What do you think?
Rate this book
And It Came to Pass
Adam Young is a devout Mormon whose life is all planned out, by both his strict father and his church. He follows the path they’ve established for him, goes off to his mission in Barcelona, Spain, and realizes that his life may not follow the trajectory already chosen for him.
His mission companion, Brandon Christensen, is a handsome, enthusiastic practitioner on the surface. But as their mission progresses, they both realize they have major questions about their faith… and substantial feelings for one another.
His mission companion, Brandon Christensen, is a handsome, enthusiastic practitioner on the surface. But as their mission progresses, they both realize they have major questions about their faith… and substantial feelings for one another.
220 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 18, 2017
17 people are currently reading
714 people want to read
About the author
Laura Stone
3 books148 followersLaura Stone, a descendant of pioneer polygamists from the early days of the Mormon Church and a former Gospel Doctrine teacher, keeps busy as a media blogger, ghostwriter and novelist when she's not raising her youngest child and puttering in gardens.
While the majority of her family still lives in Utah, she resides in her home state of Texas because it's where the good tamales are.
While the majority of her family still lives in Utah, she resides in her home state of Texas because it's where the good tamales are.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
August 28, 2017
I want to cover some basics before we get started, just for anyone who doesn't know where this review is coming from. I'm a gay woman who grew up in Utah. I was raised as a part of the LDS church and being Mormon was a huge part of my identity for many years. I later came out and left the church, but most of my family remains Mormon. I think a lot of my opinions about this book are due to my very personal experience with the story. So, let's talk about why I gave this 2 stars.
Crafting an authentic story of a character dealing with faith and sexuality is difficult. It is an intensely nuanced situation, and is is different for every person who has had to face it in their own ways. My problem with this book comes mostly from the lack of nuance I feel it had. Adam is a young Mormon who has never quite felt like he belonged with the church. When everyone has spent their lives telling him that they feel the Spirit, he has played along and hoped that one day he would feel the same. Then, on his mission, he meets his mission companion who is kind, a beacon of belief, and... a person who questions the church. Within the context of the LDS church, questioning teachings is not encouraged or even really allowed, so to meet a person who can have faith and also have questions in so many ways alters Adam's world.
The problem that I had with so many of Adam's feelings towards the church is that they are black and white. There is a point in which he believes everything, and then a point where he believes nothing. It is a dramatic shift that very much doesn't take into consideration the many ways that the church becomes layered into your everyday life. It also paints church members in the same good/bad dichotomy. Those who believe most strongly are violent homophobes, racists, and they are brutally uncaring. By comparison, those who aren't a part of the church or who choose to leave it are loving, honest, and live their lives with open arms for those who need a place to turn. This is not the nuanced way to deal with Mormons, and it just isn't accurate. I have met these evil Mormons who clearly don't have love or God in their hearts, but I also know it as a community of people who strive to be kind. There are people on all sides, and it is a brutal misrepresentation of the community to describe it in this way.
Beyond that, I had a real problem with how many of the rituals of the church were handled. This is something I don't quite know how to talk about, except that it was clear many of these scenes came from a very angry place. I understand anger. I have a lot of rage about many of the things I was taught when I was a part of the church, but certain scenes in this book went out of their way to mock and cheapen the things that those within the Mormon church find most holy and spiritual. Using these spiritual symbols didn't feel authentic, it felt like a way to piss of those who understand most deeply what they mean. As a person who no longer believes any part of the church, I was still offended and angered that even the things least harmful in this system of beliefs was being used this way. It was yet another way, in my opinion, that the story lacked nuance. Boys who have grown up loving this community and this belief system would not so easily demean the rituals they have been taught are holy. It made intensely spiritual parts of a belief system nothing but sexual, and it was frustrating on so many levels.
I did think this book had a stronger first half. I thought it dealt with things from a more balanced perspective, and there were some moments that strongly resonated with how I felt growing up in the LDS church. That feeling of being behind everyone else, of wishing I could believe as hard as my family and friends. I remember the guilt, but also the community. Also, the fact that repression is so big within the church that when you never feel an attraction for a member of a different gender, you never assume you might be gay you just think you're being a good Mormon! It was in the second half of the book that so much of this fell apart.
Beyond the larger issues, I wasn't invested in the romance between Adam and Brandon. Them getting together took ages, and then their romantic arc suddenly got incredibly rushed. The villains were mustache twirling and devoid of any reason why you might understand them.
I wanted to enjoy this book. This is a topic I'm incredibly interested in, and I was pulling hard for a romance that also got to deal with difficult subjects and questions of identity. Unfortunately, I got absolutely none of those things as I got through this story. It was a miss, and maybe it was more of a miss for me because of the personal connection I feel to this type of story, but it was a miss nonetheless. So, coming from a gay ex-Mormon, if you are looking for an authentic representation of sexuality vs faith and leaving the church, this may not be the best pick.
Crafting an authentic story of a character dealing with faith and sexuality is difficult. It is an intensely nuanced situation, and is is different for every person who has had to face it in their own ways. My problem with this book comes mostly from the lack of nuance I feel it had. Adam is a young Mormon who has never quite felt like he belonged with the church. When everyone has spent their lives telling him that they feel the Spirit, he has played along and hoped that one day he would feel the same. Then, on his mission, he meets his mission companion who is kind, a beacon of belief, and... a person who questions the church. Within the context of the LDS church, questioning teachings is not encouraged or even really allowed, so to meet a person who can have faith and also have questions in so many ways alters Adam's world.
The problem that I had with so many of Adam's feelings towards the church is that they are black and white. There is a point in which he believes everything, and then a point where he believes nothing. It is a dramatic shift that very much doesn't take into consideration the many ways that the church becomes layered into your everyday life. It also paints church members in the same good/bad dichotomy. Those who believe most strongly are violent homophobes, racists, and they are brutally uncaring. By comparison, those who aren't a part of the church or who choose to leave it are loving, honest, and live their lives with open arms for those who need a place to turn. This is not the nuanced way to deal with Mormons, and it just isn't accurate. I have met these evil Mormons who clearly don't have love or God in their hearts, but I also know it as a community of people who strive to be kind. There are people on all sides, and it is a brutal misrepresentation of the community to describe it in this way.
Beyond that, I had a real problem with how many of the rituals of the church were handled. This is something I don't quite know how to talk about, except that it was clear many of these scenes came from a very angry place. I understand anger. I have a lot of rage about many of the things I was taught when I was a part of the church, but certain scenes in this book went out of their way to mock and cheapen the things that those within the Mormon church find most holy and spiritual. Using these spiritual symbols didn't feel authentic, it felt like a way to piss of those who understand most deeply what they mean. As a person who no longer believes any part of the church, I was still offended and angered that even the things least harmful in this system of beliefs was being used this way. It was yet another way, in my opinion, that the story lacked nuance. Boys who have grown up loving this community and this belief system would not so easily demean the rituals they have been taught are holy. It made intensely spiritual parts of a belief system nothing but sexual, and it was frustrating on so many levels.
I did think this book had a stronger first half. I thought it dealt with things from a more balanced perspective, and there were some moments that strongly resonated with how I felt growing up in the LDS church. That feeling of being behind everyone else, of wishing I could believe as hard as my family and friends. I remember the guilt, but also the community. Also, the fact that repression is so big within the church that when you never feel an attraction for a member of a different gender, you never assume you might be gay you just think you're being a good Mormon! It was in the second half of the book that so much of this fell apart.
Beyond the larger issues, I wasn't invested in the romance between Adam and Brandon. Them getting together took ages, and then their romantic arc suddenly got incredibly rushed. The villains were mustache twirling and devoid of any reason why you might understand them.
I wanted to enjoy this book. This is a topic I'm incredibly interested in, and I was pulling hard for a romance that also got to deal with difficult subjects and questions of identity. Unfortunately, I got absolutely none of those things as I got through this story. It was a miss, and maybe it was more of a miss for me because of the personal connection I feel to this type of story, but it was a miss nonetheless. So, coming from a gay ex-Mormon, if you are looking for an authentic representation of sexuality vs faith and leaving the church, this may not be the best pick.
July 12, 2017
Just to correctly set the right tone for my review, I've gotta say that I genuinely liked this story a lot, BUT...
So. Much. Fucking. Horseshit.
This story completely reminds me of how much I dislike formalized religion.
How it's used to control others. Make anyone possibly different more palatable to the masses. Forcing them to suppress themselves in order to make other people feel better, comfortable in their 'sameness,' no matter if others are miserable.
Nope. Fuck that shit, hated it.
(Sorry, I may have just a touch of hostility left over from being raised pretty strict Southern Baptist.)
For the first half or so of the book, there was a boat load of dogma and rules and guilt. So very much guilt. I'm not going to lie, I was thrilled when the story finally took a drastic turn into genuine feelings territory.
My very favorite part of this story was the exact part that I'd worried about the most. What would happen when they got caught, because you knew, as surely as the sun sets in the evening, that that was what was going to happen.
I loved both Adam and Brandon from the start; however, as the last half of the story unfolded, I felt genuinely proud of both of these amazing young men. Of how they opened themselves up to one another and grew. How they were true to one another. And to themselves. I know it sounds crazy to be proud of characters in a book, but well, there you have it, because I was.
If you're looking for a steamy read, this most definitely wasn't it. Even during the middle of 'explicit' scenes, the wording of the story left me confused as to whether anything sexual was actually happening or not. Spoiler. It was.
But the single most bizarre aspect of this story was that, while in the throes of passion, both characters had a tendency to start talking to the Heavenly Father. Right in the *middle* of getting busy.
I found that more than a little disturbing, with it coming across almost fetish-like. It wasn't, but sweet baby Jesus, it sure felt that way to me. Sorry, but if I'm sucking your junk, please, for the love of God, don't start having directed conversations with the man upstairs. That's just creepy, sorry. Eyes down here.
So if you're okay with sitting through a lot of religion and guilt, I felt that the payoff by the end was well worth the price of admission in this story and would rate it a solid 4.25 stars.
-----------------------------------------------
My ARC copy of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair, unbiased review.
See All My Latest Reads (Review Quick-Links)
-----------------------------------------------
September 13, 2017
*3.5 stars*
And It Came to Pass was a well-written, interesting romance from new-to-me author, Laura Stone.
One thing you should know about this book is that it is HEAVY. I mean, really weighty stuff, here, and if you don't like to read about religion, just look the other way.
I've always been curious about Mormon views on sexuality, but this book seems a bit... angry at the Mormon religion. I honestly don't know if Mormon's can be both gay and a practicing Mormon (it seems like they can't, if they are out at least), but it was interesting to read about.
Coming from someone who is Jewish, I was curious about this one. I'm not very religious, and Reform Jews are notoriously liberal, but it is true that being a Jew and gay as you get into the realm of orthodoxy is extremely difficult and often outright not accepted. I'm not sure if it works like that for Mormons (are their tiers of religious zeal for Mormons?), but in this book at least, it was not okay to be both Mormon and gay.
Much of the book is a self-exploration of religion. It is a religious journey, and while I was curious about that part of the story, I thought all the pages of religious back and forth detracted from the connection between the two MCs, from a romance standpoint.
The romance itself was intense, but no sex on page (for those curious). I wish we got a little more relationship development, but what we saw was angsty, emotional, and fulfilling, even if I still wanted more one-on-one dialogue.
I would recommend this book for most readers, especially those who like religion in their romance. I thought the writing and tone were beautiful, even if I was a little bogged down by the philosophical musings after a time.
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
And It Came to Pass was a well-written, interesting romance from new-to-me author, Laura Stone.
One thing you should know about this book is that it is HEAVY. I mean, really weighty stuff, here, and if you don't like to read about religion, just look the other way.
I've always been curious about Mormon views on sexuality, but this book seems a bit... angry at the Mormon religion. I honestly don't know if Mormon's can be both gay and a practicing Mormon (it seems like they can't, if they are out at least), but it was interesting to read about.
Coming from someone who is Jewish, I was curious about this one. I'm not very religious, and Reform Jews are notoriously liberal, but it is true that being a Jew and gay as you get into the realm of orthodoxy is extremely difficult and often outright not accepted. I'm not sure if it works like that for Mormons (are their tiers of religious zeal for Mormons?), but in this book at least, it was not okay to be both Mormon and gay.
Much of the book is a self-exploration of religion. It is a religious journey, and while I was curious about that part of the story, I thought all the pages of religious back and forth detracted from the connection between the two MCs, from a romance standpoint.
The romance itself was intense, but no sex on page (for those curious). I wish we got a little more relationship development, but what we saw was angsty, emotional, and fulfilling, even if I still wanted more one-on-one dialogue.
I would recommend this book for most readers, especially those who like religion in their romance. I thought the writing and tone were beautiful, even if I was a little bogged down by the philosophical musings after a time.
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
July 30, 2017
Full disclosure: I am not religious. At all. And I'm not really a fan of organized religion, either, for many many reasons that I won't go into here because this isn't the right forum. However, I will say that the whole idea that a person should feel ashamed about having feelings or sex or a relationship with someone of the same sex is abhorrent. When religion is used to oppress people, I get angry, and I felt such anger during some parts of And It Came to Pass, that I wondered if I would even make it to the end.
So you might wonder why, since I have such an aversion to religion, I would read a book that is so heavily religious as this one. One so "in your face" with it all. The answer is I generally don't unless I am well familiar with the author. I need to be sure that there is hope and with unfamiliar-to-me authors, such as Laura Stone, I would have normally passed this story right on by. But I have a trusted friend who read it and recommended it to me, so I felt it was worth the chance. I will say that And It Came to Pass was not an easy read for me.
The story is told from Adam's POV, so we know what kind of upbringing he had. We know how unhappy he is and how he feels unworthy because he can't find the joy in his religion and his mission that he's seen in others. He feels like a failure because of it. While we don't see and experience Adam's family before his mission starts, it is obvious that his house was not one of love. We see it in every thought that Adam has. We see it in his every fear. Adam is so repressed and comes from the strictest of strict families. His parents are not loving nor are they accepting of anything outside the strictest interpretation of what the church teaches. Homophobia and religion aside, his parents were awful people and I hated them for how they treated their own child.
Brandon's family, in contrast, were wonderful. Brandon was raised in a house full of love. While his family was devout, they also seemed to know when to step back and use their own reasoning skills. They weren't afraid to question doctrine and search their own hearts for answers. And without their support, this story might not have worked as well as it did for me. Brandon embodied every quality that growing up in a house full of love and support can impart. He wasn't afraid of encouraging others. He was a positive influence on everyone around him - rather than being someone others were afraid of. He was a leader, not a dictator. And without him to show Adam that life didn't have to be what his father insisted, I fear for what would have happened to Adam.
And It Came to Pass is a beautifully written and poignant story about two young men who discover, with each other, that love transcends all things. And that loving each other is not only possible, but beautiful and life-affirming. That they can be true to themselves and be happy. It's also about what a family should be. How families should sick together and be supportive. And more than anything, And It Came to Pass is about love and overcoming life's obstacles in order to embrace it. Adam and Brandon's journey was filled with uncertainty and angst, but what they had was gorgeous and, as painful as their journey was, I'm glad I stuck with the story until the end. It really was worth it.
-----------------------
Review copy of And It Came to Pass was generously provided by the publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
So you might wonder why, since I have such an aversion to religion, I would read a book that is so heavily religious as this one. One so "in your face" with it all. The answer is I generally don't unless I am well familiar with the author. I need to be sure that there is hope and with unfamiliar-to-me authors, such as Laura Stone, I would have normally passed this story right on by. But I have a trusted friend who read it and recommended it to me, so I felt it was worth the chance. I will say that And It Came to Pass was not an easy read for me.
The story is told from Adam's POV, so we know what kind of upbringing he had. We know how unhappy he is and how he feels unworthy because he can't find the joy in his religion and his mission that he's seen in others. He feels like a failure because of it. While we don't see and experience Adam's family before his mission starts, it is obvious that his house was not one of love. We see it in every thought that Adam has. We see it in his every fear. Adam is so repressed and comes from the strictest of strict families. His parents are not loving nor are they accepting of anything outside the strictest interpretation of what the church teaches. Homophobia and religion aside, his parents were awful people and I hated them for how they treated their own child.
Brandon's family, in contrast, were wonderful. Brandon was raised in a house full of love. While his family was devout, they also seemed to know when to step back and use their own reasoning skills. They weren't afraid to question doctrine and search their own hearts for answers. And without their support, this story might not have worked as well as it did for me. Brandon embodied every quality that growing up in a house full of love and support can impart. He wasn't afraid of encouraging others. He was a positive influence on everyone around him - rather than being someone others were afraid of. He was a leader, not a dictator. And without him to show Adam that life didn't have to be what his father insisted, I fear for what would have happened to Adam.
And It Came to Pass is a beautifully written and poignant story about two young men who discover, with each other, that love transcends all things. And that loving each other is not only possible, but beautiful and life-affirming. That they can be true to themselves and be happy. It's also about what a family should be. How families should sick together and be supportive. And more than anything, And It Came to Pass is about love and overcoming life's obstacles in order to embrace it. Adam and Brandon's journey was filled with uncertainty and angst, but what they had was gorgeous and, as painful as their journey was, I'm glad I stuck with the story until the end. It really was worth it.
-----------------------
Review copy of And It Came to Pass was generously provided by the publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
July 5, 2017
Difícil de valorar, le voy a poner 4 en lugar de tres por la belleza del viaje personal de ambos personajes del que el lector es testigo.
Adam y Brandon son dos chicos mormones encargados de atraer nuevos creyentes a su religión en Barcelona, España. Ambos son gays, algo prohibido en la fe mormona, están obligados a vivir juntos y se enamoran, el hecho de enamorarse y que eso sea algo condenable les lleva a hacerse muchas preguntas sobre la doctrina que están intentando enseñar a otros. Es muy hermoso ver cómo se enamoran, cómo se van preguntando y respondiendo a sí mismos, cómo se van abriendo y cómo al final llegan a la conclusión de que el amor nunca puede ser algo malo o equivocado. Esa es la mejor parte del libro, está hecho con mucha delicadeza por parte del autor y no puedes evitar que se te rompa el corazón un poquito por ellos. Sin embargo, la religión mormona está íntimamente relacionada con todo lo que ocurre en el libro y con los personajes, y si bien está claro el profundo conocimiento de la autora sobre el tema, y aunque algunos aspectos son muy muy interesantes, en algunas ocasiones el aspecto teológico fue un poco árido para una agnóstica como yo. Es cierto que el libro me ha hecho pensar sobre cuestiones que están muy lejos de mi realidad,y que siempre lo han estado puesto que mis padres tampoco son creyentes, y es cierto que he aprendido mucho, pero a veces he tenido la sensación de que el ritmo se perdía y algunas de las cosas que estaba aprendiendo realmente no me interesaban/preocupaban. Creo que la autora ha hecho un trabajo fantástico en el retrato de esa juventud mormona y en las preguntas que muchos de ellos deben hacerse, pero me habría gustado más si lo hubiera rebajado algo.
Respecto al hecho de que se sitúe en Barcelona, no creo que la ciudad haya tenido un protagonismo muy especial, para mi se queda mucho en la superficie y a veces en el estereotipo, aunque la autora la conozca. Además, hay alguna cosa que me ha dejado sorprendida, como el mormón que sabe vasco y lo habla con un hombre mayor vasco (que se llama Íñigo, claro) que vive en Barcelona o.O, bueno, supongo que pasar, puede pasar, está claro. Por otro lado, hay pocas cosas en español, pero parece inevitable el hecho de encontrar siempre faltas de ortografía, normalmente acentos, y hay varias. Sé que la autora se tomó cierto interés en hacerlo bien puesto que yo fui una de las personas que le contestó en Twitter a una pregunta sobre el castellano, pero al final debes hacer que alguien revise ese texto, y ese alguien no vale con que hable español, o sea española, debe ser alguien que haya estudiado Filología o tenga una preparación para corregir, no es lo mismo hablar una lengua que escribirla, y eso lo sabemos todos que leemos faltas de ortografía cada día. Ese aspecto, como casi siempre con los autores de USA, decepcionante.
Una historia intensa y bonita bien contada. Hay que cuidar la lengua del país sobre el que escribimos.
Adam y Brandon son dos chicos mormones encargados de atraer nuevos creyentes a su religión en Barcelona, España. Ambos son gays, algo prohibido en la fe mormona, están obligados a vivir juntos y se enamoran, el hecho de enamorarse y que eso sea algo condenable les lleva a hacerse muchas preguntas sobre la doctrina que están intentando enseñar a otros. Es muy hermoso ver cómo se enamoran, cómo se van preguntando y respondiendo a sí mismos, cómo se van abriendo y cómo al final llegan a la conclusión de que el amor nunca puede ser algo malo o equivocado. Esa es la mejor parte del libro, está hecho con mucha delicadeza por parte del autor y no puedes evitar que se te rompa el corazón un poquito por ellos. Sin embargo, la religión mormona está íntimamente relacionada con todo lo que ocurre en el libro y con los personajes, y si bien está claro el profundo conocimiento de la autora sobre el tema, y aunque algunos aspectos son muy muy interesantes, en algunas ocasiones el aspecto teológico fue un poco árido para una agnóstica como yo. Es cierto que el libro me ha hecho pensar sobre cuestiones que están muy lejos de mi realidad,y que siempre lo han estado puesto que mis padres tampoco son creyentes, y es cierto que he aprendido mucho, pero a veces he tenido la sensación de que el ritmo se perdía y algunas de las cosas que estaba aprendiendo realmente no me interesaban/preocupaban. Creo que la autora ha hecho un trabajo fantástico en el retrato de esa juventud mormona y en las preguntas que muchos de ellos deben hacerse, pero me habría gustado más si lo hubiera rebajado algo.
Respecto al hecho de que se sitúe en Barcelona, no creo que la ciudad haya tenido un protagonismo muy especial, para mi se queda mucho en la superficie y a veces en el estereotipo, aunque la autora la conozca. Además, hay alguna cosa que me ha dejado sorprendida, como el mormón que sabe vasco y lo habla con un hombre mayor vasco (que se llama Íñigo, claro) que vive en Barcelona o.O, bueno, supongo que pasar, puede pasar, está claro. Por otro lado, hay pocas cosas en español, pero parece inevitable el hecho de encontrar siempre faltas de ortografía, normalmente acentos, y hay varias. Sé que la autora se tomó cierto interés en hacerlo bien puesto que yo fui una de las personas que le contestó en Twitter a una pregunta sobre el castellano, pero al final debes hacer que alguien revise ese texto, y ese alguien no vale con que hable español, o sea española, debe ser alguien que haya estudiado Filología o tenga una preparación para corregir, no es lo mismo hablar una lengua que escribirla, y eso lo sabemos todos que leemos faltas de ortografía cada día. Ese aspecto, como casi siempre con los autores de USA, decepcionante.
Una historia intensa y bonita bien contada. Hay que cuidar la lengua del país sobre el que escribimos.
July 15, 2017
Adam and Brandon meet in Barcelona, Spain where they are serving as missionaries for the Church of Later Day Saints (LDS or Mormons). Young Mormon men and women serve for two years in missions all around the globe and are paired up with instructions to always have your mission companion by your side. Missionaries live by an extensive list of regulations and requirements: black pants, white shirts and ties for men, no television, all email communications are via the church and are monitored regularly, no swimming, only half-court basketball games, no games where scores are kept, men ride bikes, women get cars, living in LDS-provided apartments, weekly meetings with their team and regular meetings with the Mission President, daily personal bible study, etc.
