As usual, I find Courtney Summers' writing in The Project to be immersive and well constructed. The book begins so strong with the relationship between Lo and her sister, Bea, setting up this grand theme of sisterly love that transcends all other bonds and then...well...the book doesn't really hold true to its theme.

Consider: Lo is in a car crash that kills her parents, leaving Bea to bury them and act as her sister's guardian. Bea, understandably, is overwhelmed by this and at her great moment of grief she's approached by Lev, who lays hands on Lo and seems to miraculously heal her. Bea is sold and enters Lev's Unity Project, a group you immediately label as a cult the second you hear how its members are baptized, if not before. It's a cult. Cult cult culty cult. There's no room for wondering about it. Then Bea drops off the face of the earth--she stops talking to her sister, falls head over heels in love with Lev, and seems to disappear right around the point Lo starts to investigate the Project, attempting to use her in with the group to write a profile piece on Lev, taking down the cult, and getting in with her boss at the news organization she wants desperately to be part of. What follows is Lev and Lo having several deep conversations about faith and loneliness. Lo is not a very good investigator, which Lev points out rather deftly time and time again. And Bea is missing--a fact that Lo does not much seem swayed into thinking about or investigating. Sisterly love? Where is it? Lo is so determined to prove to the world that Lev and his group is a cult, but...we already know that! What is the mystery?

The mystery, of course, is what happened to Bea. But it's not the mystery Lo is actually trying to solve. It's kind of maddening how she bumbles into it by accident, and only near the end, after she's had some wild changes of heart that swing back and forth (with a couple of decisions that left me slack-jawed and confused) in a way that doesn't make much sense for a book that is also discussing faith and loneliness a lot.

The Project is deeply invested in the why of how people fall into the sway of a cult, and I did enjoy aspects of it from that perspective, even though I think its premise is not Summers' strongest. I wish the sisterly love theme had been more connected to Lo's journey, and that Bea hadn't felt like a side-show to Lev.

Have you ever read or purchased a book just for it’s cover?! I’d be lying if this wasn’t the case! I love this cover. And I really enjoyed this book.

This is the second book I read by this author, Sadie, being the 1st and I loved them equally! The author is such an amazing storyteller. Go in blind and enjoy the ride!

Having heard rave reviews about previous titles in this author's backlog, I thought it would be a great opportunity to pick this one up. I also don't have an extensive reading history of cult-related books in my repertoire and figured this would be a good introduction as a young adult thriller. Don't let the young adult label fool you, this is a solid suspense story regardless of age.

It follows Lo Denham as she tries to find out what has happened to her older sister, Bea, after she joins the Unity Project, an organization that is increasingly being labeled as a cult in the region. Being informed in flashbacks of the trauma that the sisters endured as children to get the to the present point, Lo journeys into the gravitational pull of the Unity Project and it's highest ranking members for information on her sister and a breaking news story that would expose the dark side of this seemingly gentle and benevolent organization.

The author quickly gains your empathy with the two sisters in their trauma and choices that result from it. Neither are picture perfect in their decisions, but you can clearly see the reasoning behind the way they wade through the muddled events in their lives. In saying that, specifically, you see how the leader of the Unity Project, Lev Warren, can enrapture his followers into his tangled web in the "how, who, and when" of he shows up in their lives. And it's not flamboyant or in-your-face with this part of the story. Summers has a wonderful way of surreptitiously weaving the inner monologue of certain character's perspectives to shift their ideals until you hit a sudden realization of "Wait a second, this doesn't sound like you from four chapters ago." This deception taking root in the reader's mind is in essence the experience the characters in the novel go through as the plot wisps forward quietly and eerily.

Ultimately, the plot, atmosphere, and writing style of this story gives the reader the same isolation, redirection, and unsettling narrative that any follower of Lev Warren of the Unity Project would receive. You definitely feel the characters and atmosphere of this story hazily unfurl out onto you like a foggy mist. It made the book for me. Great first read by this author and has convinced me to pick up her backlog. If you like YA thrillers, cult-related titles, or just a good old psychological minefield, give this one a try!

