I was super excited to hear that Courtney Summers wrote another thriller. I, probably like most people, find cults mystifying.
First the book is told in two perspectives- Lo and Bea. Bea starts first since she is the oldest. And you see how her and Lo's relationship grows until the accident.
After that you get more of Lo's perspective until Lo starts poking around The Unity Project. So Bea's perspective is more in past until it meets up in the present with Lo. And Lo's perspective is always in the present.
I empathize greatly with Lo and Bea, as I have very tight relationships with my sisters too. I really like how Courtney tied theirs stories back together at the end.
Ok, now onto the The Unity Project and Lev Warren. Lev Warren is a convincing and compelling character. I could easily see how someone could follow him. He is an charmer who at first seems like an guy who is always rooting for you and wants to help you find atonement with The Unity Project.
I kind of saw the ending but I really didn't want it to be confirmed. But it was a bit open ended like Sadie was, in the fact that you had an IDEA of what had happened but no official confirmation. It leaves you with some questions.
I think Courtney Summers is a wonderful writer who gives readers thought=provoking and gritty stories. The Project is a thriller that no one should miss out on.

When I saw the description for this book, I knew I had to read it. I think we all have a fascination with cults, and I couldn’t resist seeing what this book had in store, kind of like how Lo couldn’t resist interviewing Lev.
The book focuses on two sisters, Bea and Lo, who lose their parents in a car crash and have to deal with aftermath of such a devastating event. While Lo recovers from the accident, Bea runs into Lev, the charismatic leader of The Unity Project, a group focused on redeeming the world through good works.
Reading from both sisters’ perspectives, especially as the darker side of The Unity Project was slowly revealed, was such a great choice, and I think it added a good balance of why two different people would get involved with something that’s clearly not healthy. The writing flowed really well and I couldn’t put it down once I got about halfway through.
The one thing I didn’t like, and I’m sure this won’t be present in the published version, is how there was no space between the transitions. In some chapters it seemed to switch very abruptly, and I had to back track several times to realize that a new scene had started.
Overall, a great and compelling read!

This was an intense, wild ride.

I've got a mild fascination with cults, as many people do, and already adored Courtney Summers other books, so finding out one of my favorite authors was doing a new contemporary about cults was a cause for celebration.

This book didn't disappoint.

Bea's parents die in a car crash that leaves her little sister barely clinging to life. Miraculously, her sister survives, and Bea finds faith in God and in Lev, leader of The Unity Project. Told in alternate timelines and alternate POVs that only Summers can handle so masterfully, there is never a dull moment. The characters drew me in and kept me reading. There were a couple of twists I didn't see coming, which was great. I was so, so, so mad at Lev and so many other things and hurt so much for the sisters.

As with Sadie, the relationship between the sisters is the heart of the novel. There are a lot of other things going on, but Lo and Bea are the center in the ways they find each other and go apart.

I do wish there a little more in the ending with what happens with Lev, but the rest of it outweighs that complaint.

This is definitely not the faint of heart and probably not best suited for younger teens. As with Sadie, it's really toying that line between YA and Adult in terms of character age, themes, and subject matter.

Fans of Summers won't be disappointed.

Wow, cults!

Suspense novels aren't my usual go-to but I LOVED Sadie so I had to see what Courtney Summers was doing next. The Project did not disappoint! Multiple timelines and different points of view help to create and hold the tension in this book. Because it’s told essentially in vignettes, Lev’s brand of charisma really shines and leaves the reader just a bit confused—unsure if they’re getting the whole picture. I couldn’t put it down and was willing to question The Unity Project’s cult status until the end of the novel.

If you’re fascinated by cults or even just looking for a unique and engrossing YA read, check out The Project.

There are stories and there are storytellers. As a lifelong voracious reader I can attest to the fact that the two do not always coalesce. This masterful author achieves this brilliantly.

She constructs another stellar novel that unfurls the damage and devastation the world can do to people. Her writing lures you in with an intriguing story and then guts you with characters that will get under your skin. Be warned, you will feel their pain, but also, thankfully, their peace.

After her parents died, Lo’s sister, Bea, joined the Unity Project and cut ties to Lo. Outwardly the Project symbolizes charitable work, community outreach and selfless followers. But Lo has long believed there is something much darker and more sinister behind the curtain. When she finds herself with the access to learn more will her mindset be upended by the charismatic leader and genuine devotion of its membership?