Adam's parents are very strict and frankly joyless and Adam has always felt lacking in his faith, as defined by both the church and his parents. Living with Brandon opens his eyes: "Was this how other people lived every day? With joy and ease and camaraderie?" But as they become good friends, Adam becomes aware of his deeper feelings for Brandon:
The plot of this story held my interest every page of the way and while the book provides a great background on LDS beliefs, it didn't feel slow or awkward. There is little on-page sex, which completely fits into how Adam and Brandon struggle with their faith as they slowly find their way to a new awareness of what it means to love:
I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Review also posted at Gay Book Reviews - check it out!
Adam's parents are very strict and frankly joyless and Adam has always felt lacking in his faith, as defined by both the church and his parents. Living with Brandon opens his eyes: "Was this how other people lived every day? With joy and ease and camaraderie?" But as they become good friends, Adam becomes aware of his deeper feelings for Brandon:
The hints of what may lie deep within himself terrified him. The thoughts he'd carefully kept locked away, thoughts he never entertained except in frustrating dreams that left him cold and horror-stricken upon waking; those thoughts could lead to his eternal damnation.The author of And It Came to Pass has serious "cred" regarding LDS. Her great-great grandfather became a Mormon in the 1840's and she grew up very devout but has since backed away from the church and "now that all three of my children have come out as LGBT, I'm grateful I did not saddle them with a faith that does not want them." Through the book she raises questions about Mormon doctrine and wonders why a church that claims to be all about the family makes parents choose between their church and their queer children. Here's a terrifyingly sad statistic - Utah currently has a suicide rate among teens 4 times higher than the national average.
The plot of this story held my interest every page of the way and while the book provides a great background on LDS beliefs, it didn't feel slow or awkward. There is little on-page sex, which completely fits into how Adam and Brandon struggle with their faith as they slowly find their way to a new awareness of what it means to love:
Good things were from God and God was love. God was goodness and happiness, and he felt those things more strongly when he was with Brandon that he'd felt anything else in his entire life.5 stars for And it Came to Pass and as Laura Stone says in the last lines of the book : To anyone struggling as an LGBTQ person in the LDS faith : You're not alone, you're enough just as you are, and you're loved.
I received an ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Review also posted at Gay Book Reviews - check it out!
October 7, 2025
*re-reading September 2025 I still loved it and cared so much for Adam and Brandon. It’s such a great feeling when a book holds up when reading it a second time😊*
*original review*
My second 5 star read of the year and also one of the most beautiful books I will read this year. It went straight up to my ‘favorites ever’ shelf. So heartfelt, so beautifully written, this is an exceptional book.
I've always had this fascination with religion and sexuality, how the two of them never seem to go together, and are cause for feelings of rejection, of 'not being normal', of being unloved and unacceptable. It's something that causes pain and hurt that's hardly imaginable. Without wanting to get too political or too disrespectful, I think everything we heard about the Catholic Church and sexuality sums it up pretty well. But Catholicism isn't the only religion that stands out when it comes to rejection or non acceptance of LGBTQIA+ members of our society.
When it comes down to the church of LDS I read Autoboyography by Christina Lauren and also Dustin Lance Black's memoir Mama's Boy: A Story from Our Americas. Both books are on my shelf of all time favorites. I think both books gave me a pretty decent idea of how this religion works.
This books gets a place right next to them. Laura Stone did a tremendous job with telling the story of Adam and Brandon. Coming from the church herself, I think we can consider this story as authentic as can be. Of course it's a lovestory, it's fictional, but I can't get passed the idea that the author wove a lot of her own upbringing into this and that, like Autoboyography, this story is based on actual events.
Adam's inner struggling to accept how he felt, to get passed his father's harsh words and surreal expectations felt so real and I just wanted to comfort him and tell him he would be all right. The way he was brought up, lacking parental love, never being told he was loved, that he was good the way he was, never being amicably or lovably touched. Instead, he had a long list of things he needed to live up to too.
When going on his mission, he meets Brandon, also on his mission, in Barcelona, and a slow change sets in. For the first time in his life Adam experiences friendship. He experiences that sometimes you can bend the rules a little bit, or let go of them for a little while.
Brandon shares his questioning, the doubts he sometimes has when it comes to their religion. They talk about it openly. Adam learns Brandon is someone he can trust, even though his attraction to him and his growing feelings are confusing him more and more.
Like I already mentioned, as the author originally comes from the church herself, it's obvious she has a thorough knowledge of the subject and you almost feel her own questioning through Brandon and Adam.
This book touched me on deep levels. I felt for Adam, for how insecure his father had made him, and I was happy that he finally got to share and receive real love through Brandon and his family.
Be aware of the triggers in this book, if religion and homophobia are sensitive subjects for you, you might want to pass. But if you, like me, find it interesting and intriguing, the depth of the romance speaks to you, then this is a book I highly recommend.
*original review*
My second 5 star read of the year and also one of the most beautiful books I will read this year. It went straight up to my ‘favorites ever’ shelf. So heartfelt, so beautifully written, this is an exceptional book.
I've always had this fascination with religion and sexuality, how the two of them never seem to go together, and are cause for feelings of rejection, of 'not being normal', of being unloved and unacceptable. It's something that causes pain and hurt that's hardly imaginable. Without wanting to get too political or too disrespectful, I think everything we heard about the Catholic Church and sexuality sums it up pretty well. But Catholicism isn't the only religion that stands out when it comes to rejection or non acceptance of LGBTQIA+ members of our society.
When it comes down to the church of LDS I read Autoboyography by Christina Lauren and also Dustin Lance Black's memoir Mama's Boy: A Story from Our Americas. Both books are on my shelf of all time favorites. I think both books gave me a pretty decent idea of how this religion works.
This books gets a place right next to them. Laura Stone did a tremendous job with telling the story of Adam and Brandon. Coming from the church herself, I think we can consider this story as authentic as can be. Of course it's a lovestory, it's fictional, but I can't get passed the idea that the author wove a lot of her own upbringing into this and that, like Autoboyography, this story is based on actual events.
Adam's inner struggling to accept how he felt, to get passed his father's harsh words and surreal expectations felt so real and I just wanted to comfort him and tell him he would be all right. The way he was brought up, lacking parental love, never being told he was loved, that he was good the way he was, never being amicably or lovably touched. Instead, he had a long list of things he needed to live up to too.
When going on his mission, he meets Brandon, also on his mission, in Barcelona, and a slow change sets in. For the first time in his life Adam experiences friendship. He experiences that sometimes you can bend the rules a little bit, or let go of them for a little while.
Brandon shares his questioning, the doubts he sometimes has when it comes to their religion. They talk about it openly. Adam learns Brandon is someone he can trust, even though his attraction to him and his growing feelings are confusing him more and more.
Like I already mentioned, as the author originally comes from the church herself, it's obvious she has a thorough knowledge of the subject and you almost feel her own questioning through Brandon and Adam.
This book touched me on deep levels. I felt for Adam, for how insecure his father had made him, and I was happy that he finally got to share and receive real love through Brandon and his family.
Be aware of the triggers in this book, if religion and homophobia are sensitive subjects for you, you might want to pass. But if you, like me, find it interesting and intriguing, the depth of the romance speaks to you, then this is a book I highly recommend.
December 4, 2019
I'm not sure how to write about this one. This was very much a personal journey for me while reading this, but I can say that this isn't going to be for everyone. Certainly anyone who is intolerant of any amount of religious talk in their books should consider that before picking this up. This is steeped in Church dogma, as should only be expected, but it's not here to preach that dogma. It's here to hold up a mirror to it and point out the cracks in its reflection. It brings forth many of the issues I've had with the Church since my early teens, and points out the hypocrisy of the Church's stance against LGBT individuals and how that directly goes against their claim to be about the unconditional love of the family. It addresses a lot of other questions and issues I've had myself since my earliest years (though not all of them; since this is about two men, it doesn't delve into how the Church treats women, for instance, and it only makes a minor mention of how racism has been dealt with in the past) and doesn't shy away from showing the downfalls of blind belief and blind obedience. So while I would love to tell all my friends to read this, I know that it's not going to be for everyone, and they're not all going to be able to see the forest for the trees.
It was uncomfortable even for me to read at times. I recognized too much some of the ways that Adam grew up and the doubts and insecurities and naïveté that Adam displays due to that upbringing, and why he gravitated to anyone showing even the least amount of concern and affection for him, while still thinking himself unworthy. Brandon's upbringing is totally alien to me. I know people have such open, easygoing relationships with their parents and with their kids, but it's like they're from another planet to me. While my parents weren't unaffectionate, I did identify more with Adam's situation than with Brandon's.
Watching these two young men, who are firm in their faith in God, come to realize that their belief in their Church is quite another matter, was reaffirming. Watching the Church fail them was frustrating, and knowing that the Church is not going to change their stance any time soon just makes it more frustrating still. The quotes from the various scriptures and manuals that Stone - a Mormon herself - uses at the start of each chapter and within the text only highlight the hypocrisies I mentioned earlier, and brings into stark contrast how often the Church fails to live up to their own ideals and teachings.
This is an important book, and I was heartened to see reviews by people who, even if they were uncomfortable with some of the content, still recognized its importance and its message and gave it high praise. I can only hope this finds its way to the High Priesthood where it can actually make a difference, but I'm not holding my breath.
It was uncomfortable even for me to read at times. I recognized too much some of the ways that Adam grew up and the doubts and insecurities and naïveté that Adam displays due to that upbringing, and why he gravitated to anyone showing even the least amount of concern and affection for him, while still thinking himself unworthy. Brandon's upbringing is totally alien to me. I know people have such open, easygoing relationships with their parents and with their kids, but it's like they're from another planet to me. While my parents weren't unaffectionate, I did identify more with Adam's situation than with Brandon's.
Watching these two young men, who are firm in their faith in God, come to realize that their belief in their Church is quite another matter, was reaffirming. Watching the Church fail them was frustrating, and knowing that the Church is not going to change their stance any time soon just makes it more frustrating still. The quotes from the various scriptures and manuals that Stone - a Mormon herself - uses at the start of each chapter and within the text only highlight the hypocrisies I mentioned earlier, and brings into stark contrast how often the Church fails to live up to their own ideals and teachings.
This is an important book, and I was heartened to see reviews by people who, even if they were uncomfortable with some of the content, still recognized its importance and its message and gave it high praise. I can only hope this finds its way to the High Priesthood where it can actually make a difference, but I'm not holding my breath.
Read
September 14, 20179/14:
I have really struggled to write this review because I have SO much I want to say but I know I can't. I actually sat down and wrote a 5,000 word review addressing all the things that had come to my mind while reading. I won't subject you to that. But it helped me to get all those thoughts out. Now that I've had time to let it settle, I can write a review.
So if I'm going to JUST review the book, and not its portrayal of the Mormon religion, I'd probably say 4 stars, actually. If you're not Mormon then all the doctrinal stuff might get heavy and boring. For me, it was all stuff I'm very familiar with, stuff I've known my whole life so it actually made the story more interesting to me. In the same way that it's fun to read books set in the area where you live, or books that are about something you know a lot about.
The romance was cute, but the book is about the relationship between homosexuality and organized religion so it's really not the main focus. I barely noticed that the sex wasn't on-page. I keep reading that in people's reviews and I'm like, it wasn't? It seemed like there was plenty of sex to me. (Then again, the Mormon part of me was so appalled by what they were doing ON THEIR MISSIONS, I think that what in any other book would have been a tame, mostly off-page love scene was totally scandalous for me.)
