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abbyl819's review against another edition
2.0
This book was really hyped up for me, as I have heard so many fantastic reviews, and since I have been reading and enjoying a lot of mysteries lately, I thought that I would really enjoy it. Unfortunately, I really didn’t like this book until the last episode of the podcast. I did not care for the way that this story was written, as it got very repetitive since you would read about what happened as it happened through Sadie’s perspective, and then read the same thing again when the person investigating it for the podcast rediscovered it in the next chapter. It took away a lot of the entertainment for me because you already knew what happened so it dragged a lot and made it seem really slow. Being told in part as a podcast took away a lot more than it added. I have heard a lot of people liking the audiobook, so maybe that could have made me enjoy it more if I had read it in that format, but as a book I think that it should be able to be just as enjoyable and captivating when read physically.
elle_laine's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
3.0
•Sadie is on a journey of revenge. She is looking for answers about her sister’s murder, and nothing will stop her from getting what she wants. 🔪 🩸
•This was not for me. I listened to the audiobook and really appreciated the performance, but I didn’t care much for the story. It lacked the shocking element that I look for in thrillers. It’s definitely a quick read though, if that’s something you’re looking for!
241marina241's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
inkyun's review against another edition
5.0
It's hard to put into words. I feel a weird sadness I can't place, whether it's from the tragic experience of Sadie's story, or from the fact that her story will never enter my soul as viciously and rightfully as it ought to. Her story is too great to contain, and I still feel like I haven't really read this book. I still don't know what I just read. It's hard to explain, but I know I love it. I love what it does for me, and what it doesn't.
Small miracles.
Small miracles.
bebe_elise's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.75
akookieforyou's review against another edition
4.0
"I don't want another dead girl."
I decided to listen to the audio book version of this story because everyone talked about how amazing it was, and I must say that I agree on how well done it was. This is a sad, depressing story that can be quite difficult to read at times. It took me a little while in the beginning to become fully interested and invested in this book, I wasn't really sure if this type of story was for me, but after a bit I became so hooked that I didn't want to stop listening, I felt like I just had to know what became of Sadie. One of my favorite things about this book, was the podcasting element. I haven't read many books that feature something like that, so it was something that made this book even more interesting for me, and it made it different from your typical 'thriller'.
I decided to listen to the audio book version of this story because everyone talked about how amazing it was, and I must say that I agree on how well done it was. This is a sad, depressing story that can be quite difficult to read at times. It took me a little while in the beginning to become fully interested and invested in this book, I wasn't really sure if this type of story was for me, but after a bit I became so hooked that I didn't want to stop listening, I felt like I just had to know what became of Sadie. One of my favorite things about this book, was the podcasting element. I haven't read many books that feature something like that, so it was something that made this book even more interesting for me, and it made it different from your typical 'thriller'.
maimona's review against another edition
5.0
Sadie, this book broke my heart!
Sadie(main character) is just so perfect, so brave and strong!
Even when she went through a lot herself at a little age, she was a fighter. She made me cry a lot! and her love for her little sis made her stronger. It made me just scream inside just how beautiful her love for her was. the length she went through just tells how everything was revolving in her world around that child.
The book felt like it is telling us to reopen our eyes to a specific topic, one that we all know and hear about, but most of us choose to ignore or scratch as another thing that happens in life. When in fact it's far from that, it's horrifying.
Just to sit here and think that it could be happening at this moment somewhere in this earth, makes the blood in one's veins turns white.
I have no words as to how I felt in the last few pages, They were devastating, hard to swallow. It is a story but like I said it happens in real life whether we accepted it mentally or not.
It is crazy that we know of this but somehow we still feel it is too unreal, hard to grasp or relate to. maybe the least we could do is just to talk about it so we could get it when we voice it out loud.
Personally, I do remember when I was in elementary when a little girl disappeared. the next time we heard about it is when the police said she was killed and thrown in the trash! The killer was the "boy" next door to her house, she went to their family store to buy something, only to find herself killed by that boy. The "boy" was put in jail and his family disappeared from town.
