The last Courtney Summers book I read was Sadie, so I was expecting a certain intensity here, and this book certainly delivered on that front. It’s a story of two sisters, orphaned as teens after a car accident that also seriously injured the youngest. The older sister, seeking a spiritual connection, gets involved with the Unity Project and leaves her younger sister behind. The book skips around in time a bit but mostly focuses on the younger sister, Lo, at 19 or 20, working for a news site and taking it on herself to investigate the project and find her sister. The narrative includes many traumatic events, from a witnessed suicide to the memories of the car accident and more, but Summers crafts these scenes carefully so that they don’t feel voyeuristic. A tense, well-paced read that packs a lot of sadness and loss into a story about a quest for the truth.

This was an interesting and unusual story. The Project by Courtney Summers began with the voices of two sisters as they went through their young lives separated from each other despite a strong connection and love for one another. I saw this as a sad story and the ending, though probably positive, was painful and lonely, much like the lives of the sisters had been. The leader of The Project, was someone that I truly detested and never once for a moment did I have good feelings for him or sympathy. I found it hard to believe that others adored and obeyed him. I do recommend the book but with reservations, as it should probably be read at a time that is more positive and upbeat than 2020 has been.

THE PROJECT BY COURTNEY SUMMERS REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ST. MARTIN’S PRESS 2/2/2021
thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

my brain is kind of still spinning right now from this book.

courtney summers has been a force to reckoned with since she released her first novel, cracked up to be. since i read that first book, i’ve been searching for the next book that will mess me up as emotionally and fully as that one did. i think some girls are is the one that was my full on “oh my gosh, this freaking hurts but i don’t want it to stop” book. like, it was one of those books that i had trouble rating because i was like “should this really be one of my favorite books with all the stars after i hated that i loved how it made me feel completely torn up inside?” i’m still grappling with this feeling after i read it close to ten years ago. but it’s definitely one of my favorites.

the project is another book that’s going to make you feel all the things and you’re going to hate that you love it so much. this book, somehow felt like a fever dream that pulsed until the end. i believe it’s being marketed as young adult, but it’s unlike any young adult book i’ve ever read. every word written feels so raw and provocative that it’s truly hard to stop reading. i literally held my breath during several scenes because they were just so real that they HURT.

also, the premise and characters are amazing. a girl wakes up to find her sister gone after losing both their parents to a car accident? and a cult? and different timelines. heck yes!

if you haven’t jumped on the courtney summers train, now is the time. it doesn’t look like she’s slowing down or shying away from anything any time soon.

tw: religion, graphic abuse, cults, sex, suicide, graphic violence, mental health, death, manipulation,

As soon as I saw this cover, I knew I had to request The Project. I find cult narratives fascinating and couldn't wait to get started.

Lo works as an assistant to a high(er) profile reporter and desperately wants her own byline. Scarred by a childhood accident both physically and emotionally, a chance encounter thrusts her back into the middle of a cult-like organization called The Unity Project, where her older sister Bea has been cut off from her for years. She wants the story. She wants to write. But getting involved with The Project, even peripherally, threatens to unearth long-buried secrets and open wounds.

How far will Lo go inside The Project?

There was a lot I loved about this book. Lo, as an MC, was wonderfully developed and authentic. I loved her interactions with her boss, the desperate sadness she fights to suppress as she transitions from one stage of her life to the next. Indeed, Summers created a heart-wrenching voice and took us on a journey from skepticism to curiosity, exemplifying the way cult leaders will prey on those who are lost--specifically in times of transition. Here, Lo is trying to spread her wings and taking off the rose-colored lenses where people have her best interest at heart. Cult narratives can be difficult to pull off. There's been a resurgence of the genre lately, from The Sinner to several other Netflix series, and while this isn't an in-your-face action read, there's plenty of disturbing events and to keep this plot moving.

I will say that when I came back to write my review, I had forgotten this was categorized as Teens/YA because some of the subject matter is edgier and the voices were more sophisticated than I typically associate with the genre. However, that's not to say I didn't love Lo, and I think many younger readers will definitely relate to this inner turmoil and gray-area fear she emanates.

In terms of suspense, I would say there's a general uneasiness Summers captures well in the tone, but there are points that read a little dense. I also wasn't surprised at the trajectory, especially after the coverage of NXIVM. As a native of Upstate NY, it was impossible to miss the news and articles about the charismatic cult leader and the dealings that paralleled this narrative in many ways. I don't foresee this being an issue for readers, however, as Summers' writing is sharp and insightful, focusing on tragedy, grief, and the power of sibling love.

