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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
- For a whole lot of this I didn't really understand what was going on, it was only in the last 40% that I started getting into it
- I reeeeally enjoyed the audiobook, it was a full cast and had ambient noises in the background too!
-I'm all here for the murdering your abuser storyline though
- I reeeeally enjoyed the audiobook, it was a full cast and had ambient noises in the background too!
-
3.75 / 5 stars
audiobook: slayed
it felt like books on tape from elementary school
audiobook: slayed
it felt like books on tape from elementary school
I received an ARC from Wednesday Books/ St. Martins Press.
Growing up alone is an isolated small town, life was not easy for nineteen-year-old Sadie and her younger sister, Mattie, but their bond was impenetrable. When the unthinkable happens and Mattie is found dead, Sadie vows to do whatever it take to avenge her sister's murder.
I'm just going to put this out there that mystery is not my favorite genre. It takes me forever to read. Despite all that, when I heard about Sadie, I knew it would be something I enjoyed. And I was right! It took me awhile to finish it, but I really did enjoy it.
Growing up alone is an isolated small town, life was not easy for nineteen-year-old Sadie and her younger sister, Mattie, but their bond was impenetrable. When the unthinkable happens and Mattie is found dead, Sadie vows to do whatever it take to avenge her sister's murder.
I'm just going to put this out there that mystery is not my favorite genre. It takes me forever to read. Despite all that, when I heard about Sadie, I knew it would be something I enjoyed. And I was right! It took me awhile to finish it, but I really did enjoy it.
Told from the alternating narrative voices of Sadie herself (first person) and a reporter (podcast and interview transcripts) I can't imagine what it is to hold and read this book as opposed to listening to it. It is truly a production. I've often wondered why more audiobooks don't take the approach of having various voice actors for the different characters, and alternately marveled at how skillfully one great narrator can tell it. Though some of the more minor characters were not very skilled in delivery, the leads are solid. I recommend it, especially paired with reading some Q&As from the author.
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
This was a great audiobook production
This book was super intense and very sad. It’s well written and intriguing but ugh what a gut wrencher.
Sadie's story was compelling (if occasionally frustrating), but the true crime podcast angle didn't do much for me, and in fact bogged it down. For one thing, it didn't feel like an actual true crime podcast. The inciting murder remained hazy, with the host saying point-blank (and rather condescendingly) that those gruesome details won't be a part of the show and to not ask. If your podcast is about trying to uncover the truth behind an unsolved murder, how do you know that those details aren't important?
Second, the podcast was almost always trailing two steps behind Sadie, so there were many instances where the interviewer was trying to figure out where she had gone next and why — things the reader already knew by that point. Sure, there was the occasional revelation or moment of closure, but not nearly enough, in my opinion, to justify half the book being told in this format.
The way Sadie went about her quest, too, was also baffling at times. I could chalk up a lot of her clumsiness at handling things to her being a teenager who was out of her depth, but I didn't get why, for example, For that matter, why not
Since the book ended up being The ending felt like a cop-out to me, and, from a podcasting standpoint, I can't imagine that it would've been satisfying for the hypothetical listeners either. After all,
A fast read, with a strong main character and voice, but it didn't quite land for me.
Second, the podcast was almost always trailing two steps behind Sadie, so there were many instances where the interviewer was trying to figure out where she had gone next and why — things the reader already knew by that point. Sure, there was the occasional revelation or moment of closure, but not nearly enough, in my opinion, to justify half the book being told in this format.
The way Sadie went about her quest, too, was also baffling at times. I could chalk up a lot of her clumsiness at handling things to her being a teenager who was out of her depth, but I didn't get why, for example,
Spoiler
Javi had to be the one to call the police when she could've just as easily tipped them off about Silas.Spoiler
go to the authorities with what she knew, instead of going it alone with few resources and little chance of success? Or even just telling, say, May Beth who "Keith" was in case he ever came back? The tagline of the book is "if she dies, she takes the truth with her," but I don't buy that it had to be that way. Keeping it all to herself, in fact, could end up getting more people hurt if she didn't succeed.Since the book ended up being
Spoiler
less about solving a mystery and more about the bond between two sisters, and protecting those we love, I would've liked to see more of that bond from Sadie's perspective.Spoiler
the girl who's missing at the beginning is still missing at the end.A fast read, with a strong main character and voice, but it didn't quite land for me.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book kept me very engaged and I finished it in one day. However, it felt like the author was trying to cram as many traumatic events into the Sadie’s backstory as possible. Otherwise, I liked the story.
Absolutely loved this audiobook. I really connected to Sadie and felt her pain throughout. My only criticism would be the epilogue as it felt disconnected and unnecessary. Especially since we didn't definitively learn what became of Sadie. My heart is going to believe that it was her at the diner with her girlfriend!! 4.5/5⭐️