This Above All

by Lindsey Roth Culli

When sixteen-year old Piper is cast as Romeo in her school’s production, she’s as surprised as everyone else. Not only because she’s a girl, but also because she’s from one of the region’s most notorious ultraconservative families.

But when the school principal demands that the part be recast “appropriately” or the show cannot go on, Piper faces a choice: become the figurehead to appeal the principal’s decision or accept the message the administration’s ultimatum sends to the school’s gay students, including her new friends. Namely, that they should be ashamed of who they are or whom they happen to love.


Pitched as Dirty Dancing meets Saved!, when the daughter of one of the region's most notorious ultraconservative families is cast as Romeo in her school production, drama is sure to follow.

Genres: Young Adult, LGBT, Shakespeare, Queer, Fiction, Contemporary

226 pages, Paperback

First published August 29, 2016

About the author

Lindsey Roth Culli earned her MFA in creative writing in 2010. She writes books for teens and people who used to be teens. Though she currently calls Baltimore, Maryland home, a part of her heart will forever be hidden among the cornfields of Illinois where she grew up.

She is Team Oxford Comma.

Reviews

[Shomeret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tend to avoid YA novels that take place in high school. Most of these have predictable character types, dynamics and plots. This Above All contained those elements. There were false rumors, bullying and relationships plagued by miscommunication. Juliet was played by a stereotypical popular mean girl. It seems that the director of this Romeo and Juliet didn't prioritize chemistry between the leads.

Sexuality was a theme, but This Above All didn't really focus on sexual relationships as is appropriate in a YA novel. While the specter of lesbianism fueled controversy, there was no actual lesbianism. Heterosexual romance played a role in the plot of this novel, but it wasn't predominant. There was a gay character named Tony, but his life wasn't front and center either.

I felt that the way Piper deals with her real female identity while portraying a male role is the most interesting aspect of this book. She initially had her doubts whether she could or should be Romeo. Yet once she became accustomed to the idea, she threw herself into her fictive male identity.

This Above All is a book that will cause readers to reflect on a number of topics, but I think they will also be moved by the courage of Piper and Tony, and the chosen family they found in the cast of Romeo and Juliet. As we have seen in the TV series Glee, communities of performers can be powerful support systems for teens who feel like outsiders in a hostile world. Anyone who has felt at odds with their families, or with society in general will be able to relate to Piper.

I received a free copy from the publisher in return for this honest review.

See my complete review at http://shomeretmasked.blogspot.com/20...

[Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

When I read the description I was thinking: This sounds like something I might actually like way more than I at first expect. Sometimes, I really enjoy these coming-of-age stories. With This Above All, however, I felt more conflicted.

Starting, I felt: No, this isn't for me after all. I didn't really like Piper, and it was not even all because of the obvious: her family's very conservative (idiotic) viewpoints. She was annoying beyond that. Also, there were some things I didn't think made a lot of sense, even if they progressed the story. Someone, who's secretly gay outing to - of all people - Piper just didn't make sense.

Also, all the clichés, and people getting mad and hurt and what you would expect in these kind of stories, it is all here. This is not to say that it was not an enjoyable read. It was, Piper also gets slightly less annoying by the end, although I do think she remains quite full of herself. She also sort of comes of age.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review at: https://samanthascw.wordpress.com/201...

4.5/5 stars because the repetition of several phrases turned me off a little.

This book addresses several different topics, but the main topics are homosexuality and religion (conservative Christianity), which of course, grabbed my attention instantly because 1) I am a firm supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and 2) I am not particularly religious. Well. Okay, maybe that’s not 100% true. I just don’t quite 100% agree with the teachings of Christianity. (Not an attack towards the religion, just stating my view.)

In this book, Piper comes from a conservative family (and I mean crazy conservative). All the kids are good Christian kids who go around preaching about sins to sinners in public with their pastor father (their mum had already passed away). *shudder* Ugh, I can’t stand people like that. People who force their beliefs onto others. Trust me when I say that I almost threw my phone out the window multiple times out of frustration and my eyeballs rolled so far back only the whites could be seen.