But I can't review the book without reviewing its portrayal of the Mormon religion. That's the whole point of the book, and the whole point of me reading it. So this is where I struggle, because truthfully, it's not inaccurate. But it's also not quite right.
The truth is, there are members like Adam, who have been raised with such a strict view of things, and who have been entrenched in the culture to the point that they can't differentiate between it and the doctrine. And the truth is there are members like Adam's dad, who see things in such strict black and white terms and totally miss the point of the gospel, which is to love each other and to just try to do a little better every day. So in using Adam and his dad as the window through which the reader sees the church.... it's not inaccurate because unfortunately, that is the way some people see and experience it.
But it is inaccurate as far as that's not actually what the church is about. I experienced a lot of frustration with Adam, and a lot of disgust with his father while reading this. They are not good representatives of the faith. Adam just absolutely does not "get it", which made me sad.
So what I really want to get across to non-Mormon people who read this book is that Adam’s dad, and Adam’s own understanding of the gospel are not representative of what the church is actually about. They are examples of people who have been raised in a culture but don’t actually understand what they believe. It’s an accurate portrayal of that kind of person, but not of the Church or its membership as a whole.
My 5,000 word frenzy got into a lot of detail about specific points I wanted to clarify. I'm going to skip that, and just say that if you have questions, if anything in this book in particular stuck out to you, please ask me! I'd be happy to go in depth on whatever you might be curious about. Consider the comments of this review an open space for discussion.
For now, there's just one specific thing that I do still want to address.
There was so much in this book that either implied or directly stated that Mormons are taught to never question anything. THAT IS NOT TRUE.
I’m sure there are members who don’t get it at all who tell their kids that asking questions means they don’t have faith, and that they shouldn’t question their leaders and they should just be blindly obedient. But that’s not what the Church teaches. Members are encouraged to gain a personal testimony of every single thing we’re ever taught. We’re to pray, and study the scriptures and find out for ourselves if we believe that something is from God. We are not taught to be blindly obedient. We are taught to have faith, and I suppose that can be confusing for some.
My understanding of faith is something that has really grown and evolved over the last few years as I continue to study and learn. There are things in the church that I don’t understand, that I struggle with and have to take on faith. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong for me to question them. It would be wrong for me to start teaching everyone in my ward that a certain piece of doctrine is wrong because I don’t like it and try to lead others away. But it’s not wrong for me myself to question things, or to ask those questions publicly.
So many times in this book, Brandon and Adam would have a conversation about a question one of them had and Adam would feel guilty. That is NOT of the Lord. I have conversations like that with my family all the time. Sometimes they have insights that are really helpful to me and I gain a better understanding of the thing I was questioning. Sometimes they say “Huh, I hadn’t thought of that” and we discuss but don’t ever come to a final conclusion. That’s a good thing. Questioning is NOT discouraged in this church. We are NOT taught to have blind faith. Any member who thinks we are is operating under a gross misunderstanding.
The final thing I want to say: There is another review of this book that says that Adam and Brandon actually "talk to Heavenly Father" during sex. This is not accurate - what they actually do is jokingly quote scripture to each other. I'm not saying that's not weird, it's just not quite the same thing. Not a big deal, but I commented on that person's review to clarify the misunderstanding and my comment was then deleted and that reviewer blocked me. I was not being argumentative at all. When I realized I had been blocked, I was completely shocked. And also amused. I mostly think it's funny, but I'll admit it bugs me a little bit because it seems so unfair. I wanted other readers to know so they can make an informed choice.
And one more final thing: The author makes a big point of establishing her "Mormon cred" in this book so that you'll trust that she knows what she's talking about. If you want to know mine, check out this blog post I wrote a few years ago: http://imamoliberal.blogspot.com/2013....
I haven't updated that blog in a long time, mostly because no one gave a crap and it didn't ever start the dialogue I was hoping for so I got bored. But if you're curious it might answer some questions.
9/4:
I feel like as an active Mormon - not an angry ex-Mormon but an actual every day, church-going Mormon who believes the gospel with her whole heart - I owe it to the community to read and review this book. Because I'm also a staunch LGBTQIA ally and lover of the m/m romance genre. My "cred" as both is substantial. AMA.
It makes me very nervous to read this. I have a feeling it will upset me. But I feel a responsibility to read it so I can give a more un-biased view. My gut tells me there are inaccuracies here and that my church isn't painted in the best light, which tends to happen when being presented by people who don't truly understand it. I get that - I didn't understand it for awhile. In fact, I spent many years away from the church because I didn't understand it, but I'm so grateful for the events in my life that brought me back.
So I will read this, and I will deal with all the emotions it gives me and then I'll report back.
I have really struggled to write this review because I have SO much I want to say but I know I can't. I actually sat down and wrote a 5,000 word review addressing all the things that had come to my mind while reading. I won't subject you to that. But it helped me to get all those thoughts out. Now that I've had time to let it settle, I can write a review.
So if I'm going to JUST review the book, and not its portrayal of the Mormon religion, I'd probably say 4 stars, actually. If you're not Mormon then all the doctrinal stuff might get heavy and boring. For me, it was all stuff I'm very familiar with, stuff I've known my whole life so it actually made the story more interesting to me. In the same way that it's fun to read books set in the area where you live, or books that are about something you know a lot about.
The romance was cute, but the book is about the relationship between homosexuality and organized religion so it's really not the main focus. I barely noticed that the sex wasn't on-page. I keep reading that in people's reviews and I'm like, it wasn't? It seemed like there was plenty of sex to me. (Then again, the Mormon part of me was so appalled by what they were doing ON THEIR MISSIONS, I think that what in any other book would have been a tame, mostly off-page love scene was totally scandalous for me.)
But I can't review the book without reviewing its portrayal of the Mormon religion. That's the whole point of the book, and the whole point of me reading it. So this is where I struggle, because truthfully, it's not inaccurate. But it's also not quite right.
The truth is, there are members like Adam, who have been raised with such a strict view of things, and who have been entrenched in the culture to the point that they can't differentiate between it and the doctrine. And the truth is there are members like Adam's dad, who see things in such strict black and white terms and totally miss the point of the gospel, which is to love each other and to just try to do a little better every day. So in using Adam and his dad as the window through which the reader sees the church.... it's not inaccurate because unfortunately, that is the way some people see and experience it.
But it is inaccurate as far as that's not actually what the church is about. I experienced a lot of frustration with Adam, and a lot of disgust with his father while reading this. They are not good representatives of the faith. Adam just absolutely does not "get it", which made me sad.
So what I really want to get across to non-Mormon people who read this book is that Adam’s dad, and Adam’s own understanding of the gospel are not representative of what the church is actually about. They are examples of people who have been raised in a culture but don’t actually understand what they believe. It’s an accurate portrayal of that kind of person, but not of the Church or its membership as a whole.
My 5,000 word frenzy got into a lot of detail about specific points I wanted to clarify. I'm going to skip that, and just say that if you have questions, if anything in this book in particular stuck out to you, please ask me! I'd be happy to go in depth on whatever you might be curious about. Consider the comments of this review an open space for discussion.
For now, there's just one specific thing that I do still want to address.
There was so much in this book that either implied or directly stated that Mormons are taught to never question anything. THAT IS NOT TRUE.
I’m sure there are members who don’t get it at all who tell their kids that asking questions means they don’t have faith, and that they shouldn’t question their leaders and they should just be blindly obedient. But that’s not what the Church teaches. Members are encouraged to gain a personal testimony of every single thing we’re ever taught. We’re to pray, and study the scriptures and find out for ourselves if we believe that something is from God. We are not taught to be blindly obedient. We are taught to have faith, and I suppose that can be confusing for some.
My understanding of faith is something that has really grown and evolved over the last few years as I continue to study and learn. There are things in the church that I don’t understand, that I struggle with and have to take on faith. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong for me to question them. It would be wrong for me to start teaching everyone in my ward that a certain piece of doctrine is wrong because I don’t like it and try to lead others away. But it’s not wrong for me myself to question things, or to ask those questions publicly.
So many times in this book, Brandon and Adam would have a conversation about a question one of them had and Adam would feel guilty. That is NOT of the Lord. I have conversations like that with my family all the time. Sometimes they have insights that are really helpful to me and I gain a better understanding of the thing I was questioning. Sometimes they say “Huh, I hadn’t thought of that” and we discuss but don’t ever come to a final conclusion. That’s a good thing. Questioning is NOT discouraged in this church. We are NOT taught to have blind faith. Any member who thinks we are is operating under a gross misunderstanding.
The final thing I want to say: There is another review of this book that says that Adam and Brandon actually "talk to Heavenly Father" during sex. This is not accurate - what they actually do is jokingly quote scripture to each other. I'm not saying that's not weird, it's just not quite the same thing. Not a big deal, but I commented on that person's review to clarify the misunderstanding and my comment was then deleted and that reviewer blocked me. I was not being argumentative at all. When I realized I had been blocked, I was completely shocked. And also amused. I mostly think it's funny, but I'll admit it bugs me a little bit because it seems so unfair. I wanted other readers to know so they can make an informed choice.
And one more final thing: The author makes a big point of establishing her "Mormon cred" in this book so that you'll trust that she knows what she's talking about. If you want to know mine, check out this blog post I wrote a few years ago: http://imamoliberal.blogspot.com/2013....
I haven't updated that blog in a long time, mostly because no one gave a crap and it didn't ever start the dialogue I was hoping for so I got bored. But if you're curious it might answer some questions.
9/4:
I feel like as an active Mormon - not an angry ex-Mormon but an actual every day, church-going Mormon who believes the gospel with her whole heart - I owe it to the community to read and review this book. Because I'm also a staunch LGBTQIA ally and lover of the m/m romance genre. My "cred" as both is substantial. AMA.
It makes me very nervous to read this. I have a feeling it will upset me. But I feel a responsibility to read it so I can give a more un-biased view. My gut tells me there are inaccuracies here and that my church isn't painted in the best light, which tends to happen when being presented by people who don't truly understand it. I get that - I didn't understand it for awhile. In fact, I spent many years away from the church because I didn't understand it, but I'm so grateful for the events in my life that brought me back.
So I will read this, and I will deal with all the emotions it gives me and then I'll report back.
Read
July 31, 2017DNF at 35%
It was my second book by the author, and I was really sure I would like it. Because I enjoyed her previous book, and I knew that Laura Stone was a good writer + the rating for this book was good, but unfortunately And It Came to Pass didn't work for me at all.
After struggling through Mormon's mentality I had to quite at 35%. Maybe I left the best of the plot unread, but...the subject, the worries of those two guys were so far from my field of interests, like thousands light years away!.. I've developed a strong aversion against all kinds of brainwashing. Two eighteen old Mormon guys spend their spare time with the philosophical questions about the Church and the principles of the Gospel instead of, for example, to question the political situation in the world or talking about football or something else more interesting. Pages after pages, after pages. I read the the Author's note in the beginning: Laura Stone knows the subject not from the research, but because she grew up in this system. I appreciate what she did and does, but I simply doesn't belong to a target audience.
I'm not religious, but I have many friends who believe and I normally enjoy books with a religion topic, they help to broaden my mind on the matter. But with this one I was bored to death.
***Copy provided kindly by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
It was my second book by the author, and I was really sure I would like it. Because I enjoyed her previous book, and I knew that Laura Stone was a good writer + the rating for this book was good, but unfortunately And It Came to Pass didn't work for me at all.
After struggling through Mormon's mentality I had to quite at 35%. Maybe I left the best of the plot unread, but...the subject, the worries of those two guys were so far from my field of interests, like thousands light years away!.. I've developed a strong aversion against all kinds of brainwashing. Two eighteen old Mormon guys spend their spare time with the philosophical questions about the Church and the principles of the Gospel instead of, for example, to question the political situation in the world or talking about football or something else more interesting. Pages after pages, after pages. I read the the Author's note in the beginning: Laura Stone knows the subject not from the research, but because she grew up in this system. I appreciate what she did and does, but I simply doesn't belong to a target audience.
