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A review by labunnywtf
The Project by Courtney Summers
3.0
I love cults.
Not being in one, obviously. Nor supporting them. But dear lord, do I love hearing about the insanity of cults. From Jonestown to Waco to Jehovah's Witnesses and the MAGAts, their mind frame, their inability to see through the brain washing, it's all so, so fascinating.
So, even though I am in the extreme minority in that I haven't yet read [b: Sadie|34810320|Sadie|Courtney Summers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556559178l/34810320._SY75_.jpg|56026767], when I saw Courtney Summers had a new book, and it was a YA thriller about cults, I signed up SO quick.
The Unity Project sounds amazing. They are dedicated to doing good works, such as feeding and housing the homeless. They have Unity centers all around the country (I think?), designed to help people, mind body and soul. They're all about God, and their leader, Lev Warren, is a messenger from God. They know this because he prayed for 30 hours with no food and water, and that definitely doesn't lead to hallucinations and crazy making.
Lo works for a magazine. She's an administrative assistant who wants to be a writer. Her boss wants her to be an administrative assistant. One day, she's traumatized by witnessing a Unity Project member's suicide, and it brings up painful memories of her childhood, where her parents died and her sister disappeared while Lo was still in the hospital, barely making it out alive.
She goes to the Unity Project, where her sister Bea is no longer a member. And she wants answers. The only way to get it is to strike a deal. She will write a story about them, and they will prove they're not what she believes they are.
There's a LOT to like about this novel. A lot. You know, in your very being, that this is a cult. That Lev Warren is David Koresh. You know Lo should really think twice before drinking anything offered by these zealots.
But...maybe Lo's wrong. Maybe the end will reveal that they're not a cult, and that the mainstream media got it wrong. The conservatives hate them because they're too socialist. The liberals hate them because they're too Jesus-y. Maybe they really are who they say they are.
Right?
I will admit, the final reveal was disappointing for several reasons. Least of which is, we saw no foreshadowing or evidence of what this truth really was. And trust me, I was listening for it.
The ending both ties things up too neatly and leaves too many questions. And that's frustrating after a really incredible, well written story.
3.5, inching towards 4 stars.
Not being in one, obviously. Nor supporting them. But dear lord, do I love hearing about the insanity of cults. From Jonestown to Waco to Jehovah's Witnesses and the MAGAts, their mind frame, their inability to see through the brain washing, it's all so, so fascinating.
So, even though I am in the extreme minority in that I haven't yet read [b: Sadie|34810320|Sadie|Courtney Summers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556559178l/34810320._SY75_.jpg|56026767], when I saw Courtney Summers had a new book, and it was a YA thriller about cults, I signed up SO quick.
The Unity Project sounds amazing. They are dedicated to doing good works, such as feeding and housing the homeless. They have Unity centers all around the country (I think?), designed to help people, mind body and soul. They're all about God, and their leader, Lev Warren, is a messenger from God. They know this because he prayed for 30 hours with no food and water, and that definitely doesn't lead to hallucinations and crazy making.
Lo works for a magazine. She's an administrative assistant who wants to be a writer. Her boss wants her to be an administrative assistant. One day, she's traumatized by witnessing a Unity Project member's suicide, and it brings up painful memories of her childhood, where her parents died and her sister disappeared while Lo was still in the hospital, barely making it out alive.
She goes to the Unity Project, where her sister Bea is no longer a member. And she wants answers. The only way to get it is to strike a deal. She will write a story about them, and they will prove they're not what she believes they are.
There's a LOT to like about this novel. A lot. You know, in your very being, that this is a cult. That Lev Warren is David Koresh. You know Lo should really think twice before drinking anything offered by these zealots.
But...maybe Lo's wrong. Maybe the end will reveal that they're not a cult, and that the mainstream media got it wrong. The conservatives hate them because they're too socialist. The liberals hate them because they're too Jesus-y. Maybe they really are who they say they are.
Right?
I will admit, the final reveal was disappointing for several reasons. Least of which is, we saw no foreshadowing or evidence of what this truth really was. And trust me, I was listening for it.
The ending both ties things up too neatly and leaves too many questions. And that's frustrating after a really incredible, well written story.
3.5, inching towards 4 stars.