Well, things started changing for Piper when she was cast as Romeo (*gasp* lesbo!) in her school play, and made friends with Tony, who soon after came out to her as gay. As she started sneaking around behind her family’s back to get to rehearsals (because, obviously, she can never let them know about her being Romeo) and hanging out with her new friends, she realized that all the ‘sins’ she has preached against her whole life weren’t as crazy as her dad made them sound like. She started seeing things from other people’s perspective and got to experience life outside of the box her conservative father put her in.

"And the realization slams into me with a force so urgent it nearly knocks me over: the world isn’t perfect, I love it anyway. God loves it anyway."

So many topics were touched on in this book; friendship, bullying, the toxic rumour mill in school, homophobia, and of course, religion. I felt that Culli did a great job at distributing the weight between all those topics and I’m so grateful that she didn’t just make a half-assed attempt to discuss them, because they all played a vital role in shaping Piper’s transformation from a naïve conservative following in her father’s footsteps to a person who has her own beliefs and chooses to worship god her own way.

"And hating people in order to ‘love’ them seems awfully counterproductive. Wouldn’t it just be easier to love them?"

All in all, this was well-written. It was a good coming-of-age story, especially for those who have been practising religion based on what others are telling them to believe. You know what? I’m going to carry a copy of this book with me around (send me one! *wink, wink*) and the next time I come across a preachy homophobic religious person, I’m just going to pass it to them, tell them to read it, and calmly walk away. Yep. Sounds like a good plan, doesn’t it?

I got an ARC from Curiosity Quills (thanks!) and this is my review of it.

[Sarah A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a surprise. I got it from Netgalley & Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for a fair and honest review. Once I had obtained it, I wasn’t sure I really wanted to read it. Even once I started it, I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about it. As I kept reading, however, I saw a lot of my younger self in Piper, including my journey with some truths involved in my faith. In the end, I really truly loved this little book and the story it told.

This book reminded a lot of the movie Saved! Piper is very similar to Mary in that movie in the way she begins challenging things she's held dear for a long time, though this book didn't feel quite as satirical as the movie. Piper's voice is real, especially as she struggles internally over her part in her father's church and over questions of how God could create something God doesn't love. Having been raised Catholic, my upbringing wasn't the same as Piper's, but I always had trouble subscribing to some of the tenets of my faith, like the judgment of people who belong to the LGBTQ community. It didn't sit right with me. I didn't believe (and still don't) that God could create someone to feel that way and then judge them for it. I didn't (and don't) believe that God would think love is evil, no matter what form it takes. I certainly don't believe God expects us to hate people for who they love. As I read Piper's journey in this book, it very much mirrored my own, and felt extremely authentic. Her struggle over what to stand for, and how it would impact her relationship with her family, was also very realistic to me. Even the ending felt like life: it was a work in progress. I also liked that the book didn't feel extremely judgmental of Piper's family background. Instead, it felt like it highlighted some nuances of it, and left hope within the portraiture.

In addition to Piper, I found myself enjoying some of the other characters: her friend Tony, her best friend Jodi, and her love interest Dylan. Not all of them were as fully fleshed out as they could be, but they definitely weren't high school stereotypes either. They all had their own feelings and their own secrets, and they all played a part in Piper's ongoing struggle. The only thing I didn't love about this book was that I felt like sometimes chapters ended in weird places, but overall, I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a quick read with a great, realistic protagonist, with thoughts on faith and life thrown in for good measure.

review originally posted @ http://reviewsreadathons.wordpress.com

[Roberta R. (Offbeat YA) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excerpt from my review - originally published at Offbeat YA.

Pros: Original premise. Funny and heartfelt. Likeable main character, with a clear, pleasant voice.
Cons: The last third of the book takes a dive into trope land.
Will appeal to: Those who like theater/acting. Those looking for a coming-of-age story.

First off...DISCLAIMER: I received this novel from Curiosity Quills in exchange for an honest review. To be more precise, I specifically requested a review copy. That didn't affect my opinion and rating in any way. Here goes...

