This was a great YA thriller, which follows 19-year-old Sadie, who sets out to find her sister’s killer. This book is gritty and heart wrenching, and deals with some very heavy topics. I loved the way it was told by alternating between Sadie’s perspective and a podcast, and after reading some other reviews, it is obvious that I need to check out the audiobook!

Sadie is a gripping YA mystery that'll break your heart. It is haunting and sad. The ending was a bit disappointing but it was also apt. Definitely a great read, this one.

This is the book that got me out an almost four month reading slump. Before reading this I had no desire to pick up any kind of book and I was convinced my blogging days were over. Then, everyone on Twitter was talking about how amazing the audiobook was and because I'm the kind of person that has to be in on what everyone else is talking about I decided to listen to it and wow, am I glad I did. It's devastating, heartbreaking and it made me cry. A lot.

Listening to this via audiobook made it seem so real. It really feels like you're listening to a true crime podcast. It was put together SO well! I had to remind myself that it was a fictional case. The podcast element in general was so cool.

I loved how complex and flawed Sadie was as a character. She mad a lot of impulse decisions but they weren't for no reason? Yes, she obviously could have handled things better but I fully understood her motives especially as more and more was revealed. I found myself relating to her character a lot. My home life wasn't physically abusive as hers, but I was always a parent to my younger siblings, so I really connected with that. It was good to see some representation for stuttering too because I don't think that's something that's ever really talked about. 

West McCray's involvement in the story was great too, he was one of my favourite parts. He wasn't just a "voice" telling a podcast. He was a really fleshed out character. The way he started off with "girls go missing all the time" and then evolved to "I can’t take another dead girl" (which, is such a HARD HITTING statement and such a reflection on the current state of society) and how much he grew to care for Sadie and her family and the case in general. 

The small town atmosphere was done brilliantly too and it was another thing I found myself really relating to. The characters and the settings really bring it to life.

Courtney Summers never seems to shy away from confronting subjects and that's why I want to read all her works. The other book I've read by her was All the Rage and it was so heartbreaking. I think she does a great job of handling all the subject matters in a really respectful, but realistic way. Nothing is glamourised or used for shock value.  Nothing is sugarcoated though so please don't get into this if you're sensitive to any of the trigger warnings. 

The ending. I loved it. Unpopular opinion time. I know everyone talks about how much they love this book "but the ending". Maybe it's because I have such a love for open endings because I just love the whole intrigue aspect and not fully knowing something is very unnerving. I really don't think there could have been any other way for this book to end? Having everything tied up in a neat bow would have gone against everything the book was trying to tell.

I really enjoyed the narrative structure of this book, although I think West McCray as a character was a bit flat. The other characters in this book, including and especially Sadie, were interesting and had at least a little bit of complexity. I liked the ambiguity of the ending. Sadie's quest to revenge her sister (and herself), and to protect other vulnerable girls from abuse, was very moving. I thought it was well paced, gripping, and unpredictable. I think that the podcast angle will be interesting to many readers, although maybe not to the target YA audience. However, I don't think it will drive them away either. I think this is an important and compelling read. I very much enjoyed it and I thank NetGalley, Courtney Summers, and the publisher for the review copy I received.

An abandoned, one room schoolhouse sits three miles outside of Cold Creek, taken by fire. The roof is caved in and what's left of the walls are charred. It sits next to an Apple orchard. The body of Maddie Southern was discovered between the burning schoolhouse and the Apple orchard just out of sight. She's been missing for three days earlier and she was found there dead. She was only thirteen years old. Mattie left behind a nineteen year old sister, Sadie, a surrogate grandmother, May Beth, and her mother, Claire, but Claire has been out of the picture for awhile.

Claire left when Sadie was sixteen which meant Mattie was ten. She was a habitual drug user, and left her children for this reason.

After Mattie's death, Sadie comes up missing, her car is found abandoned, thousand of miles away with all her belongings found inside of it. Eddie's grandmother, May Beth Foster has enlisted, West McCrays help in finding Sadie. He does this with a serialized podcast on the search of Sadie.

This is a gripping YA mystery and thriller. It did not seem to me that I was reading a young adult book. It was so well done. If you haven't read this because it's a young adult book, you might want too because I don't think you would notice. It is a dark story, but not too dark.

The layout of the book is half podcasts and the other half is a story. I think the audio book would be better than the book, since it has podcasts in it. At first when I started the book, I didn't think I would like the layout of the book with the podcasts, but I was very surprised. I ended up loving reading them. They were so gripping and suspenseful, which kept me turning the pages on the search for Sadie. I was immediately drawn into the story straight from the beginning and couldn't put it down.

