Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - The Project

Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

The Project by Courtney Summers

32 reviews

kayewa's review against another edition

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3.5

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goblingirlreads's review against another edition

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dark emotional slow-paced

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

4.0

PLEASE read content warnings before going into this one: it's rough. For whatever reason though, it really worked for me. I don't mind slow pace if I'm getting tiny new bits of information and intrigue as I go so what others don't like about this book really worked for me. I thought the author did a stellar job creating a realistic cult and no one writes better complex sister relationships than Courtney Summers. She really did that again.

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laguerrelewis's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

This was a strange little book, but not in a bad way! The story kind of meanders along, not quite directionless but not quite as driven as its protagonist is. I love a good split timeline and this book utilizes the device well, and the characters were well fleshed out. What it lacks in thrill it certainly makes up for in mystery and a compelling, touching story about family, love, connection, and devotion.

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coolbeans's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Having heard rave reviews about previous titles in this author's backlog, I thought it would be a great opportunity to pick this one up. I also don't have an extensive reading history of cult-related books in my repertoire and figured this would be a good introduction as a young adult thriller. Don't let the young adult label fool you, this is a solid suspense story regardless of age.

It follows Lo Denham as she tries to find out what has happened to her older sister, Bea, after she joins the Unity Project, an organization that is increasingly being labeled as a cult in the region. Being informed in flashbacks of the trauma that the sisters endured as children to get the to the present point, Lo journeys into the gravitational pull of the Unity Project and it's highest ranking members for information on her sister and a breaking news story that would expose the dark side of this seemingly gentle and benevolent organization.

The author quickly gains your empathy with the two sisters in their trauma and choices that result from it. Neither are picture perfect in their decisions, but you can clearly see the reasoning behind the way they wade through the muddled events in their lives. In saying that, specifically, you see how the leader of the Unity Project, Lev Warren, can enrapture his followers into his tangled web in the "how, who, and when" of he shows up in their lives. And it's not flamboyant or in-your-face with this part of the story. Summers has a wonderful way of surreptitiously weaving the inner monologue of certain character's perspectives to shift their ideals until you hit a sudden realization of "Wait a second, this doesn't sound like you from four chapters ago." This deception taking root in the reader's mind is in essence the experience the characters in the novel go through as the plot wisps forward quietly and eerily.

Ultimately, the plot, atmosphere, and writing style of this story gives the reader the same isolation, redirection, and unsettling narrative that any follower of Lev Warren of the Unity Project would receive. You definitely feel the characters and atmosphere of this story hazily unfurl out onto you like a foggy mist. It made the book for me. Great first read by this author and has convinced me to pick up her backlog. If you like YA thrillers, cult-related titles, or just a good old psychological minefield, give this one a try!

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onemamareads's review

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Read my full review here: https://onemamassummer.weebly.com/book-reviews/the-project

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sarah2438's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This one is hard to rate!
Courtney Summers does an incredible job with her writing. Lev's charisma comes through even to the reader-- I felt Lo's skepticism of him going in, and I found myself getting won over at times. I even remember turning to my boyfriend, who buddy read this with me, and saying "he has to have done something sketchy, but honestly he doesn't seem too bad at this point." I was over halfway through the book when I said that! It's very uncomfortable to think about.
Just as disturbing as Lev's charisma is how realistic and twisted this book is. Lev preys upon those with trauma, grief, and pain. He offers them relief. A cause. And they flock to him, just like they would in real life.
Unfortunately, this book wasn't prefect. I think when it comes down to it, there are 3 big things that keep me from totally loving this book. These issues don't all carry the same weight for me, and I'm sure there's plenty of people who would disagree, but here are my 3:
1- I struggled to understand the religion The Unity Project was centered around. Lev's charisma, I totally fell for. But the actual religious tenants were a struggle. I think this is partially attributable to my own lack of faith; it may have required more of a suspension of belief for me than maybe someone who believes in God. I found myself parallel to Lo in this aspect.
2- Something happens about 75% of the way through that didn't feel right to me. It was like a shaky bridge-- it connected the two parts and got us where we needed to go, but I didn't feel sold on it.
3- I didn't love the ending. Summers usually does a good job of having just enough unanswered questions to be realistic, since we're not reading from an omniscient point of view, but still satisfying. In this one, I felt like there were too many questions left open, so the ending wasn't very satisfying for me. I wanted more detail, more information on what happened to everyone.

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