*Selected for the Whippoorwill All Read List 2025

“Emotional and empowering, The Redemption of Daya Keane is full of the kind of heart and truth that vibrates off the page.” —Amber Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Way I Used to Be

We Are Okay meets The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School in this heartfelt, queer coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of a small town’s evangelical megachurch culture.

The end of Daya Keane’s junior year in Escondido, Arizona, is anything but expected.

And it starts when her longtime swoon-worthy crush, Beckett Wild, actually talks to her at a party neither of them should’ve been at.

But as Daya’s best friends, Stella and B’Rad, are quick to point out, smart, cute, artistic Beckett is also the poster girl for the wildly popular youth group at Grace Redeemer, the megachurch Daya’s mom prays at and pushes her daughter to attend.

Amid the concert-worthy light shows, high-energy live band, and pastor preaching to love thy neighbor so long as thy neighbor “gets right with God” first, Daya struggles to find her place in a house of worship that doesn’t seem to create space for someone like her. Then again, she never planned to fall this hard for a girl like Beckett Wild.

Now Daya has to decide how far she’s willing to surrender to Beckett’s world of Grace Redeemer, and who she’s willing to become to be with her.

A fearless and profound tale ideal for readers of Jeff Zentner and Jennifer Dugan, The Redemption of Daya Keane gives an intimate and unforgettable look into a world that demands to be seen. 

She's falling for the perfect Christian girl. What happens when being herself is considered a sin?

• Forbidden Love: Daya has crushed on Beckett Wild for years, but Beckett is the poster girl for a megachurch that has no space for a love like theirs.
• A Secret Relationship: When Beckett starts showing interest back, Daya is pulled into a world of stolen moments and whispered confessions, terrified of what will happen if they're discovered.
• Complex Family Drama: Daya’s mom sees the church as salvation, but for Daya, it’s a painful reminder of her family’s troubled past and her own struggle for acceptance.
• An Emotional Coming Out Story: Forced to choose between the girl she's falling for and her own identity, Daya must find the courage to claim her truth in a town that wants to pray it away.