Sadie was a book that I couldn’t put down. It kept me on the edge of my seat just wondering what was going to happen next. Sadie is about the love of a sister. Sadie’s little sister is murdered and Sadie goes on a trek to track down her killer and seek justice. It’s also about radio personality west McCray, and how Sadie’s story affects his life as well

I was a little hesitant going into this book because I don't usually do thrillers, but everyone has been raving about this one. What took away from the book for me was the way it was divided up into this podcast and then the story from Sadie's POV. I really tried, but I just don't think this writing style was for me.

My heart hurts.

This story starts with Mattie, a thirteen-year-old girl found dead, leaving Sadie, who practically raised Mattie, behind to grieve. Unable to accept the loss of her sister, Sadie leaves home on a quest to find and exact revenge on who killed the person she cared for most in the entire world. When a local radio host hears the story of these sisters, one dead and another missing, West McCray sets out to solve the mystery of missing Sadie through interviews and clues left behind.

What makes the novel so amazing is a couple of things: first, the author's ability to make such a rough-yet-likeable protagonist. Sadie is obsessed and passionate, yet battered and torn. She portrays herself as a tough and dangerous person, but she has a debilitating stutter that evokes sympathy or worse from those she tries to intimidate. As a reader, you want her to succeed in finding this man, but also are overwhelmed with the sense that she's in over her head.

This novel is also told through both Sadie's perspective and West McCray's podcast as he tries to find where Sadie is. Of course, because of the wonderful pacing of this novel, Sadie's narratives leave McCray's podcast to catch up, making it super interesting to see how he unravels the accidental clues she left behind. And oh my god, <spoiler> when I realized that the two timelines were not parallel and were not occurring at the same time!?! I have never read with a sense of urgency like that in my life. I was SO CONCERNED</spoiler>.

In all honesty, I had the general conflict pinned pretty early, but there was a twist towards the end that I DID NOT SEE COMING AND IT BROKE ME. The sound I made when McCray made the realization that I was too naive to see was not human. Sadie, both the novel and the character, is one of the most heart-wrenching stories I've read. Read this book. It will hurt your soul, but you will love it.

DNF

I wish I could say I understand all the hype about this book, but I just don't get it. It reminded me of Gone Girl, about which everyone also raved and which I loathed in both book and movie format. I guess the writing style is just not my gig. Sorry.

I went into reading Sadie with such hesitation because I am never sure how to take thrillers especially Dark gritty ones. I don't usually like thrillers that are dark gritty and disturbing but Sadie surprise me. I really like Sadie, for Courtney Summers writing. It was captivating and kept me guessing around every turn. I would recommend this to my friends one hundred percent, even thou I probably will never read this book again. But the reason I am rating it four stars is because I will always think about the book. I will think about all of the details that Courtney put in the book. How she deeply describe the story in its disturbing dark gritty way that makes you think about the horrors of this world. Like I said I would recommend this book to all my friends who like Dark gritty novels. But before warn this book contains discussion on RAPE.

I liked the concept/idea for the story and there were times that I felt like it was going really well and then there were a few things that made me think otherwise.

A Bookworm's World is today's blog tour stop for Courtney Summer's brand new book, Sadie.

Sadie has been raising her little sister Mattie all of her life. Their addict mother left and Sadie has been trying to give her the best life she can. When Mattie is found murdered, Sadie is devastated. The police investigation is going nowhere, so Sadie decides to find the killer herself.

Now here's the fun part. Sadie is told as a podcast. A brilliant idea Courtney! I love listening to podcasts and starting 'hearing' the book as I read. We come to know the host, West McCray, and follow along with the investigation week to week (chapter to chapter).

"...The Girls explores what happens when a devastating crime reveals a deeply unsettling mystery. It's a story about family, about sisters, and the untold lives lived in small town America. It's about the lengths we go to protect the ones we love...and the high price we pay when we can's. And it begins, as so many stories do, with a dead girl."

Now I don't know about you, but I was hooked by that introduction from the podcast.

