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santreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
it had so much potential but didn't live up to it. a more detailed review coming up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Grief, Death, Confinement, and Car accident
acarter's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Courtney Summers is a full-tilt genius. If you manage to stretch this book into more than one reading session, you have far more willpower than I. No one plumbs the depths of the cruelties that girls endure at the hands of patriarchy like Summers does, and that’s a fact.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Torture
katyisreading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my review
The Project is a YA cult novel. The story is narrated by two sisters, Bea and Lo, in dual timelines. The girls are six years apart in age, and when Lo is 13 and Bea is 19, their parents are killed in a car accident that leaves Lo in the hospital with a large scar on her face. Despite Lo's condition, Bea leaves her to join the Unity Project, a collective that runs homeless shelters in NYC and around the country and is led by a man who claims to have a direct connection to God.
Fast forward six years and Bea is 19 and working for an investigative journalist. When the journalist's friend claims that The Unity Project murdered his son, Bea is determined to prove the leader Lev is evil and that the Project is a cult.
I don't know if "enjoyed" is the right word for this book, but it was definitely suspenseful and kept me intrigued throughout. The story is tragic and engaging and I appreciated the tie to the current political situation. I thought the way the sisters' stories were told in dual timelines was executed really well; Summers did a fantastic job of letting information come to the reader slowly and showcasing the moments' in the sisters' lives that mirrored one another. I think if you enjoy cult novels, you'll enjoy this one, although I did have some issues with it - see spoiler section below!
The Project is a YA cult novel. The story is narrated by two sisters, Bea and Lo, in dual timelines. The girls are six years apart in age, and when Lo is 13 and Bea is 19, their parents are killed in a car accident that leaves Lo in the hospital with a large scar on her face. Despite Lo's condition, Bea leaves her to join the Unity Project, a collective that runs homeless shelters in NYC and around the country and is led by a man who claims to have a direct connection to God.
Fast forward six years and Bea is 19 and working for an investigative journalist. When the journalist's friend claims that The Unity Project murdered his son, Bea is determined to prove the leader Lev is evil and that the Project is a cult.
I don't know if "enjoyed" is the right word for this book, but it was definitely suspenseful and kept me intrigued throughout. The story is tragic and engaging and I appreciated the tie to the current political situation. I thought the way the sisters' stories were told in dual timelines was executed really well; Summers did a fantastic job of letting information come to the reader slowly and showcasing the moments' in the sisters' lives that mirrored one another. I think if you enjoy cult novels, you'll enjoy this one, although I did have some issues with it - see spoiler section below!
- Lev somehow seduces two nineteen-year-old women. I got the sense he was in his 20s, maybe 30s? If this is YA, I think there should have been more of a conversation around how him doing that is not okay, despite the fact that the women were technically adult age at the time.
- I was intrigued by the mirror between Lev and Paul, the journalist Lo works for. I thought it could just be a coincidence, but when Lo catches Paul having sex with Lauren right after we learn Lev had sex with Bea, I think it's clear the mirror was intentional. But then why didn't it go anywhere? Was the takeaway supposed to be "not all super magnetic, talented men are assholes who use and abuse women"?
- The least realistic thing about this story to me was Lo not being fired. I'm sorry, assistants can't act that way at work! They can't be brats and expect to get promoted! And promotions don't usually just magically happen after a year!
End rant :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Death, and Death of parent
phoebereads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
This book absolutely floored me. I inhaled it in a single day. It's a brilliant and haunting book that cuts right into the power and pain that cults are centered around. Courtney Summers has the ability to write incredibly compelling characters and the girls who her stories are centered around are given the chance to be messy and hurt, but yet still find their inner power and strength. The girls of The Project are no different, and Lo and Bea's story is deeply compelling and traumatic and real. Where the book really shines is in how it pulls both the reader and Lo into this world of the Unity Project until we too begin to buy into them, or at least until we begin to truly understand why anyone would join such a group, including Bea. The horror and the abuse that underlie cults, like in real life, is saved for later until you've already been drawn in too far. The characters of the Unity Project too are all deeply complicated and again, a masterful portrayal of all the different people involved in allowing cults to continue and succeed. This is ultimately a book about pain and grief and the things we do to try to heal and feel whole, even when the paths that puts us on are deadly.
I really loved this book and I can't recommend it enough. Bravo to Courtney Summers.
**Thank you to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
I really loved this book and I can't recommend it enough. Bravo to Courtney Summers.
**Thank you to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death, and Suicide
Minor: Death of parent, Car accident, Sexual content, Murder, and Medical trauma
alyxandriaang's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Death
librarianmichelle's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Emotional abuse, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Minor: Violence, Torture, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Infidelity, and Child abuse
joceraptor's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
a bit faltering, a bit muddled. this book doesn't seem to commit to much - even the age of the character and writing put this in that gray area between traditional ya/adult stories. there are some solid ideas, but poor pacing and underdeveloped characterization. i just wanted more on every front.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Suicide
a bit faltering, a bit muddled. this book doesn't seem to commit to much - even the age of the character and writing put this in that gray area between traditional ya/adult stories. there are some solid ideas, but poor pacing and underdeveloped characterization. i just wanted more on every front.betweentheshelves's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was tense and emotional right from the beginning, and it honestly doesn't let up until the end. Another masterpiece by Courtney Summers!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Suicide, Sexual content, and Violence
currentlyreadingandcrochet's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Suicide, Torture, and Toxic relationship
caidyn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I received an ARC from a friend and this is my honest review!
Wow, Courtney Summers does it again. When I knew that this book involved a cult and the bond between sisters (as well as this generally being by Summers), I knew I had to check it out. It took a bit for me to sink into the story. I was really invested in it by the second part. I loved how the story jumped back and forth throughout time, going from Lo's perspective of the modern time and her search for answers, then to Bea's time and giving us background leading up to the present day. Just a glorious story that was so dynamic and complex. I wasn't sure how the story would tie up, but I'm very pleased with it. It's not a happy story, but it had a satisfying ending.
Wow, Courtney Summers does it again. When I knew that this book involved a cult and the bond between sisters (as well as this generally being by Summers), I knew I had to check it out. It took a bit for me to sink into the story. I was really invested in it by the second part. I loved how the story jumped back and forth throughout time, going from Lo's perspective of the modern time and her search for answers, then to Bea's time and giving us background leading up to the present day. Just a glorious story that was so dynamic and complex. I wasn't sure how the story would tie up, but I'm very pleased with it. It's not a happy story, but it had a satisfying ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence