From Powells.com
Our booksellers' favorite books of the year!
Discover the books that made our 2022 list.
The Best Books of 2022 (So Far)
Staff Pick
One of the best, most original, compelling YA reads I’ve ever had the profound luck to pick up. Hope Cassidy and her sisters, Faith and Charity, have been raised in an ultra-conservative mega-church. When Faith is outed, she runs away to avoid being sent to conversion “therapy,” and Hope finds solace in rock 'n' roll. Channeling her inner Joplin, Hope forms a band with Danny — her newly out, longtime crush — performing anti-establishment originals and directly challenging the hate speech written by Danny’s twin brother for his new band Alt-Rite. Interspersed with excerpts from a sci-fi love story (perhaps penned by the missing Faith), this incredible novel glows with a simple, heartfelt message: hope in the face of oppression and cruelty is punk as hell. Recommended By Madeline S., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
A heartfelt and funny new novel about forgiveness and redemption, and about how hope is the ultimate act of rebellion, perfect for fans of John Green and Becky Albertalli.
Growing up in a conservative Christian household isn't easy for rock-obsessed Hope Cassidy. She's spent her whole life being told that the devil speaks through Led Zeppelin, but it's even worse for her sister, Faith, who feels like she can't be honest about dating the record shop cashier, Mavis. That is, until their youngest sister hears word of their "sinful" utopia and outs Faith to their parents. Now there's nowhere for Faith to go but the Change Through Grace conversion center... or running away.
Following Faith's disappearance, their family is suddenly broken. Hope feels a need to rebel. She gets a tattoo and tries singing through the hurt with her Janis Joplin-style voice. But when her long-time crush Danny comes out and is subsequently kicked out of his house, Hope can't stand by and let history repeat itself. Now living in Faith's room, Danny and Hope strike up a friendship... and a band. And their music just might be the answer to dethroning Alt-Rite, Danny's twin brother's new hate-fueled band.
With a hilarious voice and an open heart, Hopepunk is a novel about forgiveness, redemption, and finding your home, and about how hope is the ultimate act of rebellion.
Review
"Funny, well-plotted and sneakily thought-provoking...fans of humorous realistic fiction will find a lot to enjoy in Norton's first foray into the genre." — SLJ
Review
"[A] funny and sweetly oddball book. At the story's core is an unsentimental treatment of a bullied kid and his one-time bully discovering their commonalities." — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Review
"[F]lies by in a stream of fast-paced action and nuanced character development...An entertaining queer romance." — Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
Following the disappearance of her sister, Hope Cassidy rebels against a life that once controlled her, as she learns about forgiveness and redemption--and how hope is the ultimate act of rebellion--in this heartfelt and funny novel. Growing up in a conservative Christian household isn't easy for rock-obsessed Hope Cassidy. She's spent her whole life being told that the devil speaks through Led Zeppelin, but it's even worse for her sister, Faith, who feels like she can't be honest about dating the record shop cashier, Mavis. That is, until their youngest sister hears word of their "sinful" utopia and outs Faith to their parents. Now there's nowhere for Faith to go but the Change Through Grace conversion center...or running away.
Following Faith's disappearance, their family is suddenly broken. Hope feels a need to rebel. She gets a tattoo and tries singing through the hurt with her Janis Joplin-style voice. But when her long-time crush Danny comes out and is subsequently kicked out of his house, Hope can't stand by and let history repeat itself. Now living in Faith's room, Danny and Hope strike up a friendship...and a band. And their music just might be the answer to dethroning Alt-Rite, Danny's twin brother's new hate-fueled band.
With a hilarious voice and an open heart, Hopepunk is a novel about forgiveness, redemption, and finding your home, and about how hope is the ultimate act of rebellion.
About the Author
Preston Norton is bisexual, slightly genderqueer, and married. His partner, Erin, is trying to put him on a diet, and he's revolting (both contexts apply). He has taught seventh grade and ninth grade English, mentored drug addicts, and mowed lawns (in no particular order). He is obsessed with 2001: A Space Odyssey and Quentin Tarantino.