This book was beautifully different from any book I've read before while holding many elements I love. Like Courtney Summers' other books, Sadie holds powerful characters in stories you've read before but never quite like that. While I appreciated the inclusion of Saide's stammer, it tended to make the speech jarring to read.

I’m in pieces over Sadie, a TBR title by Courtney Summers. It’s the tale of two sisters too young to bare the burdens life hands them and the remarkable strength of the human spirit to fight fiercely in the name of love & justice. Summer’s writing is authentic, raw, and very real. The investigative format is unique and successfully executed to builds suspense and keeps readers engaged throughout.

Check back at this address https://books4jessica.wordpress.com/
on September 3rd for full review.

I will say for now I really enjoyed this book & the writing style. I did have a few issues with it, but overall it was pretty good and I would recommend everyone reading it. Like I say in my review reading Sadie is an "experience." One that I think everyone should live at least once.

This book here is why I keep reading YA.

Because there are authors out there who give voice to such broken characters you feel the need to look for them, to find them, to mend them. To take all their broken pieces and put them back together, to mingle them with your own happiness and dreams and hopes, and make them whole again.

Because there are characters who make your heart ache so much you want to reverse their past, to reshape their present, to invent a future for.

Oh, Sadie, how I want to find you, to hold you in my arms and take all that pain away. Oh, Sadie...

4.5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Sadie, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review of the book.

This is the first book I read by Courtney Summers and I'm going to need to read more of her books. This book was fantastic and really grabbed at my emotions.

Sadie has, for the most part, raised her sister Mattie. Their mother had abandoned the girls. So for the most part, they have been on their own. The manager of the trailer park that they live in, keeps an eye on the girls.

But then the unthinkable happens and Mattie tragically died. Then Sadie disappears.

The story of the sisters captures the attention of radio personality West McCray and he begins looking further into it.
As with most novels lately, this is told from both West's perspectives and Sadie's perspective.
It's marketed as a YA read, but I don't think it is just a YA read. I almost think you could just put this in a fictional catagory

*I was provided a copy of this book for honest review from the publisher via net galley*

Trigger warnings for: child abuse, rape, and drug addictions.

Holy moly. So, immediately upon finishing this book, I thought of "The Female of the Species" by Mindy McGinnis. The stories are similar in tone, and have the theme of--sister goes missing and it's up to the remaining girl to do something about it. I find this story trope fascinating for multiple reasons, and while I really enjoyed "The Female of the Species," I just thought that there was a little more depth to this one.

We follow Sadie as she tries to hunt down her sister's killer with a vengeance. We also follow the podcast entitled "the Girls" which is set after the events told in Sadie's perspective because Sadie's adoptive grandmother is trying to find some kind of closure, and well, the murder of Sadie's sister just really shook her up.

That's all I can say without spoilers, but honestly, this book was fantastic. I was worried because I'd been in a bit of a slump but once this book takes off--it takes off. I read this in an entire day and I have a feeling that this is going to be the best book I read this year, I don't know what can top it. It's dark and gritty and just incredibly real. I fell in love with the way this story played out, and podcasts are something I rarely see in books so it was entirely refreshing. This is my first Courtney Summers book but it definitely won't be my last. I'm so incredibly grateful for the publisher in providing me with a digital review copy of this book because I will be telling people to read it for the foreseeable future. These are the kind of hard-hitting books I live for. Do me a favor and read this when it comes out. I'm buying myself a physical copy because I loved it that much.

Although a dark and disturbing plot line, you cannot look away. Sadie and Mattie are young girls of an addict. Mom brought Keith into their lives, a sober, good looking guy, who actually preys on the girls. That is the pivotal imputus that propels Sadie to take revenge after her beloved Matttie is murdered. She knows it was Keith, she just knows it, but where to find him. Told in the short form of a podcast, readers are introduced to characters that shed new light onto Sadie, Claire ( Sadie's mom) and May Beth, the local trailer park owner who took the girls in as mom was too stoned. Without Mattie, Sadie is adrift, and her singular motivation to avenge her death, and find Keith is the entire arc of the book. It is a book that I could not put down, well drawn and compelling, and sadly almost all too real. Not for the faint of heart, recommended grades 10 and up.

tw: sexual abuse, pedophilia, drug addiction, general abuse.

wow. i’m a little speechless right now and i really don’t know how to go about writing this review with any semblance of coherence when i’m really??? i’m really shocked?? sadie was tragic and phenomenal and intense and crazy good.

this book follows a series of podcast-like episodes about two sisters, sadie and mattie, and what became of them after mattie’s body is found and sadie has gone missing. sadie has left a barely discernible trail of clues behind her disappearance, and west mccrey—a radio personality who’s approached with sadie’s story—has made it his mission to find out what really happened to the girls.

told in detailed transcriptions of the podcast episodes, as well as traditionally written chapters in sadie’s point of view, the story slowly unravels to the reader as it would to the listener of the podcast. it reveals little by little how sadie’s unconditional love for her sister mattie lead her to seek mattie’s murderer, and every single person sadie encounters on her journey becomes intrinsic to the eventual investigation of the case.

