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onthesamepage's review against another edition
3.5
Lo lost everyone after the car accident. Her parents died in the crash, and her older sister Bea left her with their aunt to become a member of the Unity Project. Every time Lo has tried to see her sister, she's been rebuffed by members of the project. Charitable deeds notwithstanding, Lo can't help but think that this behavior resembles that of a cult. When a teenage boy jumps in front of a train and she finds out he was a member too, Lo becomes even more determined to find her sister and get her out. But it's not that easy--they don't let her see Bea, but Lev Warren, leader of the Unity Project, gives her the chance of a lifetime: write the first ever profile on him and the work they do. This is her chance to expose them once and for all.
I think I was expecting something altogether different from this book. What I got was a solid story with excellent writing and interesting, flawed characters. What I didn't get was a plot with twists that blew my mind. The story follows a fairly predictable path that reminds me of a couple of mystery thriller books/movies I've enjoyed in the past, but ultimately doesn't do anything new. Which is a shame because I think the potential was there.
Following two timelines, we get to see events unfold from both Bea's and Lo's perspectives. With Bea we see how she went from someone who didn't really believe in God to a firm follower of Lev and his group. It's morbidly fascinating to see what happens, and then to see a similar pattern with Lo once she starts interviewing Lev and other members for her profile. I do have to say that Lo's journey didn't feel entirely believable to me, and I still couldn't tell you what happened to get her from point A to point B.
Overall a solid YA book but not one that'll stay with me. I will read more by Courtney Summers though because the writing was a definite highlight.
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
becxreadz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
*The cult storyline and how cults take advantage of people in their weak moments and prey on people's insecurities and fears and desires and how easy it is to believe in their missions.
*Lo's up and down journey with the cult
*The sister dynamics
*Lo was a believable character she felt authentic and real
*There were times it was hard to decide how I felt about this cult myself which was interesting to think about.
Disliked
*The audiobook narration I wish it would have been a full cast or at least duel narrated
*I wanted more from Bee's pov to understand how she felt
*The inclusion of real world politics was an annoyance. It felt like the author inserting her own political viewpoints to try and add credibility to her storyline. Shoulda left Trump and Cuomo out of your story.
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
pamshenanigans's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
* One of my most anticipated for this year but it wasn’t much what I expected
* I think it may have been wrong to expect so much given how AMAZING Sadie was
* I’m giving it 3 stars because of the gripping writing style, but everything else, the mystery, the plot, the characters, were all lackluster
Trigger/Content Warnings: depression, suicide, car accident, death of loved ones, physical abuse, trauma
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Car accident and Suicide
Minor: Death
house_of_hannah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
A majority of the book is conversations between several people. One of them is constantly preaching, which just ended up being annoying after awhile. The multiple timeline ended up not giving as much insight as I hoped either, so it just never really felt like anything was happening. Lo, the sister trying to find the one who joined the cult, goes to the Unity Project, yells at someone, goes to work, and repeat. That's it, that's the book.
I thought there would be some surprise, or intrigue, but it just ended up being a stereotypical cult story. The climax of the story even happens off screen, and since the MC doesn't even know what happened we never get any answers. Unfortunately for me there weren't any likable characters to make up for the plot either, so this one is a disappointment in the end.
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Death of parent
Moderate: Torture, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, and Suicide
Minor: Pregnancy and Murder
lilacs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Moderate: Grief, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Murder, Medical trauma, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, and Car accident
rhguerrero's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Miscarriage and Infidelity
katemreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Suicide, and Sexual content
sunsetcity's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Car accident, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Torture, and Toxic relationship
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
This was a very high-intensity thriller. This deals with some really tricky subjects, and does a good job expressing the feelings of loss, grief, and loneliness that are preyed upon by Lev and his cult. Though I can't really say I liked the characters, I did enjoy reading about them, and I was on the metaphorical edge of my seat while racing through this book! I really enjoyed the way this ended, as well. I'm definitely scoping out this author's other books to read.
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Stalking, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Pregnancy
justnei's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
Moderate: Toxic relationship