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lunaseline's review
3.0
Åh, så synd. Jag var helt kär i Summers förra roman, Sadie, och hade sett fram emot denna.
Men... nä.
Hon skriver bra, och Lo är ok som huvudperson, men annars är det långt ifrån samma kärlek. I Sadie använde författaren det ack så trendiga temat "true crime-podcast", men lyckades göra det med djup och känsla. Här går hon på ett annan, ständigt trendigt, tema - nämligen sekter och psykologisk manipulation. Och det blir... blah. Vi känner liksom redan till alla kännetecken, allt mörker, alla tricks. Sektledar-Lev är ingen minnesvärd karaktär i sammanhanget, eftersom vi träffat honom 7 miljoner gånger tidigare. Dessutom är det lätt att genomskåda saker som huvudpersonen upptäcker först mot slutet, vilket bara känns underligt upplagt.
Synd, som sagt.
Men... nä.
Hon skriver bra, och Lo är ok som huvudperson, men annars är det långt ifrån samma kärlek. I Sadie använde författaren det ack så trendiga temat "true crime-podcast", men lyckades göra det med djup och känsla. Här går hon på ett annan, ständigt trendigt, tema - nämligen sekter och psykologisk manipulation. Och det blir... blah. Vi känner liksom redan till alla kännetecken, allt mörker, alla tricks. Sektledar-Lev är ingen minnesvärd karaktär i sammanhanget, eftersom vi träffat honom 7 miljoner gånger tidigare. Dessutom är det lätt att genomskåda saker som huvudpersonen upptäcker först mot slutet, vilket bara känns underligt upplagt.
Synd, som sagt.
vickit's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
hdbblog's review
3.0
If you know my reading tastes, then you’ll know that I am always in to read anything that has to do with cults. The fact that an individual can be so charismatic and intuitive, and then use those skills to create something so sinister, is fascinating to me. My favorite kinds of stories are always about those on the inside looking out. Those who were lured in, and then realized that they had to escape. So when I saw the premise of The Project, I knew that it was going on my reading list. It hit all those little reader buttons inside my brain, and I was thrilled. Perhaps my excitement was a little too high though, because this book and I had some problems with one another.
Starting with the kudos, I have to say that I was immediately won over by the relationship between Bea and Lo. Although it wasn’t ever “perfect”, what sisterly bond ever is? Their connection felt realistic to me. I felt for Lo so deeply, as she tried to get back the one person that she had left in this world. I struggled not to tear up as her only living relative constantly ignored her, and pushed her away, in favor of the cult that ensnared her. In the same vein, I had so much love for the rawness that was Lo’s character. Not only had she lost so much around her, but she’d lost a portion of herself after the accident. I understood her pain, saw her fault lines, and wanted to comfort her.
It is the pace of this story that I truly struggled with. The first third, where Lo was digging into the history of the The Project, was perfect. I’m generally not a fan of alternating points of view, but in this case I couldn’t get enough of flashing back to Bea’s story and slowly uncovering what was really going. As the book neared the middle though, things drastically slowed down. This is also the point where I started to feel like Lo’s character was sliding uncomfortably into someone to pity instead of support. I truly felt like she had been built up to be someone who, despite everything, was fairly strong. Or at least that she put up a good front. Which made the latter half of this book extremely upsetting for me.
The other issue was that I never truly believed in Lev Warren. As a cult leader, I expected him to be larger than life. Someone who others were enraptured by, and wanted to follow. Instead, he felt a bit hollow to me. Like the idea of what a leader of this kind should be, without the actual flesh on the outside. I had a hard time believing that anyone would want to give their lives up for him, much less that he would be able to sway someone like Lo to his side. It felt manufactured, and I can’t deny that this made me sad. I was fairly sure I knew how this book was going to end by the mid point, and I was right. So I also felt like I missed out on any surprises.
I’m rambling, I know. My feelings about this story are all over the place. On the one hand, The Project is excellently written. Anyone who has read Courtney Summers’ stories before knows exactly what I mean. Bea and Lo were real people to me, and I was invested in their story. On the other hand, this book just didn’t deliver what I was hoping for. Maybe it’s because Sadie, Summers’ last book, completely broke my heart but this one fell flat for me.
