If I was being totally honest, this review would just be me mashing my keyboard and screaming and then driving to the houses of everyone I know in the middle of the night and throwing a copy of this gorgeous, masterful book at them. But that’s not a way to write a review and I can’t drive, so I’m going to have to do this the old-fashioned way. Courtney Summers’ new novel Sadie is amazing. The hype is real. The hype is deserved. This book is everything.

I have a lot of friends who love True Crime and detective stories. If that’s you, why are you still here? You’re going to love Sadie, hands down. This is the feminist, voicey, twisty book of your dreams, the book you’ve practically been waiting for. Go buy this book now from IndieBound, Amazon or Barnes & Noble right now. You’ll thank me later.

If you’re still here because you need a little more convincing, let me tell you about this lovely freaking book: it starts with a dead girl. Thirteen-year-old Mattie is found murdered and her nineteen-year-old sister, Sadie, takes off in a beat-up car and a few belongings, thirsty for revenge. The whole plot is framed and paralleled by a podcast called The Girls, in which a reluctant journalist tries to unearth the truth of what happened to Sadie and track her down. Fun fact: Macmillan is producing a real version of The Girls, all about YA thrillers, and you can find more info about that here.

I loved Sadie as a character. Her voice is so strong and so complex. She’s the kind of character that makes shitty choice after shitty choice but every feeling she has jumps off the page and you feel it all alongside her. She also has a severe stutter, which is shown in the dialogue throughout the book and influences how Sadie sees herself and how others loved her.

Sadie is a gritty book that tackles issues like addiction, child sexual abuse, child pornography and emotional abuse with the compassion they deserve and the empathy crucial to showing how these issues psychologically affect an individual. This is a book about the destructive power of the love we have for family and about the strength of girls to get what they want. It’s about the deterioration of families and the impact of abuse on the teen psyche. It’s simultaneously beautiful and heartbreaking. I couldn’t put it down.

If I had to describe this book in one word, I would call it multifaceted. This book honestly has so many different sides to it and it’s told in a non-linear format that is nothing short of a masterful display of craft and form. I’ve heard such wonderful things about Courney Summers’ books, but you don’t know what you’re missing until you’ve read one. They are masterpieces.

Sadie is a story about a girl who goes missing after her sister dies, and exactly what she does afterwards. If you're expecting a light, fluffy thriller this is not your book. I would classify it as a dark and grim at times mystery. The story is told in alternating chapters - Sadie right after she went missing and West McCray's podcast 5 months later as he goes searching for her. The format and the writing definitely kept me enthralled. I had a hard time setting this book down after I picked it up.

However it is being labeled as a thriller and I do not agree. Is it suspenseful? Yes. But is it any bit like a thriller? Maybe at times. No big twists. It was predictable. I would label it 100% as a Mystery.

Part of the reason I typically knock books down is because I think they're forgettable. That's not why for this one. I'm only giving 4 stars because it was too predictable for me. I still will recommend this book because I really enjoyed it though!

If you are thinking about reading it, just an FYI Trigger Warnings: Pedophilia, Abuse, Alchohol and drug use is mentioned as well.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for sending me an ARC!

Courtney Summer's develps a great story. The way it's written is different going back and forth between a radio show and what is happening to Sadie was a little confusing at first but I figured it out and it keeps you interested. Sadie, is a book that will keep you thinking. I liked the strength and determination of Sadie. The terrible burdens pushed upon her so young by a hard life. Raising her younger sister is the brightest and happiest Sadie has ever been in her short years. She was happiest when taking care of her little sister. But bad things happen to good people and this is a book that describes how life can be brutal. Sadies mom is not present most of the time between one night boyfriends and drugs then live in boyfriends at times she is not capable of much but wanting her next fix. .Being so young left to raise a daughter is part of her problem weakness is another. The book starts off with the murder of Sadies little sister. Her whole world comes tumbling down. It continues with what she does to correct the fact it is an unsolved murder. Sadie disappears after a year of no one being caught. Her tracking around the country has a purpose that is learned slowly. She is smart and methodical and the things she learns along the way makes her more determined to keep on. Good read so glad I asked to review this book and NerGally allowed me too. I received this digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Summers has a very distinct style of writing that I'm finding I'm not a fan of. I previously read her book All the Rage and while everyone raved about it I thought it was just ok. I felt the same about Sadie. The story is compelling yet I never felt fully engrossed and I struggled with reading it. I did enjoy the podcast sections, I actually wished the whole story was written that way. But Sadie's POV was more difficult for me to get through. This is definitely a case of "it's me, not you" and if you are a fan of Courtney Summers previous books then I have no doubt you'll love this one as well.