Overall, The Project is a taut, quiet thriller that examines many relevant issues and will be one to add to your 2021 TBRs.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

Pamela K. Kinney, Author

Bea met her new baby sister, Lo, for the first time in the hospital, where the preemie baby is on a ventilator and in a see-through box. Her mother tells her back in the room for visitors, that she hopes that Bea will still have love for her and her father, because ‘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 next time the reader see Bea and Loa is years later, and Lo is in a hospital again after Lo’s and their parents’ accident in their parents’ SUV, a ventilator attached to her again to help her breathe. It is when she goes to the hospital chapel and breaks down in front of the altar and cross, saying, ‘I’ll do anything,’ that Lev Warren, the charismatic and mysterious leader of The Unity Project, that strangely, Lo gets better after he sees the comatose young woman. And Bea joins the Unity Project at that moment, willing to do anything for Lev and the organization, leaving Lo alone and to their Great-Aunt Patty’s hands. Lo’s story begins later in September 2017, in first person POV, after she has left Patty’s home and has been working for Paul Tinsdale as his office at SVO Magazine, when a boy who says he knows her and jumps onto the tracks and is killed. And when the father of the boy in October tries to get Paul or someone to check out the Unity Project, saying Lev and they killed his son, that Lo begins to investigate, hoping to finally see her sister whom she hasn’t since before her accident. To prove that the project is a cult and not as prefect as it seems to be.

Heartrending and suspenseful, Courtney Summers pulls no punches with this haunting tale of one woman out to prove the truth behind a cult and find her sister. Alternating from a raw first person with Lo to third person in the past with Bea, this thriller sucks you in, delivering with scary, uncomfortable honesty.

Too much info dumping in the first part of the book. It's extremely easy to get lost, because things are rushing at you so fast. I think I went into this with different expectations, and didn't get anything like what I thought I would get. Maybe it's suited for a different audience, but I did not finish.

In The Project, Courtney Summers shows us from the inside how easily young people at their most vulnerable can be enticed into a cult.

The story moves back and forth in time, revealing what happened to two orphaned sisters (Bea and Lo), from both their points of view.

After one joins The Unity Project, the other tries to find her and to extract her

I found the first third of the book rather tedious (up until the car crash) where I thought things would take off, but the whole book was kind of a slog, and the ending was a dud. I kept waiting for some big twist or revelation that would take the story to the next level, and it just didn't happen. It's a good premise that needs a lot of beefing up.Very meh.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC.

Courtney Summers has broken my heart yet again, but in a far different way than she did with Sadie.

Only Courtney Summers could make a cult seem enticing. She really set the standards high here. The Project follows the path of hook, line, sinker that a person would go through if being drawn into a cult and BOY DID SHE CATCH ME. She did it so SMOOOOOOTHly too that I didn't realize I was drawn in until it was too late. Proceed with caution (ok, not really, don't take any caution, read read read read read read read read).

I love reading stories about cults. It is so hard for me to imagine how someone is sucked in. Is it because they are vulnerable, they are needy, they are anxious to believe in a cult belief, what is it! This story tells a lot about cult life and what is attractive about it. It is scary to read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I stayed up way too late reading this one. Utterly compelling, you will not be able to put this one down. Cults are so fascinating to me and this fictionalized account of a cult was well done and incredibly suspenseful.

This was a definite page turner and read more like an adult book than YA. Courtney Summers definitely knows how to grab your attention. I think readers will like the inside look at cults and the fall out that ensues.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Project by Courtney Summers.

Why am I reading and watching so much about cults lately? And why is it endlessly horrifying and fascinating?

Lo is lost. She lost her parents to an accident, and her sister, Bea, to a cult. Desperate to find out what happens, she begs her boss, a journalist, for a chance to do an expose on The Project, the religious group that stole her sister.

But in no time, Lo gets pulled in by Lev, the group's charismatic leader, as well as Emmy, Bea's daugher. But even through her intoxication of Lev and the group, she still wants answers, and she is patiently waiting for Bea to reappear into her life. But what seems shiny and good on the outside, often has a dark and dangerous underbelly.

I kind of expected the unfolding of this book to blow my mind, but it didn't. That's not to say that it wasn't crazy and captivating, but Occam's Razor anyone? Or maybe I've just read too many books about cults and I should probably see someone about that.

But, this really is quite the read, and it was fun to be reunited with Courtney Summers after enjoying the crap out of Sadie as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the early review copy.

Things haven’t been great for Lo Denham since she survived the car wreck that killed her parents and her sister ran off to be in a cult. Every time she tries to establish a connection with her sister, Bea, the Unity Project shuts her down. Its charismatic leader, Lev Warren claims he was called by God to help rid the world of its sin through works. No one can find anything negative to say about this organization who helps so many, but witnessing the suicide of a young man in the Project will send Lo on a journey of discovery that will shake her to her core.

I’ll be honest with you. I’m fascinated by cults, and 90% of the time, I’m disappointed. I’m tired of cults that are just about dudes who want to have sex with and control a bunch of women. It’s boring. It’s tired. Do something else. So while I was initially excited by the premise of this book, I had my reservations as well, but I needn’t have worried. Summers does an excellent job with this book. I couldn’t put it down.

