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Everything in Color: A Love Story
Not yet published
Expected 28 Apr 26Interrogating her own upbringing in an evangelical community, Stephanie Stalvey weaves a story of faith, alienation, romance and acceptance, in this beautifully painted graphic memoir. Perfect for fans of Blankets by Craig Thompson and Fun Home by Alison Bechdel.
"Everything was either black or white. Pure or impure."
Stephanie grew up in an evangelical community where sin was inescapable, her body was a temptation, and desire was something to be feared. She was convinced that her thoughts couldn't be trusted, therefore obedience was paramount. She was only safe if she believed the "right things" about God.
But as she built a life of her own, fell in love with James, and became a mother, the complexities of the human experience became impossible to ignore. Was God truly so exacting and judgmental? Could faith exist without shame? Could love be both passionate and pure? Her connection to James- honest, aching, and sensual- became a safe place for her worldview to expand and grow.
Through striking prose and beautiful mixed-media illustrations, Stalvey takes us on an emotional journey of faith, romance, motherhood, and loss. With tenderness and honesty, she unravels the fear and guilt woven into her past, reclaims her sense of self, and shows us how to embrace a love that is healing, transformative, and wholly one's own.
"Everything was either black or white. Pure or impure."
Stephanie grew up in an evangelical community where sin was inescapable, her body was a temptation, and desire was something to be feared. She was convinced that her thoughts couldn't be trusted, therefore obedience was paramount. She was only safe if she believed the "right things" about God.
But as she built a life of her own, fell in love with James, and became a mother, the complexities of the human experience became impossible to ignore. Was God truly so exacting and judgmental? Could faith exist without shame? Could love be both passionate and pure? Her connection to James- honest, aching, and sensual- became a safe place for her worldview to expand and grow.
Through striking prose and beautiful mixed-media illustrations, Stalvey takes us on an emotional journey of faith, romance, motherhood, and loss. With tenderness and honesty, she unravels the fear and guilt woven into her past, reclaims her sense of self, and shows us how to embrace a love that is healing, transformative, and wholly one's own.
528 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication April 28, 2026
183 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 22, 2025
Absolutely gorgeous art style! In an autobiographical graphic novel, Stephanie Stalvey explores her black-and-white fundamentalist upbringing and contrasts it with a new, richer understanding of the world. She reflects on the past with kindness, noting the good intentions and love of those around her even as she acknowledges the pain and wounds of the system in which she grew up. She moves back and forth between her black-and-white memories and colorful scenes of her family today, musing on a mother's love and the joy of children and childhood, morphing into a discussion on love, religion, and hope. This book broke me, in the best way possible. Stalvey could have been illustrating scenes from my life throughout this text, and I found her musings and illustrations wonderfully freeing, imaging a way forward based on love and security. This book really resonated with me, particularly reflecting on the messaging being pushed in religious books and in youth groups during the early 2000s, as well as how motherhood recolors ones perception of the world.
August 15, 2025
The thing about the purity culture is that it is usually used on the girls. They must remain pure until marriage. The boys, well, in theory they are told the same, but wink wink, nudge nudge.
Stephanie calls herself a church kid. She is reaised to think the church is always right, and that she has to please god, above all things. And she remains pure as the driven snow, to the point that she breaks out in a rash if she even thinks about going to far.
And then she meets the young man that she falls in love with, and she has problems, because she isn’t supposed to lust, and yet she is.
I love the self-reflect on this book, as the author talks about her upbringing, and how she feels now that she is married and has a child. On one hand, she wants to bring the child to church, and have that community, but on the other hand, she hates the hypocriticalness of it all, and the shame put on young children for being themselves.
It is amazing that she grew up and was able to reflect enough and break free enough to see the two sides of the religion she grew up in.
Good look at how religion can strangle one, as it tries to embrace at the same time. Well written story. My heart aches for her as she struggled with her love of her boyfriend, and knowing she wasn't supposed to go even as far as kissing with him.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out on the 28th of April 2026.
