Losing Faith

by Denise Jaden

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.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Death, Chick Lit

400 pages, Paperback

First published September 7, 2010

About the author

Bestselling author Denise Jaden loves cozy socks, cozy cats, and cozy mysteries. She’s the author of several young adult novels, nonfiction books for writers, and cozy mysteries that will make you laugh out loud while dangling at the edge of your seat.

Prior to becoming an author, Denise worked at everything from mushroom farming to acting and Polynesian dancing. Now she does most of her writing in a holding tent in the background of one of the many film sets in and around Vancouver. Sign up for updates, exclusive bonuses, and find out more about Denise, her books, and her crazy cat at DeniseJaden.com

Reviews

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was extremely well written and has an intriguing mystery that left me wondering what really happened until the final reveal. Brie is your typical self-involved teen until the night her super religious sister falls off a cliff. Others want to deem it a suicide, but Brie just can't believe that her sister would do that. She starts digging into her sisters last days and everything just becomes more and more confusing. Things also become more and more dangerous for Brie.

As for characters, Brie was self-involved at the beginning, but while mourning her sister, and trying to get to the bottom of what really happened, she changes into a much more likable character. Faith and her friend Candace were the goody-goody, sweet religious type, but just good people that you just can't help but like. Amy and Dustin were the type of "friends" that make you think of the saying "with friends like these who needs enemies". Snotty and popular and the exact opposite of loyal. My favorite character, Tessa, who is the scary goth girl that everyone steers clear of unexpectedly becomes Brie's new best friend. She's tough as nails, but also loyal and has a really good heart. She cracked me up several times through the book. And last but not least Alis, he ends up being a great romantic interest for our MC. He's a home schooled boy whose a little quirky but so sweet and cute.

I recommend this one to YA and adult fans alike. Mysterious, action-packed with romantic, and religious aspects, but all rounded out nicely to form a great read. I'm excited to see what Denise Jaden comes up with next.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

Read the rest of my review here

[Yelania Nightwalker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome. I love Alis!
In english... soon

Elegí Losing Faith como una de mis mejores lecturas del 2010 por que este libro muestra una manera real y conmovedora las distintas formas en que cada persona atraviesa la pérdida de un ser querido. Pese a que es un tema complicado y puede sonar triste, la escritora supo manejar el tema con suavidad sin perder objetividad por ello.

También, el aspecto de la religión que se ilustra en el libro, no me pareció una manera de predicar sobre estos temas y lo agradecí muchísimo.

Brie es un personaje en el que te metes en seguida, lo sigues con facilidad y puedes ver lo que siente y lo que piensa, la manera en que ve a sus padres y cuánto les afectó la muerte de Faith; que su mejor amiga y su novio -que era un completo patán-, la evaden y terminan traicionándola; el encuentro de nuevos amigos y del verdadero amor, uno que sí vale la pena. La aparición de Tessa fue bienvenida y me dio una perspectiva diferente del proceso de duelo, al igual que la vida de Alis a quien adoré de principio a fin y me daba ganas de saltar a las páginas y darle el abrazo que sentía que necesitaba.

Losing Faith fue una lectura conmovedora, ligera en su complejidad y hermosamente escrita. El final del libro fue el adecuado y con un toque de esperanza, de verdad no podía pedir más -bueno, sí, quiero más de Alis!

[Morgan F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brie is your average self-absorbed teenage girl. Her main concerns are partying and trying to keep her boyfriend's interest. However, one night Brie receives horrible news: her older sister Faith was killed in a horrible accident. Brie and Faith weren't particularly close as Faith was devoutly religious, something Brie wasn't all that comfortable with. Despite their differences, when Faith dies, Brie's world collapses. She loses her boyfriend, best friend, and her parents are too distracted with their own grief to even notice her. And Brie isn't ready to move on. There is something unsettling about the circumstances of Faith's death….something that just doesn't add up. And Brie is determined to find out just what it is.

While this book certainly is original, it is nothing extraordinary. It takes patience to get through the meandering plot and it took me weeks to finish. Yet I persevered. It wasn't suspense that drew me in, but there was something so…..pleasant about the writing. I liked it.

There was a little too much religious talk for my tastes. Even Brie, who is one of the least religious characters in the book, discusses it quite a lot. It kind of makes me feel uncomfortable and guilty because I never go to church for the sole reason that I am too lazy to go to church of Sundays. Does mass have to be on a weekend? That's when I catch up on my beauty sleep. And homework. And Jersey Shore marathons.

As for the mystery-plot, there really was none. It seemed to be a suspended curiosity rather than an impending mystery. Brie just kind of ran around in circles while Tessa went all ninja. Things didn't turn action-y until the last fifty pages or so. Then it was like BAM.

But as I said before, there was something likable about it, some sort of endearing factor that kept me turning the pages.

I don't really recommend this book, but I won't dive-bomb you in the bookstore screaming "NNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" if I see you pick it up ( I have been known to do this in the past, particularly with certain YA vampire books).

[Lenore Appelhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brie and her sister Faith have not been close in awhile, so when Faith dies under mysterious circumstances, Brie is not sure how she should feel. In order to gain closure, Brie starts investigating Faith’s death and uncovers some shocking secrets.

After I finished reading this, I tweeted: “If more contemporary YA was like LOSING FAITH, I’d read more of it.”

Contemporary YA doesn’t make up a lot of my reading. Mostly because I tend to be drawn to high-concept premises, but also because contemp YA novels seem to be so focused on high school drama or the high school experience. This of course CAN be done well (see Courtney Summers’ novels) but just gets so tiring after awhile.

LOSING FAITH is about a girl in high school, but it’s not ABOUT high school, and that already endeared it to me considerably. Brie is a realistic mix of self-absorbed and self-aware – clueless about what her ultra-religious sister is up to, but savvy about her precarious place in the social order. Faith’s demise alienates Brie from her peers, but Jaden wisely skimps on the pity party to really delve into Brie’s feelings about her complicated relationship with her sister.

While Brie’s parents are sidelined with grief, Brie finally picks up some clues that Faith’s church life was not what it seemed, and gets help in her sleuthing from an unlikely source – tough girl Tessa.

