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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
Oh, you guys. I love this book. It's smart and funny and I had the goofiest smile the whole time I was reading it.
I am a fan of books about friendship and this has some of the best friendships ever. CeCe was definitely nervous about spending time alone with the girls in her cabin; she was sure they would consider her to be a heathen and probably worse. Instead, they hit it off almost immediately and I loved the way the four of them related to each other.
I love CeCe most of all. She does so much growing over the course of the book but I love the way that she's always good at being direct about what she wants. It's hard to do a lot of the time, and she's a great example.
This is just a complete delight and I'm glad I got a chance to read it. Recommended.
I am a fan of books about friendship and this has some of the best friendships ever. CeCe was definitely nervous about spending time alone with the girls in her cabin; she was sure they would consider her to be a heathen and probably worse. Instead, they hit it off almost immediately and I loved the way the four of them related to each other.
I love CeCe most of all. She does so much growing over the course of the book but I love the way that she's always good at being direct about what she wants. It's hard to do a lot of the time, and she's a great example.
This is just a complete delight and I'm glad I got a chance to read it. Recommended.
4.5 stars
This book is more explicit than I've ever seen in YA, but in a way that's perfect for teenagers. I want to shove this book in the hands of all teenagers, girls and boys alike. I also love how the book is tough on Christians who are hypocritical and use their religion to shame people, while also showcasing people who are religious for the right reasons and accept other people, even when that's unfortunately not what they've been taught. The friendship-turned-romance is also my favorite kind, where the two are so touchy-feel-y without realizing that they're totally into each other. This was a great debut, and I look forward to more from Sonia Hartl.
This book is more explicit than I've ever seen in YA, but in a way that's perfect for teenagers. I want to shove this book in the hands of all teenagers, girls and boys alike. I also love how the book is tough on Christians who are hypocritical and use their religion to shame people, while also showcasing people who are religious for the right reasons and accept other people, even when that's unfortunately not what they've been taught. The friendship-turned-romance is also my favorite kind, where the two are so touchy-feel-y without realizing that they're totally into each other. This was a great debut, and I look forward to more from Sonia Hartl.
I adored this book! Funny, with a super strong voice, and some of the most realistic writing about sex and relationships for teens I've come across, this is one of my favourite YA novels I've read for a very long time.
CeCe is a really likeable protagonist, and is written in exactly the way teenage girls should be - knowing, intelligent, sharp, funny, vulnerable - she really does have it all.
The relationships in this novel, both romantic and platonic, are well-rounded and believable, and I particularly enjoyed the emphasis put on the importance of friendship.
Would highly recommend - I absolutely loved it.
CeCe is a really likeable protagonist, and is written in exactly the way teenage girls should be - knowing, intelligent, sharp, funny, vulnerable - she really does have it all.
The relationships in this novel, both romantic and platonic, are well-rounded and believable, and I particularly enjoyed the emphasis put on the importance of friendship.
Would highly recommend - I absolutely loved it.
For fans of the fake dating tropes, self-assured protagonists, and summer camp vibes with a dose of sex positivity.
CeCe fibs her way into a super-conservative church camp to try to get her ex back, and ends up fake-dating her best friend, Paul.
This book is strongest when CeCe is building friendships across differences with her cabinmates. However, the camp setting as a whole is sometimes distracting. The counselors are judgy, the teens just want to make out, and all they do is go to lectures? No doubt the camp is about as problematic as a camp could be. But, while CeCe has roommates who are portrayed as more welcoming and earnest in their faith, there is no mention of other Christian faith traditions that are open and affirming. Readers with fond memories of (loving/accepting/healthy) church camp will be baffled; readers with (and without) religious experience might find the camp setting tedious, even as they grow fond of the campers.
CeCe fibs her way into a super-conservative church camp to try to get her ex back, and ends up fake-dating her best friend, Paul.
This book is strongest when CeCe is building friendships across differences with her cabinmates. However, the camp setting as a whole is sometimes distracting. The counselors are judgy, the teens just want to make out, and all they do is go to lectures? No doubt the camp is about as problematic as a camp could be. But, while CeCe has roommates who are portrayed as more welcoming and earnest in their faith, there is no mention of other Christian faith traditions that are open and affirming. Readers with fond memories of (loving/accepting/healthy) church camp will be baffled; readers with (and without) religious experience might find the camp setting tedious, even as they grow fond of the campers.
3.9
This was my rebound book after a really upsetting, sad book, so let that color the way you read this. I needed fluff and romcom vibes, and this book delivered.