This book started strong and then progressively went downhill. First, the timelines were all over the place. I get that it jumped from Lo in the present to Bea in the past, but it was VERY hard to tell which you were reading at any point in time. I understand using the dual timelines/perspectives technique, but it didn't work well here and just ended up being confusing.

Second, there were errors in the timelines (at the beginning Bea is six years older than Lo, then in the middle of the book it says she is two years older than her).

Characters came and went without being developed and it was hard to keep track of some of them. Plot lines were started and then dropped.

Then comes the crazy factor. Yes, this is a book about a cult, and that has all sorts of crazy, but the character of Lo didn't seem to fit this. She is playing armchair detective and yet can't figure out the simplist things. She is searching for her sister but loses focus and somehow gets wrapped up in this cult?

The end is strange as well. Perhaps because of the time jump, but it seems rushed. After going through all that we went through, I wanted a little more between Lo being in a lake and then sitting in a park (no spoilers but if you read it, you know). What happened? Why am I left to figure that out on my own when everything else was detailed? I'm also left with a lot of questions that either weren't answered or were glossed over.

Overall, this was frustrating to read.

I was too young to remember much about the Heaven’s Gate cult, but I have a feeling the Unity Project has a similar vibe. I always enjoy a nonlinear timeline and getting bits of the story from different perspectives, but I kept waiting for a twist. Don’t get me wrong, there were parts that I didn’t see coming, but they just didn’t have a big enough shock factor for me.

I enjoyed this book overall but did find some things lacking.
I think cult books are always interesting and this one is no different. You get to see the type of person who ends up this situation and how (though not necessarily why).
I really appreciated the look at the cult leader and how manipulative he was and how he came to get this power over people. I think his character is one of the strengths of the book.
The part I didn't enjoy was the main character's progression. It felt like she did a complete 180 in a single chapter. Her thought process and decisions were not well explored in that section of the book and left me confused. I couldn't buy into the choices she was making.

There wasn't a straightforward mystery here, but you could still feel the creepy, suspenseful elements throughout this book. And I can never resist a book about a cult, especially with a cover that beautiful!

Cult books have quickly become a favourite of mine, because I love the insight to a world I otherwise know nothing about. While this book isn't fully about a cult, more so about being influenced and losing your way, there are a lot of undertones and suggestions of a cult life. It was a wild ride of a book. Although I don't have a whole lot to say about it, I flew through it and thoroughly enjoyed the heart-pounding revelations as they continued throughout the story.

This book wasn't bad at all-- it was powerful and sad and oh so real. However, I do wish there was more. More into the allure of the Unity Project, more into lev, if anything I wish this book was from Bea's POV and her journey into the cult because Lo... as the book went along wasn't my favorite. She wasn't bad... but you can tell I have a favorite.

I purchased this book for my high school library. My students have enjoyed it. and it has circulated well.

The Project was an interesting ride. I like those kind of weird thrillers that suck you in and you keep reading to unravel the pieces. This book was good but not great. I think I wanted more twists and a few more surprises. Nothing really shocked me. If you like mysteries but don't like them too dark then this is the perfect mystery for you.

A fast paced, high stakes, emotional thriller that I could not put down. Courtney Summers excels at writing interesting and sympathetic heroines who make questionable and often frustrating decisions.

DNF at 30%, this is quite a different book than her first one, and it wasn’t quite for me!
The pacing was pretty slow and I was waiting for it to pick up.

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Sally this is an DNF for me, started it yesterday, and got to the 7 mark the first time , then put it down and then picked it back up and restarted it from the beginning and got to the 15% and still have no idea what is going on. Some pages I even found myself re reading them to try and understand what is going on. Going to keep the ARC and give it a second chance later down the road.

The writing was fantastic and the story itself was heartbreaking. However, either with high expertise or going in with the wrong frame of mind of what the story would be hinder the experience.

