Review of Losing Faith by Denise Jaden

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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.

There are not enough YA books with cults in them. For serious, cults are fascinating and riveting. Losing Faith by Denise Jaden has a cult, thus making it full of win. It also has: character development, death, high school, home school, kissing and religion. Elements of appeal to me.

I loved the way Losing Faith unravelled and progressed. Each turn made sense to me. I was never thinking the F? I think there’s something to be said for a book lacking gaping plot holes. Also? Brie? Totally real teenager. She’s shallow. She cares about her make up. Her relationship is too huge of a priority. Yes, hi, thanks for reminding of when I was a teenager. However, Brie does grow. And she grows at what I would consider a realistic pace. Her change does not come over night, thank goodness. As far as characters go, I liked her reality.

Also, omg, this book passes the Bedchel test. There are two girls and they talk about something besides boys. *dances* I think maybe this book is worth reading just for meeting Terrible Tessa. Tessa is a girl with issues all her own, but she’s also a great friend, even if she has a rep for being a bully. I am sucker for books with characters who are more than what they seem, what can I say?

Finally, I like the way Losing Faith by Denise Jaden addresses religion. I don’t see a whole lot of religion in YA. When I do see religion I automatically worry it is going to be preachy. I think Jaden handled this aspect well. I never felt like I was reading a convert to Christianity text. I felt she showed religion can be a huge part of someone’s life. This can be healthy, yet it can also be taken to an unhealthy extreme (such as joining a cult.). I didn’t get the feeling that there was some sort of judging going on. We saw Faith as strong in her convictions, which didn’t paint her as weird, but courageous. We saw Brie as questioning, which again, I love, because so many people do question their faith and beliefs, yet I don’t often see that in books. Maybe I am not reading the right books? Anyways, I just, I highly recommend this book. It’s riveting, there’s a cult. There is KISSING. Definitely worth your hours.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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