A propulsive page-turner with tremendous heart. Summers poses timely, provocative questions about the ethics of representation in our era of true-crime podcasts, giving voice to the often voiceless female victim. I'm curious how the audiobook will be produced!

Whoa. Just.... whoa.

I must admit that I had only a slight desire to read this book based on the premise alone. But EVERYONE was reading it, so I requested it and was granted an advanced copy from NetGalley.

The first few chapters were a little slow and confusing. It switches between Sadie's point of view (past) and a podcast point of view (present). At about 14% I was ready to switch books, but I didn't feel I had given it enough of a chance, so I told myself to make it to 20% and then I could stop.

Well... I didn't. I made it all the way to 74% and was so tired, I put it down. Couldn't sleep because I couldn't stop thinking of it, so I got up and finished it - all in less than 4 hours.

It. Was. So. Good.

It contains some pretty heavy content and at times is pretty dark and twisted, but oh my word... tears. Broken hearts.

You know pretty much exactly where this book is headed due to the alternating past and present, but I felt that really helped the book honestly. There was just a bit at the end that I wish we had learned a bit more about because it felt lacking, but then again, the fact that you can make your own assumptions is often a plus in books like this.

Sadie comes out in September and there's already quite a bit of hype around it...and I'm just going to add to it, turns out. I have no regrets.

Sadie is split into two formats to tell its narrative: a investigative reporting podcast called The Girls in which West McCray--over a year after the incident--attempts to solve the murder of Mattie and the appearance of her older sister Sadie, and Sadie's own first-person, present-tense narrative account. What's great about this is you not only see how people were affected by the events, but it's also constructed in a way that makes you feel like the reporters are just one step behind figuring out what happened to Sadie.

I think it's best to go into this with knowing as little as possible about the plot, and that certainly worked for me, but I will say: major trigger warnings for child molestation, child pornography, and child neglect. I don't think descriptions of such incidents are graphic, but Sadie does have flashbacks and the undertones are always there. Your mileage may vary.

It was kind of a slow-burn at first, but then I found I just needed to know. I absolutely tore through about the last two-thirds or half of the book. The great thing is the podcast chapters weren't just recaps or the aftermath of what Sadie's chapters told us...they uncovered things she wouldn't tell because she was so upset and traumatized. No space was wasted. Even the podcast host got some character development! Plus, the writing was descriptive and atmospheric.

I really want to highlight some aspects of Sadie I found unique and important. There are plenty of books I haven't read yet, but I do believe I've never seen abject poverty like this represented in YA. Sadie and her sister grew up in a trailer in a small Colorado town. Their mother is young, a heroin addict, and alcoholic, and they are often undernourished. Sadie "grew up" at a young age, taking on mothering responsibilities over her sister and dropping out of high school to work. All of this is dealt with from many perspectives thanks to the podcast. I also really liked Sadie's description of her sexuality (a label isn't mentioned, but it's close to pansexuality, or another fluid/multiple-attraction identity) and appreciated that was included.

Speaking of the podcast--I admit I haven't listened to Serial, the hit podcast The Girls seems to be based on, but I listen to a lot and it's great to see this medium entering YA. Even more exciting: apparently, The Girls is being adapted to an actual podcast by the publisher! Despite the podcast's title, there's a lot of commentary in it about missing and dead girls in thrillers--a topic we've been discussing recently with hit titles like Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, et al--and it explores Sadie with the nuance she needs. I'm not much of a thriller or mystery reader in part because of these plots, so if you have that trepidation like I do, I recommend checking out Sadie!

"I can't take another dead girl"

TW: child pedophilia

I don't even know how to start this review. Sadie blew me absolutely away and has tied with Kara Thomas' Little Monsters as being my favorite thriller books.

The dual perspectives between West and Sadie were perfect and they corresponded so well together. They didn't blend together seamlessly and we would often be missing parts of Sadie's side but it was always for a reason. West gave us the outside perspective, the perspective we would have as readers of the case or, in this case, readers of the book.

West was someone I immediately sympathized with. I am also a journalist so I related a lot to his struggle with whether to cover this case or not. It felt like we were right there on the planes and in the cars along for the journey. I find myself wondering if I would've chosen to go a different way than West did. We also see him struggle with the way he chose to go about the investigation, thinking a decision had delayed his findings. We get snippets of West's home life in small details from him but I was blown away by how much of West I knew simply by his reporting. The pauses in speech, his diction, and his decisions during the investigation spoke more about West than any thing he told us could have.

Sadie broke my heart into a million pieces and I was instantly rooting for her. Her perception gives us insight into what actually happened and what West gets right and wrong. The devotion Sadie had to her sister was heartbreaking. Outside of May Beth, they were all each other had. After a constant slew of their mother's boyfriends and eventually her abandonment of them, the girls were stuck together. Whether Mattie wanted it or not, Sadie became her mother. The relationship we see between the sisters was breathtakingly real, the lines blurred between friend, sister, and mother. Sadie has one goal throughout this book. She was going to go kill the bastard who killed her sister, whether she made it back or not.

The other characters we hear from bring the story even further to life. The crime podcast aspect felt real and each one brought pieces to the investigation, either helping or hindering it. We also get to see their transformation from what we see with Sadie and the fallout of their decisions when West comes knocking.

This was a beautifully woven story that I couldn't put down. From a setting I could reach out and touch to unbelievably real characters, this book has it all.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC of Sadie by Courtney Summers.

After losing her sister to murder, Sadie goes on a quest to find her mother's old boyfriend in order to seek revenge. Dealing with harsh judgments all of her life because of her stutter, Sadie has developed sharp edges that repel people, but also help her get what she wants. This is narrated in part by her in first person, and also by a reluctant podcast journalist who is two steps behind her while he digs up her story and her past.

I loved the way this was done, especially the podcast style, being a total podcast nerd myself. I also loved the story and Sadie's search to find herself, as well as her abuser. I did NOT like the ending, for reasons that you will have to read yourself to find out.

Really enjoyed this book. It was a fast-paced easy read, but dealt with some heavy topics and it was pretty sad and heartbreaking towards the end. Will definitely be reading more from this author, and would highly recommend this book!

Courtney Summers is an amazing author and I am glad I have discovered her books. While hard to read because of the subject matter it is also hard to put down. I hope this helps women to be on the lookout for predators so they can save their children. The ending leaves me with so many questions.

"I live in a place that's only good for leaving."

Sadie leaves her trailer home one night and is never seen by her loved ones again but her adopted grandmother isn't giving up on her. Sadie is reeling after the death of her younger sister, Mattie, who was more a child to her than a sister. Their mother Claire is an addict who is gone or sick more than not and so Sadie can't forgive herself for failing to protect her younger sister. She leaves and she doesn't want to be found...that doesn't stop West from trying, though.

This story is told in two POVs, one is Sadie's first-person account of what happens. It's told in present tense for her, sometimes in flashbacks, but it's all in the past for the reader. The other POV is a show's script The Girls is a journalists accounting of his search for Sadie and what he finds when he goes looking.

"When she laughed, it would go so shrill and hurt my ears but I'm not complaining because when Mattie laughed, it was like being on a plane, looking down on some city you've never been to and it's all lit up."

At the heart of this story is a heartbreaking dedication of an older sister for her younger sister and it broke me. As the oldest of four girls this book absolutely terrified, horrified, and hurt my heart. It's not an easy one to read, these girls have not had easy lives and nothing gets prettier for them as we continue with their story.

Sadie's dedication to her sister, who is 10 years younger than her, is so heartwarming and sad. She is nineteen as the story starts and was caring for a thirteen-year-old who resented her sister for being more a mother and idolized a mother who was never around. The pain Sadie experiences having to fill the role of an absent mother and living for her sister is so tragic in its beauty.

"I turn the switchblade one more time in my sweaty palm, feeling the weight of its neat black handle and unforgiving blade tucked inside. It was his, a long time ago. It's mine now. I"m going to carve my name into his soul."

Sadie's tale is not a happy one, not at all. She has left in pursuit of the man she believes killed Mattie and she doesn't really intend on making it out alive...or doesn't really care if she does or not. She has a single motivation throughout this book and it terrifies the reader as much as it terrifies her.

This book is hard to read, really hard to read. I'm not a stranger to dark and twisted books but I had to put this one aside multiple times. There are trigger warnings galore but please be gentle with yourself reading this if any of them even remotely upset you.

Trigger warnings for: absent parents, abuse, physical abuse, mental abuse, sexual abuse, molestation, rape, child abuse, loss of a child, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, neglect, child abandonment, child pornography, pedophilia, murder, death, blood, assault, physical assault, description of rape and assault against children, forced prostitution or forced sexual favors, and pretty much all kinds of sexual assault and violence.

It's hard to say that a book is well written when it's so hard to read but it was. At first the dual POVs bothered me but in the end, I understand that it was an effective way of telling the whole story and it worked when all was said and done.

*Quotes taken from an ARC copy and subject to change*

A sister's love has no bounds. This story is beautiful, but heartbreaking. The format of this book goes between the past and the present. The present being told through a podcast. This left me heartbroken and wanting to know more. Sadie goes through so much in her life it's almost unbelievable, but her story is told so well and feels so real. This story really makes you think and makes you uncomfortable, but in a way that makes you aware that these kinds of things really happen. It's things you want to believe don't exist in this world, but do and we get to see it firsthand through Sadie's life. This book was so hard to put down and I think everyone should read this. I really enjoyed reading this even though it was a tough subject. The author did a beautiful job. Loved it.

