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lizziegoldsmith 's review for:
Sadie
by Courtney Summers
Sadie's story was compelling (if occasionally frustrating), but the true crime podcast angle didn't do much for me, and in fact bogged it down. For one thing, it didn't feel like an actual true crime podcast. The inciting murder remained hazy, with the host saying point-blank (and rather condescendingly) that those gruesome details won't be a part of the show and to not ask. If your podcast is about trying to uncover the truth behind an unsolved murder, how do you know that those details aren't important?
Second, the podcast was almost always trailing two steps behind Sadie, so there were many instances where the interviewer was trying to figure out where she had gone next and why — things the reader already knew by that point. Sure, there was the occasional revelation or moment of closure, but not nearly enough, in my opinion, to justify half the book being told in this format.
The way Sadie went about her quest, too, was also baffling at times. I could chalk up a lot of her clumsiness at handling things to her being a teenager who was out of her depth, but I didn't get why, for example, For that matter, why not
Since the book ended up being The ending felt like a cop-out to me, and, from a podcasting standpoint, I can't imagine that it would've been satisfying for the hypothetical listeners either. After all,
A fast read, with a strong main character and voice, but it didn't quite land for me.
Second, the podcast was almost always trailing two steps behind Sadie, so there were many instances where the interviewer was trying to figure out where she had gone next and why — things the reader already knew by that point. Sure, there was the occasional revelation or moment of closure, but not nearly enough, in my opinion, to justify half the book being told in this format.
The way Sadie went about her quest, too, was also baffling at times. I could chalk up a lot of her clumsiness at handling things to her being a teenager who was out of her depth, but I didn't get why, for example,
Spoiler
Javi had to be the one to call the police when she could've just as easily tipped them off about Silas.Spoiler
go to the authorities with what she knew, instead of going it alone with few resources and little chance of success? Or even just telling, say, May Beth who "Keith" was in case he ever came back? The tagline of the book is "if she dies, she takes the truth with her," but I don't buy that it had to be that way. Keeping it all to herself, in fact, could end up getting more people hurt if she didn't succeed.Since the book ended up being
Spoiler
less about solving a mystery and more about the bond between two sisters, and protecting those we love, I would've liked to see more of that bond from Sadie's perspective.Spoiler
the girl who's missing at the beginning is still missing at the end.A fast read, with a strong main character and voice, but it didn't quite land for me.