Stephanie calls herself a church kid. She is reaised to think the church is always right, and that she has to please god, above all things. And she remains pure as the driven snow, to the point that she breaks out in a rash if she even thinks about going to far.
And then she meets the young man that she falls in love with, and she has problems, because she isn’t supposed to lust, and yet she is.
I love the self-reflect on this book, as the author talks about her upbringing, and how she feels now that she is married and has a child. On one hand, she wants to bring the child to church, and have that community, but on the other hand, she hates the hypocriticalness of it all, and the shame put on young children for being themselves.
It is amazing that she grew up and was able to reflect enough and break free enough to see the two sides of the religion she grew up in.
Good look at how religion can strangle one, as it tries to embrace at the same time. Well written story. My heart aches for her as she struggled with her love of her boyfriend, and knowing she wasn't supposed to go even as far as kissing with him.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out on the 28th of April 2026.
August 11, 2025
Stephanie grew up in an evangelical household. She was brought up to believe in eternal Hellfire. Throughout her childhood she was led to believe that she was a sinner, that everything she did would be judged by God. She struggles to find the balance between her upbringing and the woman she’s growing into. As someone who went to church and bible studies consistently, her break from the church and the people she thought would love her unconditionally, was an incredibly difficult decision. This was a fantastic, heart-wrenching retelling of what Stephanie had to go through and still battles against.
As someone who also grew up in an evangelical household and has left that religion, this one really hit home. I cannot express how much it is worth the read. It will be immediately purchased upon release for my best friend.
#ThxNetGalley #StephanieStalvey #EverythinginColor
Merged review:
Stephanie grew up in an evangelical household. She was brought up to believe in eternal Hellfire. Throughout her childhood she was led to believe that she was a sinner, that everything she did would be judged by God. She struggles to find the balance between her upbringing and the woman she’s growing into. As someone who went to church and bible studies consistently, her break from the church and the people she thought would love her unconditionally, was an incredibly difficult decision. This was a fantastic, heart-wrenching retelling of what Stephanie had to go through and still battles against.
As someone who also grew up in an evangelical household and has left that religion, this one really hit home. I cannot express how much it is worth the read. It will be immediately purchased upon release for my best friend.
#ThxNetGalley #StephanieStalvey #EverythinginColor
As someone who also grew up in an evangelical household and has left that religion, this one really hit home. I cannot express how much it is worth the read. It will be immediately purchased upon release for my best friend.
#ThxNetGalley #StephanieStalvey #EverythinginColor
Merged review:
Stephanie grew up in an evangelical household. She was brought up to believe in eternal Hellfire. Throughout her childhood she was led to believe that she was a sinner, that everything she did would be judged by God. She struggles to find the balance between her upbringing and the woman she’s growing into. As someone who went to church and bible studies consistently, her break from the church and the people she thought would love her unconditionally, was an incredibly difficult decision. This was a fantastic, heart-wrenching retelling of what Stephanie had to go through and still battles against.
As someone who also grew up in an evangelical household and has left that religion, this one really hit home. I cannot express how much it is worth the read. It will be immediately purchased upon release for my best friend.
#ThxNetGalley #StephanieStalvey #EverythinginColor
October 5, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley and First Second Books for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I did not grow up with religion. My parents left their church when they thought it was becoming more about money than one’s faith. Yet, when I became an adult, I embraced the Catholic Church, for all its faults. Yet, I could never understand how evangelical “Christians” could say that Catholics aren’t Christians. That is only one thing that bothers me about the evangelical movement and why it’s so fascinating reading about people raised that way.
Everything in color is a graphic memoir along the lines of Tia Leving’s A Well-Trained Wife and April Joy’s Star-Spangled Jesus. There’s a definite faith-deconstruction arc being explored in the book. The central thought process of re-parenting oneself after being indoctrinated as a child is, for lack of a better word, fascinating in how some people overcome their childhoods.
This graphic memoir does contain some “graphic” material with illustrations of nakedness (here’s where I get on my soapbox and say just like comedian George Carlin used to, ‘I’d rather have my kids watch two people making love than two people trying to kill each other.’) The illustrations are truly beautiful artwork throughout, and more intimate scenes show the openness of author Stephanie Stalvey.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who is curious how one overcomes childhood indoctrination of religion.
