Review: Purity by Adriana Anders
I decided that the next book I heard about on tiktok and could easily acquire I would read. I found a tiktok the author made, and this book was on KU. I am certain I never would have picked this book up otherwise, and I am so happy I read this book.
I will start by saying that I sort of found Cole's character journey muddled and not that interesting. I got a touch confused about his motivations and conflicts. And his story line with his parents felt a touch under explained and under explored. But I totally think he was a fine character generally.
I almost never like believer/skeptic stories, and this book does not fall into most of the things I tend to hate about this dynamic. I do think that this book as a whole had sort of picked a 'side', but I do think that the author tried her best to write someone who is an atheist (but is he though?), even if I don't think it was perfectly done.
Livvy's character is what made this book absolutely riveting. I was glued to this book because I ached for her. She is deconstructing her relationship with purity culture and the ways her family and social structures have kept her compliant and meek. She makes an impurity contract to counteract the purity contract she signed as a young child. It is a little gut wrenching to read how normal the things she wants to do are, she is about to start her final year of university and the list begins with have her first kiss. Seeing the ways she had been prevented from living her life the way she wants to, and been kept from even thinking too much about what she even wants from life was so sad and compelling.
Her character felt very real and vulnerable and I absolutely kept reading so quickly because I wanted to know what was going to happen with her.
I occasionally thought this book was a bit sappy and I am not particularly a big fan of how her relationship with her dad was handled. But overall I did undeniably have a positive reading experience of this book. I was completely floored that I liked this, but I am always happy to be shown that reading outside of your comfort zone can really work out.
I gave this book three stars.
