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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
One of the best audiobook productions I have ever listened to!
Sadie tries to find the man who killed her little sister who she basically raised following a negligent mother and bad boyfriends.
In alternating chapters, Sadie's subsequent disappearance becomes the topic of West McCray's podcast The Girls.
These two timelines add increased tension as we follow Sadie search for answers, and the podcast that chases after Sadie and her disappearance and the chaos she leaves in her wake.
We have someone telling their story, and then a true crime element describing this character around a story they create.
Sadie is incredibly strong. She has a stutter and, as readers, we are made very aware how alienated this makes her feel. Whether people react negatively, positively, or understandingly. We see how imprisoned she feels by her struggles with speech and how others’ preconceptions run her life rather than her own self.
<b>‘It'll h-heal f-fine.'
'It'll heal ugly.'
But most things do.</b>
I think this book both suffered and benefitted from its short length.
The ending… I did scroll through Reddit boards for theories and the consensus, and my conclusion too, frustrated me.
<b>I wish his darkness lived outside of him, because you have to know it's there to see it. Like all real monsters, he hides in plain sight.
</b>
I also did wish that her sexuality was explored more as this is praised in other reviews, yet it was a very brief scene but had a lot of potential.
Not that this had to be expanded on, but I think I expected more based on others’ promotions.
I think this is a five star audiobook production. However, the story itself needed more depth and a more satisfying ending for my personal tastes. However, I know these very critiques will appeal to many others.
Trigger warning: abuse, pedophilia, addiction
This was hard to read. I alternated between the print and audiobook. The audiobook was really well done. But books like this make me uncomfortable. I’m a fan of true crime but the podcast I listen to doesn’t just tell the story. They advocate for ways to help, for people to pay attention to the stories the media won’t cover. They try to create change. This just feels…icky.
Sadie is a complex character and so well written, she seems real. So for that, 4 stars. But it’s not a book I would recommend to everyone.
This was hard to read. I alternated between the print and audiobook. The audiobook was really well done. But books like this make me uncomfortable. I’m a fan of true crime but the podcast I listen to doesn’t just tell the story. They advocate for ways to help, for people to pay attention to the stories the media won’t cover. They try to create change. This just feels…icky.
Sadie is a complex character and so well written, she seems real. So for that, 4 stars. But it’s not a book I would recommend to everyone.
I’m just going to sit here in the aftermath of what I just experienced.
Massive trigger warning for this book - SA & abuse. A really captivating story. I listened to the audio book which I really think elevated the experience.
Disturbing and dark yet this book will keep you riveted until the last page. I loved how the author has tried to elucidate the emotional love between the two sisters and how Sadie has such a powerful voice although she has stutters. And I loved how Sadie, despite her young age, stood strong for her sister when their mother left them.
I believe Courtney Summers has put her own switchblade into the ink of this book. Every revelation cutting deeper than the rest until completely severing the tendrils of my heart and carving it out; leaving it wide open and bare for Courtney Summers to abuse.
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Bring a true crime junkie made this the perfect book and it was really well done…BUT…I didn’t love the ending. I wanted a conclusion. Oh well.