That I will not tell you, but trust that it will not be an uncomplicated resolution of heart and mind for any of the characters.

The project is ultimately a story about power and men who wield it and how they do so. It's about cultist behavior but it's also about faith itself, told in fluid writing and challenging the audience to do have faith in what is left unanswered and untold since logic sure doesn't seem to cut it with the events. I can see how the gaps in the story and the things left unexplained could bother readers and I am to a certain degree bothered but the story kept me engaged and entertained, I couldn't put it down and that's a win.

4/5 stars. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I usually don’t pick up books like these but I definitely do not regret picking up this book. It was unsettling and compelling and so hard to put down.

The project follows two sisters, Bea and Lo. When Lo was 13 she got into a terrible car accident leaving her traumatised. Her parents had passed away and her sister left to join a cult. Six years have passed and we see her working at SVO where all good stories serve a purpose, and we see that the cult that took her sister away may have proved lethal to a young man named Jeremy.

In 2011, Bea sees her sister on the brink of death and her parents have passed away. She witnesses a miracle in the form of Lev Warren and decides to put all her faith in him. We follow her perspective through the years.

I really enjoyed Lev’s character development through this book and he was so well developed. We got to see the lies he spun through the two perspectives and I enjoyed it so much. Some parts were hard to read, the abuse and manipulation but I overall enjoyed it very much.

Gloria, known as Lo, having faced many challenges within her life beginning at birth, wants nothing more than to become a writer and believes that she is on the right path in order to accomplish that goal. After surviving a car crash as a child that took the lives of her parents, Lo was sent to live with an aunt while her older sister, Bea, became a devout member of the Unity Project, a group determined to make the world a better place under their leader, Lev Warren. Lo, believing that she knows the truth about the Unity Project, is of the opinion that they are a cult created by the charismatic Lev, and she is determined to expose them through her writing. While immersing herself in the Unity Project will Lo be able to resist the magnetic charm of Lev, or will she fall into the same trap that her sister and many others have?⁣
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The Project is a wickedly wonderful novel that grabbed me and didn’t let go until the last page! The Unity Project seems like a mix between Scientology and the Manson family, and I found myself happily trapped within its grasp. I love that Summers used a nonlinear timeline and slowly brought the two timelines together as the novel progressed, ultimately ending in a way that, to me, just felt right. She created a puzzle within the pages that, as it was pieced together, painted such a complete picture of the characters and their motivations. The characters are well developed and relatable, and the mirroring between them and their experiences was not only interesting, but it connected a lot of them to each other. I enjoyed all of the themes and symbolism prevalent throughout The Project, such as fire and water, as well as scars. ⁣
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Between the characters and the style, the story and its message, The Project was a page-turner of a novel that I could not put down. I highly recommend it to anyone intrigued by cults or just by a good book. ⁣
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Thank you to NetGalley for gifting me an electronic copy of The Project in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.⁣

From the first chapter of The Project it was immediately full of suspense. This dual POV features Lo's journey to understand The Project, as well as Bea's experience within. While The Project is very much a thriller, part of what I enjoyed was the bonds of sisterhood. We are able to see the love, confusion, and resentment in their words. The complex bonds of sisterhood that can leave you hollow and searching. The Project immediately becomes relatable in Lo's search for Bea. What will Lo stumble across? And where is Bea?

The Project is a book with many shifting faces. Constantly moving in your grips, it's a story that will take you on a roller coaster. At the heart of the book is not only a story about sisterhood, but also about what we will do to be seen. How relationships begin, form on shaky or non-existent foundations. The ways in which things rarely come for free with strings trailing on the ground like wisps of smoke. When we feel seen, it feels powerful. The ways people are searching for something in other people.

There goes Courtney Summers again, coming into my home to smash my heart. I would like her to stop, even though that is a lie and I will let her do it over and over if this is the result.

In 2011, Bea Denham's family was involved in a car accident that left her parents dead and her younger sister, Lo, clinging to life. And in this darkest of moments, she meets Lev Warren, leader of The Project organization. She follows him, joining his religious group and leaving Lo to grow up with a distant relative she barely knows. Now, in 2017, Lo is 19 and still searching for her sister. Every encounter she has had with The Project has ended in her being frustrated, angry, and more determined than ever.

