See this review and more at my blog, The Scribe Owl!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5/5 stars

Imagine my surprise when I got an ARC of a Courtney Summers book! I was only lukewarm on Sadie, but I saw the potential the author could have on another story. The Project had all of the elements I liked best from Sadie and cut a few of the ones I didn't like! I know that Sadie is more well-known, but The Project is my favorite of the pair.

Lo Denham is used to being on her own. After her parents died, Lo's sister, Bea, joined The Unity Project, leaving Lo in the care of their great aunt. Thanks to its extensive charitable work and community outreach, The Unity Project has won the hearts and minds of most in the Upstate New York region, but Lo knows there's more to the group than meets the eye. She's spent the last six years of her life trying—and failing—to prove it.

When a man shows up at the magazine Lo works for claiming The Unity Project killed his son, Lo sees the perfect opportunity to expose the group and reunite with Bea once and for all. When her investigation puts her in the direct path of its leader, Lev Warren and as Lo delves deeper into The Project, the lives of its members it upends everything she thought she knew about her sister, herself, cults, and the world around her—to the point she can no longer tell what's real or true. Lo never thought she could afford to believe in Lev Warren . . . but now she doesn't know if she can afford not to.

One of my favorite parts about Courtney Summers' work is how messy her writing is. I see how that could have a negative connotation, but I mean it in the best possible way! Her writing is down-to-earth and gritty, perfectly matching the atmosphere of the story.

Another thing that I noticed in Sadie that carried over to this book is how this book is more of a "thriller" than a thriller. According to the internet (Reedsy Blog) a thriller is a "fast-paced novel full of conflict, tension, suspense, unexpected twists, and high stakes. Every single scene and element in a thriller is meant to propel the action forward, test the characters, and take the readers on a roller coaster ride that will leave them on the edge of their seats." Out of all of those, The Project only checks the boxes of a couple. It is full of conflict, tension, suspense, twists, and high stakes and it definitely tests the characters. But what it's missing is the fast pacing that is so essential to a thriller. Though expertly crafted, it didn't keep me on the edge of my seat.

What I did like was how Courtney Summer kept leading me in circles. We establish that The Unity Project is a cult, but then she starts making us doubt whether or not they actually are that bad after all. If you can make me believe a cult isn't terrible, you're doing something right.

It annoyed me to no end that the most important parts always seemed to get skipped. I understand that mystery is a very important part of the thriller genre, but the story will get cut off, or the perspectives will switch just as something important is about to happen. When we switch the POVs again or the break resumes, we'll just skip over it! I saw where it was necessary for a couple of places, but it felt...lazy in others. For example, there would be a scene that seems hard to write coming up, there'd be a break, and then the characters were in the aftermath of it.

I was originally going to rate the book four stars, but I lowered my rating to three and a half for one reason. It isn't that important in the grand scheme of the book, but it made me uncomfortable throughout. There were a couple of times in the book where Courtney Summers would just drop everything to say inappropriate and offensive political things. Even if I was on her side of the argument, I would say that they were extreme. They were entirely uncalled for and should have been edited out because they served no purpose for the plot and acted more of an outlet for the author to complain about her political views.

All in all, I had a good time! There were a few things I wouldn't mind being fixed or removed, but it was a pretty solid book overall. I can't wait to see what Courtney Summers writes next!

TW/CW: cults; use of religion to manipulate; car accident (causing death and severe injury); facial scarring; physical, emotional, & psychological abuse; nightmares; manipulation through sex; attempted drowning; miscarriage (or almost miscarriage, was a little unclear tbh); premature birth resulting in NICU stay for the baby. I think that's it, but I could be missing some. There was a lot in this book.

3 stars, and I think that might be a bit generous.

I'll start with the positives. This book is super readable; once you start reading, it's difficult to put it down. Bea's story was probably the most interesting part of this book, but we don't get as much of it as I hoped we would. I think the use of religion was interestingly done and how Lev was able to use it to manipulate the situation after the car accident that killed Bea's parents and severely injured her sister, Lo.

I'm going to try to be vague in this section where I talk about what I didn't like (but there will be a spoiler section in my goodreads review where I can talk a bit more about it). The book is very slow to get going, which is generally fine for me, however, there are a ton of time skips. The beginning especially has quite a few with abrupt shifts. For the first few sections, it's all Bea in third person limited and then suddenly we get a time shift in first person where we have no idea who this is until someone else says that it is Lo. At the time I thought that it was mistaken identity, but it turns out this really was Lo's perspective. After this, the time shifts make more sense as the narration style is different between the two sisters. Lo's relationship to her boss and coworkers is weird and she has a strange sort of entitlement that doesn't make sense or maybe just wasn't explained well at all. Jumping forward into the story to the twist: it just didn't make any sense. It was abrupt and not set up well in my opinion. Jumping forward again for the sake of staying vague: the end was a bit jumbled and confusing. Nothing really ends up being explained at all. The last chapter was just random idk.