I'm not religious, but I have many friends who believe and I normally enjoy books with a religion topic, they help to broaden my mind on the matter. But with this one I was bored to death.
***Copy provided kindly by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
July 22, 2018
Review also on my blog
I received an arc from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Well, that was a big load of 'meh'. It kind of fell average for me, if I'm being honest. I also couldn't help but compare it to the book Lead Me Not (a m/m romance with a main character from a religious family) or the movie Latter Days (a movie about a Mormon on his own mission meeting a man who's out and proud and falls for him) while reading. I didn't want to but my brain just did it automatically. I haven't read very much about religious queer characters but Lead Me Not just did it so incredibly well.
As for the book itself, it is slow. Far too slow. It took almost half the book for any romantic interest (unless you count the bolt of electricity that happened when Adam and Brandon shook hands when they met). And the book was just... dull before the romance actually begins. The book isn't that long and when the romance does come, it felt like the author rushed and it turned out really clunky.
Here's what didn't make sense to me; Adam feels guilty when it comes to masturbating but he almost instantly is okay with kissing and getting a handjob, and very quickly later a blowjob, from Brandon. It was also barely adressed how rampantly homophobic his family is until it's dumped onto you at once. This didn't make sense to me, how could he be so comfortable so quickly? It's like the author wanted to rush through it rather than give Adam time to get comfortable with his feelings for Brandon.
The romance also wasn't that standout, not bad but not special. The book's mostly just boring. I would still recommend Lead Me Not over it.
I received an arc from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Well, that was a big load of 'meh'. It kind of fell average for me, if I'm being honest. I also couldn't help but compare it to the book Lead Me Not (a m/m romance with a main character from a religious family) or the movie Latter Days (a movie about a Mormon on his own mission meeting a man who's out and proud and falls for him) while reading. I didn't want to but my brain just did it automatically. I haven't read very much about religious queer characters but Lead Me Not just did it so incredibly well.
As for the book itself, it is slow. Far too slow. It took almost half the book for any romantic interest (unless you count the bolt of electricity that happened when Adam and Brandon shook hands when they met). And the book was just... dull before the romance actually begins. The book isn't that long and when the romance does come, it felt like the author rushed and it turned out really clunky.
Here's what didn't make sense to me; Adam feels guilty when it comes to masturbating but he almost instantly is okay with kissing and getting a handjob, and very quickly later a blowjob, from Brandon. It was also barely adressed how rampantly homophobic his family is until it's dumped onto you at once. This didn't make sense to me, how could he be so comfortable so quickly? It's like the author wanted to rush through it rather than give Adam time to get comfortable with his feelings for Brandon.
The romance also wasn't that standout, not bad but not special. The book's mostly just boring. I would still recommend Lead Me Not over it.
October 30, 2017
This book...wow I cannot say enough. I've read everything Stone has written, and loved it. Stone is an incredibly talented author -- the kind you drop everything for when a new book comes along -- but this story is a level above.
It's clear that this particular topic is very, very close to her heart. Her passion and fight here rings throughout. Adam's torment, his confusion, his disconnect from faith and the longing he won't allow himself to feel is so rich, I ached for him. The development of his and Brandon's love unfolds gorgeously, painfully, so very honestly.
The moment when Brandon shares the questions he has with his faith and how this unlocks Adam's anxieties but also wonder is powerful as hell. All of the things Adam has locked down, all of his beautiful self that's been crushed out of him -- watching them rise to the surface is like watching someone come awake. It really felt like an honor to be a part of that story.
I must say, there's such a lovely reverence in Brandon's practice of faith here. In the idea of living a devotion and faith that involves questioning and wanting to learn and wanting to be open to possibilities. I'm agnostic personally, and I am not familiar with Mormon faith other than surface things, but I really love books and stories that handle faith beautifully, even if it means questioning, changing direction, or struggle.
This book is very sensual and the build of tension between Brandon and Adam felt visceral. I DEVOURED this book in one sitting because I was so captured by their story.
It's clear that this particular topic is very, very close to her heart. Her passion and fight here rings throughout. Adam's torment, his confusion, his disconnect from faith and the longing he won't allow himself to feel is so rich, I ached for him. The development of his and Brandon's love unfolds gorgeously, painfully, so very honestly.
The moment when Brandon shares the questions he has with his faith and how this unlocks Adam's anxieties but also wonder is powerful as hell. All of the things Adam has locked down, all of his beautiful self that's been crushed out of him -- watching them rise to the surface is like watching someone come awake. It really felt like an honor to be a part of that story.
I must say, there's such a lovely reverence in Brandon's practice of faith here. In the idea of living a devotion and faith that involves questioning and wanting to learn and wanting to be open to possibilities. I'm agnostic personally, and I am not familiar with Mormon faith other than surface things, but I really love books and stories that handle faith beautifully, even if it means questioning, changing direction, or struggle.
This book is very sensual and the build of tension between Brandon and Adam felt visceral. I DEVOURED this book in one sitting because I was so captured by their story.
May 19, 2017
This book was gorgeous!! <3 Full review coming to www.thenovelapproachreviews.com
February 25, 2023
Best Book I've Read All Year
Thank you for writing such a gorgeous love story. For being honest about the Church. For showing its wrongs as well as its rights.
To those who say the Church isn't this way, I beg you to look again.
So many lives lost, Utah is ranked one of the highest for teen suicide, a large percentage of which are LGBTQ. That isbbot a coincidence.
This story is so raw and poignant. It's sad and beautiful and I am so grateful I found it.
Thank you again for writing this story and I hope it finds it way to someone who needs it!
Thank you for writing such a gorgeous love story. For being honest about the Church. For showing its wrongs as well as its rights.
To those who say the Church isn't this way, I beg you to look again.
So many lives lost, Utah is ranked one of the highest for teen suicide, a large percentage of which are LGBTQ. That isbbot a coincidence.
This story is so raw and poignant. It's sad and beautiful and I am so grateful I found it.
Thank you again for writing this story and I hope it finds it way to someone who needs it!
January 5, 2020
Is it a fantastically well written book that I will return to again and again? Probably not. I do have issues with the fact that most of the side characters are pretty one-dimensional, black-and-white figures. I think that a little more nuance, especially on the parents would have aided the message of the book.
Having said that - it still was a pretty engaging book. I was born and raised Catholic in that (maybe) special brand of my region, my city which lies heavy emphasis on the fact that God loves you, and if you do something that's a little wrong but not terribly so, you can apologize later and They will love you anyway. At least, that is what I got from my family. My church, not so much, and so the church and I parted ways amicably at some point.
What slays me about basically every encounter with LDS in the books I read or the movies I watch is how deeply ingrained the tenets of the church seem to be in people's souls.
In that respect, the book is abso-fucking-lutely great.
Things like "garments" to outsiders (and I apologize to LDS folks) seem a tad, uhm, overwrought? Is that the term? But in the context of this book I could absolutely understand where our MC was coming from. For him they seemed like an armor. I could name a couple of other things but I'm getting tired.
So, in conclusion, I thought that I was getting the faith journey but the writing was not quite up there with the message.
Having said that - it still was a pretty engaging book. I was born and raised Catholic in that (maybe) special brand of my region, my city which lies heavy emphasis on the fact that God loves you, and if you do something that's a little wrong but not terribly so, you can apologize later and They will love you anyway. At least, that is what I got from my family. My church, not so much, and so the church and I parted ways amicably at some point.
What slays me about basically every encounter with LDS in the books I read or the movies I watch is how deeply ingrained the tenets of the church seem to be in people's souls.
In that respect, the book is abso-fucking-lutely great.
Things like "garments" to outsiders (and I apologize to LDS folks) seem a tad, uhm, overwrought? Is that the term? But in the context of this book I could absolutely understand where our MC was coming from. For him they seemed like an armor. I could name a couple of other things but I'm getting tired.
So, in conclusion, I thought that I was getting the faith journey but the writing was not quite up there with the message.
May 19, 2017
Laura Stone’s new novel, And It Came to Pass, is absolutely stunning. It’s clear from the Author’s Note at the beginning of the book that this is a very personal story for Stone, and it’s one I’m so glad she decided to tell, because she did it beautifully. I have friends who grew up Mormon. I know that it’s difficult for some, and that there can be many conflicting feelings about the practice. Especially for teenagers and young adults, when we’re questioning so many things about the world and ourselves already. How do we reconcile the things we believe and love so deeply about our religion with the things that don’t sit right in our gut, or the ideas and rules that would make us unwelcome or unfit? This dichotomy between the principles of Mormonism and homosexuality, the beliefs of the Latter-Day Saints vs the tenet that love is love, is the central theme of the book.
At nineteen, Adam Young has finally answered the call to serve, and is at the beginning of his two-year mission in Barcelona. He didn’t feel a strong call. Serving a mission was something he was expected to do, not something he felt passionate about. But, when he meets his mission companion, Brandon Christensen, that slowly starts to change. Christensen is full of energy, and love for the Gospel, and everyone thinks he’s a born leader. He does seem to bring out the best in everyone, on top of which Adam discovers that Brandon has many questions of his own that fall right in line with things Adam has been wondering about the Church as well. Adam begins thinking that maybe this mission, this companion, are exactly what he needed.
I loved everything about Brandon. His attitude and his spirit, his openness and his love for his family and for God. I loved how devout he was, and how much his faith was an integral part of him that he never lost even though he was questioning. We don’t initially know that Brandon is unsure of anything, though. At first glance Christensen seems to have it all together, whereas Adam is internally questioning so many things about the Church, and about himself. He gradually learns that his mission companion is going through a similar crisis of faith, but is shocked when he learns that part of the reason is that he has the same feelings Adam has.
When these guys open up to each other and begin to explore their feelings, it’s so beautiful. They realize that the Church sees what they are doing and feeling as wrong—but, they can’t see how it possibly could be when this is how God made them, and it feels so right when they are together. Adam especially struggled initially, but then I loved these thoughts as he tried to make sense of everything in his mind:
And…
I loved how much this book made me think, how much it made me feel, and how much I learned from it. But, what I loved most of all, was that neither Brandon nor Adam lost their faith. They felt the iron fist of the Church looming over their heads, but they never lost their love for God. This line, that Brandon says to Adam, was so spot on: “It’s like the Church is about the Church and not about Heavenly Father.”
Ok. I can’t quote you the whole thing…and I don’t want to give too much away…so, I’ll leave it there. But first, I have to quickly also say how much I loooved Brandon’s parents, and how fabulously, wonderfully amazing they were—Adam’s parents, not so much—and that the setting of Barcelona was completely beautiful and fantastic! There.
This story is going to stay with me for a while, as are Brandon and Adam. Especially Brandon. I hate to pick favorites…but, he really was everything. I hope everyone goes out and grabs this one. It’s so good!
Reviewed by Jules for The Novel Approach
At nineteen, Adam Young has finally answered the call to serve, and is at the beginning of his two-year mission in Barcelona. He didn’t feel a strong call. Serving a mission was something he was expected to do, not something he felt passionate about. But, when he meets his mission companion, Brandon Christensen, that slowly starts to change. Christensen is full of energy, and love for the Gospel, and everyone thinks he’s a born leader. He does seem to bring out the best in everyone, on top of which Adam discovers that Brandon has many questions of his own that fall right in line with things Adam has been wondering about the Church as well. Adam begins thinking that maybe this mission, this companion, are exactly what he needed.
He’d never shared with anyone his hope of gaining a stronger belief in the Church while on his mission; hadn’t even looked straight at his own thoughts about it. This just might be the companion to light the fire in him, might be the leader who could get his mind where it needed to be. He could find his faith and maybe figure himself out, too.