Tessa had quite the outlandish back story, but somehow came off as one of the more believable characters of the bunch. (If I have to get nitpicky, I’d say homeschooled love interest Alis(stair) was perhaps too sweet to be real while his sister Reena felt exaggerated at times.)

Now, I don’t want to give the impression that this is a fast paced mystery read, because it isn’t. Jaden often takes her sweet time to get from one plot point to another, and it takes a looong time for any cult activity to be uncovered (and cults are what originally sold me on this story, so I was looking for them.) But once I settled into the novel’s rhythms, I was undeniably entertained.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Losing Faith has a lot going on in it and Denise Jaden does a wonderful job of tying it all together and presenting it in a wonderful package that keeps you in suspense and keeps you engaged with the characters at the same time.

At first I wasn't sure what I thought of Brie, she seemed a little self-centered. Then I thought back to my high school years and what teenage girl isn't self-centered? Who doesn't want to meet up with their boyfriend at any cost? However Brie's sister, Faith's death really does a lot to change Brie. Brie was always second-best to her sister in the family and after Faith's death her parents further disengage from her while trying to keep a tighter leash on her at the same time. Brie acts out some, but as her life changes so does she and ultimately she wants to get to the bottom of Faith's death which she does not believe was suicide.

I enjoyed the wide span of characters in this book, from Faith and her friend Celeste who were the goody-goody type girls, to Brie who was somewhere in the middle to Amy and Dustin the uber-popular people (for a time) and Tessa who is the scary girl we all remember from high school. I also liked the introduction of Alis to shake things up a bit more, and introduce a love interest for Brie.

Suspense, religion, romance, teenage angst, this book has it all and it is all well-done. Losing Faith was an amazing read that hooked me in the beginning and when it was done I was well-satisfied with the conclusion. Great from start-to-finish!

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Original post at One More Page

My first impression on Losing Faith before I read the book's summary is it's a paranormal romance novel. Which, based on my current reading preferences, is something I kind of avoid. It wasn't until I was going through the YA Contemps releases for 2010 that I found out it was not paranormal romance. When I found out it was a NaNoWriMo novel, it kind of cinched the deal for me and I got a copy of the book.

Losing Faith is a word play on the inciting incident in the book, when Brie's older sister Faith dies from a freak accident. Her good, church-going sister is just gone and Brie struggles to deal with her grief and to adjust to the abrupt change while her parents cope on her own. Until Brie finds out something strange about her sister's death -- some things don't add up, and she starts wondering if Faith's accident is more than what it seems. Together with her new friends, Brie investigates, and finds out something dark about her sister that she never knew she could be involved in.

The thing that really stands out in Losing Faith is the introduction of a really creepy cult, something quite new in contemporary YA. Growing up as a church kid, I was easily immersed in Brie's world, and the familiar terms like worship, youth group and all that were things I could easily understand. I think it may have made the cult factor scarier for me too, because even if I don't really know some religious fanatics, I know how easy it is for one to box themselves inside church and judge even the other people around them. I remember having to close this book when it came to the parts when Brie was snooping around because it got just a bit too creepy for me. I think Denise Jaden did a good job with that without being disrespectful or putting church-goers in a bad light. I also liked how she wrapped it up in the end, with how Brie and her friends chose to deal with the aftermath of their discoveries.

What didn't really shine for me in this book is its tone. I don't know, maybe I was expecting something like Sara Zarr's Once Was Lost , which was also about church and was haunting and emotional. I didn't really feel any connection with Brie. I know nothing about losing a sibling, but I felt that her grief wasn't portrayed as much as it should, except maybe when they were having the service for Faith. I wasn't a fan of how Brie's plans were labeled in headers at different parts of the book, which kind of felt like awkward chapter starts or scene changes. I realize now that it gave the book a NaNoWriMo feel, which isn't necessarily bad. I guess I was just expecting it to have a different tone.

Losing Faith was just okay. I liked the overall storyline, but it didn't really rock my worlds as I thought it would. Nevertheless, I still liked it, and I think it was able to address religion and cults in a very good way. I think I'm going to put Denise Jaden's future works in my radar. I'm curious to see what she comes up with next. :)

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before beginning my official review of Losing Faith, I have to say that I absolutely love the cover of this. It's simply breathtaking and truly captures the feeling of this book, in my opinion. But I digress.

Anyhow, Losing Faith is an beautiful, heartbreaking, and unique debut, one that I'm sure many teens who enjoy a sad but hopeful read will eat up right up.

Losing Faith tells the story of Brie, a girl who's always been the black sheep of family. Because unlike her parents and sister Faith, she's really not that religious. Especially when compared to Faith. Though, one night that seems like just a regular one something tragic occurs. Faith is found dead at the bottom of a cliff. Her death is ruled as a suicide, but Brie can't believe or come to terms with the fact that her beloved sister would do such a thing. So, before she knows it, she's on the path to finding out the truth behind Faith's death, but is she really ready to see a side of her sister she never knew occurred, one who belonged to a religious cult and did some sketchy things? Only time will tell in this deeply intriguing novel of religious cults and how a girl's life can change in one quick and sudden moment.

Brie was one of my favorite aspect of Losing Faith, because I just really enjoyed reading about her. I constantly rooted for in the many different aspects of her life varying from her finding "true" friends to the truth behind her sister's death. I especially loved the fact that she never stopped at anything to find out the truth about her sister, and while some might say her actions were silly and impulsive, I thought nothing of the sort. I also enjoyed reading about her friendship with Tessa, yet anther interesting character, and Alis, the quiet but unique boy-next-door so to say.

Another part I enjoyed about this book was the plot and what come along with it. I always find religious cults to be scary but that never stops me from reading as much as I can about them simply because I'm always fascinated about why people would want to belong to such a thing. So, as you can probably image, I found the cult aspect of this great, epically given how real Denise made it and the fact that she constantly introduced twists throughout with it.

Denise Jaden's writing was also a high point. It definitely makes me excited to read more by her in the future, but I didn't always like how some parts of this moved in a really slow pace. Though, besides that I have nothing but love for this novel.

