Review: Losing Faith by Denise Jaden

Losing Faith-Denise Jaden
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: September, 2010
Source: Contest win
Author website

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.
(Amazon)

Before this year, I wouldn't have called myself a fan of contemporary YA. I read the odd book and generally enjoyed them, but I considered myself a paranormal writer and that's what I liked to read. Since this year began, I've read five contemporary YA books that I've been unable to put down. I'll pick them up and fly through the pages at breakneck speed. Part of my interest could be that I'm writing my first contemporary YA book, but I think that's only part of it. There is so much quality writing within this genre!

Losing Faith is a real page-turner. There are some similar themes and one plot line I've seen used in other contemporary YA book, but that's not to say the story isn't fresh. Brie is an honest character, and I admire her for admitting that she didn't always like her sister. Faith was Churchy McChurch. Brie's faith is not what it had once been, so the sisters didn't have a lot to talk about.

After her sister's death, her parents check out, they're not able to process her sister's death. Brie deals with her grief differently. She's not ready to accept that her sister committed suicide. It's an easy answer, a way for everyone to wrap up Faith's death with a neat red bow. Brie won't be able to truly accept her sister's death until she can understand it. She ends up befriending Tessa, the school bully who is more a friend to her than her other friends ever were. Tessa has her own reasons for helping Brie, and they  involve getting over grief. Through her search she meets Alis, an awkward boy who runs away from her at first, but ends up leading her towards the answers she's looking for.

I really enjoyed Losing Faith and I think it's a must-read for any fan of contemporary YA!