Mina is top of her class, girlfriend to the most ambitious guy in school, able to reason and study her way through anything. But when she suddenly finds herself pregnant—despite having never had sex—her orderly world collapses.
Almost nobody believes Mina’s claims of virginity. Her father assumes that her boyfriend is responsible; her boyfriend believes she must have cheated on him. As news of Mina’s story spreads, there are those who brand her a liar. There are those who brand her a heretic. And there are those who believe that miracles are possible—and that Mina’s unborn child could be the greatest miracle of all.
Katelyn Detweiler’s Immaculate is a vividly-imagined story about magic, faith, and family. Her heroine’s wildly unlikely teenage pregnancy leads to more than just a brutal break-up and national scandal; it allows for an exploration of essential questions about sex, identity, and what belief means to human beings. In a lovely and uplifting twist, Immaculate gives us girls who believe in themselves and each other, girls who move forward—in spite of extremely difficult circumstances—to create joy, love, and new life!
[The] message is more about faith in general than a specific set of beliefs. A unique page-turner mixing humor and heart, this is a thought-provoking take on miracles and motherhood.
Immaculate is a bewitching and thought-provoking story about the strength and faith required to face a contemporary miracle. This one begs for a sequel.
Katelyn Detweiler has accomplished something exceptional—a poignant novel that balances delicate issues of religious heresy and bullying with heartwarming moments of faith, love, and personal strength. With a protagonist who is smart, honest, and surprisingly relatable given her circumstances, Mina’s story will guide readers down a path of introspection and force us to consider how we, too, might react to a modern-day miracle.
Detweiler’s smart writing moves quickly and entertains, particularly with Mina’s appealingly bright voice. Even as the story probes its mystical underpinnings, the focus remains firmly on Mina right through to the end. Detweiler’s ambitious debut takes an intriguing premise and executes it well.
It’s a sincere, romantic, and secular story of birth, young motherhood, and new love.