5 stars!

*

Sadie is an intense and gripping novel with a darkness that surrounds its narrative. The characters are complex and well developed, the pace is steady, and the unusual narrative structure with podcast episodes giving insight into Sadie’s story is amazing. The story deals with some pretty dark subjects, but its open ending still leaves readers with a little bit of hope.

Courtney Summers continues to impress. The writing is incredible and engrossing, and the premise that makes the novel is really well executed. This is definitely a heavy story, and the way it all comes together is great if all kinds of painful and heart wrenching. Definitely one for the Favorites shelf.

I have yet to be disappointed by a Summers novel. This is just such a phenomenal read, even with its painful portrayal of child sexual abuse. The narrative is so interesting, especially with the podcast bits, and the slow way in which everything unravels is like a punch to the gut.

Sadie is an incredible narrator. Her story is filled with so much sadness and could-have-beens, some of which we are introduced to first by the podcast episodes. The discovery of Sadie’s life and story are incredibly well done. The way the emotion translates to the page fills you hope, yet at the same time it crushes you.

Some parts of the story are really hard to read through, mostly because of the subject they deal with. There aren’t really any graphic descriptions of the sexual abuse, but even just the bare mention of it and how it affects Sadie is difficult to deal with. I do appreciate how Summers approaches and develops the subject in her novel. The story does have an open ending, which I take to mean everything turned out okay. Please.

In the end, Sadie is a wonderful and painful novel. The writing is great,the characters are very well developed, and unique way the narrative is structured makes this an enjoyable read. Definitely recommend it to all YA fans, especially those who also love investigative podcasts.

What first attracted me to Sadie was that I don't often see YA thrillers. I knew going in that it was going to be serious and a bit dark from the summary, but I was also intrigued about the multiple viewpoints and the podcast format.

I did really love how the book examined people's perceptions and prejudice, and how slowly each character became more fleshed out and interesting as you started to understand them more. There were also some really emotional and skilfully written moments, particularly about Sadie's relationship with her sister, Mattie. The storyline really hooked me in and I really wanted to know what happened next and how everything fit together, as the timeline of the story was excellently plotted to continue the suspense.

However, this book does have one major let down for me - spoiler alert - the ending! I'm not going to tell you what happens, but all I can say is that I do hate an open ending. I get why it was written this way; it was poignant and opened up the message of the book to make you think about the wider concerns in the real world. I just hate an open ending though. Additionally, due to some of the content, I wasn't sure if it was really suitable for YA, but that might just be me being overly cautious.

Overall, I'd say if you love a thriller this will definitely grip you, and it's a great quick read but it still packs an emotional punch. Just be prepared to still be wondering at the end!

Sadie was completely gripping from the first page.

I loved the combination of the detached Serial-esque voice of the radio show host and the raw, emotion-filled perspective POV chapters from Sadie.

I was hooked on Serial podcast and this nod towards true crime radio shows and podcasts was a wry and innovative addition alongside Sadie's strong voice.

I really felt the down-at-heel struggle and pain that Sadie felt and found myself quickly rooting for her. She's a tough and spikey character but absolutely never unlikable.

Courtney Summers gripped me and then broke my heart.

"And it begins, as so many stories do, with a dead girl."

This is the first book by Courtney Summers I've ever read and the story of Sadie is one I will not forget anytime soon.

Sadie is a 19-year-old girl who grew up in a trailer park in Colorado. In her childhood she had to cope with her mother’s drug abuse and several boyfriends. She has one thing to live for and that is her 13-year-old sister Mattie. Sadie tries to protect Mattie from the darkness of her mother’s neglect and the cruelty of her mother’s physically, verbally and sexually abusive boyfriends. When their mother leaves the girls, it’s just the two of them and May Beth Foster, the manager of the trailer park who takes care of Sadie and Mattie.

But then Mattie gets murdered and Sadie’s whole world falls apart. She sets out on a mission to bring her sister’s murderer to justice. Sadie is driven by love for her sister, she is focused, smart and I really felt connected to her and her story while reading this novel.

West McCray stumbles upon Sadie’s story and is asked by May Beth to find Sadie and bring her back home, because

“I can’t take another dead girl.”

