Book Review - Have A Little Faith

Have a Little Faith
Author: Candy Harper
Series: Faith #1
Genres: Contemporary | Childrens, Young Adult
Release Date: 21st April 2014
Publishers: Entangled: Teen
No. Pages: 259
Source: Purchased
Rating: 
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Year Ten has just begun and I'm already in trouble. The way Miss Ramsbottom acts you'd think I'm always causing explosions or giving teachers' radical haircuts (whereas it was just that one time). And now she's separated me from my best friend, Megs, which means I have no one to give me a piggy back or check for dangly bogies.

At least the school is trying to make amends by bussing in boys for our choir. So I can stare at Dreamy Finn until he realises I'm the girl for him except he's singing a duet with my sworn enemy and her big head keeps blocking my view. Fortunately, I've got a plan to solve both problems; as long as I'm careful with the squeezy cheese and the underage driving everything should be just fine..

Finding the right words to produce a coherent review of why I absolutely loved every single moment I spent reading this book is extremely difficult because while it managed to keep my attention from the get go, and I fell in love with Faith's personality and charisma, I also felt connected to this book in that it touched me in places a book hadn't in months; it touched my memories and made me relive the highlights and the hilarious moments of my own year 10 experience.

Have a Little Faith is set out much like a diary, between the months of September and December, and is set in the past tense, some days having extremely short entries and other's having a few pages worth and I absolutely loved this layout; it was unique and done in a way that made even the shortest of entries entertaining. Yes, some of the entries were a little samey, Grandma visiting and going to the 24/7 Tesco on Sunday afternoons, but it was these things almost helped me relate and connect the story, because we all have routines, and grandparents who just won't stop coming round, a siblings we fight with in the middle of shops and while they could have been as mundane as hell, Harper made them all entertaining, and each week was different. Before I knew it, I'd flown through whole months in 30 minutes; Harper is a genius.

I mentioned in an In Bed With Badger were I featured Have a Little Faith and it's sequel that I was certain I would love Faith and I was so right. Faith had this bubbly, quick witted and damn hilarious humour that she carried around with her, as well as a sense of confidence and quick fire come backs that never get old, much like tripping up your little brother; she was so utterly relatable and her attitude was always so believable, I couldn't imagine having no read this book; Faith stole my heart and soul and that girl has got some cracking good tricks up her sleeve. As if that wasn't enough, her friendship with Megs was so like my own friendship with my best friend when we were younger it was almost as if Harper had stolen our lives. The jokes, the jealousy, the whole hearted insults they gave each other, how they're personalities worked so well together and they each stood by each others annoying gabbing over crushes was just fantastic, and the subtle things such as texting or talking every night, holding up cards with words on because you've already had the same conversation a thousand times was just- there's not ways to say how much I loved this relationship they had. Faith is myself and Megs is my best friend Beth and there is no way anyone can tell me that this book wasn't based off us without getting a slap.

Switching things up with this book plot wise was what I liked most. Instead of there being this huge 'finding yourself in school' nonsense, or 'searching your future' the plot was a simple 'find the right boyfriend' and yes, some people won't like this whatsoever, but this book gave me exactly what it said on the tin and it delivered brilliantly. Both the love interests had their own personalities and didn't reflect one another too much, and they both offered Faith something that she wanted, Finn the good looks and Ethan the personality and humour she loves in people. Of course, I found myself rooting for Ethan and still do, and I'm willing to place bets that if you read this book, you will find yourself that way too; out of the two of them Ethan had many more layers, he stood by his friends, took the blows when it wasn't his fault and had a sense of humour and sarcastic nature that could have challenged Faiths. If I was years younger and had Ethan after my heart, I'd be his in a heartbeat.

Yes, this book is full of childhood cheese and cliche, and yes, this book very centred around friendships, family and boys, so if you're looking for a book with a well of depthness and characters developed until you can't add anything more, then Have a Little Faith isn't for you, but if you want humour enough to cry your eyes out, characters that could be based off yourself and a damn cute slow burn romance then this is so your book. A one sitter book with a one of a kind character; Faith, you're a star.