At first I didn't like the ending because it was one of those imaginary endings, where you imagine how it ended the way you want it to end. I thought it was a perfect ending because since it is a young adult book I think it would be a very dark and disturbing ending and this way they can decide how they want it to end.

I loved the characters. Sadie will always be a memorable character and I just loved her. May Beth, the grandmother was a loveable character too. Claire and several other characters were very unlikable characters to me. Claire was a terrible mother and just had too many excuses.

This was a Traveling Sister Read and I think we all enjoyed it. This book made a great group read discussion. I loved reading this with them.

I want to thank Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Courtney Summers for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An incredibly powerful and heart-rending and timely story, SADIE takes readers on a dark and gripping and emotional ride. It is a murder mystery that is instantly heartbreaking, at times horrifying, and always hopeful. It is the story of one sister’s love and unfailing determination to find her sister’s killer and the story of one journalist’s reluctant investigation into that sister’s disappearance.

West McCray didn’t want to head back to Cold Creek to dig deeper into the disappearance of Sadie Hunter. Her sister, Mattie’s murder the year before was tragic, but he didn’t think that a story about a missing teenager would be all that exciting. He couldn’t have been more wrong.

As he attempts to follow the events that led up to the Farfield police’s discovery of Sadie’s abandoned car and personal belongings, he finds himself putting together the pieces of a story that is far more ominous and complex than he could have imagined.

Told through West’s podcasts, interviews and conversations and from Sadie’s point of view, Courtney Summers offers a unique way for readers to get to know Sadie and some of the others who played an important role in Sadie’s life, and to unravel both the mystery of Sadie’s disappearance and the mystery of Mattie’s murder.

The author penned a story that is nail-biting, enraging, and deeply touching. Her character, Sadie, is strong and courageous and loyal and loving and sympathetic. The journey she asks readers to take is not an easy one – it’s disturbing and heart-achingly sad. But it is an important one.

From the very beginning, SADIE will grab hold. It will tear at your heartstrings as you mourn for all that has been lost. It will remind you of both the goodness and the evil in this world. It will keep you riveted as you learn what West learns and find out whether Sadie succeeded in her search.

It is a beautifully and hauntingly written tale that will be unforgettable.

Actual rating: 3.75 / 5

I heard great things about Sadie before it came out, so naturally I was anxiously waiting to get my hands on this lovely looking novel. And while it’s not the best thriller/mystery I’ve read, it’s definitely one of the better books in the YA thriller/mystery domain.

I love how this novel is titled after the main character, Sadie, because truthfully this whole story is about her — even if it feels like it’s about her murdered sister, Mattie. It’s about Sadie’s determination to find the man who killed her sister and assaulted her when they were young children. Honestly, that guy gave me the creeps; he was downright nasty. I don’t understand people who do stuff like that to children (or anyone, for that matter).

The pacing of this story was done well — divided between interviews and narration — everything flowed effortlessly, which made it difficult for me to stop reading. Truthfully, I hated putting this book down; I needed to know what was going on.

Some negatives, because all books have those, are that I wasn’t fond West (the interviewer guy who is looking for Sadie). But if you asked me why I didn’t like him, I couldn’t tell you. He felt bland? It’s hard to pinpoint, but I felt no connection to his character and found his sections slower than Sadie’s.

Additionally, the ending of the novel irritated me — I don’t like not knowing things, so it took away from the whole book, because I had a feeling Summers was going to end Sadie’s story the way she did. I wish it could have been a little more original, since it felt like the “easy” way to end the novel. But this is purely my opinion; others may disagree.

Overall, I enjoyed this story as much as I hoped I would! And while I wish West’s chapters were more like Sadies and that I could have connected to him more, it didn’t take too much away from the thrill of the story. Sadie is a great read for those who love YA, mystery, and/or thrillers.
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This book was well-written and engaging, but I definitely felt worse about myself and humanity as a whole after I finished reading it, so I am arbitrarily knocking it down a star

