Everything in Color: A Love Story

by Stephanie Stalvey

"In her luminous debut, Stalvey meditates on her separation from fundamentalist Christianity and how she found love despite questioning her faith. " —Publishers Weekly, starred review

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.

Stephanie grew up in an evangelical community where love and obedience were overlapping themes. In this world, sin was inevitable, her body was a temptation, and desire was dangerous. Her own thoughts could not be trusted, because she was only saved if she believed the "right things" about God.

But as she grew, built a life of her own, and fell in love with a young seminarian named James, the complexities of the human experience became impossible to ignore. Was God truly so exacting and judgmental? Could faith exist beyond these rigid borders? Could love be both passionate and pure? Her connection to James—honest, caring and sensual—became a safe place for her worldview to expand. And when their son was born, she understood love in a whole new way… suddenly, everything was sacred, everything was in color.

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.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Memoir, Nonfiction, Comics, Romance, Religion, Spirituality

Kindle Edition

Published April 28, 2026

Reviews

[Colin Skinner · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I read this in a day, because I couldn’t put it down! If you’ve experienced high control religion like much of American evangelicalism, you’ll deeply relate to this story. I felt seen and spoken for! The use of black and white to convey the stuffy, binary thinking of fundamentalism vs color for the openness and complexity/beauty of critical thinking fits the pages perfectly and works so well for a graphic novel.

Truly one of the best autobiographical graphic novels I’ve ever read.

[Caitlin Waits · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Adri Holt · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 3 out of 5]

thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This book is a very complex one for me to write a review on... And that's because of my own personal life being wrapped. So tightly into this same narrative.

Indeed, so many of the illustrations that featured moments of growing up in the church. Indeed I felt like i was reliving my past. Donut Man, asking Jesus into my heart numerous times because you didn't know if it worked the first time, purity culture.......it's all elements that have impacted my own Faith journey and where I am today.

That's where my struggle is. But this book I was struggling to reconcile my own" deconstruction" or rather my disentangling.. I'm wondering where the author truly stood. I struggled with that. Have they walked away from God entirely? Have they embraced more of a secular mindset? Where are they exactly? I do hate how the church has hurt so many people and how it has influenced so many lives.

What stinks is how human men have taken scripture and twisted it for their own ends. That is where so many of these problems lie. I know this book will resonate with many, especially those who have walked away from Christ in the church. For those of us who have remained, such as myself...it's not so easy of an answer

[Marco Leecock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very pretty, and elucidating. The author successfully communicates the frustrating talking points of the evangelical churches that tactlessly frame themselves in no win situations. If you submit they win, and if you rebel they were right about you. The relationship of Steph and her husband to be was very sweetly portrayed as well. I do feel however that I hit the ceiling with how much I could enjoy this book. For a book dealing with a lot of religious trauma, the aesthetics can sometimes feel bubblegum sweet, and I never really felt like the sense of horror the author was living with came through in the art. It’s a memoir, as always you can do whatever you want in your own memoir, but when it’s done in this consistently aesthetically pleasant way, I am mostly being told about the horrors and how she feels rather than being shown. When good and beautiful stuff is happening, the beautiful art helps to emphasize it, but since it’s aesthetically consistent with the pain in her book, it doesn’t feel like emotional relief or reaching the top of the mountain like it should. Lastly, at risk of being mean, for a book where the author is pouring her heart and soul out on to each page, a lot of the tropes feel extremely obvious. When she was told to see the world in black in white the art is black and white, when she breaks free from that structure she sees the world in color. She has a rebellious spirit that nets her some pushback from her church. The way this rebellious spirit is visually portrayed? A wolf. If that’s really how deep it goes for her I cannot criticize that, it’s her life, but again for a book that is so uniquely her, I feel I’m not getting too many things I haven’t seen a million times elsewhere. I value this book’s perspective and as a work of passion, but as a work of art, and a work of literature I left a bit unsatisfied.