Alternating are chapters from Sadie in real time as she pursues the killer. We get to know her more intimately in her chapters and become privy to her inner thoughts, worries, hopes and more. I liked her as a lead character very much and was firmly in her corner as she set out. But oh, some of it's downright gut-wrenching. (And don't even get me started on the ending!)

Sadie turned into a one sitting read for me - I just couldn't put it down, caught up in Sadie's pursuit and West's exploration of what happened. Such a great read!

Such an amazing and inventive read! Here are the top 5 reasons I would recommend this story to my students:

1. The description of the small town was really amazing and really set the stage for the kind of life our main character was dealing with.
2. Alternating chapters between Sadie and West were nicely paced and original (this was probably my favorite plot device of the whole story)
3. Sadie and the love she has for her sister is gritty, complex and beautiful. I haven't read a character like her in a lot of other darker YA
4. The overall structure of the novel was incredibly unique and I really think this can and will appeal to a YA audience.
5. Sadie's stutter was a great character element and I could see how it impacted how her story was told overall.

Overall, I would highly recommend this to adults and older YA reads its gritty, complex and gut wrenching but beautifully told!

Sadie by Courtney Summers is her best book so far. I mean, I love all of her books and how complicated and messy the main characters are. She really takes these big leaps in her books – like with This Is Not A Test. So, I seriously could not wait to see how Summers’ writing abilities would be stretched with Sadie. This book, FYI, totally delivered on my expectations and then some.

Sadie follows the story of a young woman named, you guessed it, Sadie. She has grown up in a trailer park and lived in a trailer with her sister Mattie, who was 13. Their mother who happens to be addicted to drugs ran out on them. Saide then raises Mattie on her own. She’s okay with this, though, because Mattie is her everything. Only, one day, Mattie disappears. According to witnesses, she got into a truck and just left. Her body is found close to disappearance, burning in a fire. At this point, Sadie disappears. This is the catalyst for a podcast called The Girls hosted by this man, West McCray. And here’s where the creativity and narrative come into play. The book alternates between being told by Sadie and podcast episodes.

I don’t know if we were supposed to like Sadie as a main character or not. Personally, I tend to gravitate towards characters who are rough around the edges, so I liked her. She’s got a stutter and this plays quite the role in the book. Her upbringing wasn’t the best (the mother in me is horrified at the fact that she had Mountain Dew in her bottle as a baby).

Yet, she has this love that is so fierce for her little sister. That is something to me that is so endearing about Sadie as a character. Also, she grows up poor – which yes, please more books aimed at youths with poor people as main characters. I think teens who are poor deserve to see themselves reflected in books. ALSO, I love love love that Sadie is tough as nails and when it gets down to it, she’s going to defend herself.

I mention in my instagram post about this book how layered it is. THAT IS A FACT. So, there’s parts where Sadie’s past and the trauma she has experienced comes right at you. At first, I didn’t quite get what was going on — but then, it was like WOW so that happened. Then we see how all these little things are connected and while my stomach was revolted (who isn’t revolted by childhood trauma), I was hugely impressed at how this story was woven.

In regards to the podcast aspect of Sadie, I don’t listen to podcasts as much as I should — maybe once I get through all the books in my Hoopla, Libby, Overdrive, and Audible queue, I will get to them. However, this made me really want to give more true crime podcasts a chance. Like, my husband listens to one about Creepy John I think it was? I don’t know, we had to listen to it while driving around house hunting? Anyways.

From what I understand, there’s a podcast out that is based on this book. I think that is such a cool tie in thing to do. If I didn’t have a million and one audiobooks, I’d be inclined to listen. Regardless, the podcast part of the book is very well done and kept me drawn in. Ultimately, this book is quite the read and you NEED to get your hands on it right this minute.