This story was beautifully told, bouncing back and forth in time to reveal each sister's experiences with The Project. It was easy to follow, simple to piece together, and both absolutely devastating and horrifying to follow each sister as they dig deeper into the organization in tandem with each other's timeline.

Bea is the oldest and only Denham not involved in the tragic accident that tore her family apart. She is wracked with guilt and grief and is desperate for someone to comfort her, to give her something to believe in. When she meets Lev, God's prophet on this earthly plane, he is everything she needs. It takes time for her to understand, but soon she is up to her neck in The Project and its mission to bring God to the sinners of the world. I was highly invested in her side of the story, not only because she is the one wrapped up in the organization, but also because of the mystery that surrounds her in Lo's present day. Why won't she see her sister? What happened to her? My heart truly broke for her as she moved through the years. The events that unfold around her, the way her mind was twisted and undone was both fascinating and upsetting.

Lo has had to cope with a lot since her older sister, the only family she had left, really, up and abandoned her. The accident left her with some serious scars, both on the inside and outside. She lives a very lonesome existence that revolves around two things. One, convincing her boss that she can be a journalist instead of his assistant. Two, exposing The Project and finding her sister hidden behind it. She was a terribly interesting character to follow along with. I genuinely did not expect her journey to unfold as it did, but that is simply a testament to how painstakingly Summers wrote this novel. I loved the fact that she was on the older end of the typical YA age spectrum as it gave her more freedom and agency to live her life as she chose.

I admit I was a bundle of anxiety while reading this because it kept me on my toes the entire time. The dual POV really had me guessing which character would go where and who would fall to what side. The Project itself is obviously a large part of my reading stress. Is it really the good religious group their members all claim to be, offering shelter and support to those in need, or is it a well-hidden cult that is keeping Bea away from Lo? IS IT? As Lo gets access to the organization, it became harder and harder for me to answer that question. Lev certainly didn't help. The leader of The Project is charismatic and wonderful, but underneath that façade there is the slightest thread of manipulation in every word he says. He was convincing me alongside both sisters and I genuinely did not know what to think. Especially when you see him in everyday situations. Although, I did find it slightly uncomfortable (view spoiler)

The ending gets very dark and I was left rather distraught. It was difficult to put down in general, but the last 50 pages in particular had the book glued to my hand. When the truth is finally revealed, everybody better buckle the heck up.

Book: The Project
Author: Courtney Summers
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with an ARC.

I must say that I have come to really enjoy Courtney Summers’s books. I like that she is a young adult author who isn’t afraid to write about the ugly and hard sides of life. This book is no different. Here we get to see the affects that a cult has on people and how it can be a struggle to come back from that. We also get to see the power that people can hold over someone and how that can affect a person’s mental state. It’s just something that you have to see in order to see just how it pans out.

I really enjoyed Lo’s character and strength. We start out seeing her at her lowest point. Yes, the story does kind of run backwards. We start out not knowing a lot about her and we get to see how we got to this point-through her eyes. We don’t know for sure if she is telling the truth or not, but we do get to see her pain and her struggles. She’s young and has lost so much already. She has been through more than anyone should have to go through-let alone someone as young as her. We also see her struggle with coming to terms with what may not be true and lose pretty much everything that she has ever known. This struggle comes across the page so brilliantly. We get to see Lo really question her life and everything. We get to see her struggle with coming to terms with the ugly truth. I loved getting to see this struggle. It gives her a human element and makes everything seem all that much more real.

I also love the way that Courtney has this way of pulling you in and making it hard to get away. You will feel something while reading her books. You will feel your heart being torn in two, as well as feeling the true horror that these characters must live through. You also find yourself really wondering how society gets to this point. You feel something and it may not always be the feeling that you want to feel. You will feel disgust, horror, and maybe even a little bit sick. With that being said, this book does contain a lot of mature content and is not suitable for younger teens.

