The Project by Courtney Summers is a haunting, thought-provoking thriller about the dark allure of cults and the bonds of sisterhood. Lo’s investigation into The Unity Project reveals chilling secrets and tests her resilience. With gripping twists and emotional depth, this is a must-read for fans of intense, character-driven mysteries.

I want to first thank Netgalley for a copy of this book.

The Project was gripping and mysterious, thought provoking read. It had me on edge not knowing what was going to happen. The narrative was well-paced and kept me engaged the full time, her talent for tackling difficult and uncomfortable topic shines just like in Sadie.

While this book was really impactful, It was predictable where it was going with the main character and the end was a bit abrupt. Which is why I gave it 4 stars, overall, a compelling read that will linger with me long after it’s done.

This was very middle-of-the-road for me. I liked the concept and the relationship with the sisters. I love the theme of a cult. However, it felt like it took FOREVER to get to the real happenings within the Project group. I also didn't like the very sharp turns that one of the sister's behaviors and beliefs took. It was hard for me to understand that. The ending felt rushed and I wanted a more detailed scene of something big that happened at the end. I felt it was missing.

I've always found the psychology of cults extremely fascinating and I think that Summers does a great job of portraying the complexity of cults so well. I was on the edge of my seat throughout.

I really enjoyed this book. Not to give too much away, the concept was creative and it played out at a great pace.

I am always down for cult-y books, and I definitely was intrigued by this enough to finish it. I just wanted a little more "outrageous" behavior I guess? Which is on me. I also got confused a little bit with the dual POV/dual timeline. At times it really made sense and other times it got a bit confusing.

Love, love, love - Courtney Summers fan for life over here! Very fun, cute romance - highly highly highly recommend.

i have a pretty mixed opinion about this even after sitting on my thoughts for a day.

things i liked:
- the writing style
- sibling dynamic
- cult aspect

the writing style was what kept me reading even though i considered DNFing this several times. however, i feel that the writing kept me on the edge of my seat, slowly building to a big reveal, and then i was left disappointed at the end because the "shocking twist" of this was extremely predictable. it left me asking, "that's it?".

i think this book does a fantastic job at exploring cults and highlights how easy it is to get drawn into becoming a member. the POV switches between past/present and bea/gloria is interesting and they connect in subtle ways.

First of all, the cover? So cute!
Glad to see another work coming from Courtney Summers, who wrote Sadie (and blew us away).
I couldn't wait to pick this one up and I think my expectations were a little off - I expected something with more horror and some more thrilling twists. That may have been my mistake, because the writing was absolutely beautiful. This books isn't just about cults but about the loss of a deep connection/love and it was so raw.

There is absolutely nothing quite like a Courtney Summers novel, and The Project is Summers at her best.

Familial loyalty and persevereance are at the core of The Project. Lo was abandoned by the only family she truly has left, her sister Bea, as Bea departs for The Unity Project. Held together by Bea's promise that they would be together again, Lo lies in waiting, working at a magazine, until the day she is invited to observe the group. From there, Lo grapples with the charismatic leader of the cult and the stark reality of what really happened to her sister.

The author writes with great understanding of the dynamics of a cult. It's difficult for anyone on the outside to say "Oh I totally get why they would be taken in by this person" but as the story develops, you start to understand a little more of why so many people were taken in by Lev.

If the reader is not familiar with the author's existing writing style, they may find both the ending AND style jarring. There are no neat packages tied with a bow here in The Project. Instead, there are more questions at the end than you started with -- but that's okay, in the end, because the book did make you think.

Lo's older sister joins a cult after a tragic car accident, leaving Lo alone in the world. The only way that Lo can learn the truth about Bea is to enter the Unity Project herself, and lose herself like she lost Bea. Chilling and strange, fans of Summers will root for Lo.

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

I've read another one of the author's work before and loved it. But this one was no t upto the mark for me. I've expected a lot more.

Sadie was my favorite book FOR YEARS so I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, it did not reach my standards.

