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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
“ but love is complicated, it’s messy. It can inspire selflessness, selfishness, our greatest accomplishments and our hardest mistakes. It brings us together and it can just as easily drive us apart.” P 307
dark
emotional
mysterious
I understand why everyone loves this audiobook. I was gonna give this 3 stars but that last few chapters really got me good.
I listened to the podcast promo (I think? It came out a few weeks before the book and was only the first few episodes) a couple years ago when it first came out and fiiinally got the chance to read the book. So I was going into this with a couple years worth of hype build up.
And boy, did it pay off.
I really liked the dual POV/timeline and how we got bits and pieces of how Sadie's story would end from West's research. It was this cool balance of working backwards from what he knows in the future, and predicting what would happen/putting the pieces together as we follow Sadie.
I appreciated that you are never given the details of Mattie's murder. Because like... we know what happened to her. We KNOW. We don't need the gory details. And Sadie never says it either, she just says that he "did something to [her] sister."
The writing in SADIE was so good. Courtney Summers paints beautiful and vivid images of the towns that Sadie journeys to. Each character she meets is in the middle of their own story, so that even the characters she only interacts with for a few minutes feel well-rounded and fleshed out. I also really enjoyed the podcast transcripts. I was a little bit nervous going in (even though I had heard the episodes before), that the transcripts would feel disjointed/unrealistic, so I was pleased that they flowed beautifully with the rest of the book.
And boy, did it pay off.
I really liked the dual POV/timeline and how we got bits and pieces of how Sadie's story would end from West's research. It was this cool balance of working backwards from what he knows in the future, and predicting what would happen/putting the pieces together as we follow Sadie.
I appreciated that you are never given the details of Mattie's murder. Because like... we know what happened to her. We KNOW. We don't need the gory details. And Sadie never says it either, she just says that he "did something to [her] sister."
Spoiler
We also aren't given the details of what Keith did to Sadie. We know what he did. Not having it be written out prevents it from being tragedy pornThe writing in SADIE was so good. Courtney Summers paints beautiful and vivid images of the towns that Sadie journeys to. Each character she meets is in the middle of their own story, so that even the characters she only interacts with for a few minutes feel well-rounded and fleshed out. I also really enjoyed the podcast transcripts. I was a little bit nervous going in (even though I had heard the episodes before), that the transcripts would feel disjointed/unrealistic, so I was pleased that they flowed beautifully with the rest of the book.
Did I like it: 5★
Does it fit the genre: 5★
Does it do what it's trying to do: 5★
Storyline: 5★
Writing style: 5★
Characters: 5★
Plot Twists: 5★
Pacing: 5★
Total: 5★
Breakdown:
Wow. Just wow. As someone who used to be an avid podcast reader, the audiobook for this one is one of the best I've ever read. The story was captivating and great at teasing out the story in a way that's not annoying nor tedious, but just the right amount of then vs. now. Sadie is an amazing character who is strong and powerful but not at all mary-sued. She's a very real character that made me look to see if this story was based on something true.
As for the genre, consider me thrilled. Chills climbing up and down my spine reading this while still making me able to laugh is exactly what I look for in books like this.
Does it fit the genre: 5★
Does it do what it's trying to do: 5★
Storyline: 5★
Writing style: 5★
Characters: 5★
Plot Twists: 5★
Pacing: 5★
Total: 5★
Breakdown:
Wow. Just wow. As someone who used to be an avid podcast reader, the audiobook for this one is one of the best I've ever read. The story was captivating and great at teasing out the story in a way that's not annoying nor tedious, but just the right amount of then vs. now. Sadie is an amazing character who is strong and powerful but not at all mary-sued. She's a very real character that made me look to see if this story was based on something true.
As for the genre, consider me thrilled. Chills climbing up and down my spine reading this while still making me able to laugh is exactly what I look for in books like this.
Wow, what an experience. What an ending! This was the most ominous, hyper-realistic book that I have read (listened to) in a long time. The audiobook version is the way to go for sure with this one! I cannot believe how real this felt. How real stories like this probably are, considering the number on girls and women that disappear every year. It took me a lot longer than usual to finish this book because I could not listen to it for more than a couple of chapters without getting too spooked. It's definitely a story that stays with you and fills up your atmosphere for sure.
The storytelling structure of this book was just phenomenal. It gives you exactly the right amount of detail and information and the exact time you need it. The pacing was excellent and consistent throughout the whole book. The mystery elements come together and unfold at the most perfect time where the reader neither feels frustrated or taken aback when things are revealed. The shock value is used in just the right way where the element of surprise exists but you can also retrace the steps to make things make sense. It's just amazing storytelling all around.
The characters were also great. I like the description of Sadie being a secondary player in her whole life. I think that describes her whole family dynamic and story really nicely. It is a heartbreaking novel. I cannot say that I enjoyed it. But it was absolutely amazing.
The storytelling structure of this book was just phenomenal. It gives you exactly the right amount of detail and information and the exact time you need it. The pacing was excellent and consistent throughout the whole book. The mystery elements come together and unfold at the most perfect time where the reader neither feels frustrated or taken aback when things are revealed. The shock value is used in just the right way where the element of surprise exists but you can also retrace the steps to make things make sense. It's just amazing storytelling all around.
The characters were also great. I like the description of Sadie being a secondary player in her whole life. I think that describes her whole family dynamic and story really nicely. It is a heartbreaking novel. I cannot say that I enjoyed it. But it was absolutely amazing.
I think because this was an audiobook it took me longer to warm to the characters.
SPOILER ALERT
It was not a happy ending for sure. I was definitely tearing up at the end, but not 100% sold on a lot of the synopsis. I really hated the mom... and for her to come back and gain some semblance of respect from the readers was hard... then she OD'd? hmmm idk.. If it were my daughter I would have been clean and trying harder to find her. Good but not great.
SPOILER ALERT
It was not a happy ending for sure. I was definitely tearing up at the end, but not 100% sold on a lot of the synopsis. I really hated the mom... and for her to come back and gain some semblance of respect from the readers was hard... then she OD'd? hmmm idk.. If it were my daughter I would have been clean and trying harder to find her. Good but not great.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
one of my favourite books ever!