Sadie was the first book by Courtney Summers I've read in years, but I am glad I got the chance. It's dark, definitely, but also very engaging. The way the books unfolds in alternating chapters from different POVs felt unique and clever, and I had trouble putting it down, even though it told a grim story. Recommended!

Oof, that book was dark. I was delighted to get approved for this book on NetGalley because the synopsis sounded so intriguing, and I have been meaning to read a Courtney Summers book for a long time. I’m happy to say that I definitely want to read more from her.

I don’t want to say too much about this book because it’s a thriller and I don’t want to give anything away.

The things that I will say though are that I felt so bad for Sadie and I LOVED the format and pace in which this was written.

Sadie is such a sad character living such a depressing life, and it’s hard not to feel bad for her. I would not be able to understand anyone who doesn’t root for her during the book.

This book is written in chapters that alternate between Sadie’s perspective, and a radio show/podcast investigating her disappearance. The way this is written creates the perfect amount of suspense, making you need to just keep flipping (or in my case clicking on my kindle 😂) the pages.

All in all, I think this was a very well done and emotional thriller.

Coming out of the gate, I will tell you, this book got my from the first page and kept me going until the very last. Summers writing is fantastic and the story she spun was gripping, until the very end.

<i>Sadie</i> takes a completely different spin when it comes to narration and modernizes it. Told from the perspectives of Sadie and West McCray, a radio producer is creating a new podcast. Sadie leaves her small, nothing special town of Cold Creek in search of the murderer of her 13 year old sister, Mattie. While we follow Sadie’s journey, we begin further back, as West is contacted by May Beth, and begins his journey down the road of Sadie and Mattie’s life.

The story moves forward and we follow West trying desperately to pick up Sadie’s trail and find her, while we are alternatively reading Sadie’s first person account of where she is in her journey and why she is pushing forward so hard.

<i>Sadie</i>was one of the best books I’ve read this year. Poignant, raw and captivating, I felt a connection to all of the characters. I think that the addition of West and the narration of the podcast episodes was a perfect way to align with Sadie’s narrative and was innovative, given the popularity of podcasts.

In the end, I believe Sadie’s story ended perfectly, as did West’s narration.

4.5🌟

This started off a little slow but once it got going it was a fast paced read. The story actually switched back and forth between two perspectives - Sadie’s and West’s. There were times that it would switch perspectives right at a really intriguing spot, which was probably the point, so then I to read on to get back to it but then the same would happen with the new perspective and it was just an endless cycle that helped me to zip through the story. There are still questions I have but I believe the author left those open because she wants each reader to believe thier own thing, in the way of the Giver or Inception.

I would definately reccomend this to anyone who loves a good mystery.

I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

This book has a really interesting premise, but it feels like a cop-out. It's well-written, but it cuts out (or "fades to black") just before anything really important happens, and we only find out what's happened later, in recollections. This book is narrated in alternating chapters between Sadie Hunter, who's looking for her sister's killer, and West McCray, who's looking for Sadie, who's gone missing herself, as part of his podcast. But if it were just narrated from the podcast's perspective, it would have made no difference. Perhaps this book has some sort of deeper meaning that I missed, but it felt like there was very little point to the book itself. I got all the information I needed from the blurb, and it didn't really engross me as the psychological thriller it's marketed as.

There has been a lot of buzz for this book-especially around Book Expo this year. And the hype is much deserved. Couldn't put this book down!! Loved having Sadie's story interwoven with the podcast-style transcript of West and interviews with everyone in Sadie's life or who she met along the way. Great book-so glad I got a chance to read it!

If you've already read any of Courtney Summers' novels, you have an idea of what to expect. You know that this will be amazing and that it will break you multiple times. You know that awful things will happen and that they will happen to people it's hard to like, people who still don't deserve what happens to them. 

This is accurate for Sadie, too, although that paragraph doesn't do her any justice. This is, like all of Courtney Summers' books, intense. But it is also easily the most intense of any of her books. It feels very timely but I'm also pretty sure that there's never been a time when it hasn't been. 

This is a page-turner, but it's also incredibly hard. I wanted to know what would happen next (if we would know what happened to Sadie; if there would be justice for Mattie's murderer) and I also was pretty sure that I wouldn't necessarily like those answers.

By the time there were about 50 pages left in this book (a little over, actually), I realized I was so tense, I had a stomachache. The last time this happened was during the last season of Breaking Bad.

Highly recommended. You need this book but it will hurt.