A review by cawilliams29
Sadie by Courtney Summers

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

One of the best YA books I've read in a really long time. The importance of this story can not be overstated, but more than that, the writing, character work and plot was brilliant.
Courtney Summers creates one of the most unforgettable protagonists with Sadie, I will never forget her story of abuse, survival, love and revenge.
The book goes between Sadies point of view and that of the podcast, 'The girls'. I can not recommend the audiobook enough for this reason! The production of the podcast and the full cast of characters is just phenomenal, I could have easily been listening to a true crime podcast, all of these characters were so real to me.
Summers converged these two plot points excellently, the way Sadies point of view would tie into the podcast episodes and the reveals, characters and story of Sadie unravelled brilliantly between the two.
We follow Sadie, who was abused as a child and following the death of her beloved younger sister goes on a dangerous journey of revenge and redemption, hunting for her sisters killer.
The podcast is looking for Sadie now she is missing and retracing her steps trying to find her and figure out what happened to her and her sister.
A harrowing tale of the abuse of children and the lengths one girl would go to stop it.
The writing, character work, plot and overall themes of this book were excellent. There is never any graphic detail of the dark themes but they are alluded to skillfully and in my opinion, gracefully. This is a story no one wanted to hear but everyone needs to.
The ending is a mixed bag, I never saw it coming but can't say I was too suprised either. Like the rest of the story the choices there made the story feel even more real.
It is difficult to read about Sadie and the other girls in this story, challenging to face the all too real reality that dangerous people often hide behind kind masks and society can't see through them until its too late.
This is a necessary and impactful read for all. Please pick up the audiobook.

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