Here's why I liked this book: it's a really great resource for teens. This book talks about consent beyond the surface level, consent in non-sexually situations, the hazards of the "nice guy" and hazards of changing yourself for people, and even touches upon LGBT stuff. There's a heft amount of sex-ed involved, which is both heavy in its importance and seriousness, and lends a light quirkiness due to the comedy involved in some of the conversations. It's not subtle, so as a 20-something with a background in this stuff it feels awkward at times, but it's good for the demographic it's aimed towards. The romance wasn't perfect, but it was cute, and the two characters work well together.
Now for what didn't hit so spot on for me. The number one issue I had with this book, was that I kept waiting for it to go further into the danger of a single story (which is very slightly touches on with the two LIs) by going into how Christianity isn't evil, it's the specific people who are doing messed up things that are harmful. It's vaguely implied in the conversations with CeCe's roommates, but all of that feels like they're Not Like Other Christians, and all the kids are being slowly brainwashed, and that sentiment is repeated again and again with a sweeping declaration of not liking, getting along with, or understanding Christians. I'll admit that I'm biased, as I am Christian, but I feel like it's the one thing in this book that's taught to the readers that's negative and dangerous. Instead of continuing on the thread of Paul caring about the bible and the teachings while not associating with the small minded pastors etc, and talking about how things get twisted and your faith doesn't need to exist within a church or community to, they just pull the rug out from under the half developed idea again and again.
The other issues I had were the humor was, at least half the time, more forced than funny, and that CeCe's characterization and choices were over the top and not realistic.
I had some disappointment at parts of this book, but mainly it achieved what I wanted it to. This is a quick, quirky romcom, that I think would do well as a movie.
This was my rebound book after a really upsetting, sad book, so let that color the way you read this. I needed fluff and romcom vibes, and this book delivered.
Here's why I liked this book: it's a really great resource for teens. This book talks about consent beyond the surface level, consent in non-sexually situations, the hazards of the "nice guy" and hazards of changing yourself for people, and even touches upon LGBT stuff. There's a heft amount of sex-ed involved, which is both heavy in its importance and seriousness, and lends a light quirkiness due to the comedy involved in some of the conversations. It's not subtle, so as a 20-something with a background in this stuff it feels awkward at times, but it's good for the demographic it's aimed towards. The romance wasn't perfect, but it was cute, and the two characters work well together.
Now for what didn't hit so spot on for me. The number one issue I had with this book, was that I kept waiting for it to go further into the danger of a single story (which is very slightly touches on with the two LIs) by going into how Christianity isn't evil, it's the specific people who are doing messed up things that are harmful. It's vaguely implied in the conversations with CeCe's roommates, but all of that feels like they're Not Like Other Christians, and all the kids are being slowly brainwashed, and that sentiment is repeated again and again with a sweeping declaration of not liking, getting along with, or understanding Christians. I'll admit that I'm biased, as I am Christian, but I feel like it's the one thing in this book that's taught to the readers that's negative and dangerous. Instead of continuing on the thread of Paul caring about the bible and the teachings while not associating with the small minded pastors etc, and talking about how things get twisted and your faith doesn't need to exist within a church or community to, they just pull the rug out from under the half developed idea again and again.
The other issues I had were the humor was, at least half the time, more forced than funny, and that CeCe's characterization and choices were over the top and not realistic.
I had some disappointment at parts of this book, but mainly it achieved what I wanted it to. This is a quick, quirky romcom, that I think would do well as a movie.
3.5 stars
My main struggle with this was that I never felt like I had a full sense of who Cece was. At times she was portrayed as very self-assured, somewhat popular, and confident. Other times, she was portrayed as more of an outcast as if Paul was her only friend. I couldn’t get a good grip on her identity.
Overall, the story lacked teeth for me. The stakes never felt high enough, even though they could easily have been. I’ll probably still check out her next book as it was an enjoyable read, just not particularly high drama.
My main struggle with this was that I never felt like I had a full sense of who Cece was. At times she was portrayed as very self-assured, somewhat popular, and confident. Other times, she was portrayed as more of an outcast as if Paul was her only friend. I couldn’t get a good grip on her identity.
Overall, the story lacked teeth for me. The stakes never felt high enough, even though they could easily have been. I’ll probably still check out her next book as it was an enjoyable read, just not particularly high drama.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing and eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Have a Little Faith In Me is a book that talks about really important issues, like consent, sexuality, religion, to mention a few, yet is very hard to rate, as it doesn't really deliver.
