Wow. Where do I even begin with Sadie?

If you are not ready for an emotional roller coaster then do not pick this book up. This is an important and powerful story that the author tells; it’s one of love and sisterhood and justice albeit vigilante justice.

The format of this book was very unique. It alternated between Sadie’s pov and an interview styled chapter which was ambitious and I think it worked most of the time but when it’s written that way, you miss out on a lot of detail and it got a bit tiresome after a while.

It’s also an open-ended sort of ending and if you want definite concrete answers you will be disappointed. Overall, this isn’t a book you love, it’s a book you read and recognize the importance in and tell others to read.

An old story told in a truly original format. I wasn't entirely sure how well the podcast episode framing device would work -- it's very clever, but it can quickly become a gimmick rather than add to the story -- but Summers pulled it off perfectly. I have a bit of a book hangover, because the ending left me totally reeling.

I loved Sadie and gave it a shout on the Barnes and Noble Teen Blog as one of my favorite 2018 reads: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/teen/bn-teen-blog-best-ya-books-of-2018/

I've read two Courtney Summers books before. One I loved. The other was just okay for me. When I first saw Sadie available for review, I decided to take a pass on it. But then I realized Courtney Summers was the author and I took a second look. Sadie isn't my typical preferred genre. While I occasionally like Mystery/Thriller/Suspense books, I usually prefer romance driven books. And well, there's not a romance in Sadie at all. But I try not to write books off entirely just because they're different from what I normally prefer because I've found in the past that sometimes I'll love a book that ends up changing my reading preferences. However, that was not the case with Sadie.

I really struggled with this book. The first 30% was very slow for me. And then I was probably 60% finished before I finally felt hooked into knowing what happened to Sadie and to Mattie. 60% is a long read when you're not fully invested. And I can't really give you a reason why I wasn't invested until that point because I liked Sadie. I liked the podcast and West McCray. I guess the pieces of the puzzle that we were given up until that point were slow for me. Of course, each piece is important for the overall story, but it was a process for me to get there.

The ending of Sadie was open. There's supposed to be the potential for hope, but it feels very faint to me. There's some justice which I think is intended to give the reader some satisfaction where the open ending might not fully satisfy. It wasn't a bad ending, but like I said, not completely satisfying either. I did read a note that Courtney Summers herself shared about the ending of the story which gave me a more comprehensive view of why the ending was left open, but I still can't say was satisfying.

Being a mother, the content and events of Sadie were hard for me to read as well. I don't ever want to imagine one of my children being brutally murdered, sexually assaulted, unloved, or missing. It's heartbreaking, and yet Sadie felt like such a real story. The events way too commonplace. It's heartbreaking when you think about any one piece much less all put together. *Spoiler alert* This is a sad story.

Sadie ended up being just an okay read for me. The genre is outside of my norm as I tend to prefer books driven by romantic relationships. The content was hard to swallow. And even though the characters were likable and I sympathized with them, they almost made the story harder to read. I had a hard time getting to a point where I felt fully invested, but once I did, I finished Sadie quickly. I'm giving Sadie 3 Stars. Have you read Sadie? What did you think? Let me know!

THIS BOOK!!! It was do good, I loved it. Definitely not something I normally read but soo enjoyable *cries*

To say I was excited to receive this was an understatement! One of the most wanted YA reads of the fall! It did not disappoint! Thank you for the copy to review!

Oh wow. Put some time away for this book. It has all the ingredients for a terrific psychological thriller.

No spoilers from me. Book is great with lots of lies, deception, tragedy, and twists. Also, loved the unpredictable ending. Can't say enough great about this. Read it today!!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this fabulous book.

Despite my love and respect for Courtney Summers’ books, I’m always deeply hesitant to start them. In this case, I saw it on NetGalley, got super excited, requested, and then, when it came to read it, I second guessed. I knew it would be good (it was), but I also knew it would hurt (it did). I knew it wouldn’t be pleasant to read (it was more pleasant than I expected but also mostly yep).


I’m a reader who, especially when shit is bad in the world, needs fluffy, escapist books, and Summers’ books are aggressively the opposite of that. They punch you in the face with realism, but they do it in this really subtle and quiet way that has you a bit off your guard. Unlike some of the so-called “issue books” or dark contemporary, Summers’ books aren’t melodramatic; they’re dark and scary and painful, but they don’t revel in it. Sadie actually looks away from it in this way that only draws your eye because you know how much worse everything is even than what you’re seeing.

So yes, I was scared to start this book, because it’s very much not a Christina book. Immediately, though, I knew Sadie would be good. The novel alternates between transcripts of a podcast about the search for Sadie, who is missing, and a timeline running slightly ahead from Sadie’s point of view. This sort of mixed media storytelling is either the best or the worst, and it absolutely pays off here. That first snippet of the podcast totally captured me, against my will.

