I love Courtney Summers, ever since I got my grubby little paws on Sadie. The Project is dark and twisty (a cliche, I know) and the story is so good that I despised having to put the book down. Can’t wait for the next from Courtney!

I love the way Courtney Summers writes, and I had super high hopes for this one--unfortunately, I think that's the reason it crashed so hard for me. The prose was absolutely beautiful. The plot and characterization, however, fell flat. I enjoyed Lo's character at the beginning but eventually, she ended up making decisions that felt strange and completely out of character. I wanted to learn so much more about the cult so their actions at the end would feel believable, but it somehow felt simultaneously underdeveloped and slow. I think if I had gone into this with different expectations I would have enjoyed it more, but unfortunately, this book left me wanting so much more.

This book was very dark and I would almost consider counting it as adult rather than YA fiction because the content was heavier than I expected. The journey between the 2 sisters was tense and intriguing. You are not sure whether or not there is a cult or just a group of devout followers. Overall, it was well written and filled with a lot of suspense, twists, and surprises.

I really enjoyed this book! It had twists and turns that really kept me guessing. Anything that is even remotely cult related peaks my interest and this one definitely delivered. Highly recommend!

This book was terrible. Like it-shocked-me terrible, not shockingly terrible.

It was about a 19-year-old, Lo, whose sister had been taken in by a do-gooder cult and kinda disappeared off the face of the earth. Lo is set on figuring out what the appeal is and why her sister, who had been super close to her previously, was so enamored with the cult, so she tries to use her journalism skills to enmesh herself with the community.

The narration is split between Lo and Bea, but there weren’t any verbal clues in the audiobook when it switches, and the two voice actors sounded too similar for me to be able to differentiate by their voice. Add in that the story isn’t told in chronological order and both sisters are unreliable, I just could not follow it at all.

Spoilers below





Also, I couldn’t believe that Lev would have sex with both sisters. I mean, we find out that Lev and Bea (probably??) weren’t together like Lo is led to believe, but why would Lo still consent to having sex with him!?!??!

I decided to pick this book up because I read Sadie by the same author and that book blew my mind. It was absolutely amazing. This book on the other hand... yikes.. it was very disappointing.

The project is a story about Lo Denham, and her mission to find her lost sister. When Lo was a passenger during car accident that killed her parents. While Lo was on her death bed, her older sister Bea was desperate for anything that could keep her sister alive, so when Lev found Bea and was able to heal Lo with his bare hands, Bea joined the Unity Project and left her sister and her old life behind. Now a few years into the future, Lo is desperate to find out exactly what happened to her sister, and to prove that the Unity Project is a dangerous cult.

Look I loved Courtney's other book, and I love cult stories... but unfortunately this book was just not for me. I found it to be extremely predictable, boring and I could not connect with the main character. Lo is very naive and head-strong, she is quite angry and constantly chooses to run into dangerous situations without a plan. She is not a smart character, and to be honest it doesn't seem like she got any smarter throughout the story.

The plot of this story was very interesting, but again it was also quite predictable. I was expecting something a bit more out there with a lot of crazy twists, but this was not the case.

Overall, the characters were boring, the world was just okay and the storyline was flat and predictable. I'm not sure if Sadie was just so good that it made this book feel really bad in comparison, or if its actually just bad on its own. Either way, I'm not sure if I will be picking up any more books from this author in the future.

Courtney Summers could publish a grocery list and I would absolutely love it. The queen of gritty YA and books that will destroy your heart and soul can do no wrong. The Project was amazing and a page-turner!

Unfortunately this book was a miss for me. I just couldn't connect with the characters and I felt myself sometimes not really caring about where the story was going. Lo was just very unlikeable, she was just so entitled and whiny.

The first two thirds of the book dragged on and on and it wasn't until the last third of the book where the action picks up and we finally figure out what happened to Bea. It might be too little too late for some readers, especially if they follow the if it doesn't grab you in the first 60-100 pages DNF rule.

I really liked Summers' previous book, Sadie, which is also a story about two sisters with one that has gone missing. That story really made me care about them and what happened to Sadie. This book did not evoke that same feeling from me.

Courtney Summers is a must read author for every teen who loves an engaging thriller, and afterwards they can let their parents borrow the books. In this, her newest novel, we meet Lo Denham. She is an orphan after her parents died in a tragic accident, and desperate to reunite with her sister who has joined a reclusive community. Lo decides that she will get to the bottom of what this community really is like, and by doing so she put her own life, and her sister`s, in danger.

I did not feel that "The Project" was a big pageturner, like "Sadie" was. And the suspense I was craving, was not there. This story is more about how a person can get immersed in a cult, and the dangers that may present. The story is more emotional than thrilling. When I read a thriller, I expect to encounter surprising twists and turns, but I did not find that here. Nevertheless, it may be an important read for teens about cults, how we deal with grief and the bond between siblings.