Sadie is a fast paced contemporary story about a girl on a mission and the pod-cast host trying to find her. Told in alternating chapters following Sadie in first person and following Wes in a pod-cast interview format. When Wes McCray is in a small town in Colorado recording an episode for a pod-cast show, he hears about a 13-year-old girl named Mattie being murdered. He returns to New York and a few months later in October, Wes gets a call about Mattie’s older sister, Sadie, who has been missing been since June. A neighbor who is like a grandmother to both girls wants Wes to help find Sadie. Sadie’s car was found abandoned thousands of miles from home and Wes tries to figure what led Sadie to that place. Wes goes through Sadie’s past by interviewing people she knew and attempting to follow her route. Rewind back to June, Sadie is trying to find and kill the man, Keith, that she knows murdered her sister. She has a picture of him and tells everyone he is her dad. She gathers clues from people leading her to his current location. As she tracks him down, she uncovers many long buried secrets about Keith and the people he knew. Can Sadie get to Keith and avenge her sister? Can Wes find Sadie?
This story has a fast pace and great characters. The dual narrative keeps the pace quick and keeps you wanting to read more. Some secrets were too conveniently and easily revealed, like when Sadie just happened to be parked outside the house when a bad man drove out to his hiding spot. Sadie was a well-written character. She was tough, determined, and did not let her stutter stop her, but she could do some stupid things. Due to the pod-cast format, you do not learn a lot about Wes. The story does not have any racy scenes and does not have romance. The story does not have descriptions of rape, child molestation, and murder, but those topics do drive the plot. The ending wraps up the story, but leaves some questions unanswered. The cover is not the best, but the book is great. I liked this book and will check out others by the author. Fans of mysteries and thrillers would like this book. I received a digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Initial Thoughts: "Courtney Summers' novels are always hard-hitting, emotionally brutal dives into the harsh realities young women face. I started Sadie expecting nothing less but hoping for a powerful revenge story as well - the type that would fit into my current reading mood. While Sadie does cover yet another darkly emotional aspect of being a woman in a man's world, it does not quite quench my thirst for violence or provide me satisfaction in wrongs made right. If I were of a more normal mindset, this novel would hit all the right chords. Sadie's story is powerful and necessary because her childhood experiences at the hands of her mother's boyfriend happen more often than we would like to acknowledge. Ms. Summers treats the topic with the decency it requires, shedding light on this painful subject without delving into gratuitous details that serve no purpose other than to disgust and sensationalize the truth. Still, I cannot help but feel disappointed upon finishing it because it is not the type of novel that helps me feel better right now. Instead, it reminds me of the work we still need to do to protect our daughters. My reaction is not the fault of the novel or Ms. Summers but purely due to my current emotional and mental state."

Now: Guys, I feel somewhat guilty that I could not love Sadie more than I did. After all, it is a heartbreaking story that with beautiful writing. The problem is that the story reminds me of the immigrant children ripped from their families by our government. It reminds me of the #metoo movement and what Dr. Ford experienced when she tried to come forward publically with her story of abuse. These reminders hurt and fuel my rage that there are people who believe Dr. Ford lied under oath but Judge Kavanaugh did not, that our government seems to be turning its back on the very tenets of our country and becoming more and more like 1930s Germany than is ever acceptable. I read to escape. I don't want reminders of the very things I cannot ignore in real life. Everything that happens in Sadie is essential and worthy of so much discussion. It is critical because as the narrator points out in the very beginning, girls run away all the time. Sadie is an attempt to open up the dialogue about why girls run away.  I know all this in my mind and admire what Ms. Summers achieves with her story. While I recognize all this, I cannot change how my heart feels when I think about the book. The simple fact is I wanted a story with a lot more justice obtained by the heroine than what I got with an ending that may not be realistic but at least would be satisfying. Sadie is not that novel.

3.5/5 stars

The half-star is because the audiobook version of Saide is the best I've ever heard! There are multiple actors, sound effects, and more. It definitely listens like more of a radio show/podcast than a book, which is on-point since half of the story *is* a podcast.

Sadie is a 19 year-old girl who has a got-out-of-town, junkie single mom and a 6-years-her-junior sister Mattie. Except, Mattie recently was found dead just outside of town. Sadie is convinced she knows who did it, and she is skips town to find him. It's not an easy search, but she is determined, even if her stutter doesn't make it easy interrogate people.

Sadie (the books) tells two points of view of the same mystery: what happened to Sadie? The chapters happen slightly out-of-time with one another until they match up and one pulls ahead. Half of the chapters are narrated by Sadie as she goes about searching for a man who was her mom's former boyfriend and who lived with them. Sadie and Mattie knew him as Keith, but others know him by Darren-- or Christopher or Jack. Obviously, there's something fishy going on. The other half is narrated by Wes McCray, podcast creator of The Girls, a show where we tells the story of Sadie and why/how she's missing. Part of his chapters are straight podcast transliteration and other parts are his interviews with witnesses and phone calls with his producer/boss.