OFF TO A GOOD START

I have a confession to make: I'm a sucker for stories about teens performing (Fame, anyone? I grew up with it, as this post reveals). Also, in this case, a girl cast as the male lead in a school production was a hell of a premise. Especially since Piper comes from an over-religious, ultra-conservative family. But when I started on the book, I found out that TAA was somehow exceeding my expectations. For one thing, we are thrust mid-action (or better, mid-acting), with Piper auditioning for the main female role in Romeo and Juliet, all while her inner monologue gives us enough backstory about her and her family without sounding info-dumpy. I could practically smell stage dust :) - and I took an immediate liking to Piper's voice. Her passion for acting, and Shakespeare in particular, dates back to when her deceased mother read "secular" books to her younger self - books that, of course, are frowned upon (to put it mildly) by Piper's pastor father. The author is able to convincingly shape a character caught between her family's and church's expectations (and the kind of God she's been taught to believe in) on one side, and her consuming passion for all things theater on the other - which, in turn, will lead her to question her whole upbringing and the dogmas surrounding it. [...]

Whole review here.

[McKinlay · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

This book. This friggin book. This book tackles questioning your faith, and those trying to tell you what to believe, and how to properly worship God so perfectly, i cried several times. I was raised LDS, and while the LDS church, at least my ward, never actively preached hate, or acted as extremely as the Baptist church in this book (think Westboro), the way Piper questioned things really resonated with me. I could go on, but i went into this book with zero expectations and honestly, loved every minute of it. I will hit some bullet points though, without giving anything away.

-Characters: Piper is our narrator and she's strong, and vulnerable, and courageous, and i love her.
Other characters to love, Dylan and Tony. who both play different but important roles, and aren't perfect, but still awesome.
-Romance: minimal
-Diversity: minimal, but one of the main characters is queer. and sexuality does play quite a huge role in the plot.

I would recommend this to anyone who has ever questioned, not so much their belief in God, or their Faith, but perhaps questioned the people telling you how to worship. And honestly i wish i could get all the people who claim to be Christian, but turn around and spit hate and vitriol at the LGBTQ+ community, to read it too, but we all know they won't.

[Meaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I would like to thank the publisher and author for providing me this ARC to review. Please note that the version I read was an advanced copy, and certain events/language may be changed in the published edition.

Stars (Out of 10): 8/10 Stars

Favorite Character: Tony

Spoiler Free: Looking back, I’m not 100% what made me request this book from NetGalley, since it’s not the type of story I usually enjoy, but I’m really glad I did.

I was originally quite put off by our narrator, Piper, because her ideologies are so much different from mine. At certain points in the beginning of the story, it was actually quite hard to read her opinions on certain people and things. But as Piper started questioning herself and beliefs, and warming up to the idea of diversity, I started warming up to her!

While I can’t say I liked every part of the plot, and certain parts of the ending really got on my nerves, it overall was a really nice story. One of the first things I noticed when reading was how natural/realistic the writing felt, and how it seemed to fit Piper perfectly. It probably is what helped me warm up to Piper as fast as I did!

In the end, I highly recommend this story. It’s not a book that’s supposed to push forward religious teachings, but rather provides another viewpoint, and seems to promote a general idea of questioning what we’re taught about other people, and taking the time to learn and understand people who are different from us.

Careful! Spoilers beyond this point!

Spoilers: My main thoughts here will be on the ending, both the good and the bad parts.

First, the good! I’m super happy this wasn’t some miracle ending. While yes they pulled off the show, they were the ones who still had to find another venue since the school decision was not overturned. Additionally, one fancy speech on Piper’s end did not change her family’s minds, as they are still set in the same beliefs, although maybe less rigidly. I also really liked that Piper didn’t give up the religious part of herself, since that seems to be a very important part of her, and is instead exploring other, more accepting, avenues!

What I didn’t like is how the romance was pulled off at the end. While the way Dylan “lost” his girlfriend at the end kinda worked, the fact he was such an ass to her and then suddenly it was okay was just terrible. Actually, how the entire Tony x Piper rumor went down was just horrible. All of her friends ditched her because of it, even though they knew what sort of person she was, and that she would never do that. Even when confronted, with Piper explaining the situation (and not outing Tony, since she’s actually a decent person), they still chose to believe the rumors started by someone who openly hates Piper. I was totally okay with the best friend and Dylan up until this point, and I don’t agree with how that part was resolved at the end.

But all in all, this was a really surprising read in that I loved it way more than I expected to!

[John Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely intelligent and captivating story about a girl who has the courage to follow a dream while questioning everything she's been taught to believe. Anyone who has dealt with the hate, homophobia and rigidity of Christian fundamentalism will relate to what Piper goes through in this story. It's one I would encourage teens (and adults) to read and for all libraries to add to their collection.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not sure why it took me so long to read this. :) This book is written by a member of my church and Ellie thought it was so cool when I told her and C&C's mama wrote this book!

[Line · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good book, but for a book about lgbt rights and censorship there's a...lack of lgbt characters? The main character was a straight girl who was standing up for lgbt rights and while this is great (allies are great and necessary) there weren't enough people she stood up for. like she suddenly has a gay bff and that one guy suddenly makes her realize what her dad's been preaching is wrong. I'm not saying it would have needed more than one lgbt character for her to realize that, but I feel like it could have made the story richer? make it feel less like it's about a straight savior.
i know this is about a straight ally who's new to being an ally and trying to figure out what she really believes in, and that's an important thing for allies to do, but that also doesn't exactly make it LGBT lit. It's more About LGBT lit

[cassie wang · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an arc from the publisher for review consideration (thanks Curiosity Quills!) this in no way affected my review, cross my heart.

Piper is already going behind her father's back when she auditions for the school play. Then to make matters worse she is cast as Romeo, a role her uber-religious father will most definitely not approve of. As to him, a woman playing a man's role in a play (a romantic one no less) is an act of homosexuality, which he considers, a sin against God. Piper is forced to decide between the religious beliefs she was brought up on, and the her newly developing opinions.

I requested This Above All from Netgalley because the synopsis intrigued me. I found the story idea to be really unique, and I'd also recently taken an interest in theatre (Hamilton's to blame).

At about 10% this book really sucked me in. I did nothing but read for a couple hours (this may have also constituted forgetting about my homework and staying up too late on a weeknight). While I didn't manage to finish This Above All that night (it got too late, and if I sleep any later than 1:00 am then I'm guaranteed horrendous suffering the next day) the first thing I did next morning, was to finish the book.

It was really interesting to see Piper's views change. I've seen plenty of character development, but I hadn't seen one quite like this before.

I'm not completely sure whether the portrayal of Piper's very religious family is 100% accurate, being raised in a pretty unreligious atmosphere myself. It seemed a bit extreme in some cases, like the flushing people out of the woods with foghorns and flashlights. Though the anti-gay protests definitely felt realistic, and it really hurt to see her family treat people so poorly simply cause their sexuality.

The ending was a bit anticlimactic, I just felt it fell a bit flat. As for the love interest, I had a meh-ish attitude towards him. He wasn't too bad, except the part where he does some stupid things to supply romantic conflict.

Overall This Above All was a great, quick read. The story deals with difficult and controversial topics without being too preachy, and has beautiful character development.

[Mynoma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Recommend This Book

Yes
I really loved this book.

The premise was all I was looking for and hadn't realized until I saw this book. The book touches such an important topic, and something I have argued about with a lot of people, makes me want to shove this book on their faces. Which I wont, because I'm sure it's not the best example.

At first I thought the book was gonna be about how Piper continued her drama club activities despite her father's protest. I expected more conflict on this area, honestly and I was kinda disappointed.
I was wrong, bUT I'm glad Roth took this route instead because it was so good indeed.

Even with the topics of religion and homosexuality dancing around each other, this coming of age novel is full of lighthearted moments. Which I loved, because it delivers an important message without being overly angsty about it. It's not all drama, theres parties, escapades, sex and friendship overall.

I liked the characters so much, specially Tony because I relate a lot to him. Wish I had his guts. Piper was a very likeable main character and it was easy for me to put myself on her shoes and understand her situation. I liked how the cast members were so supportive, that they understood it was no longer a casting problem, but an erasure and homophobic problem. I even liked the romance, I liked how real Dylan was, I'm glad his argument with Piper wasn't solved with a simple apology, that he came to understand his mistake. I didn't like Jodi, she should've known better.

Only thing I didn't like was that when it came down to the conflict, the thing Piper was dreading so much; telling her father, it was so easy and un dramatic that I cringe. The end felt simple and flat. I'm glad things turn out someway, but it feels unsatisfying. We also don't see what happened with Tony's parents, that's something I was really looking forward to since his father stormed out of the gym.

