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There Goes Sunday School  By  cover art

There Goes Sunday School

By: Alexander C. Eberhart
Narrated by: Joel Leslie
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Publisher's summary

In 16-year-old Mike Hernandez's life, only one thing is clear: Gay is not okay. His family's life revolves around the church, a church run by the vocally intolerant Pastor Myers, so Mike has resolved to spend his life in the closet. His only escape - besides the occasional, anonymous gay make-out session - is his art. He pours his complicated emotions into risque drawings he keeps in a secret sketchbook. A sketchbook he carries everywhere.

When his sketchbook goes missing in the middle of Sunday school, Mike is sure his life is over. He's going to be outed, ostracized by their community, condemned by the pastor, maybe even homeless. What's worse, the pastor's son, Chris, suddenly seems hell-bent on adopting Mike and his friends, and he has no idea why.

When an awkward confrontation with Chris leads to an unexpected kiss instead of a much-expected punch, Mike's world is turned upside down. As their friendship grows and faith is questioned, Mike may be forced to choose between the comfortable life he's always lived and a chance at the love he never thought he deserved.

©2018 Alexander C. Eberhart (P)2020 Tantor

What listeners say about There Goes Sunday School

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  • Overall
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Very Good Story!

An all true story of how many sadly still today go through being gay but raised in religious households. I loved how the ending was. The ending to me was very realistic. I loved that even tho Chris and Mike did not end up together, they both grew and learned acceptance from each other in their brief time. Just like that sometimes the people that make the biggest impact on ourselves sometimes don't stay in our lives and thats ok.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A coming-of-age story, not a romance

I thought it was quite good for what it was (a YA/ high school book), though could not differentiate between the 2 MCs voices. Some of it was hard to believe, but the voices felt genuine. I actually liked the ending (spoiler) bc I think portraying that kind of relationship - one that feels like love, where they even say the words, can just be a brief stop on the romance journey and not the end. I actually dislike when high school romances are made out to be HEAs cause so rarely does it happen. It's possible to feel strongly for a person and stay friends or go back to being friends after trying a relationship.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Relatable and sympathetic

I sometimes wondered if the author was reading my thoughts. My experience is similar to these characters. I’d imagine a lot more out there feel the same way

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book. Okay voice acting

I enjoyed this book. I found the story to be interesting and fun and relatable. Joel Leslie's narration feels a bit extra at times but I still enjoyed it overall.

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  • Overall
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Great coming of age story

This book may seem like an angsty teenage book and trust me it has its moments but it does a wonderful job explaining the terror one feels of growing up gay in a religious community. For those who understand the terror and the sadness of going through this if your anything like me it will have you a sobbing mess more times then not. Great book glad I read!

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beautiful book!

this book has the ring of authenticity to it. A coming of age story that touches on very real conflicts and the journey taken to find one's self and place in the world. there's humor and pain in this story and it is well worth exploring. joel Leslie does a remarkable job bringing the characters to life. his interpretation and presentation make "There Goes Sunday School" a pleasure to listen to, and impossible to put down.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Awesome coming out story…

This is a great love story. It is witty, tragic and shows both positive and toxic reactions to being true to who you are. Loved it!
The artist(s) telling the story does an amazing job acting the story out. I will definitely listen to more stories told by Joel Leslie.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Heart hurting in a good way

Having read Eberhart’s other story I went into this one with some serious trepidation. The other story was unexpectedly heavy and not at all what I was anticipating. This one the other hand was wonderful. It’s absolutely a high school drama with teenage angst and suffering. Given the topic the suffering is real and could have life changing consequences. The characters are like-able especially Chris. I spent my time rooting for him and his evolution and bravery. The end broke my heart but was completely true to life in high school. This isn’t a true romance in the classic hea given the age of the characters but you’re left with hope.

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  • Overall
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you just might cry

It was a sweet first love story. I wasn't prepared to cry at the end but it got me.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Unconvincing

Having grown up in a fundamentalist Christian church, I loved the premise of the story, but I didn't believe in the attraction and love between narrator Mike and Chris, the sensitivity of Mike, who introduces himself as a pretty cynical and open-minded gay guy, or the point of this church that Mike's family seems to attend for no apparent reason. Oh, and the end is extremely unsatisfying if you ended up believing that this was a story of epic love.

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