This worthy follow up to Sadie focuses on a young woman who is convinced that the charity organization that her estranged sister is involved with is actually a cult. The investigation is chilling, dangerous, and fast paced.

I was SOOOOOO excited to get this ARC as Courtney Summers last novel, Sadie, was a strong 5-star review for me. I loved the description of The Project and the cover.

What I loved about Sadie was that despite the flaws of the characters, Summers portrayed female strength beautifully. In The Project, I felt like she did the opposite. She created characters with the same potential, but WOW, they failed to rise to the occasion.

I realize that there are trends in fiction and that right now Cults are a big one. I am learning that I am not a fan of this subject matter. I inevitably find them unrelatable and unbelievable. That said, I do realize that there are clearly a lot of people in the world who do blindly let others lead them while abandoning all critical thinking themselves.

In this book, Lo is a character who lost her parents to a car wreck, then almost immediately lost her older sister to a cult. I found that Lo was not just hard and unlikeable, but that I couldn't really understand the trajectory that caused her to become the way she was....isolated, friendless, angry, etc. She was twelve when the wreck happened. Up to that point she seemed to have a loving family and a good relationship with her sister. After their death, she seemed to have a fairly decent relationship with the aunt who raised her. Her sister, Bea, was almost an adult at the point at which she joined The Project, a normal time for leaving the close-knittedness of the birth family.

The book was a bit bizarre in how it goes back and forth in time to tell Lo's current story and Bea's back story. It felt disjointed, which, to be fair, might have added to the feeling Summers wanted readers to have when reading the story....slightly off balance, always. Where The Project lost me was in how Lo seemingly went from skeptic to true believer in the span of time it took her to walk in on one disappointing situation involving coworkers. Completely out of left field. Completely unbelievable from what we had read about Lo up to that point. I cannot imagine how anyone can be taken in by Lev or not have questioned some of his more extreme comments. Someone with even a basic knowledge of most religions would never believe Lev's claims of being God's Redeemer. Some of the bombastic claims he made about his own importance were actually laughable. How could anyone fall for that. And toward the end of the novel when Lo and the reader learn more about the hidden insidious side of The Project, one wonders why more members didn't escape when they were out in public recruiting.

It took me more than a month to get through this book because it was so dark, depressing, and disappointing. I loved this author's writing in Sadie, so hopefully this one was just a glitch and I will love her next, but I am sad to say if I am rating this honestly, two stars is all I can give it.

Einer der besten YA Thrillern! Ich liebe die Atmosphäre, die die Autorin in ihren Werken schafft. Courtney Summers hat einen ganz eigenen Stil. Es war ein ständiges Auf und Ab an Spannung, die Charaktere waren toll gezeichnet. Große Empfehlung!

Let me start this off by saying I think Courtney Summers is a fantastic writer. That being said, I expected more out of this novel. I normally love a good cult story, but this one fell a little flat for me. I enjoyed the characters and the setting but I needed more. The ending was satisfying in one way, but completely unsatisfying in every other way. I was left wanting an explanation for why any of this happened, but didn’t get one. 3.5 stars.

This novel would do better with the adult reader population. Situations and plot points would be less appealing to the author's traditional YA readers. I wanted to learn more about the cult and the occurrences within it, but it this novel seemed to spend time scattered throughout different plot points.

THE PROJECT is a gripping, mind-twisting look into the inner workings of a religious cult, with compelling characters and a riveting plot. I read the back half in pretty much a single sitting, courtesy of Summers' gift for suspenseful storytelling. I was a little let down by the climactic scene - after all the tension build and detailed depictions of events, it felt a little too vague and enigmatic for the rest of the story. I was intrigued by the ending, but I kind of wish it had been explored more. Overall, a solid, thrilling read that is sure to satisfy readers and make them think.

“The Project” is a twisted YA mystery thriller that shows how easy it is to fall into Cults.

Firstly, “The Project” turned out to be different than what I expected. Initially, I expected this story to be a typical mystery revolving around a cult. But, the story turned out to be one of those books that slowly unnerves you and psychologically disturbs you. The author writes the tale in a gripping manner where you wonder what happened to Bea. I loved the slow-burn feeling during the first half and how it continues to an intense climax towards the end. The author also writes the story alternating between Lo and Bea’s perspective between the past and the present, which somehow blend beautifully towards the end.

Similarly, the author also did an excellent job with the characters. I liked Lo in the lead. She goes through a lot in the story, from investigating Bea to her conflicting dynamic with Paul at work and the strange phone calls she receives. However, more than Lo, I thought Lev was the highlight. Lev is probably one of the most disturbing villains I have read recently. He is charming, charismatic, and knows just what to say to make people take notice. What surprised me was how he compelled her towards the Project by convincing her that she survived because of him. Similarly, I also found the moments where Lo meets Emmy and Bea’s history with the Project memorable.

