I really loved this memoir about growing up in the Evangelical church. Reading this made me think of so many friends who told me similar stories from childhood; the fear of being left behind, anxiety around sin, body and sexual shame, and the struggle to learn how to cope with feelings you were always taught to ignore. This book is going to speak to so many people. I also really love how Stalvey uses color in the novel to show how her world became richer as she grew.

This was a beautiful graphic novel and relatable for me; definitely had some tears throughout. I appreciate the use of dark black and white at her young age and slowly adding color as she learns more about herself and how she finds truth in her religion. So so beautiful.

A very honest and open-hearted graphic novel. While I found the narrative insightful, it did feel a little dense at times. That being said, it does feel like a more realistic portrayal of how much processing goes on when reevaluating your place in the world, outside of what everyone in your life had always told you. I felt particularly strongly about Stephanie's communication with her son about death, and the way she views the world and love as sacred in it's own right. The full page illustrations used to depict her internal identities/struggles were particularly lovely, with lush shapes and colors. I hope this book will reach those that need it, finding support and reflection in deconstruction and building one's own values.

I've been following Stephanie on instagram for a while now, so it felt like Christmas to see this galley finally arrive on my dashboard. Stephanie's graphic memoir is beautiful, raw, and emotional and will resonate strongly with women exiting purity culture. Her gouache painting is vibrant and mystical and I just want to have every page framed on my walls.

A contemplative graphic memoir about the author's religious development (or perhaps disillusionment?) from an ultra evangelical childhood to an adulthood that thoughtfully questions the dividing lines between man and God. The story is set against her meeting and romance with her eventual husband and the early years of their marriage and journey into parenthood. There's quite a lot of female nudity and relatively tame sex scenes, but the focus makes sense given the author's experience of religion that focuses so intently on female chastity and purity.