Reviews with content warning for Grief - Sadie

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Sadie” by Courtney Summers broke me. My eyes are still puffy and I’ve used more tissues in the last couple of hours than I normally do while reading. It’s always hard to review a book that tears your heart outside of its body, while recognizing that you also appreciated the story. I can’t even decide on which word to describe this reading experience. Either way, “Sadie” was well written, vivid, but also heart wrenching and horrid.

I didn’t know anything going into the novel, so the true crime podcast style was a welcomed touch. Yet, once more details about the crimes came to light, the more painful it was to read.

Sadie’s character will live on in my memory for a long time due to her tenacity, grit, and heart, which were enthralling and admirable qualities. Considering all what she had gone though, it was hard not to feel for her. The whole messy situation and family dynamics shed light on so many unspoken issues in the world. Unfortunately, some of those reminders hit too close to home at times.

West McCray, the journalist that goes on this journey with readers in search of what happened and the search for Sadie, was genuine and sincere. I listened to the audiobook while following along with my hardcopy (as I often do). The narrators were authentic and clearly made the the “podcast” feel real - too real. Overall, I’m glad I read this, but I’ll need some time to recuperate.

I would like to warn readers to check the triggers prior to reading just in case.

Please be kind and gentle with others, as you never know what someone’s going through.

QOTD: What was your last 5 ⭐️ read? Any great audiobook recommendations?

Content Warnings

jjc17's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

jennametheny's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Viscerally disturbing, horrifying and sad. Very impactful. The original ending, while lacking closure, is real and raw and doesn’t bother me. The epilogue, however, feels wholly unnecessary and a step too far down the hole of no hope. MAJOR trigger warnings.

Content Warnings

baraya's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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

3.25

Content Warnings

pagesihavenotyetread's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.75

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robin_reads's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

This was much sadder than I expected it to be.
Check TW/CW before reading this.
It’s heavy on the topics of revenge in connection with grief and sexually abused children.
It left me feeling angry and sad.

Content Warnings

bookishchaos's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-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? No

4.5

Out of the hundreds of books I've read...I've never read a book that ended like this one did.
I highly recommend if you enjoy fast paced psychological thrillers, with feminine rage and/or true crime podcasts.

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