While this book is about a girl trying to deal with the aftermath of a cult, we get to see a lot of themes throughout the book. The one that stuck out the most to me was the theme of loneliness and wanting to belong. That is the core of this book. The characters are searching for a place where they belong and it’s why so many of them end up where they did. This is why people ended up in the cult to start with. Then, as we learn more about what has happened, we get to see the flip side of this journey. We get to see families trying to save their loved ones from this dangerous path. We see the family trying to save their loved one, while their loved ones want to stay where they feel like they belong. This struggle and this quest is so well done that it will really make you feel something.
This book didn’t hit me as hard as Sadie did, but this is one that I can see myself thinking about and picking up again. I really do enjoy Courtney’s books and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

This book comes out on February 2, 2021.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/ek3UiXQuuwc

19 years old Lo is alone. After her aunt died, she has no one left in this world except for the sister she hasn’t seen in years. Shortly after the accident that killed their parents, Bea left and joined the Unity Project. She hasn’t contacted Lo since. The Project claims that Bea doesn’t want to contact Lo no matter how much she tries. Working at a renown magazine, Lo is set to uncover the secrets of the Project and reach her sister. But the Project has a very good image and, on the surface, doesn’t appear as a cult. But surely the man called Lev claiming he’s God’s messenger sent to save souls, can’t actually talk to Him and guarantee paradise to his followers, right?

I’m not a fan of contemporary YA but in this book, the main character isn’t a minor nor is her sister. It also doesn’t focus on a romance just like Summer’s other books that I have read. You see, I loved Sadie. It was truly brilliant. All the Rage wasn’t bad at all either. I wanted to give this book a try because of my previous positive with Summers. Only this book wasn’t good enough.

The book is told following two timelines throughout this book. One is from Bea’s pov (third person) and the other from Lo’s (first person). I didn’t mind going back and forth between povs but I admit, some were abrupt.

Before I explain my main issues, I want to say how solid Courtney Summers writing style is. It’s very addictive. It’s easy to read and follow all while not being “simple”. I flew through it especially since I was reading a heavy fantasy book too. <i>The Project</i> was a breath of fresh air. But don’t get me wrong, it certainly didn’t deal with light topics.

Yet, I can’t name anything else that I liked. It was just very meh and forgettable. I also didn’t <i>dislike</i> it save for two things that I couldn’t stand.
1) Lo’s character was interesting… until she started complaining about being a secretary at a well-known magazine. She wants a higher position, she wants to write, but she doesn’t have any previous experience (other than this job) nor a diploma. And I’m here, working a job I’m very overqualified for with a diploma and I’m pretty sure I earn less than her. To say this attitude annoyed me to no end is an understatement. She should be grateful. She should be working to build her skills, taking courses and certifications, <i>trying</i> to build her portfolio, instead of waiting for a promotion after a year at the company.

2) Something she shouldn’t have done, no matter how much Bea hurt her by not reaching out. Even though she didn’t do it for revenge nor hate, Lo did something inexcusable, sisters should never do. I can’t believe someone, with a character like Lo, would’ve done it. I felt like it was out of character in a way. I will add it later when the book is released because now I don’t want to post any spoilers.

Other than that, I simply didn’t enjoy the book, particularly the second half. The first half was engaging. Lo’s devotion to finding her sister even though she cut all contact with her was fascinating but again, the incident that takes place in the second half ruined it for me in a way. I have a sister myself and that’s something sisters who care and love each other would never do.

As for the Project, I was interested in how they attracted new members but I really wonder if it’s so widespread how can it manage to still be so secretive? Sure, we see how Lev attracts new members, <i>who</i> they attract, but if there was actually something bad happening, how did it never get out?

By the end and even with that ending, <b>I was completely indifferent about <i>The Project</i></b>. Luckily, it was a quick read, and thanks to the writing style, I didn’t struggle to finish it. I debated whether I should give this book 2 or 3 stars, I settled on 2. Even though I didn’t hate it, I certainly did hate a couple of things about it. On the other hand, the only thing I liked was the writing style. 3 stars books have more than that.

Briefly, I didn’t feel much reading this book. The first half was interesting but then the book took a turn I disapprove of (ha ha I feel like an uptight reader now). But the characters were the highlight of this book and I couldn’t connect to them although I have a younger sister too. I only recommend this book if you’re looking for a book revolving around cults. Or if the description interested you.

Well written book
Parts of it seemed a little rushed more near the ending. Was a slow read for me had so much going on. Enjoyed the cult aspect and learning about the sisters. Parts of it I had to stop and remember what sister was talking.
Good overall book.

Thanks to the Author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

I received a copy of this book from Wednesday Books and Netgalley.

This book was a wild read. I really enjoyed it although something's just happened a little too quickly to be entirely believable to me.

It is very well written and told from the first person of Lo and through third person, her sister Bea.

Bea joined a cult after the accident killed their parents and left Lo hospitalized and for years So has been searching for her sister.

