As someone who loves Jens Leckman's song "The Opposite of Hallelujah," I was delighted to find that the lyrics directly tie into this thoughtful and complex story of family and faith, where a 28-year-old sister who has been gone for over a decade suddenly returns home, with little explanation to where she's been all these years.

Jarzab carefully explores the major themes of the book, and the prose often feel a bit more upmarket and literary than many YA novels. Though our main character, Caro, is flawed and can be hard to love at times, she feels realistic – she talks back to her parents, she questions everything around her, she can be insensitive and headstrong, and I very much appreciated this about the book. In addition, it allows Jarzab to write a strong and believable character arc that progresses across the length of the book as Caro grapples with the truth about her sister and reckons with both science and spirituality.

Further, the book's entire cast of characters is interesting and fully fleshed-out, providing diversity and a nuanced dive into both friendship and romance. Though the book did feel a bit long to me, I still very much enjoyed "The Opposite of Hallelujah" – if you're in the mood for a cerebral, thought-provoking contemporary read, definitely pick this one up.

Anna Jarzab's book The Opposite of Hallelujah is worth a read for those looking for books that explore religion, youth and families. Caro is a 16 year old girl who is described as somewhat normal looking, yet tall with blondish hair. The novel starts out with Caro explaining her life and talking about her boyfriend. She has a lot of ill feelings towards her much older sibling who opted to become a nun at an early age. The story starts off when her older sister Hannah comes home after leaving her church.