In all, Losing Faith is a great read about loosing it all and puting the pieces of life back together. Denise Jaden is great new addition to YA.

Grade: B+

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This book was teetering between okay and good for me. There were some things that I liked and some things that I didn't particularly care for much. The characters were pretty interesting. I liked the way that most of them were done. A couple of the peripheral characters were a little too over the top for me; it was almost as though everyone who experiences the loss of a loved one completely loses all sense of rationality and never regains it. But I thought that the main three characters were written pretty well for the most part, and I enjoyed them.

The plot had promise. Brie's older sister, Faith, dies and some things about her death do not make sense to Brie, who is left with many questions and not much hope for answers. Her family is devastated and borders on nonfunctional. Her vapid friends don't know how to talk to her so they distance themselves. And Brie is left struggling, trying to muddle through her guilt, her unanswered questions, and what is left of her life on her own. She makes two new friends in the aftermath of her sister's death who are willing to help her try to get through it and find what she needs in order to move on with her life. It's not a totally unique plot, but one that makes for an interesting story, nonetheless.

Religion has a pretty large presence in this book, since some of the secondary characters, including Faith, are religious and active in the Church. Because Faith's life revolved around church groups and Christianity, it is a topic that comes up frequently. Religion is not brought into the plot in a preachy way, but it does get twisted by some fanatical and emotionally/mentally unstable characters, so at times it borders on the bizarre. I found myself rolling my eyes at some of the extremity of it, but I wouldn't say that it is completely unrealistic or anything.

I liked it, but there were some aspects of the book that kept me from loving it. Still, it was worth the read.

[Tina (Fantastic Book Review) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brie Jenkins’s world is turned upside down when she learns of her sister’s death. She tries her best to fit the pieces of her life back together but things don't go as planned and everything else in her life starts to unravel around her when whispers of her sister’s death catches her ear. Denise Jaden pulled me into the heartbreaking mindset of Brie and the turmoil clouding her life. Brie's mission to find out what really happened to her sister the night of her death touched on many of the pressures teens deal with in today's society and how easy one could find them-selves part of the wrong crowd - In this case – a cult.

Brie went about her life just trying to fit in as best as she could when compared to her sister, who was seen as the one who could never do wrong. Brie went through so many changes in a short period of time. From being betrayed by her friends to meeting new friends who she could relate to, Brie managed to hold things together considering all she went through. Her parents’ grief and how it affected Brie’s family life had me sympathizing with her. She all but had to take care of herself as they wallowed in their grief. I enjoyed Brie’s growth throughout this novel. Her new best friend Tessa, the scary Goth was one of my favorites. This girl had just as many issues as Brie and it was nice that they could confide into one another. Alis, the love interest is very different from the typical guys you read about in YA novels. He’s homeschooled and has this naiveté about him. It was sweet and I enjoyed the innocence of his and Brie’s budding relationship.

This book was intense and had its heartbreaking moments but the writing and characters were well crafted making LOSING FAITH a highly satisfying novel. Mystery, Cults, Romance, Religion, and Death, this book has it all. I'm excited to see what Denise Jaden comes up with next.

[A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brie's world falls apart quickly which gives a nice - okay maybe not nice but dramatic - kickstart to the plot of LOSING FAITH. Between her sister's death, her parents emotionally checking out and her boyfriend and best friend hitting her with a mega-betrayal, life sucks. Sure she could roll over and play dead but that isn't our heroine's way, and that's what I like about her.

She's a tough cookie and instead of wallowing in self-pity, she gets her spunk on and starts investigating. After dumping her rotten boyfriend and crappy best girlfriend - smart girl - she unravels the lies surrounding her sister's death and the crazy machinations of a fanatical religious cult.

She makes new friends in the quirky goth Tessa and sweet natured home-schooled guy, Alis, whose family has a dark connection to Faith and her mysterious death. On their sometimes humorous sleuthing adventures they find out what really happened to Faith and Brie goes on a journey of self-discovery.

The writing is solid - Jaden captures the teen voice well. Brie comes across as strong, struggling, intelligent - not perfect but real. The plot stays steady, the romance runs a more slow/tender trend and the religious cult aspect adds a fresh angle. As the end approaches the tension rises and excitement builds for the dramatic climax.

LOSING FAITH gives you a lot of realistic emotional bang for your buck - grief, loss, betrayal, humor, self-discovery, friendship, budding romance - driven by memorable characters and a unique premise. Denise Jaden's debut is an well-written emotional contemporary adventure that mystery fans will enjoy.

REVIEW LINK: http://www.teensreadandwrite.com/2010...

[Amy Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I wish I had a stronger word to describe this book but Wow is pretty much the first thing I said when I finished it. This young adult book features cults, romance, suspense and mystery, and even death. What do you get when you put all of those subjects into a book? Losing Faith by Denise Jaden is what you get.

When Brie's very religious sister dies, the family is devastated. Faith was the oldest, yet Brie was not very close with her. The police rule her death a suicide, but Brie knows in her heart that Faith would never do that. Brie's parents go through the normal emotions of burying a daughter and shut themselves down from Brie. She feels alone with her parents going through depression and anger towards them for not being there for her.

Brie also is dealing with her boyfriend cheating on her with her best friend. When Brie dumps them both, she finds a new friend in the school bad girl, Tessa. Together they try to piece together what happened to Faith and building a friendship along the way.

When Brie uncovers the secrets that Faith was hiding, she discovers Alis as well. They both know there are sparks between them yet Brie also knows that his sister is involved in the religious cult Faith was in.

This book had me gripping the pages and biting my nails with suspense! I could not put this book down until I finished it. I had to know what happened! The author did a wonderful job at pacing the story and keeping the reader enthralled with it. I loved the sweet moments between Alis and Brie, the spy moments between Tessa and Brie, and the mystery of what really happened to Faith. A great new author for me to keep my eye on for more great writing!

[Mango · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how the title of the book relates to the story of the book. I just had to get that out there.

So the story is about Brie and how her sister was killed. Everyone belives that it was a suicide but Brie believes differently. And the journey begins...