West McCray is a radio personality and he starts a podcast, called ‘The Girls’, about how he tracks Sadie’s journey. He is trying to figure out what happened to Sadie, who murdered Mattie and where Sadie is now.

The book is written in two narratives. The first is the podcast in which we follow McCray on his journey to find Sadie. The second is a first person perspective of Sadie. The first person narrative is suffocating to read and you can feel Sadie’s desperation.

Although this is a fictional crime story, it felt real and it really came to life. Sadie is the first book ever to make me cry. The story isn’t pretty and it doesn’t end like a fairy tale. It’s a strong, powerful and important story about sisterhood, love and neglect, abuse, revenge and justice. While reading, I was constantly thinking ‘Please, find Sadie and save her’.

5 out of 5 stars.

This arc was provided to me for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 Stars

TRIGGER WARNING!!!
(Book contains themes such as pedophilia and sexual abuse)

Saide revolves around a young girl, Sadie who is struggling to raise her young sister, Maddie since their mother took off and left them alone. When Maddie is found dead, Sadie takes off to find her sister's killer and goes on the hunt of a lifetime. With police investigations crumbling, West McCray, a podcast personality takes matters into his own hands to discover not only what happened to Maddie, but Sadie as well.

Sadie seemed like it was going to be an emotional read, but I wasn’t expected that much of an emotional read. I enjoyed the format, it switches from Sadie’s POV (past) to McCray’s POV (present) who is trying to find Sadie and what happened to her. The very dark themes this book brought to light was very difficult to read, but captivating nonetheless. Sadie was strong and brilliant but so very human. The podcast aspect of the book was my favorite. It was such a neat concept that it felt like I was right there listening to the updates. Which just made the book feel more real.

The reason I knocked down a star was I hate cliffhangers. I HATE them. But in this case for this book, while it makes perfect sense, it still hurts that I don’t have all my answers. But I would still gladly recommend this to those who don’t trigger easily and enjoy an emotional mystery.

A must-read when it is released, this book is gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, and incredibly hard to put down. The framing of the book as a podcast as well as Sadie's determination made me think a great deal about how hard life can be for girls and young women and how as a society we do (or don't) help change this. Once I started reading it, I couldn't stop. I was hoping for justice for Mattie, Sadie, and every girl like them. Please note that as another reader mentioned, while it is "not graphic, it is disturbing."

I was surprised that this book was billed as YA because it has more of an adult "feel' to it. Told in alternating chapters from Sadie's perspective and a podcast whose announcer is investigating her disappearance, the novel centers around the two sisters--Mattie and Sadie--and the fierce and protective love older sister, Sadie has for Mattie who has been murdered. We follow Sadie as she attempts to find the stepfather she knew as "Keith" because she knows the abuse they suffered at his hands and believes he is responsible for Mattie's death. Not one to give up easily, Sadie runs into many obstacles on her journey for the truth and we feel each heartbreak with her. This is not an easy book to read, but perhaps I have just read many like this of late. And while it's depressing for sure, it's also uplifting as we see the bond between the sisters and the lengths to which Sadie will go to unearth the secrets surrounding their childhood.

Thirteen-year-old Mattie was found dead and not long afterwards, her sister, Sadie, went missing. It seems that no one cares if the killer or Sadie are ever found. Until the sisters’ pseudo grandmother reaches out to a popular podcast host asking for help finding Sadie, because she feels that something is wrong. West, the radio personality, begins following leads to a variety of towns. He learns that Sadie is using a different name and is trying to track down her father. However, the man she is looking for is not her father and West knows that she knows this. Why is Sadie looking for Keith/Darren? What happened in the sisters’ past to cause these tragic outcomes?

This story is interesting, but it is tough. There are various forms of violence, but most notably is the consistent presence of pedophilia. I found myself interested by the story and I want to go through it again when it comes out as an audio book.

RECIEVED AN E ARC THROUGH NETGALLEY FOR AN HONEST REVIEW*****



This is a hard book to read, it’s rough I’m not gonna lie. You have to be able to handle dark stuff to be able to get through this. PLEASE IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE JUST BE AWARE.