The ending is 100% open-ended. It can be frustrating, but lends verisimilitude as so many missing person cases are unsolved.

Sadie is a girl who has lost her sister and is looking for the man who is responsible.
I am going to be honest, I couldn’t finish this book. There was a scene that depicted violence against the main character who is a young woman. I know this stuff happens in the real world but it’s not the escapism I am looking for right now. Maybe I can pick it back up again later.

<i>"I wish his darkness lived outside of him, because you have to know it's there to see it. Like all real monsters, he hides in plain sight."</i>

Sadie has disappeared. After surviving a drug-addicted mother, a string of abusive boyfriends and God knows what else, Sadie is much stronger than what she looks. But is she strong enough to take on the task that she has assigned herself . . . to find her baby sister's killer and exact revenge. At the heart of this novel is a mystery told through Sadie's eyes and the transcripts of a podcast as we set about to find her. Courtney Summers' latest novel has a lot of trigger warnings: child abuse, violence, substance abuse. It is not for the feint of heart. What it is is an engrossing novel that will have you totally invested in Sadie despite her vigilante ways. While I do not want to give away too much of the story -- (I found that it was best to go into this one knowing less.) I will say that this was one of the best YA reads for me this year.

Below is a link for The Girls podcast as featured in the novel.
<a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/macmillan/the-girls-find-sadie">The Girls</a>

<img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A1L5e7BTdBL._UX250_.jpg"/>

Sadie's life has been hard. It gets harder when her beloved sister Mattie is found brutally murdered. Determined to find the killer, Sadie sets out on a cross-country road trip. When a radio personality named West McCray gets wind of Sadie's story, he turns the tale into a podcast - both trying to find Mattie's killer, but also trying to discover what happened to Sadie, and where she's disappeared to.

Courtney Summers has written tough female characters before, and this latest offering is a stunner of a complex heroine. Told in alternating chapters between Sadie's point-of-view and transcripts of West McCray's podcast about the girls, Summers has crafted a hell of a novel that holds readers tight and doesn't let up until the last few pages. The mixed narrative is fresh and capitalizes on the current podcast craze without ever tipping over into trite terrain.

A strong voice in Sadie helps elevate this story. She's lived a life that's absolutely brutal, and it's left a mark on her, but her love for her sister,and her thirst for justice, propels her forward through some truly dangerous and incredibly bleak experiences. There's a sparseness to this novel that won't work for every reader, but it's excellently done, and it's clear that Summers is in control of her characters and her prose the entire time.

Haunting, beautiful, sad, and a little bit hopeful. This one should be placed in the hands of fans of mysteries, thrillers, and true-crime podcasts alike.

Powerful, compelling, & heartbreaking!

I have enjoyed YA stories in the past but in my opinion I think this book is geared to a much wider audience than just teens.

SADIE by COURTNEY SUMMER is a memorable, important, and a fantastic YA mystery novel that immediately grabbed my attention and had me glued to those pages right to the very end.

Sadie's story was not an easy read as it delves deep into Sadie's pain and some tough subject matter. But, I thought that the author handled it with such care though and was very sensitive with the delivery.

I didn’t necessarily find the storyline all that gripping but, the way that the author weaves her sentences and delivers this story was absolutely enthralling. When I wasn’t reading this one, I was thinking about it. Sadie really got under my skin and has left a lasting impression.

I loved COURTNEY SUMMER’S unique writing style here and thought the podcasts was a very effective way for us to get to know all the characters. It gave us a different perspective into Sadie's character and I really enjoyed how the story unfolded. Sadie's narrative with stutter and all was absolutely heartbreaking to read and really impacted me as a reader.

*Traveling Friends Read*

Norma’s Stats:
Cover: Stunning, breathtaking, and a perfect and highly affecting representation to storyline.
Title: Simply brilliant and such a meaningful representation to storyline.
Writing/Prose: Edgy, witty, emotive & brilliantly written.
Plot: Engaging, impressive, unforgettable, perfectly-paced, and held my attention.
Ending: An ambiguous ending that I think worked really well for this YA story but didn’t necessarily satisfy my need of knowing a little bit more though.
Overall: Sadie definitely left an impression on me as well as this author’s writing style! Would recommend!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Courtney Summers for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

4 stars! A heart-wrenching and haunting coming-of-age story.