Starting with the kudos, I have to say that I was immediately won over by the relationship between Bea and Lo. Although it wasn’t ever “perfect”, what sisterly bond ever is? Their connection felt realistic to me. I felt for Lo so deeply, as she tried to get back the one person that she had left in this world. I struggled not to tear up as her only living relative constantly ignored her, and pushed her away, in favor of the cult that ensnared her. In the same vein, I had so much love for the rawness that was Lo’s character. Not only had she lost so much around her, but she’d lost a portion of herself after the accident. I understood her pain, saw her fault lines, and wanted to comfort her.
It is the pace of this story that I truly struggled with. The first third, where Lo was digging into the history of the The Project, was perfect. I’m generally not a fan of alternating points of view, but in this case I couldn’t get enough of flashing back to Bea’s story and slowly uncovering what was really going. As the book neared the middle though, things drastically slowed down. This is also the point where I started to feel like Lo’s character was sliding uncomfortably into someone to pity instead of support. I truly felt like she had been built up to be someone who, despite everything, was fairly strong. Or at least that she put up a good front. Which made the latter half of this book extremely upsetting for me.
The other issue was that I never truly believed in Lev Warren. As a cult leader, I expected him to be larger than life. Someone who others were enraptured by, and wanted to follow. Instead, he felt a bit hollow to me. Like the idea of what a leader of this kind should be, without the actual flesh on the outside. I had a hard time believing that anyone would want to give their lives up for him, much less that he would be able to sway someone like Lo to his side. It felt manufactured, and I can’t deny that this made me sad. I was fairly sure I knew how this book was going to end by the mid point, and I was right. So I also felt like I missed out on any surprises.
I’m rambling, I know. My feelings about this story are all over the place. On the one hand, The Project is excellently written. Anyone who has read Courtney Summers’ stories before knows exactly what I mean. Bea and Lo were real people to me, and I was invested in their story. On the other hand, this book just didn’t deliver what I was hoping for. Maybe it’s because Sadie, Summers’ last book, completely broke my heart but this one fell flat for me.
mfmccoy0216's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I really enjoyed this book, while it did have occasional lulls I was still heavily invested in finding out what happened to Bwa and if Lo will ever see her sister again/reveal The Unity Project as a cult.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
alexg52's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
mj213's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
rachel_faerie's review
3.0
This just narrowly made 3 stars for me.
I won this ARC in a giveaway last year. I started reading the book physically since it wasnt released yet and there was no audiobook for it. This book too me like 160 days to complete.
The first part of the book is very boring IMO. The "action" only really started about 45% of the way through and at that point I was having trouble picking it up.
However upon the books release I got the audiobook from my library and the last half of the book flew by and was much more interesting. I think the author was really trying to build the suspense in the first half but there just wasnt ENOUGH creepy breadcrumbs to keep me entertained.
That ending though kind of had me a little shook.... and grossed out.... and repulsed... so that ultimately made it 3 stars for me. Also the audiobook narrator did a great job.
I won this ARC in a giveaway last year. I started reading the book physically since it wasnt released yet and there was no audiobook for it. This book too me like 160 days to complete.
The first part of the book is very boring IMO. The "action" only really started about 45% of the way through and at that point I was having trouble picking it up.
However upon the books release I got the audiobook from my library and the last half of the book flew by and was much more interesting. I think the author was really trying to build the suspense in the first half but there just wasnt ENOUGH creepy breadcrumbs to keep me entertained.
That ending though kind of had me a little shook.... and grossed out.... and repulsed... so that ultimately made it 3 stars for me. Also the audiobook narrator did a great job.
ashtynstarkey's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hrobison11's review against another edition
4.0
This is definitely for older teens.
I still find Summers to be an impeccable writer. I was hooked by this story quickly. It’s also been awhile since I read a story involving a cult.
What’s really interesting is that the focus is definitely on sisterhood and God, and the cult aspect is almost a side plot. It just happens while Lo is searching for Bea.
I would definitely recommend this to those that like stories that make your skin crawl just a little bit.
I still find Summers to be an impeccable writer. I was hooked by this story quickly. It’s also been awhile since I read a story involving a cult.
What’s really interesting is that the focus is definitely on sisterhood and God, and the cult aspect is almost a side plot. It just happens while Lo is searching for Bea.
I would definitely recommend this to those that like stories that make your skin crawl just a little bit.