Lo Denham's life has been built on tragedy. Her parents died in a car crash, a crash which left her scarred and fighting to survive in the hospital. Her sister, Bea, ran off to join a cult called The Unity Project at the same time, and Lo was left to be taken care by her great aunt. Then her great aunt also dies, so Lo turns to writing, which lands her a job with a magazine, and eventually a man comes in with a story about The Unity Project for Lo to pursue. Seizing her chance to reunite with Bea, Lo is on the case, diving into the cult's inner workings and coming face-to-face with its charismatic leader, Lev Warren. Lo finally learns why Bea abandoned her so long ago, but the answers are not what she expected, and The Unity Project is not what she thought it was. Will writing this story be her salvation, or is there yet more tragedy in store for Lo?

This was a sad, somewhat disturbing read, one that examines charismatically dangerous persons who take advantage of people who feel alone in the world. Lo in particular feels alone, because those who she loves or loved either died or left, so all she has is her writing and herself. Bea, her sister, has her reasons for leaving, but those reasons are also saddening from an outside perspective. Most of the story is conveyed from Lo's or Bea's perspective, and each perspective shows different interpretations of characters and events over time, particularly Lev Warren and the cult The Unity Project. Lev manipulates those around him to get what he wants, devotion and participation, and it is interesting and appalling to see how different perspectives change how Lev is perceived. The story gathers momentum at the end as Lo's journey into the bowels of the cult draws to a close, and the bonds of sisterhood and family are drawn to the forefront. This is a heavy, insidious read that will likely get under your skin, and may frustrate you, but perhaps that's the point, to illustrate the dangers of charismatic cult leaders. The Project is an intricate read with pages dripping in sadness and twisted devotion. Are you ready for some unity? You are needed.

Courtney Summers books always rip me apart in the best ways and The Project is no different. I finished this book two days ago and I cannot get it out of my mind. I keep thinking of Lo and Foster and Emmy. I've been sharing it everywhere and telling all my friends to get their hands on The Project.

After witnessing a shocking suicide, Lo Denham decides to expose a high profile charitable organization as a cult. Lo is intimately connected to The Unity Project; her sister Bea joined years ago and Lo has not heard from her since. Their charismatic leader proposes a deal: she can have unheard-of access, and if she can prove any of it, she can expose them. Can Lo find the proof she needs and reconnect with her sister, or will she be pulled in as well?

I was expecting a fast-paced young adult style thriller, but for me, the storyline dragged. Although I enjoyed Bea's past storyline, Lo didn't captivate me at all. By the time the big twists come at the end, I had lost interest. Some reviewers are loving this book, so it might still be worth a try, but it just did not do enough for me to recommend it to anyone.

What a hell of a ride that was!

For my full spoiler free review- check out the blog (www.acourtofbooksandbrews.com)

I will say I'm not sure how or when I stumbled upon requesting this book on netgalley, because I don't even remember reading the synopsis, but I am so glad it was waiting for me on my approved shelf! It was so hard to put down. I couldn't read it fast enough.

If you have a morbid fascination with reading about cults, don't sleep on this book! It is stimulating and complex and leaves you with much to think about! Many thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress/@wednesdaybooks for providing me with an earc in exchange for my honest review. Thank you @summerscourtney for writing this bold and gripping story!

TW: suicide, abuse, cults

Lo Denham works for a fledgling newspaper. When she sees a man commit suicide after quoting a Bible verse, her decision to reach out to the cult he was a part of—the same one her sister is in—changes her life.

This book is what you might call “slow burning”, which is normally not my style, but it works here. Summers alternates between two voices, Lo and her sister, Bea. Each voice is in a different timeline: Bea’s is in the past, and Lo’s is more or less in the present (the novel ends in 2018).

After Lo is in a car accident that kills her parents, Bea ends up at The Unity Project, a cult run by Lev Warren. Lo sets out to discover if the rumors she has heard about The Unity Project are true or not. I do wish that some of the characters involved in the cult had been a little more skeptical before joining, but the need for something to believe in is certainly relatable. I also appreciate that the author recognizes how hard it is to condemn something when that thing has also gone so much good in the world.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s, and Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very interesting perspective on cults and the idea of reality. I found it intriguing, but lagging in times. It was slow to start, picked up, lagged in the middle, and then picked up again. The characters were likable and well-developed, and the nonlinear time line helped with the lagging of the plot. I recommend this book if you are into YA and interested in the "Cult Culture".

