I'm not normally a huge thriller person, but the gritty small-town setting and podcast element got me interested in SADIE, and I'm so glad it did. This story is unrelentingly bleak, but Sadie is a fantastic protagonist--single-minded but fascinating, and almost unthinkably strong. I'm still thinking about her. If you're interested in trauma and vengeance, true crime podcasts, and desperate one-woman road trips, and you're okay with quite a bit of darkness, don't miss this one.

Sadie is an incredible moving, raw and unrelenting tale of a young woman seeking answers and justice. The integration of the podcasting voice and well recognised true crime format allowed duel timelines to highlight different perspectives to the core narrative. I was deeply impressed.

This is a dark book. I kind of knew that, but I hadn't realized how dark it would get. Heads up: it deals with pedophilia. That's not really a spoiler, because it's hinted at pretty strongly within the first few chapters.

It's about a nineteen-year-old girl named Sadie whose younger sister Mattie is killed. Sadie knows who the killers is, and she sets off on his trail. Then Sadie herself vanishes. In the meantime, a year or so later, a podcast is being aired about one radio host who is trying to find Sadie. The novel is told in dual perspectives, sort of: chapters alternate between the podcast and Sadie's POV.

This book isn't really a nail-biting thriller where you're on the edge of your seat dying to figure out what happened. You pretty much already know what happened, because it's the same old story of poor, vulnerable girls falling prey to predators. The "mystery" isn't the point at all. Despite this, it's an extremely compelling book, though I will say it took me until I was about 35% of the way in to really become invested.

Sadie is a dark character; she's a girl who has had a harrowing life devoid of love and affection. She's a girl who has been hurt and abused. She's also a girl who feels like she has nothing left to lose, and so when she sets off on the trail of her sister's killer, she is determined to kill him to. Throughout her journey to find him she keeps convincing herself of this; she keeps convincing herself that she will be able to muster the will and the strength to kill him when she gets the chance. It is so obvious that this is a young woman who is so utterly broken that there's no putting her back together.

There's something so unabashedly bleak about this book. Even the main setting - a derelict small town in Colorado - feels like it has given up. Everything about it is pretty much sad and hopeless and even the ending is...well, it's ambiguous, unfortunately, and it just feels so very "life sucks and then you die" which is a reality for a lot of people so I didn't hate it or anything, but it was just...a lot.

Overall, powerful, harrowing, gripping, and you will fall in love with Sadie.

Sadie by Courtney Summers is a brilliant YA novel that absolutely stole my heart and is EVERYTHING! Courtney knocked my socks off with this novel and I am so impressed with how touching and beautiful her writing is.

I was left haunted by this novel and will always remember this story... truly inspiring and so so brilliant!

Let's meet Sadie... her little sister Mattie who is Sadie's world has been taken from her in the worst possible way of being murdered. Bets off ladies and gentleman..... Sadie is out for blood for blood. She is going to find Mattie's murderer and nothing will STAND in her way.

I LOVE Sadie! Characterization is on point to the TEE. I was so addicted to every single character in this book and did not want this book to end. I cried a little at the end.. because it was over. NOW THAT truly means this was a fantastic book.

After finishing the final page to this book... Courtney you truly have left my soul with an imprint on my heart. Readers... be prepared for her words to bring out the deepest parts of you. You will feel in so many ways you never thought possible.

I cannot recommend this book enough.

"Sometimes I don't know what I miss more; everything I've lost or everything I never had."

Let me leave you with this...

"But love is complicated, it's messy. It can inspire selflessness, selfishness, our greatest accomplishments and our hardest mistakes. It brings us together and it can just as easily drive us apart. It can drive us."

5 brilliant stars!

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest review.

Publication date: 9/4/18
Published to GR: 6/18/18

Thanks to Courtney Summers and Netgalley for a preview of this outstanding realistic fiction YA novel about a girl named Sadie who will go to the ends of the earth to find out who killed her 13-year-old sister Maddie. Summers is one of my favorites writers and it is a pleasure to see her writing style change and grow over the years.