this book was... intense. i can’t find another word to describe it. sadie is as fierce as she is vulnerable. as a female character she shows a strength that i think is rarely seen in YA lit nowadays, which goes deeper than words and physical actions. she’s disabled and she’s been a victim of abuse but she’s a fighter. she’s heartless but she’s also fragile and soft. she’s complex beyond any character i’ve read in a long, loooooong time. the love she has for mattie is also something that i found a very personal connection with. if you have a sister, you’ll do anything to protect her. to the death. that’s not only relatable but also something that kinda puts things into perspective, or at least it did for me.

the writing was impeccable. the pacing was perfect. the characterization was flawless. there is nothing about this book that i didn’t absolutely and immediately admire. it’s without a doubt a book that will stay with me for a really long time.

this is my first courtney summers but it’s definitely not my last!! i can’t wait to pick up whatever she releases next.

Holy hell, this book hit me hard.

I've been reading Summers' books for seven years now and she is both consistently good and continually getting better. I remember thinking that Some Girls Are was one of the most powerful and vicious books I'd ever read back in 2011. Then All the Rage came along and destroyed me some more.

Whether Summers is writing a contemporary high school novel, a mystery, or a zombie apocalypse, she crawls right inside the deepest, darkest parts of teen girl minds. She explores their grief, their love, their hopes, fears and passions, and she does it in such a way that her characters become unforgettable, feeling at once completely unique AND universal.

And this book? This book made me cry. I felt so deeply for Sadie as she goes in search of the man who hurt her sister. Her sister, Mattie, who was her whole world. And yeah, yeah, we've read the "doing it for my sister/brother" a million times in YA but here it's so different. Sadie played the role of mother to Mattie when their own mother disappeared. Their relationship is special; complicated.

Sadie goes on a journey from place to place, fighting against her severe stutter along the way, all to find one man. And West McCray’s investigation leads him along the same trail, the before and after racing each other to the end.

I think the framing of this story was PERFECT. The author splits the narrative between a radio presenter, West McCray, as he investigates Sadie’s disappearance, and the first person perspective of Sadie herself, as she hunts down her sister’s killer.

The juxtaposition of McCray’s detached radio voice with the passion and determination in Sadie’s account works really well. You can just imagine it - Sadie’s story becoming the latest True Crime special - and it honestly hurts to read. You want McCray to just move faster, work harder, care more about this poor girl from a disadvantaged background.

Please save her was running through my mind the whole time. I felt a little panicked while reading, especially as Sadie becomes ever more reckless. It’s heartbreaking to see this girl who believes she has lost everything important in her world.

It could be likened to any book with a badass female character on a mission, from The Female of the Species to True Grit, but really, it stands on its own. In the end, it feels like a book about all the ways Sadie is let down by the people who should have helped and protected her; all the ways poor young girls are let down by the people who should have helped and protected them.

And still, despite it all, this is a Courtney Summers book, so even at her lowest, weakest moments, Sadie still has claws. The sad thing is that she ever had to use them.

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,

**Heavy trigger warning for pedophilia and sexual abuse. These topics are discussed and alluded to throughout the book**

This book is a complete punch in the gut, especially the ending. Not everyone is going to like how this book ends. I didn't at first but the more I thought about it the more I came to appreciate it and saw how it fit the story. This book is very dark. Right after I finished it I couldn't stop thinking about all the horrible people in the world and how the majority of them look like normal people and seemingly have normal lives. So don't read this if you're in a bad mental place. This is certainly a book that will stick with me and despite the dire subjects I would read again. This is a fascinating and chilling book about the monsters around us and how strong our love for others can be.

From the beginning of the book it's pretty obvious what happened to Mattie and who killed her and this book doesn't try to fool you into thinking otherwise. Sadie has a set idea as to who the murderer is and you learn pretty early on who she is after. This book is less of a "whodunit" thriller and more of a revenge story that peels back the layers to show you what happened and how the characters got to where they are. I think this book's format (told between Sadie's point of view and a true crime podcast transcript) was brilliant. It was the perfect way to lay down the foundation of the mystery without seeming info-dumpy. It was especially riveting since the podcasts take place after Sadie's journey and give more information into what she found the the people she met. I also appreciated how the author didn't sugar coat anything but at the same time never described the dark topics in full detail. She trusted her reader to be smart enough to make the connections and understand what was being said without having to spell it out. This made many revelations hit much harder.

I did feel as if some of Sadie's decisions were a bit rash and not thought out as well as I would have hoped, but I understood why she made the decisions she did and that's really what I want out of a character. Ultimately, I did find myself liking Sadie as a character. She is a girl riddled with grief and a need to seek justice. I liked how she was older than most YA protagonists at 19. It made it more believable and realistic that a 19 year old took this journey rather than a 16/17 year old. That might not make much sense but I feel like the higher age fits the darkness of the story. This book was an engrossing read that had disturbing content and frankly increased my distrust of strangers, but was one that I had to read to the end.

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.