Till now- 18 years after that- I still can't imagine what the girl went through. and still, find it hard to accept it.
Sadie(main character) is just so perfect, so brave and strong!
Even when she went through a lot herself at a little age, she was a fighter. She made me cry a lot! and her love for her little sis made her stronger. It made me just scream inside just how beautiful her love for her was. the length she went through just tells how everything was revolving in her world around that child.
The book felt like it is telling us to reopen our eyes to a specific topic, one that we all know and hear about, but most of us choose to ignore or scratch as another thing that happens in life. When in fact it's far from that, it's horrifying.
Just to sit here and think that it could be happening at this moment somewhere in this earth, makes the blood in one's veins turns white.
I have no words as to how I felt in the last few pages, They were devastating, hard to swallow. It is a story but like I said it happens in real life whether we accepted it mentally or not.
It is crazy that we know of this but somehow we still feel it is too unreal, hard to grasp or relate to. maybe the least we could do is just to talk about it so we could get it when we voice it out loud.
Personally, I do remember when I was in elementary when a little girl disappeared. the next time we heard about it is when the police said she was killed and thrown in the trash! The killer was the "boy" next door to her house, she went to their family store to buy something, only to find herself killed by that boy. The "boy" was put in jail and his family disappeared from town.
Till now- 18 years after that- I still can't imagine what the girl went through. and still, find it hard to accept it.
neelamreadsalot's review against another edition
4.0
TW: child abuse, child molestation, child rape, drug abuse
It took me nearly a month to gather my thoughts on this book. From the trigger warnings you can imagine that this is one heavy loaded book. The main character, Sadie, is so complex that I found myself deeply conflicted between rooting for her and against her. I listened to the audiobook and I HIGHLY recommend it. The full cast keeps the many characters separate and also truly gave one of the narrators a true crime podcast feel. Sadie has a stutter which, I think, translates so much better in audio than writing.
Now, I was not prepared for how unsettled this book would leave me. And that’s not a hit on the author. In fact, it’s a compliment. The story is beautifully written. It’s just that the topics addressed in it are so heavy and so sensitive. I don’t recommend this book to anyone with even the slightest bit of sensitivity to the above TW, because the author depicts the emotions so well that I felt almost raw reading some chapters. I had to take lots of breaks while reading this one. I suggest you do too. It’s not easy to digest in one sitting. But I am inclined to check out Courtney Summers’ other works now.
It took me nearly a month to gather my thoughts on this book. From the trigger warnings you can imagine that this is one heavy loaded book. The main character, Sadie, is so complex that I found myself deeply conflicted between rooting for her and against her. I listened to the audiobook and I HIGHLY recommend it. The full cast keeps the many characters separate and also truly gave one of the narrators a true crime podcast feel. Sadie has a stutter which, I think, translates so much better in audio than writing.
Now, I was not prepared for how unsettled this book would leave me. And that’s not a hit on the author. In fact, it’s a compliment. The story is beautifully written. It’s just that the topics addressed in it are so heavy and so sensitive. I don’t recommend this book to anyone with even the slightest bit of sensitivity to the above TW, because the author depicts the emotions so well that I felt almost raw reading some chapters. I had to take lots of breaks while reading this one. I suggest you do too. It’s not easy to digest in one sitting. But I am inclined to check out Courtney Summers’ other works now.
issianne's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, I just finished this, and it was so good. I listened to it as an audiobook and highly recommend consuming it that way. The story was so intricate, and I thought Summers did a great job of slowly revealing information in way that kept the plot and its points intriguing. The choice to alternate chapters between Sadie's perspective and the podcast helped build interest and suspense. If you struggle understanding stutters, you might either want to read it physically or listen to the audiobook on speed 1.5x or 2.0x. Otherwise, great story and really liked the representation of the stutter.