Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry

Heretics Anonymous

by Katie Henry

* Amazon Best Book of the Month August 2018 * New York Public Library Best Books 2018 *

Put an atheist in a strict Catholic school? Expect comedy, chaos, and an Inquisition. The Breakfast Club meets Saved! in debut author Katie Henry's hilarious novel about a band of misfits who set out to challenge their school, one nun at a time. Perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Robyn Schneider.

When Michael walks through the doors of Catholic school, things can't get much worse. His dad has just made the family move again, and Michael needs a friend. When a girl challenges their teacher in class, Michael thinks he might have found one, and a fellow atheist at that. Only this girl, Lucy, isn't just Catholic . . . she wants to be a priest.

Lucy introduces Michael to other St. Clare's outcasts, and he officially joins Heretics Anonymous, where he can be an atheist, Lucy can be an outspoken feminist, Avi can be Jewish and gay, Max can wear whatever he wants, and Eden can practice paganism.

Michael encourages the Heretics to go from secret society to rebels intent on exposing the school's hypocrisies one stunt at a time. But when Michael takes one mission too far-putting the other Heretics at risk-he must decide whether to fight for his own freedom or rely on faith, whatever that means, in God, his friends, or himself.

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

4 of 5 stars

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Rating: 3.5 Stars

Michael was not happy that his father up and moved his family yet again, and to make matters worse, he was making him attend a Catholic school. Michael had already written the place off before he even walked through the door, but then he met Lucy, and she introduced him to Heretics Anonymous, and well, things were looking up.
We believe in one fundamental truth:
That all people, regardless of what they worship, who they love, and what they think
Have a right to exist, and a right to be heard.

• Pro: From the excerpt from the Heretics Anonymous manifesto, you can see that there was a theme that EVERYBODY matters, and that's something I can get 100% behind.

• Pro: The first half of the book was jam packed with humor. I was able to relate to a lot of things in the book too, because I am Catholic and went to a Catholic school.

• Pro: I always get a little nervous when religion is part of a book, since many in the entertainment industry hold very negative views of organized religion. Henry did point out the flaws, but she also offered alternate points of view, and showed how there are some positive things to religion as well.

• Pro: Diversity was present in many forms in this book. There were characters from different races, with different sexual orientations, and with different religious beliefs represented.

• Pro: The exploration of faith and religion was quite interesting. The idea that you can be part of a religion, while not subscribing to every tenet was touched upon. Lucy was very devout, but she didn't hide the fact that she thought the church needed to evolve and change. It was still a place she loved and found comfort, but she also wanted to see it change as society changed.

• Pro: I really, really enjoyed the last part of the book. It was the part, where Michael underwent his big growth phase. I was really proud of the conclusions he came to regarding his family, friends, and the idea of faith.

Overall: What do you get when you send an atheist to Catholic School? You get a pretty amusing, heartwarming, and compelling coming of age story.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 15 July, 2018: Finished reading
  • 15 July, 2018: Reviewed