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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Have a Little Faith in Me is a fun and fiercely feminist read, taking on the issues of sex education and consent for a YA audience.
Firstly, I love the exploration of female friendship. Although CeCe is originally wary around her ultra-conservative Christian campmates, she soon learns to love and respect them, as they accept each other for who they are. It is refreshing and heart-warming to see the relationships between a group of girls portrayed so positively, and I enjoyed seeing them learn from and support each other.
Unfortunately, CeCe is the least likeable amongst these girls. While her brash and impulsive personality is originally endearing, she becomes increasingly annoying throughout the book. Despite the lessons she learns, her character doesn't develop, and it feels like she steamrollers toward her happy ending far too easily.
It's brilliant to read a YA novel that is so sex positive, openly discussing issues around consent, pressure, expectations and awkward first-time experiences. On the one hand, I wish the exploration of these issues could have been a little more organic – at times, the narrative is sacrificed for some awkward and overly dogmatic sex-ed spiels. But on the other hand, I appreciate the lack of subtlety – there's a lot of myth-busting and frank conversations that teens need to hear. It's hard to fault a writer who is clearly approaching her topic with the best intentions.
Have a Little Faith in Me is an enjoyable read with plenty of humour, some memorable messages and a lot of heart.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
Firstly, I love the exploration of female friendship. Although CeCe is originally wary around her ultra-conservative Christian campmates, she soon learns to love and respect them, as they accept each other for who they are. It is refreshing and heart-warming to see the relationships between a group of girls portrayed so positively, and I enjoyed seeing them learn from and support each other.
Unfortunately, CeCe is the least likeable amongst these girls. While her brash and impulsive personality is originally endearing, she becomes increasingly annoying throughout the book. Despite the lessons she learns, her character doesn't develop, and it feels like she steamrollers toward her happy ending far too easily.
It's brilliant to read a YA novel that is so sex positive, openly discussing issues around consent, pressure, expectations and awkward first-time experiences. On the one hand, I wish the exploration of these issues could have been a little more organic – at times, the narrative is sacrificed for some awkward and overly dogmatic sex-ed spiels. But on the other hand, I appreciate the lack of subtlety – there's a lot of myth-busting and frank conversations that teens need to hear. It's hard to fault a writer who is clearly approaching her topic with the best intentions.
Have a Little Faith in Me is an enjoyable read with plenty of humour, some memorable messages and a lot of heart.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
So fun!!! Reminded me a lot of Saved. Not as much religion-grappling as I’d been expecting, but well made up for it in thoughtful conversations about sexuality, empathy, consent, and respect. CeCe was a totally delightful protagonist—loved seeing her dawning realizations about her own flaws and blind spots. (Plus, Paul. Swoon.) There were some conversations/situations that felt a little too tidy or self-aware, but like CeCe, I’d rather the reader get those messages loud and clear.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I love the voice in HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME. CeCe is perky and impulsive and lots of fun. The plot doesn’t really pretend to have big secrets– it’s a rom com, and all that goes with that– but it still kept me turning pages because I couldn’t wait to see what CeCe would get up to next.
It always feels a little dicey to me to read about Christian characters from the perspective of someone who feels like an outsider or belittles faith. While there are definitely some moments where Christian faith is treated like a joke or scam, for the most part, I feel like this book shows that some Christians are genuine, kind, loving people. One of CeCe’s conclusions, though, is that Christians (even the “good”, non-judgmental ones) use their beliefs to justify whatever they want to do. While she’s certainly not wrong about people doing that at times, it was kind of a blanket statement that didn’t get challenged even when she discovered she liked some of the other campers and believed them to be good people.
I struggled with some of the ways that modesty is represented in the book. CeCe's first taught that modesty means teaching girls to be ashamed of their bodies because they cause boys to sin. She later rejects this idea (which is great!) and decides that modesty is bad, no matter the reason, and implies that girls who choose to cover up are wrong, no matter why they've chosen to do so.
Another big theme in the story is consent. I love that this topic is on the table and being explored in YA books so much. It’s super important and sometimes confusing. Showing examples of good consent is a great way to teach about the topic.
I liked that HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME shows both a good example of asking for consent and bad example of it. We see how CeCe feels in both situations, and we can understand why. One partner makes her feel valued and cared for, and the other partner makes her feel used and dirty. I thought it was a little weird that it’s a boy who’s educating CeCe about consent. Not that boys can’t be or shouldn’t be in the know on consent. I guess it just struck me as a little odd in a book that focuses so much on female empowerment that a boy is the one who shows her the way.
While I think it’s important for teens to have real facts and information about sex and to have safe spaces where they can ask questions, I felt like the story didn’t leave room for kids who aren’t ready or who would find themselves really uncomfortable discussing explicit things about sex in a crowd.
I guess all that to say that I had kind of mixed feelings about HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME. On the one hand, I enjoyed a lot of the adventure of the story and the humor and voice. And I’m a total sucker for the best-friend-to-boyfriend type of story, so I was pretty much hooked from the outset.
