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goblingirlreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow. This is the best audiobook I've heard in a long, long time. This story is a podcast within a book so it translates to audio beautifully. The cast of multiple actors was so great and it brought the book to life. It really felt like I was listening to theatre. This book is dark. It starts with a murder of a 13-year-old girl and it doesn't get happier from there. It brings Sadie and her story to life, beautifully. You may not agree with everything she does but you know why she's doing it and you want her to be okay. I was floored by this especially because the actors made it feel so real. It's definitely not for the faint of heart and I HIGHLY recommend looking up content warnings before diving in. But I loved this one and won't forget it for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Grief, Murder, Vomit, and Pedophilia
sarahsbookss's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gore, Physical abuse, and Rape
Moderate: Cursing and Death
harpy_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The book was interesting enough to keep my attention, but it does end in a major cliff hanger and the author has said she does not plan on writing a sequel. This always irritates me, so that's part of the reasoning for such a low rating. I likely won't recommend it to others, and I wouldn't read it again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Violence
There is talk of minors experiencing sexual abuse at the hands of an adult - but it is not graphic. There is also brief mentions of violence perpetrated by the main character.genny's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was less tense than I anticipated for a mystery, but that's not a bad thing. I finished a similar thriller with interview/podcast segments just a while ago and it had me on edge the entire time; Sadie is a lot quieter, more contemplative even with its darkness and the titular character's raw anger. If you like audiobooks, definitely go that route. The narrator is fantastic at portraying Sadie's emotions, and even her stutter.
Now, about that ending...maybe I would have liked to hear a teensy bit more from Sadie herself, even just a line or two, but that's my need for closure talking. The last lines we get from Claire and West McCray hit heavily enough, and I'm left feeling sad but surprisingly hopeful.
Now, about that ending...maybe I would have liked to hear a teensy bit more from Sadie herself, even just a line or two, but that's my need for closure talking. The last lines we get from Claire and West McCray hit heavily enough, and I'm left feeling sad but surprisingly hopeful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Car accident, Drug abuse, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Cursing
kattiah21's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Death, Child death, and Blood
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug abuse, and Physical abuse
amandamagdic's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This was another recommendation that definitely lived up to all the hype. I went into this one blind not even knowing what it was about just trusting the advice of those who sent it to me. I listened to it as audio book and was sent on an emotional roller coaster. The audio version is told with a full cast of characters and gives it a nice bit of depth.
The story itself is told in two timelines. The first following our main character Sadie on a mission to avenge her murdered younger sister Mattie. The second in the form of podcast documenting the murder and the disappearance of Sadie thereafter. I was appreciative of this style as it helped break up Sadie’s part of the story which was quite heavy and laden with sensitive issues such as abuse, pedophilia, and child sexual abuse. Sadie’s journey to find her sisters killer is heartbreaking and complex but keeps you so engaged. We get most of her story through her telling with the podcast filling in the gaps and behind the scenes details. And I love that Summers wrote Sadie with a stutter making her character even more endearing and show casing a difference in a positive light. This book is written in a way to make you feel uncomfortable, and it does. We are made to think about the monsters that exist in the world and the wake they leave in the aftermath of their actions. And to face our own ignorance. How the events that happen to us shape and mold our futures, and change the fabric of who we are.
But the highlight for me is the more prevalent overall theme of the unbreakable and unending bond and love between sisters. Which is what drives Sadie’s character to the lengths that she goes to. She wants to not only seek revenge for her sister but all those that came before and after her, including herself, and others like her. My only wish for this book was that it would have had a more conclusive ending. I became so invested in Sadie and would like to have known what her final fate was.
The story itself is told in two timelines. The first following our main character Sadie on a mission to avenge her murdered younger sister Mattie. The second in the form of podcast documenting the murder and the disappearance of Sadie thereafter. I was appreciative of this style as it helped break up Sadie’s part of the story which was quite heavy and laden with sensitive issues such as abuse, pedophilia, and child sexual abuse. Sadie’s journey to find her sisters killer is heartbreaking and complex but keeps you so engaged. We get most of her story through her telling with the podcast filling in the gaps and behind the scenes details. And I love that Summers wrote Sadie with a stutter making her character even more endearing and show casing a difference in a positive light. This book is written in a way to make you feel uncomfortable, and it does. We are made to think about the monsters that exist in the world and the wake they leave in the aftermath of their actions. And to face our own ignorance. How the events that happen to us shape and mold our futures, and change the fabric of who we are.
But the highlight for me is the more prevalent overall theme of the unbreakable and unending bond and love between sisters. Which is what drives Sadie’s character to the lengths that she goes to. She wants to not only seek revenge for her sister but all those that came before and after her, including herself, and others like her. My only wish for this book was that it would have had a more conclusive ending. I became so invested in Sadie and would like to have known what her final fate was.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Violence
junefish's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Grief, and Sexual assault
Minor: Domestic abuse
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