[Elizabeth Collier · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a recovering Evangelical, Stephanie’s story resonated with me deeply. I was that same church kid, seeing the hypocrisy of what the so called “leaders” of my church did in the name of faith verses what Jesus actually said, and was met with the same anger and contempt from my so called “brothers and sisters in Christ” when I dared to ask questions. I especially loved her sections on motherhood. As a new mom myself I see the Divine in my children every day. What a gift to experience love like this. Thank you Stephanie for putting pen and paint to paper. Well done.

[Steff Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephanie Stalvey’s Everything in Color: A Love Story is an incredibly brave and vulnerable sort of graphic memoir. It’s the sort of story that sends me sort of reeling through a ton of different and one that only further builds upon a frustration I have with the world, particularly that of the manipulation for control filled variety. The author’s journey with what I consider to be some of the most widespread forms of genuine—and perhaps unintentional—abuses that exist within the world’s religions.

I certainly appreciate Stalvey’s raw expression of her experiences, the difficulties that they have placed on her life, particularly in how she has viewed herself throughout her childhood and young adult life. It’s truly amazing to watch the resilience a person can have and how they use that to build a more positive life not only for themselves, but for everyone around them.

Stalvey’s artwork is beautiful, though I would advise to read this book outside of work since a few of the pages are a little more private in nature—primarily centered around the experiences of motherhood. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to read about her experiences and I hope her journey was cathartic for her.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Sarah Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A highly anticipated read that, if I'm being honest, was always going to earn 5 stars for the gorgeous art alone! So many beautiful pages, and how humbling knowing they were drawn and painted by hand. But beyond that, Stalvey accomplishes something truly impressive: her memoir about the pain of high-control religion and the healing of finding safety in her own body and relationships navigates the anger and the grief of this experience without bitterness. I think so many reckoning with black and white thinking or purity culture fall into similar patterns at opposite extremes, applying the same rigidity and judgement they are trying to escape to those who oppose their new perspectives. Stalvey has managed so much gentleness for her former self and beliefs, which may not be what everyone needs but is so refreshing for those of us who still feel tenderness around our early religious experiences. Because of this, she's able to show that despite the ways she has changed, she hasn't had to sever herself: by staying tender towards her own pain in the past, she has found a continuity and integration that I truly admire.

Stalvey conveys much of this integration by juxtaposing more recent scenes against flashbacks, highlighting how the hard-earned freedom she's found as an adult and especially a parent now informs her recollections of her distressed youth. I did find myself wondering about the time and the work in between; although I think seeing how far she's come is a source of hope I also think that aching space in between can be lonely and so would have liked to see a little more of her navigating that. As it is though, the book is around 500 pages and shares some very raw personal moments so I can't really be disappointed!

While the trust and affection that grows between Stephanie and James over the course of the memoir is so special and beautiful, I personally interpret the subtitle "a love story" as a reference to Stephanie's journey to loving herself: part of what makes James so good for her is his ability to provide patient support as she unravels her inner shame and fear to discover her own belovedness.

I related to so much of this book and was comforted and inspired by the places it goes a bit beyond my progress. Highly recommend to those who struggle personally with the aftermath of purity culture, or for those who want to better understand a loved one in that struggle.

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a big graphic novel person, but this book was everything I was hoping it would be — and more. The artwork was gorgeous, and Stephanie's story was so captivating and poignant. A really fresh and vulnerable take on the faith deconstruction memoir, and one I found deeply relatable. Will definitely be returning to it often.

[Danielle Stoebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️

[Sam Avery · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book I’ve ever pre ordered as far as I remember. I saw her comics online and they shocked me with how closely they spoke to my life and thoughts. In the journey of deconstruction I know there are others, but it’s so cool to let their voices be louder than the criticism for a bit.
I cried so many separate times, starting like 50 pages in (James Dobson got me). I also had to put the book down several times because of some of the depressingly and infuriatingly real anecdotes. Some people really do live and talk like that youth pastor. The Bible studies, the shame, the conditions on your questions. Nothing you do is enough, and when people look back they rewrite your life as rebellion. There’s a lot of pain wrapped up in this book, but I also knew there’d be joy, and I felt encouraged to keep reading. It can be so hard to find joy not tainted by an oppressive embodied guilt and dread. Stephanie has the courage to let herself breathe in a new perspective. God is here with her, and doesn’t it sound crazy that she ever thought otherwise?
Anyway, love and recommend this book with the caveat that some people would totally hate it lol.

