoking questions about the price of conformity and the power of love to transcend boundaries.

Mia Sheridan's storytelling prowess shines in this novel, and readers will find themselves drawn into the world of Calder and Eden, unable to put the book down. If you enjoy stories of forbidden love, resilience, and the pursuit of dreams, "Becoming Calder" is a must-read.

This was my first Mia Sheridan book and I'm now wondering why?! When I first started, I was worried it was going to be a taboo age gap book, but it wasn't. This was a beautiful love story between two young adults who are caught up in a cult lifestyle. I've always been interested in the brainwashing aspect of cult cultures and this book portrayed the dynamic perfectly. Calder and Eden leaned on each other to get through tough times and used each other's expertise to plot out a plan of escape. The ending left so much to wonder about and I can't wait to read the sequel, Finding Eden.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mia Sheridan and Bloom Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Bloom Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The beginning of this book was a bit slow for me. It took me a minute to be fully invested in the story. However, once I was invested, I was INVESTED. I loved Calder and Eden. I freaking loved Xander and his friendship with Calder. If you have ever read a cult story (or even researched/looked up any real life cult stories), this one follows the mold pretty typically. I did like the twist that happened around 80% with Clive, even though it frustrates me to no end! The ending is heartbreaking and the cliffhanger is brutal. I need to get my hands on book 2 ASAP!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-book. This was another beautiful and moving story by Mia Sheridan. There are some trigger warnings so be sure to check those.
Calder and Eden have grown up together in a cult that believes Eden will be the key to their entry into heaven when the world ends. Eden is kept away from the Acadia community but Calder catches her eye. They begin a secret friendship that blossoms into a forbidden love.
Mia Sheridan writes such beautiful love stories. Her ability to describe such soul deep love is truly a gift. Like Kyland and Archer’s Voice, I found myself moved to tears by the story and her writing.
The cult community is so infuriating that it’s sometimes easy to forget that situations like these still exist today. While this is a work of fiction, there are many ways this book mirrors what can and does happen in religious cults today. That was always in my mind while reading this and left me heartbroken and angry.
Beautifully written and excellent characters. 4.5 ⭐️ I can’t wait to see what Book 2 brings for the Acadia survivors.

BECOMING CALDER

Wow! Was this book different.

I’ve read a few cult books before, but none that were romances, so this was an adventure.

It had the forbidden love element, and it had a save the cat right at the beginning.

In the opening, we see a girl running away from a cult with nothing but a locket to pawn. You feel her desperation and hopelessness.

Then you get thrown back to Calder’s childhood. Sigh. Calder.

There was so much emotion in this book that it’s hard to quantify it.

I’ll leave it at this, if you want to take a super emotional, grow with them / feel with them, forbidden romance that will make you fiery angry and swoon (different chapters), check it out.

3.8!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Hector's compound is all Calder has known. He's a worker, the water barer, content to live that life and wait for the promise day that Hector has prophesied. Then, Hector brings his chosen bride to the group, Eden. At only ten, the same age as Calder, she is destined to bring salvation, As the two grow up, both begin to question their roles and their love for each other.

This was one wild ride of a book. Sheridan does a great job pulling the reader into the intense setting of a cult, showing the devotion of some of the followers and the delusions of the leaders. I liked Eden and Calder a lot. They are both naive but strive to understand the world around them. They have this delicate love that really develops naturally, I also really liked the relationship between Calder and his best friend Xander. It's so strong that they really are brothers.

This is book one in a duo, so be prepared for a massive cliffhanger!

All in all, this is a really good NA romance that has some spicy hints.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted copy. My reviews are always honest.

I am fascinated by cults, and gravitate toward learning more and letting my imagination run wild with books centering around cults. I actually didn’t know this book was based in a cult setting until I started reading it and when I tell you my whole brain lit up with excitement…

What I struggled with was that feeling of hopelessness. Like the cards were stacked against Calder and Eden and everywhere they turned things just went from bad to worse. It was slow and repetitive for me in the beginning. I spent some time skimming – both to avoid that feeling of dread, and because it felt like there was a lot of repetition that was meant to build the foundation of Calder and Eden’s feelings for each other – but the feel of their love for each other still felt a little insta for me. The chemistry wasn’t firing up and I wasn’t really sure where I was going to land with this story.

What did fire up is the storyline. The last 25% of the book was absolute fire. Regardless of how I felt about Calder and Eden as a couple, I was wholly invested in them as people and I was held completely in thrall while their world relentlessly shifted around them. This was the hook I was looking for. That it came so late in the story for me leaves me feeling a little conflicted on how to rate this one. It’s a little lopsided in pacing and depth – but once it got up to speed, it was utterly unputdownable and it absolutely left me hungry to know how things resolve in Finding Eden. In the end, a bit of a mixed bag – but I am glad that I read it and am excited to see how things play out! ~ 3.5 Stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💙forbidden love
💙friends to lovers
💙forced proximity
💙young love
💙cult

One of the best books I’ve ever read.

“Where do you find your strength, Morning Glory?”
“From you.”

If you see friends to lovers and think this is a cute little romcom, you’re wrong.
If you see forbidden love and think this is going to be all fun and games, you’re wrong.
If you see forced proximity and think it is all moments of joy and excitement, you’re wrong.
If you see young love and think puppy love that never lasts, you’re wrong.
If you see cult and think it’s going to be messed up, you’re right.

“My point is, you never know when a small piece of knowledge is going to come in handy or maybe… maybe even change your life.”