While I enjoyed this overall, I thought the timelines’ shuffling became too frequent in the second half, and I had a hard time following the events between them. Apart from that, I enjoyed “The Project.” I have not read any of the author’s previous books, but I enjoyed this and would like to see how.

This book hooked me within the first few pages. I wanted to know what happened to Bea immediately and how she was drawn into The Project. I admired Lo’s tenacity as she investigates her sister’s role in The Project and determination to reunite with her. There was definitely a point where I was frustrated with something that happened towards the end of the book but it didn’t ruin my enjoyment overall. This was definitely a page turner and I flew threw it!

YA suspense novelist Courtney Summers returns after her 2018 hit, Sadie, with a new novel about sisters and the lengths they will go to protect one another.

Lo's older sister Bea has disappeared from her life to join a cult ... or rather The "Unity Project" (no one in The Unity Project will actually call it a cult.) The Unity Project views themselves as a Christian organization designed to help the world's unfortunate and downtrodden, but Lo suspects there is more to The Unity Project than what meets the eye. Just what is the motive behind their charitable acts? What's their leader Lev Warren's real story? And most importantly, where is Bea and why hasn't she contacted Lo?

Lo takes advantage of her position at a magazine to infiltrate The Unity Project and write an exclusive story on what goes on behind the cult's doors. Will Lo discover what she is expecting to find? Or will her eyes be opened to a far greater truth about The Project and its intentions?

I had high expectations going into The Project and hoped that the bad reviews I had read about the book were untrue. I enjoyed Summers' Sadie for its dark, sinister vibes, and appreciated Summers for writing a story that felt uniquely different from everything else on the YA market. Unfortunately, The Project does not live up to Sadie and fails to capture everything that made its predecessor so great.

The Project has a slow start, which may be its greatest downfall. Nothing much happens for the first half of this book. Page after page is filled with conversations between Lo and her coworkers, Unity Project Members, and herself, to no end. The narrative spirals through the same topics again and again without ever really going anywhere or revealing information that pulls readers into the story. This is the perfect set-up for making readers apathetic about the characters and plot, which may explain the growing number of readers who gave up on The Project before it gets better. And it does get better, by the way, but it does falls short of achieving greatness.

The best parts of this book are the flashbacks to Bea's life in The Unity Project. I wish that this novel had told her actual story firsthand, as opposed to revealing Bea's truth through Lo's eyes. And speaking of Lo, I honestly couldn't stand her character, and was rather turned off by the abrupt and nonsensical changes in her personality as the book progresses. There are some plot twists in The Project that happen too quickly without much build-up or development. Readers are blind-sided, but not in a good way. It's just not believable, which makes The Project feel unpolished and incomplete.

In all, The Project is a mixed bag. If you are a fan of Courtney Summers, you should give this book a try; but if you have never read one of her novels, do yourself a favor and pick up Sadie first.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Libro.fm for a complimentary copy of this audiobook.

This was one twisty hell of a ride. Courtney Summers does it again with a story that easily follows up to Sadie and her other books. I love how Summers doesn't hesitate to dive into the swirling depths of human emotion. And as always, the writing draws you in from page one, refusing to let go until you collapse in a heap of feelings and thoughts at the end. This book is going to haunt me for awhile, in the best way.

The Project is an emotional read about the bond between two sisters. The story takes us on a journey into a cult as one sister tries to find the other. It is a compelling read that will have you turning the pages and trying to understand until you get to the end.

Bea is in her sister’s room at the hospital with Lo dying. Bea cannot believe that she has lost her parents in th car accident. The car was hit by a diesel. Lo was with her parents in the car. As Bea is standing in Lo’s room, a man offers to heal Lo if she will join the Unity Project. She agrees to do it as she can’t stand to lose her sister. When Lo is well, she gets a job as an assistant to the boss of SVO newspaper. She wants to be a journalist not an assistant. When a man comes into the office, he tells them that the Unity Project killed his son. Lo is determined to write a “big” story about the Unity Project to show her boss her journalistic skills and to see Bea. She misses Bea as they were so close to each other until the accident. Lo doesn’t understand why Bea won’t talk to her much less visit. Will Bea and Lo finally get together?

The story is told with Lo’s story being in the present tiiime and Bea’s in the past. This amazing novel held my attention from the first to the last page., It is about so much more than the cult. The story shows the downtrodden, the vulnerable and the earnest people. It is about sisterhood, into and belonging. It’s. Heartbreaking at times and very suspenseful throughout the novel makes it one I won’t forget.

