Monday, July 26, 2010

Book Review: Losing Faith by Denise Jaden


Losing Faith by Denise Jaden
Publisher:Simon Pulse
Publish Date: September 7, 2010
Paperback, 400 pages


My Review:

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!

My Rating:  4.25/5.0

About the Book:
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. 


About the Author:
Denise Jaden lives just outside Vancouver, Canada. When she’s not writing, she can often be found homeschooling her son or dancing with her Polynesian dance troupe. Losing Faith is her first novel.

Her website 
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Her Blog

FTC Information: I received this book through Traveling ARC Tours for review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

 

Got Books? Event Winners

http://gotbooksevent.blogspot.com

Wow what an event.  I had well over 100 entrants for my giveaways and thank everyone who left a comment as well as filled out the form.  I had a lot of fun entering the giveaways as well and finding new book blogs to read - my Google Reader has many more subscriptions after this weekend.  The Got Books? Event was the work of GMR of Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers and The1stdaughter of There's A Book.  Thanks so much to both of them for putting this together - it was a lot of fun!

All winners have been emailed and have 48 hours to contact me with their address or I will draw another winner.  Books will be mailed early next week to the winners.

Winner Christian Suspense/Thriller:

Indivisible: A Novel  The Last Christian: A Novel

Bethie

Romantic Suspense:

Death Echo  Enemy Lover

Latisha D

Suspense:

The Rule of Nine: A Paul 
Madriani Novel  In the Name of Honor

Wendy W

What are you Reading Monday - July 26th

Come post weekly and see what others are reading too just so you can add to your tbr - I always do! For more information see Sheila at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books and join in!

Books Completed Last Week 
  • Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs (audiobook)
  • Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (review)
  • Brightly Woven by Alexandria Bracken (review) 
  • Wings by Aprilynne Pike (library) 
  • The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong (mine)  
  • The Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells (review) 
Reading Now:
  • The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan (audible at work)
  • Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs (audiobook in car)
  • Virals by Kathy Reichs (review)
Next:
  • The Passage by Justin Cronin
  • The Island by Elin Hildenbrand (review) 
  • Running Dark by Jamie Freveletti (review)
Reviews completed this week (books read before this week):
Other books still need to review:
  • The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz
  • Losing Faith by Denise Jarden (review)
Summary -

Great reading week - lots of good books.  On the home front we finally took our boat out for the first time this summer and had a great time.  The boys played in the water and got along for 2 hours, Mitch rested and I sat in my chair got a little sun and finished up The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong.  Great Saturday.


Favorite book of the week:  It's a tie between Brightly Woven by Alexandria Brackman and The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong.  The Summer of Skinny Dipping was wonderful as well.