I loved Sadie and assumed that I would be equally captivated by The Project. Unfortunately, I found it slow and lacking engaging characters and plot. I purchased it for my library so that my students who are fans of Summers' work will be able to read it, but I was not able to give a positive review, so I opted not to post it to my blog. Thank you for allowing me to review this.

My feelings are a little mixed with this book. I thought it was okay but I was never really hooked by the story. At one point I actually considered not finishing the book but decided to stick with it in hopes I would start enjoying it more. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t dislike the books but I didn’t really like it all that much either.

This story is told from two points of view. Lo survived an accident that killed both of her parents as a teenager. She stayed with her Aunt for a while but she has mostly been on her own. She wants to get noticed as a journalist and thinks that the story to get her noticed is The Unity Project, which happens to be the mystery she wants to unravel for herself. Lo’s sister joined The Unity Project Years ago and she wants to know what happened to her. The second point of view is Lo’s sister, Bea. Bea joined The Unity Project right after the accident that killed her parents and left her sister clinging to life. She was completely taken in with Lev, the leader of The Unity Project. It was interesting to see her life inside the cult and look at the decisions that she made.

The timeline does jump around a bit so I found that I really had to pay attention to keep up. I never connected with any of the characters in this book so I never felt invested in the story. I honestly didn’t care what happened to any of them which is why I considered not finishing the book. There were a couple of twists in the story but none of them really grabbed me. There was nothing bad about this book but it just never clicked for me.

Therese Plummer and Emily Schaffer did a great job with the narration. I thought that they added a lot to the story and the quality of their narration was one of the reasons that I decided to stick with the book. I wouldn’t hesitate to listen to more of their work in the future.

I think that a lot of readers will enjoy this one more than I did. While I don’t see myself recommending it to others, I would still encourage others to give it a try if it sounds interesting.

I received a digital review copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.

I have read every single book by Courtney Summers. Her books are always on my auto-buy list because I typically love them so much. She is an amazing writer.

Now that I got the gushing out of the way, I want to say that unfortunately, I was not blown away by this one. I was very intrigued by the premise of a cult and a relationship between two sisters. The book starts with a very bad accident Lo was in as a child the killed her parents. She was near death when Lev (founder of The Project) "finds" her and supposedly brings Lo back from the dead and sucks Bea (Lo's sister) into their web. We get the present, where Lo is determined to investigate The Project, and we get Bea's past and her decision to join them. The story was interesting and I loved seeing the dynamic of how people got sucked into The Project. The problem was that I never really found the story engaging or gripping and I was bored throughout some of it. I thought it was a little too long for the action that was there. I wish I liked this one more, but I just didn't.

Sadie wrecked me, so I knew immediately when I saw that Courtney Summers was releasing another book that I'd have to get it. I love reading about cults in fiction - they're so creepy, and it's always wild to read about the sort of mindscrewing that happens from the cult leaders, and how/why the people led into that sort of way of life got there. Summers focuses a lot on that in The Project - not just the idea of the cult itself, but the how/why behind it, from how it runs to how its members get involved in it.

Sibling relationships are another favorite thing, and I wasn't surprised after Sadie to find that she'd nailed it yet again. I LOVED IT!!

The Project was a surprise acceptance on Netgalley - with the kind of hype and love surrounding the author’s previous book - Sadie - which I read and loved, though I still need to update my review of it - but it was an intriguing read.

And I wasn’t expecting anything less than that from The Project as well - two sisters; whose lives take diverging roads after an accident that kills their parents and horrifically traumatises the younger sister.

Lo, is trying very hard to go beyond her job as a secretary to the owner and founder of an independent news paper - she wants to be a writer, one who makes an impact with her words. She took this job, because, for her it was supposed to be just a stepping stone.

And she was trying very hard to be content with it; until one day a man steps into their office to claim that his son was killed by The Unity Project.

“Having a sister is a promise no one but the two of you can make - and no one but the two of you can break.”

The Unity Project is a “cult” that took away her sister, Bea when they lost their parent’s in a car accident and Lo was in the hospital, trying to recover.

And I swear, I would like to tell you more - but it would definitely spoil the intrigue and the actual knowledge of going through the book to understand that the vulnerability of a woman/man; who definitely feels that nothing in their life is under their control.

The Project is an emotional manipulation seated within its pages - it was easy to fall for the words written; even if there was a part of me that understood that it was all lies, but I still could feel being pulled right into those enigmatic words.

In case, you were wondering if this would be a worthy read to put on your TBRs for 2021.