I went into it expecting a funny but poignant story about a girl who goes to Jesus camp to win over her ex-boyfriend, but ends up falling for someone else, and I got the first part, but not the second. If I were to rate the first ¾ of the book, it would've definitely gotten 4 stars from me. But, unfortunately, the last ¼ was more worthy of 2 stars. This ending made me nearly give this whole book 2 stars, but I didn't think it was fair.
Let's start with things I enjoyed. I liked CeCe at the start of the book. She was a strong main character and fought hard to hide her insecurities. Loud and kind of impetuous, she was a great narrator. He ex-boyfriend, Ethan, dumped her 2 days after they had sex, to get closer to God and reclaim his virginity, yet she was still hell bent on winning him back. She had spirit, she was driven. A bit brash as well. Very enjoyable to read from.
The plot of the book was what I enjoyed the most. A typical romcom with an unusual setting, it was something I didn't think I wanted to read, but ended up appreciating. I do think it would work better in a movie, though. A girl making friends she'd never think she could be friends with, and falling for her best friend. Nothing new or ground breaking, but definitely enjoyable. That's where the praise ends.
This book was trying to teach about what it means to give consent, about sexuality, about how religion deals with sexuality, about slut shaming and victim blaming. I think it gave a good effort, but the ending ruined any kind of message the book had going on. CeCe didn't develop at all. She was getting there, understanding what went wrong with her relationship with Ethan, how what she wanted wasn't a boyfriend, just attention. She admits to being selfish, yet doesn't change.
What made me starting to dislike the book was the incredibly graphic yet clinical sex scene, and the dialogue and build up, or rather the lack of any kind of build up, to it. I would happily glance over CeCe having no obvious reasons to be in love with Paul, other than the attention she was getting from him, but the whole - let's go and have sex because I want to teach other girls about enjoyable sex and I'm also jealous other girls that were ultra Christian had an orgasm before me – when she clearly wasn't ready, and Paul, who was supposed to be the voice of reason, going along with it and saying stuff like (actual quotes) “I'd rather spend the rest of my day and night buried inside you.” And “I don't care what you've got on; you won't be wearing it long anyway.” I mean, I'm no prude, but Jesus Christ, it's just... bad. Very bad.
I also wasn't a fan of the way religion was portrayed in this book. I consider myself an atheist, and I don't agree with a lot of the Christian church teachings, much like CeCe, yet I feel like I have enough respect for people and their beliefs to let them have their camp, teachings, etc. CeCe was an intruder in the camp. Even if she's taught some girls who were clueless about certain things involving sex, she took it too far at the end of the book. She acted like a child throughout the book, and I had hopes she'd learn and develop, but unfortunately she didn't.
The more I talk about this book, the more I realise it deserves 2, not 3 stars, at least from me. It was a good idea, and the execution wasn't half bad for some of it, but most of it was unfortunately a miss. A missed opportunity to convey an important message.
Have a Little Faith In Me is a book that talks about really important issues, like consent, sexuality, religion, to mention a few, yet is very hard to rate, as it doesn't really deliver.
I went into it expecting a funny but poignant story about a girl who goes to Jesus camp to win over her ex-boyfriend, but ends up falling for someone else, and I got the first part, but not the second. If I were to rate the first ¾ of the book, it would've definitely gotten 4 stars from me. But, unfortunately, the last ¼ was more worthy of 2 stars. This ending made me nearly give this whole book 2 stars, but I didn't think it was fair.
Let's start with things I enjoyed. I liked CeCe at the start of the book. She was a strong main character and fought hard to hide her insecurities. Loud and kind of impetuous, she was a great narrator. He ex-boyfriend, Ethan, dumped her 2 days after they had sex, to get closer to God and reclaim his virginity, yet she was still hell bent on winning him back. She had spirit, she was driven. A bit brash as well. Very enjoyable to read from.
The plot of the book was what I enjoyed the most. A typical romcom with an unusual setting, it was something I didn't think I wanted to read, but ended up appreciating. I do think it would work better in a movie, though. A girl making friends she'd never think she could be friends with, and falling for her best friend. Nothing new or ground breaking, but definitely enjoyable. That's where the praise ends.
This book was trying to teach about what it means to give consent, about sexuality, about how religion deals with sexuality, about slut shaming and victim blaming. I think it gave a good effort, but the ending ruined any kind of message the book had going on. CeCe didn't develop at all. She was getting there, understanding what went wrong with her relationship with Ethan, how what she wanted wasn't a boyfriend, just attention. She admits to being selfish, yet doesn't change.
