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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Summers writing is haunting and beautiful. Being in a podcast format I can't imagine reading this except through the audiobook. This story will stick with me for a long time.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Murder
Oof. This was...heavy. I listened to this book on audio, which worked really well with the alternating POV chapters from Sadie, and episodes of the podcast. I appreciated the structure of the book; the podcast investigation is really able to ramp up the tension toward the end, revealing details that Sadie did not. Ultimately, I wanted more resolution, but I respect the messiness of real life reflected in the ending.
An uncomfortable dead girl mystery with jabs at the social porn aspects of true crime podcasts, the story of dead Mattie and her missing sister Sadie and the podcaster set reluctantly to recover the truth will not let you out of its grips once you begin to read.
The core story of the missing and dead girls as told by Sadie is chilling to the bone, while the podcast sections where the narrator waxes grossly poetic about the scenes of school yards and homes of his interviewees while also keeping the story focus equally grossly in his own reactions offers both a respite from the terror and some apt commentary on the popularity of crime pods. Until the reality becomes too large and too real.
The story is also about what's truth. History is written by the winners and conquerors, we all know that, but our personal histories may be molded by those who get to an ear or to the mic first.
The core story of the missing and dead girls as told by Sadie is chilling to the bone, while the podcast sections where the narrator waxes grossly poetic about the scenes of school yards and homes of his interviewees while also keeping the story focus equally grossly in his own reactions offers both a respite from the terror and some apt commentary on the popularity of crime pods. Until the reality becomes too large and too real.
The story is also about what's truth. History is written by the winners and conquerors, we all know that, but our personal histories may be molded by those who get to an ear or to the mic first.
TW: sexual assault, paedophilia, violence, mentioning of suicide
Wow... I'm overwhelmed. With emotions. With thoughts. With the way this book made the feel.
It was just .. wow. I don't know what to say.
This book left me speechless but wanting to talk about it. So. Much.
And! I really loved the writing style. Something about it really touched my heart.
Spoiler-ish (I guess): One thing I didn't enjoy was the end tho. I wanted to know! What happened?! We will never know and I really dislike those kind of books in which - I guess - you choose for yourself what happened.
I definitely want to pick up more books by Courtney Summers because I like the way she writes about stuff like this - serious stuff, sh*t stuff that actually happens every day to someone out there and she doesn't shy away from writing about it and for that she has my respect.
I think this is a book that will haunt me for a long time. And I want to believe in the more positive ending.
Wow... I'm overwhelmed. With emotions. With thoughts. With the way this book made the feel.
It was just .. wow. I don't know what to say.
This book left me speechless but wanting to talk about it. So. Much.
And! I really loved the writing style. Something about it really touched my heart.
Spoiler-ish (I guess): One thing I didn't enjoy was the end tho. I wanted to know! What happened?! We will never know and I really dislike those kind of books in which - I guess - you choose for yourself what happened.
I definitely want to pick up more books by Courtney Summers because I like the way she writes about stuff like this - serious stuff, sh*t stuff that actually happens every day to someone out there and she doesn't shy away from writing about it and for that she has my respect.
I think this is a book that will haunt me for a long time. And I want to believe in the more positive ending.
As much as I needed to get to the end of this story to get some answers, I also never wanted it to end. This was an amazing story and the way it’s divided up is like nothing I’ve ever read before. For some of the story, you’re along for the ride with Sadie while the other part of the story is told through a podcast called The Girls as you try to figure out exactly what happened. Sadie is always just one step ahead of the podcast and this book will have you on edge the whole time.
Definitely perfect for fans of true crime podcasts and I HIGHLY encourage the audiobook because it is very immersive and has a full cast!
Definitely perfect for fans of true crime podcasts and I HIGHLY encourage the audiobook because it is very immersive and has a full cast!