Her characters are real and flawed, which is a pleasure for the reader. This is a gritty story, told in points of view from Sadie and a podcast called the girls, which is dedicated to finding Sadie after she goes missing while hunting for her sisters killer.

Definitely for high schoolers and YA, as opposed to middle school. This was a story that will stay with me for a long time.

#NetGalley #Sadie #MustRead2018
Sadie will keep you up days after you read it. It will make you sad, angry, but most of all understand that kids experience type of stuff way more than they should. If you have ever read the novel, Room, and felt overwhelmed days after. This novel is much the same. It is an excellently written and thought-provoking novel about murder, sexual abuse, and missing children. Sadie is meant to stir your thoughts and emotions while educating you on our youth today. It is extremely well plotted and deserves a must read of 2018,

I really dug this book. To me, it's like if Lisbeth met Serial met My Sisters Grave. I read it in a day and it left me wanting to know more about what happens next to Sadie. What more could you ask of a book?!

I wasn't sure if I would like this book or not, based on it being marketed as a mystery. However, the story and near-constant action drew me in pretty quickly, especially since I'm a sucker for sad family dramas. This was the first book in a while where I really didn't want to stop reading.

I think a lot of teens will really like this book because it doesn't shy away from the real stuff. It doesn't skate around the ugly everydays that are, unfortunately, true for a lot of young people. Sexual violence, poverty, drug use, and crime play major roles in Sadie's life.

*An uncorrected digital galley of this ebook was received for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel follows Sadie, a missing person who’s out for revenge, and West who starts a podcast focused around Sadie’s journey, with the aim of discovering what happened and hopefully finding her.

I loved that this novel switched between the two different characters, and I liked the podcast style layout used in sections of the novel, it really added to the dialogue. Summer’s has a refined yet raw writing style which brings the characters to life, adding colour and depth to their stories and situations.

The plot was complex enough to keep me guessing but not so complex that it became confusing. Summer’s has created a powerful novel that doesn’t tip toe around challenging issues, instead it chooses to combat them head on, holding nothing back.

Overall this was a good book, I really enjoyed the layout and the plot overall was gripping. However there are some topics within the novel which some readers may find distressing. If you’re looking for a contemporary young adult novel looking at the darker side of life then this book may be perfect for you.

Sadie is a heartbreaking story but you will not be able to put it down. Older sister Sadie is on a wild road trip to find the person who killed her sister. I loved how the story weaved back and forth from Sadie's story to the Crime Story about herself. This was a cleaver way to tell this GREAT book.

Framed by a true-crime podcast, Sadie is the story of missing 19-year-old Sadie Hunter as she attempts to avenge her younger sister's murder. Despite being a novel, the podcast transcripts that run throughout the book give it a true-crime feel. The pace quickens as the story progresses until it's almost impossible to put down. I found Sadie to be a sympathetic protagonist and the story overall to be incredibly emotional. Sadie was a very enjoyable read.

Last year I stumbled across the hit podcast Serial (yes I was way behind the times) and instantly became hooked on it and many other true crime podcasts so when I read the description for this book I was very intrigued.
I imagine Courtney Summers has listened to her fair share of these podcasts too as the book is split between 2 viewpoints; Sadie who has ran away and is looking for the man who killed her younger sister Mattie and then a podcast called The Girls which is covering the case and the podcast chapters are incredibly authentic. You can almost hear them as you read it.
Of course with the subject matter the book is an incredibly heavy read but oh its a good one!

This book is going to be one of my top books of the year, mark my words! Being obsessed with podcasts made this book right in my wheelhouse. The details and story line were flawless and I am planning a reread ASAP. I will be recommending this to many

Another dark and twisty gem from Courtney Summers with an engaging format. A first purchase for YA collections.

I would love to give this a 3.5 if I could. Summers has an absolutely beautiful way with words, and there were several times throughout this book that I paused to reread a passage because of how lovely it was.

