I just really couldn't get into this one. I tried, but it was just too predictable for me and it wouldn't hold my attention no matter how many times I tried to read it.

DNF

I was a little disappointed by this book. I have been a fan of many of Summers' past novels but "The Project lacked the same strong characters that you usually find in her books. Lo and Bea were never fully developed and their relationship was never really shown to us. Also, we are told the Unity Project is bad but we aren't shown what they are really like until the last 40 or 50 pages. Plus, the ending didn't really work for me, it felt disjointed and lacked explanation.

For me, this will be a "did not finish" book. I am not sure why, but it was not holding my interest and there are too many books in this world waiting to be read.

I’m a really big fan of Courtney Summers and I was excited to get my hands on this eARC of her new book, The Project. I’ll admit to initially being a bit disappointed; it had a slow start and I didn’t get sucked in as easily as I expected to. Lo is a hard character to read: a bit too self-pitying, a bit childish. She’s not likable and at first, only the parts from Bea’s perspective felt compelling. As the book unfolded, it was a lot better and it really showed how convincingly someone can get pulled into a bad spot. I like it and will use it.

I just finished The Project by Courtney Summers and I have some thoughts. The story follows two sisters who six years ago took dramatically different paths in life. And yet somehow throughout the course of the novel their stories find a way to entwine with one another once again. The book alternates perspectives between the two sisters, but mostly follows Lo Denham, the younger sister who is left behind when her older sister joins a cult. Courtney Summers’ book, Sadie, was one of my favorite reads of 2019, so I was really excited to get into this one. And I was right to be excited. Lo is an incredibly compelling main character, someone who is knocked down by life over and over and yet still finds a way to get back up and persevere. The alleged leader of the cult will fill you with both dread and charm. I was enthralled from start to finish. This book is excellent. I gave it 5/5 stars.

Courtney Summers writes powerful, complex sister relationships. This Is Not a Test and Sadie continue to be two of my go to recommendations and circulate heavily in our high school collection. Readers are drawn in by zombies or true crime. But what really resonates in all of Summer’s stories is the exposed, authentic relationship between sisters separated by something impossible to overcome. The Project brings this idea to a whole new level.

A tragic accident leaves one girl fatally wounded and both girls without their parents. The intervention of a local religious leader and community activist appears to be a miracle that saves Lo’s life. But the burden of this miracle is too much for each sister to carry. The aching loneliness of loss and abandonment underline everything they do. Their desperate need for connection and belonging and the weight of responsibility too much for each propels them both toward Lev and his Unity Project where they find welcome, support, and comfort that short circuit their internal warnings and feed those deep, lonely needs for connection.

Complicated and raw, The Project is compelling not because it’s voyeuristic in nature, but because the emotions are so honest and authentic. You desperately want them to choose differently, but you understand their choices. You understand how they get there and why. Alternating focus between the sisters in both “now” and “then”, will make this popular with readers who enjoy unreliable narrators and serial podcasts. Littered with secrets and hidden violence, The Project is an unforgettable read sure to be popular with readers who appreciate stories with vulnerable characters who slog through difficult relationships; wear too much responsibility and find strength where it appears impossible.

The first chapter or two i picked it up a bit here or there as it was a bit tough to get into. That said once I got several chapters in I was hooked and I kept reading the book in bigger and bigger chunks. It was so believable, scary, and probably, in parts, true. Love and hate it. Such good writing.

Sisters are a promise. That’s what Bea Denham’s mother told her when her baby sister Lo was born. Bea had been six. Sisters are a promise. And Bea did everything she could to keep that promise, until the day her whole world fell apart. The semi truck that his the family and killed her parents also put Lo in the hospital, barely alive. Nineteen-year-old Bea didn’t know what to do and found herself in the small chapel at the hospital, praying for help. Lev answered that call.

Lev Warren has a vision. He wants to create a community where people can focus on doing God’s work. He hears the voice of God. He helps Bea understand why she was chosen to suffer, and he offers her a place at The Unity Project, where she can find love and redemption. Where she can heal. Where she can help others.

Lo, meanwhile, is left alone in the hospital. Her entire family is gone, except for her mother’s sister Patty. Aunt Patty helps Lo on those long days of recovery in the hospital, and she gives Lo a home when it’s time for her to be released. But her recovery is still long and painful, and the separation from Bea only makes it worse. She tries to find her, she calls The Unity Project over and over begging to talk to Bea. They tell Lo that Bea doesn’t want to talk to her.