I LOVE ALIS! When Brie first meets him I was like, ahhahah girl name. But then you find out that it is short for alister and it's not spelt "a-l-i-c-e", it made so much more sense. And I goota say, for a guy who never had any friends or girlfriends, he seems like a good kisser. :D

In my opinion, it was really obvious what happened to Faith since like, 1 quater of the book was done. I predicted what was gonna happen near the ending too.

I hate Dustin. I hate Amy. Even though stuff happened, they deserve each other. The both suck and have no idea how to be loyal and what not.I have no idea what Brie evn saw in either of them. Like, they are so conceited. Blehy.

Brie kinda annoyed me because she is actually kinda selfish but then allt his stuff happens and she some-what changes... But she doesn't really change that much... Meh, it confuzzles me...

I really have this subtle dislike to Brie's father. He just grinds my gears... It seems like he loved Faith more than Brie. I dunno, maybe it's just me but...

Tessa seems like a cool chick. I kinda felt bad for laughing about hte whole situation wiht her dad... HAHAHA, sorry...

So overall, the story was pretty good. It kinda freakes me out that there are pretty hard-core Christians out there... It reminds me of "the bet" I had with my older brother.... So, four stars!

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Joan Stradling for TeensReadToo.com

Brie found her older sister, Faith, irritating with her spiritual outlook on life, but when Faith dies in a fall from a cliff, Brie discovers there was more to her sister than she thought.

As she struggles to come to terms with the loss of her sister, Brie must deal with parents who seem to have forgotten they have another daughter, a boyfriend who betrays her, and a school full of people who no longer want to associate with her.

If that weren't difficult enough, Brie uncovers some shocking clues that indicate her sister's fall may not have been an accident. The closer Brie gets to the truth, the more she learns about her sister's role in a twisted religious cult. Brie knows the only way to discover the truth is to get closer to the cult members, but she may end up paying for the truth with her life.

I thought LOSING FAITH would be difficult to get into because of the subject matter, but I was pleasantly surprised. Jaden's ability to create life-like characters and the touch of mystery she added to the plot kept me reading straight through to the end. I've added this book to my re-read pile and look forward to opening the covers again soon.

[TotallyDevious - Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've wanted to read Losing Faith for a long time but I took my time getting to it, knowing that since I lost my brother then my sister in 2007, that this book might bring up those feelings so I decided that I would only read it at night before bed. It took almost two weeks for me to finish it, not because it wasn't interesting enough for me to read quickly but because I wanted to savor it. The book was written amazingly, and I wish more authors would address and help siblings cope by writing stories like this. Near the end of the book, I just felt this calm, it all came together and it worked out well, now real life is nothing like a book but I liked the way it made me feel.

[Amber Vilate]

I'm really looking forward to reading this! I actually helped out by critiquing a chapter or two, so it's awesome to see this is being published!

[Adrianna Baehman]

Name: Denise Jaden

Book title: Losing Faith

Personal Response:
I thought Losing Faith was a very interesting book. It took a turn that I did not expect. I would like to see a sequel from Reena’s point of view.

Plot Summary:
Brie’s sister Faith died. It was very sudden, and very unlike her sister. She is suspicious of the situation that Faith was in when she died. As she investigates her sister’s death, she meets Alis and Tessa. They prove to be very helpful in her investigation. She learns some secrets about Alis’ sister, Reena, that helps her find out what happened to Faith. As she investigates further, she puts her and her friends in danger. Eventually, Brie, Alis, and Tessa avenge Faith’s death.

Characterization:
In the beginning of the book, Alis is very cold towards Brie and Tessa. He refuses to accept the fact that his sister may have had something to do with Faith’s death. As they sneak around to try to figure out what happened, they uncover dark secrets about Reena. Her obsession with God was influencing all of her most dangerous decisions. He soon becomes suspicious of her and decides to follow her to the cliff. When he does this, he finds out and accepts that Reena was responsible for Faith’s death. He accepts that his sister committed a crime, and he becomes more open with Brie and Tessa. In the end, he finds a good home where he will stay in contact with them.

Recommendation:
I recommend this book to older people who can understand religion and mental disorders. This book contains some profanity, so it is best for high schoolers. It is very suspenseful, so that is something that readers should expect as well.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty well written. I absolutely hated Brie's boyfriend and supposedly best friend. They made me so angry. I'm so glad Brie stood her ground after her "best friend" came crawling back to her.
I feel like the cult aspect of this book could've been done better. I didn't find myself that wrapped up in it and things seemed to progress fast without much understanding.
It seemed Faith was pushed off the cliff by Reena, but I feel like it wasn't 100% clear. I liked Tessa and glad Brie was able to find a friend in her despite her abrupt behavior. I feel like Alis and Bries relationship wasn't well formed and I found myself having no feelings for them as a couple or otherwise.
I wasn't expecting there to be so much God talk, but it was okay.

[Brenda Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was about a sister who is dealing with the death of her older sister Faith. Brie wants to know how her sister ended up dying. She feels that something is not right with how events are turning out. In the book, Brie goes on to uncover what actually happened on the night Faith died.

[Kyleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

First and foremost before you read anything I have to say about this book, I just have to say you will love it. I don't care if you only like paranormal YA or sci-fi or what have you. You will love this book. I don't see how you could not. I didn't have high expectations for this book when I received it, but boy am I glad I signed up for this tour.


Brie is the complete opposite of her older sister Faith. Faith is religious, is totally devoted to God, and is certain of her beliefs. Brie by contrast is more concerned with having a social life, being a good girlfriend, and keeping as far away from her family's religious fanaticism as possible. When it is discovered that Faith fell off a cliff, Brie's family is wracked with grief. Never having been particularly close to her sister in the past few years, Brie isn't certain how she is feeling. She is wracked by guilt because she asked Faith to give her a ride the night she died. She can't talk to her parents who are dealing with their grief in the worst way possible, by ignoring it or completely withdrawing within themselves. She is a sudden pariah at school. Her friends won't look her in the eye, and nasty rumors of her sister committing suicide spread throughout the school. She doesn't know where to turn and instead of finding solace after her sisters death, she only has more and more questions.