Even though it was hard to get through, it was amazing. Sadie is the most heartbreaking character, and I just want her to have the best life she could possibly have, if she can. Those girls deserved so much more than the life they were handed and I just want to protect them and love them. The topics dealt with in this book are hard and rough but they are realistic. This stuff happens every single day, and people just turn a blind eye to it. I’m in tears just thinking about this book and it’s honesty to life outside of its pages.

I loved the switch between podcast and story, that was super interesting and the fact that you can listen to the actual podcast parts through the podcast The Girls: Find Sadie is awesome.

I cried so much when I hit that last page, so much. I just put my kindle down and cried. I had to. I had no other choice. The emotions you will feel while reading this are going to wreck you, I’m not going to lie to you.

I think everyone needs to read this book, just to see the world some people have to live in, and open their eyes to others pain and situations. But I also think only the toughest ones can make it through this.

It's been some time since I have rated a book five stars, but Sadie by Courtney Summers deserves every single one of them.

I won't dwell on details, the synopsis gives a good enough description and I want to keep this spoiler free.

Half of this book is written in Sadie's point of view as she follows the trail to finding her younger sister's murderer. The other half is written as a pod cast from a man name West, who has been enlisted to track Sadie. The writing style was one I wasn't sure I would connect with...reading a podcast...who knew I'd love it? Not me. I did, though.

Sadie's chapters are heartfelt and traumatizing and keeps you reading at a quick pace. I was so eager to find out the next bit but was also very thankful for the break into West's chapters. You see, Sadie's story touches on things you don't ever want to touch on and at times they are simply heartbreaking. That being said, I adore Summers for the way she handled these hard realities. There is a solid lack of graphic detail and graphic violence. Yet you are still able to feel the pain and the terror of these characters. It was expert writing, in my opinion.

I'd say that if you were going to pick one Young Adult book to read this year, Sadie should be that book. In a word it's powerful.

I could barely put this book down. It ripped me apart. I loved the multiple points of view of this book. It was so well done. It kept the book humming along and I found myself holding my breath while reading it. There was so much tragedy wrapped up in this book. It makes me so angry that things like this happen all the time to girls like SadIe.

How do you forgive the people who are supposed to protect you? Sometimes I don't know what I miss more; everything I've lost or everything I've never had.

Wow. This one really tears your heart out.

What a haunting, painful, engaging, gritty mystery. Do you ever stand in Walmart and stare at the pictures of girls on the wall, staring back at you and all the people who don't even know who they are, much less that they're missing? I do. And after reading this, I will never be able to walk past them without looking at them and wondering what horrors they might be experiencing, and what horrors they might have left behind.

Sadie is a passionate, broken character. In reading the story we really get to know her and in some ways, I can see myself in her. All the best characters are relatable, and you can definitely relate to Sadie. May this book go out and reassure the girls that they are never, ever alone.

I see you.

Content warning:
Language, violence, drugs, alcohol, (view spoiler)

Book Review
[BOOK REVIEW THEME]

ANNOUNCER: Book Review is brought to you by Lara Kareem, sponsored by Netgalley & Wednesday Books, a Macmillian Publishers Imprint.

LARA KAREEM: And it begins, as so many stories do, with a dead girl. Such a gripping line don't you agree, right off the bats after I read those words, I immediately became intrigued and anticipated what was to come.

REVIEW TEMPLATE: Lara what are you doing? Why are you writing in dialogue? Why do I have a voice?

LARA: Because this is one of the many beauties of this tale I embarked on, and I find it fitting to write my review in this format, stop interrupting me!

REVIEW TEMPLATE: ...

LARA KAREEM: Sadie. Sadie ran away and now she is out for blood. Armed only with a switchblade, she is determined to avenge the murder of her little sister Mattie. Sadie is the main character, (like the title didn't give that away) in this story, and she doesn't disappoint as she leads me along on her very dark and dangerous journey to her justice.

REVIEW TEMPLATE: Wait, what?

LARA KAREEM: That's right, this story is one that tackles a very hard subject one that is so disgusting yet rampant all over the world and it's so terrible to begin to talk about. The people considered "The Girls" in this story are victims of abuse, and this story is also fighting for all "The Girls" both in reality and in the fictional world who have ever been victims and have been quiet because they fear speaking up and being dismissed. Sadie is fighting for you.