Years go by, and Lo gets a job working for a powerful media man. He built his magazine by reporting on stories no one else would touch. Lo can’t help but hope that she can solidify her reputation as a writer the same way, by writing about cult leader Lev Warren. Her boss refuses to support her, so she starts to investigate anyway.

Lo can’t go undercover to investigate—the scars from her car accident are too obvious, and everyone knows her as Bea’s sister anyway. So the only way she has to learn anything is to go straight to the heart of The Unity Project. There is an annual sermon that Lev gives that is open to everyone. Le decides to start there, but it’s not long before she’s spotted and asked to leave by Casey, the woman who runs the day-to-day business of the Project. Lo leaves, but she keeps digging. And asking to speak to Bea.

There are all the good works that the Project is known for—helping the homeless and the hungry, and counseling for those who need it. There are the people who say that Lev brought a girl back from the dead. There are those who believe that a man’s suicide is because of abuse he suffered at the Project. There are phone calls to Lo’s cell phone, where no one speaks on the other line. There are a lot of pieces, but Lo can’t figure out how to make them fit together.

And then, Lev offers Lo the chance to come to the farm and meet with him, to interview him for an article. She will have exclusive access, something he’s granted to no other reporter. She heads to the farmhouse where he lives, and her life is never the same.

The Project is about the promises between sisters and the larger-than-life heroes who helped them heal from their loss of their parents and then them figure out who they are. Author Courtney Summers has crafted a story that is full of twists that leave you breathless and turns that bring you back home. Told in alternating perspectives, from Bea at 19 and then Lo at 19, the events happening 6 years apart but parallel in emotion.

I struggled with The Project, because the emotional lives of these characters were so intense. Add to that Summers’ stinginess with the clues of what’s really happening, and I felt a little like I was being gaslighted like a member of a cult. I loved that we get to see this cult through the eyes of a true believer as well as the betrayed, making it fascinating to see how Lev was able to draw people into his reality and keep them suspended there, despite the sacrifices that were asked of them. This is not an easy read, but the journey from broken to whole that these women take us through is so rich and rewarding, you will be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t read it.

Egalleys for The Project were provided by St. Martins Press (Wednesday Books) through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Lo has been on her own since the death of her parents and great aunt. To make matters worse her sister Bea leaves her behind to run off with The Unity Project leaving Lo full of emotional holes of unanswered questions. Lo made several unsuccessful attempts at contacting her sister but the Project keeps Bea tucked away. Lo, by stoke of luck, then lands a job with an online magazine start-up that just so happens to be investigating The Unity Project.

On the outside The Unity Projects sounds great! They do a ton of work to help the community. Who wouldn't want to be a part of such an organization? However, Lo becomes increasingly suspicious of the organization after witnessing one of it members jump in front of a train. Upset at not being promoted to writer after a year of work as an assistant and no credentials, Lo decides to secretly do a write up about The Unity Project after scoring an all access pass to its leader Lev.

This book did not work for me for a few reasons. Lo is an unlikable and also makes a weird switch towards the end that was out of character. There is nothing to really solve and there is a lack of suspense.
My biggest issue though was the ending. It was not shown. It skips ahead and we are told about the events that unfolded. I like to see the action as it is happening.

Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. I wish it was a better outcome.

Fans of Good Girls' Guide to Murder should absolutely pick this up! Such a fun read, every single page. This is about sisters and all the good and bad that comes with that. You will not be able to tear yourself away!