DNF @ 38%

I was really excited for this book since I really loved Sadie from the same author but I could not get past the writing style. The writing to me was very confusing as to the perspective I was reading from and the incredibly long chapters left me bored. There wasn’t much intrigue either, I didn’t care what happened to Bea or Lo. I’m not going to force myself through a book I have no interest in.

I had high hopes for this one since I loved Sadie so much. This missed the Mark for me. The end left me confused as it felt rushed. I even went back to see if I missed something.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advanced e-reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I think my expectations were set a little to high for this one. There was so much hype around it, and while I did like it, I enjoyed some of her other books more. Which isn't fair to compare them, but this one just wasn't my favourite. I just had a really hard time staying interested in this one.

After Sadie, I had some overly high expectations. I was looking more for the twists, turns, the suspense. Cults and religion are just something that I can't get 100% in to. Not to say that others won't love it, and I am sure they will. Summers' writing is phenomenal regardless and she can carry you through a story that you even aren't fully in to. I will suggest it to others and then discuss and maybe reread at one day to fully digest all of the contents.

I love cults.

Not being in one, obviously. Nor supporting them. But dear lord, do I love hearing about the insanity of cults. From Jonestown to Waco to Jehovah's Witnesses and the MAGAts, their mind frame, their inability to see through the brain washing, it's all so, so fascinating.

So, even though I am in the extreme minority in that I haven't yet read Sadie, when I saw Courtney Summers had a new book, and it was a YA thriller about cults, I signed up SO quick.

The Unity Project sounds amazing. They are dedicated to doing good works, such as feeding and housing the homeless. They have Unity centers all around the country (I think?), designed to help people, mind body and soul. They're all about God, and their leader, Lev Warren, is a messenger from God. They know this because he prayed for 30 hours with no food and water, and that definitely doesn't lead to hallucinations and crazy making.

Lo works for a magazine. She's an administrative assistant who wants to be a writer. Her boss wants her to be an administrative assistant. One day, she's traumatized by witnessing a Unity Project member's suicide, and it brings up painful memories of her childhood, where her parents died and her sister disappeared while Lo was still in the hospital, barely making it out alive.

She goes to the Unity Project, where her sister Bea is no longer a member. And she wants answers. The only way to get it is to strike a deal. She will write a story about them, and they will prove they're not what she believes they are.

There's a LOT to like about this novel. A lot. You know, in your very being, that this is a cult. That Lev Warren is David Koresh. You know Lo should really think twice before drinking anything offered by these zealots.

But...maybe Lo's wrong. Maybe the end will reveal that they're not a cult, and that the mainstream media got it wrong. The conservatives hate them because they're too socialist. The liberals hate them because they're too Jesus-y. Maybe they really are who they say they are.

Right?

I will admit, the final reveal was disappointing for several reasons. Least of which is, we saw no foreshadowing or evidence of what this truth really was. And trust me, I was listening for it.

The ending both ties things up too neatly and leaves too many questions. And that's frustrating after a really incredible, well written story.

3.5, inching towards 4 stars.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read this book. I find the writing in this book very well written and I also enjoy the premise of these story. Overall, I find myself disconnected with the story and find every plot to be easy foreseeable in this book.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
It took me a little while to get into the story. The front half was good; development of story, character, and setting. I devoured the last half of the book though. I was hooked at that point and had to see how it worked out.
There were fantastic twists and unexpected turns. The final "miracle" seemed like a throw away. I think the non explanation was meant to be in contrast to Lo's belief in only the seen, but it was the only aspect that didn't reveal itself in more detail by the end of the book. Still recommend, it's a good book. *Possible abuse triggers*

Ahhh man I wanted to love this one so badly!

I am a huge fan of the cult storyline. A promising young writer goes to extraordinary lengths to save her sister from a. cult? Sign me up!

It started off very intriguing - and after the amazing Sadie I was ALL IN. But it was just a little bit dry for me. It went on and on and there just weren't really many exciting moments that I feel like could have been injected into the story to make it a little bit more lively. It was the slowest of all the slow burns.

There were definitely creepy and culty moments. But I still don't know what they did - or really why... and although there was a bit of. twist in the middle, it kinda righted itself and slowly just fizzled out.

The flip flopping between sisters and timelines was kind of confusing as well. Sometimes I forgot which sister was which - especially when Lo infiltrates the cult. I kept getting mixed up in the storylines.

The end was a bit disappointing. Kind of satisfying, but also kind of a disappointment? I just think it needed more. More of what? I'm not sure. A-ha moments? Wow moments? More creepiness? Maybe all of the above.