Losing Faith clearly had a lot to do with religion. You would think this would bother me, because I'm not religious in the slightest, but I felt that the religious aspect of this novel was the most wonderful part of it. Brie's family could be described as overly devoted, especially Faith, and at first it was a bit of a turn off for me. However, as I continued to read it really hit me that it wasn't about religion. It wasn't about devoting yourself to God, or going to every church service and youth group twice a week. It was about belief. Faith especially made an impression. It wouldn't have mattered whether or not she was Buddhist or Pagan. Her faith, her utter devotion to something she truly believed in that she would try to help others even at the cost of her life, is what was truly awe inspiring. It really made an impression on me. I felt really connected to Brie because of this fact. Brie was a bit jealous in the fact that her sister could believe in something so whole heartedly. I feel rather the same way. I'm a very logical and scientific person in the way I view life. I have no hope for eternal salvation or an afterlife and am just happy to have the time on this earth that I am allotted. I guess I'm kind of jealous of Faith was well, because frankly faith is something I lack. If you interpret this novel as I have, then it truly is an eye opener. I've always been sure of my beliefs, but I can't help but feel that this novel will truly wake some people up. Losing Faith also reveals the danger of belief as well. Belief and faith are a powerful thing, but with the wrong person they can become tools of self destruction. I won't reveal exactly what this deals with, but keep this in mind. The author is not bashing religion, she is simply stating that faith goes both ways.

I really enjoyed Brie as an MC. Actually I rather enjoyed most of the main characters. I loved them all and found they were all admirable people. In the book, Brie tells a lie to another character. Rather than deceiving him further, she comes clean. This is soooo hard to do. I really appreciated the fact that she was honest, even though the truth could be ugly. The friendship that bloomed between Brie and the most unlikely of people was also sweet. She makes a true friend, one that will stick with her no matter what, and likes her because she is simply herself. The same can be said with the bit of romance as well. I have to give huge props to the author. It was probably the best written, most believable progression of being attracted to someone to truly loving who they are I've ever read. So many romances in YA fiction feel so contrived anymore. The author truly did a remarkable job, and that is saying something, especially from me because I am the harshest critic of believable romance.

Overall, I completely loved it. Losing Faith has made my list for most meaningful reads. Probably even one of my favorite books this year. It wasn't about the action, the romance, or a huge adventure. It was simply the content and message, and that is the most meaningful aspect of any novel. More YA novels need to be like Losing Faith. It was truly a wonderful read that I'm sure everyone will adore.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was originally reviewed on my blog, Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing.

Losing Faith by Denise Jaden is a story of life and death, pain and hope, and friendship. Brie hasn't been close to her sister Faith for several years. Their parents are deeply religious, and Faith is a fervent believer as well. Brie is more interested in whether she really wants to spend alone time with her boyfriend than listening to people talk God, and it's caused some tension between family members.

Then Faith dies. Brie feels like she's losing ground, and there's no one for her to talk to. People at school don't know how to deal with her (what do you say to someone who's been that close to death?) her boyfriend is more interested in her body and her parents are so wrapped up in their own grief there is no room for Brie.

Then, Tessa starts talking to Brie. She's the tough chick, always dresses in black, scowls at everyone and seems more than willing to beat you up. Brie's always been terrified of her, so she's definitely wary when Tessa starts being, almost... nice. Turns out, there's a lot more to Tessa than meets the eye and she's the only one there for Brie as she starts getting closer to the answers about why her sister died.

The characters in this novel were amazing. I was so impressed with how Jaden wrote these characters. Because they are real. I believed in them. They didn't always act how I wanted them to, but I never felt that anything they did was really out of character. The only character I didn't fully believe was Faith, but I won't tell you why because that would spoil the book, and she's dead most of the time, so I can overlook that. Tessa is tough. She doesn't take crap from anyone, and because she's been so isolated from people for so long, she's really abrupt and doesn't really know how to communicate. And she stayed that way. Too often in books we have the tough guy/girl who just needs that one friend to open them up to show that, Hey! They really are totally great after all. But, most people who have gone years without much in the way of interpersonal communication have a lot to learn about being with other people, and it's definitely not something you learn overnight.

The only character I wasn't satisfied with was Pastor Scott, the youth pastor. I really felt that Jaden did him a disservice in her description. Maybe the problem is with me, but I totally kept waiting for it to be revealed that he was a creep of some sort or another, and every time he was mentioned, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. But, even though he's described in a way that makes me feel like he's creepy, he isn't. He's actually pretty minor.

The characters in this story were all developed really well, and their relationships with each other were intricate, and believable. I'm sure it's not surprising, given the nature of the YA coming of age novel, but there was a lot of growing up done in this book and it wasn't a disappointment. They grew as people in a believable way, enough to leave you satisfied that these people will continue to develop into great people you'd actually want to spend time with, but not so much that it leaves you disbelieving it actually happened.

The story also makes you think about what people are like inside. It's scary when you realize that someone who seems normal and likable is all kinds of crazy underneath. This is realistic fiction- something that could happen to any of us, but also something that I wouldn't wish upon anyone. It's definitely a book to make you think, to make you wonder, and one that I'll be thinking about for a while yet. And, I'm very interested in what Jaden does next.

[Emilie]

I’ll be honest, the main reason I originally picked up Losing Faith by Denise Jaden was because it was part of the Contemps Challenge. That’s not to say that the book didn’t sound interesting from the description, because it totally did and as it turns out the book was actually really good. I wasn’t really sure what to expect from the book because I hadn’t looked that much into it and it had only just come out when I began reading it. I’ll admit I was uncertain about the book at first, but as I kept reading I just liked it more and more and by the end I just loved it.

Brie has always been the “bad” sister, what with Faith being all perfect and super involved in church and youth group. Basically, Faith is the perfect daughters all parents dream about having. That is until she dies suddenly Brie finds herself in the position long held by her sister. Brie’s life turns upside down: her parents are a mess, the guy she thought loved her may not be all that into her, and her friends just don’t know how to approach her anymore. Brie finds herself becoming friends with the last people she ever expected to be friends with and the more she looks into it, the more there seems to be something off about the night her sister died.