REVIEW TEMPLATE: You're really going to insinuate and not tell us exactly what it is?

LARA KAREEM: That's right, no spoilers. You've got to read the book yourself to find out. Sadie is a very clever girl, who never had the chance to be a kid, who felt unwanted and the only love she felt was real for & from her sister, and with her sister brutally taken from her, she didn't have a life anymore, she felt purposeless. That's why she had to track down her sister's killer. Call it sister intuition or mother's because Sadie was a mother to Mattie, but she knew whodunnit.

ANNOUNCER: Book Review will return shortly.

[ADS]

LARA KAREEM: Welcome back to Book Review, with your host Lara Kareem, sponsored by Netgalley & Wednesday Books, a Macmillian Publishers Imprint. On today's episode, we are Discussing "Sadie by Courtney Summers". Sadie is on a journey to find her sister's killer and West McCray a Podcast host now turned Investigative Journalist, is now on a race against time to track down Sadie, to find her and bring her back home safe.

REVIEW TEMPLATE: I'm also here, you didn't mention me.

LARA KAREEM: Review Template has a voice everyone. I loved the message, the meaning and the importance of Sadie's story, it was and is a story that needs to be told because it brought a little bit of justice. She got justice for her sister Mattie and many other Girls. But I found myself getting bored and kept wondering what direction the story was going because we, Sadie and I went to so many places in this story, which all had a purpose, but it picked up and when it did, I couldn't drop the book until I was well and truly done

REVIEW TEMPLATE: So did you like it or not?

LARA KAREEM: I did a lot, but the end is quite unsettling, it made my True Crime heart sad because you know reality and I just feel sad, like a loss. I wish the story did not end where it did, but that's how it is for many missing person cases.

REVIEW TEMPLATE: We can't always get what we want, like how you changed me the Review Template to something utterly new, like giving me a voice and changing my whole format without warning me. You'll be fine.

LARA KAREEM: So ungrateful. On that note, we have come to the end of this Review. Please give Sadie a chance when it's out on the 4th of September. I shall end by saying this is my honest opinion and I’m grateful to Wednesday Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book and of course Netgalley. I rate this book:

Sadie is an atypical teen mystery, one where the protagonist doesn't so much receive aid from adults as manipulate them into giving up information. Every encounter meant to bring her closer to her target left me with lingering feelings of anxiety and dread. Every stop on her journey led to somewhere even more unexpected. I found myself at the edge of my seat waiting for the moment when she'd finally get revenge, for herself and for Mattie. I couldn't help but notice that if Summers was a different type of writer, Sadie would have been just another teen book where the main character embarks on a journey to solve a mystery aided by the kids she meets along the way. Instead, Sadie cons those kids and continues going it solo, like a lone wolf where every other teen sleuth would have joined a pack.

There's a similarity between "Sadie" and "The Female of the Species" by Mindy McGinnis. Both have female protagonists taking on a sort of vigilante role to avenge a murdered sibling and shedding light on the ways young women can fall victim to opportunistic men. Because of this feeling of similarity between the two titles, I found myself predicting Sadie's fate. Of course we're told from the beginning that she hasn't been seen for some time, but I had an eerie feeling that Sadie would not make it, the same way the protagonist of The Female of the Species did not make it in the end. I still interpret the ending to mean that Sadie died at the end, but it isn't explicitly stated.

As much as I couldn't put this book down until the end, I still found it to be a somewhat difficult read. The age difference between Mattie and Sadie is the same as between me and my younger sister. It was hard to keep from wondering what lengths I would have gone to if I were in Sadie's shoes. I've experienced that over-protectiveness and the burdening sense of responsibility when it comes to my sister and at times felt like she was the only reason I kept going. But Sadie's situation is hardly fathomable to me; its a thought I couldn't bear to conjure up in the context of my own life.

I honestly think Sadie is a book that could benefit from content warnings, and I know how controversial just the idea of this is in terms of literature. I know that the mystery hinges somewhat on readers being unaware that Keith has been preying on young women, but as early as 25% into the book, I knew what kind of person he was. I'm worried that the psychological well being of the target audience of this book is being overlooked, that vulnerable readers (victims of abuse) are at risk of being triggered.

All of that being said, I predict that Sadie will be a hit with most readers, and not just those familiar with Summers' other works. She's come a long way since Cracked Up to Be and Some Girls Are, both books that could have turned me off her writing but didn't. Sadie is a heartbreaking and thrilling follow-up to All the Rage that is worthy of all the hype surrounding it.

Oh Sadie, Sadie, Sadie.... how you stole my heart. I give Sadie FIVE stars and a FIVE moons too! 

Sadie is a young girl set on revenge against the man she is certain has murdered her sister. Her life has been hard, the daughter of an alcoholic mother and non-existent father, Sadie has raised herself and her sister with the help of an older, loving neighbor. After her mother's disappearance from their lives, Sadie continues to take care of her sister alone until the fateful night that her sister is savagely murdered. Sadie knows who did it despite the fact that the police have done nothing and followed no leads. Sadie disappears into the night looking for the killer, leaving no clues behind and telling no one her destination.

This is where the story begins: Sadie is missing and the loving neighbor wants to know where she is, what has happened to her. She elicits the help of a very skeptical podcast reporter who has done some podcasts about interesting people in rural areas. The author uses both first hand accounts from Sadie and the podcast episodes. While I'm beginning to think that the use of blogs and podcasts in literature are becoming a crutch and a little too overused, in this particular instance it works very well. The author uses the reporter to ask a question and then, seamlessly, flows into the character's response on the podcast. There were times that I could easily imagine how this would have sounded and what it would have looked like "on air." Rather than being a crutch, it became an enhancement to the story. The book also is specially geared toward "young adults" and I think this type of writing works for them. 

With that in mind - the "young adult" aspect of this book - I think this is the first time I've read something within this genre in which I truly felt that the story had merit. When I was a young adult or younger, we were offered amazing stories that told the grittier, darker side of being a teen. S E Hinton's series, The Outsiders, or the horrific tale, Go Ask Alice," were required reading for teens and young adults. Somewhere along the way, Harry Potter became the norm, for adults and kids alike, and I think that books with substance took a back seat. Sadie, however, is a real coming of age story about rural America, alcohol and drugs, runaways and the horror that far too many young people and young adults must deal with as a regular part of their existence. There is no sugar-coating here, no happy endings for everyone: this is life and it is told expertly. Sadie is a book that I will read again and again and recommend to every reader I know. It is a must read for teens and young adults. It is a story for this generation in today's society, a story that will stand the test of time. 

A million thanks to #CourtneySummers for writing such an astounding book; to #Netgalley and #StMartinsPress for my advanced copy.

I haven’t ready any Courtney Summers books yet because honestly they scare me a little? I’ve said before that I usually read the fluffier side of contemporary fiction, heavily focused on romance and flowers and rainbows. I don’t read many “issue books” and she writes a lot of books that may fall into that category. SADIE, on the other hand, was an insta-request on Netgalley for me. It’s more on the mystery/thriller side due to the nature of the “solving a murder and getting revenge” storyline. I’ve been into those lately. AND, to top it all off, this book features a true crime podcast element too. That’s what caught my eye because I listen to so many of those (recs here and here).

The podcast part was my favorite for the first 30% of the book, probably. I wasn’t as interested in Sadie’s chapters for whatever reason, but that changed after a little while. I was constantly dying to get from one perspective to the other to see what happened next. The podcast and Sadie’s points of view alternated, but there’s an indeterminate amount of time between them; you keep waiting for them to catch up to each other at some point. It was awesome to read the podcast transcript and wanting to yell things you already know. I can definitely imagine this podcast chugging along in the real world (outside of the book), trying to solve the case, much like Up and Vanished did.

I think the synopsis implies some twists and turns, but much of the story was straightforward to me? It was challenging to read and exhausting at times from the sadness and rage… but it wasn’t overly mysterious or thriller-ish. I was impressed by the story, how everything wove together, and the lasting impact it’s probably going to have on me though. I raced through the second half of the book and was so eager to see how it would all come together. The end was good and interesting and appropriate, I think, but I didn’t LOVE it. I don’t want to say more.

