Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Sadie

I believe this story was meant to be reading in audibook and I'm so glad I did. Sadie is a story that's definitely going to stay with me for a long time. I often forget books, their plot and everything, but this won't be the case. Sadie, with a full cast of actors, made sure of that. I want to give my praise to Sadie's voice actor. She did such an incredible work in portraying her character. I could feel her pain, her frustration, her anger, and it was a tough experience, but one 100% worth listening.

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tense fast-paced

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

3.0

I tried reading this book a few years ago and quickly gave up. I thought this would stay a DNF, but I was convinced to try the audio, and--yes--that is the way to go on this! In fact, I wonder why this wasn't an audio-only release.

Let's start off with trigger warnings for violence, substance abuse, and child sexual abuse. These topics are hard, especially the last one, so take care.

I appreciated that Summers tackled this story head-on. There were so many possible exit ramps where Summer could have taken the easier, softer way out. Yet, she persevered and told a story that played out realistically.

I enjoyed the podcast setup for this, which is why I think that audio is the only way to go with this. They used a full cast instead of just one or two narrators, which made it feel more like a podcast than an audiobook, and most of the performances were strong (there were a couple of one-liners here and there that didn't land quite right but that's no big deal).

My frustrations with the book come more from my own preferences than from any shortcomings on the story's part. Sadie makes decisions that I think are incredibly stupid, although I recognize that they are decisions that a teenager would make. Generally, Young Adult is not a genre that I read right now, and this is a strong Young Adult book that sometimes reminds you that it is a Young Adult Book. While I would never knock a book for being what it is, it isn't something I enjoy.

I can recognize the many strengths of this book, and I would recommend it to others. It just wasn't the type of book for me right now.

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