I was drawn to this book right away since a podcast is interwoven into the plot. I love the emerging new media of podcasts and I was interested to see how this translated into a novel. Summers did a good job incorporating the podcast without it being a clunky plot device. The podcast aspect is just a small piece of this novel.

I also loved the character of May Beth Foster, she came alive on the pages.

The reason I am not rating this higher is because because I did not feel like there was enough action to keep the plot progressing and the ending seemed abrupt and left a lot of things unresolved for me as a reader.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC!

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

I don't think I would actively recommend this novel, which is why I didn't round up to 4 stars.

Trigger Warnings: Child Sexual Abuse & Neglect

Okay.

So this novel was somewhat of a heavy read for me. At age 16, Sadie's younger sister, Mattie, gets murdered by a child predator - the same child predator that hunted on Sadie. With Mattie's death, Sadie somehow puts the pieces together and decides to get revenge. The only thing is, Sadie has now been declared missing. The novel is separated into two parts: a podcast in present time trying to follow Sadie's possible steps and Sadie's past point of view.

Before I go on a rant about the things I hated, let me talk about the few things I enjoyed, or rather, felt were accurately represented.

The Pros

1. Sadie has a speech impediment that is described exceptionally well and is consistent throughout the novel. Even better, it's not the sole label to her character. Sadie's stutter provided insight into how some of her character traits were developed. Moreover, responses to her impediment by supporting characters also facilitated in showing how ignorant people are of this disability.

2. This next point is going to drive me insane because I fucking hate that it's true but I still absolutely loath it.

The fact that so many adults knew or suspected that Keith/Darren/Christopher/Jack was a child predator and did nothing to report him because he was only ever a decent person to them. I hate this, I hate this so much but I work in the field with children with trauma-focused behaviors and I hear this shit all the fucking time. There are so many adults who don't report suspicions because they either 1. don't want to get involved with police drama or 2. feel guilty reporting a person who has only ever been nice to them and I CAN'T STAND THAT THIS IS THE WORLD WE LIVE IN BUT IT'S TRUE.

So although I fucking hate that this happened in the book, I respect it because this is the accurate, gritty realty of the world I work in.

*Sigh*

The Cons

1. The writing was a bit awkward. Sadie would sometimes experience flashbacks and the transitions just weren't very good tbh. I often had to go back and make sure I didn't accidentally miss a paragraph or something. Additionally, big reveals (i.e. the arrest of one of the child predators) were often presented as an afterthought. I just didn't understand why this information was given to us in the podcast segments, rather than in Sadie's? It was weird.

2. Stylistic Choices - I didn't care for the podcast sections for the first 50% of this novel. They just served to summarized what we had already gather from Sadie's POV, like... why? Toward the end of the novel the podcast started to pick up but I think that's only because Summers left us hanging with Sadie's point of view - which leads me up to my next point:

3. Cliffhanger. I don't like them. This story has a huge one with a solidly defining tone of finality; meaning we won't ever know what happens because that's just how life is! #YOLO

4. Plot holes - ****SPOILERS AHEAD***** It's never explained how Sadie knew Keith/Darren/Christopher/Jack was the one who murdered Mattie. Sadie seems to just jump to that conclusion on her own and follow her gut instinct when this guy hasn't even been around for <i>years</i> and has been described in the book as having moved on with life and sexually abusing other girls like the scumbag he is. How did Mattie know to contact him? Why did he come back for her when the families he has invaded tend to never hear from him again? Why kill Mattie in such a brutal and public matter when everything about his character yells out discretion (the million fake IDs and low profile)? It just didn't make sense to me. Like, yes I want him deader than dead but please tell me why you came to that conclusion about the murder. Did I miss something? I don't think so. I think it may have just been lazy writing.

That's it!

Maybe I'm too analytical of a reader but I can't help but be disappointed when stories have a great premise but are executed poorly. Sadie had so much potential to be a book that tackled a heavy topic well, but remained kinda... meh. I'm glad I read it, but I know for a fact that I'll never reread it.