I loved everything about Brandon. His attitude and his spirit, his openness and his love for his family and for God. I loved how devout he was, and how much his faith was an integral part of him that he never lost even though he was questioning. We don’t initially know that Brandon is unsure of anything, though. At first glance Christensen seems to have it all together, whereas Adam is internally questioning so many things about the Church, and about himself. He gradually learns that his mission companion is going through a similar crisis of faith, but is shocked when he learns that part of the reason is that he has the same feelings Adam has.
When these guys open up to each other and begin to explore their feelings, it’s so beautiful. They realize that the Church sees what they are doing and feeling as wrong—but, they can’t see how it possibly could be when this is how God made them, and it feels so right when they are together. Adam especially struggled initially, but then I loved these thoughts as he tried to make sense of everything in his mind:
It was scripture—that had to make it okay, because what he felt, this tenderness and affection for such a good man was just what was in that Bible verse.
And…
It seemed so natural practicing his religion with this man, sharing faith, and even more natural was the night before, what they’d shared in his bed. Surely God, who commanded his children to “love one another” was a God of all forms of love?
I loved how much this book made me think, how much it made me feel, and how much I learned from it. But, what I loved most of all, was that neither Brandon nor Adam lost their faith. They felt the iron fist of the Church looming over their heads, but they never lost their love for God. This line, that Brandon says to Adam, was so spot on: “It’s like the Church is about the Church and not about Heavenly Father.”
Ok. I can’t quote you the whole thing…and I don’t want to give too much away…so, I’ll leave it there. But first, I have to quickly also say how much I loooved Brandon’s parents, and how fabulously, wonderfully amazing they were—Adam’s parents, not so much—and that the setting of Barcelona was completely beautiful and fantastic! There.
This story is going to stay with me for a while, as are Brandon and Adam. Especially Brandon. I hate to pick favorites…but, he really was everything. I hope everyone goes out and grabs this one. It’s so good!
Reviewed by Jules for The Novel Approach
September 4, 2017
5 Stars
Adam Young is sent to Barcelona, Spain to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS, for the next two years. Although he was raised in the religion and strictly follows it, he hasn't found that spark that others claim to feel at being called to serve. When he arrives at his destination, he meets his companion, Brandon Christensen, the man who will take Adam under his wing and guide him.
As time goes by and Brandon and Adam spend more time together, they open up to one another about their questionings of the church's scriptures. Both men have questions about the scripture, something that is frowned upon. You don't question the church or their leaders. While Brandon is a bit more comfortable, Adam is much more frightened of the strong feelings he has for Brandon and both men war with themselves about acting on these feelings. What will happen if they are caught?
I'm always torn about reading stories focused on organized religion, especially one as strict as the Mormon religion. I get so angry that people pick and choose from the Bible what they want to follow and preach.
“8-( ●｀ε´●)爻(●｀ε´● )-8″“8-( ●｀ε´●)爻(●｀ε´● )-8″
Adam had heard his father say he’d kill “any son of mine who turned queer” in a priesthood meeting after the Church made its official statement about children of gays and lesbians being denied the blessings and promises of the Church, of baptism. He remembered his father’s smug satisfaction when the Church doubled down on their LGBT stance in November of 2015, saying children of gay and lesbian couples would be denied baptism and the blessings of the Priesthood until they turned eighteen and denounced their parents, rejecting them as family.
“8-( ●｀ε´●)爻(●｀ε´● )-8″“8-( ●｀ε´●)爻(●｀ε´● )-8″
How is this Christian?! This is just beyond disgusting and it's a shame that some people really feel this way.
I absolutely loved both Brandon and Adam. They were so sweet and very lovable characters. My stomach was in knots throughout the story hoping they could find their way to a Hea. They had amazing chemistry and I loved the natural progression of their relationship, it felt organic and unhurried. Their fears were realistic and valid and in the end those fears were also well founded.
The story is well-written and paced well. The author's extensive knowledge of the religion really comes through in her writing. I not only loved the main characters, but I really liked some of the other missionaries.
Although most of the story is serious, as is the subject matter, the story is also filled with friendship, acceptance, laughter and of course, love. Very recommendable!
*copy provided by author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Adam Young is sent to Barcelona, Spain to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS, for the next two years. Although he was raised in the religion and strictly follows it, he hasn't found that spark that others claim to feel at being called to serve. When he arrives at his destination, he meets his companion, Brandon Christensen, the man who will take Adam under his wing and guide him.
As time goes by and Brandon and Adam spend more time together, they open up to one another about their questionings of the church's scriptures. Both men have questions about the scripture, something that is frowned upon. You don't question the church or their leaders. While Brandon is a bit more comfortable, Adam is much more frightened of the strong feelings he has for Brandon and both men war with themselves about acting on these feelings. What will happen if they are caught?
I'm always torn about reading stories focused on organized religion, especially one as strict as the Mormon religion. I get so angry that people pick and choose from the Bible what they want to follow and preach.
“8-( ●｀ε´●)爻(●｀ε´● )-8″“8-( ●｀ε´●)爻(●｀ε´● )-8″
Adam had heard his father say he’d kill “any son of mine who turned queer” in a priesthood meeting after the Church made its official statement about children of gays and lesbians being denied the blessings and promises of the Church, of baptism. He remembered his father’s smug satisfaction when the Church doubled down on their LGBT stance in November of 2015, saying children of gay and lesbian couples would be denied baptism and the blessings of the Priesthood until they turned eighteen and denounced their parents, rejecting them as family.
“8-( ●｀ε´●)爻(●｀ε´● )-8″“8-( ●｀ε´●)爻(●｀ε´● )-8″
How is this Christian?! This is just beyond disgusting and it's a shame that some people really feel this way.
I absolutely loved both Brandon and Adam. They were so sweet and very lovable characters. My stomach was in knots throughout the story hoping they could find their way to a Hea. They had amazing chemistry and I loved the natural progression of their relationship, it felt organic and unhurried. Their fears were realistic and valid and in the end those fears were also well founded.
The story is well-written and paced well. The author's extensive knowledge of the religion really comes through in her writing. I not only loved the main characters, but I really liked some of the other missionaries.
Although most of the story is serious, as is the subject matter, the story is also filled with friendship, acceptance, laughter and of course, love. Very recommendable!
*copy provided by author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
June 1, 2017
*4.5 stars*
I am a huge fan of Laura Stone's. Her first book, The Bones of You, blew me away with it's gorgeous writing and even more spectacular cover. (It's really one of my all time favorites ever, so pretty!) When I read the blurb for her new release, And It Came to Pass, I knew I was in for another beautifully written book full of memorable characters and a story that would stick with me long past the end. I was right on both counts ... and so much more. And It Came to Pass kept me enthralled from beginning to end and I'm a better person for having read it. I don't say that lightly, believe me, but it's the truth. Don't let the subject matter give you pause, this is a moving, complicated, BEAUTIFUL story of love and acceptance and faith.
Adam Young has been sent to Barcelona, Spain to perform his mission. He's a devout Mormon away from home for the first time and is enraptured by the beauty and wonder of the world. He's nervous and excited and a bit scared, too. You see from as far back as he can remember it's been reinforced that he would be called upon to serve and it's an honor he should respect with gratitude, but he doesn't, not really. He's in Barcelona because he's expected to be, not because he feels the call. His confusion and questions about his faith, about his beliefs really got to me. He's such an earnest guy and with his strict background and harsh family life, he's terrified to step out of line, no matter how conflicted he feels. When he meets and then subsequently becomes close to his mission partner, Brandon Christensen, that confusion grows ten-fold. Brandon ... this guy. Oh, man. Talk about a person who just glows, all the time. His outlook, his deep convictions, his huge love of his family just made him absolutely fantastic. But it's when he and Adam begin to develop strong feelings for one another that he really showed what he was made of.
I haven't had much exposure to Mormonism, either in person or in books. It's a religion I find fascinating and troubling at the same time. I can understand Adam's growing confusion the more he sees and the more time he spends with Brandon. One of the things that got to me most throughout the entire book is even while both Brandon and Adam question some of the teachings and tenets of their religion, their faith remains strong. They're both so devout, and it's honest and real and it was so moving to watch these two young men try to find a place in a religion that says they can't be who they want ... or love who they want. I was totally captivated anytime Stone showed these two out in Barcelona, speaking to people and trying to spread their faith to a country that believes so differently than they do.
And in case you were wondering, there is PLENTY of romance in It Came to Pass and it's just as beautifully portrayed as the rest of the book. Emotional and intense and so heartfelt, the romantic relationship between Adam and Brandon is so powerful. They are as reverent with one another as they are with their faith and it's just stunning. The way Laura Stone has balanced her personal connection to Mormonism and romance is truly brilliant. I really loved how she showed the struggle to be who you want while still believing and practicing your faith. It's not an easy balance, that's plain to see. I wish there were more books out there that addressed religion and queer people of faith. Especially if they are written with as much care and truth as It Came to Pass. Younger readers especially would find much to connect with, but really, this is a book for everyone. One in which so many of us will see things we connect with. I know I did. Read this book and be prepared to be moved, to have your soul filled and your heart warm and happy.
*this review will also be posted on www.diversereader.blogspot.com*
I am a huge fan of Laura Stone's. Her first book, The Bones of You, blew me away with it's gorgeous writing and even more spectacular cover. (It's really one of my all time favorites ever, so pretty!) When I read the blurb for her new release, And It Came to Pass, I knew I was in for another beautifully written book full of memorable characters and a story that would stick with me long past the end. I was right on both counts ... and so much more. And It Came to Pass kept me enthralled from beginning to end and I'm a better person for having read it. I don't say that lightly, believe me, but it's the truth. Don't let the subject matter give you pause, this is a moving, complicated, BEAUTIFUL story of love and acceptance and faith.
Adam Young has been sent to Barcelona, Spain to perform his mission. He's a devout Mormon away from home for the first time and is enraptured by the beauty and wonder of the world. He's nervous and excited and a bit scared, too. You see from as far back as he can remember it's been reinforced that he would be called upon to serve and it's an honor he should respect with gratitude, but he doesn't, not really. He's in Barcelona because he's expected to be, not because he feels the call. His confusion and questions about his faith, about his beliefs really got to me. He's such an earnest guy and with his strict background and harsh family life, he's terrified to step out of line, no matter how conflicted he feels. When he meets and then subsequently becomes close to his mission partner, Brandon Christensen, that confusion grows ten-fold. Brandon ... this guy. Oh, man. Talk about a person who just glows, all the time. His outlook, his deep convictions, his huge love of his family just made him absolutely fantastic. But it's when he and Adam begin to develop strong feelings for one another that he really showed what he was made of.
I haven't had much exposure to Mormonism, either in person or in books. It's a religion I find fascinating and troubling at the same time. I can understand Adam's growing confusion the more he sees and the more time he spends with Brandon. One of the things that got to me most throughout the entire book is even while both Brandon and Adam question some of the teachings and tenets of their religion, their faith remains strong. They're both so devout, and it's honest and real and it was so moving to watch these two young men try to find a place in a religion that says they can't be who they want ... or love who they want. I was totally captivated anytime Stone showed these two out in Barcelona, speaking to people and trying to spread their faith to a country that believes so differently than they do.
And in case you were wondering, there is PLENTY of romance in It Came to Pass and it's just as beautifully portrayed as the rest of the book. Emotional and intense and so heartfelt, the romantic relationship between Adam and Brandon is so powerful. They are as reverent with one another as they are with their faith and it's just stunning. The way Laura Stone has balanced her personal connection to Mormonism and romance is truly brilliant. I really loved how she showed the struggle to be who you want while still believing and practicing your faith. It's not an easy balance, that's plain to see. I wish there were more books out there that addressed religion and queer people of faith. Especially if they are written with as much care and truth as It Came to Pass. Younger readers especially would find much to connect with, but really, this is a book for everyone. One in which so many of us will see things we connect with. I know I did. Read this book and be prepared to be moved, to have your soul filled and your heart warm and happy.