Brie sort of creeped up on me. I wasn’t sure about her at first but as I was reading, I found myself liking her more and more. It’s really great to see her evolution throughout the book. She went from being a a teenage girl trying to find out where she fit in and ended up being strong and knowing exactly who she was. Even if she wasn’t physically there, it was also great to see Brie’s relationship with Faith changed. Despite Faith being dead, by the end of the book Brie was closer to her sister than ever. Brie was truly great once I got to know her and wished I could have spent more time with her.

Brie’s friends amused me more than anything else. From the start I could pretty tell that things weren’t going to work out with Dustin and that Amy wouldn’t turn out to be as good a friend as Brie made her sound. But when Tessa and Alis came in, I liked them from the start. Tessa had me laughing many times and shaking my head the rest of the time. The things the girl thought of, just had me completely wondering how she even came up with those ideas. Alis was different, I liked him pretty much right away and that might have had something to do with him being all mysterious at first. But as I found out more about him, I could tell that he was just a good guy trying to do the right thing...and for once I wasn’t totally going for the bad guy.

At first, I wasn’t completely sure about the whole religious aspect of the book but it turned out it didn’t really bother me by the end. It wasn’t really what was important about the story. The focus was on Brie trying to figure out what had happened to Faith and getting to know her better through her death. The way the story was set up, I could see some of the things coming but a lot of it took me by surprise which is what I like books to do.

Losing Faith was a great read and, I’ll be honest, I enjoyed it a lot more than I originally thought I would. It was a great story about love and lost but didn’t fall into all the clichés that are normally associated with those two subjects. Now I can say that I can’t wait for whatever comes next from Denise Jaden.

[Hderaps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though Brie and her sister are not at all close, Brie cannot help but feel completely lost and distraught after Faith's violent and mysterious death. The sisters may have been close in age, but their personalities were eons apart. As the younger sister, Brie does not even try to live up to the shining example set by her older sister. She is close to having sex with her boyfriend and lies to sneak out of her parents house for parties. Brie is a bit of a wild child in contrast to Faith, who spends every free moment reading the Bible and attending her local youth group.

The night that Faith dies, Brie bribes her into giving Brie a ride to their family's church. Of course, Brie has plans to go to a party with friends and her boyfriend, but she's not going to tell her "perfect" sister this. Faith seems to not want to go, which is weird since she never passes up a chance to spend time at church. Finally, Faith agrees to bring Brie to town. And that's the last time that Brie sees Faith alive.

According to police, Faith wandered away from her youth group friends that night while they were on an outing at a mountain. Later, a scream was heard and Faith's dead body was discovered at the mountain's base.

After the "accident," nothing is right in Brie's world. Her parents are unresponsive. Her boyfriend and friends can still only think about sex and parties. Even teachers are concerned with their own stuff--No one is paying attention to Brie and how she's coping with her sister's death.

Perhaps this lack of attention is what causes Brie's gaze to drift and for her to raise questions of her own. Why was her sister acting so weird about going out on the night of her death? Who is the strange boy that hung back from the crowd at Faith's funeral? And why is Faith's best friend avoiding Brie?

As it turns out, Brie and her sister had more in common than Brie originally thought. Faith was just as mysterious and skillful at keeping secrets as Brie.

* * *
I enjoyed this book a whole lot. I loved that there was a mystery at the center of this story and that it was filled with suspense. As far as religion goes, I am more with Brie than with Faith. Even though I don't identify with Faith's views, I loved getting to know her through her sister's quest to find out what really happened the night of her death.

Beyond Brie and Faith, I also liked getting to know some of the minor characters in this book. The school's resident "freak," Tessa, was probably my favorite. I would love to read a book written from her perspective.

And, even though this book followed a familiar pattern to lots of other YA books (close family member dies, parent(s) become absent, main character is alone), it somehow felt fresh. I think that this is because of Brie's character. She does not seem like someone who is going to wallow in misery, but is more about action. Without this dynamic main character, this book would've fallen flat.

I read this book as part of the Contemps Challenge. I have to say that I've read a bunch of these books now, and every one has been a winner. I hope that this streak continues, particularly because I have quite a few more to read!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book follows Brie, a high schooler that is being raised in a small town that seems to be overrun with religion. Her family alone has many levels of their desire to show their beliefs. Her Mom and Dad seem to belong to one church and go to some groups regularly, while Brie doesn't participate at all and then there is Faith, Brie's sister, who takes worship to a whole different level and it is basically her life. The story begins with Faith's death and leads down the path of how to deal with such a tragedy.

There are many different struggles throughout this story and not just with Brie and her family trying to figure out what is the right way to mourn their loss and also move forward with their lives, but with smaller characters in the story as well. Everyone that was introduced to the reader seemed to have a tragedy attached to them, but in a way that made them more relatable to Brie. There is also some mystery surrounding Faith's death, and Brie knows that everything isn't adding up and sets out to figure out the real story with the help of a couple unlikely accomplices.

It was really hard for me to get my hands on this book. I knew about it for a while and kept trying to find it, but just kept not having any luck, so when I bought my nook and discovered that you can start to read books in the store for free, this was this 1st book I choose and of course, I had to buy it. It's a brilliant marketing strategy if you think about it. Anyway, this was a short read, but I couldn't put it down.

I loved how relatable Brie was. She had so much going on with herself, but she seemed to be everyone elses rock in the story. She grew up so much from the first few pages of the story that if I were to go back and start it over again I really don't think that I would believe that girl is the same girl that the story ends with. I especially loved the way that she knew everyone was completely fake to her (even before Faith's death), but at the time she just went along with it and then I loved how Alis and Tessa just found their ways into her life and it was right. There was no forcing the friendships or dreading what one of them was going to say or do, they supported each other the way that true friends should.

So one of the biggest hang-ups I tend to find with books like this is the religion aspect because I don't like to be preached at, but this book didn't do that. It was really interesting the way that the religion/cult aspect was woven into the mystery side of this book. Although, it was pretty predictable, it was still entertaining to read.