First impressions were that I disliked this book. I admit I am not usually a fan of thrillers, but the description made me want to read this one. The protagonist is hard to like, and while she feigns being tough, she is weak and easily susceptible to the antagonist, Lev, which is meant to cause the reader to question if he is good or bad. It has taken a little while to write this review because I haven't been sure how to rate it. The plot delves into the psychology of cults and how easily members are swayed into compliance, and is pretty predictable; because of this, I settled on 3 stars for this one. It was not a wholly unlikeable book. It is well written and reads pretty quickly. The male side characters are likeable up to a point, but the same cannot be said of the female characters.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Project by Courtney Summers follows the relationship between sisters, Bea and Lo. Lo blames The Unity Project lead by the mysterious and charismatic Lev Warren for straining her relationship with her sister, Bea. Lo has been following The Unity Project for years, ever since her sister, Bea, joined. The Unity Project is a religious group that seeks to spread the gospel through good works in communities in Upstate New York, or so they claim. Others view the group as a cult, responsible for swindling financial assets from their members and isolating them from their families. Lo is desperate to obtain information about her sister from the Unity Project, but members refuse to speak with her. Things change when Lo unexpectedly gets an invite to meet and speak with Lev Warren. What Lo learns from Lev will change her life forever. Summer’s writing is provocative, yet the climax disappoints, and the ending feels messy and rushed. The Project will seduce you and leave you wanting more.

Thank you to Netgalley for a free e-advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Lo Denham wants nothing more than to belong. She lost her parents in a tragic car accident and lost Bea, her older sister, to the Unity Project leaving Lo to be raised by her great aunt. Lo hasn't heard from Bea in years and is in a neverending struggle to lift the veil revealing the Unity Project as more cult than charity and community outreach organization but she fails time and time again-kicked out and kept out.
When a man shows up at the magazine Lo works for claiming the Unity Project killed his son, Lo takes the opportunity to delve deeper and investigate the group hoping to reunite with Bea once and for all. But when she meets the leader, Lev Warren, face to face, Lo begins questioning everything she has known. Maybe the Unity Project is better than she originally thought.

This book took a series of twists and turns that I didn't expect and didn't seem within Lo's character. She seems to start as this headstrong investigative reporter and quickly does a 180 to a feeble believer. The end also seemed to tie up too nicely for me. I guess it was interesting enough but I wanted more.

This was my first book by Courtney but I don't think it will be my last. I really enjoyed her writing style even if I felt this one lost me a bit. I loved the premise of this book and now I want to read all the cult books but there were just a few things that fell a bit flat or even a bit far fetched for me.

The back and forth between times and characters took away from the story for me at times. Mostly because all the jumping around got a little confusing and hard to follow at times. Also, although I enjoyed Lo for the most part she seemed really naive and immature at times for someone who has been through so much. And the way she fell for something so easily that she has been against really had me dumbfounded.

All in all I found the story entertaining and I will for sure be picking more books up by this author.

A young woman vows to dig into the cult that brainwashed her sister, as much to expose the cult for what it is as to get her sister back. When she starts her investigation, however, she realizes she may be in over her head. Author Courtney Summers tries to offer readers a hard-hitting look into the bond between sisters but misses the mark in her newest novel The Project.

Gloria “Lo” Denham misses her big sister, Bea. When they were growing up, Bea always looked out for her but all that changed after the accident that took the lives of their parents. The accident left Bea searching for support, and she finds it in the Unity Project. With little thought for anyone else, Bea leaves Lo with their aunt and moves to the Project’s compound.

Despite the glowing reviews of the group, Lo hates the Unity Project. They may offer services to the underserved towns of the Hudson Valley in upstate New York, but they took Bea away from Lo. It was hard enough losing her parents and her dignity when the accident left her with scars on her face. Lo refuses to accept that she has to give Bea up for good too.

As the assistant to the editor of a serious magazine, Lo wants to make her mark in the world of journalism by doing an in-depth feature on the Project and its charismatic, enigmatic founder, Lev Warren. Lo’s boss doesn’t think she’s ready, though. Her writing still needs some work, and he thinks that at 19 she’s still too young to handle a big story like this.

A good friend of the boss comes to the office claiming the Project tortured his son and convinced him to commit suicide. Lo worries about Bea and what the Project might be doing to her. Any attempts to contact Bea have gone nowhere, and she asks her boss again for the chance to write about the Project. Once again, he says no.

Lo refuses to accept that as an answer and decides to go after Lev Warren herself. When she meets him face to face, though, he’s nothing like what she expected. A startling discovery makes her see Lev in a new light. She used to be the Project’s biggest critic. Now she wonders whether she was too quick to judge.

Author Courtney Summers tries to draw a picture of a grieving sister in Lo, but the story jumps around a little too much to make it believable. The book starts with Bea and builds a case for Bea’s strong bond with Lo. In fact, Bea is the one who names her when she’s born. Readers might think the book will follow Bea, and in parts it does. It’s quickly established, however, that Lo is the main character, which some readers might find distracting.