I put off reading this book because I wasn't in the headspace to read about sisters being torn apart. But I am disappointed I did. Not just because I am a sucker for books about cults (because I am), but also because Courtney Summers's writing is beautiful and her depiction of healing, along with the unhealthy coping mechanisms we can take on instead of doing the work to heal, was amazing.

I honestly hadn't expected because Summers does such an amazing job weaving us into Lev's narrative just as he is weaving Lo into his.

I do want to warn some graphic depictions of violence towards the end to be aware of and mentions of abuse throughout.

This book was amazing, though, and I will probably reread it in the future.

This one was just okay for me. I liked the intensity in the beginning, but once the story moved forward it was hard for me to stay interested. I didn't have enough time to connect with the characters at the start, so when the sisters were separate it was tough to keep track of what was going on.

I feel like Courtney Summers' works would more accurately be described as hard-hitting contemporary than mystery/thriller. I didn't feel any sense of suspense or thrill from this story whatsoever. I wanted far more mystery and intrigue, but I was left with what felt like a basic contemporary story about grief and sisterhood with a dash of cult life mixed in. Although I kind of felt the same way about Sadie, I guess I was just expecting more from this one. I loved the writing style and I did feel sympathy and a connection to some of the characters, but the overall atmosphere was lacking. I think I would be willing to try one more book by this author and, regardless of the synopsis, I'd go into it with a hard-hitting contemporary mindset. Maybe that would help my expectations. We'll see!

I also feel it's important to mention that I have no idea what it's like to be in a cult and, while some may think of cults as interesting and mysterious concepts, surviving a cult is very real for so many people and the representation of such matters. I can't speak on that representation in this story, but I think it's important to look for reviewers who may be able to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This just wasn’t what I expected. I had to force myself to finish it. A cult and crazy cult leader, yes. A mystery, not really. A sister’s fierce love. Just not my cup of tea.

My rating is rounded up from 2.5. I had to stop and look at the summary of this book to try to find where on the story’s map I was because the first chunk of this book I was so lost. I didn’t find this book to be shocking as was implied. Cults are bad. I felt that before this book and I still feel that way. The book switches perspectives between two sisters Lo and Bea. I’ll admit I liked the grumpy young child Bea who was furious to discover she would soon have to share her parents with her sister. But beyond that anecdote I found little to connect with in Lo or Bea, The writing was decent, but the story had so much more potential it sadly did not reach. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read and review this one.

Well, that's f*cked up. Anytime I read cult books I'm like but the character is not going to fall for what is being put forth but they do and then I just cringe read until they manage to escape the cult. Courtney Summers methodically tells the story of a younger sister trying to save her older sister from the cult she joined as the cult leader is hell bent on indoctrinating the younger sister too.

I was given an e-ARC from Netgalley for an honest review. Thanks Netgalley!

Wow! What surprises me the most about this book was how seamlessly readable it was, despite being dark and kind of heavy. Full of interesting characters with interesting motivations. The first half of this book will have you questioning whether The Project leader, Lev, is actually as good as he claims to be, or a manipulative cult leader. How do you take down a cult when it seems to be only doing good?

I did wish for a little more from the ending. I wanted Lo to come out on top in all aspects of her life, take down the bad guys and show her boss just how badass she could be in one undeniable power move. But what we get is a more realistic, happy-enough sort of ending. I can understand why an author would choose that, but I think a bigger move from Lo at the end would have been more enjoyable to read.

"Having a sister is a promise no one but the two of you can make - - and no one but the two of you can break."

I couldn't pass up a chance to read a book about sisters and a cult. Both storylines always intrigue me, and I wasn't disappointed with The Project. For one thing, I love the cover. It captured me right from the start. Told from both of the sister's perspectives, although they aren't together in the book, I did enjoy reading about the The Unity Project from both points of view.

On the flip side, sometimes the timelines and perspectives were a little difficult to follow. It confused me at times.

The part I enjoyed reading about the most was the cult aspect. I have always wondered how people get pulled into a cult, and I think this book shows the positive and negative side very well.

I give this book four out of five stars. It kept me interested enough to earn those four stars.

This books was given to m for my honest review.

The Project is a twisty thriller that doesn’t quite thrill enough. Two sisters are separated by a tragic life event, leading to one joining a religious organization called The Project. There is a lot of loneliness and misery. Our main character is trying to be a journalist, and she decides to look j to The Project after seeing one of its members commit suicide.



SPOILERS*****





The characters are flat and frankly kind of lame. We are supposed to believe that The Project has stripped the protagonist, Lo, of her only remaining family member, and yet she sleeps with the leader the second or third time she meets him. There is a whole sub-plot involving Lo’s boss that just makes no sense and does not come of anything. I think there was a solid plot idea that just didn’t come together. I would like to read Courtney Summers again in hopes that her exciting ideas get shaped into a more cohesive and tension-filled narrative.