The Project by Courtney Summers is a wild ride from beginning to end. It is a hauntingly emotional rollercoaster and the story will stay with the reader long after they finish reading. The writing is impeccable and Summers gripped me from the very first pages. I became attached to Lo and Bea's story and desperately wanted everything to work out for them both, though knowing Summers' style, I knew that wouldn't be the case. I have what some would call an unhealthy obsession with learning about cults and this book had me questioning my sanity and beliefs throughout the journey. Once readers pick up this book, they won't be able to put it down until they find out the truth about what happened. This is a must read for all teens and adults alike, and every library will want to own multiple copies.

Courtney Summer’s The Project tells a story about a cult that feels a little too real—and chills you right to the bone.

Gloria “Lo” Denham and her older sister Bea have always had a special bond, a bond that only sisters can share. However, Lo hasn’t seen her sister since the day six years ago when a semi hit the family car, leaving their parents dead and Lo clinging to life in a hospital bed. Overcome by grief and fear of losing the only family member she has left, Bea is very vulnerable when she is approached by Lev, a young man who promises her peace and life for her sister—if she joins the Unity Project.

Now Lo is all alone, working for an up-and-coming news outlet as a secretary, dreaming of one day working as a news writer. One day while waiting for the train, she meets a young man who is part of the Unity Project right before he throws himself in front of a train. In the face of this tragedy, Lo sees her chance to write a viral story and finally gain her sister back.

To the eyes of most New Yorkers, the Project is a well-meaning charity, speaking a message of hope and providing extremely generous charity for those in need. But Lo is convinced that something lurks beneath the surface. Her sister would never leave her behind and cut off contact for no reason… would she?

At first, those high up in the Project don’t want anything to do with Lo. They know she doesn’t trust them, and though they claim they have nothing to hide, they fear she will twist them into something they are not. After significant pressure, however, they finally allow her full access to write a profile about their organization. Despite being highly suspicious, the more time she spends with Project members, the more Lo starts to wonder if there is some truth to the fiction. She always believed peace couldn’t be found on earth, but perhaps her prejudice has clouded her judgement. Perhaps she’s been wrong about the Project the whole time.

When I picked up my first Courtney Summer’s book, I was immediately pulled in by prose that never let me go. She places you right in the main character’s head, and her words not only flow seamlessly, but are cold, biting, and intense, just like the world they draw you into. The prose is unforgiving, and The Project is no exception. This prose also fit Lo, who I personally didn’t love. I found her hard to relate to, but I think she was a good fit for this story.

The area where this story shone was everything related to the Unity Project. Summers was able to capture all the nuances of a cult—both their perceived kindness and the sly dark underbelly. Each character offered a different view into the organization and how it affects peoples’ lives: some are cold and come from traumatic pasts, some are kind and long to see a better world. All are lost. Reading this novel was a sobering reminder of why cults are so prevalent in our society today.
Although I wanted to love this book, for some reason, I didn’t love it as much as Sadie. I’m still struggling to put my finger on it, but I think part of it stems from how the story is told. Half is from Bea’s perspective, in her early days at the Project, and the other half is Lo’s in the present day. While hearing Bea’s thoughts was interesting, I felt that it took away from the pacing. Her parts were unnecessary and hearing them actually leached some suspense out of the reading experience.

That aside, I did love the sister aspect of the story. They do not interact over the course of the story, but Bea’s guilt over leaving her sister and Lo’s resentment over being left are highly prevalent. It’s such a different sibling relationship from the one we usually see in novels, but that’s why I think I enjoyed it so much. It felt honest.

Overall, while this was not my favorite novel from this author, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and for fans of Courtney Summers or just wild rides, I highly recommend this book!

dnf @25%
I made a promise to myself for 2021 that if I wasn't really engaged and enjoying a story I would set it down so that's what I did for this book. It's not that I think this is a bad book it's just that it wasn't really doing anything for me while I was reading. I was kinda...bored which is not something you want to be when reading a cult book. This book also marketed itself as a different take on cults, offering a perhaps more digestible and confusing depiction of a cult in an attempt to make the reader live in the gray when considering The Unity Project. But for me I was never confused, IT'S A CULT. I know where I stand when it comes to cults lol. I found myself uninterested in the plot or the characters. I think if i finished this book I would give it a very average 2 stars so why should i continue a book I think I will feel just fine about?

