I read/listened to Sadie and really liked it, so I was excited when I saw Courtney Summers had another book coming out. I was disappointed in this book. I did finish reading it, but when reading feels like a chore and not a pleasure - it's not enjoyable. I really wanted to like it, but the book was all over the place and I had to go back and reread to remember who characters were.

I thought I would give this YA book a try because I was hearing good things about it. I am not a YA reader, and this didn't help convert me either. I just didn't enjoy it like I thought I would. Maybe if you really liked YA novels you will like it, but it wasn't for me

*Thank you @stmartinspress for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Review not posted to Amazon/Goodreads because less than 4 stars or DNF.*

Everything about The Project is right up my alley, so I'm mad that I waited SO LONG to read it. I do want to mention first that I'm not sure how or why this book is marketed as Young Adult because the characters and nature of the book are definitely more into adult ages, but regardless, I had a great time with it personally.

We follow Lo and her spiral into a group called The Unity Project, a cult that her sister was once a part of and has since disappeared from. As she gets closer to the leader of the group, her perception of them begins to change until the truth opens her eyes to the sinister nature of The Unity Project and what they do to members who don't follow their rules and ways of life exactly.

I personally love reading anything and everything about cults, both fictional and real, so when I heard that this book definitely involved a cult, I was like, gimme. I knew something wasn't right from the first couple of pages and quickly became invested in Lo and her journey with The Unity Project. I was fascinated with The Project from start to finish and read it in less than two days because I couldn't wait to see how it ended. I was a bit confused when it came to those last several pages before and during Part Five, but other than that, I was addicted and needed to know what would happen.

CW for sexual content, car accident, loss of loved ones, murder, abuse, brainwashing, ptsd, mentions of suicide, self-harm.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC of The Project by Courtney Summers!

Lo Denham's parents died in a tragic car accident and Bea, her sister joined an elusive community known as the Unity Projects, which all in all Lo is used to being on her own. For the past six years, Lo has been trying to find ways to contact Bea to no avail. Lo researches the community and its leader, she will learn lives may be in danger and that secrets will arise.

I have been wanting to read a Courtney Summers book for a while (I even own Sadie, but I have not read it...) and I have been meaning to read The Project for a while now. Now has finally come and I picked up this book on audio.

The Kayla in 2023 is definitely different than the one in 2021 when it comes to reading tastes. I know I say this in a ton of thriller reviews, but thrillers are now such a huge struggle for me nowadays. I truly want to love thrillers, but most of them do not engage me or are predictable.

When it comes to The Project, it did not hold my attention and cause me to be intrigued. I was not trying to guess the "what if" and "what may happen" scenarios. I was not even spending my time trying to come up with predictions on what was going to happen. This book is definitely a slow burn type of thriller, but it felt way too slow for my liking, which is another reason I became disinterested at times.

The Project alternates between the perspectives of Lo (present day) and Bea (starting with the accident and with being in The Unity Project Cult) and I appreciated these alternating chapters to see the different perspectives, the lead up to everything, and to just to get to know the sisters.

This book does well at exploring cults as well as it can with this being a young adult book. Plus, the book does really well with covering grief and to simply survive the world/the environment you are in.

Overall, this was just an okay read for me.

The Project by Courtney Summers is a gripping and intense thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. The story centers around Lo Denham, a young woman who is desperate to reconnect with her sister Bea after she joined an elusive community called The Unity Project following the tragic death of their parents.

When Lo is given the chance to gain access to Bea's reclusive life, she jumps at the opportunity, hoping that they can finally be reunited. However, as she delves deeper into The Project and its charismatic leader, she realizes that her own life may be in danger.

Summers masterfully weaves together a complex and layered story that keeps the reader guessing until the very end. The characters are well-developed and complex, and the exploration of the themes of family, faith, and identity adds depth to the narrative.

The novel is told from alternating perspectives, adding to the tension and suspense. The pacing is excellent, with just the right amount of twists and turns to keep the reader engaged without feeling overwhelmed.

Overall, The Project is a captivating and thought-provoking read that will leave you thinking long after you turn the final page. Summers has crafted a masterful thriller that is sure to please fans of the genre.

