Courtney Summers has an incredible way of writing well-rounded, flawed characters that you cannot help but love. When you mix that with Summers’ heartbreaking, tragic storytelling, it’s a perfect pair. And I loved that a story of sisterhood is really at the heart of the book. 
The Project was a bit slow-moving. With every turn of the page, it felt like the story wasn’t really progressing into much for me. The timeline jumps back and forth between the past and present with each sister telling their side of the story before it all comes together at the end - another gift Summers has. No one can wrap up a story quite like her.

I found the cult aspect of the book to be really interesting. It felt authentic and wasn’t overly flashy with dramatics like it is easy to do when dealing with cults centered around religion. The members of The Project felt like normal, everyday people with their own personal reasons for being there. While getting to know the characters on the page, it is easy to see how quickly and easily vulnerable people looking for a place in this world can fall into these groups that prey upon them.

The Project is a good young adult thriller and great for those who enjoy reading cult-specific plots.

This was a charismatic read that left me questioning what was truly real. Despite knowing in my heart that The Unity Project was a cult, I couldn't help but sympathize with their cause and that's a true credit to the writing. It became so easy to see how someone could get wrapped up in false promises and a perceived religious backing. I loved being able to hear from Lo and Bea's perspectives, though I felt that the ending was a bit rushed.

I like the approach of a non-linear narrative, but for me, it was at times difficult to follow the pacing and characters. The development of the novel was a bit slow but it was an incredibly interesting premise and was fascniating once it developed.

I've tried really hard to connect with this story, but it's just not happening. I find it disjointed and needlessly confusing. I don't have any connections with the characters or any reason to care what's going on. Overall I'm just bored.

This was everything I wanted in a cult book. I felt like I understood why people joined and why people stayed. I loved it as a sister book. And the twists and turns were exactly what I'd expect from Courtney Summers. <3

Lo Denham lost her parents, and almost her own life, to a tragic car accident. She lost her older sister, Bea, to The Unity Project, a religious group that's known for its public outreach and good works. Now, Lo is determined to reunite with Bea and find out why her sister abandoned her after the accident. As intrigued as I am by cults, I couldn't get into this one. The plot builds slowly and some questions are never answered.

This is a case of "its me not you" type of thing i love the concept of this story i just don't like Courtney Summers writing but i did skim the last 15% just to see what happened.

I;m giving it 3 stars because if it wasn't for the writing style i would have liked this story.

Wow. Just wow.

Courtney Summers wrote one of my favorite YA books, Some Girls Are. Something about it just stayed with me for a long time after reading the last page. When I saw The Project and read the description on NetGalley, I just had to request it.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC.

Bea Denham was living a happy life with her family when tragedy strikes. An accident takes her parents away, leaving her younger sister, Lo, fighting for her life in the hospital in a critical condition. In a desperate moment, she prays for Lo and that’s how Lev Warren and The Unity Project enter her life.

Lo, now a nineteen year old, working for a newspaper, hasn’t heard from Bea in years and she’s blocked by The Project when she attempts to contact her. Her sister doesn’t want to talk to her. But Lo wants to find her and ask her why.
On her way to work one day, she sees a young man, Jeremy, who seems to recognize her but then tragically commits suicide right in front of her eyes. That’s when the dominoes start falling and she starts hounding the project to meet her sister.

Saying anything else will give away more of the story. I went into it blind and it was an experience.

The story is slow in the beginning and I found myself wondering if I could continue. Without my knowledge somehow the story just started becoming so interesting that i couldn’t put it down.
When I started reading, I was unsure about the story being told in two perspectives and in two different points of time. It almost brought me out of it a few times. But as I read further, I realized what a great decision it was.

Suffice to say, this is definitely one to watch out for. So glad to have read it!

I devoured this book in a single night. Such a fascinating portrayal of cult behavior; the characters were sympathetic and engaging, and I loved that we got to track Lo's descent into the same cult mindset that had ensnared her sister.

Wow sooooo good! I am a huge fan of this author and this one did not disappoint! I can't wait to make all of my family and friends read it!