I found myself riveted to the idea of this. It’s about Lo, whose sister joins a cult. But upon closer inspection, Lo finds that The Project isn’t what it appears to be from the outside. She feels seen and a part of something like she never has before. She has a family—something she has desired for a long time.

I can see where kids would really like this one.

4.5 Stars

****

Lo Denham is an assistant at SVO, a magazine dedicated to "radical perspectives and bold new voices". She has dreamed of being a writer most of her life, but her boss has kept fer from making that next step. She needs a big story to help push her career forward; unfortunately, she witnesses the suicide of a young man who recognized her and spoke a cryptic message to her just before his death. His death appears to be connected to The Unity Project, the same organization that stole her sister away from her after their parents died in a tragic car accident that Lo barely survived (and has the scars to remind her). Now, Lo is determined to expose them. However, as she becomes closer to The Unity Project she begins to question everything she knew about the group, her sister, and founder Lev Warren.

I started this book in audio format, which really helped with connecting to the sisters separate perspectives (Bea in the past and Lo in the present). However, as the story progressed and the creeping dread was mounting, I had to switch to the physical book because the story was just too visceral and real. But, even switching, I was in tears by the end for these two sisters. Their loneliness, their vulnerability, their strength.

The double perspective was especially handled well, as you sort of go through a déjà vu as Bea becomes a member of the Unity Project and as Lo begins to be enveloped into the Project. Their perspectives and feelings are vastly different upon approaching the Project, but are mirrored so well throughout the progression of the story. Both sisters just crave to be seen, to be comforted, to be needed by others. And that is how these organizations can function so well, because they feed off the loneliness and trust of others.

This book really makes your skin crawl. You begin to question if what Lo believes about the Project is real, or if her opinion is a projection of her anger at being abandoned by her sister. She is desperate to place blame, so that she does not have to confront the fact she was left behind or unwanted. But, as she continues to find out, maybe Bea also felt a little left behind (by her parents death) and, so, in a moment of fear and uncertainty she accepted the love of a stranger in order to heal.

Lev Warren is exactly what you would expect from a leader of an organization like The Unity Project. He is charismatic, humble, kind. He is honest, he is bold, and he protects those who are part of his flock from the outside world. It is through Lo's eyes that you are introduced to this man, through her words and her hurt and anger, so you are unsure if this means he is actually the terrible person she believes him to be, or if he is the embodiment of the grief and loss she feels. His easy charm and his humble grace make everything shift subtly and as a reader you being to doubt yourself and your own immediate mistrust in an organization that only appears to want to help those in need.

However, keep in mind that every charismatic leader is similar to Lev. Likeable, able to sway even the surest of doubters. And even when you begin to suspect something is off, something is wrong, you continuously question why you think that might be.

This book was just wow! I honestly felt my skin crawl a few times. The blatant loyalty, the blind trust, even when things are happening that are wrong. But, you can also understand why people would be so easily drawn to this group, to wanting to fit in and be loved, to believing what they are experiencing in this group is what God means for them to experience.

There were a couple moments I felt the book maybe was a bit slow, and a couple characters that were introduced and never heard from again (but would have been nice to see their perspective toward the end). But, all in all, this book was so well written and by the end you are so invested, and just on the edge of your seat, you cannot help but root for Lo and hope that she finds a way to forgive and to love herself.

I really enjoyed Sadie by Courtney Summers and was looking forward to The Project. The premise sounded intriguing and I'm a sucker for books about cults. The Project was a strong book, not quite up to the level of Sadie, but another good read nonetheless. We get both Lo's and Bea's perspectives, however primarily Lo's in first person. The characters really pulled me into the story, and I was immediately invested in both Lo and Bea. I did struggle with the overall pace of the book and at times I felt the plot moved too slowly and I found myself losing interest. Although the plot moved slowly at times I believe the ending did it justice! Overall this was a strong book with interesting, well-written characters I could connect with and I would recommend both this book and Sadie by Courtney Summers.

Thanks NetGalley for providing this ebook!

I really loved Sadie by this author however this book did not worked for me. i tried to listen to this book but it just was not for me.