This one was just not for me. Soooo depressing throughout. The ending had a little bit of light but as a whole, it made me sick to my stomach. So much death, sorrow, broken hopes and dreams. 2.5 rounded up.

Lo Denham is looking for her sister, Bea. She knows her sister is with the Unity Project, a religious organization that’s been called a cult. Lo decides to get close to the Project to find out why Bea won’t talk to her, but Lo finds out much more than that. Told through different perspectives on different timelines, readers get to learn about both Bea and Lo and how their stories begin to mirror each other’s. Courtney Summers has written an entrancing story about sisterhood, family, faith, and manipulation.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I read Sadie and really enjoyed it, so I was looking forward to this one. I was so disappointed when I started what felt like trudging through a chore of a book. It wasn't as captivating and it felt like something was just missing. The characters were two dimensional to me and it just felt like it was all over the place. I couldn't really get a feel for this one at all.

This books was so good!! The narrative was compelling, the characters were interesting and the build up was definitely worth it. The mystery and ambience of the story had me absolutely transfixed.

Courtney Summers is becoming an autobuy author for me!

Family trauma, religious cult, sisterhood, motherhood all wrapped up in this YA novel. I devoured it!

Thank you for the opportunity to read! This book was interesting and unique and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. The characters were well written and it made this a real page Turner.

The Project By Courtney Summers is another amazing book. Trying to find her sister after years of radio silence is a challenge and once the main character infiltrates The Project she soon comes to understand exactly why. A suspenseful read.

I loved Sadie and was excited to read this, but for whatever reason, this did not work for me. I never made it passed the 30% point in the story. I just found the characters and plot very uncompelling, and really didn't care what was happening with the story.

The Project is atmospheric and suspenseful. I was eager to find out what was going to happen in both timelines. After reading Sadie I know Courtney Summers isn't afraid of ending a book how she wants to. I loved not knowing where the story was headed or how it was going to wrap up . I don't typically love books with sisters as the main characters, but this one worked for me. It showed the importance of their relationship without too much focus on how much they needed each other and without the sister/best friends vibe.

I’m not sure where to begin but I will say that NOTHING about this book deserved any type of attention it was getting. The beginning was an immediate red flag considering how long it took me just to trudge though that prologue but I nevertheless persevered and it was just the worst mistake of my life.

Summers wrote one good-ish book and decided that she could write incoherent trash after that and people would still buy it and you know what, she was right. Nothing about this book even made sense. “Yes I did spend 6 years hating this cult because it took my sister from me but now that I have a chance to investigate them and get her back, oops I slept with the cult leader and double oops he might be psychic” GIRL WHAT? At least Sadie had a fun podcast element, you just had an incoherent story line.

DNF @ 26%

I really enjoyed Sadie so I was looking forward to The Project. YA has become hit and miss for me lately and I am not sure if I would have liked this one more if I was younger or not. The main reason I could not continue was how entitled the main character was. She repeatedly states how unhappy she is that her boss of one year won't promote her to writer when she literally has no college degree and only her GED. There are so many people out there with experience, degrees and talent that still do not have jobs and she is whining about how unfair it is that 19 she doesn't get promoted.

In the future I will look out for more books by this author but this one was just not for me.

In true Courtney Summers fashion, this was a great YA Thriller. We follow Lo, and her estranged sister Bea, in alternating timelines. Lo decides to take it upon herself to investigate an organization called The Project, which is believed to be a religious cult, after witnessing the death of one of its members. The adventure that ensues is anything but docile, and will have you questioning your mind at every step. Definitely a great book to pick up if you enjoyed Sadie, or are a fan of books by Karen McManus.

I really enjoyed this one! I loved Sadie, so I had high expectations for this book as well. Anything that deals with cults I find exceptionally interesting. Great read.

<i>Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Hmm. I had a hard time with this one. There were some really intriguing moments aaaaand some very, very boring moments. At some points I found the structure to be disorienting and I wasn’t always sure of the timeline or characters. It took me forever to finish, but I’m still giving it three stars since there were still plenty of scenes that caught my attention. Looking forward to my next read from Courtney Summers!

This just wasn’t what I expected. I had to force myself to finish it. A cult and crazy cult leader, yes. A mystery, not really. A sister’s fierce love. Just not my cup of tea.