Review written on goodreads on December 22nd 2020.

Thank you to net galley for giving me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

" They murdered my son"

Let me just start off by saying that this book is a rollecoaster to say the least!

This review is hard for me to write. I dont really know how to feel or what to think. But i am going to try to figure it out.

"The project" is a YA mystery/ thriller. The main character is Lo Dernham, a journalist who is still looking for her big break. Lo also has a sister named Bea, who she hasn't talked to for years. One day a guy comes into her workplace and tells her that The Project killed his son. Lo sees a photo of his son and her sister, Bea. Lo goes to the place to investigate and makes a deal with the leader of the project, Lev Warren. If Lo finds some dirt on the cult, she can expose them. If she does not, she has to leave them alone.

At first this book confused me. It was a bit hard in the beginning to get into. The POV's and the time jumps was a bit confusing, but I grew to love it. Other than that i liked it. The reason i did not give it 5 stars is because i felt like something was missing, but I am happy i finished it!!

It was kinda predictable at the end but still it was sad, i wasnt shocked tho.... i had figured that one out

This was another well written thriller by the author of Sadie. Multiple points of view and also between first and third person which was a little jarring to me at first. There was a relationship, a mystery, a romance...a little bit of everything. Great book for the YA audience.

Back in 2018, I read Courtney Summers’ Sadie and it left such a mark on me! The story was so good and so memorable. I remember that the book had a pocast in it, and that the podcast was re-created as actual audio, which added such an interesting facet to the experience! But enough about Sadie–it’s time to talk about The Project.

Since I was such a fan of Sadie, was ecstatic when I heard that Summers was coming out with another book. Considering my previous experience with Summers’ writing, I knew that I was in for some damn good writing as well as an emotional rollercoaster. And I’m happy to say that I wasn’t wrong!

The Project had me hooked once I was a few chapters in. I had so many questions, and I wanted to get to know the characters better, see what made them tick, find out what happened and who did what. I can’t say much else about the plot and characters though, without probably giving something away. If you haven’t read The Project yet, I really want to make sure you get the same experience I did, without having heard anything about the plot or any other exterior influences.

This book caused me to do a bit of introspection–I remember sitting there for a bit after reading the last page, just thinking about my own mind and how I think…and how that could have influenced the way that I consumed this book. Then I wondered about how others might digest the subject matter here differently from me!

I don’t think that The Project and Sadie are comparable, so I wouldn’t feel comfortable picking a favourite out of the two. I liked different things about each book…but two things were constant: Summers’ immersive and atmospheric writing and Summers making me feel the feelings. I can’t wait to see what Courtney Summers will write next!

After a tragic car accident that killed their parents, sisters Bea and Lo have grown apart - more specifically, Bea joined the Unity Project and cut all communication with Lo. Lo is convinced that the Project is nothing more than a cult that preyed on her vulnerable sister after the accident. Now an adult, Lo sees the opportunity to create a career as a journalist when she is offered the exclusive opportunity to profile the Project's charismatic leader, Lev Warren. Yet it quickly becomes clear that Lo's obsession with the Project is leading her into far deeper waters than she ever intended.

Although THE PROJECT takes a few chapters to warm up, once it does the reader stands as little chance as Lo does in escaping the pull to go deeper. There is a distinct feeling of wrongness that pervades almost every page of the novel from Act II forward, but it's impossible to put a finger on what exactly the problem is until it's far too late. The narrative switches between Bea's past and Lo's present, creating a disturbingly parallel view of indoctrination that is almost palpably insidious. However, aside from Lo, Bea, and Lev the characters seem more like tools to move the plot forward than anything else, but given the atmosphere and push of the novel the lack of depth in side characters isn't as debilitating as it might have been.

Overall, this is an excellent selection for older readers who have enjoyed the recent popularity of YA mystery/thrillers, especially I KILLED ZOE SPANOS and SADIE.

This book was so shocking and constantly had an aura of mystery around it. I quite enjoyed deciphering the narrative and joining all the dots and it was so very different from anything that I've ever read! This book really gives you an in-depth look at how cults work and why so many people are captivated and convinced by such leaders. I don't know whether me being a psychology student played a role but I never really trusted the cult or truly connected with the leader, he truly seemed like a fake person. But that ending was not what I expected at all so props to the writer for that!

<b>ARC provided in exchange for an honest review</b>

This is a difficult book to review. Not much really <I>happens</i> per se, but there are so many good questions raised regarding faith and deception and freedom. It ultimately shows how easy it is for vulnerable people to be influenced by charismatic predators, and lose their identity in group-think.