In sixteen-year-old Mike Hernandez’s life, only one thing is clear: Gay is NOT okay. His family’s life revolves around the church, a church run by the vocally intolerant Pastor Myers, so Mike has resolved to spend his life in the closet. His only escape—besides the occasional, anonymous gay make-out session—is his art. He pours his complicated emotions into risqué drawings he keeps in a secret … sketchbook. A sketchbook he carries everywhere.
When his sketchbook goes missing in the middle of Sunday school, Mike is sure his life is over. He’s going to be outed, ostracized by their community, condemned by the pastor, maybe even homeless. What’s worse, the pastor’s son, Chris, suddenly seems hell-bent on adopting Mike and his friends and he has no idea why.
When an awkward confrontation with Chris leads to an unexpected kiss instead of a much-expected punch, Mike’s world is turned upside down. As their friendship grows and faith is questioned, Mike may be forced to choose between the comfortable life he’s always lived and a chance at the love he never thought he deserved.
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I absolutely love this book and highly recommend it to anyone who believes that love is love! Eberhart does an amazing job at keeping you captivated throughout the story. This book had me laughing out loud one minute and crying the next. I highly recommend this book!
While I don’t read a lot of young adult stories, every now and then one will come along with a blurb enticing enough to pique my interest. That was the case with There Goes Sunday School—something I was surprised by since I tend to keep away from books where religion plays a significant part. But the premise of this story, and the thought that with the pastor’s son involved someone might get their due, I didn’t want to pass this one up.
If you like books that really show the conflict and confusion of characters who are exploring their sexuality, you’ve definitely found the right book. The author does a fantastic job at showing Mike’s struggle with what he’s be taught to believe, and what he feels in his heart and head. It came across as a realistic portrayal of what teens go through, with Mike’s internal battle and his legitimate worries about his family, friends and church. I was even more intrigued by the views Chris had (considering his current thoughts on the subject of religion align closely with my own).
I liked Mike’s closest friends well enough, though I was not a fan of the overly casual drug use among them. I was also a fan of Mike’s sister and how supportive she was, as well as Chris’s mother.
This was a great coming of age story, an exploration of one’s sexuality, and falling for someone for the first time. It was a 4.5-star read for me, and I’d definitely recommend it. While it is classified as young adult, I’d caution that with some sexual content, profanity, and the drug use that this should be for ages 16+, and I’d consider it more of a mature young adult story. And while I might have been personally disappointed at part of the ending, it really is an accurate representation of how things go with those first loves.
This read about coming to terms with one’s sexuality had me laughing at times and crying at others and boy did I cry!!! The author’s writing style had me relating to the storyline and the beautiful characters as the struggles were realistic.
{I requested a copy for reviewing purposes and made no guarantee of a favorable review. The opinions expressed herein are unbiased and my own.}
This is a well written novel that involves teenaged angst, prejudice, and intolerance. It’s also the story of friendship, acceptance and first love. It’s funny and emotional and so much more.
I started highlighting so much that I realized my Kindle version would be 400 “pages” filled with pink highlights. Here are a few of the first things I highlighted…
“Our story begins just like all teenage stories do, with prolonged, creeper level staring.”
“So, it’s not like I walk down the halls at school draped in a rainbow flag.
I do secretly love Cher, but that’s neither here nor there.”
It’s the first book I’ve read by this author and I will be reading more in the future.