*this review will also be posted on www.diversereader.blogspot.com*
July 1, 2017
There is one clear narrative about And It Came to Pass: this story is about love.
Laura Stone crafts together a tale that takes a look at love in various forms: romantic, familial, religious, and worldly. Yes, the novel takes a very close look at faith and the Mormon life, but at its very core, Stone weaves together the heart of what religion should be—faith in what love for oneself and others can do.
As someone who grew up in a very religious family, I relate so deeply to the struggles main characters Adam and Brandon face when it comes to choosing between what you've been taught is right/wrong versus what feels real, natural. When you question the words of a higher being as interpreted by man. Hating oneself because you've been taught who you love should be this way and not that way.
Stone truly pulls a reader in with her characters—from Adam, a by-the-book young man who struggles with his sexuality because the strict teachings of his parents have not-so-gently left him crippled to a faith he might not truly understand, to Brandon, a charismatic guy who comes from a family that accepts questioning as long as it encourages thought and revelations. Brandon, who faces his own trials with his faith but does not question what love means. For Brandon, love means hugs and affection and instincts, and reading about how all of that confuses and excites Adam is one of the joys of this novel.
This book is not devoid of raw moments. It's unimaginably hard for young people to navigate sexuality, even with a support system. But to face those questions after being taught for so long that being LGBT is a sin, something that comes with its own personal hell, is a true war. Stone takes a deeply poetic look at how man's word is not always accurate or true. How rules and religion are not mutually exclusive when the love behind them is diluted. And Stone plays a beautiful role in ensuring this book isn't a hateful look at religion—instead, it encourages questioning and understanding and remembering love is the foundation for so many incredible revelations.
It's hard not to fall in love with so many aspects of the book. The characters, the setting, the words, the small touches between Adam and Brandon. The quaint dinners at a small table. The pushed-together twin beds. The streets of Barcelona. The loving, supportive letters from Brandon's mother, who truly shines as a beacon throughout the story. In the end, I wanted a hug from Brandon's mother and peanut butter bars drizzled in chocolate!
Stone, who spent many years in the Mormon faith, gives readers everything they need from a great story—emotion, poetic passages, thought-provoking scenes, heart-ripping conflict, and facts. In the end, Stone shows that members of the LGBT community can own their sexuality and still have faith. The two are not separate, unattainable entities. One could only hope that young adults (and their parents) pick up a copy of this book and see that you can have both.
Laura Stone crafts together a tale that takes a look at love in various forms: romantic, familial, religious, and worldly. Yes, the novel takes a very close look at faith and the Mormon life, but at its very core, Stone weaves together the heart of what religion should be—faith in what love for oneself and others can do.
As someone who grew up in a very religious family, I relate so deeply to the struggles main characters Adam and Brandon face when it comes to choosing between what you've been taught is right/wrong versus what feels real, natural. When you question the words of a higher being as interpreted by man. Hating oneself because you've been taught who you love should be this way and not that way.
Stone truly pulls a reader in with her characters—from Adam, a by-the-book young man who struggles with his sexuality because the strict teachings of his parents have not-so-gently left him crippled to a faith he might not truly understand, to Brandon, a charismatic guy who comes from a family that accepts questioning as long as it encourages thought and revelations. Brandon, who faces his own trials with his faith but does not question what love means. For Brandon, love means hugs and affection and instincts, and reading about how all of that confuses and excites Adam is one of the joys of this novel.
This book is not devoid of raw moments. It's unimaginably hard for young people to navigate sexuality, even with a support system. But to face those questions after being taught for so long that being LGBT is a sin, something that comes with its own personal hell, is a true war. Stone takes a deeply poetic look at how man's word is not always accurate or true. How rules and religion are not mutually exclusive when the love behind them is diluted. And Stone plays a beautiful role in ensuring this book isn't a hateful look at religion—instead, it encourages questioning and understanding and remembering love is the foundation for so many incredible revelations.
It's hard not to fall in love with so many aspects of the book. The characters, the setting, the words, the small touches between Adam and Brandon. The quaint dinners at a small table. The pushed-together twin beds. The streets of Barcelona. The loving, supportive letters from Brandon's mother, who truly shines as a beacon throughout the story. In the end, I wanted a hug from Brandon's mother and peanut butter bars drizzled in chocolate!
Stone, who spent many years in the Mormon faith, gives readers everything they need from a great story—emotion, poetic passages, thought-provoking scenes, heart-ripping conflict, and facts. In the end, Stone shows that members of the LGBT community can own their sexuality and still have faith. The two are not separate, unattainable entities. One could only hope that young adults (and their parents) pick up a copy of this book and see that you can have both.
June 21, 2017
Full review at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
I met Laura Stone at the 2017 RT convention after the book signing. She mentioned she had a podcast about her former faith, Mormonism, called “Oh My Heck.” I live near enough to the DC Mormon temple that Instagram keeps asking me to tag my pictures like I’m currently there. (I’m not, but there’s a pretty solid Pokestop in the parking lot.) So I was curious about her podcast, both because I have many Mormon neighbors, and learning about different faiths is fascinating for me. During one episode, Stone mentioned her new book, so I downloaded a sample, and once I started, I couldn’t stop reading.
The romance is complicated and emotionally staggering, with layers of internal and external tension. I loved the detailed explanation and portrayal of Brandon and Adam’s daily life as missionaries, how they practiced their faith and struggled with it and kept trying to be worthy of the expectations placed on them. There is a lot of detail here about Mormon observance.
Once the poo hits the air circulation device, however, the slow and painstaking tension built between and around Adam and Brandon becomes a plot that resolves very, very quickly. The ending was a little too fast for me – I wanted to know more about their future, what they’d do to move on with their lives, or what direction their faith might take. There is a lot that’s left open and unfinished, and while Brandon and Adam are safe, I wanted to know more about the foundation of their happiness, because it has to be constructed on entirely new ground. Very little of their upbringing and their lives up to that point remains accessible to them. I ended the book happy for them, but concerned for their mental health and well being, as well as for their futures. Also, only at the end does Brandon have chapters from his point of view, which was a little jarring, though I appreciated that he was as consistent as a point of view character as he was when being described by Adam.
I loved the way their romance included exploration of their faith, and their fearless examination of divine love as interpreted by their church vs described by the scriptures. Part of the anguish and tension is that there is no room for them inside the faith in which they were raised. Though their relationship and their joy in finding one another augments their faith in God instead of diminishing it, they can’t stay within the community in which they were raised. Because of the first 2/3 of the story, I know how devastating that would be for Adam and for Brandon; because the last 1/3 doesn’t fully balance their losses with a potentially happy future, I was left unsure and wanting more.
- SB Sarah
I met Laura Stone at the 2017 RT convention after the book signing. She mentioned she had a podcast about her former faith, Mormonism, called “Oh My Heck.” I live near enough to the DC Mormon temple that Instagram keeps asking me to tag my pictures like I’m currently there. (I’m not, but there’s a pretty solid Pokestop in the parking lot.) So I was curious about her podcast, both because I have many Mormon neighbors, and learning about different faiths is fascinating for me. During one episode, Stone mentioned her new book, so I downloaded a sample, and once I started, I couldn’t stop reading.
The romance is complicated and emotionally staggering, with layers of internal and external tension. I loved the detailed explanation and portrayal of Brandon and Adam’s daily life as missionaries, how they practiced their faith and struggled with it and kept trying to be worthy of the expectations placed on them. There is a lot of detail here about Mormon observance.
Once the poo hits the air circulation device, however, the slow and painstaking tension built between and around Adam and Brandon becomes a plot that resolves very, very quickly. The ending was a little too fast for me – I wanted to know more about their future, what they’d do to move on with their lives, or what direction their faith might take. There is a lot that’s left open and unfinished, and while Brandon and Adam are safe, I wanted to know more about the foundation of their happiness, because it has to be constructed on entirely new ground. Very little of their upbringing and their lives up to that point remains accessible to them. I ended the book happy for them, but concerned for their mental health and well being, as well as for their futures. Also, only at the end does Brandon have chapters from his point of view, which was a little jarring, though I appreciated that he was as consistent as a point of view character as he was when being described by Adam.
I loved the way their romance included exploration of their faith, and their fearless examination of divine love as interpreted by their church vs described by the scriptures. Part of the anguish and tension is that there is no room for them inside the faith in which they were raised. Though their relationship and their joy in finding one another augments their faith in God instead of diminishing it, they can’t stay within the community in which they were raised. Because of the first 2/3 of the story, I know how devastating that would be for Adam and for Brandon; because the last 1/3 doesn’t fully balance their losses with a potentially happy future, I was left unsure and wanting more.
- SB Sarah
May 9, 2017
Sweet, romantic, sad, heartbreaking. Inspired by the wonderful film "Latter Days" and the experiences of the author's friends, "And It Came To Pass" is a story of two young men of faith and their paths to self-acceptance and love (divine, romantic, and familial).
Adam is 19, on break from college to perform his expected mission work in Barcelona, Spain. He comes from a cold, unloving family who demands nothing less than perfection from him.
Brandon, his mission companion, is lively, outgoing, demonstrative, and comes from a warm, loving family. They both hope that mission work will give certainty and conviction to their faith, which they each question (first alone, and then together).
One of the best parts of the story is that, through it all, Adam and Brandon question their Church and its teachings, but their faith in God is never in doubt. So often, queer people of faith (in life and fiction) are not able to separate the wrong done them by people from faith in God, so they abandon God as well as their faith community. Adam and Brandon do make that distinction, though, and remain men of faith when their church and its members reject them.
We need more stories from and about queer people of faith. While both the queer and various religious communities at large would make the claim that faith and being GLBTQ+ are binaries that can't coexist, the reality is that people can and do find queer-positive interpretations in the major religions of the world, while also seeking to live and love as God made them.
Well done, Laura. It was great to meet you at RT 17, and I am looking forward to reading more of your books.
Adam is 19, on break from college to perform his expected mission work in Barcelona, Spain. He comes from a cold, unloving family who demands nothing less than perfection from him.
Brandon, his mission companion, is lively, outgoing, demonstrative, and comes from a warm, loving family. They both hope that mission work will give certainty and conviction to their faith, which they each question (first alone, and then together).
One of the best parts of the story is that, through it all, Adam and Brandon question their Church and its teachings, but their faith in God is never in doubt. So often, queer people of faith (in life and fiction) are not able to separate the wrong done them by people from faith in God, so they abandon God as well as their faith community. Adam and Brandon do make that distinction, though, and remain men of faith when their church and its members reject them.
We need more stories from and about queer people of faith. While both the queer and various religious communities at large would make the claim that faith and being GLBTQ+ are binaries that can't coexist, the reality is that people can and do find queer-positive interpretations in the major religions of the world, while also seeking to live and love as God made them.
Well done, Laura. It was great to meet you at RT 17, and I am looking forward to reading more of your books.
May 23, 2017
I enjoyed this very much. The author is from a Mormon background, and she depicts the Mormon culture and practices in detail, which I really liked and found interesting.
Also she depicts the experience of being on mission in Barcelona, and all the Spanish people edging away from them as soon as they realise they are Mormons, to avoid the proselytising. They sound just like Australians.
I loved the guys and their romance.
I loved the interwoven issue of their spirituality, and wanting to live a godly life, and how that intersected with their sexuality and love, and then how that intersected with the Mormon church and their families.
Also she depicts the experience of being on mission in Barcelona, and all the Spanish people edging away from them as soon as they realise they are Mormons, to avoid the proselytising. They sound just like Australians.
I loved the guys and their romance.
