Sadie By Courtney Summers Source Received from the publisher
Published by Wednesday Books on September 4, 2018
Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Rating:
A gripping novel about the depth of a sister's love; poised to be the next book you won't be able to stop talking about.
A missing girl on a journey of revenge and a Serial-like podcast following the clues she's left behind.
Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.
But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie's entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him.
When West McCray—a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America—overhears Sadie's story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late.
I was beyond excited to receive an ARC of Sadie from Raincoast Books earlier this year! This book was absolutely one of my most-anticipated books of 2018.
I loved this book, but be warned that it is difficult. The format was so great, moving through different points in time. And I liked that it included transcripts of interviews and the podcast. It also reminded me why true crime as entertainment has always made me uncomfortable (as I’ve mentioned before): there are real victims whose pain is consumed in podcasts, books, and TV shows as entertainment. And in the name of entertainment, sometimes the real person gets lost. By going back and forth between West’s podcast and investigation, and Sadie telling her own story, it brought that to the forefront, and given the popularity of true crime podcasts and TV shows, I think it’s a really timely book.
The way Sadie’s story was combined with West’s podcast is part of what made this book so captivating. It kept me on the edge of my seat, trying to piece things together as I read. Sadie herself was so fierce and strong, and I was so invested in her story. This is a heartbreaking book (I expect no less from Courtney Summers!), and it made me think about how easily girls can slip through the cracks and disappear. It’s one that I’ll be thinking about for a long time.
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