This book is so delightfully, perfectly messy. Titular character Daya lives in a small, conservative town in Arizona, surrounded by small-minded, conservative classmates and a small-minded, conservative mom. It’s a tough place to be queer. When Daya begins a friendship that turns to something more with megachurch poster-girl Beckett Wild, she might be making more waves than she’s ready for.
I don’t usually like realistic fiction, but I enjoyed this book. I gave it a chance because it includes a megachurch, and those fascinate me just as much as tent revivals. After all, aren’t these just snake-handlers with surround sound? The book didn’t disappoint. It showed the love-bombing, intoxication, and flat-out toxicity of an environment designed to monetize faith and mainstream homophobia. At the same time, it featured complex characters who screw up, get mad, deal a little weed, connive ways to get close to cute girls… basically, young adults figuring out life.
The book also has an effective framing device. Most of the story takes place between two parties, from the inciting incident to the climax. The parallel worked well to show how Daya had changed throughout the story. Daya only even goes to that first party to act as wingwoman for her BFF Stella. Stella’s a mess, always crashing her way into and out of love while more introverted Daya has nursed a crush on one girl for way too long. But at that party, Daya talks to Beckett, the girl of her dreams who turns out to be kind and fun, too. She also re-meets B’Rad, resident quirky weirdo sweetheart. At the climax, Daya attends a party she chose not only to go to but to help plan. She brings B’Rad as her wingman. She also makes a major decision I won’t spoil here. She has become an active character and the author shows that with an effective parallel.
This is a very character-driven, coming-of-age story with an emphasis on how action and intent shows who you are. None of the characters are perfect. Most of them aren’t what they seem, either, and that’s something Daya only fully understands once she’s forced to engage with a broader world. The eccentric weirdo is a genuinely nice person trying to get by. The angry girl lashing out at the world is determined and loyal. The aggressive flirt is working on herself. Even the math teacher sleeping with your best friend’s mom is just an awkward stepdad figure. I liked how well-meaning and rough-around-the-edges all these characters were. For me, that was the true heart of the book.
Yes, it’s about love. More than that, it’s about community.
Come for the drama, stay for the found family vibes.
And the leftover maple bars.
Content warnings: homophobia, transphobia, religious abuse, homophobic abuse, physical abuse, being kicked out, casual use of marijuana (I personally found this to be reasonable and realistic for casual use, but it could be triggering for someone recovering from addiction)
