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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
Full Review:
4 Stars - I recommend if you enjoy contemporary thrillers and suspense.
When 13 year old Mattie is found murdered, her older sister Sadie will stop at nothing to avenge her sister's death. She must use the clues that she has to find the person responsible. In the meantime Sadie and Mattie's "grandmother figure" May Beth calls West McCray, a journalist to look into the case. As he explores, his podcast "The Girls" begins. Will they find her or will the secrets of Mattie's death die with her?
I don't read a lot of thrillers, because I find I often guess what will happen and I get bored. That was not the case with this book, and I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed the format of this novel, the alternation between podcast style chapter and narrative chapter from Sadie's POV was really interesting, and kept me interested in the plot. I also feel like Summers did a great job of making the chapters end in suspenseful ways that had me continuing to flip pages. I thought that the story was gritty and felt real without being too sunny or too depressing. The podcast portion of the book reminded me very much of Serial, so if you enjoyed that you will likely enjoy this book quite a bit. I highly recommend this fast-paced thriller if you enjoy those sorts of books.
Right After Reading:
I am not easily entertained by thriller/suspense novels but I was pretty captivated by this one. I like the podcast format, fast pace, and culmination of plot. Highly recommend if you enjoy these types of books.
I was given advance access to this title by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. These reviews are my own opinion, and based on the edition of the book I was given at the time. Thank you Netgalley!
4 Stars - I recommend if you enjoy contemporary thrillers and suspense.
When 13 year old Mattie is found murdered, her older sister Sadie will stop at nothing to avenge her sister's death. She must use the clues that she has to find the person responsible. In the meantime Sadie and Mattie's "grandmother figure" May Beth calls West McCray, a journalist to look into the case. As he explores, his podcast "The Girls" begins. Will they find her or will the secrets of Mattie's death die with her?
I don't read a lot of thrillers, because I find I often guess what will happen and I get bored. That was not the case with this book, and I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed the format of this novel, the alternation between podcast style chapter and narrative chapter from Sadie's POV was really interesting, and kept me interested in the plot. I also feel like Summers did a great job of making the chapters end in suspenseful ways that had me continuing to flip pages. I thought that the story was gritty and felt real without being too sunny or too depressing. The podcast portion of the book reminded me very much of Serial, so if you enjoyed that you will likely enjoy this book quite a bit. I highly recommend this fast-paced thriller if you enjoy those sorts of books.
Right After Reading:
I am not easily entertained by thriller/suspense novels but I was pretty captivated by this one. I like the podcast format, fast pace, and culmination of plot. Highly recommend if you enjoy these types of books.
I was given advance access to this title by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. These reviews are my own opinion, and based on the edition of the book I was given at the time. Thank you Netgalley!
Overhyped.
As I was reading this I felt very disconnected at certain points. Felt like plot holes which eventually are filled after but they were like very abrupt cliffhangers or as if there were missing pages. I do appreciate how it was written though, half of which is in form of a podcast.
As I was reading this I felt very disconnected at certain points. Felt like plot holes which eventually are filled after but they were like very abrupt cliffhangers or as if there were missing pages. I do appreciate how it was written though, half of which is in form of a podcast.
The podcast format was enjoyable and different- the subject heavy.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Solidly worth the hype. I haven’t had a book grip my heart in this way in a long time. A little slow at times, but mostly gripping with beautiful, realistic characters. I don’t think I’ll be forgetting Sadie for a while.
Oh! And (like everyone) I recommend the audiobook. I don’t usually listen to fiction on audio but I’m infinitely glad I did this time.
Oh! And (like everyone) I recommend the audiobook. I don’t usually listen to fiction on audio but I’m infinitely glad I did this time.
Maybe 3.5 stars? I did really like the audiobook recording, they used a full cast. The book is split between the voice of the main character, Sadie, and an investigative podcast format similar to something like Serial. I didn’t love the podcast side of the story, I was much more interested in hearing the voice of the main character. Overall though I did enjoy this until the ending, which fell very flat for me.
