I’ve been a big fan of Natalie Naudus since I first got into audiobooks a couple years back. And this time around it was so nice to hear her narrating her own book. The writing is beautiful, a lot of it is Valerie‘s internal monologue, but it works because she’s lonely in a cult. Who else is she gonna talk to? What else is she gonna do except think? (The cult she’s in is very fundie 19 kids and counting, happy smiley people so please look at the accountant warnings before picking it up)

When Val picks up a queer book at the library, she begins to question a lot of things. And when Val meet Riley, her whole world changes. She’s able to realize how wild her situation is and how her church is more than just a church. It’s a cult.

The romance is a little Insta lovey, but when I had my first girlfriend at age as a teen, I also rushed into it. That being said, I do wish there was an epilogue. I feel like their story ended a little too soon and

it was a good ending but I just wanted more.

One last stop was mentioned bonus points for that I loved the “the narrator was okay” line. This Is How You Lose the Time War was also mentioned, big slay for that. Also the way that Val uses the library and gets support from the librarian was so heartwarming, I really liked that.

Overall, it was a definite five star read. I didn’t grow up in a fundamentalist cult, but I did grow up with a Mexican evangelic tias and could relate to several points in the book. It made me touch some scars I didn’t even realize I had. This is another YA book. I wish I could’ve read when I was younger.