[Katie Blum · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you grew up in purity culture, prime 90s evangelical Christianity, and ended up outgrowing that mold… this may just be the most relatable, soul-healing, beautiful read of your life.

[Brigid Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost read this in one sitting! This was so good. The writing AND the art were beautiful

[Marcus Ganser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything in Color is aptly named. What is it to understand everything? Furthermore, what is it to see that Everything with the full spectrum of vibrancy it deserves?

We live in a world where information, and therefore our interpretation of the world, is increasingly restricted and co-opted in the pursuit of the consolidation of power. Stalvey's autobiography is a microcosm of this, carefully focused through the lens of American evangelism. Having grown up with the identity of a "church kid", she recounts a childhood spent in fear of hell and punishment, which developed into a young adulthood of unhappiness, dissatisfaction, and confusion. These painful windows into her life are blocky and grayscale; a representation of the mental prison she was trapped in for many years.

Bucking against this constrained worldview are warm, colorful vignettes of the various pillars which emerged in Stalvey's life. Her artist's soul; a piece of herself, hated, because it compelled her to observe, question, and disobey. Her future husband James, whose reasonable, nonjudgmental personality was a sounding board for her innermost thoughts and feelings (as well as their first forays into uncertain but irresistible sensuality). Motherhood, which radically redefined love for Stalvey, and finally allowed her to dissolve her last self-imposed barriers, and come to a well of understanding.

The problem, as argued by Stalvey, is that somewhere in our history, mainstream Christianity proved itself an ideal mechanism for human control, and was widely adapted for such. Childhood indoctrination made the religion a core part of personality, which was difficult to separate one's identity from later in life. Intense criticism of self and others kept self-esteem low, making repentance the sole lifeboat of one's worth, as well as a vehicle of superiority. Integration of church into familiar power paradigms, such as patriarchy and nationalism, began to supplant virtues in favor of strict obedience. Domination bootstrapped domination, at all levels. Naturally, this led to bad actors, abuse, and emotional damage.

What is truly impressive about Stalvey's messaging is that although she brings attention to the very serious problems of our modern day institutions, she does so with utter honesty and deep compassion. Those looking to depict her as an "Antichrist" with an axe to grind will find no note of bitterness, no retribution here. Indeed, Everything in Color is, if anything, pro-Christ; pointing out that Jesus's life was spent largely denouncing the trivialities of a powerful religious establishment in order to establish empathy and connection to outcast and reviled members of society. Stalvey likewise extends grace towards many of her former contemporaries, understanding them as human beings with good intentions but troubled circumstances. She credits her parents repeatedly for their love and support, and is truthful about the good memories and moments of community which coexisted alongside the bad ones. Everything in Color may be the model antidote to the kind of poison infecting our national consciousness right now; a personal testament of clarity and heart that seeks not to condemn, but change.

By Stalvey's estimation, there is something in us that searches for deeper meaning. While that craving can be manipulated or exploited by others, it is also a tone that can be recognized, harmonized with. That which is discordant, which fails to hold up to logical scrutiny or the weighing within our hearts, will be apparent. That which we know is right will resonate more strongly, if we take the time, effort, and courage to listen. Excising the toxic elements of Stalvey's beliefs did not destroy her faith. Rather, it brought her closer to a deeper, more holistic relationship with God. Ultimately, the revelation of the book is that we are not meant to realize the grandiosity of our lives with short, easily digestible, but unfilling answers. Rather, Everything - that is, God - is a mystery that is our joy to tease out over the days of our lifetimes, and witness in as many hues with eyes made clear.

[Gabby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a lovely read. It perfectly encompassed the experience of a woman (myself definitely included) growing up as Christians and how they make you feel about yourself, your body, and what is demanded of you in order to be a "Godly," "holy" and "good advocate" of the faith (puke). This book tells of the coming of age story of the author as she shows how her body still stores the harmful rhetoric of evangelical church teachings and how it impacted all of her social interactions and relationships with others. It shows how these messages become internalized on our conscious and ingrained as part of our childhood and how it can bubble up in adulthood (creepy).

It wasn't a total bashing of believers -Stephanie explains how her faith switched from obedience to a rigid code...to something so simple...love. She saw the disconnect between her faith leaders and the message that was coming through the Bible. Faith leaders tend to speak for God and claim they know EXACTLY who is going to hell and what causes you to go there. Not to mention they KNOW these are the end times so you must stay faithful and repentant (ugh, FOCUS Missionaries. Please never talk to me again.) But as Stephanie steps away from the church leaders and concentrates on her family and the love they have for each other, that is where she believes Heaven is - Here on this earth in the love you share with others.

[Kitty Stryker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed Stephanie Stalvey’s art online for quite some time, and was so excited for this book, I pre-ordered it twice! I’m glad I did, because I definitely want to keep one copy, and I am delighted to have a copy I can lend out.

This is such a beautiful story that both broke my heart and helped stitch it back together. The art is absolutely gorgeous and evocative, vibrant, and relatable. The text is incredible. I grew up pagan, so I did not grow up with this idea that sensuality was inherently sinful, and I feel like this book really helped me understand just how devastating that is, not only for a child but for an adult.

I feel like reading this book helped me understand why evangelicals are so fixated on the things they’re fixated on, and how much of it is not based in logic, but in fear, which is a lot harder to untangle. It does not pull punches about the accountability the church has for that kind of emotional abuse to create an environment of control, but I feel like it’s also very compassionate to people who are growing up in that environment. I didn’t really fully understand it before, and I feel like I understand it a lot better now.

But it’s not just a story of interrogating the authors relationship to faith, though that is very much intertwined in the other themes. It’s also about the author getting in touch with herself, and falling in love with someone who was wrestling with some of the same questions, though from a different perspective. I think that’s really helpful for many people, and I hope that this book gets a very wide reach. I think it will be eye-opening for a lot of people, whether you are currently in a high control religion and beginning to ask questions but wrestling with guilt for doing so, or you have fully deconstructed, or like me, this entire mindset is a little bit alien to you. It’s really powerful and I’m so glad that I got to experience it.

[Sage Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was like balm on an old wound that has already helped me to recover from things I experienced from my own upbringing. This story was exactly identical to dogma I was raised with, dogma that shaped my life and dictated who I was until I broke free of it to shape my own identity. But breaking free didn’t mean I wasn’t left without the wounds of tearing out a tumor that grew on my spirit. My scars still bleed with used up guilt and fear that used to rule my every action when I least expect it. It lives with me, but after reading this, I’ve seen that it doesn’t have to control me.

This was a blessing to read, something that gave me hope even though it opened me raw and described things I had come to realize but couldn’t put into words. It was a relief to see another had made a similar journey through and realized the contradictions and dangers that I recognized from within as well.

While I may never be comfortable with religion again after what I experienced, this read has already helped me not fear myself and who I have become.

[Jewels Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just. Wow. This is a must-read if you endured purity culture of the 90s/early 2000s. If you read and internalized “I kissed Dating Goodbye” and “Passion and Purity” and were indoctrinated to suppress your humanity with all its nuance this book is the healing balm you need. I read it in one sitting with tears streaming down my face. Stephanie’s art is absolutely breathtaking and the stories are so incredibly relatable for someone who was only allowed to question if it stayed within a closed loop of certainty with only answers that were approved by the indoctrinating system. This was so helpful to me as I continue down the path of unraveling church trauma and reimagining spirituality in a way that inspires wonder and curiosity. Thank you Stephanie for being so brave and for creatively sharing your gift with the world!

[Maria Almaguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stalvey's gorgeous graphic memoir about her strict Christian upbringing, her courtship and marriage to her husband, James, and raising her little boy, is big but beautiful. She struggles with a question many Christians--myself included as a Catholic Hispanic woman--deal with: falling in love and expressing that love with that little (sometimes loud) voice in your head telling you to save the full expression of that love for marriage. I loved the enlightening and deep discussions with her boyfriend as they navigated their relationship, contending with others' opinions and judgments, while coming to the gradual realization that God brought them together. Rendered in both black and white and full, luminous color, this is a delight.

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like anything I say about this beautiful graphic memoir will be biased, because I felt so seen by her and all that she felt and wrestled with. I'm inspired and encouraged by the ways she's taken what she was handed by evangelicalism and turned it into motivation to love and live more genuinely, in ways she used to believe she couldn't.

On top of that, she's such a talented artist; I love that she embraces the black and white versus color concept and uses it to further tell her story through illustration. If you grew up in the church or under organized religion and took it to heart so deeply that it nearly ruined you, read this. She'll meet you there.

[Richelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I follow the author on Instagram, and saw snippets of this book over the past few years as she brought it to fruition. As a woman who grew up Catholic during the height of purity culture, but who also dabbled in evangelical Christianity in and after college, much of what Stalvey wrote and portrayed resonated very deeply with me. I felt seen.

I absolutely loved the artwork in this graphic memoir, especially how she used black, white and gray to portray the past, especially the harmful and outdated beliefs she outgrew, and color to represent present day experiences and the open-mindedness she now possesses. I look forward to rereading this again and again, savoring the story and the beautiful artwork.

[Nadine Sturgill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley, FirstSecond Books and 23rd St.
Love me a long graphic novel, especially when it hits a bit close to home. Having grown up in a somewhat religious family, purity wasn't exactly forced but it was definitely implied. Read this in one sitting, and enjoyed it as it made me unpack some points in my life as well. To know that it was practically an autobiography of the author and her little family, makes it even more emotional.

Enjoyed the read, and loved the authors note at the end. The side by side photos with the artwork was perfect!

[Lindsay Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of the most beautiful, healing things I have ever read. I felt so much of myself and my journey through deconstruction reflected on these gorgeous pages - faith, afterlife, love, my relationship with my body and sexuality, healing through shame, and more. It reminds me that faith is most vibrantly expressed in community, and that together we can broaden how we conceptualize the divine. Thank you, Stephanie, for this incredible book. With much love from a reconstructing seminarian 💚

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just, wow. The artwork alone is stunning. The story, the self-reflection it caused, and the tears was unexpected. I hope there is another book coming, but for now I will live in her Instagram feed.

I am going to mentally log this one with 'Dancing at the Pity Party'. Different topics, but each comforting in their own way.

[Cathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and illustrated. So much of my own experience reflected back to me.

“ Now that I’m an adult I want to figure out how to hold it all in tension: to carry on the gifts given to me by the people who loved me into being while also addressing the formative wounds I have inherited which are now my responsibility to tend to for my own sake, as well as the sake of my child”
“ how sacred and strange to be alive at all, to love this much, to hurt this badly, to be a part of it all, and possibly awake to all the wonder and terror intertwined with our haunted ancient world to have our turn in the unending circle, even if just for a moment for all of it to exist in us”

[Brianna Kinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything isn’t always black and white and the Fitbit depicted it perfectly. The story flowed beautifully and the illustrations were all stunning throughout. I loved the back and forth timelines, it helped piece everything together flawlessly.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

[Christine Bobby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been a fan of Stephanie’s work for a few years after stumbling upon her instagram posts. As a woman with purity culture and youth group trauma, I found her art and words have resonated with me deeply. Stephanie’s graphic memoir truly is a source of solace for my spiritual journey.

[Jonathan Stroud · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who personally suffers from scrupulosity, Stephanie’s story is a breath of fresh air. I’m so thankful to be able to hold this book now and for her starting all of this! She’s done amazing, and I can’t wait to for more of her stories to come!

[alisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

so so so so so beautiful ☹️❤️ religious, even