Publisher:
Simon and
Schuster
Release
Date: 1st
August 2013
Edition:
UK paperback,
review copy
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 one time). And now she’s
separated me from my best friend, Megs, which means I have no one to give me
piggy backs or check for dangly bogies.
At
least the school is trying to make amends by bussing in boys for our choir. So
I can start at dreamy Finn until he realises I’m the girl for him...except he’s
singing a duet with my sworn enemy and her bog 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...
I was so surprised to hear that
CJ Harper was moving onto funny contemp after her dystopian thriller debut and I
just wondered how on earth it would work. I was rather ecstatic with the result;
Have a Little Faith is wonderful.
Told in diary entries, Have a Little Faith has a feel of the
Georgia Nicolson’s about it. Faith’s hilarious exploits at school with her
three best friends and the chaos that ensues when their choir joins forces with
the boys school next door threw me straight back to thirteen-years-old and
falling in love with Georgia and the Ace Gang. Lots of UK contemp that’s even
slightly funny is compared to Louise Rennison, but Candy Harper genuinely evokes
the same violent laughter (and occasionally snorting) as her characters make
fools of themselves, have crazy crushes and you inevitably fall in love with
them. I don’t equate books to the Georgia Nicolson series easily, but Have a Little Faith made me think of it
immediately.
Have
a Little Faith is
a sharp departure from Harper’s debut The
Disappeared (as CJ Harper) and it felt like a whole other person writing
it. It was brilliantly funny, so realistic and I just, I just fell in love with
it okay. I felt like I was right there with Faith and I want to go back. Even if
she is a bit precocious and annoying at times. She’s awesome. Her, Megs, Lily
and Angharad were all fantastic characters and so sharply different and fully
characterised. I loved that their friendship was three-dimensional and they had
ups and downs as any friendship would.
In conclusion, I want more. Have a Little Faith has swung into my
favourites of 2013 and I’m already counting down the days until book two.
Thanks to S&S for sending
me a copy for review!
Sophie
I wasn't a huge fan of the Georgia Nicholson series and just generally don't get on well with this type of novel but I might possibly try this out. It does seem promising!
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Sophie!
This looks really cute! I'm not sure about the diary entries, but will definitely look out for it :-)
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've read a single negative thing about this book. I bought a copy when I was in Bath over the summer and I'm still not sure why I haven't already read it!
ReplyDelete