I knew this book was going to break me. I even questioned my sanity for signing up for it. And a
duet on top of that. I must really have lost my mind if I thought it would feel great having my heart become a punching bag. But apparently craziness is all the rage right now and makes for some amazing decisions. Because this book… this book might always — ALWAYS — live in me. Rent free. Forever. And ever.

“Thank you for teaching me things, Calder,” she said.
“You teach me things too, Eden.” About courage and triumphs and the secrets of my own heart.

I watched him become Calder. I watched her become Eden. I watched them fall in love. I watched them fight and lose. I watched them break. And I sure will be there watching them rise from the ashes of Acadia.

“They were the only reminders I had of him.”

Please. Please!!!!!! Read the trigger warnings. This one has some big ones. 🖤

A note: when I was a child… I used to pick morning glories during walks with my grandmother and my mom 💙

This review was written when it first came out. She’s the only author that I read twice all her books. WOW! What a ride. I did not think Mia Sheridan could surpass herself after Archer's voice but she did. And Archer's voice was one of the best books I've ever read. This book is brilliantly written. It starts when Calder and Eden are young and then grow into friends and then true,pure love. This book has everything from strong,lasting friendship,family and pure first everlasting love. Suspence and some action too. Becoming Calder has to be read first because it has a cliffhanger but you can jump right into Finding Eden. I strongly recommend this book. It will not disappoint you. ❤️. Worth alot more than 5 stars

This was a great book. It follows Mia and Calder and them growing up in a cult. Mia Sheridan is always a home run for me!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I did not know a book could be so beautifully written to the point where I am emotionally broken apart into a million tiny pieces, only to be overcome with so much hope and joy that I felt like I would burst! I loved this book so much. I laughed, cried, felt rolling nausea, screamed at the twists and turns, and at the end was left utterly breathless. This story was fantastically captivating and I cannot wait to read the second part of this duet.

This is one of those books that got me from the first chapter and I couldn’t stop! Mia Sheridan never disappoints and knows how to write romances! You fall in love with Eve and Calder immediately! I can’t wait to read the next book!!

Every one of Mia Sheridan's books has such a unique social plot, and this one was no different - this book explores the childhood friends to lovers trope of two young adults trapped in a cult (it's even more horrific, since she was betrothed to the leader of the cult as a 10yo). The ending was so ahhhh, I need book two right now 😭

TWs - (please check the other reviews for anything I have missed!) cult, people trapped in a cult, pregnant girl forced into miscarriage, child groomed for marriage by an adult, general violence

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

This story was gracefully written. The first chapter seems like the beginning of a completely different story, ends with a cliff hanger, and the reader is left wondering how it ties in to the rest of the book. It comes full circle, but not until the last couple pages. It was amazing! And the ultimate cliff hanger left me yearning to read the next book.

Mia Sheridan did it again !
Calder and Eden grow up in a cult, and learn to love each other from afar, then up close. Until the day they decide to run away together.
I had a hard time letting go of the book because I needed to know what's next. We hurt for the characters throughout the book, and we really take affection for Eden while falling for Calder. I really need to know the rest of the story. If you like Mia Sheridan's books, you will like this one

I beyond love Mia Sheridan novels so that bias being out there, her books hit me with feels almost immediately. I went in blind to this book and boy was I rewarded. Calder and Eden are magnets, like partners always are, and nothing can keep them apart. I always love a longggg build up but it's so necessary (in case you don't like a long buildup?) I was so thrilled to see Eden keep fighting and growing within her limits. The intricacies of a religious cult are so fascinating to me (as an atheist). The next book is going to give me a book hangover for sure.

This was a really tender and sweet young romance, shadowed by a really dreadful and dark storyline. I got the major ick from the beginning, but not even the all consuming live story overshadowed the feeling. I hope Calder and Eden’s story gets happier in the next book

NetGalley Review — my rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

“Becoming Calder” by Mia Sheridan is the first in the Acadia Duology Series.

This was unlike any other of Sheridan’s books. You still fall for the main characters but the plot kind of takes on a bigger role. Kept me guessing wondering where the book was going and ended on a cliffhanger. Picking up the second one tomorrow to find out how this duo ends.

The only reason I dropped a star was because parts felt super long and drawn out. I got a little bored at times. But overall, it came together!

Thank you to @read_bloom for the ARC! This is a re-release that is being published with a new cover on October 3, 2023!

#arc #netgalley #miasheridan #becomingcalder

ʙ ᴏ ᴏ ᴋ • ʀ ᴇ ᴠ ɪ ᴇ ᴡ

📖 Becoming Calder
✍🏻 @miasheridanauthor
⭐️ 4.5

Mia Sheridan does it again! This is my 4th book, and I don’t know how she does it. Writing style is fantastic and she can just tell the most BEAUTIFUL story!!!!

This book will never compare to Archers Voice, BUT it was still maddening, heartbreaking, beautiful, wonderful and made you feel every range of emotions! It’s a close second and IM DYING to get approved for Finding Eden. And If I’m not I’m still buying them both Oct 3rd!!!

I enjoyed this book because I thought it was about to be fantasy, but turned into a cult/religious/cultural romance of forbidden love, arranged marriage, and oh so much more 😰 and it was wonderful!

Calder and Eden 🫶🏻 sweet kids. Who deserved more. Deserved life. Deserved freedom. Deserved LOVE! And so many questions I’m left with….

& THE ENDING 😭🫣😱😰

‼️TW: cults, kidnapping, and abuse.