It’s mysterious without being a genre story. I loved the characterizations and the questions I asked myself while reading. The relationships between the characters are interesting, I found the way connections forge almost like secondary sources fascinating. I really like deeply flawed characters who are smart and misguided, and this book delivered! I didn’t know I needed to read this as I was climbing out of my reading slump, but I am so glad I did.

It’s not out until February, but I promise you, it’s worth the wait. When you’re deep in the winter blues, this won’t happily drag you out of them, but it’ll crawl down into them with you.

When I finished this book I thought "I've already read over 350 pages?" It totally flew by. I also expected there to be an acknowledgment at the end about Courtney Summers experiences with a cult as it felt like she 100% experienced all this and knew what she was talking about. She made it so easy to believe the cult leader and think that maybe he was genuine. I loved Lo and hated her decisions at the same time. I pulled for her and for everything to work out for Lo. I think I liked this one even better than Sadie.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Whew, what a JOURNEY. I loved Bea and Lo and their arcs. The story was a bit slow and confusing at the start, but the ending? The ending just punched me in the face. It really almost had me fooled and the way Courtney Summers made that happen was truly masterful.

After a tragic accident that kills her parents, Lo Denham wakes up in the hospital to discover her older sister Bea has left her alone and in the care of her aunt. Lo has spent the last six-years trying to understand why her sister abandoned her and joined the Unity Project, a very private charitable organization led by the charismatic and charming Lev Warren. Although Lo has tried to contact Bea the organization has kept the sisters apart adding to Lo's suspicions that the group is dangerous and not what it appears to be. When a young Project member dies, Lo's investigation brings her closer to the Unity Project and the truth about her sister.

The Project is a captivating new mystery/suspense novel from author Courtney Summers. I am a huge fan of Summer's writing style and have enjoyed several of her other novels (Sadie, This is Not a Test, & Cracked Up to be). As with these other novels Lo is a strong female protagonist with a traumatic past. Lo has spent the last six years trying to understand why her sister Bea abandoned her and joined the Unity Project, a cult, run by Lev Warren a man who believes he is doing "God's" work. Much of the novel is spent exploring the sibling relationship between Lo and Bea. Lo's attempts to contact Bea, so she can explain why she left, have all been blocked by the Project's head members. Although she cannot prove it, Lo believes the group is dangerous and she will stop at nothing to expose the truth. The tragic death of one of the members provides Lo with an opportunity to investigate the Project from inside the complex but she is unprepared for what she discovers. Although this novel kept me intrigued and was well written I didn't find it as enjoyable as some of her other novels. I'm not a huge fan of cult novels so this probably wasn't the best fit for me. I did enjoy the characters but some of the plot felt a bit slow at times. The novel contains some disturbing content including: cult mentality, suicide, physical abuse, and torture/death. Overall this was an enjoyable and somewhat complex read which I think many readers will enjoy.

Courtney Summers has done it again. I read and fell in love with Sadie a few years ago, and knew I needed this book. She did not disappoint.

A page turning thriller, this story is told from two different timelines. Lo, an aspiring young journalist, and Bea, her sister who joined a cult, known as The Unity Project.

When a man shows up up the magazine Lo works for, claiming The Unity Project killed his son, Lo sees is as the perfect opportunity to expose the group and reunite with her sister. But as she spends more time with Lev, the charismatic leader of the group, and gets to know more about the members, it unravels everything she thought she knew about her sister and herself. She doesn't know what's real or true anymore.

This book was exciting, thrilling, and I flew through it in two sittings. Courtney Summers is an amazing writer, and knows how to keep readers intrigued. It was intense, emotional, and I highly recommend picking it up if you're a fan of thrillers and suspenseful reads.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read books about cults before. They were terrifying yet intriguing. But after each read, I needed something a little lighter to clear my mind. Courtney Summer’s latest book had the same effect. I thought Sadie was her best work, but she surpassed my expectations with The Project. This story was told in different timelines by sisters Lo and Bea.

After suffering the loss of her parents in a car accident, Bea fervently prayed that her sister would survive that same accident and she would do whatever it took or was needed if someone answered her prayers. Lo survived and Bea fulfilled that promise. But it came with a price. All communication between the sisters stopped. They were no longer a part of each other’s lives, but the promise of always being sisters remained.

Bea was now part of The Unity Project led by the charismatic cult leader Lev. Before a cult member committed suicide in front of Lo, he whispered words to her. His words took Lo on a path to locate her sister…a path more dangerous than Lo thought possible.

Courtney Summers has a way of writing that demands your attention and doesn’t offer any respite. It felt like there was a cliffhanger of sorts at the end of each sister’s narrative. Then you read as fast as possible to get to the narrative’s continuing story only to find yourself in another riveting chapter ending. This captivating and engaging style of writing added to this intense storyline.

This was a very fast paced well written thriller.

An ARC was given for an honest review.