The Project is a mystery/thriller involving sisters getting involved in a cult. Cults have always been fascinating to me, which made me drawn to this book. However, I lost interest somewhere along the way — maybe because of misguided expectations, maybe because the pacing was really slow, or maybe because I didn't enjoy that ending.

I still enjoyed how Courtney Summers creates her characters, and how dark she can get in her stories.

If you are in the mood for a slow burn thriller that will tug at your emotions, it might be a book for you.

One of the best YA thrillers I've read in a long time! The twists & turns were perfection.

Lo and Bea are sister who have lost their parents in a tragic accident. This same accident has Lo fighting for her life. While Bea is praying for a miracle for her sister when a mysterious leader of the Unity Project walks in. Bea takes him to her sister and credit this charismatic leader with her sister's recovery and joins the Unity Project. From here the story moves forward in time, and Bea has disappeared and Lo is determined to find her and bring her home.

This is book is well written and the twist and turns will keep you guessing. I loved how the character development is so well done that you feel that you've known Lo and Bea all your life. Definitely a good read for any thriller lover.

Bea and Lo Denham lost their parents to a car accident that almost took Lo‘s life, too. Bea finds solace in The Unity Project, a religious cult. When Lo recovers, she only wants her sister back but is soon tangled in the web of the Project. An eerie atmosphere, slowly revealed truths, believably damaged main characters and perspectives on the cult and its leader from both inside and outside make this a compelling read.

I tried to get into this book but it just didn’t work for me. In general I like this author, just not this one.

In 2011, Lo was in a terrible car accident that left her fighting for her life, and killed her parents. Her sister, Bea, searching for a miracle, stumbled upon a Lev Warren, leader of the Unity Project, and Lev saved her sisters life. Now a full believer in Lev and the miracles he performs, Bea joins the Unity Project, and all but abandons her sister, fresh from the hospital. Now in 2017, Lo has spent years of her life trying to find her sister and get in contact with her again, but the Project keeps stopping her. When a member of the Unity Project jumps on the subway tracks in front of Lo, Lo is forced back into the world of the Project and once again attempts to get in contact with her sister. Though he has denied meeting with any members of the press since a piece in early 2011 compared him to other cult leaders, Lev Warren agrees to meet with Lo and do an op ed for the magazine she works for. Lo is brought into the Project and given a first hand experience of how their day to day is run, who the big members are, how they started, why they do what they do, and all but proving they are not a cult in the slightest. The more time Lo spends in the Project, the harder it is for her to understand why Bea would leave the project, as she is no longer a member anymore. However, with every secret that is unfolded, a deeper and darker side of the project is revealed- yet Lo and the other members are now in so deep that they fail to see the shift, until it's too late.

A gripping story from start to finish. I was worried about half way through when the Project was starting to seem very cultish and no one in the story started to see it either, and just kept falling deeper and deeper in. Though, that's how it really works. Cults pray on the vulnerable and weak and convince them these "miracles" are happening because of the things the cult leader has and continues to do. All of the secrets that come out about this cult throughout the book were absolutely wild though- Lev shacking up with a MINOR, keeping that child away from her mother, keeping sisters and family away from each other, the physical and psychological abuse?? This one was dark. But such a thrilling read nonetheless. I think though that as a reader you sort of forget that Lev is a grown man and that Bea was 17ish when they got together, Lo only 19, it's yucky.

This fell flat for me. I didn't find the characters believable, I wasn't rooting for anyone. It's too bad because I've enjoyed her books int he past.

Psychological thriller about a cult located in Hudson Valley, just north of NYC. To young sisters, Bea and her younger sister Gloria (Lo) for short. Lo and her parents are involved in a car accident and Lo is the only survivor. Her chances of recovery are very slim and the doctors recommend that Bea prepare herself. In desperation Bea makes a pact with the leader of a cult (who happens to be in the hospital chapel) to join the cult if he can make her sister survive. When Lo survives, Bea joins the cult and cuts all contact with the outside world. Years later Lo tries to write an article about the cult while trying to locate her sister. But not all is as it seems. This was an interesting book about how cults can draw people in and indoctrinate them when they are at their most vulnerable, and how difficult it is to leave them. Good storyline too.