Review: A Psalm for Lost Girls

Title: A Psalm for Lost Girls
Author: Katie Bayerl

 Tess da Costa is a saint — a hand-to-god, miracle-producing saint. At least that's what the people in her hometown of New Avon, Massachusetts, seem to believe. And when Tess suddenly and tragically passes away, her small city begins feverishly petitioning the Pope to make Tess's sainthood official. Tess's mother is ecstatic over the fervor, while her sister Callie, the one who knew Tess best, is disgusted - overcome with the feeling that her sister is being stolen from her all over again.

The fervor for Tess's sainthood only grows when Ana Langone, a local girl who's been missing for six months, is found alive at the foot of one of Tess's shrines. It's the final straw for Callie.

With the help of Tess's secret boyfriend Danny, Callie's determined to prove that Tess was something far more important than a saint; she was her sister, her best friend and a girl in love with a boy. But Callie's investigation uncovers much more than she bargained for: a hidden diary, old family secrets, and even the disturbing truth behind Ana's kidnapping.

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Generally I shy away from books with too many feels, religion, boy problems, romantical themes? Yeah, generally not for me but A Psalm for Lost Girls, definitely took me by surprise. From the moment I picked up the book, I couldn’t put it down. Tess was not your average teenager, she was a girl plagued with visions, and voices. Totally normal...she saves one person and BAM! She’s a new saint in the making, that part makes me cringe. We see a desperate town, and a mother, who need something or someone to believe in, and Tess fits the bill. We only get glimpses of Tess, because the story is told by Callie, Tess’s sister. We hear from Tess in excerpts from her diary, and other people's perceptions of her. I would have loved to hear this story from Tess’s point of view. I did enjoy the book, and can’t wait to read more by Katie Bayerl. 4/5