A terrible secret. A terrible fate. When Brie's sister, Faith, dies suddenly, Brie's world falls apart. As she goes through the bizarre and devastating process of mourning the sister she never understood and barely even liked, everything in her life seems to spiral farther and farther off course. Her parents are a mess, her friends don’t know how to treat her, and her perfect boyfriend suddenly seems anything but. As Brie settles into her new normal, she encounters more questions than closure: Certain facts about the way Faith died just don't line up. Brie soon uncovers a dark and twisted secret about Faith’s final night...a secret that puts her own life in danger.Published Sept 2010
Standalone novel
Source: Won from Pure Imagination
Link goes to and Image and teaser from Goodreads.com
*My Review*
Losing Faith is an emotional book with a spoonful of mystery. The characters are likeable and well written, the plot moves along nicely. It kept me interested and I didn't want to put the book down.
Though Losing Faith deals with religion, it never came across to me as preachy. It could have been a real life situation, and I think that Brie examined things and gave fair weight where it was due. Dealing with a cult, of course there is a pinch of truth and then taken to extremes along with a lot of lies. So, yes, we see these things in the book, but there are also examples of good christians.
Losing a sister and a daughter has to be heartwrenching and we get an inside look through Brie and her parents. Jaden really conveys different ways of handling grief and I can almost feel their pain along with them.
Though I felt I knew where the book was going and what the answers were going to be, it was a wonderful ride to with Brie to find the answers. I was right for most things, but there were still things that surprised me.
My favorite characters in the story are actually Tessa, an 'outcast' who befriends Brie and shows her what being a friend really means-- also what getting into trouble means, but that is part of the fun. My other is Alys, the love interest. He is awkward but loyal, and caring. Minor spoiler- highlight to read- Their kiss was HOT!!! Just the right amount of detail. I love that it wasn't picture perfect, but they still FELT.
I would love to hear what you think of the story and/or my review.
Wonderful review, Brandi! I really want to read the book now. It sounds like an emotional read.
ReplyDeleteGreat review.! I would have never picked up this book on my own but your review convinced me to try. I'm curious though, is it a terribly sad book? I don't want to read it if it'll depress me.
ReplyDeleteAttack of the Book!
It's sad but I have read more emotional in contemp. There are plenty of lighter moments.
ReplyDeleteNice review, Tessa was one of my favourite characters too.
ReplyDeletegreat review. i'm glad you enjoyed this one. I love Denise, so it's nice to see her book making its rounds in the blog world.
ReplyDelete-let's get beyond tolerance (lauren)
Brilliant review, Brandi! I absolutely loved this book...I thought it was so powerful :)
ReplyDeleteSo, you're saying I should read this AFTER I've read a funny book? Ugh, my above comment sounds so generic, sorry about that!
ReplyDeleteI've actually heard a lot of mixed reviews for this one, but have to admit that I inspite of that, I'm still rather curious about this one. The fact that you mention a cult only intrigues me more - so I'll definitely read this at some stage!
ReplyDeleteTess really was a brillant character, a lot of the lighter moments come from her.
ReplyDeleteGreat review Brandi! I read this book last year and really liked it. Jaden does a fantastic job balancing the sad parts with the mystery, so I never felt weighed down by the story. And the snarkiness helped a lot too.
ReplyDelete