Sweet Clarity

by Rhiannon Richardson

A sweet, contemporary, sapphic romance of self-exploration and self-love by The Meet-Cute Project author Rhiannon Richardson.

Clarity Jones has her first kiss with Hannah Fitzpatrick while away at Christian summer camp. Though it wasn’t like her to be so impulsive, realizing she’s gay slid a missing piece of her identity into place and was the most freeing experience of her life. However, Clarity’s self-discovery turns to disaster when she and Hannah are found together—and she gets a glimpse of how the truth can turn her life upside down.

Now that she’s home, Clarity vows to do whatever it takes to keep her secret from her Baptist parents and not lose any more friends. Only this goal becomes increasingly complicated as Clarity must choose between who she been pretending to be and who she really is.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT, Queer, Romance, Lesbian, Realistic Fiction

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 28, 2026

Reviews

[Liralen]

The summer before senior year, Clarity went off to Christian summer camp and fell in love. It didn't end all that well—but that's not this story. This is the what happens after.

I never went to summer camp as a kid. My sister, older by one year, went to Christian summer camp (I assume it was cheap) and came back mildly indoctrinated,* so that was the end of summer camp for our family. And I think Clarity's experience is part of why my parents made that decision: Because when Clarity is different from the other campers, that difference is not celebrated but shamed.

"Girl goes to summer camp" is not a new story; neither is "girl goes to summer camp and falls in love" or for that matter "girl goes to summer camp and falls in love with another girl". But the story after that story feels much newer: Clarity finds herself back on her home turf, but with many of her classmates and other teenagers at her church (not to mention the woman who runs Sunday school) knowing that she's not straight, and she's terrified of how her parents might react if they find out, and she doesn't know how—or whether—to continue the relationship she started over the summer.

Some of Clarity's decisions in pursuit of staying in the closet are...not great. It's good for storytelling purposes, of course, and realistic that a teenager wouldn't always think things through (I'm not complaining), but towards the end of the book I think she's apologizing for the wrong reasons—apologizing for asking someone to keep her secret rather than apologizing for actively using someone, for example.

But it's a really nice twist on something classic, with a solid set of secondary characters (Clarity's parents are great, and the Sunday school teacher plays an unexpected role). A satisfying addition to the genre.

*The mild indoctrination did not last, and she still remembers being scandalized by saying grace...

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

[Jeremy]

This was a really cute story with a really meaningful and important message. I was curious to see how the author approached a really personal and nuanced conversation (religion and sexuality). Seeing Clarity battle these internal struggles and really try to navigate the life she had previously envisioned for herself (as well as what she feels is expected from her) while coming to terms with her true feelings and the future she is being called towards was handled really well. Clarity’s feelings (insecurities and fears) were written so earnestly and honestly that I think a lot of readers will really relate to this (religious or not). I also want to highlight that this could be a really helpful tool for parents (especially parents who are religious) when it comes to gaining empathy and understanding for the pressure and emotional turmoil that is placed on kids around being their own authentic self. It really is up to the parents to make sure their kid feels safe and secure in their family and home to be able to explore and have these sorts of conversations.
I think the core romance in the story is pretty well done. There is a lot of care and respect that is there and, while there are obvious issues and frustrations (particularly around identity and trust), I think it was really cool seeing these characters really come together and navigate these themes as they prepare for adulthood and really have these genuine conversations about their feelings and wants.

One thing that I really did struggle with was the friendship between Clarity and Kristen. For most of the book, I found Kristen to be rather antagonistic and I really expected (and wanted) their friendship to dissolve. There was a conversation about when Clarity will “finally” come out to her best friend, but even that idea made me uncomfortable because no one is “owed” someone’s coming out–especially when they are treating you how Kristen was treating Clarity for a good chunk of this book. And I think this could have maybe been an interesting aspect to the story, but it didn’t really go anywhere. They never really address Kristen’s attitude shift nor is it a conversation about how relationships sometimes fall apart as we head into adulthood. I also hated Kristen’s boyfriend throughout the entire story.

Overall, this was a really insightful and touching story that I think a lot of people could really benefit from as it offers a really important perspective that impacts a lot of LGBTQIA+ youths.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing | Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for providing me with a digital review copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

[Bella and the Bookstack]

Thank you so much to Simon Teen and the author for an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was sooo emotional. You could tell how personal of a story it was to the author. I could feel this book in my heart.

Sweet Clarity definitely held lots of moments of joy, yet it did lean into a lot of difficult and painful things as well. There were definitely moments I had to set this one down just because it felt so very relatable.

I think a lot of characters in this book were written to be very real, and in doing so, they made mistakes. Kristen, despite loving Clarity a lot, was not always a good friend to her. However, I loved how this book allowed growth for so many of the characters, including Kristen.

Despite all of the painful moments, this book healed something in me! It was so special to read a book like this.

Thank you again to the publisher for sending me this book. And thank you to the author for writing this!

