Never Saw You Coming: A Novel

Product Description
"BOLD. IMPORTANT. BEAUTIFUL.” - Laura Taylor Namey, New York Times bestselling author of A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and TomorrowIn Erin Hahn’s Never Saw You Coming, sometimes it takes a leap of faith to find yourself.Eighteen-year-old Meg Hennessey just found out her entire childhood was a lie. So 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 - all while questioning the ideals she grew up with.While there, she meets Micah Allen, a former pastor’s kid whose dad ended up in prison, leaving Micah with his own complicated relationship with faith. The clock is ticking on his 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."Heartfelt and utterly genuine… I already want to reread it." - Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of Small Favors
From School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up-Eighteen-year-old Meg and 19-year-old Micah share much in common: they are both dealing with complicated family situations that have made them each question their previously untested faith in the church. So it is no surprise that when their paths cross in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, they soon become friends and then a couple. Their relationship allows them a safe space to navigate their emotions regarding the adults who have failed them. It also allows them to explore their growing physical attraction to each other, which is complicated by the church's teachings about premarital sex. Told in alternating first-person narratives, the voices of these new-to-adulthood characters are authentic. This is not your standard coming-of-age novel, though, as the church plays a significant role in aiding and hindering Meg's and Micah's maturation from adolescents to adults. In an author's note at the end of the novel, Hahn describes her novel as "alternative Christian fiction" and explains in moving detail her decision to call out the church's hypocrisy about sex, body image, and sin-especially as they relate to females-much like her characters do in the book. All characters are cued as white; some secondary characters are gay or bisexual. VERDICT A well-done, engaging read that can serve young people grappling with their faith. Highly recommended.­Melissa Kazan, Horace Mann Sch., NYα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review
"I've always loved Erin's books, but there is something extra special about this one." - BUZZFEED, "40 YA Contemporary Books We're Highly Anticipating in 2021""A well-done, engaging read that can serve young people grappling with their faith. Highly recommended." - SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL"I love it when YA novels aren’t afraid to dig into the painful parts of religion, so I can’t wait for this new romance from Erin Hahn." - YOUNG FOLKS, "Most Anticipated Reads of 2021" "A powerful coming-of-age story about growing in faith and self-awareness." - KIRKUS REVIEWSCULTURESS, "21 exciting YA book releases we can’t wait to read in Fall 2021""Heartfelt and utterly genuine, Never Saw You Coming hit my soul in all the best ways. This is an important story to be told and Hahn's words resonate with truth and sparkle with her brilliant wit. I already want to reread it." - ERIN A. CRAIG, New York Times bestselling author of Small Favors and House of Salt and Sorrows"This is the purity culture-smashing book I needed as a teen. With clear respect for genuine faith, Hahn eviscerates the Church that emphasizes judgment before love. Never Saw You Coming somehow manages to be both sex-positive