I did not grow up with religion. My parents left their church when they thought it was becoming more about money than one’s faith. Yet, when I became an adult, I embraced the Catholic Church, for all its faults. Yet, I could never understand how evangelical “Christians” could say that Catholics aren’t Christians. That is only one thing that bothers me about the evangelical movement and why it’s so fascinating reading about people raised that way.
Everything in color is a graphic memoir along the lines of Tia Leving’s A Well-Trained Wife and April Joy’s Star-Spangled Jesus. There’s a definite faith-deconstruction arc being explored in the book. The central thought process of re-parenting oneself after being indoctrinated as a child is, for lack of a better word, fascinating in how some people overcome their childhoods.
This graphic memoir does contain some “graphic” material with illustrations of nakedness (here’s where I get on my soapbox and say just like comedian George Carlin used to, ‘I’d rather have my kids watch two people making love than two people trying to kill each other.’) The illustrations are truly beautiful artwork throughout, and more intimate scenes show the openness of author Stephanie Stalvey.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who is curious how one overcomes childhood indoctrination of religion.
August 4, 2025
Interrogating her own upbringing in an evangelical community, Stephanie Stalvey weaves a story of faith, alienation, romance and acceptance, in this beautifully painted graphic memoir. Perfect for fans of Blankets by Craig Thompson and Fun Home by Alison Bechdel.
My first read of graphic novel in religions/memoir. I will give this a 3.5 stars. It interesting of how this author wrote this graphic novel in love story and color of experience of growing up and question about belief and stuff.
#NetGalley
My first read of graphic novel in religions/memoir. I will give this a 3.5 stars. It interesting of how this author wrote this graphic novel in love story and color of experience of growing up and question about belief and stuff.
#NetGalley
August 14, 2025
I wasn’t ready for the ride this graphic novel was going to take me on with so many heavy topics so well talked about and drawn out. I cried, laughed, and related to so much when it comes to navigating your spirituality and expectations. Honestly this book hit me to the point I preordered it before being done reading it. Thank you first second books and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review
September 28, 2025
I really liked her art work and honest reflection on growing up in a church pressed by the evangelical movement. I think for the most part this story will resonate with many who had a similar upbringing. Part of me was wondering why place so much emphasis on purity but the movement placed that on and in her. I really appreciate how in all her grappling she didn't abandon her faith but came to a more God centered understanding of love.
August 8, 2025
Incredibly raw, real, and human. I feel honored to have been able to receive this advanced reader’s copy for review.
What I loved: realistic depiction of motherhood and how truly difficult it is to be a parent. Beautiful art throughout with so much soul. Deeply personal and illuminating; this will make you feel something, guaranteed.
What I loved: realistic depiction of motherhood and how truly difficult it is to be a parent. Beautiful art throughout with so much soul. Deeply personal and illuminating; this will make you feel something, guaranteed.
August 20, 2025
I’ve already read most of this on Patreon and I am so so so excited for it to come out in print form! This is such a powerful book and Stephanie‘s art is absolutely beautiful. She captures such deep emotions, spirituality, and religious systems through her imagery and storytelling.
September 16, 2025
Revelation 20:15 NET
[15] "If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, that person was thrown into the lake of fire"
Matthew 3:2 NET
[2] “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
[15] "If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, that person was thrown into the lake of fire"
Matthew 3:2 NET
[2] “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
September 23, 2025
Not only is this BEAUTIFULLY illustrated, it's also a very heartfelt and raw look at religion, spiritually and coming to terms with the stress and shame that comes with separating from fundamentalist Christian purity culture.
August 20, 2025
This was a good read, and an important read. As someone who grew up similar, I think the author really captured the experience of growing up in Evangelical Christianity very well. The anxiety, the questioning, the trying to figure out your own beliefs outside of everything you’ve been told. Highly recommend if you grew up in it or if you want a peek into what that kind of environment was like.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews