An Expanse of Blue by Kauakanilehua Māhoe Adams

Aouli Elizabeth Smith has felt out of place everywhere in her life: in her home, at church, and even with her friends. Just as she starts to find her home in other people, her life is upturned. 

An Expanse of Blue by Kauakanilehua Māhoe Adams is a novel in verse that explores what it means to grow up as a girl in a hyper-religious family. The novel follows Aouli Elizabeth Smith, who experiences turbulence after turbulence during high school. As a Native Hawaiian girl based in Washington state, she already feels disconnected from the people around her—they don’t even call her by her first name, Aouli, instead opting to call her Lily. 

For the first time in years, she finally meets someone who makes her feel seen: Nalu, another Native Hawaiian who has moved into town due to recent changes in his family. They bond together because of their shared culture, but more so because the other makes them feel seen in ways they have never felt before. 

Aouli’s life is filled with lies. She constantly has to fake attention and passion at church to please her parents. She constantly feels like she is second-best in comparison to her sister, Kāia: a perfect student, pretty, and older. Their father has no qualms about her, yet they don’t allow Aouli to live up to the same expectations as her sister. Even with Aouli’s friendships, she starts to feel disconnected from her best friend, Taylor, who day by day gets closer to the popular crowd and farther from her. Taylor even assumes that Aouli would never be interested in a friendship with Nalu, as she is “just Aouli,” unlike the pretty girls who are perpetually perched by Taylor’s side. 

Aouli begins to unearth that her world is no longer what it was: where everyone she thought to be “good” actually has other motives. Boys who she alwasy thought of as kind, prove themselves to be terrible. Family members who impose harsh expectations on her do so to hide the fact that they cannot stand up to them on their own. Even friends betray themselves when Aouli isn’t allowed to connect with them, per her father’s heavy-handed judgments.

When Aouli has had enough, she finally rebels and finds herself in more difficult positions than before. Forced to confront truths she wished she had never discovered, as well as who she is and how she is changing, Aouli embodies the perpetual journey many young women undergo at this stage in their lives.

The uniqueness of this story stems from the way it’s told, specifically the way it is written in verse; it makes the reading experience reminiscent of The Poet X, a well-known novel that also addresses the effects that growing up in a religious community can have. The poetry within it is reminiscent of how young adults mull over and develop, but it also adds a unique level of artistry that elevates this story to the next level. The story’s unashamed nature also allows readers to confront what belief systems look like, challenging them to find whether they are fallible or resilient in times of struggle. This is a deeply relatable theme for high schoolers who also have grown up religious. Since it is so rarely portrayed in novels, this book is all the more valuable. 

An Expanse of Deep Blue is deeply rooted in the young adult world, in the best way, and it will surely become a favorite for anyone who might relate to Aouli’s character and seek to understand who they are in a society where families and friendships can be hostile. It also offers insight into how children living in similar circumstances may feel as they grow up, making this a highly important coming-of-age novel that will surely strike a chord with readers.

AN EXPANSE OF DEEP BLUE was published on May 19th, 2026 by Heartdrum.