I really wanted to love this one after hearing all these great reviews, but I think there were some choices made in the execution of the idea that didn't do it justice. For one, to keep it within the parameters of Young Adult, things seemed to have been kept more vague and parts that should have been pushed more just ended up being glossed over. This is something I've been seeing a lot in YA books recently and I wish authors didn't box themselves into a certain age category when the story they're writing would fit better in a different one. Especially since Lo is a whole adult at 19 and everyone else is much older than she is.

I think, however, that this book will appeal to a lot of readers. I haven't read the author's previous book, SADIE, but I think people who did would probably like this one.

This was really slow and I honestly struggled to get through the first 50% of it. However, after that, things picked up and really took off, like, there was a lot happening that I did not expect. The ending was a shocker, but I think mostly because the rest was so slow. Overall, it was a decent story, but I think one of the things that made it slow for me, where I couldn't get into it, was that I could not understand Bea's motivation. I can never get behind characters that are blind followers, so I'm sure that hindered my interest for a long time. But when the book started picking up, I definitely enjoyed it a lot more and couldn't stop reading.

The Project is a contemporary novel set in upstate New York. The book is written from the perspective of two sisters: Lo (first person narration) and Bea (third person narration). Lo was in a horrendous car accident when she was 13. Her parents were killed and she ended up in an ICU. Bea (the older sister who was not in the car with them) is now desperate for her sister to survive. After doctors tell her that Lo might not make it, Bea in utter despair reaches out to God and pleads for help. At that time a strange man shows up at the hospital. It is Lev Warren, a self-proclaimed redeemer and founder of a religious community called the Unity Project. He talks to Bea, lays hands on Lo and she miraculously recovers. Now Bea, in awe of what she witnessed, follows Lev and joins the Unity Project. We then fast-forward a few years into the future. Lo is now a young adult living on her own and franticly trying to find her sister.

When I first began reading the book, I felt it was maybe a 3-star read at most. Lo’s anger was just too over the top for me. As the plot moved along, however, the story twisted in a way that made it hard to put the book down. In the end, I ended up giving it 4 stars.

The narrative is structure in a way that the reader experiences the pull of Lev Warren’s charisma through the eyes of the two main protagonists. Bea is immediately taken with him. He brings her baby sister back to life so she wholeheartedly believes in him and abandons her life for the Unity Project. Lo on the other hand, has grown up hating Lev Warren and all that he stands for. As far as she is concerned, he and his cult have kept her sister away from her all these years, and she is on a mission to bring him down. The closer she gets to Lev though, the harder it is for her to figure out what is true. Is he a manipulative cult leader, or truly a holy man walking the earth doing good works? The reader is left wondering along with Lo.

Even though the Unity Project hits all of the bullets of being a cult, their good works (shelters, soup kitchens, etc) are too big of a presence in the community. All of the members are also tight lipped about the inner workings of the group and are fiercely loyal to Lev Warren. The author gives us just enough hints to keep wondering.

What I really liked about this novel is the way it examines psychological manipulation, group psychology, and vulnerability that leads to blind faith. It was a fascinating read. I would love to know more about the author’s research into the subject. I think this book would make a great read for book clubs and would spark some interesting discussions.

One weakness in the novel is the relationship that Lo has with her boss Paul. It is just too unrealistic. As someone who has held jobs in various business settings for over 20 years, I have never seen a boss and a personal assistant speak to each other the way these two do. It is too informal and at times borders on familiarity largely unacceptable in today’s business world. In addition, their last phone call with Paul basically begging her to come back to work for him is simply unbelievable to me. No matter how good of an assistant Lo was, it is hard to imagine this would ever happen in real life. Finally, I wish the author would explain a bit better the final scene in the lake. We know Lo mysteriously ended up on shore, and I am not sure if there was supposed to be some sort of mystical element here. It did not come off as one and instead was just confusing.

Overall, I do recommend this book. 4 out 5 stars.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

This is a very twisty turny read that in the end was just OK for me. There was too much going on plot-wise and I didn't feel like the main character was very reliable.

This arc was provided by Wednesday Books, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

TW: cults, physical and emotional abuse, grief, gaslighting, suicide, car accidents, PTSD, drowning, and death of a loved one.