**Thank you NetGalley for sending me an arc of this novel! Definitely an interesting read.*

I knew this book was going to ruin me before I even read the first page. I could tell from the synopsis. Then I saw the format of the story and knew it was going to kill me dead with feelings. I was not wrong. I don't even know how much I want to say in this review because I want everyone to read this book and have the suspense and the thrill that I had while reading it. But before I accidentally give something away, let's get to the review!

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
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.

Let's get into the format of the book first. I about died when I realized the book is split up into chapters that are written like a podcast transcript and chapters that are written from Sadie's point of view. I love a good podcast and when Serial first started, I listened to each episode the day they came out. When I started reading the first page and realized it was written like a podcast, I almost fell off the couch with excitement. West McCray is the host of the podcast, The Girls, and originally, doesn't really want this story when his boss gives it to him. But slowly, he starts to see that this is a story that needs to be told. He ends up going to Sadie's hometown of Cold Creek, Colorado where he visits Sadie and Mattie's aunt so he can start to understand what Mattie and Sadie's lives were like and what happened to them. He is a great narrator and lets the story of Sadie come through the people who lived with her and the ones she meets along her journey. His last lines are truly heart-wrenching.

Sadie's point of view is just as brilliant. Sadie is such a strong main character but not in the way most people talk about strong characters. She cries, feels thing intensely, and is scared at times but fights through her fear to try and find the man that killed her sister. She also does her fair share of fighting. And for someone with no investigative/detective experience, she does an amazing job finding clues, asking questions, and figuring out the answers she needs to get to the next step in her journey. I fell in love with Sadie and her story (told through the podcast and in her own words) and became completely invested in whether she succeeded or not (like I said: LOTS OF FEELINGS!).

Courtney Summers did a brilliant job with this book. Her writing is so good I could cry. The podcast/Sadie POV mix, the semi-cliffhanger-y ending, the slow but satisfying way the facts of Sadie and her sister's lives are revealed makes for a compelling, thrilling, and emotional read. If you can't tell from all the praise, I am giving Sadie 5 out of 5 stars. The book doesn't come out until September but you need to get this one on your TBR lists right now!

Sadie by Courtney Summers comes out September 4, 2018.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Absolute gem of a book. The story didnt have any lulls and is told in two cool varying viewpoints that fill in banks as you go. Love the ending, too. A great read from start to finish that combines Sadie's character development with a suspenseful tale. Thanks NetGalley! #netgalley #sadie

***ARC received for an honest review****

I adore Courtney Summers. And I’m sure you could hear my screams of delight from your house when I was approved for this ARC. I waited a little while before diving into it bc I knew that it would be dark. Ha. I had no idea.

<b>”I live in a place that’s only good for leaving, is all that needs to be said about it, and I don’t let myself look back.”</b>

There are a million triggers in this thing. The only way it’s manageable is the unique storytelling - which gives us another perspective and just enough distance so we’re not smothered.

Sadie’s sister is killed. And Sadie goes looking for the man who did it. Months later an radio producer creates a show where he goes looking for Sadie - bc now she’s missing.

<b>”A body might not always be beautiful, but a body can be a beautiful deception. I’m stronger than I look.”</b>

Short, tight and painful - it was everything I’ve expected from Summers. Right up through that ending. My heart hurts. And I’m glad i read this one when it was daylight. Courtney Summers remains a must-read. This book is another weapon in her arsenal of brilliant destruction.

<b>”But here’s the thing I tell myself to dull the sharp edges of everything that’s surely left to come: The worst has already happened.”</b>

<a href="http://www.alleskelle.com/"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1471716947r/20097901.jpg?v=1471716951482"width="400"></a>

So, so good. This one checks all my boxes. Fans of true crime podcasts will not want to miss this one. Summers has crafted a top-notch mystery/thriller that will keep readers turning the pages late into the night. Highly recommended.