I really enjoyed reading this book and seeing the characters grow. It's always nice to come away from a book and feel satisfied with how it all turned out. If you have the chance to read this book I would definitely say to give it a try.

[Irisheyz77 · Rating 4 out of 5]

As originally posted on my blog Ticket to Anywhere

I wasn't really sure what to expect when I decided to sign up for the Losing Faith tour on Traveling ARC Tours. I had heard some discussion surrounding the book and so thought hey why not? The book begins shortly before Brie's sister Faith is found dead of apparent suicide. However, despite how things look Brie doesn't believe that her sister killed herself. Brie and Faith might not have been the closest of sisters but there are some things that you just know about someone else. And so as a way to deal with the grief of her sister's...or avoid dealing with the grief...or both...Brie decides to investigate the events leading up to it.

Losing Faith is the sort of book that is perfect for a lazy day of reading. Its great for sitting out on the balcony, curling up on the couch on a winter's night or relaxing on the beach. Its not a book that is filled with car chases or gunfights or overly intrinsic plots. Its a book that is filled with following words that you just fall into. The plot itself is a bit slow moving but I loved the beauty of the words and so I didn't mind that it took awhile for events to develop. I also didn't think that the cult in the synopsis was an actual cult - although it certainly has the earmarks of the beginning of a cult. Hey, even cults don't grow to David Koresch bigness overnight.

I really loved the character of Brie. She was a genuine girl who was dealing with the loss of a sister and only really got to know her after it was too late. As with many Young Adult books Brie's parents were almost non-existant but they were seen on the peripherals. But what you saw of them showed that they each dealt with the grief and horror of losing a child in very realistic ways. Which left Brie in a weird state of limbo. It also didn't help that those Brie thought of as friends weren't really friends and those that Brie didn't were the ones that provided a pillar of strength. Also, a special shout out to Alistair (aka Alis) who is a wonderfully sweet boy that I think many will swoon over.

There were some scenes that were cliched but over all there was a realism to the story that its hard not to enjoy the prose of the words. Losing Faith is a story about love, loss, and having faith in the world around you. Its a story that reminds you how easy it is to lose track of those that we should be closest to and so hopefully those that read Losing Faith take it to heart that people are only here for a brief moment and you should hold tight to your loved ones for as long as you can. I really enjoyed Losing Faith and its one that I will be recommending to others.

As originally posted on my blog Ticket to Anywhere

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Losing Faith is the story of teenage Brie and her sister Faith. Faith and Brie couldn't be more different. Brie is a bit shallow - she likes instant gratification, she likes her makeup and her hair, and she likes boys. Faith, on the other hand, is strictly religious. She's devout, she's the "good daughter," and she is extremely strong in her convictions. When Brie's world is ripped apart by her sister's sudden death though, her life beings to crumble and unravel around her. Plus, rather than finding closure, Brie seems to be finding more and more questions about the sister she barely knew.

I actually won Losing Faith from a blog buddy of mine (thank you, Elle!!), and that's pretty much the only reason I decided to push it to the top of my TBR pile. I heard a lot of bad reviews about Losing Faith, hearing everything from "it's too religious," to "it's too preachy." Now, I'll add my disclaimer that while I'm a very religious Catholic, I would never think to force my views on other, so the topic unnerved me a wee bit. Nevertheless, I decided to give it ago. Denise Jaden handled the sensitive topic with skill, and she has a remarkable writing talent. Losing Faith was alive with a painful story of loss and discovery, but it was made all the better with rich detail that I could relate to.

Most of all though, I think Losing Faith had extremely well-written characters. Brie played the tempestuous teen well. She was perfectly aloof and inconsiderate until smacked with the reality of her sister's death. Her parents' grief was also extremely believable. Her mother spirals into a dark hole of depression, and her father forgets the will to partake in anything real. Faith, though a tedious character, was perfect. She wasn't overtly preachy. She was steadfast in her beliefs, and a her character made me want to have had the chance to help her. Plus, the secondary characters that enter - strong-willed Tessa, Reena, and a love interest for Brie (Alis) - heighten the story of Losing Faith and give it depth. The characters added to an already full-figured plot, weaving a delicate story of a painful loss, the existence of cults, the importance of the mourning process, and learning to live again.

I give Losing Faith a definite 4.5 out of 5, simply because I hoped the ending would be fleshed out a bit more. I urge readers not to let the topic of religion scare you off, as Losing Faith is truly not preachy. I recommend this to fans of YA, realistic fiction, and those who enjoy a sweet, rather than overpowering romance.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading a pretty religious book earlier this week, I decided it was about time to give LOSING FAITH by Denise Jaden a shot. I've been in the mood for some heavy stuff, since my life has been spiraling out of control lately and I need a little something to bring me back down to earth.
Losing Faith by Denise Jaden
Audience: 13+
Rating: 4/5
Recommend?: Yes
LOSING FAITH was a heartbreaking story of family and how you can end up losing a sister because you just can't keep track anymore. Our protagonist, Brie, is the typical teenage girl. She's got the horrible boyfriend down, the bad best friend, even the "wanna-be-popular" aspect down pat. Her angelic, Christian sister, Faith, is the polar opposite - has never kissed a boy, has only friends through the church, doesn't care much about anything but her I LOVE JESUS clubs. Faith and Brie haven't had a real conversation in years, and honestly, Brie doesn't care. She's too wrapped up in her life to really notice Faith anymore.
Which is probably why she didn't notice something wrong with Faith the night she died. And now the police, the school, even her parents, are considering Faith's death a suicide. Why else would she run off alone towards a cliff and be found splattered on the other end of it?
Brie and I are extremely similar, event though in this case, I'm the eldest sibling. I can't find myself to care much about my sister's life, no matter how much I love her. Because I do. I love the fun times I've had with her but I'm just really, really busy. And she never likes to hang out with me. She's too good for me. Brie and I have these thoughts in sync. When Brie and Faith had the only scene together where they communicated, it was like deja vu. I couldn't believe my eyes, how identical our situations were. Which is probably why this book hit me hard. My heart broke as Brie tried to justify her sister's death. Just imagine having a voice in your head everyday, echoing in the sound of a prayer for things to be okay again.
But really, that's all I can really say about this. It was sad. It was a long journey. Okay. Well...yeah. Most of the book felt like filler to me - it all could have been told in less than 200 pages. I found myself drifting off time to time as Brie solved the mystery of Faith's death. I would have liked some more actions, some more revelations. Anything to keep this interesting would have been welcomed.
I kept reading and finally found out that with its ending, LOSING FAITH was worthwhile.