I loved the interwoven issue of their spirituality, and wanting to live a godly life, and how that intersected with their sexuality and love, and then how that intersected with the Mormon church and their families.
April 15, 2020
The premise of this really intrigued me. I know enough about Mormon missions to know FORCED PROXIMATELY LIKE WHOA. (I am not sure that was played with quite enough for my tastes.) I did like the exploration of religion and finding your own way, but ultimately I think the pacing wasn't quite there for me. This might've needed to be a longer book.
July 10, 2017
Laura Stone is a new author to me and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this through Adam's eyes!
Adam is hoping that by going on his 2 year mission, he will finally feel that spark with his faith like everyone else seems to have. But he's constantly feeling pressure from his family and church because they have put such high expectations on him (and all the others who do mission work).
The Mormon religion is basically a third character in this story. But it has to be that way because once we understand the details of their religion, we can feel the real struggle Adam and Brandon have. Their relationship grows to where they feel comfortable enough with one another to question things- their religion, church and Heavenly Father.
They are questioning all the things that they shouldn't according to the Mormon religion. But to question aspects of your religion, it means you are tainted, you aren't praying enough and are not being attentive in your spiritual journey. (There is way more to it than that but I'm paraphrasing.) Adam and Brandon trust each other so much that they feel safe to have open conversations about their fears and interpretations.
Once Adam and Brandon acknowledge and accept that they have very strong feelings for the other, they question things even more. How can it be wrong if it feels so good?? (My thoughts exactly!)
These two were so damn sweet and innocent and I was rooting for them the whole time but oh the angst and inner turmoil! I don't want to give away more of the story but the sex scene was so subtle that I didn't even realize they were having sex until they came to "completion". I am use to way more expressive sex scenes (yeah, don’t judge me) but this just stayed with the innocence theme of the book and it worked.
I loved Brandon's family, especially his mom! She was such a great supporter of her son and accepted Adam with open arms. I loved the epilogue and it left me wanting to hear more about these two!
I really enjoyed the author's thoughts at the beginning of the book where she talked about her Mormon background since she grew up in that environment. She has over 130 first cousins which is so hard for me to fathom since I have 4. It broke my heart to read about the suicide and homeless statistics she provided on the Mormon children who get turned away/excommunicated from their families when they come out as gay, lesbian, etc.
This story will pull at your heartstrings!
Adam is hoping that by going on his 2 year mission, he will finally feel that spark with his faith like everyone else seems to have. But he's constantly feeling pressure from his family and church because they have put such high expectations on him (and all the others who do mission work).
The Mormon religion is basically a third character in this story. But it has to be that way because once we understand the details of their religion, we can feel the real struggle Adam and Brandon have. Their relationship grows to where they feel comfortable enough with one another to question things- their religion, church and Heavenly Father.
They are questioning all the things that they shouldn't according to the Mormon religion. But to question aspects of your religion, it means you are tainted, you aren't praying enough and are not being attentive in your spiritual journey. (There is way more to it than that but I'm paraphrasing.) Adam and Brandon trust each other so much that they feel safe to have open conversations about their fears and interpretations.
Once Adam and Brandon acknowledge and accept that they have very strong feelings for the other, they question things even more. How can it be wrong if it feels so good?? (My thoughts exactly!)
These two were so damn sweet and innocent and I was rooting for them the whole time but oh the angst and inner turmoil! I don't want to give away more of the story but the sex scene was so subtle that I didn't even realize they were having sex until they came to "completion". I am use to way more expressive sex scenes (yeah, don’t judge me) but this just stayed with the innocence theme of the book and it worked.
I loved Brandon's family, especially his mom! She was such a great supporter of her son and accepted Adam with open arms. I loved the epilogue and it left me wanting to hear more about these two!
I really enjoyed the author's thoughts at the beginning of the book where she talked about her Mormon background since she grew up in that environment. She has over 130 first cousins which is so hard for me to fathom since I have 4. It broke my heart to read about the suicide and homeless statistics she provided on the Mormon children who get turned away/excommunicated from their families when they come out as gay, lesbian, etc.
This story will pull at your heartstrings!
May 31, 2017
4.5 Stars!!!
Adam Young is sent to Barcelona for his mission trip and when faced with his new mission companion, Brandon Christensen, he finds himself questioning a lot of things that he's always taken for granted, like his faith and his sexuality.
I have read other books in which religion plays a prominent role, although none of them have been focused on the Mormon faith and I loved being able to immerse myself in this new world for me.
The first half of the book is mostly a description of what goes on in these missions, which was quite eye-opening. I've seen the Mormon missionaries here in my country, I think we even had them visit us at home once when my brother and I were in our teens, and as a predominantly Catholic country, I could see a lot of what was featured in An It Came to Pass easily happening here as well, so I could relate.
The second part was more romance and plot-driven, with some angst thrown in for good measure.
I loved Adam and Brandon, they had great chemistry and despite their young age, I can see them making it in the long run. The love they felt for each other was palpable and they were both sweet and hot together.
I absolutely hated Adam's parents, his father especially, who couldn't have been more different from Brandon's parents.
This is a slow-burn romance, told from Adam's POV, although we do get Brandon's POV in the last chapter. It's well-written, very descriptive, with a nice, very organic progression. Definitely a must-read and another hit for Laura Stone!
Very recommendable!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Interlude Press for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
Adam Young is sent to Barcelona for his mission trip and when faced with his new mission companion, Brandon Christensen, he finds himself questioning a lot of things that he's always taken for granted, like his faith and his sexuality.
I have read other books in which religion plays a prominent role, although none of them have been focused on the Mormon faith and I loved being able to immerse myself in this new world for me.
The first half of the book is mostly a description of what goes on in these missions, which was quite eye-opening. I've seen the Mormon missionaries here in my country, I think we even had them visit us at home once when my brother and I were in our teens, and as a predominantly Catholic country, I could see a lot of what was featured in An It Came to Pass easily happening here as well, so I could relate.
The second part was more romance and plot-driven, with some angst thrown in for good measure.
I loved Adam and Brandon, they had great chemistry and despite their young age, I can see them making it in the long run. The love they felt for each other was palpable and they were both sweet and hot together.
I absolutely hated Adam's parents, his father especially, who couldn't have been more different from Brandon's parents.
This is a slow-burn romance, told from Adam's POV, although we do get Brandon's POV in the last chapter. It's well-written, very descriptive, with a nice, very organic progression. Definitely a must-read and another hit for Laura Stone!
Very recommendable!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Interlude Press for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
May 20, 2017
And it Came to Pass, by Laura Stone, is possibly the most important book I have ever read.
Laura writes the struggle I began fighting eight years ago between religion and homosexuality in words that I could not possibly have ever thought of myself. And It Came to Pass tells the story of two young men raised in extremely conservative Mormon homes, one who was encouraged to question and find answers within his faith, and one who was taught that questioning itself was a sin. The two men meet while on a mission, trying to convince Roman-Catholic Spaniards in Barcelona to relinquish their culture and adopt the Mormon faith.
It is the story of questions, of learning that trusted religious leaders can be wrong, even when they are your very own parents. It is at its foundation a love story, but it is also a story of the love of a parent for a child, and the love of God for all his children. It is a cautionary tale of what happens when you put religion and rules above God and family, and at the same time a story of what can be when seeking out the truth becomes more important than doctrine, and loving your child more important than obedience to the church.
This is Laura Stone’s third novel, and this is one that will stay in my soul for a long time.
Laura writes the struggle I began fighting eight years ago between religion and homosexuality in words that I could not possibly have ever thought of myself. And It Came to Pass tells the story of two young men raised in extremely conservative Mormon homes, one who was encouraged to question and find answers within his faith, and one who was taught that questioning itself was a sin. The two men meet while on a mission, trying to convince Roman-Catholic Spaniards in Barcelona to relinquish their culture and adopt the Mormon faith.
It is the story of questions, of learning that trusted religious leaders can be wrong, even when they are your very own parents. It is at its foundation a love story, but it is also a story of the love of a parent for a child, and the love of God for all his children. It is a cautionary tale of what happens when you put religion and rules above God and family, and at the same time a story of what can be when seeking out the truth becomes more important than doctrine, and loving your child more important than obedience to the church.
This is Laura Stone’s third novel, and this is one that will stay in my soul for a long time.
June 26, 2017
So let me start by saying that everything you have heard about how emotional this book is, is absolutely spot on. There was a moment while reading where I was literally clutching my chest with ache over how it would turn out (despite knowing it had a HEA).
Stone has a way of crafting characters who feel real and heartfelt. In the case of And It Came to Pass, I think it's directly tied to her own Mormon upbringing. She's able to bring all of us apostates (the term Mormons use for people not in the church) into the fold for just long enough to feel what Brandon and Adam are going through. Even if you have no understanding of the LDS church or its culture, Stone gives you this info without distracting from the story. And trust me when I say this story is a beautiful tale of acceptance amidst a religion that does not accept it's LGBT members. If you know someone struggling with their religion (Mormon or otherwise) because of their sexuality, give them this book. The overall message of this book is that faith and queerness don't have to be mutually exclusive, even if your religion completely excludes you.
Sometimes it's heavy, but I promise readers will walk away from this book with hope.
Stone has a way of crafting characters who feel real and heartfelt. In the case of And It Came to Pass, I think it's directly tied to her own Mormon upbringing. She's able to bring all of us apostates (the term Mormons use for people not in the church) into the fold for just long enough to feel what Brandon and Adam are going through. Even if you have no understanding of the LDS church or its culture, Stone gives you this info without distracting from the story. And trust me when I say this story is a beautiful tale of acceptance amidst a religion that does not accept it's LGBT members. If you know someone struggling with their religion (Mormon or otherwise) because of their sexuality, give them this book. The overall message of this book is that faith and queerness don't have to be mutually exclusive, even if your religion completely excludes you.
Sometimes it's heavy, but I promise readers will walk away from this book with hope.
June 7, 2017
This was such a sweet book. Given Laura Stone's family history, I was a little surprised at how gently the Mormon faith is treated in this book (that is also partly due to having recent read a book by an ex-Mormon that was really quite critical). But that is probably due to our two protagonists having a very deep very impactful faith, that they love even if it doesn't allow for them to reside well within it. The slow build between Adam and Brandon was just lovely and the epilogue was incredibly sweet. My only issue with this book was the occasional jumps in timing - there were a number of flashback scenes where I had to go back a page to figure out what the timing was supposed to be.
July 5, 2017
"And It Came To Pass" was a lovely and insightful book. I read the book in two days and I couldn't put it down. Laura Stone is able to create a world with such ease that just instantly draws you in. Adam and Brandon are complex and interesting characters that you just root for. Not only is the romance palpable between the two, but the book delves into a hard topic of faith and religion. It handles it so well, and I am someone who does not have a very good knowledge of the Mormon faith. But Stone does a great job at giving readers the background they need. I cannot recommend this book enough for romance, a young man's journey figuring out his world and finding faith within yourself.
December 8, 2017
5 Stars
This book was very good. The part that was the love story was touching and very well written. I thought everything went from crisis to bliss a bit too fast. That's really the only gripe I have. The wish to fit in, the need for the church you have always belonged to. It doesn't often fade that quickly. Even though Adam's background leaves room for it to be easier to turn your back to it. In reality although most find a way, it's a tough battle and not easily solved.
But otherwise it's an amazing little book and it's impossible not to root for their love story.
This book was very good. The part that was the love story was touching and very well written. I thought everything went from crisis to bliss a bit too fast. That's really the only gripe I have. The wish to fit in, the need for the church you have always belonged to. It doesn't often fade that quickly. Even though Adam's background leaves room for it to be easier to turn your back to it. In reality although most find a way, it's a tough battle and not easily solved.
But otherwise it's an amazing little book and it's impossible not to root for their love story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews