Summers is amazing. Her ability to write about so many important human and cultural topics with absolute subtly amazes me. This book does not disappoint. Additionally, this was well researched. I have researched the tactics of Jim Jones and the basic human needs and vulnerabilities of which he and other cult leaders take advantage. This writing is spot on.
I suggest this book to adults and teens. Note- I know know Summers is viewed as YA but the main protagonist is an adult. I suggest parents order this book for kids and definitely that librarians order for their collections.

I’ve never read a book like this before, so it was definitely interesting. Cults are so fascinating and something that doesn’t really get talked about often. Reading this book provided me with a lot of insight into how people become involved in cults, which I never really quite understood before. The one thing I didn’t like about the book was the style the story was told in. The story kept going back in forth in time, switching between Bea’s POV and Lo’s POV, and it was often hard for me to distinguish one voice from the other.

The Project by Courtney Summers is such an incredible story! I loved the fast paced story and plot, it kept me on the edge of my seat!

Honestly-- I loved this book.
I thought this book was brilliant.
I thought that cover was absolutely stunning.
I think Courtney will forever be known from this book.

What was slow to start ended up being interesting and quickly paced. The character dynamic and the plot really sealed the deal for me on this one.

As a huge fan of Courtney Summers' work, this book had a lot of expectations and did not disappoint. I found the writing and overall storytelling to be just as compelling in this story and was instantly hooked.

Another winner from Courtney Summers. The premise of sisters torn apart by a cult and the insight into the minds of those who are followers were engaging and compelling. I definitely needed to see what happens next! Great read

I really liked the premise of this book, but it never really grabbed my attention throughout the story. It's centered around a cult-like religion and the mystery surrounding it. The cult leader is charismatic and elusive and Lo, the main character, tries to learn more about him and his cult, knowing that her sister has become involved with the project. I would read more by this same author, but I would not necessarily recommend this book to friends looking for an engrossing psychological thriller.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Project by Courtney Summers is a story about family, trust, and finding your place in the world. First Bea then her sister Lo fall into a group called The Unity Project. An air of mystery surrounds the story as the reader tries to figure out what is going on. Will the sisters reunite? Where is Bea? Who can be trusted? Does Lev really have God's power? Lo is desperate to find her sister, and later, to rescue more family. The book is sneaky as it tries to persuade the reader to become a believer too. Secrets eventually come out. As they should. YA readers will enjoy this book.

Adult realistic fiction. Bea is only six when her sister Lo is born, but she takes over the big sister role beautifully. Bea knows how important a big sister is to a younger. This becomes even more important after a horrific accident--the girls need to stick together. But, as adults, the sisters become separated because Bea has joined the Project which has been compared to a cult. So when Lo gets the opportunity to report on the Project as a journalist, she knows that she must do everything she can to get her sister back. Can she save her sister?! Quite a spell-binding book. I had difficulty putting it down!!

I REALLY enjoyed this one. I didn't like "Sadie" as much as everyone else but I thought this book was engaging and exciting. Would definitely recommend.

I was lucky enough to be one of the first 500 NetGalley reviewers to receive a copy of Courtney Summer's new book The Project.

You may be thinking, "Courtney Summers, I know that name."
You definitely do, she wrote one of my all time favorite YA novels, Sadie.

Excuse my language, but holy shit this book took me on a trip.

The Project follows sister, Bea and Lo.
The book starts with their parents getting killed in a car accident; Lo is on the brink of death, and Bea just can't handle a world without her in it. Six years have passed since The Unity Project Leader, Lev, performed a miracle. Bea believes wholeheartedly that Lev brought her sister back from the dead, which begins her love affair with the cult.

Lo has never been the same since the accident. She's been trying to find a way to live through her words, that's why she wants to be a writer. She wants to leave a legacy. But more importantly, she wants her sister back. The Unity Project isolates members from their families, cuts them off from the outside world, and believes they have all been chosen by God, and handpicked by Lev.
This book was pure insanity because I felt myself becoming attached to the members of The Unity Project. There were times were I literally had to set my Kindle down and ask myself who the good guys really were. I had to digest that maybe The Project wasn't all bad, maybe Bea really did abandon her sister for a good cause. Maybe Lo understood that her regular life would never amount to a life within The Project. Maybe the bad guys are the good guys and the good guys are the bad guys. To read a story that really flipped the narrative was amazing.

Mark your calendars, The Project hits shelves February 2, 2021!

Courtney Summers has crafted a novel that brings you in so that you feel you are living it alongside the characters she has created. Lo takes on the task of trying to prove The Unity Project- the “group” her sister Bea joined is a cult. A cult that is easy to get in to, but impossible to get out of. Can the sisterly bond that Lo has with her big sister be enough to save Bea... after The Project saved Lo?

Lo has been through so much and is so alone. Bea was so afraid after the accident that she was seeking solace. Is Lev the answer to both of their prayers?

I’ve always found anything about cults to be absolutely fascinating and this book didn’t disappoint. It didn’t totally blow me away. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

Courtney Summers is an author who succeeds in destroying you as a reader every time, but keeps you coming back for more as a result of her ability to transport you into the intensity of the circumstances, standing along characters you know well enough to be friends .