[Madison Knueppel]

Wow. I picked up this book on my birthday because I wanted something lesbian and romantic to read. I really didn’t expect to like this nor relate to it as much as I do. I love how real everything felt, and how authentic it was. Being gay and religious is a really difficult thing to be for some people, and I have been there! Reading a book about a young African American woman falling in love and finding her self acceptance in her faith and within herself, was really amazing. I was crying!! We need more books where these things can coexist, not just one or the other. Also I love seeing wlw, even when it’s hard, Hannah and Clarity never gave up on one another. Wow this book was amazing!

[kells]

I honestly thought this book would be bigger, I think the author deserves some more recognition honestly. I saw it in my library because of pride month and the pretty cover already drew me in (it gets brownie points for that... but why is it not visible on goodreads??).

Although I can't speak on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community, I still feel like this queer novel was a great representation of the struggles a religious closeted individual goes through as a teenager. Clarity's struggles and inner conflict navigating her sexuality, a burgeoning romance with someone else of the same sex as a closeted individual, figuring out where her religious beliefs lie while still attending church, and feeling afraid over whether or not her religious parents as well as overall community will accept her or not all felt extremely raw and real (apologies for this very long sentence). It's always difficult also in a queer relationship when one of them is out and one isn't. I know many queer people in real life even avoid dating people who aren't out altogether because of the emotional conflicts and stress that these kind of relationships bring. The author did a very good job of showing both Clarity and Hannah's individual POVs throughout the relationship. Even though the story was told from Clarity's POV, I still felt Hannah's own frustration as a lesbian open about her sexuality and not wanting to hide her relationship yet wanting to respect her partner at the same time.

I also felt like the novel was generally quite realistic. I do feel like from what I've heard and noticed that it's very common for many queer people to not realize they are queer until a certain someone enters their life. Having someone be their queer awakening, yk? It was also realistic in the sense that Clarity was NOT accepted by EVERYONE. Homophobia, especially religious homophobia- it's very real and we see that in life literally ALL the time. It was also good to see that Clarity was able to accept herself in the end while still keeping her religious beliefs dear to her. I don't mean that every queer person who grew up with a religious bringing HAS to stay religious of course (no way). What I mean is that she was able to come to terms with her sexuality while still loving the religion that she grew up with. In a similar sense, there are other people in this book with religious upbringings that also accepted her:) The author included homophobia (bc duh unfortunately) while showing how people's beliefs can evolve.

I will say that ngl in the beginning Clarity's best friend was frustrating me A LOT. I know she thought she was helping Clarity out, but she was totally acting a bit out of line and honestly doing too much. Obviously, she didn't know she was queer at first, but she was still annoying me. However, she went through her own character development and I grew to like her more by the end of the book. Clarity herself was not a perfect person either, but I guess that just adds to the realistic aspect of this book. Character development! (But I get it)

Overall, if you want to read another lovely queer book about coming out and accepting oneself, please do give this a try. Clarity is a Black teen realizing she likes women whose developed a thing for another girl at her school, an open lesbian. She is grappling with this while living in fear of being shunned as someone in a Christian family who grew up attending church.

[fanboyriot]

After falling in love with a girl at a religious summer camp coming home and working through those feelings makes for a difficult life. Clarity is painfully in the closet, and unable to even tell her best friend she has a girlfriend.

I really enjoyed this book, it’s one of those books you know is near and dear to the author. The main character Clarity working through coming to terms with being gay and unsure where her religious family stand before she comes out, working through her own faith something she did not question until people were treating her differently. It was depressing to see her be so paranoid, but she had a good support system once she was ready to come out to them. Also, Hannah was absolutely amazing, she was so kind and understanding even when it hurt her at times.

I will say Kristen not taking no for an answer with the match making made me so mad. Ambushing her into a blind date was so toxic, even if she meant well by it in her own way. She did eventually become better thankfully, she was more aware, and even apologized. But she had me annoyed for a moment there. The friendship between her and Clarity did feel real though, it wasn’t perfect and it had its ups and downs which was nice.

(Note: I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity.)

Read For
✓ Sapphic
✓ Contemporary
✓ YA (High School)
✓ Coming of the Age
✓ Angst with a Happy Ending

⚠️ Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

Spice Level: n/a
Sad Level: 💧💧💧

Plot: 8/10
Pace: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Characters: 9/10
Enjoyability: 9/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Would I Recommend? Yes
Favorite Character: Hannah and Clarity

Favorite Quote: (coming soon, once quotes can be confirmed with the published version)

POV: First Person
Pages: 288
Format: ebook
Language: English
Release Date: 28, April 2026
Rep/Extras: Lesbian (Main Character), LGBTQIA+ Characters

[Beth]

Thank you to Netgalley for the free arc! I had high hopes for this book as it was very engaging and moved along well at the beginning. This book tells the story of Clarity, a Christian teenager who goes to Camp Refuge to be a counselor the summer before her senior year of high school. She meets Hannah, a lesbian from her high school, and unexpectedly develops feelings for her. This changes Clarity's persepctive on who she is and what this means about being a Christian. While Hannah is out, Clarity is not and so they sneak around during most of the summer until something happens...