Please don't let my review dissuade you from picking up this book if you are interested because I think a lot of people will enjoy it but I personally think this is a huge step down for Summers's previous work, Sadie, which for me was a favorite. This lacked the gripping nature of Sadie within its characters and its plot. I feel very meh about this book as a whole.
2🌟--------------------------------

OK, I was hyped for this book the moment I saw the cover and description. Dark and mysterious, cults and exposés, and with Courtney Summers' writing? I was totally in.

This was one heck of a ride, keeping me interested throughout. I found myself empathetic of Lo's hurt, loneliness, longing for the truth, and the spiral that comes from being in those vulnerable places. The writing of this felt so authentic and understandable, even when I've never found myself in a relatable situation.

The structure of this story kept me engaged throughout, with small bits of information fed to the reader to keep them wanting more, turning the page to hope the truth may be revealed. However, I was a bit disappointed in the twists and turns of the book. In the end, I felt like I'd seen the majority of the book coming, however enthralled I was along the way. I kept waiting for a big OH SNAP moment but didn't find it.

Overall, I enjoyed this quite a bit and will be back for more from Courtney Summers. Giving this a solid 3.5 stars.

I am really bummed about this, but this was my least favorite of Courtney's books. I just didn't connect with the characters or the story. I think I was expecting something as amazing as Sadie so I set myself up for disappointment. Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate it, but it just didn't fit what I expect from Courtney. It just didn't work for me which I am so sad about.

Another page-turner from the master of YA suspense, Courtney Summers. Bea wasn't too excited to find out she was going to have a little sister, but once Lo was here, everything changed. They became close in a way only sisters can, until the accident. The girls' parents and Lo were in a car accident that killed their parents and left Lo fighting for her life. Bea stayed by Lo's bedside during her recovery, but when Lo finally woke up, Bea was gone and she hasn't seen her since. Bea met a man in the hospital who introduced her to The Unity Project, a faith-based commune in New York state. Now, Lo is 19 and on her own in the city. Although she hasn't seen Bea, she knows where she is, and she knows The Unity Project is keeping her sister from her, so Lo decides, once and for all, she's getting to the bottom of what's happening behind the closed doors of The Unity Project and what they've done to her sister.
I really enjoyed reading this book and had a hard time putting it down. Like "Sadie", it was gripping and I felt compelled to keep going just to find out what happened to Bea. Lo was tough, but there were enough cracks in her armour that I was able to sympathize with her and become invested in her story.
I had two issues with this book, the first being that somewhere around the 60% mark, there's a bit too much religion. I'm sure Summers is just trying to demonstrate how The Project used the Bible to justify their methods, but I just skimmed past it all. The second issue was the whole time I was reading this I was thinking it doesn't feel like a YA book. Lo is 19 and has her GED, she's working full time and living on her own. Remember when New Adult was a thing? I think this book fits better in that category.
Final verdict: A strong showing from Summers that is both suspenseful, compelling, somewhat disturbing, and without the loose ends left behind in "Sadie".

Courtney Summers, author of Sadie, offers up a new psychological thriller in The Project. This is upper YA - main character Lo is nineteen - but it's a fascinating look at the fine line between doubt and belief.

Lo has been on her own a while. Her parents were killed in a car wreck from which she managed to survive, but her elder sister, Bea, left her to join The Unity Project while Lo went to live with a great-aunt. The Unity Project built a reputation for doing good works, opening up several centers, and setting up founder Lev Warren as a godly man.

But Lo has spent years trying to get to her sister and be turned away by Project staff, so she suspects things are not what they seem in The Project. She suspects strongly that the Unity Project is nothing more than a cult. And when a young man from The Project finds her in a train station and subsequently jumps in front of a train, Lo knows there's more to discover.