Only Courtney Summers could break my freaking mind.

From the beginning, I was deeply immersed in this story. We follow Lo as she tries to reconnect to her older sister, Bea. Bea left after a car accident that killed their parents and from which a young Lo barely survived. Left in the care of their great aunt, Bea leaves to join The Unity Project and completely cuts ties with her only remaining family.

Years later, and despite many attempts, Lo hasn't heard from Bea. When a friend of her boss shows up at Lo's workplace (a newspaper called SVO) claiming that The Unity Project is responsible for his son's death, Lo decides it's time to reunite with her sister.

The Unity Project is a religious charity organization, led by Lev who is seen as a prophet who can speak to God. The Project is mostly know for their charitable work and outreach community programs (homeless shelters, shelters for at-risk people, among others), but they are also believed to be a cult.

There are so many other things I could say about Lo and The Project, but I recommend just diving right in. What immersed me in the story was Summers' storytelling: I felt very protective of Lo when she faced the members of the Project and I was highly curious about how everything worked.

However, what compelled me was my affection for these lost sisters. They feel alone in this world with no sense of security and it shows how easily someone can take advantage of that. Sometimes our need to belong can cloud our judgment.

In the end, there are no satisfying answers to this story as the damage had been carried out. It's a story that reflects the reality of so many people, who didn't know better.

And as I said in the beginning, Summers completely wrecked me as the book neared the end. My loyalties, my beliefs kept changing with Lo, and it left me in a bundle of doubt and nervous energy. It was an unsettling book to read but one I can not stop thinking about.

DNF @ 22%. I wanted to like this book, I really did. I’m a fan of Summers’s. Sadie blew me away. I wanted to like this one just as much, but I hated it. Even getting to 22% was a chore. Unfortunately this book was just not for me, and no one is more disappointed by that that I am.

Actual rating: 3.5 out of 5


The Project follows Lo as she tries to get to know and expose The Unity Project, which is a religious organization her sister Bea joined after their parents died from a car accident.

I knew that The Unity Project is a group of people working together but I didn’t expect to read about a “religious” group! I know it’s slightly mentioned in the book description, but I didn’t read that far because I was instantly interested in the book. The Project is one of the top books on my TBR for this year. I stumbled upon this book few weeks ago and I’ve been super excited to read it!

I really love how the book was written! I know that the author is known for her amazing writing for the book Sadie, but I didn’t know what to expect since I’ve never read a book by her. I especially love how the POVs were written. I LOOOOVE the switch from Lo’s to Bea’s and the back to Lo’s!! My heart was beating so hard when the book was so close to their stories meeting. From Bea’s POV of what’s happening to her at that moment years before to Lo’s POV of finding out what exactly happened during those years.

It was so cool and creepy at the same time that the book made me believe at some things throughout the book. I found myself being confused about which was true and which was not. There were definitely moments where I couldn’t stop reading and the thrill was intense. I just wish there were more of those moments. This is a thriller book and I needed more thrill.

Some things were left unanswered in the end and I was left thinking about what could’ve been. But this is overall an interesting read! I would definitely check out Summers’ other books.

Pretty good about the dangers associated with cults and trying to get out of a bad situation. Told in alternating perspectives of someone out and inside The Project, the book tells the story of Lo and her sister Bea and how they both got entangled within the Unity Project.

Overall a really good book with a satisfying ending but one that leaves you wanting to know more of the story.

“Having a sister is a promise no one but the two of you can make - and no one but the two of you can break.”

The Project is the story of Lo Denham who, at the age of 13, lost her parents to a car crash and lost her older sister, Bea, to The Unity Project. The book jumps in time, focusing on Lo in the present and more vaguely on Bea in the past to give readers more insight. The Project is, seemingly, a religious organization that does a lot of good works in New York, created by the enigmatic and charismatic Lev Warren.

But when Lo hears a man claim The Project killed his son, she uses it as her chance to dig deeper into the group to finally expose them as what she believes they truly are and reunite with her sister. While investigating she suddenly becomes faced with the possibility that everything she knows and believes about her sister, The Project, and even herself could be wrong.

“Welcome to The Unity Project. You’ve been Chosen.”

This book was dark and intriguing and vulnerable in ways I wasn’t expecting. Summers uses Lo to let readers see some of the hardest and most intimate parts of being human - the intense want to be seen, to be needed, wanted, loved, and the ability of some to see and manipulate those needs for their own gain. The ending, specifically, was so haunting but so very truthful.

This book is about love, about family, about trauma, about surviving. It is all of these things and more.