The weird thing is that I don’t even listen to podcasts. I’m too much of a completist for them. But even so, I could hear the podcast like I was listening to the audiobook, rather than reading the egalley. It felt so real, leaped off the page. That’s something that only happens with the best authors, and I’ll never get tired of the feeling of it when it does happen. Actually, I caught myself tempted to google stories referenced within its pages, because I would actually forget everything was fictional. Which sounds a bit silly tbh, but that’s how real it all felt.

For the first part of the book, I loved the podcast, but I was less invested in Sadie’s chapters. Ironically, though invested in the podcast of her life, I was less invested in her actual life unfolding. By the end, I’d been sucked in to both timelines, though I never really did get a complete grasp on who Sadie really is. That may be intentional, though, because a lot of the point is that Sadie herself doesn’t know who she is without Maddie, her little sister who was murdered, her little sister who died. Sadie doesn’t have friends, she has one person who cares about her, and she’s been abused badly her entire life. Her only motivating force is revenge, so she’s not an easy girl to get to know.

Vengeance tales are as old as stories, but Summers makes this one feel different from the pack. Often they come with a moral, but this one doesn’t. It’s not all about how pursuing revenge prevents you from focusing on the positive, though there’s certainly a consideration of methods possible. In this case, Sadie’s revenge feels needful, deserved, if not for her than for the world. Sadie feels almost like an antihero, and though she’s at the center, the story at times seems like it’s less about her than about protecting every child in the world, as suggested by the distancing name of the podcast, The Girls. It’s her story, but it’s also not; she’s a microcosm, an example of the horrific shit that people let happen every day.

Unsurprisingly, Sadie is not a happy book. Beyond the quest for vengeance, it’s an unflinching look at sexual abuse of children. When I say it’s not melodramatic, there’s nothing that happens on screen, no detail. It’s not played for shock value. It runs throughout, and you might not even notice at first, but when you do you it hurts all the more for that. This book doesn’t preach or yell; it harshly whispers but makes you listen all the harder. The ending doesn’t leave you feeling satisfied, but it does feel like the ending this book needed.

I thought All the Rage was dark and intense and painful, but Summers definitely had some more rage left, and she put it to damn good use.

Actual rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book. A unique form of storytelling. Alternating between a podcast and Sadie's perspective. I'm not a big fan of podcasts which could be the reason for my lower than average rating. However the story kept me interested throughout which is why I was disappointed in the ending.

Sadie is a powerful, heartbreaking novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of Courtney Summers' "Sadie" in exchange of an honest review.

This was one of my favorite reads of 2018. If you love the Serial podcast, you will LOVE this book. It is literally a podcast in book form in the best way. This book hooked me in immediately and kept me entertained throughout.

This is a fascinating mystery, I loved reading it, but I also will recommend the audiobook. The full cast really adds to the story.

I don't really have words for everything this made me feel. It was heartwrenching and sad and powerful and deeply fucked up and well written and awful. It was many, many things all at once. It's a good book to read and then discuss, for both girls and boys about how terrible the world can be and how important it is to be aware.

Ever since their junkie mom took off, 19-year-old Sadie Hunter has looked after her 13-year-old sister, Mattie. Their existence is a tough one, but with the help of May Beth Foster, their landlord and pseudo grandmother, the girls manage to get along okay. Until Mattie is discovered dead from a blunt force trauma wound to the head. Overcome with grief and anger, Sadie's fury builds to a raging inferno as the police fail to solve her sister's murder. Armed with only a switchblade and a few meager clues, Sadie finally sneaks off, determined to find Mattie's killer on her own—and make him pay.

When 68-year-old May Beth discovers that Sadie is missing, she grows frantic. Her heart can't take the thought of another missing girl, especially one under her care. Desperate, she begs radio personality Wes McCrae for help. Sensing a juicy story, Wes creates a podcast to tell Sadie's story and to enlist his listeners in the search for the missing young woman. The more deeply involved he becomes, the more he worries for obsessive, reckless Sadie.

In the meantime, Sadie's courting trouble by asking jeopardous questions of dangerous people. Can Wes and Mary Beth stop her perilous quest before it's too late? Or will Sadie's obsession with revenge lead to her own violent end?