The Project introduces us to sisters Lo and Bea, who have experienced their share of tragedy, starting with the death of their parents in a car accident. From there, the sisters find themselves directly intertwined with The Unity Project at varying, but rarely simultaneous, times in their lives. Some say The Unity Project, or more aptly, the leader, Lev Warren, is their saving grace, where others tell a more horrific tale just before tragedy befalls them. Readers will feel the intense cult-like vibes right from the get-go, and have every right to be suspicious of the all-too-omnipotent, Lev Warren.

It's another knock-out! #WelcometotheProject

Thank you to @Netgalley and @WednesdayBooks for the ARC! I'm one happy librarian!

When Bea and her sister Lo lost their parents in a car accident, they also lost each other. Lo was in the car, almost died, and sustained life-changing injuries. Bea meets a man in the hospital chapel who promises her that everything will work out fine. Bea believes him and leaves Lo behind to join The Unity Project.
The story is told in two timelines from both Bea and Lo's perspectives. When a member of The Unity Project commits suicide, Lo is determined to make contact with her sister. She finds that her long-held beliefs may not be correct, about her sister and this organization. Lev Warren, the charismatic leader might just hold the key to her salvation. Lev was one of the most intriguing characters I have read in a long time. Hero or villain, savior or devil, I hung on his every word and all of his actions trying to decide.
We then follow Bea from her introduction to The Unity Project's members. She believes in the good work they do, and doesn't hesitate in her commitment to Lev, after all, he saved Lo's life. While she misses her sister, she knows that the day will come when they are together again.
I took a peek at my Kindle at the 40% read mark, and I was pretty sure I knew how this would end. In some ways I was correct, and in others, I was not even close. The biggest question is whether or not The Unity Project is a place where good things happen or a cult. No spoilers here, so for that answer, you will need to read The Project.
I enjoyed almost all of this fast-paced and tragic story. A lot is revealed by both Bea and Lo as the book wraps up, and to me, it felt a little bit rushed. Then as I was considering what I read, I realized that the most important parts were covered in not knowing what the truth was. It was the journeys of both sisters, their pain, their losses, and how it changed their lives. Granted, I wouldn't have been happy without resolution, but I don't think the ending could have been expanded without sacrificing the tension that builds during The Project. Kudos to that cover! 4.5 stars.

I'd have given 3.5 stars if that was possible because I did eventually get sucked in to the story, but it was very challenging to get into it at first. I appreciate a story that switches perspectives, and one that switches timelines, but in this book it was too much. There were too many timelines to keep track of, and I felt very confused about the order of events until at least midway through the book.

That being said, I eventually got past it & enjoyed the overall progression of the story. I also appreciated that it had a solid resolution at the end. If you are into cult fiction or thrillers, you'll enjoy this story.

4.5

I found this an absorbing read full of graceful, emotion-evocative prose, even though I was pretty sure I knew where it was going, and indeed it followed the usual trajectory of books whose marketing screams CULT!

At the center are two sisters, some years apart. We're introduced to them in glimpses before we discover that the elder has vanished inside The Unity Project, a group that claims to be open to all as it works very hard for the underprivileged and disenfranchised in poor areas of cities.

I am not fond of novels that jump back and forth in time, and I found that narrative choice distracting in this one, but the central drive was strong enough to keep me reading as broken (physically and emotionally) Lo Denham, a budding journalist, butts up hard against The Project as she tries to communicate with her sister, who vanished into the cult years ago.

Lo finally gains access, and the pacing picks up exponentially, introducing complex characters about whom I began to care deeply. Another thing I appreciated is that Summers avoided driving straight into the self-righteous (and bigoted) swamp of "all religious people are cultists/idiots/bigots" that is The Message of too many cult novels. Summers writes with grace and sympathy for skeptics and believers of all varieties, as Lo slowly begins to close in on her sister.

The book left me in admiration, as well as emotionally gut-punched.

I'm a huge fan of Courtney Summers in general and I enjoyed this new title as well. Summers is keeping the sisterhood theme from Sadie going here in the Project, but with a cult-y twist. Other elements reminded me of another of her books, Fall for Anything. The pacing is fairly strong, the twists surprising and the writing is excellent. My main issue fall with the shifts in time frame within chapter sections. It's a bit confusing as there are clearly chapter breaks for other time/narrator shifts, but not others. In one paragraph, a character will be in one location and then in the next it's hours later in another location with no indication that there's a jump. I'm sure it's a stylistic choice, but it's a little jarring as a reader when you feel like you're missing something and have to reread to discover that no, you didn't miss anything, the narrative simply jumped from one paragraph to the next without warning. I suspect a lot of younger readers will find it frustrating and/or confusing. Otherwise, a very compelling read.

This was my third Courtney Summers book, and after Sadie was one of my favorite books of 2018, I had high expectations for this one. It did not disappoint. It was interesting, different, dark, well-written, and intense in ways I wasn't expecting. I also liked that this was more new adult than YA, which made it a little bit faster-paced for me (I read it in a day).

I'm really looking forward to what she writes next.