This novel revolves around nineteen-year-old Sadie who has run away from home in the hope of seeking revenge for the murder of her younger sister Mattie. Sadie has always been Mattie’s protector, taking on a mothering role to Mattie from the time she was born. Sadie hides many deep and disturbing childhood secrets that she is planning on addressing and exposing in hopes of getting justice for Mattie’s suffering.

This book will break your heart. It deals with some extremely sensitive and highly disturbing subject matter, but is presented in a respectful way that conveys the message without getting into unnecessary detail. Be prepared for something that will pull at your heartstrings and have you rooting for these characters to find justice.

I enjoyed the presentation and flow of this novel. It is told in alternating chapters through Sadie’s perspective and then an eight episode podcast hosted by popular radio host, West McCray. The podcasts were a fantastic piece of this compelling and suspenseful journey.

This was a Traveling Friends read that lead to some wonderful discussion. We all enjoyed traveling through Sadie’s journey together.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Courtney Summers for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Although marketed for the young adult audience, this book is a worthy crossover. It is hard hitting, timely, with the me too movement so often in the news, and the young, Sadie, is sure to win your heart. When Sadie's younger sister Mattie is murdered, a sister who she raised, Sadie sets off on a journey to find the man responsible. When Sadie's car is found, empty but holding all her belongings, a neighbor who was more of a mother to the girls than their own, contacts a man who does podcasts focusing on cases such as these.

The pages fly by in this book, partly due to its form, alternate chapters between the podcast, called the Girls, and a first person account by Sadie. Sadie's vulnerability, her sense of guilt over her sisters death, and her stutter, quickly wins over the reader. One of my triggers is any type of abuse of children, I usually try to avoid this type of read. This though was a Traveling friends read, and has been getting wonderful reviews, do I though this was one I would chance. Sexual abuse permeates the pages, but it is handled very well indeed, no graphic renderings, thank goodness.

The ending some will like, some will not, but I believe it stays true to the book, true to life in general.
This is now my second favorite YA novel, but like the first one I will long remember.

ARC by Netgalley.

It has been forever since I've read anything from Courtney Summers and what a mistake that was. I forgot how edgy and different her stories are and at the same time full of so much potent emotions.

This time around Sadie is written in such a unique manner that you are pulled in from the start. And this book isn't just a book, there is also a whole podcast around it as well.

I have only read this book and not listened to the podcast, so this review is strictly for the book. The book starts as if written like a podcast then goes back in forth to first person from Sadie's POV. The whole reason Wes is doing the show is because Sadie is missing and her surrogate grandmother wants her found. Sadie has gone missing after the murder of her younger sister.

And for Sadie, her little sister Mattie is her whole world. Her only world really. After the loss of Mattie, it destroys Sadie. But now she has a reason to right wrongs and that's what she does.

~It's not about finding peace. There will never be peace.~

At the same time Wes is trying to put all the pieces together and find out what happened to Sadie. During his investigations we keep getting glimpses into what truly was happening to Sadie or what Sadie had experienced.

The way the book was set up was brilliant, and so refreshingly different. Is there a HEA? No, but its a YA thriller and a HEA isn't what I expect in a thriller. Sure am I sucker for the HEA? Yes, but I was left content with how this book ended.

This book had so much depth to it and it pulled you in. It's more of an experience than a read. I very much recommend this book. And even though much of the content was heavy there was also so much love. The love of sisters and the bond that it creates.

4.5 An emotional experience but worth the journey stars!

Sadie is a heavy read and not one to take lightly.
When it comes to YA, I tend to prefer fantasy but this caught my interest when I read that it was written as part podcast and part novel.

Sadie's little sister - Mattie - is her whole world. When Mattie is found dead, Sadie blames herself and makes it her mission to catch the man responsible. This leads her on a country-wide search, no matter the risk to herself - she's broke, sick, in pain and bone-tired but she keeps on.

Meanwhile, West McCray is a journalist who overhears Sadie's story and creates a podcast while investigating her disappearance. At times, he is hesitant to admit there is even a story to tell but the more he learns the more determined he becomes to find her and bring her home safely.

Despite the fact I had a pretty good idea of how this story would end, even that didn’t prepare me for it. This novel is raw, heartbreaking and it was impossible to put down. I can't recommend this enough!

Absolutely loved this book - it is YA but has definite adult appeal as well. The podcast format was interesting and well done so that it did not feel like a cheap gimmick. I was instantly hooked and had to know what happened!