In her debut novel, Katie Henry delivers laughs, tears, and the kind of deep philosophical questions that will leave you questioning for days.

Michael is pretty sure that he’s hit rock bottom. It’s two months into his junior year, and he has to switch schools – again – because of his dad’s job. And to make matters worse, Michael – a staunch atheist – has been enrolled in St. Clare’s, a private Catholic school. Worried about how he will fit in, and how he will survive two years of religious education, Michael’s hopes are pretty low. But when Michael meets three fellow students, who comprise a secret club they call “Heretics Anonymous,” he thinks he has finally found his people. There’s Lucy, a devout Catholic who wants to become a priest; Avi, who is both gay and Jewish; Max, a Protestant; and Eden, whose flexible religious beliefs currently fall under Celtic Reconstructionist Polytheism.

Together, the Heretics commit small acts of rebellion against the school’s rigid administration, including hijacking the school’s questionable sex-ed video, and trying to get a popular teacher reinstated after they are fired for marrying their same-sex partner. But Michael isn’t satisfied with keeping things on such a small scale, and when he takes matters into his own hands, everything gets much more complicated than anticipated.