I would recommend this book to those who enjoy stories about cults, psychological thrillers, or Gillian Flynn novels (this writing reminded me of her works in a lot of ways).

This book is out February 2nd and I hope you all pick it up because it’s STUNNING in all the ways I needed.

Thank you to @summerscourtney @wednesdaybooks and @netgalley for my ARC!

Courtney Summers never disappoints! I was hooked from the first page and was swept up into the world of the Project. This book will keep you on your toes until the last page!

I received a free e-ARC of The Project thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

When I saw that Courtney Summers had a new book coming out, I was so excited. I read Sadie and I enjoyed it and gave that one 4/5 stars. I’d heard such good things about The Project and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.

We follow Lo as she searches for her sister Bea, who has become a member of The Unity Project after a tragic accident left them parentless. Trying to expose The Unity Project as the cult she believes it to be, Lo goes to work investigating and asking questions. But when she gets close to Lev Warren to expose him for who and what he is, she begins to question everything she thought she knew.

The synopsis sounded good and I know I already like Summers’s writing style. Unfortunately, the execution of it didn’t pan out for my personal tastes.

This is being marketed as a thriller, and it is about a cult. Honestly, I didn’t get any thriller vibes at all. It felt too dry. There were times where I think it could have been trying to lead up to that point, but it never really got there for me. There just wasn’t enough suspense built.

In regards to the cult aspect, I wanted more. We are told that people in The Unity Project are engrossed and enthusiastic members. We only really got to know a handful of people and how it’s impacted them, so I just wanted more detail. I also wanted answers to some of the questions that Lo went in search of but were just kind of forgotten about.

Most of the characters were kind of flat for me, so I didn’t care about most of the characters. Some of the character traits didn’t make sense for the roles.

Overall, the story wasn’t terrible. If it hadn’t been marketed as a thriller/mystery, I personally would have enjoyed it more. As it stands, there wasn’t anything wrong with the story, it just wasn’t for me.

I know that I have an unpopular opinion. Although this book was a miss for me, I will still read other books by Summers. I encourage you to read some of the other reviews about this book, especially those that did enjoy this book.

Publication is set for 2/2.

I think Courtney Summers is one of the most interesting writers working today, and I'm always excited to see how her work changes as time goes one. This felt like Summers moving away from YA, and it definitely feels more adult in many ways.

The things that work here are great: Summers is a talented writer, she doesn't shy away from the darkest parts of what make us human, the emotional stuff about the love between sisters feels very real, etc. The stuff that didn't work for me really didn't work: I had a hard time at the beginning keeping everyone (and the jumping timelines) straight, I didn't understand Bea's motivations, I had a hard time connecting with her, the pacing felt uneven.

Do I think this is an important book that will find its readership? Yes! Do I know who that readership is? Nope!I do not know who this is for! I think it will work for some teens who are already bridging into adult fiction, but it feels like it's more likely to connect with adult readers who are already fans of dark mysteries about cults.

Huge thank you to Wednesday Books and Negalley for providing this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

I discovered Courtney Summers in 2019 when I read her incredible book, Sadie. I was initially drawn to Sadie because of the way it was written . . . in dual perspectives with one being Sadie herself and the other a podcast host who is investigating Sadie’s disappearance. I am a huge fan of true crime and podcasts so I was totally into this. Sadie ended up being an incredible book. It was dark, emotional, and raw, but such a powerful read. So when I saw that Courtney Summers was releasing another “true-crime-esc” book I knew I had to read it! Especially because I am FASCINATED by cults!

The Project tells the story of two sisters whose lives have been forever changed by the group known as “The Unity Project.” The story is told through both sisters perspectives and in both the past and present. The Project is about the bond between sisters and the lengths they will go for each other.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: SUICIDE, TRAUMA/PTSD, CULTS, MENTAL + PHYSICAL ABUSE, AND VIOLENCE

Overall, I really enjoyed The Project. It hooked me from the very first page! The Project is a dark and suspenseful story that illustrates the rise of an enigmatic and charming cult leader. I thought that Summers did an excellent job of showing how vulnerable people are taken in and exploited by cults. The Project is ultimately a story of how loneliness and the desire to belong can affect vulnerable individuals.

On the outside “The Unity Project” appears to be an excellent, service driven organization that does incredible work for the community. But we know, and the lead character (Lo) discovers that there is much more going on than appears. Lev Warren is the quintessential, cookie-cutter cult leader. He wasn’t any different than any other movie/tv show/pop culture cult leader character. I do think that Summers did a great job of showing Lev’s manipulation and how he pinpoints what each vulnerable potential member needs. This is especially true with him and Lo. At some points it was actually hard to read Lo’s journey. I keep using the world vulnerable, but I don’t know how else to describe her. It was difficult to watch her (minor spoiler alert) get taken in by this manipulative man.