Given that cults have been around for a long time, it’s surprising how ill equipped Lo is to deal with the one that absorbs her sister. Lo seems to be on a mission to extract Bea, yet she doesn’t do any research on how people who join these types of groups get involved with them. She also never does any in-depth research on the Project itself. Her mission to write an article on the cult stems from personal motivation, which makes her a prime candidate to be conned by Lev the same way he conned her sister.

Lo also doesn’t rely on anything of her relationship with Bea from before the accident. The novel almost feels like a play where the actors wait to enter a stage and deliver their lines. Everything important happens in the present with little regard for what has come before or “off stage.” Readers get a dual storyline that shows how Bea got into the Project, but there’s no information or character development that offers compelling evidence on her life before her parents’ accident. She could have been just as susceptible without that inciting incident.

Characters discuss the impact the Project has on the towns in the Hudson Valley, yet it feels as if there are only a few key people running the show. Readers who like books with shock value might enjoy this one. Otherwise, I recommend readers Bypass The Project.

This wasn't my favorite - I wanted more, and the pacing was much slower than I would have liked. There was a lot of info dumping chapters that slowed down a lot of the action in this book. Just didn't live up to the hype or my expectations.

First line: She’s at Mrs. Ruthie’s house, eating one of Mrs. Ruthie’s peanut butter cookies, staring out Mrs. Ruthie’s living room window and waiting for her parents to come home.

Summary: After the death of her parents, Lo Denham, has spent years trying to find and reconnect with her sister Bea. As Lo was recovering from the accident Bea left and joined The Unity Project. The group preaches love, does charity work and helps out the community. They have slowly been growing but Lo has always been suspicious of them. Then one day a man comes into the office of the magazine she works for. He claims that The Project killed his son. Lo sees this as her chance to expose the group and finally find her sister.

My Thoughts: I wasn’t so sure about this book when I first started it. It has dual timelines with different narrators and time periods. It was a little confusing as the story set out and took a little time to get going. But as Lo learns more about The Project the story gets more twisted. Things start to reveal themselves but like most thrillers, not everything you hear and see is true.

Cults are scary things. As I read, I could easily see how people are drawn into them. They are looking for something or someone to guide them. They want a community. Someone to understand them. But then there is always the dark underside. And the author delivered all this.

I had a hard time rating this book. I struggled at the start but enjoyed the ending. It was worth a read and kept me invested until the end.

FYI: Language, abuse and cults.

This book definitely left me thinking. It kept me on the edge of my seat. I wanted to read it all the time. Unfortunately, with everything going on, I was easily distracted and it took way longer than I would have liked to finish it.
The big thing that’s bothering me is how old was Lev?! Did I miss it somewhere when they told his age? I feel as though he sought out young, vulnerable, naive women. How was he so charismatic that he was able to just have these women fall to his feet? Or even any of this people of the unity project. They all just followed so blindly. I disliked him the most. I started out liking both Bea and Lo, but ended up with wanting to grab them both by the shoulders and shake them, ask them what in the hell is wrong with them?!
I would have loved to have learned more about Levi’s fate, what exactly happened. I also wish things could have been different for Bea.
I think this is a good book and definitely recommend it. It’s a nice change from the typical husband/wife cheating trope.

Let me start with a disclaimer; I have devoured everything Courtney Summers has written up until this point. In almost every book, I have finished in the wee hours of the morning, a sobbing mess trying to digest what I have just read. Her writing is an emotional experience, literally. Normally once I start her books, that's it, I'm checked out. I can't stop reading, you can count on a big reveal that shakes you to your core and an ending that messes you up forever. But in this case, I could not connect to the main characters and storyline. It just didn't hook me. It wasn't a bad book and the writing was good, it just wasn't for me. The act of writing this review feels like a betrayal. I'm still all about her books and plan to purchase for our collection.

I love Courtney Summers writing so much, and THE PROJECT is no exception. It was engaging, thrilling, and surprising. Just when I thought I knew where the story was going, it twisted away from me. Her narration is captivating and really pulls you in; cult-like stories are so fascinating to me anyway, but the way she tells this story really makes it so much better.