This book is told in alternating points of view - Lo's in the present, and Bea's in the past - so that the reader can follow the path that Lo does with the knowledge of Bea's experience. It is a well-told book and the storyline progresses at a good pace. It can be a little hard to follow at first, until you realize the past is Bea's voice and the present Lo's, but once that happens, it's a good flow.

I've always found cults to be super creepy and really fascinating- especially super religious cults (and of course most of them are) so I loved that The Project was about a cult! I really liked Lo as a main character and I liked how Bea's point of view was mixed into there as well. The formatting with the jumps in the timeline could be a little confusing if you aren't paying attention/don't remember when what things happened, but in general, it wasn't bad. Lev was so manipulative and every time he was able to completely turn a story around and tell such a convincing lie and make himself out to be a savior and isolate others and make it so that he was all they had to turn to, I shuddered a little. If that's what being inside a cult is like, I definitely understand how people end up staying for so long- the brainwashing is so intense and the leaders are so charismatic and manipulative! The plot itself was super interesting and kind of sad. At the beginning, it was a little slow and I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but maybe 10% or 15% in, things picked up and I was hooked. I highly recommend The Project- it's a great and super creepy book!

I first became aware of Courtney Summers when her book Sadie was released. I listened to the audiobook and thought it was excellent, so I knew I wanted to read more from her. The Project follows 2 sisters; Lo and Bea Denham. After a devastating trauma, the sisters, who used to be so close, have lost each other. Lo is certain that The Unity Project, a religious group that Bea had gotten involved in, is the reason. Lo believes The Unity Project, and its charismatic leader, Lev Warren, has brainwashed Bea, and Lo is determined to take them down.
My thoughts on this book are a bit jumbled. Summers' writing can feel like a fever dream, warm and blurry at the edges, sometimes not all together pleasant. She has the deft hands of a heart surgeon, expertly drawing your feelings to the surface, breaking said heart, and sewing it back together again. I loved alternating between present day Lo, and past Bea, watching Lo's every move be influenced by the long ago actions of her sister. My favorite aspect of the story is from Bea's perspective. We journey with her through her beginning at The Unity Project, and what she experiences is so profound. I don't want to give anything away, because each revelation cranks up the current of unease and tension. Readers who enjoy the slow, atmospheric unraveling of lives will certainly enjoy The Project. Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the gifted copy.
4 stars

When I first heard that Courtney Summers was writing a book about cults, I was intrigued. As a subject, cults are a morbid fascination that a lot of people have. Maybe because of the conviction that you would never join one or the surprise that someone else has, and people continue to. I genuinely believe that I would join one if the manipulation came at the exact time when I am at my most vulnerable. I think anyone would, and I think that's what the author was trying to prove with The Project. She achieved precisely that (at least in my eyes)!
We follow Lo, a young adult working for a newspaper company, as she discovers that the "cult" that took her sister from her is getting accused of murdering someone. She has been waiting for an event like this for years now, and she starts getting involved in something she maybe shouldn't.
If I had to describe this novel in one word, it would be heavy. It's an atmospheric book that's pretty slow-paced, but I think there's an impending sense of dread throughout, and it keeps you on edge. By that, I mean I read it in a day. The plot is predictable, but I don't think it's supposed to be unpredictable. Also, in my opinion, the predictability didn't change anything as far as my enjoyment goes.
The main focus is the characters. You get to see them either descend into the insanity of The Unity Project or ascend from it. Summers wrote this transformation very, very well. Even if you can't connect with the characters as far as the cult situation, you have so much empathy and feel dread with and for them.
I (luckily) have never been in a cult, but I think the author treated the subject, and all the other sensitive topics in this novel, very carefully.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Project. I recommend it if you want a dark, binge-able read that you will probably think about for a while.

This book was really good. I wanted to read it because I'm fascinated by religious cults. I was not disappointed, though I spent most of the book thinking "The Unity Project doesn't seem so bad..." which I think is exactly what the author wanted. I wish there was more about the relationship between the two sisters before Bea joined The Project. I'm not sure why this is considered YA except that the main character is 19 years old. Anyhow, I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Courtney Summers' new novel, 'The Project,' is a novel about cults—that much is true. Reading it, though, I didn't find myself pondering any of the big questions about cults. That feels especially surprising given how fascinated I have been over the course of my lifetime by the Branch Davidians, Heaven's Gate, and NXIVM. Instead, I'm still trying to figure out what kind of novel Summers is writing, which is a question I've had since I read Sadie back in 2019.