The story focuses on the narratives of two sisters, Bea and Lo, as they slowly unfold the truth behind a religious community - The Unity Project, which is, allegedly, a cult, and on how this organization impacted the siblings' relationship.

I remember reading an article on how Courtney Summers often has different approaches to her characters from other YA authors. Well, I can guarantee that's true. Both the sisters are so unlikeable to me. But that's part of the book's appeal. Another is that it has one of the most garbage, disgusting, detestable, manipulative sickening, punchable fucks I've ever had to read about.

From what I saw, the book is tagged as 1) Young Adult, in which I'll say: It's not. Recategorize it.; 2) Mystery: This mostly failed for me because the plot twists were too predictable (If Summers wants to manipulate her readers, she needs to try harder). And 3) Thriller: Well, Part Four and Part Five of this book were really gripping. So at least we have that.

I myself have little experience with cults but the way it's seemed quite realistic and disturbing to me. Some details were so morally questionable that I had to discuss them with my friend to clear things out. Anyway, great theme, bad execution.

When I first saw the cover of The Project I was blown away. I wanted to read this book immediately. Who doesn’t love a good cult book? Unfortunately this book didn’t check all the marks for me.

I was sucked into the story in the beginning and really loved the duel perspective aspect. Courtney Summers has such a way with describing pain and lost that is truly beautiful.

Unfortunately I did find the set up of the narrative a bit confusing in this one. At about the half way point I was completely loosing interest. I saw the ending coming from a mile away. But I will say if you aren’t into true crime as much you would probably have no idea what is going to happen.

That beginning said I still really enjoyed aspects of this book. I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good sister relationship mystery. There is no denying Courtney Summers knows how to break your heart in her books. I also thought she did a really good job of representing the nature of cults and people that find themselves in them.
I gave this one a 3/5 stars.

Huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my arc in exchange for my honest review.

Oh, this book was CHILLING! I really love a good thriller and I'd only ever heard really positive things about the author, so I figured I'd give this book a shot and it really didn't let me down! I was drawn in and couldn't look away until it was over and I love that in a book more than anything. I genuinely loved this.

I wasn't the biggest fan of Sadie, possibly because I had just read a book very similar to it, but The Project was wholly original. Summers's writing was never the problem and it just shines here.

Trigger Warnings: violence, abuse, self harm, murder.

“But where is the line between what circumstances have turned you into and who you choose to be?”

I went into this book knowing nothing other than Courtney Summers is a beloved author and it was about a cult. I love books involving cults so I was incredibly excited, however I was disappointed.

This book is cantered around the after math of a tragic accident where a pair of sisters are left orphaned after a car accident. It follows Lo as she navigates young adulthood after her sister Bea cuts off contact with her in order to join a cult that allegedly saved Los life. Lo begins working in journalism and becomes obsessed with trying to find her sister as well as expose the cult to the public.

Things I liked:
* It is very quote worthy with nuggets of wisdom and interesting perspectives throughout.
* It truly kept me guessing until the end, I didn’t know what was going to happen to Lo!

Things I didn’t like:
* The pacing was off, I think the beginning was extremely slow and had me putting it down several times whereas the end felt extremely rushed.
* As stated above the end of this novel in my opinion was rushed and didn’t do the rest of the novel justice, you’re left with so many questions in the last chapter “ how did we get here?” “How did that actually happen?”
* Stylistically I don’t think a “part” approach instead of chapters worked all that well here. I think chapters would have made the novel possibly more cohesive and possibly would have made it easier to fix the slow beginning and fast ending.

Overall I had high hopes for this book but it fell short. I ended up giving it a three stars, not the worst thing I’ve ever read but I’m not sure if I have a desire to pick up any other Summers novels.

Few things are as much fun as getting to read the newest book from an author who continues to rise towards the height of her power. Courtney Summers is the Queen of YA/NA Devastation, and with good reason. Her stories, like so much great YA and NA literature, belie the idea that teen and young adult stories can’t grapple with the dark and dangerous aspects of life. The Project is a miasmic and cloying journey through the heart of a cult and out the other side. The ending, while not quite happy, demonstrates Summers’ knack for nuanced devastation, delivering just the right balance of optimism and despair.