I was so psyched when I got this book and couldn’t wait to dig in because I’m a big cult buff, but man it wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I can get behind a slow burn, building up the suspense etc., but this book never took fire for me. It was slow all the way through, none of the characters were super loveable (or detestable for that matter), and it didn’t meet my expectations at all.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Holy cow... what to say about this fantastic book....
First off, The Project is a new thriller by one of the best YA thriller authors, Courtney Summers. You may know her from the book Sadie about a girl in search of her parents who left her and her sister at a young age. The Project is another family tale. This time we follow a girl who was saved from death, accordingly at the hands of the leader of a religious family. She is in search of her sister who joined this group.
I honestly had no idea who to believe through the book. Summers planted clues and fake clues so well that I was almost on the side of the cult until the real bad stories started to surface. Characters were so dynamic and our friendly cult leader really sold it so well once we started meeting him in person.
Thank you so much for this read! My copy is preordered for my shelf!

*Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the eARC from Netgalley.

1.25 / 5 stars

*may contain slight spoiler hints about the ending
*religious cult and abuse trigger warning

Lo Deham has always wondered what drove her sister to The Unity Project group and away from her. When Lo was young and suffered from a tragic accident, her sister turned to other means of help. Lo was close to not making a recovery after the accident she was in. Lo’s sister Bea went through a hard time during Lo’s hospitalization. Lev Warren from The Unity Project was there for Bea as her sister fought for her life. According to Bea, Lev saved Lo’s life and her wellbeing is a physical example of a miracle he made. After Lev supposedly saves Lo, Bea decides to commit herself to The Unity Project group and community. Because of Bea’s choice, the sisters lose touch and Lo cannot get in contact with Bea. When an event occurs involving an individual who is part of this unity project, Lo decides to investigate what the project is up to, and how it involves her sister.

I will start off by saying that I wish that this book included that it was more religious cult focused. The synopsis with this is a bit vague and misleading, so here is my content warning for you all.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but this just was not it. I will say that I did enjoy some of this, but overall it just did not work for how it should have been. Some of the inclusions toward the end of this were just so puzzling and counterproductive.

I really liked the set up with this. I like how Lo decides to investigate the project that her sister abandoned her for. I wish the reader could see her actively digging deeper and doing good investigation skills. We see some of this to an extent, but it just was not fleshed-out well. I feel like the story had a lot of transition convenience and ease at times.

I will admit that I did not love the whole religious cult idea. I just do not really care to read about that stuff. I knew this would contain cult content, but the synopsis is a bit vague on the type. I think that this should be changed and addressed.

Lo was an okay character at first. Like I said, I wanted her to be a bit more hands-on and do some more critical thinking, and I will say she tried. I definitely preferred the scenes when she investigated some and tried to dig deeper into the complexity of The Unity Project. I really felt for her as she learned new things about her sister and the confusion she has on where her sister is and why she left her.

I really love that the author ended up making the story split perspective. While we do focus on Lo, we do see past snippets from Bea. I much preferred Bea’s chapters. I found her story to be quite captivating and I like how so much is revealed. Bea definitely has the main exposure of the project. I also enjoyed some of the twists with Bea.

The reason that this book has such a low rating for me is because of Lo. With how the falling action begins to play out, Lo has a complete character change that makes absolutely no sense. Lo could have been a strong character, but that is destroyed at the end. I felt like I could no longer recognize Lo. Lo basically becomes reliant on a man in a situation that she knows is totally toxic. She obliterates any strength she had. To me, this was one of the worst falling action / transition into the resolution, that I have ever read. I want female empowerment, not ridiculous character decisions that lead to a woman giving up herself to become an ornament of man. Lo becomes an ornament. It happens and it makes no sense at all.

I still do not understand this choice of ending. It was ridiculous and made me end up disliking the book so much. All of the good inclusions with Lo ended up becoming covered up with an ending that basically discredits them.

This book is definitely one of those that one will GET and LOVE, or not. There is no in between.

