Have a Little Faith in Me

by Sonia Hartl

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

CeCe thought she meant something to Ethan, but after her broke up with her, in the name of the Lord, she was hurt and determined to prove to him that his faith was also important to her in order to win him back. "Jesus camp" proved to be quite a challenge for CeCe, but there she found friendship, love, and understanding.

Let me tell you, I utterly adored this book, and here are some reasons why:

• I thought the characters in this book were stupendous, and I enjoyed getting to know them. They were interesting and layered, and many really surprised me. I was so happy, that Hartl resisted painting them as stereotypes, because they played a huge role in my enjoyment of this story.

• The friendship between CeCe and Paul was so wonderful. They had so much history, and I loved all the small peeks we got into their past.

• Paul was just flawed perfection. Maybe he held people at a distance, and maybe he was resistant to getting into any serious romantic relationships, but he had a huge, soft, and tender heart.

• THE STORIES!! Paul and CeCe would tell each other these really meaningful made up stories. I think I was more partial to Paul's, because they were epic, but I enjoyed this facet of their relationship very much.

• The girls of cabin 8 were such a fantastic group. I adored the friendship that developed between this group of young women, and was so happy CeCe had the luck of meeting them all.

• Hartl did a wonderful job exploring the emotional side of sex, as well as delving into the many aspects of consent. This is something I would love to see more of in YA, and not only was it a big part of CeCe's story, it was done well, in my opinion.

• The story also puts CeCe's fauxmance with Paul side-by-side with her past relationship with Ethan. It was a great way to show a healthy versus an unhealthy relationship, which is something I definitely would have benefited from as a teen.

• I appreciated that the author did not villainize all Christians or Christianity in general, but rather, showed that there are some bad people who choose to weaponize religion. CeCe encountered several characters like that, but she also met a lot of really wonderful Christians too, and I liked that Hartl elected to show both sides.

I expected a wholly hilarious book, and this book was indeed funny, but it was also really emotional, heartfelt, and meaningful. I laughed, I raged, I nodded my head in agreement, and most importantly, I finished this story with a smile on my face.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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