Sadie by Courtney Summers Review

Title: Sadie

Author: Courtney Summers

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Series: Standalone

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

I was given an advanced readers’ copy of this book by the publisher, Wednesday Books, and reviewed it. Thanks!

I read Courtney Summer’s latest novel last year, called All The Rage, after hearing several of my book reviewing friends rave about her work, and I loved it. It was absolutely amazing, sharp and hard-hitting and raw, and when I heard that she was writing another book, I put my name in a drawing for an advanced readers’ copy of Sadie and promptly forgot about it. So imagine my surprise when it arrived in my mail! I decided to pick it up and read it, as it came out this week, and oh, my goodness. Sadie is one of the best books of 2018, as sharp as broken glass and just as painful. And to add to it a completely unique podcast to listen to while you’re reading the book? I was totally sold. This book is a total knockout, dark and punchy and painful. There were several times that I had to put it down; this one was hard to get through, honestly. But I’m so glad that I read it; Sadie has burrowed a massive hole in my heart, and I will never forget her. Courtney Summers has utterly outdone herself, has ripped my heart out and torn it open.

Sadie Hunter is a girl adrift after her younger sister, Mattie, was brutally murdered at only thirteen years old. Her only mission is to find the man who took her sister’s life and end it—even if the result is another loss that she cannot survive. Her journey leads her from her home in Cold Creek across the state, consumed by her grief and rage and the unstoppable desire for revenge. But Sadie has disappeared, and a man named West McCray, the producer of a national podcast, is hot on her trail, desperate for answers and to bring her home. But he discovers that every small town hides the darkest secrets, and in his quest for answers, West realizes that there are some things that are perhaps better left buried…

This book was insane. It was brutal, cutthroat, sharp, and dark beyond my wildest imaginings. It’s Courtney Summers’s best work yet. It tore me open, down to the soul, made my stomach turn, made me weep like nothing else, and there were several times when I had to put the book down and walk away, take some time in reality before returning to Sadie’s dark story. It is one of the most horrifying and raw books I’ve ever read, and ninety percent of it wasn’t pleasant. But honestly, that’s the point. I love that Summers is not afraid at all to go right for the jugular and throw back the curtain on the darkest parts of human nature; because, after all, isn’t the whole point of fiction to reflect real life? Even the ugly parts? I also adored the podcast that came with the book from the publisher; it really felt like the story had all kinds of new dimensions because of that. I was ill, the story worming its way into my heart, mind, and soul, going so far as to haunt my dreams. A dark novel about demons, revenge, rage, and the skeletons, both real and imagined, that hide in our closets and our minds, Sadie is nothing less than the literary equivalent of being hit by a semi, and I’m so happy that I read it, even while it ripped me apart. The bottom line: A dark, vicious and brutal novel that pulls absolutely no punches, Sadie is one of my favorite books of 2018—Courtney Summers is a talent that’s not to be missed! Absolutely amazing! Next on deck: Sea Witch by Sarah Henning!