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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
I have mixed feelings about this book. It took a while to get used to the dual podcast and POV style of writing, but I eventually did. This book hurt my heart in so many ways. And it made me mad. I hated Claire for so much of the book, and after finishing it, I can’t say that emotion has changed much. But…she’s not without redemption. But her girls never got the chance to experience the person their mother really is beyond the vices. And that’s just so cruel; but also so reminiscent of real life. Reality is rarely kind.
It hurt me to read how Sadie pretty much existed for Mattie, and Mattie never saw it. Even after her death, Sadie existed for Mattie. And I hate that she never got to become her own person. And live the life she deserved; one where she actually got to confront who she is outside of Mattie’s caretaker and big sister.
I just got so frustrated at some of the irony. Where we knew what West & the others didn’t. And if they had gotten the information sooner, maybe things would’ve been different.
I absolutely hate the way it ended, without closure. But…that almost makes it more real. It’s the painful truth that so many missing people are never found. And those loose ends are never tied.
I would like to believe that Sadie is alive somewhere, trying to find happiness in a world without Mattie.
But I also know that she wouldn’t have let Jack leave alive if she were able to stop him.
I’m so glad Jack/Keith/Darren/whatever the hell his name is is dead. And Sadie ultimately did it. Because I think we can all agree it was the switchblade he was stabbed with that led to a fatal infection. Like I said, I’m glad he’s dead.
But I really wish I could shake the feeling that after everything…there may be another dead girl.
It hurt me to read how Sadie pretty much existed for Mattie, and Mattie never saw it. Even after her death, Sadie existed for Mattie. And I hate that she never got to become her own person. And live the life she deserved; one where she actually got to confront who she is outside of Mattie’s caretaker and big sister.
I just got so frustrated at some of the irony. Where we knew what West & the others didn’t. And if they had gotten the information sooner, maybe things would’ve been different.
I absolutely hate the way it ended, without closure. But…that almost makes it more real. It’s the painful truth that so many missing people are never found. And those loose ends are never tied.
I would like to believe that Sadie is alive somewhere, trying to find happiness in a world without Mattie.
But I also know that she wouldn’t have let Jack leave alive if she were able to stop him.
I’m so glad Jack/Keith/Darren/whatever the hell his name is is dead. And Sadie ultimately did it. Because I think we can all agree it was the switchblade he was stabbed with that led to a fatal infection. Like I said, I’m glad he’s dead.
But I really wish I could shake the feeling that after everything…there may be another dead girl.
This is amazing on audio, in part because the whole conceit is about this true crime podcast that is trying to figure out what happened to a teenage girl that goes missing in a small town, and they really commit to the podcast feel.
Things I loved about this:
Layering the male podcast’s point of view with Sadie’s, and giving her that voice and showing how it differs and how the kind of tone of the true crime show about women through the eyes of men can be off.
I also loved Sadie’s voice. She felt fierce and angry and fed up, and her drive was not always wise but it felt genuine and earned.
This is a brutal read, and should come with pretty much every trigger warning, but Summers gives life and voice and weight to real suffering in a way that will stay with me for a while.
Things I loved about this:
Layering the male podcast’s point of view with Sadie’s, and giving her that voice and showing how it differs and how the kind of tone of the true crime show about women through the eyes of men can be off.
I also loved Sadie’s voice. She felt fierce and angry and fed up, and her drive was not always wise but it felt genuine and earned.
This is a brutal read, and should come with pretty much every trigger warning, but Summers gives life and voice and weight to real suffering in a way that will stay with me for a while.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Sexual harassment
I was told this was a must read. That it was really, really good. I was also warned that it was a gritty book. All of this was true.
The revealing of Sadie’s story comes through both her own story and that of the reporter’s podcast. This split narrative helps you understand what is going on and really makes you root for Sadie, even on her course of revenge.
I will say that I listened to this as an audiobook which brought the story even more to life. With the different speakers and some background sounds, it was as if you are listening to the actual podcast.
The revealing of Sadie’s story comes through both her own story and that of the reporter’s podcast. This split narrative helps you understand what is going on and really makes you root for Sadie, even on her course of revenge.
I will say that I listened to this as an audiobook which brought the story even more to life. With the different speakers and some background sounds, it was as if you are listening to the actual podcast.
DNF at 33%.
Maybe the story ended up being good, but it was so poorly written that I couldn’t continue. By this point in the book I should have already felt some sort of emotional connection to Sadie (or any character), but the way it was written completely took my out of the story to the point where I just didn’t care about the characters anymore
Maybe the story ended up being good, but it was so poorly written that I couldn’t continue. By this point in the book I should have already felt some sort of emotional connection to Sadie (or any character), but the way it was written completely took my out of the story to the point where I just didn’t care about the characters anymore
A hard book to read. Realistic to a fault. And its ending was both a blessing and a curse.
This book was heartbreaking and sorrowful and I am still recovering from the journey I was taken on by the author. The author beautifully detailed a world of perseverance, revenge, the will to live and the everlasting love and bond of siblings. I praise the audiobook production team and narrators. They all deserved the 2019 Audie Awards as the performances of all the narrators with their truthful and nuanced voicing of characters, especially for the radio producer, Wes McCray and Sadie are what touched me throughout this story.
Dark and engrossing - which is exactly what I expect from this author. Sits in that older adolescent/adult reader space. Eager to discuss. One of the first I have read in awhile that demands to be continuously read. And, I keep thinking about it days later...
Flew through this book in like 2 days despite the grim topic.