The entire storyline, while slow, is so beautifully written. It follows the timeline of Lo and Bea; two sisters who have drifted apart due to tragedy, and faith. Bea has turned to The Project after the founder, Lev, “brings Lo back to life.” The tangled web of Lo trying to get Bea back sends Lo right into the clutches of the Project, and she has to fight her way out.

The story is beautiful, heart breaking and tragic. It highlights blind faith, and the amount of manipulation that is possible for some people to master. It’s terrifying, as we walk through life and pass by people who could easily prey on us in our weakest moments and we wouldn’t even know it.

As I said above, you either love this book or you hate it. It’s either a 5 star, or a 1. There is no in between. So, my advice for those who have never read a Courtney Summers book before: Do not start with this one. Get your feet wet with another one of her books because this is heavy and requires attention to detail.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. Oh the bonds of sisterhood, wasn't what I expected and pleasantly surprised.

I absolutely loved Sadie and when I saw that Courtney Summers had a new book out I knew I had to read it. She did not disappoint me. I highly recommend this book! **My review could contain spoilers for some**

**Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

Lo Denham is in a terrible car accident that killed both of her parents and almost killed her. Bea is Lo’s sister and after the accident that almost killed her whole family she decides to join The Unity Project, an organization that appears to do a lot of good for the community. By doing so, she cuts herself off from Lo. Lo knows something is off about Unity Project and spends the next six years trying to prove it. Her like many others claims it is a cult. Someone comes to Lo claiming The Unity Project killed his son and Lo stops at nothing to get to the bottom of what’s going on. Once she meets and learns more about Lev, the leader of the Unity Project, she’s not sure what to believe anymore.

What did I like:
1. Courtney Summers does an pretty chilling and accurate portrayal how a leader can easily gaslight and manipulate it’s members. How these charismatic individuals know just the right things to say or do. I even found myself cheering for Lev at times. Yikes!
2. It’s told in dual timelines as well as two different perspectives. It was easy to follow and understand. I absolutely love these two things and Summers does it flawlessly!
3. The ending! Somehow Summers always leaves me wanting more with her endings. I mean this in a good way. I enjoy how she leaves it up to the readers interpretation.

What did I not like:
1. The story is a slow build. It take some time to get going. There isn’t a ton of action in the story but its still definitely worth the read. It would have been nice to learn more about the Unity Projects darker side or at the very least more hints to that darker side.
2. I wish there was more development into the relationship between Lo and Lev. I really want to say more about that but can’t because I do not want to completely spoil the story. You’ll just have to take my word for it. haha.

This was an excellent book to bring up ideals of cults and how people can fall prey to them without even realizing they are in an abusive and manipulative situation.

This was a fantastic read from Courtney Summer! I’ve always been interested in cults and learning how people are drawn into their grasp, and it came as no surprise that Lo’s sister, Bea, was lured into The Unity Project. Many cults hide behind their good works and dedication to serving their community. In Bea’s case, she witnesses a miracle performed by The Unity Project’s leader, Lev Warren, when Lo is hospitalized after an accident that killed their parents. Now convinced of his legitimacy, she stays with The Unity Project and leaves Lo in the care of her aunt.

But Lo’s path crosses with The Unity Project again years later when she investigates them for the magazine she works for. She wants to prove there is a darker side to The Unity Project and hopefully reunite with her sister. But everything she thought she knew about cults and Bea is thrown out the window once she delves deeper into The Project. Will she expose their secrets or will she too become a believer?

I truly enjoyed reading this book and was surprised by how much The Unity Project revealed and how convincing it all was. I honestly wasn’t sure how it would end, but I’m glad it ended the way it did. Highly recommend this one!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3670846310

I loved Courtney Summers' Sadie, so I was super excited to try The Project, and I was not disappointed! This was a super fun, suspenseful read that kept me up late! I can't wait to see what else she has up her sleeves.

I was unable to download this book or read it on my phone/iPad it was giving me a file upload error so I’m unable to give a full review.