Lo (Gloria) Denham is 19 years old with dreams of being a magazine writer. A few years ago, just as Lo was recovering from a car crash that killed her parents, Lo’s older sister, Bea, became wrapped up in the Unity Project. The Project is, to all outward appearances, a vehicle for good works to redeem humanity in the eyes of God. Frustrated by her lack of progress at the upstart magazine where she has been the editor’s assistant for a year, still hurt from the separation from her sister, Lo resolves to uncover and expose the Project—and its charismatic but reclusive leader, Lev Warren—for what it is. But she soon learns that bearding the lion in his own den is easier said than done, and the price of learning the truth of the Project and Bea’s involvement might be Lo’s very own soul.

Trigger warnings for physical, emotional, verbal abuse, as well as child abuse, parental death, car accidents.

This book is creepy—like, proper creepy. In the month or so prior to finally reading this copy from NetGalley (even though my paper copy is on pre-order for release day!), I had immersed myself in the two documentaries about the NXIVM cult. So I naturally kept comparing Lev Warren to the real-life Keith Raniere. Summers has discussed how Jonestown was the primary template for the Unity Project, but at the end of the day, if you are at all familiar with cults, you will recognize what happens here. The way that Warren deflects and uses minions to do his dirty work. The way that any criticism of the Project automatically becomes, conspiracy-theory fashion, proof that the Project is doing good work, and it’s just people who are jealous or have bad intent. The way that Warren twists your mind enough that you begin to believe his abuse of you is warranted, is what you deserve and must endure to atone and get closer to his light.

The narrative has a spiralling structure, dualistic both in timeframe and in mindset. I wasn’t a huge fan of this to begin with, but now that I look back at the novel as a whole, I appreciate it. Lo, told in first person in 2017/2018, starts skeptical of the Project yet finds herself inextricably drawn into its folds: the more she tries to discredit it, the more it seems to suck her in. Bea, told in shorter third person scenes from 2013 or so up until 2017, starts off enthusiastic about the Project and Warren, only for her disenchantment to become greater and more frantic as the story moves on. The complementary nature of the sisters’ narratives demonstrates how each person comes to a cult for different reasons, but the levers that move them into place and ultimately cause them to embrace the leader are the same. Cults act like viruses to the programming of the human mind: once they find the initial weakness that grants them entry, their MO and approach is almost always the same. Comfort. Empower. Isolate. Create dependency. In the end, the cult doesn’t want you to see yourself as a person anymore but as a part of something larger. If that sounds familiar … well, that’s why cults are so pernicious. A lot of the things we see as positive in our society can easily tip over into being cults. Humans are just messy that way.

The Project asks us to sympathize with Lo and also to marvel at her. We know as readers going into this book that the Unity Project is a cult. We know it’s bad news. So, like in a horror movie as the protagonist runs up the stairs, our first instinct as the audience is to yell at the book and wonder at why Lo doesn’t see her entrapment as it happens. This is the challenge to which Summers rises in this novel, a storytelling conundrum that proves as thorny as it is rewarding once unlocked: we all like to think we’d never join a cult, never fall for their recruitment tactics, so how does the author get the reader to sympathize with a main character who does fall for it?

Start by making your character angry. Not upset, not frustrated. Proper angry, the kind of anger that develops over time like an ulcer, burning away at you until it’s all you have left. Lo has lost everything: her parents, her sister, and even, really, herself.

Next, make the world around your character utterly unsympathetic to her emotions and needs. Paul doesn’t care about Lo or her career; he sees her as a useful employee (and he is really quite a dick). Lauren, similarly, is not a friend. Lo doesn’t get friends, doesn’t get connection. Her last real connection is with a stranger who subsequently jumps in front of a train. So you might understand why Lo’s psyche is fragile on this point: it is easier to turn your back on the world when, as far as you are concerned, the world has turned its back on you.

Finally, the carrot. Bea. Lo wants to take down the Project, yes, but deep down what she truly desires more than that is to be reunited with her sister. Warren understands this and uses this in such a cruel way, basically tearing down what is left of Lo’s sense of self by dangling that potential reunion in front of her, the carrot to the stick that was Bea’s initial estrangement. He strings Lo along even as he exposes Lo to numerous harmful encounters, psychologically and physically. No, he doesn’t cause Lo’s car accident—but he seizes every opportunity that presents itself, every crack in her exterior, and expertly applies the wedges that allow him to infiltrate and infect her very being.