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
very powerful and i like the structure and use of podcast transcripts to tell the story. i would be interested in this as an audiobook
This book was a journey. The fact that Sadie's story has no real end to it just hurts a certain kind of good. I can’t get over it.
Interesting read, not my favorite, but not bad.
Pros:
I liked the idea of the podcast. It’s not revolutionary or anything, but it was an interesting idea, especially since I was listening to the audiobook version.
I have to say, the character of Sadie drew me in. And the way she often messed up and got way beat up along the way lent her some realism. Plus, you could argue that her physical state helped reflect her devolving life and mental state.
I felt like the subject of was handled fairly delicately but still managed not to pull punches—however, that’s from the perspective of someone who hasn’t dealt with it much up close, and I’d be interested to hear other perspectives on whether it was well-handled or not.
In some places, the author plays well on her unreliable narrators, and I wish that had been used a little more because it not only caught my interest, but also got me thinking. Best examples are the entire character of Clare and the disagreement about whether passing off her addiction as a disease was Sadie’s idea or May Beth’s.
Cons:
The full-cast audiobook version was a neat idea, but in the end didn’t work for me. Too many voices sounded canned, and it just got awkward with when to voice them and when not to. Weirdly, Kendall’s voice came through with authenticity—wish the same had been true for some of the more prominent characters.
Once in a while Sadie wanders off on a tangent that doesn’t contribute much at all. I let it go because you could argue that it’s the character’s realism—we all think in tangents at times—but it just felt unnecessary. Same with some of the side plot points, as well as McCray’s vacillating about whether he wants to do the story. If it doesn’t fit, either cut it or make it hit harder and guide the story somewhere new.
Final verdict:
Sadie was interesting enough that I wanted to read through, and I finished it pretty quickly. But when the book was over, I just didn’t feel the impact. The plot was overall solid and interesting, but the execution was just too leaky. I wanted to like it more. Also, the jury’s still out on whether I like the ending or not. I didn’t love it, but I also don’t have something standing out in my head about how it could have ended better.
Pros:
I liked the idea of the podcast. It’s not revolutionary or anything, but it was an interesting idea, especially since I was listening to the audiobook version.
I have to say, the character of Sadie drew me in. And the way she often messed up and got way beat up along the way lent her some realism. Plus, you could argue that her physical state helped reflect her devolving life and mental state.
I felt like the subject of
Spoiler
pedophilia and child abuseIn some places, the author plays well on her unreliable narrators, and I wish that had been used a little more because it not only caught my interest, but also got me thinking. Best examples are the entire character of Clare and the disagreement about whether passing off her addiction as a disease was Sadie’s idea or May Beth’s.
Cons:
The full-cast audiobook version was a neat idea, but in the end didn’t work for me. Too many voices sounded canned, and it just got awkward with when to voice them and when not to. Weirdly, Kendall’s voice came through with authenticity—wish the same had been true for some of the more prominent characters.
Once in a while Sadie wanders off on a tangent that doesn’t contribute much at all. I let it go because you could argue that it’s the character’s realism—we all think in tangents at times—but it just felt unnecessary. Same with some of the side plot points, as well as McCray’s vacillating about whether he wants to do the story. If it doesn’t fit, either cut it or make it hit harder and guide the story somewhere new.
Final verdict:
Sadie was interesting enough that I wanted to read through, and I finished it pretty quickly. But when the book was over, I just didn’t feel the impact. The plot was overall solid and interesting, but the execution was just too leaky. I wanted to like it more. Also, the jury’s still out on whether I like the ending or not. I didn’t love it, but I also don’t have something standing out in my head about how it could have ended better.
Listened on audiobook which I highly recommend! Has a full cast of voice actors and is half POV half podcast format. It’s also pretty short but a great story! Ended a little too abruptly and with some unanswered questions which was a bit dissatisfying but overall I liked it!