This was a dark book, with lots of triggers. But I really enjoyed it. It was really interesting. I really enjoyed the podcast chapters and how well they were put together. I think the author did a really great job with that.
I have 2 complaints.
1. I didn't get a real attachment to any of the characters. Sadie was interesting and I would have loved to have spent more time with her, in her head, but the book switched back and forth too frequently.
2. The ending, which I don't want to say much about to avoid any possible spoilers, just doesn't do it for me.

I did enjoy it, though. And it is a fairly fast paced read.


ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

While Sadie is yet another abused/murdered young girl story it is different in its format and narration. We witness Sadie's attempt to avenge her sister's murder through her own eyes and through the narration of a journalist hired to investigate her story for a podcast. This is a thriller that will stay with you and haunt you long after you've finished it.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I could write a whole essay about what I thought about this book, but I think I can narrow it down to just a couple of sentences.

Sadie: she's a main character like I have rarely seen before. She isn't perfect, not at all. She's from a broken family, poor, has gone through a lot in life already and she has issues and she knows it. She's not the strongest of women, but she doesn't let anything scare her. I liked her.

The story: at it's very very core, the story isn't really anything surprising or new. However, it is captivating, dark and sometimes a bit twisted, it is harsh and real. It had a good pace and I was never bored with it. I liked it.

The format: the story is told through Sadie and through a podcast. This wasn't just a fun way to read the story, it also added to the grittiness and realness of it all. It added to that feeling that this could've just happened, or that it might all be happening right now. I liked it.

Extremely happy that I got the chance to read this book before publication. All the love to St. Martin's Press. All the stars for Courtney Summers.

”They cry in the dark
So you can't see their tears
They hide in the light
So you can't see their fears
Forgive and forget
All the while
Love and pain become one and the same
In the eyes of a wounded child

“Because hell, hell is for children
And you know that their little lives can become such a mess
Hell, hell is for children
And you shouldn't have to pay for your love
With your bones and your flesh”
--Hell is For Children, Pat Benatar, Songwriters: Neil Giraldo / Patricia Benatar / Roger Capps

”The screen door on the trailer is rusted out, sparks a whine into all our surrounding Nowhere That Matters but if you need a visual, picture a place far, far less than suburbia and then imagine me, a few more rungs down that ladder living in a trailer rented from Fed-Me-Blueberries May Beth for as long as I’ve been alive. I live in a place that’s only good for leaving, is all that needs to be said about it, and I don’t let myself look back. Doesn’t matter if I want to, it’s just better if I don’t.”

EPISODE 1
[THE GIRLS THEME]
WEST McCRAY

”Welcome to Cold Creek, Colorado. Population: eight hundred.”

”There’s almost something romantic about it, something that feels like respite from the rest of the world. It’s the perfect place to be alone with your thoughts. At least it was before.”

Sadie has a mission. It drives her, physically, even when her body and mind tell her to rest, to stop. She is looking for the man she knows in her heart murdered her sister. That is, in her heart and mind, her sole purpose for living now. It is her only focus.

Told in alternating chapters, you hear the words of West McCray as he relays his view of this ongoing story from his first episode of this serialized podcast, a crime that remains a mystery, a ”deeply unsettling mystery,” and the words of Sadie, who is on a quest to watch the light drain out of one man’s eyes, the man she believes murdered Mattie. Sadie is nineteen years old. Mattie was thirteen.

”And it begins, as so many stories do, with a dead girl.”

May Beth Foster contacts West McCray, ultimately for the purpose of help in finding Sadie, using his podcast forum to bring it to the attention of his listeners. May Beth had been taking care of both Sadie and her younger sister, Mattie, ever since their mother left without a word, long ago now. Then the unspeakable happened, and Sadie has disappeared, and May Beth fears the worst will happen if Sadie isn’t found soon.

”I can’t take another dead girl.”

I loved Sadie, she’s a wonderfully smart and clever character, and while she tries – despite her stutter – to be seen as tough, invincible, inside she’s broken, with all these raw and jagged edges to her, and therefore vulnerable.

This is categorized as a YA novel, but while I would not recommend this for younger than “YA,” I realize that sexual abuse isn’t limited by age. It’s not graphically depicted, but it is at the heart of this riveting story.

If you’d like a taste of this in podcast format, check out:
https://us.macmillan.com/podcasts/pod...

Pub Date: 04 SEP 2018


Many thanks for the ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press