Ultimately, if you sympathize with Lo as a reader, it doesn’t have to be because you think that you also could be seduced by a cult (though, let’s be real—I suspect most of us could, under the right circumstances, ego aside here). Rather, you should sympathize with Lo because Summers creates the conditions in which it becomes evident, even inevitable, that she should be seduced by a cult.

That is the project of The Project and what makes this novel so creepy. This is not a book about how cults are creepy and scary and harmful places—that would be boring and nothing new. No, this is a book about how cults could be appealing places under the right circumstances. The question, really, isn’t “why do people join cults?” but actually “why don’t more people join cults?” We like to think that cults recruit the broken and the lost, but if you find in a cult your family and your people, you are human and working as intended—that’s what the cults take advantage of, our very human need for connection.

Ok, so for the rest of the review, I’m going to get intertextual and compare The Project to Summers’ previous novel, Sadie. No spoilers, but if you haven’t read Sadie, it might not make much sense to you. If you stop here, you are not missing anything else. I hope you liked this review!

Honestly, Sadie remains my favourite, for the simple reason that Sadie’s brutal first-person narration of her single-minded revenge journey fucked me up, and I cannot get it out of my mind (body “sharp enough to cut glass” but still “a beautiful deception,” oh my god …). As much as I enjoyed The Project’s structure and storytelling overall, there is nothing quite so captivating or heart-stopping in its prose for me.

However, I think there is some value in comparing these two novels—not in trying to determine which one is better, because I think they are fundamentally different in that regard—but rather in terms of how Summers continues to evolve in her writing and storytelling.

Summers has always written about lost girls. It’s her thing, ok? Perhaps the most compelling facet of Sadie was that it was literally about a lost girl, both in the sense that Sadie was lost to us and to herself. And I think, recognizing that she had reached kind of the epitome of that particular incarnation of the lost girl narrative, Summers looked for another angle and found one for The Project. See, in many ways, The Project is an inversion of Sadie. Both are about lost girls, both are about sisters, and both are about cults.

Whaaat, you say? Sadie has nothing about cults in it! Except, dear reader, that book is all about the cult of the Lost Girl as seen in our media. West McCray’s entire half of the story is about establishing this, exploring the way that we as a society mythologize, idealize, and sacrifice these Lost Girls. Having never met Sadie, West himself forms this ersatz picture of her that we get to compare to the girl we know from her own (unreliable) narration. His podcast is the continuation in a long line of media fixation with what happens to the girls and women in our society too damaged for us to “fix.” We don’t just love trainwrecks; we worship them to the point of causing them.

So both novels are about cults, although the cult in The Project is much more straightforward and obvious. Additionally, both novels feature an intense bond between sisters. Whereas in Sadie only the eponymous sister has a voice, in this book both sisters get a chance to share their experiences with us. In many ways, Mattie is a MacGuffin: she exists as a memory for Sadie to cling to, her only tentative link back to a humanity that has, for all intents and purposes, rejected her. In contrast, The Project is where Summers digs deeper into the idea of sororal bonds by examining how Bea feels about Lo and vice versa and helping us to understand that their relationships can be equally intense yet not reciprocal.

And so the inversion: The Project turns inwards what Sadie left diffuse: the cult, making it a more focused and defined phenomenon versus its metaphoric status in Sadie; likewise, it turns outwards and makes more explicit what Sadie left implicit and ineffable: the relationships between two lost girls.

Both of these novels deserve accolades, and while I might prefer one to another, what I have discovered by doing this comparison (this is why I love writing reviews; they help me understand my feelings about a book) is that The Project struck a chord in me that Sadie did not. And that is what is so valuable about authors like Courtney Summers: even as her work explores similar motifs time and again, each of her books is its own self-contained symphony, recombining those motifs to explore new and valuable themes.

The Project is about loss, but it is also about (false) hope for redemption. The idea that there is something very human about wanting to be forgiven, to be told it is all right, you are all right. It is a novel about power and how we are willing to give it up before we even realize we have it, because part of being human is valuing connection and belonging even at the expense of our independence. Because the world, the whole world, is so scary and random that, in the face of something like a car accident, the small amount of power we possess seems so trivial that when someone more apparently powerful asks us to give it up, we might say, “Why not?” In the face of uncertainty, a certain face can feel like a life preserver, even while their hands tie the rock around our waist that ultimately drags us to the bottom, smiling along the way.

So … I guess I liked this book?