[Sydney Faestel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brie’s sister Faith just died. They say she had fallen off of a cliff, but Brie doesn’t believe that. She wants to find out what actually happened to her sister. Brie is talking to as many people as she can to get some answers. She first goes to Faith’s best friend, who is nowhere to be found, and wasn’t at the funeral. Then Brie goes to the church, where Faith said she was always going to. Faith was really into god and everything like that. It came as a shock to Brie when she found out that Faith wasn’t actually going to church anymore. At Faiths funeral there was a boy she didn’t know, he goes by Alice. Brie didn’t know who he was when she saw him at the funeral, so she wanted to find him and ask him how he knew Faith. Eventually, Brie tracked down Alice, and at first he didn’t want anything to do with Brie. He just wanted Brie to leave him and his family alone. After a while he opened up to her and they started talking. Brie figured out that Faith was a part of Alice’s sister’s church group. All of the people that were in the group were really into god, and would do just about anything for him. When Brie found some stuff out about that group, she thought that Faiths death could have been a suicide, but she just couldn’t believe that her sister would kill herself. So Brie kept digging. She went to Reena (Alice’s sister) pretending to be someone else to get into the group. Eventually, she got into the group and Reena took her up to the mountain to where Faith died. Reena still doesn’t know that Brie is Faiths sister. When Reena tries to initiate Brie into the group, Brie resists. Brie is now figuring out what happened to her sister. They start to argue and Brie and Reena get closer to the edge. Reena now knows that Brie is Faiths sister, and admits to pushing Faith over the edge. It was an accident though. Before Brie also goes over the edge, the police show up and Reena is taken away, and Brie is ok. Even though Faith is dead, Brie feels better knowing what actually happened.

Brie is a really nice girl. I can tell that she cares about her sister a lot, and also other people. She was always trying to help her mom out when Faith died. She would cook dinner and help with other things as well.

I would recommend this book to 8-11th grade girls. I think that girls would prefer this book over boys. I just don’t think that boys would be very interested in it. It’s based on a girl and her sister, and it’s written from a girl’s perspective, that is why I think girls would like it better.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Losing Faith was an original and captivating debut that left me dying to read more by Denise Jaden! Her writing is beautiful and the plot of Losing Faith was so different from any other YA novel.

To begin with, the main character, Brie, was one of a kind. She had spent most of her life living in her sister's shadow. When Faith dies, Brie's world begins to unravel. Even though Brie never had a real relationship with Faith, her sister's passing impacts Brie's life in more ways than anyone could imagine.

Brie was very likable and over the course of the story I grew to like her more and more. At first she may seem like a silly and not so serious character, but as the novel progresses Brie learns a lot about herself and what she stands for. Dedicated and determined, Brie never gave up on finding the truth. Brie's family has always been very religious, but that's one point that Brie and her sister Faith did not agree on. Faith was very extreme in her beliefs and Brie was still deciding what she thought of God and religion in general. After Faith's death Brie uncovers some startling secrets about her sister.

Death is hard in any form and Denise Jaden made Faith's passing seem very realistic and heartbreaking. Watching Brie's parents unravel was so sad and the way Brie's "friends" were not there to support her was awful. Luckily, Brie made some new friends that were ten times better- more trustworthy, caring, and determined to make everything right for Brie and her family. I especially liked Tessa because she was such a complex character. She was dealing with a lot at home and it took someone like Brie to break through her tough exterior. Alis, the male "lead" of Losing Faith, was another sweet and caring guy.

The plot was so original and, at times, dark. The idea of religious cults is something I've never read much about, especially in YA. Denise Jaden presented it in a unique light and emphasized the point of how dangerous they can be. Religion played a large role in Losing Faith, but it never made me uncomfortable, but rather intrigued me because I was learning about a side of religion that I didn't know much about.

Overall, I highly recommend Losing Faith. It's an amazing debut novel and will leave you wanting more from Denise Jaden. With a powerful plot line, beautiful writing, and fantastic characters, Losing Faith is one 2010 release you don't want to miss!

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars

[Katieb (MundieMoms) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Losing Faith is a story about love, and loss, and the some times complicated relationships we have with our family and friends. I liked Brie's character. She grew up a lot after her sister's death. She went from being self centered, not having a very close relationship with her sister and finding ways to sneak away to see her popular boyfriend, to a very relatable character, as she looks into finding out what happened to Faith the night she died.

It was heart breaking reading how alone Brie felt after Faith's death. Brie's parents are so lost in their own grief, they're not much of a support for her. Her so called friends oust her and her boyfriend cheats on her. It's during this time that she learns a lot more herself, especially after she becomes friends with someone she never gave a second thought to. I really liked Tessa. She's the scary goth chick who doesn't put up with anything, but has this soft side that she only exposes to Brie. Brie and Tessa become close friends and they work together to find out what happened to Faith. Even though the cover says there's a religious cult, don't let that scare you from reading Losing Faith. What Brie uncovers is a girl who's mentally not well and has a following that consists of very few people (I can't give more away or it will be spoil some of the plot).

Denise does a great job with each of her characters. Each character has a part of them they don't want others to know about, and yet with how broken they each are, they all have an inner strength that I was really drawn to. My favorite character is Alis. He was not at all how I thought he'd be when he's first introduced. The relationship between Alis and Bree kept me reading. I wanted to find out more about them. Their relationship is both sweet and raw all at the same time. I'm sure that doesn't really make sense. They're both loners, have dwelt with grief that no one else would understand and have a real, honest, believable connection I wanted to keep reading more about.

Losing Faith is a heartbreaking, real, satisfying read. I think Denise did a good job with the romance, the subject of love, life and death, as well as religious cults. There's a little bit of everything in Losing Faith.