A parallel storyline told several years apart involving two orphaned sisters and a cult that warrants investigation. Bea left her sister Lo to join Lev's cult, The Unity Project, and now aspiring journalist Lo wants to find her sister and expose the cult, especially after a member jumps in front of a train right before her eyes. As she digs deeper into the mystery, she becomes more intertwined with the members and more invested in discovering Lev's crimes. Unfortunately, for me, I didn't feel that the back-and-forth narrative kept me engaged and often left me confused. Summers uses purposefully chosen, ambiguous language that leaves the reader uneasy and drawing their own conclusions. Why did Jeremy jump in front of the train? What did Arthur's online network of informants discover? Who was making the phone calls to Lo? Reading the advance copy e-book version probably didn't help--the transitions between storylines are not well-defined. Ultimately, I was disappointed.

“𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒘 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒐 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒕 𝒂 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔.”
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With two dead parents and an estranged sister, Lo Denham would like nothing more than to lock her traumatic past away and contribute to society through her writing. But when the publication she works for lands on a story about Lev Warren and his infamous The Unity Project, she knows she has to be the one to write it- with or without the go ahead from her boss. The Unity Project isn’t just another organization, it’s the cult Lo’s sister has deserted her for.

Family secrets are revealed and traumatic pasts unveiled with characters you’ll be screaming at to wake the hell up! Will Lo get her sister back or will she fall face first into the ideologies of the one and only Lev Warren?
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I love a good cult story. Courtney Summers knows a thing or two about writing books that will hit you in your deepest nerve. The Project is no exception. If you’re interested in deep rooted family troubles, cults or sibling bonds - you might want to pick this up. Set to release in February 2021.
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Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for providing my review copy.

The Project was fast paced, moving effortlessly back and forth between years and points of views. The cover is truly stunning. I really got sucked into the whole story hungry for the ending. There’s definitely a mysterious undertone to the book. Lo’s journey to find her sister and herself is hard to put down. Thanks net galley and St. Martin’s press of the arc n an exchange for my guest review.

What a thrilling read! At first it seemed like this was a story only about two sisters trying to reconnect after years apart with the Unity Project just being in the background. The Unity Project plays a pivotal role in the book. The twists were delightfully shocking. I really enjoyed the ending.

The Project is a harsh reminder how cults easily prey on people that are broken, lonely, feel isolated from their friends and family, and also desire something in their life to help them atone for things they have done in their past. The story goes back and forth between 2 sisters, Bea and Lo who are ripped apart after a terrible accident claims the lives of their parents. Bea begins her life in The Unity Project with its leader Lev who she quickly develops a deep affection for after he "saved" her sister from death. 6 years later, we find Lo working in the city and she witnesses the suicide of Jeremy, who happened to be a member of the project. This sets Lo in motion to start investigating the project and find out were her sister is.

After reading a couple of books on Scientology and the brainwashing that occurs, as well as the recent prosecution of the NXIVM cult leader, this story is definitely based on things that occur in real life. Cults mind-fuck with people so much that those imbedded in the cult believe what they are told to believe. Overall, The Project was a well-written fictional account of cult relationships, as well as the sisterly bond of Bea and Lo.

Twisty, dark, and delicious. A triumph of a novel exploring the nuances of what it means to snap. Amazing,

I'm conflicted on this one. I love Courtney Summers, and most of her books have been excellent for me, but there were a lot of parts in this one where I felt lost or confused (and not in the good, "this will all be clear later" way). I know I'll still buy it for my classroom library when it's published because it WILL be of interest to some of my students, but it's not my favorite of her books. Sadie was also a little confusing at times - this one is that kind of confusing but ratcheted up about ten notches.

Courtney Summers has yet to disappoint me with a book. This is another compulsively readable, wild ride of a book. Summers always keeps the reader on their toes and this is no exception. The book is told in alternating, past, and past chapters. The past from older sister, Bea's perspective, and the present from younger sister, Lo's. Even though I suspected what was going to happen, I almost didn't believe it truly would, down the moment it was actually coming to pass. There was a lot of questioning myself because Summers wants to keep you guessing and whats you to think about what she is telling you and what she is not..

WIthout giving too much away, Lo is investigating her sister, Bea's disappearance into a faith-based religious organization called The Unity Project. An organization that Lo believes is a cult. Lo wants to be a journalist/ And though her boss isn't really offering her a promotion from assistant to writer, Lo takes matters into her own hands and decides if she gets a good scoop on the Unity Project and delivers the written story to him, he will be forced to acknowledge her value as a writer and promote her.

Lo has a traumatic past, having been nearly killed in a car crash that DID kill both her parents when she was 13. Lo barely survives- it's a miracle!- but when she is released from the hospital her sister is already gone, having joined the Unity Project. They don't speak again. What follows is Lo seeking the truth about her sister and trying to deal with her own trauma. I spent a lot of this book second-guessing everything about The Project itself. It's very God-heavy which is something I usually can't deal with in books, but in this case, it's the only way to go about explaining the ins and outs of this organization. It feels a lot like Scientology crossed with NXIVM. And only having watched about half a dozen documentaries on various cults and listening to just as many podcasts made me able to see through what I though Summers was doing with this narrative and with her presentation of The Project itself.

The ending gets twisty and it was unexpected. Highly recommend.

Wow. I could not put this book down. It was absolutely intoxicating. I predicted some of the twists and while I'm not sure I loved the ending, I really loved the experience about reading this book. Great exploration of trauma, grief, and healing.

Not bad but not great. I found it a little complicated to follow with the back and forth in time. I did not find the characters believable.

** A copy of The Project was provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **

Courtney Summers does it again! The Project is gripping and haunting, but still manages to hit you with all the emotions. The story is a rollercoaster, and is a very in-depth look at indoctrination, faith and cults. Lo and Bea are both struggling and searching for something to hold on to. Courtney Summers writes them beautifully - you really do understand their emotions and thoughts.

Also bonus: I read this right after watching The Vow, and the parallels are haunting!

This books is right up my alley. I love the multiple timelines, dual perspective and the content (cults, sisters, death, writing) are all things I love to read about. I loved these characters and how Summers showed the nuance on how someone can get sucked in and how people are convinced to stay in.

I was given an ARC of this book, and I am so glad that I have it a read. The story of Lo and her struggles of belonging resonate deeply with me, and I know I am not the only one; we all want a place of belonging. A family. A purpose. That’s what makes this story so eerie; getting caught up in someone else’s lies so easily that you start to believe whatever it is they say of you, rather than what you say of yourself. Also, I definitely had to call my sister and tell her I loved her after reading this. In all, we will be purchasing this one for the library I work at, and I’ll be recommending it. It legit left me feeling a little haunted, a little sad, and a little hopeful all at once. It made me think more about faith, and how it is so easy to misconstrue things (I’m attempting to make this spoiler free, so if you know, you know.” And I couldn’t help but have this particular verse from the word of God in my head whilst reading this one, “And Lo, I am with you always, even until the ends of the earth.” Matt 28:20.

**Full review to be added to my blog, Goodreads, NetGalley, and Amazon closer to publication!**

This is the first Courtney Summers novel I've read, but after all the rave reviews I've heard for her other books I had pretty high expectations--and I'm happy to say that I was not disappointed in the slightest! This book is an intense, emotional, and utterly captivating ride that I could not put down. I was constantly hooked on finding out what would happen next in Lo's unpredictable journey, and Courtneys did an excellent job in crafting such a well-written and impossible to put down read.

