Courtney Summers

AHHHHHHHHHH. I’m upset.

This was… hard to read/listen to. Not bc it wasn’t good (it was) but bc you can see the manipulation happening on the page, you can feel the dread, you can make the conclusion jumps that this isn’t gonna all end up okay, and you just gotta stew in it and witness it. It’s awful. And it’s great. Both narrators did a fabulous job. One I have listened to any enjoyed before, and one was new to me, but I really liked them both.

I’ve always been fascinated by show more cults. What draws ppl in, how and why do they stay, what helps them get out, if they do? And this does a really great job of showing that.. really, anyone can be sucked in by a cult, and to assume you can’t is your first mistake. Bea goes willingly; consumed by loss and so alone and young and unsure what to do, Lev is a seductive relief. Lo goes in guns blazing, skeptical as hell, literally tying to prove its cult-ness; and she gets sucked in too. Bc she is just as alone and unsure, and ppl who are actively trying to manipulate others are good at seeing this, and preying upon it. Watching the sisters (both povs, in parallel timelines) get sucked in by this (awful, horrible, stupid) man was really hard to listen too, but they’re love for each other (and Emmy) keeping them going, was also a beautiful love story in its own way.

Just… SISTERS!!!!!!

AND THAT FUCKING COVER!!!! show less

Trigger Warnings: child abuse, pedophilia, sexual assault, drug use, child death, addiction, parental neglect

Sadie is told both in the first person of Sadie, and in the transcript of West McCray’s podcast, “The Girls”, as Sadie goes on the hunt for her younger sister’s killer.

This isn’t a happy-go-lucky book. At all. This novel covers stories that unfortunately happen more often than anyone would ever like to admit that they do. It’s very dark and raw. It doesn’t come right out show more and say what happened in Sadie’s past at first, but it gets more and more into it the further along the story goes.

Sadie had me rooting so loudly for her as well as applauding her for her strength. At the same time, I wished to be able to pull her out of the story, wrap her in a warm blanket with a hot drink, and give her the safety she desperately, desperately needed. She truly shattered my heart.

West McCray’s part with the podcast would sometimes make me angry. Because, here comes a podcast host who is digging around finding things that the police missed out on. that happens more often than not when it comes to missing young adults / teenagers who come from poverty or underprivileged areas.

This is my first book by Courtney Summers and after reading this, I can tell she doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of the world. Though this is YA, Summers knows what her readers can handle and what teenagers are capable of.

This novel is not just a story - it’s a voice, the voice of all the little girls who ended up in the hands of adults they should have been able to trust.

I can’t take another dead girl, either. show less

Oh, my goodness! "Sadie" is an incredibly dark, emotional, hard-hitting novel, but I can't say I enjoyed it despite being totally invested in Sadie's story. It is not a 'nice' read, but it is a very realistic one. There are references to child sexual, verbal and physical abuse along with drug addiction and substance abuse. However, "Sadie" is also about the power of sisterly love which is extremely moving.

Sadie's journey is totally horrifying. It is one of despair and heartbreak as she seeks show more revenge for the death of her beloved younger sister, Mattie, whom she has raised since birth. Sadie has an incredible maternal determination to destroy, and the reader can feel her pain and desperation. My heart bled for her. Her backstory was so hard to read. In fact, there were times I wasn't sure I could finish the book knowing what she endured as a young girl. However, Sadie could also be quite witty at times and her stutter just made her more endearing.

I also liked the format of the book. As well as Sadie's narrative, the author gives West McCray, a radio personality, a voice. McCray becomes obsessed with Mattie and Sadie's story. While trying to find Sadie, McCray interviews a great number of people and he reports his findings to listeners via a serialised podcasts he creates called The Girls. The use of the podcasts was a great addition by the author as it allows people who know, or have met, the sisters to have a voice and shed light on their story as MaCray gets closer to finding Sadie. As for the ending, the last podcast episode had me in tears.

"Sadie" is a painful, but necessary read, and is one of those rare books that will rip our your heart and leave an impression on you long after the final pages. Highly recommended for mature readers. show less

HOLY SHIT THIS WAS AMAZING
Tw: for sexual abuse

This was so good. It felt like I was listening to a true crime podcast, I kept forgetting it was fiction. That was, until we got Sadie's POV and it was so cool to listen to her unravel the mystery. I'm kinda sad that we never found out if Sadie made it out alive, but I feel like it wouldn't have felt right if she came back