What made me starting to dislike the book was the incredibly graphic yet clinical sex scene, and the dialogue and build up, or rather the lack of any kind of build up, to it. I would happily glance over CeCe having no obvious reasons to be in love with Paul, other than the attention she was getting from him, but the whole - let's go and have sex because I want to teach other girls about enjoyable sex and I'm also jealous other girls that were ultra Christian had an orgasm before me – when she clearly wasn't ready, and Paul, who was supposed to be the voice of reason, going along with it and saying stuff like (actual quotes) “I'd rather spend the rest of my day and night buried inside you.” And “I don't care what you've got on; you won't be wearing it long anyway.” I mean, I'm no prude, but Jesus Christ, it's just... bad. Very bad.
I also wasn't a fan of the way religion was portrayed in this book. I consider myself an atheist, and I don't agree with a lot of the Christian church teachings, much like CeCe, yet I feel like I have enough respect for people and their beliefs to let them have their camp, teachings, etc. CeCe was an intruder in the camp. Even if she's taught some girls who were clueless about certain things involving sex, she took it too far at the end of the book. She acted like a child throughout the book, and I had hopes she'd learn and develop, but unfortunately she didn't.
The more I talk about this book, the more I realise it deserves 2, not 3 stars, at least from me. It was a good idea, and the execution wasn't half bad for some of it, but most of it was unfortunately a miss. A missed opportunity to convey an important message.
(Before I jump in I want to thank The FFBC and Page Street Kids for providing me with an ARC in exchange for this honest review. All opinions are my own.)
CeCe wants nothing more than to get Ethan back, Ethan wants to get closer to Jesus. CeCe knows nothing about Jesus, God or the bible but her best friend Paul does. CeCe ropes Paul into not only joining her to return to the one place he never wanted to go but also into being her fake boyfriend.
This book had everything I needed in a fun summer novel. If you’ve been following me for a bit, you know that I spent ten summers at the same sleep away camp where I made my best friends in the world. I love books about summer camp and I loved this book so much.
CeCe and Paul have even best friends forever, she has never thought of him as anything more until this summer in camp. As I have said before, camp is magical and changes everything. We see this from the quick and super strong friendships CeCe makes with her bunkmates.
CeCe is strong, determined, fierce and loving. She wants what she sets her mind too and loves causing trouble. A Christian camp is the last place I would imagine CeCe would go, but she knows how to hold her ground and fit in with the best of them.
This book was real. It talked about consent, sex, sex ed and sex ed within religion. It brought up the conversation of what needs to be changed in the community and how we can’t go around shunning and shaming people who live differently than we do.
CeCe’s bunk mates Mandy, Astrid and Sarina are fierce and loyal. They all have their strengths and all are trying to find their place within their faith.
“Paul is a king among men, desired and envied, and known the world wide for his great taste in music.”
Paul is the boy who deserves the whole world and nothing less. He is amazing, he loves CeCe so much and would go to the end of the earth just to see her smile. He is the best. I don’t know about his music taste, but I can tell you he is a king among men. And his mom is amazing too.
I loved this book more than anything in the world and everyone needs to read it.
CeCe wants nothing more than to get Ethan back, Ethan wants to get closer to Jesus. CeCe knows nothing about Jesus, God or the bible but her best friend Paul does. CeCe ropes Paul into not only joining her to return to the one place he never wanted to go but also into being her fake boyfriend.
This book had everything I needed in a fun summer novel. If you’ve been following me for a bit, you know that I spent ten summers at the same sleep away camp where I made my best friends in the world. I love books about summer camp and I loved this book so much.
CeCe and Paul have even best friends forever, she has never thought of him as anything more until this summer in camp. As I have said before, camp is magical and changes everything. We see this from the quick and super strong friendships CeCe makes with her bunkmates.
CeCe is strong, determined, fierce and loving. She wants what she sets her mind too and loves causing trouble. A Christian camp is the last place I would imagine CeCe would go, but she knows how to hold her ground and fit in with the best of them.
This book was real. It talked about consent, sex, sex ed and sex ed within religion. It brought up the conversation of what needs to be changed in the community and how we can’t go around shunning and shaming people who live differently than we do.
CeCe’s bunk mates Mandy, Astrid and Sarina are fierce and loyal. They all have their strengths and all are trying to find their place within their faith.
“Paul is a king among men, desired and envied, and known the world wide for his great taste in music.”
Paul is the boy who deserves the whole world and nothing less. He is amazing, he loves CeCe so much and would go to the end of the earth just to see her smile. He is the best. I don’t know about his music taste, but I can tell you he is a king among men. And his mom is amazing too.
I loved this book more than anything in the world and everyone needs to read it.
my takeaway from this book is that consent is more than just saying "yes" and we need better sex ed in schools.