"The Project" was sort of an odd book. At its core, the book is about the lure of a cult. When Gloria (Lo) Denham was thirteen, she was in a car accident that killed her parents, almost killed her, and left her physically and emotionally scarred. In the aftermath of the accident, Lo's older sister, Bea, becomes involved with Lev Warren and The Unity Project. Bea believes that Lev saved Lo physically and that Lev can save Bea spiritually. The Unity Project has been called a cult before, but no one has been able to prove anything negative about it, in contrast to its very public service projects and outreach efforts -- drop-in shelters throughout the city, mentor programs, programs for addicts, at-risk youth, domestic violence victims, charity projects, etc. When Bea joined The Unity Project, she cut herself off (or was cut off) from Lo. Over the years, Lo has tried to find Bea, but the leaders of The Unity Project have prevented her. However, after she witnesses a young man (Jeremy) who knew her sister and was a member of The Unity Project commit suicide, Lo, an aspiring journalist, sets out to write an expose of The Unity Project and find out the truth about her sister.

The book alternates between events after the accident, especially Bea's involvement in The Unity Project and how it evolves over time, and the present day efforts of Lo to discover the "truth" about The Unity Project. Over time, Lo finds that she is given unexpected access to Lev and she finds herself questioning what she believed. However, someone else is setting out to destroy The Unity Project.

The author does a good job of expressing the allure of a cult and how a skillful, manipulative leader can utilize a mixture of praise, hope, shame, fear and punishment to convince others to believe in a doctrine and carry out its tenets, even to their own detriment at times. What The Unity Project seems to provide is a sense of greater purpose and an ability to truly make a difference in the world. The author does a good job of portraying how the accident and its aftermath have defined Lo's life, leaving her "incomplete" and cynical.

There are times when the story feels incomplete. There are numerous instances where the author leaves out details because she intends to reveal them later in the story, and it is often obvious that is what she is doing. However, there are other times where something is happening and then suddenly it shifts to a new scene or later period in time and it feels like part of the story is just being skipped over. Lev's downfall, when it finally happens, is also somewhat unsatisfying and strains credulity even in the overall context of the story.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I don't know what to say about this book. This is the first time I didn't like one of her books and I can't really even put my finger on exactly what it is but something feels like its missing. The plot ended and there was an ending but it felt so dead and incomplete. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. I expected more of an explanation about Bea and I didn't get one.

The biggest question I got from this book is: Will Courtney Summers ever disappoint me? Because she hasn't and I don't think she ever will. When I saw that she had a new book coming out, I was thrilled so you can only imagine my excitement with Wednesday Books and NetGalley approved me for the title.

I loved the idea of a fiction book written about someone investigating a cult that they were personally affected by. The story answers really shows the ease at which one can be groomed and how people can lose who they truly are. I am very excited for this to publish because I know many people will love it as much as I did.

This book was a straight up struggle for me to get through, and I do not feel like this book was on the same par as Courtney Summers’s previous novels. I loved Sadie, and reading this was a slog.

I wanted this arc so badly, and I’m so appreciative to receive it, but this was just not for me, and I don’t know that I would recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a free eARC of this novel. My opinions are my own.

What would you sacrifice to save your sister’s life? Is that sacrifice worth it?

Courtney Summers, already a game-changer in the genre of coming-of-age suspense, continues to change the game even more. I am absolutely blown away by “The Project.” I read this book within two hours, because it just zapped me into the story, the world, and I don’t know if it’s too soon to say, but I feel forever changed after reading this.

Whether Young Adult is your thing or not, The Project will entice readers of all ages — teen and up, though.

Thank you SO much to St. Martin’s Press, Netgalley, and Courtney Summers for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest and bias free review.

What secrets does The Unity Project hide? Lo Denham has been plagued as a miracle child after being the only survivor of a car accident. Working as an assistant at news publication, Lo feels that her life is at a standstill, until a young man approaches her before jumping in front of train. The young man was part of The Unity Project, a group of people who are looking for something to believe in. It is also the same group that her older sister, Bea, joined after Lo miraculously woke up. Now on a mission to find out the secrets of The Unity Project and what happened to her sister, Lo is allowed to interview the groups leader to find out the truth. Courtney Summers illustrates high levels of suspense making the reader feel on edge and wanting to find out the truth. The Project will remind readers of her previous book, Sadie, as they are unsure what direction the story will take and how much Summers is willing to reveal. Perfect for fans of Courtney Summers books and those who enjoy biting their fingernails with anticipation.