Overall, good characters, great development, but the end could have been better.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested this book from NetGalley because the title is from my favorite Shakespeare quote ("This above all: to thine ownself be true."). The quote is actually from Hamlet, but this story focuses on a high school drama class' performance of Romeo and Juliet.

The main character, Piper, comes from a very conservative religious family and she's the daughter of an evangelical pastor. Despite knowing it's not allowed, she tries out for the play anyway and gets the lead role...as Romeo. She quarrels with herself over it because she's been taught that being gay is wrong, and wouldn't it make her gay to play Romeo since Juliet is a girl too?

Piper has a lot of growth over the course of the book and really becomes her own person. She stands up for what she believes in and defends her new friends, even though that means defying her father nd everything that she's been taught. She even finds love. The friendships in the book were well done and felt like they'd be accurate for high school kids (disagreements, rumors, getting to know new people, etc.).

Religion is mentioned a lot in the book since her father's a pastor, but it's not anti-religion. Piper remains faithful throughout the book, but she questions her father's tactics (which are very similar to those of the Westboro Baptist Church). I know that can be a touchy subject, but I feel like the author handled it well without insulting anything.

I would recommend this to fans of Shakespeare, young adult books (especially lgbt ya) and to people who like reading good books.

[Agus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This above all by Lindsey Roth is a book about a Christian girl who thinks homosexuality is a sin. Everything changes when she's casted in Romeo and Juliet... as Romeo.

It was a very hard book to read, because of the harshness of Piper's family. I'm not talking about what they believed in, because everyone's free to think what they want, but how they expressed their beliefs. Putting "fornicators" under the spotlight (quite literally), calling homosexual people faggots and dykes, yelling that everyone who sins or doesn't believe in god is going to hell, and more. I've never met any Christian, Catholic, Muslim, or basically anyone who believes in a god of some sort, who was this harsh. I knew people like this existed, but reading about it, it was violent.

I'm not gonna tell you that you'll enjoy this book, but it is a really good book. Piper's journey is truly amazing. All through the book, she questions her beliefs, which she believed in basically all her life. But she begins to understand that maybe, just maybe, she can have different beliefs.

All in all, is a pretty good book, and I think everyone should at least give it a chance.

**Thanks to NetGalley and Curiosity Quills for providing me a galley**

[deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75
Bulletpoint Review:

•The writing style wasn't great, and there were a few grammar/sentence structure mistakes. The writing could have been more refined.
•I think the characters were well written, and although there were a few characterization cliches (ex: Chole, "stereotypical mean girl") I think this was a fun group of high schoolers to read about. Good, diverse cast.
•I really liked the main character, Piper. She finds herself really struggling with what she has been raised to believe and what she is finding out about the world and her friends. I really appreciate that, in the end, Piper also didn't just abandon her religious belief. The fact that she is actively searching for a church that "fits" her was incredibly nice to see!
•the plot dragged a bit in spots, but the storyline itself was really very interesting!
•overall, a solid read that addressed a clashing of ideas (certain religious beliefs against sexuality) that I haven't seen addressed often in YA books.

[Kathy MacMillan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating portrait of a girl from an evangelical family learning to make her own judgments about the world and what she believes. Piper's dilemma - deeply wanted to pursue the role of Romeo when it is offered to her, coupled with a very real desire to stay in her family's good graces - was compelling. I especially appreciated how nuanced the portrayal of religion and belief were in this book. It was never a simple either/or, and Piper's struggle to reconcile the faith she had been taught with her own experiences felt very real. It is unusual to see religion and faith dealt with so directly in YA, and I loved the fact that Piper's faith remained crucial to her and influenced her actions, even as she chose a different path than the one her father had laid out for her.

[Kelly Hager]

Piper is one of the middle kids in a really religious family--so religious that it's a little blasphemous when she even wants to TRY OUT for her high school play. But when she's cast as Romeo, things really fall apart.

This is such a sweet novel. I love stories where people grow in their faith (and yes, I think questioning things can count as growth) and I love that Piper can do that without doing a complete 180 and deciding that there isn't a God.

Recommended.

[Jennifer Cook Nafziger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great debut novel from this author! I love the way the main character comes to grips with the reality of struggling with the faith she has been raised with and coming into her own. Well done.

[Yasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. It's just that at the beginning I just wasn't feeling it