The book continues as they both begin senior year of high school and end up in similar activities. Clarity must navigate her feelings for Hannah while being closeted, scared to reveal who she is to her family and friends. It is this middle part of the book that feels a bit dragged out. There are certain scenes which are just bogged down with too much unnecessary details describing the setting and such that just slowt he story down.

The last 2/3 of the books picks up the pace. It is hard to write too much about the plot without giving too much away. While many books with closeted gay teenagers can have some dark themes, this one is more uplifting in nature and has a hopeful and positive conclusion.

[Cindy Stein]

In the summer before her senior year of high school, Clarity works at a camp run by her church. It's there she meets Hannah, a girl who goes to her school but not someone she knows at all. The two become friends and then more and Clarity is freaked out that her relationship with another girl will become known. Then the worst happens and the two are discovered at camp which leads to Clarity losing friends from church. Luckily, her parents don't find out but Clarity doesn't know whether to stay in touch with Hannah when they're back at school. Then Hannah is asked by a teacher to be the co-president with Clarity of the fall festival committee.

This is a YA novel about coming out and accepting your authentic self in the context of needing to deal with the tension of following a faith that preaches against homosexuality. While I appreciate YA books that focus on faith and don't make the main character abandon their beliefs, this book felt a bit too long and somewhat draggy in the middle. It might have worked better to get Hannah's POV and not just Clarity's.

I was provided an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley.

[ReadwithKenzie_]

Rating 3.75⭐️

ARC REVIEW: thank you so much Simon teen for giving me an early copy!

I thought this was a cute and moving coming of age romance. The main character, Clarity is struggling with her identity after discovering she is into girls during a Christian summer retreat. You watch her question herself, her faith, her friends, any so many others. I think this is such a good story for young readers but also just anyone who may be going through something similar. I loved how supportive and patient Hannah was during the process. I loved how Kristen didn’t hesitate to support her best friend. There were a few moments where I was really struggling with clarity and how chose to handle certain situations but I also understood that at her age and with her circumstances it made sense. Bc of that though and a few other things I rated it a 3.75⭐️ but this was such an amazing story!

[Kathleenandherbooks]

This was a really cute book and it also had a really important message.

I enjoyed the conversation around religion, especially as someone who was Clarity's age and went to Catholic school, I found much of my own story within this book.

I think this book to be an important one to read, and a good recommendation to those who may find themselves stuck in spaces similar to the characters in the book.

I found myself getting very emotional throughout this book, and the characters feel very real and you truly empathize with them as you read.

There was also great character development across the board, and the writing was very strong.

I will definitely be recommending this book to some friends who I know would also really enjoy this story and the journey these characters go on.

Thank you so much Simon Teen & Netgalley for the earc of this book!

[Rosi]

I really enjoyed this one. Two girls fall for each other at summer camp; one is an out lesbian, while the other is a church girl who grew up Christian. I particularly enjoyed how it explores that religious angle of her journey with self-understanding. It talks about all the worries that come with being both gay and queer: Social, familial, existential, spiritual, all of it. I didn't agree with the way she came to terms with that religious and spiritual side of things, but it was in-character for both her and it was nuanced (something that I find lacking a lot of the time when Christianity is used as a point of conflict in these kind of queer awakening books).

[Stenasia Grady]

It was good.

I feel so bad for everyone in the story, based on how things progressed and how everything played out.

It was rather emotional for me considering I had to keep telling myself out yourself in her shoes.

I am glad in the end it was a happily ever after but I would have been really interested to see a conversation between Clarity and her beard.

[Jasmine Shouse]

This is a really lovely coming out story with a religious background that I think teenagers will really relate to. The teenagers acted like teens, making mistakes and figuring things out. I loved Hannah and Clarity together.

Highly recommend for readers of queer YA books.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for the opportunity to read and review.

[Liesl Young]

DNF @ 54%. I wanted to like this as Clarity’s situation is something I know very personally. Unfortunately, I found Clarity insufferable and the conflict contrived. Incidentally, I happened to read Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth in the middle of this, which is an extremely similar premise but better done. I wanted this book to be Say a Little Prayer by Jenna Voris but it was not it.

[Jane Dennish]

If you are looking for a good YA book that explores the themes of struggles with identity and sexuality, this would be a good book for a teen to read. The main character fell in love at camp this summer. The only problem is it was church camp. That’s not to say others have not fallen in love at church camp. But this was different. She fell for a girl. And a leader in her church found them. And they are not the type of Christians who are accepting of gay relationships. The book explores the themes of struggling with your identity in these toxic religions and acceptance. This would definitely help those struggling to come out.

Thank you to Simon Books for a gifted copy!

[Kayleen]

this did not happen to me when i went to church camp unfortunately

[JXR]

Gorgeous, fun, well-written sapphic romance with some impeccable plotting and an incredible amount of chemistry in the characters. 5 stars. tysm for the E-ARC.

[Natalie ☆]

4.25⭐️ Thank you to Simon Teen for the physical ARC!!
This was such a sweet book that honestly warmed my heart but also made me emotional. A lot of great discussions around religion and sexuality. I think this is such an important book for people to read, whether you’re straight or not!