Before we get to that question, let's talk about the Unity Project, the cult at the heart of 'The Project.' There's nothing new about the Unity Project. It's everything the media and popular culture have taught you to expect from a cult: a charismatic leader, a positive appearance that may or may not be a veneer for something more sinister, enthusiastic members, disaffected former members, press who long to expose the cult and its leader, whisper campaigns, secrecy, and so on. Lo Denham has lost a sister, Bea, to the Unity Project. Where is Bea? Why did she join the Unity Project? Why did she abandon Lo? These are the questions to which Lo is trying to find answers. To do so, she has joined an upstart investigative journalism outfit. Lo hopes that what she has learned there will help her and she seeks to gain access to the Unity Project.

Summers writes about trauma in a way that is recognizable for those who have experienced it and is convincing, I imagine, for those who haven't. Trauma is messy, and the events that unfold in 'The Project' are as well. Lo, readers discover early on, was "healed" by Lev, the Project's leader, earlier in her life after she was severely injured in an accident that claimed Lo and Bea's parents. That is a knot of trauma and interpersonal connections that takes an entire novel to unpack, and it should be no surprise that that knot hasn't been completely untangled at novel's end. That is, of course, the nature of trauma.

And that gets at the heart of my question about the type of novel that Courtney Summers writes: Isn't 'The Project' a young adult novel? What's going on here? This isn't high school; almost every character in this novel is a legal adult. If only adolescence and adulthood had such neat dividing lines. No, Summers writes novels that live in the grey area that we tend not to acknowledge—that time when one is legally an adult but the biological and cognitive processes that signal adolescence have not yet concluded. Lo is expected to be an adult, and performs as such more or less adequately in some situations. In others, though, she's still very much an adolescent

What does it mean to be an adolescent, anyway? However the reader answers that question will color how they see Lo's interactions with Lev. A large part of the novel is Lo trying to piece together what Lev and Bea's relationship was; this, too, if informed by how the reader thinks about adolescence. I see that challenge to the readers' conception of adolescence as Summers' best quality as a writer. We need more novels that break down the artificial barrier between adolescence and adulthood. We need more novels that take on what happens after high school stories.

'The Project' is not an easy read, to be sure. Reading this novel is a rewarding experience, but the rewards are unanswered questions as often as not. With 'The Project,' Summers is continuing to write stories that exist in a mostly untrodden corner of the YA landscape--but I don't think she'll be alone for very much longer.

Ms Summers has written a delightfully chilling novel of faith and lack of faith, of love and hate, of biological family and the family you make. #theproject is affecting and effective in its plot, characters and premise. I thoroughly enjoyed it and thank #netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read and review.

Courtney Summers has long been a favorite here at Caffeinated Reviewer, from her zombie dystopias to her mystery thrillers. Her newest novel The Project introduces us to an aspiring journalist as she searches for her sister within a cult.

Summers shares multiple perspectives as we learn about two siblings, the power of love, and the deceptions of a charismatic cult leader.

We meet Lo at nineteen. She works as an assistant at a local newspaper and hasn’t heard from her sister since the accident that left their parents dead and Lo scarred. A young man’s dying message propels Lo into the world of the Unity Project as she searches for her sister Bea.

The tale that unfolds shares both past and present. Chapters are defined by a year. While the story takes us into the cult and lets us see its dynamics, the author also highlighted each sister’s need for acceptance and belonging.

Summers’ digs into family bonds, dysfunctional families, and the trappings of cult life. At times the story is painful and dark. These characters bare their soul as they hope for redemption, seek worth and desperately want to belong.

As the reader, my emotions ranged from deep sympathy to outrage and anger. Summers allows the reader to slip in and become a part of the story and understand both Lo and Bea’s hearts. She gave voice to secondary characters who added depth and understanding to events.

The publishers have marketed this as a young adult novel, but like Sadie, it falls towards the older spectrum and perhaps belongs in the adult section.

The Project will leave you spent and reflective as you absorb all that occurred. It isn’t a story you will easily forget.