I do wish that there was better representation of alternative perspectives on modesty and sex, but I loved that the story explores and fosters conversations about consent and how important it is.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
It always feels a little dicey to me to read about Christian characters from the perspective of someone who feels like an outsider or belittles faith. While there are definitely some moments where Christian faith is treated like a joke or scam, for the most part, I feel like this book shows that some Christians are genuine, kind, loving people. One of CeCe’s conclusions, though, is that Christians (even the “good”, non-judgmental ones) use their beliefs to justify whatever they want to do. While she’s certainly not wrong about people doing that at times, it was kind of a blanket statement that didn’t get challenged even when she discovered she liked some of the other campers and believed them to be good people.
I struggled with some of the ways that modesty is represented in the book. CeCe's first taught that modesty means teaching girls to be ashamed of their bodies because they cause boys to sin. She later rejects this idea (which is great!) and decides that modesty is bad, no matter the reason, and implies that girls who choose to cover up are wrong, no matter why they've chosen to do so.
Another big theme in the story is consent. I love that this topic is on the table and being explored in YA books so much. It’s super important and sometimes confusing. Showing examples of good consent is a great way to teach about the topic.
I liked that HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME shows both a good example of asking for consent and bad example of it. We see how CeCe feels in both situations, and we can understand why. One partner makes her feel valued and cared for, and the other partner makes her feel used and dirty. I thought it was a little weird that it’s a boy who’s educating CeCe about consent. Not that boys can’t be or shouldn’t be in the know on consent. I guess it just struck me as a little odd in a book that focuses so much on female empowerment that a boy is the one who shows her the way.
While I think it’s important for teens to have real facts and information about sex and to have safe spaces where they can ask questions, I felt like the story didn’t leave room for kids who aren’t ready or who would find themselves really uncomfortable discussing explicit things about sex in a crowd.
I guess all that to say that I had kind of mixed feelings about HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME. On the one hand, I enjoyed a lot of the adventure of the story and the humor and voice. And I’m a total sucker for the best-friend-to-boyfriend type of story, so I was pretty much hooked from the outset.
I do wish that there was better representation of alternative perspectives on modesty and sex, but I loved that the story explores and fosters conversations about consent and how important it is.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I didn't want to read this, because the blurb on Amazon compared it to Saved!, which you may or may not know is my favorite movie. So I feared there was no way it could hold up to the movie, and I'd be disappointed. But then other reviews said it really was as good, so I gave it a chance.
I'm kind of disappointed I did. The book is fine, there were parts are definitely liked (every young adult should understand consent as described in this book, and what both a good and bad sexual experience is actually like, and WHY consent makes such a difference), but I'd hardly compare it to Saved!.
The basic storyline is that CeCe's boyfriend, Ethan, dumped her after they had sex, saying that he wanted to become a born-again virgin, and strengthen his relationship with God, and he couldn't do that with her. And off he went to a Christian leadership camp. CeCe, frustrated and determined to get Ethan back, decides to follow him to camp. Luckily her BFF Paul - who knows way more about Christianity than CeCe does - goes along with her. The two pretend to be a couple (because CeCe feels this will make things less awkward), but then the lines between pretend and reality start to get blurred. Meanwhile, CeCe gets close with her other cabin-mates and the four of them start to learn some life lessons from each other - from how to apply eye makeup to how (not) to give a hand job, and everything in between.
The book was just okay for me ... I didn't find the camp or campers very believable, having been in a leadership program at a Christian Camp when I was in high school, it was nothing like this (aside from having a Blob in the lake - we did have that, ha.). It's been a long time since I was a teenager, and I was quite naive when I was one, so maybe this is more realistic than I give it credit for, but I didn't particularly like it.
It was still a relatively quick read, and it certainly wasn't BAD. And, like said, there were some good messages in here. But overall, not one of my favorite books this year.
I'm kind of disappointed I did. The book is fine, there were parts are definitely liked (every young adult should understand consent as described in this book, and what both a good and bad sexual experience is actually like, and WHY consent makes such a difference), but I'd hardly compare it to Saved!.
The basic storyline is that CeCe's boyfriend, Ethan, dumped her after they had sex, saying that he wanted to become a born-again virgin, and strengthen his relationship with God, and he couldn't do that with her. And off he went to a Christian leadership camp. CeCe, frustrated and determined to get Ethan back, decides to follow him to camp. Luckily her BFF Paul - who knows way more about Christianity than CeCe does - goes along with her. The two pretend to be a couple (because CeCe feels this will make things less awkward), but then the lines between pretend and reality start to get blurred. Meanwhile, CeCe gets close with her other cabin-mates and the four of them start to learn some life lessons from each other - from how to apply eye makeup to how (not) to give a hand job, and everything in between.
The book was just okay for me ... I didn't find the camp or campers very believable, having been in a leadership program at a Christian Camp when I was in high school, it was nothing like this (aside from having a Blob in the lake - we did have that, ha.). It's been a long time since I was a teenager, and I was quite naive when I was one, so maybe this is more realistic than I give it credit for, but I didn't particularly like it.
It was still a relatively quick read, and it certainly wasn't BAD. And, like said, there were some good messages in here. But overall, not one of my favorite books this year.