I loved this book SO MUCH! It’s been a long time since I was this excited to carry on reading, counting down to when I would be able to read some more, staying up until the early hours to finish it.

The story is told from the perspective of Milo, a Florida high school student who has been raised in a conservative Christian household, and is himself Christian. Milo is such a great protagonist, with a great voice to read from and a very moving character arc. The other of our title characters, Marcos, met Milo a few years prior at a Christian summer camp, and while he also has very traditional parents he is a firm atheist. Their reunion in high school not only coincides with some apocalyptic events, but brings old (and in some cases repressed) feelings to the surface.

📚Read this and more book reviews on my blog!📚

Primarily this is a story about Milo, Marcos and their friendship-turned-relationship, with the apocalypse element happening alongside, underlining and emphasising the important turning points in their relationship. It was so brilliantly done, capturing so many elements of that very specific queer Christian teen experience. The books could easily have been either very dark or very light-hearted, but Snipes found the perfect balance, keeping some levity while giving the serious moments the weight they deserved.

I was intrigued going in as to how the themes of religion and belief would play out, but I was really pleased to see it done so well, exploring the complexities of belief and organised religion and all the nuances within that. The way family dynamics was portrayed, the friendships – everything was absolutely top tier.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It was moving, it was cathartic, it was about the small and the mundane as well as the end of the world. This is one of the best debuts I’ve read, and I can’t wait to see what the author writes next.

Thank you to Harper360YA for providing me with a copy for review. All opinions are my own.