The Project is a shorter book at 352 pages so the plot progressed fairly quickly. The journey is intriguing, but it did not wow me. I did guess the reveal pretty early on as well. But I was still expecting there to be a bigger moment of excitement or a big climax. The book just kind of ended without much fanfare. The ending was almost too clean. The plot was wrapped up too quickly and too easily. I even felt like one of the plot points involving a character was sort of dropped and not really wrapped up.

Despite my couple of complaints, I still did really enjoy The Project. I just wanted more! It was super interesting though and kept me hooked from the start. Also I’m obsessed with the cover!! I think it’s so striking and it fits the story so well!

THE PROJECT IS SET TO BE RELEASED FEBRUARY 2ND BY WEDNESDAY BOOKS.

Well, this was definitely creepy in a cultist way.

The Project is my first Courtney Summers book, and it was interesting. Back when I requested it, I just finished a k-drama called Save Me--which also involves cult--and The Project sounds similar with that. At first, I was a little bit disappointed because I was expecting a thriller where the MCs try to break out of the cult, but The Project is 100% a psychological thriller. It toys with your feelings and emotions throughout the book. The whole time I was reading it, I had this...uneasy feeling and it made me nauseated.

The thing that I love the most from this book is Courtney Summers's writing itself. As the reader, I think we've predicted, or even knew to a certain degree, that The Unity Project is a cult beforehand. And yet, somehow, somewhere in the book, I fell into the manipulation. I was questioning myself, to the point that I thought, "Hey, maybe the plot twist is that The Unity Project isn't a cult!". At the back of my mind, I know it didn't make sense and it wasn't possible, but the fact that it even cross my mind is proof that I'd walked to the trap. Because of this, I'm in awe with Courtney's writing, how she manage to write characters that manipulate not only the MC, but the reader as well.

The Project was told in dual POVs between Lo and Bea. At first I wasn't sure what the purpose of Bea's POV since it mostly flashbacks, starting from when she first joined The Unity Project, but soon it became clear that Bea's POV was necessary so we can see Lev Warren's gaslighting toward Lo in the present day. I really want to talk more about these POVs since I find it interesting how Lo and Bea's journey intersect each other, but it'll give away too much spoilers. I think it's best if you go into this book without knowing too much.

I was a bit disappointed though with the ending. It ended way too soon and sort of out-of-nowhere, so it fell short in contrast to the build-up throughout the book. I'd love it more if the "final showdown" weren't not that easy and simple. Overall though, The Project is an intriguing story revolving cult and two sisters's effort to save themselves from it. Definitely will check out Courtney Summers's other books in the future!

Wow, it was good. It was crazy. It was unbelievable what people believe, but their vunerability looking for more from life and either searching for God and more or not believing. Bea and Lo sisters who are the only ones remaining of their family. Lo seriously injured in the accident is left with her aunt as Bea moves on believing that Lo would be better without her. Lo who is now a young adult and upcoming writer keeps searching for Bea and tries to get information from The Unity Project, aka The Cult according to Lo. The Project and mindset of the folks running the group and the followers and what they do and believe of the Leader, Lev is eyeopening, but when Lo wants to join the Project at her lowest point you can see why folks join and want to believe.

The Project is a cult. The leader is a cult leader. The members are cult members. Everyone plays their parts as you would expect. It was a good portrayal of how cults work and how people join them. Unfortunately, the characters were all pretty unlikable and there were no real surprises.

I've never had a book quite like The Project, by Courtney Summers- and it blew me away. So many twist and turns, and almost every one of them surprised me- in a good way. My heart completely broke for Lo and I am sill recovering!! I will definitely be recommending this book!!

NetGalley ARC | If you enjoy reading books about cults, don't skip The Project. Fast-paced, slightly unpredictable, sometimes shocking, and a little heartbreaking, I felt all of the emotions.

I had read mixed reviews, but I absolutely devoured this well-written and engaging February new release.

You can find the complete review on The Uncorked Librarian here: https://www.theuncorkedlibrarian.com/february-2021-book-releases/

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I don't know what to think. I loved the writing style and the format the author choose to tell this story, but something about religion/cult aspects really bothers me (from a personal experience). The world-building and development surrounding the cult was also very well done and when we learn the true about it, it's just mind blowing. There's a tiny little thing I didn't like about it, but overall was a wild book.