The Project by Courtney Summers

I have always been drawn in by cult stories and have always watched documentaries about them and lately I've been reading fiction that involves cults.

THE PROJECT will have you feeling like you are investigating right along with Lo while she tries to reveal the truth about The Unity Project. As a wannabe journalist, she's on a mission to uncover it all. She's mixing her personal attachment and her drive to be noticed in her field of work. Lo has such strong disdain for the cult since it drew in her sister, Bea, while she was laying in the hospital recovering from a horrible accident. She carries a lot of anger towards, Lev, the creator of the group and misses her sister terribly. Her emotions are all over and it spells trouble.

The book is more about the drive to save a loved from the clutches of a cult and how easily one could be pulled in than it is about the actual group.

The dual narrated point of view is fantastic as you get past and present Lo and Bea.

The final confrontation between Lo and Lev was not what I expected, but I was not mad about how it played out.

Anymore and I'll give too much away... so if you enjoy Courtney Summers writing I suggest you get your hands on this book!

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Absolutely riveting. This one had me turning the pages from beginning to end. Great character development, great plot, incredible suspense. Courtney Summers is a true master.

At most a 3 but even that may be too much. I really need books with cults to give me something new. This book has been done before, several times, also in movie firm. It's a slow paced revelation of the 'sinister' behind-the-scene events that always occur in a cult story. Summarize the details of any disbanded cult (fictional or non functional) and you're pretty much familiar with the Unity Project (the cult in this novel) and what the main character encounters. I'm usually highly enticed or at the very least curious when it comes to the what's next in a thriller but The Project was so predictable I was bored out of my mind. I managed to pull myself to the end and that's the only reason this book got higher than one star.

The Unity Project perfectly fits the stereotype the world has created for cults. It seems amazing to many but some people believe the claims are too good to be true. The members only have great things to say, they are all vulnerable and naive. They swear they they aren't being coerced or manipulated . The cult leader acts likes he's a prophet or other being highly favored by God (but repeatedly says he's only a man). And like every other cult story, criminal activities or corruption is a key part of its functioning. I find it ridiculous that after months of being a skeptic someone is ingrained into the cult so easily. You can guess how that played out.

I'm thinking The Project could have been a great book if it tried to step out the box. Show some other side of a cult and incorporate the thriller aspects in a less predictable way. A cult is really just a non traditional religious group so they can't all be bad right? Unless you think all religious groups are bad then sure let's go with that . I saw a reviewer write that this book gets you thinking about existence, losing yourself and finding yourself and other such 'deep' topics. This book didn't do that for me. I pretty much had to drag myself through the chapters. Other than the cult, the only thing I noticed was the author may have been trying to hint to supernatural events but I'm not even sure that was what the intention was. That aspect wasn't well developed and never truly acknowledged. This book has so much room for improvement. I don't think I'll be engaging with any cult related media in the near future.


Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy for review.

While I liked this book, it didn’t stand up to Sadie for me. I still loved the premise of it and the story itself, Sadie just holds a special place in my heart!

I don't know what I was expecting from this book, but it wasn't this. I loved the narrative structure of the two alternating timelines between sisters and the vivid writing. However, I really just can't comprehend how the plot progressed the way it did, especially considering all of the information Lo knew. It was almost sickening to read the influence the cult had over her the way it did on her and her sister.

This book absolutely delivers what it promises. I'm still thinking about that ending. Fans of Summers will not be disappointed. Highly recommend.

A thriller that wraps a dark foreboding in a blanket of charismatic hope. Whether the calm hints at a genuine light or is just another inkling of apprehension, is something to be discovered as the pages turn but the exploration of trauma, loss, and toxicity speaks in full volume. Not typical enough to align with the genre's expectations, the mix of manipulation, desperation, and a need to simply belong successfully creates a whirlwind of love, redemption, and survival. However, the sympathy distilled through a cast that lacked characterisation and the influence of my personal taste didn't allow a wholly jaw-dropping experience. Overall, the eerily beautiful writing reflects the perfect mix of intensity and vulnerability, making this an incredibly difficult yet morbidly fascinating read.

Cult books are hard but this one has the exact right amount of intrigue and suspense. I loved the writing and the plot just flew. Perfect for an afternoon curled up inside as it is raining.

This is the twisty, dark tone that courtney summers is known for, and her fans will be glad to see more of what they love.

This book was very good and I enjoyed reading it - though it was dark and difficult to read at times - which I believe was intentional. The cult propaganda was disturbing yet effective. I did suspect the twist somewhat early on but it didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the story. I will be recommending this to fans of female protagonist psychological thrillers. 3 1/2 stars from me.

Two sisters lose their parents in a car accident. Raised by their aunt. One gets caught up in a cult. The other tries to visit her sister and is told she doesn’t want to see her. This story is very confusing. It jumps around so much I didn’t know what was going on.