For a YA novel, Sadie by Courtney Summers is decidedly dark, disturbing, and depressing. It tells a gritty, unsettling story that I certainly would not want my teens reading. That being said, it's a compelling book that tackles hefty issues (poverty, drug abuse, child abandonment, etc.) through the eyes of some very interesting characters. Summers writes well, there's no doubt about that, but I had a hard time really enjoying Sadie. It's a little too raw for my tastes and the ending, while satisfying on some levels, bugged on others. Overall, then, I didn't love this one or even like it all that much. I know I'm in the minority here because the novel is definitely affecting, it just wasn't my favorite.

(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. You?)

Grade: B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for strong language, violence, sexual content, references to/depictions of illegal drug use, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of Sadie from the generous folks at St. Martin's Press via those at Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Sadie alternates between the perspective of the titular character set in the past and a reporter investigating her story for a podcast in the present, Sadie's little sister, Mattie, was killed under mysterious circumstances. She blames her stepfather, who has a sick past with Sadie, and pursues him for justice. West McCray, the reporter, picks up the story several months later, interviewing people as he tries to find out what happened.

A heartwrenching look at the difficult life of a girl who tried to do her best and, in her eyes, came up short. The story unfolds with breath-stealing suspense, leaving readers gripped until the last page.

Summers' novel explores the death of a young girl and the disappearance of her sister through the guise of a podcast, leading the reader to ask questions of how women's lives are valued and the way violence rolls through generations. Compelling and moving.

Loved this book! What a great story of suspense. The character of Sadie is complicated yet she has very likeable qualities. i really really enjoyed reading this book and I know you will too!

I really enjoyed this. It's very dark and incredibly emotional but a worthwhile read. The characters are well developed and relateable.

A heartbreaking mystery!
Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read and review Sadie by Courtney Summers!
Sadie seems lost. She’s searching for her stepfather to exact revenge for her younger sister’s murder. As the story is told, Sadie’s background unfolds. She’s had a life of abuse and neglect along with several “stepdads”. Sadie raised her younger sister Mattie since their mother was usually high or nonexistent in their lives. Sadie is a difficult book to review because I don’t want to give anything away. The intensity and pain broke my heart but the unconditional love that Sadie has for Mattie warmed my heart back up again. Sadie’s stutter made it difficult for her to make friends and her tragic life made it impossible for her to even keep or have friends. She lives in painful loneliness and only has the idea of vengeance to keep her going. A difficult to put down mystery, Sadie pulled 100% of my attention until I finished reading the book, 5 heartbreaking stars!

This was a heart wrenching story. Sadie had so much that she could have lived for and instead gave up all of that to take care of her sister. A sister that like any other really didn't appreciate everything her sister did after their mother ran off.

After Mattie is found dead something snaps in Sadie. There is only one thing that matters anymore, finding the person who killed her sister.

Through small clues and reluctant witnesses, Sadie takes a journey to find the person responsible for her sister's death. Meanwhile, she is being followed by a radio personality looking for the truth behind the sad life she's lead thus far. He also hopes to find out what happened to her sister along the way.

A touching story of sisterly love and the lengths one will go for family.

Sadie is a unique story focusing on a young woman who, once finding out that her sister has not only been taken from her but murdered, has her mind set on revenge. Out for blood, Sadie will stop at nothing to get her hands on Mattie's murderer.

This is the first Courney Summers' book I've read and I have to say that Summers knows what she is doing. By taking surprisingly bold risks, she tackles heavy issues in a way that leaves you not only thinking about the story or it's contents but also the words she has written. Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming to be reading such a emotional, hard-hitting, story. It makes you feel so many emotions and demands your utmost attention. It will move you in a way that not many authors are able to accomplish.

Sadie was well-written, emotional, dark, gripping, disturbing. It was a tough book to go through but one that, I can not stress enough, has to be read. The pace was rather slow in the beginning but ended up building momentum as the story progressed. I enjoyed the whole podcast format, which has become increasingly popular with authors and readers alike. Alternating between the podcast episodes and Sadie's voice worked well in this context, it helped build up the tension and create an atmosphere that leaves readers sitting on the edge of there seat. Macmillan has released a podcast that follows the novel every Wednesday, if you want to check that out I will be leaving the link to the podcast above.

Sadie was beyond-a-doubt my favourite character to read. Though she may have a dark past and intrusively dark thoughts, she is able to show how good of character she truly is. Having gone through what she has, Sadie grows up faster than she should. I felt the most for her and Mattie throughout the story and couldn't help but wish their story could have gone differently. By ending the story the way she did, Summers made Sadie's story feel that much more real.

This was truly an amazingly moving, and disturbing, book to read about the strong bonds of sisterhood, the responsibilities that are placed on children way too young, facing loss, revenge, and hope. Overall, Sadie is a book that simply must be read. Seriously, pick it up. With that being said, sensitive readers should take into account the trigger warnings mentioned below and know their limitations.