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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
I've been following the author since she announced her deal on Twitter, and I was so pleased to get an early copy from NetGalley. Although I'm not a YA librarian, I love the occasional YA read, and this book did not disappoint. The protagonist, CeCe, is hilarious and real. I came from a school that was heavily evangelical/Christian, so I super-identified with her. CeCe falls for Ethan, a super-Christian, formerly homeschooled boy. After they have sex, he dumps her, and she's totally blindsided. Ethan claims he was tempted and that he needs to reclaim his virginity - so of course, CeCe decides to follow him to Jesus camp to get him back. One problem - CeCe isn't a Christian.
CeCe has to fake her way through camp - but luckily, she's convinced her best friend, Paul, to come with her and help. Paul's deadbeat dad was once a minister, and he'd been to the same camp years ago. She's all set to get Ethan back, but of course, things don't go as she planned.
I loved this book so much - I laughed so hard I almost peed a few times (I've had two babies, don't judge). I couldn't put it down - read it in two sittings. So many important issues of consent and religion, and a girl becoming a woman in the most true way.
CeCe has to fake her way through camp - but luckily, she's convinced her best friend, Paul, to come with her and help. Paul's deadbeat dad was once a minister, and he'd been to the same camp years ago. She's all set to get Ethan back, but of course, things don't go as she planned.
I loved this book so much - I laughed so hard I almost peed a few times (I've had two babies, don't judge). I couldn't put it down - read it in two sittings. So many important issues of consent and religion, and a girl becoming a woman in the most true way.
Overall, Have a Little Faith in Me was a sweey, summer-camp adventure full of strong female friendships and genuine sex-positivity (that is, honesty about sex and acknowledgement that while it's okay to have it, you can also not if you want to wait, are scared, etc.). It did require a bit of suspension of disbelief (what is the likelihood that CeCe's fellow campers at the "most Conservative summer camp in the state" as one of the characters calls it, would be all just chomping at the bit to be sex positive? Not very high. At least some of them would definitely have been ready to rat these people out for being ""heathens"").
The story follows a girl named CeCe, who follows her ex-boyfriend to his Christian summer camp in an effort to prove herself worthy/win him back when he breaks up with her for "tempting" him to "stray" from the path of Christ. Her longtime male best friend comes with her for moral support, I guess. I think you can see where this goes.
The romance was cute, CeCe's friendships with the other girls in her cabin feel genuine and supportive, and it's an engaging read. I think Have a Little Faith in Me is a great easy summer read. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from Sonia Hartl!
The story follows a girl named CeCe, who follows her ex-boyfriend to his Christian summer camp in an effort to prove herself worthy/win him back when he breaks up with her for "tempting" him to "stray" from the path of Christ. Her longtime male best friend comes with her for moral support, I guess. I think you can see where this goes.
The romance was cute, CeCe's friendships with the other girls in her cabin feel genuine and supportive, and it's an engaging read. I think Have a Little Faith in Me is a great easy summer read. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from Sonia Hartl!
I let this book sit on my shelf for a few weeks - I wasn't sure if I would be able to get into it, which, looking back, is one of the more stupid thoughts that have crossed through my brain recently.
I *LOVED* THIS FREAKING BOOK.
I *LOVED* THIS FREAKING BOOK.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
There are certain truths I've come to realize as I age, and one of them is that I rarely enjoy YA anymore.
This may not be surprising; I'm 25 and my reviews skew critical in almost any genre. But especially in these wild pandemic-economy-crumbling-war-brewing times, I'm finding myself reaching for books that make me feel like a kid again only to be disappointed because I know I'm not one.
But this book, in many ways, is what my younger self was looking for and never found. It takes place at an out-of-touch evangelical summer camp, but it does what few books of this kind do: shows characters who learn to recognize the way authority figures weaponize their faith without actually giving their faith up. That's huge! If you're a young person who practices any religion, you don't often get honest stories about faith that aren't, well, laughably bad or sexist and homophobic or both.
That being said, the execution kind of lost me. There are some funny lines, but most of the dialogue was stilted, like it was trying to check after-school-special boxes (have we talked about consent yet? How about acknowledging the protagonist's cishet privilege?). Nothing wrong with including these things, of course, but here it felt very unnatural. Most of the characters are pretty one-note as well; I like the female friendship aspect, but I'd like it more if those characters had a little bit more depth. And I was hoping for more with the Christianity angle; the ending kind of forgets about it, unfortunately.
But, like I said, I'm so decrepit that I was actually alive when Harry Potter came out, so what do I know.
This may not be surprising; I'm 25 and my reviews skew critical in almost any genre. But especially in these wild pandemic-economy-crumbling-war-brewing times, I'm finding myself reaching for books that make me feel like a kid again only to be disappointed because I know I'm not one.
