Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - The Project

tw: premature birth, hospitals, parental death, car accident, suicide, parental abandonment, burns, corporal punishment, infidelity, drowning, death

One of my latest fascinations is cults. In fact, over the course of a year (thanks to a 30-minute commute to my job), I listened to a podcast about cults. I’m going to be posting my thoughts on that at a later time but I will let you know that it is on Spotify. It’s called Cults and it’s from the Parcast Network. Anyway, I don't know what it is about cults, but they intrigue me. It’s hard for me to understand how anyone could get sucked into one but they do.

That’s why I was so intrigued with this book albeit a little hesitant. I knew it was about cults. But I've been having a hell of a time trying to connect with Courtney Summers’ writing. She has written excellent books but I just can't seem to get into them. In the last two books I’ve read of hers (Sadie and Cracked Up to Be), I rated three stars. Which is a good rating for me but I wanted to love them since I know a lot of people love her books.

That changed with this book. I loved this book! It started out a bit slow initially and I struggled to pay attention. But I knew that if I persevered, the ending would be worth it. And it was! After a couple of chapters, the book quickly picked up and I was hooked. I did call a lot of the twists but that didn’t hinder my enjoyment. I was glad I was right.

Lev, the leader of the Unity Project, reminded me of the Unification Church (or as they are more commonly called, the Moonies) led by Sun Myung Moon. Moon, along with Lev, had a vision and wanted to “help the world” but behind closed doors, they were not the person they presented themselves to be to the public and if I’m being honest, I almost bought into Lev’s BS, for lack of better words. He did seem very convincing and I was thinking to myself, this group can’t be that bad, can it?

Lo was a great main character. She was incredibly unlikable at times and I just wanted to shake some sense into her. But I really did like her and was rooting for her the whole way through. We also got a point of view of Bea, her sister. At first, I was so upset with her. But as the story progressed, I understood her, and I understood her motives. That doesn’t mean I liked it but I got where she was coming from. I would do anything for my sister, too. I’m not so sure I would abandon my sister for a cult, however.

Overall, this is the best Courtney Summers book I’ve read so far. I’m glad that I preserved and kept trying her books. I knew that eventually, I’d find a book I’d like of hers. I think it helps that it was about a topic I’m very much invested in. I also think I’ve gotten used to the way Courtney Summers writes and also how she writes her characters, which are unlikable female characters. I highly recommended this book especially if you are interested in cults and enjoy Courtney Summers's books.

Content Warnings

honeybeewitched87's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

horizonous's review

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dark mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

The main issue I have with this book is that I almost got whiplash from jumping from chapter to chapter. SO MUCH happens in such a short time you get no time to process it - especially in the last quarter when all of a sudden (at least that's what it felt like) Lo

is completely infatuated with Lev, wants to join and defend the Unity Project and doesn't question the fact that her sister isn't even in the Unity Project anymore. I understand that people can get sucked into cults really quickly, but with her it was a 180-degree change in what felt like days

.

I don't know, in comparision to Sadie this was such a letdown.

Content Warnings