Simply put, this is an incredibly riveting book. Everything about it draws in a reader. The characters, the plot, the setting, and especially the formatting.
I think the formatting of the book was what initially drew my to the book and it was eventually my favorite aspect of the book. "Sadie" frequently cuts between the story of the girl herself on her journey, to an investigator who's following her story. I'm a big fan of podcasts and the book assumes that format for the investigation portion of a story and I just found that to be really different and awesome. It hides just enough away from the reader without being too frustrating. Which to me, made it a very effective thriller. I haven't ever been super into thrillers in general, but lately I've found myself reading a lot of really good ones.
The other part of this book that I loved was of course, the characters. Mainly, Sadie, she is so different from other heroines I've read lately. She is reserved and very intelligent, yet so young and there is this aspect of wildness to her that felt very genuine. As if, only a real person could be so flawlessly contradictory. I also really appreciated her narration in general, she gave the book much of its chilling ambiance and reclusive mood, while contributing much to its striking style.
This is definitely one of those excellent books, I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of thrillers and anyone who doesn't really read them, but would like to try.

I really liked this book, though it dealt with some very difficult themes (heads for trigger warnings for those who are sensitive!) It's very timely, and I think it handles these issues well. The format jumped between Sadie's story and the podcast episodes that were exploring what happened to her and her sister Mattie, which took a little getting used to, but it definitely gave an interesting picture of the events during and after they happened. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about the ending when I finished, but I do think it was a good way to wrap it up, and also leaves an opening for a sequel which would be interesting.

This book was a bit of a struggle and took three tries before I could get into the story. The problem I was having was trying to let my kindle read to me. Once I was able to actually read it rather than listen, it was smooth sailing.

Written in podcast style, things are a bit choppy but easy to follow. Sadie’s portions will keep you in the edge of your seat.

I really wish the ending was just a little different.

4,75
The serious subject matter really grabbed me. At the end of the book I was actually choked up! I was SO connected to Sadie/Lera where her emotions almost became my own. I really loved this book!!

I think there has been a lot said about this novel so I won’t rehash what this novel is all about. This novel is about a topic that I am drawn to. As I read this topic: I want to see justice served, I want the pain to go away, and I want the fear to vanish.

I liked how Courtney Summers set up this novel. Alternating chapters between serial podcasts and Sadie’s perspective, it was different than other novels I have read pertaining to this topic. As I read Sadie’s portion of the novel, I felt more emotional and more in tune with the events that affected her. The material felt heavy and I understood exactly what Sadie was going through. As I read through the podcasts, these sections helped piece the story together but they didn’t seem to carry the emotional elements that I felt as I read Sadie’s own words. These podcasts were important to the story as they helped me catch my breath but they were, “like giving me the facts or weeding through the information,” for they were reporting and I just couldn’t find any emotion in them.

Although some individuals didn’t care for the ending, I enjoyed it. I thought it went well with how the novel was set up. I thought the author addressed the topics inside this novel very well and I was hooked from the beginning pages.

This novel is not for everyone because of its tough issues. I feel that the author tackled these tough issues in a unique style, producing a wonderful novel.

I received a copy of this novel from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a bit to get into this book, but once I did, I was able to read it quickly. The mix of Sadie's story and the podcasts was a neat concept and kept the book interesting. I enjoyed getting to know the different characters and the little twists that happened throughout. I think a lot of my teens (high school library) will enjoy this mystery/suspense title and I will be recommending it to them.

Rating: 4.8/5 Stars

Tags: Thriller, Podcast, True-Crime, Suspense, OwnVoices, Missing Persons, Young Adult, Psychological Thriller, Coming of Age

My Thoughts:

Usually, I’d rate books either half star or full, nothing in between. But this time it only feels right to break that rule.

I practically wolfed down this book in two big bites. This was the first time such a phenomenon has happened ever since I started reviewing books! My eyes did not thank me for it >.<

Sadie by Courtney Summers is a YA thriller presented in a podcast/radio show format and before you get turned off by that let me say that it read very much like a novel. The story is told half the time in Sadie’s POV and the other half as a radio show(personally, I thought it came off more like a podcast) hosted by West McCray. Sadie is an unsociable teen with a troubled childhood, pushed to take on responsibilities before her time. She also has a stammer. Not long after her sister is murdered, she goes missing. This is the story of tracing her footsteps through cities and described by diverse people she touched along the way. It’s also about what really happened.