But this book, in many ways, is what my younger self was looking for and never found. It takes place at an out-of-touch evangelical summer camp, but it does what few books of this kind do: shows characters who learn to recognize the way authority figures weaponize their faith without actually giving their faith up. That's huge! If you're a young person who practices any religion, you don't often get honest stories about faith that aren't, well, laughably bad or sexist and homophobic or both.
That being said, the execution kind of lost me. There are some funny lines, but most of the dialogue was stilted, like it was trying to check after-school-special boxes (have we talked about consent yet? How about acknowledging the protagonist's cishet privilege?). Nothing wrong with including these things, of course, but here it felt very unnatural. Most of the characters are pretty one-note as well; I like the female friendship aspect, but I'd like it more if those characters had a little bit more depth. And I was hoping for more with the Christianity angle; the ending kind of forgets about it, unfortunately.
But, like I said, I'm so decrepit that I was actually alive when Harry Potter came out, so what do I know.
I've been following the author since she announced her deal on Twitter, and I was so pleased to get an early copy from NetGalley. Although I'm not a YA librarian, I love the occasional YA read, and this book did not disappoint. The protagonist, CeCe, is hilarious and real. I came from a school that was heavily evangelical/Christian, so I super-identified with her. CeCe falls for Ethan, a super-Christian, formerly homeschooled boy. After they have sex, he dumps her, and she's totally blindsided. Ethan claims he was tempted and that he needs to reclaim his virginity - so of course, CeCe decides to follow him to Jesus camp to get him back. One problem - CeCe isn't a Christian.
CeCe has to fake her way through camp - but luckily, she's convinced her best friend, Paul, to come with her and help. Paul's deadbeat dad was once a minister, and he'd been to the same camp years ago. She's all set to get Ethan back, but of course, things don't go as she planned.
I loved this book so much - I laughed so hard I almost peed a few times (I've had two babies, don't judge). I couldn't put it down - read it in two sittings. So many important issues of consent and religion, and a girl becoming a woman in the most true way.
CeCe has to fake her way through camp - but luckily, she's convinced her best friend, Paul, to come with her and help. Paul's deadbeat dad was once a minister, and he'd been to the same camp years ago. She's all set to get Ethan back, but of course, things don't go as she planned.
I loved this book so much - I laughed so hard I almost peed a few times (I've had two babies, don't judge). I couldn't put it down - read it in two sittings. So many important issues of consent and religion, and a girl becoming a woman in the most true way.
Graded By: Rosemary
Cover Story: Kombucha Girl
BFF Charm: Meh
Swoonworthy Scale: 6
Talky Talk: Straight Up (to Heaven)
Bonus Factors: Church Camp, Sex Positivity
Relationship Status: See You Next Summer
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: Kombucha Girl
BFF Charm: Meh
Swoonworthy Scale: 6
Talky Talk: Straight Up (to Heaven)
Bonus Factors: Church Camp, Sex Positivity
Relationship Status: See You Next Summer
Read the full book report here.
LOVE! My full review for Have a Little Faith in Me is available on Fangirl Fury.
I just loved this so much. It shows the real, lasting effects of purity culture, which ties into one of the most important and nuanced discussions of consent I've read in YA (or anywhere, for that matter). Add in strong female friendships and an authentically sweet friends-to-lovers romance, and you have one of my favourite books of 2019.
This book cracked me up and I raced through it in less than a day. I adored Cece’s friendship with Paul and how he knew more about consent and respect for women than she did at times. Their hijinks at Jesus camp are hilarious and I adore Cece’s courage in standing up for how women’s bodies shouldn’t be portrayed as a source of sin or temptation or shame and how boys not girls should be responsible for curbing their own hormones. Paul was a dreamboat the whole time but without being too perfect- he read like a real guy.
It also had the most laugh out loud awkward depiction of teen sex, which also turned out to be fun and hot (tho not graphic) while being so realistic I almost couldn’t take it.
I enjoyed the heck out of the teen girl friendships in here and how supportive they were. I am always wishing for more books that show Christians in a realistic light- they aren’t all perfect angels or judgmental villains and few books bother to make them more than one or the other. In this book Christianity has strengths and weaknesses as a doctrine, and it’s followers have virtues and flaws and nuance just like everyone else.
Absolutely adored this book- meaningful topics teens need to hear wrapped up in a funny and endearing story!
It also had the most laugh out loud awkward depiction of teen sex, which also turned out to be fun and hot (tho not graphic) while being so realistic I almost couldn’t take it.
I enjoyed the heck out of the teen girl friendships in here and how supportive they were. I am always wishing for more books that show Christians in a realistic light- they aren’t all perfect angels or judgmental villains and few books bother to make them more than one or the other. In this book Christianity has strengths and weaknesses as a doctrine, and it’s followers have virtues and flaws and nuance just like everyone else.
Absolutely adored this book- meaningful topics teens need to hear wrapped up in a funny and endearing story!