Mini-Reviews: Heretics Anonymous, The Other Side of Lost, The Last Best Story

My new release post will be up tomorrow but in getting it together I realized that I’ve read a few of tomorrow’s new releases. So … here are Mini-reviews of Heretics Anonymous, The Other Side of Lost and The Last Best Story

Mini-Reviews: Heretics Anonymous, The Other Side of Lost, The Last Best Story

Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry

Synopsis adapted from Goodreads: Michael is an atheist. So as he walks through the doors at St. Clare’s—a strict Catholic school—sporting a plaid tie, 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 nonbeliever at that. Only this girl, Lucy, is not just Catholic . . . she wants to be a priest.

But 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.

After an incident in theology class, Michael encourages the Heretics to go from secret society to rebels intent on exposing the school’s hypocrisies. 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.

Mini-Reviews: Heretics Anonymous

My mini-take: I like books about secret societies. I like books with male narrators. I like books with religious themes. Heretics Anonymous wasn’t a total win for me, though, because I wasn’t really feeling the connection to Michael, the protagonist. I did like the way the book explored some interesting issues, such as whether teachers at a religious school can and should be forced to uphold that religion’s rules in their personal lives, and whether and how to judge religious beliefs that aren’t politically correct. Overall, though, this was just okay for me.

The Other Side of Lost by Jessi Kirby

Synopsis from Goodreads: Mari Turner’s life is perfect. That is, at least to her thousands of followers who have helped her become an internet starlet. But when she breaks down and posts a video confessing she’s been living a lie—that she isn’t the happy, in-love, inspirational online personality she’s been trying so hard to portray—it goes viral and she receives major backlash.

To get away from it all, she makes an impulsive decision: to hike the entire John Muir trail. Mari and her late cousin, Bri, were supposed to do it together, to celebrate their shared eighteenth birthday. But that was before Mari got so wrapped up in her online world that she shut anyone out who questioned its worth—like Bri.

With Bri’s boots and trail diary, a heart full of regret, and a group of strangers that she meets along the way, Mari tries to navigate the difficult terrain of the hike. But the true challenge lies within, as she searches for the way back to the girl she fears may be too lost to find: herself.

Mini-Reviews: The Other Side of Lost

My mini-take: I’m a fan of this author, but this was one of those books that seemed too young for me as an adult reader of YA. I think this is because The Other Side of Lost is basically a YA retelling of Wild by Cheryl Strayed. After having read and loved that memoir, this fictional version with a teen protagonist just couldn’t compare. But I think actual teens might love this one! If this appeals to you check out my List of YA Books About Survival in the Wilderness

The Last Best Story by Maggie Lehrman

Synopsis adapted from Goodreads: Rose Regnero was a star reporter for her high school paper, destined for a career in journalism, when she abruptly quit, leaving behind her very-nearly-sort-of-boyfriend and editor-in-chief, Grant.

Now she is trying to be normal at her senior prom and isn’t looking back. Grant was totally blindsided when Rose walked away. After all, they’d dedicated their lives to it for the past four years, and he is determined to entice Rose back.

But whether it’s really to the paper or to him he’s not entirely sure. When an alarm is set off at prom and the school goes on lockdown, Grant discovers that someone is loose in the building with a gun. But Rose, caught outside of the gym, knows differently. Will her instincts for a good story win out against her resolve to leave Grant and the paper behind?

Mini-Reviews: The Last Best Story

My mini-take:  The Last Best Story was a happened-in-one-night story about a lockdown at the prom, interspersed with flashbacks, told in a third-person omniscient style. Long story short (heh!) the format of this was challenging for me and got in the way of the story.

This didn’t really read like a thriller and it wasn’t really a romance. I wasn’t really sure what it was until I read the acknowledgments. I think it was supposed to be a screwball comedy, an homage of sorts to His Girl Friday, a 1940s black and white movie starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russel (Grant and Rose – get it?)

But the plot going around in circles combined with the flashbacks combined with omniscient POV was just a little too much for me. A news story is supposed to give you the who-what-when-where-why right off and I guess I prefer my books more straightforward as well.

Thanks for reading my Mini-Reviews of Heretics Anonymous, The Other Side of Lost, The Last Best Story.

Have you read any of these? What did you think?