You watch as Sadie struggles with her mission and the temptations of ordinary teenage life that she’s missed out on. Her narrative is biased, just as you’ll notice the other characters’ opinions on her are formulated through their personal lenses. One thing is made expressively clear, this is not a thriller with explicit scenes of any kind. Courtney Summers nuances as to what went down and leaves the rest to the reader’s imagination.

Some minor misgivings I had about the book were:

▪There were two instances where I thought the cliffhangers were merely put for dramatic purposes that weren’t realistic had it taken place in real life.
▪‘Cute little lawn ornaments adorn one, while a rotting couch surrounded by garbage accents another.’ Tell me who speaks like that? NATURALLY?
▪The ending. Without spoiling it for you, I’ll just say that it was fitting(I say it begrudgingly). It’s also why I took off 0.2 stars from my rating(because I’m petty like that).

Sadie is gritty in its believability and heartbreaking in its emotions. It’s a tale of coming-of-age and identity struggle. And it’s one helluva addictive read!

For years women have been portrayed as emotional and we are finally seeing women’s rage and anger and hurt portrayed in a way that we can relate to.

Before I listened to the audiobook, I had started the podcast (free for you all to listen to, too!). Every week I was excited to see what the podcast would uncover, making the story even more real. This was carried over to the audiobook, brought to life by Rebecca Soler as Sadie, alongside all of the other amazing voices.

I would tell Sadie's loved ones that no matter what happened to Sadie, she had a mission and stuck to it. Sadie is a reminder of how awful our world can be and I am hopeful that stories like Sadie will help plant seeds and start conversations about how we make it a better place.

I think Courtney gave us Sadie to show the girls who go missing and never make the national news. The ones without support systems who seek their own way in the world. For the people who are underestimated for their perceived flaws. And for the girls in the world who find their own way of gaining control in a world that seems very out of control.

It’s easy to compare Sadie to The Female of the Species for the women’s anger component. I would also add A Room Away from the Wolves and Give the Dark My Love, both out this fall.

Although I've heard great things about Summers's other books, Sadie is the first I've read. It did not disappoint. The book is cleverly divided between Sadie's in the moment narration as she seeks out the man who she believes killed her younger sister, and an investigative podcast that follows developments in her missing person's case. I actively avoided reading reviews before I read the book, so some of the visceral descriptions of sexual abuse were a bit difficult to stomach, but Summers is deft at handling such topics with sensitivity.

Oh, Sadie, Sadie, Sadie. How do you even begin to rate a book like this?

The chapters alternate between Sadie's perspective as she hits the road in search of vengeance for the death of her sister, and the transcripts of a podcast tracking her progress after the fact.

It took me a bit of time to actually get settled into the style of this book, but once I was there, my goodness, it was almost impossible to put down. In Sadie, author Summers has built one of the most believable and in-depth characters I've read in a long time. Her story is emotionally devastating and I felt like I'd been put through the wringer by the time I finished reading her story.

I didn't love the podcast sections as much as the chapters from Sadie's perspective, but those parts were still enjoyable and they helped to tell the whole story in a unique way.

This is definitely not your typical YA book. It's gritty, yet subtle, and the material is very unique. This is a great read even for those who are not usually fans of YA.

Badass Female Character score: 5/5 - I mean Sadie gets all 5 points on her own -- that chick is one tough cookie. But the other women in this book are all strong in their own ways, too.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a DRC of this book.

3.5🌟

Whoa. This was an interesting read - quite enthralling! The format is different than your typical novel - the story unfolds between alternating POVs: Sadie, seeking revenge for her sister, and a radio show documenting and uncovering Sadie’s story.

I found the alternate format quite jarring at first. It became easier to manage as the story continued, but the switch between the distance of the radio show and the very up close and personal perspective following Sadie made it more difficult for me to become fully invested in the story.

Still, I found myself needing to read on and I ended up finishing the book in one sitting.

This was darker than I expected from a YA thriller. Not graphic, but the story involved some very dark themes. I’d recommend it for someone looking to read a fast-paced, darker YA thriller with an imperfect main character and a heavy mystery to uncover.

Thank you to St. Martin Press for sending a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.