Skip to main content

Sadie

Sadie by Courtney Summers



Synopsis (from Goodreads)
Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.

But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie's entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him.

When West McCray—a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America—overhears Sadie's story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late.



Review
This book was brutal and gut-wrenching and I couldn't put it down.

The story is told with two narratives. The first is from West's point of view, as he's broadcasting on his radio serial, so it reads like a script. His part takes places after the events from Sadie's point of view, so it serves to provide some foreshadowing and also fills in some gaps about what Sadie didn't know. The other perspective is, of course, from Sadie. It's told from her first-person perspective, and we see the reasons behind her movements and the decisions that lead her down the path she takes.

The setting is Colorado, the small towns that are barely hanging on, the lives of the people just trying to survive. A subtle commentary in the background of the story is the people of these places, who are overlooked, forgotten, who just try to give their lives the best they can, even though they make mistakes.

This book deals with some heavy and dark stuff, including child abuse. Nothing is graphic, but there are very clear hints and suggestions about what happened. This is revealed subtly over the course of the book.

The writing is fast-paced and captive. It's not a very long book. I read it in almost one sitting, staying up late because I knew I needed to finish. It is raw and emotional and has stayed with me long after finishing it. I would highly recommend.


Rating
I give this book 4.5 stars.


Details
Genre: YA, Thriller.
Language: Some uses of heavy language.
Sex: References to some dark things but nothing graphic is shown.
Violence: Some graphic violence, other types of violence are alluded to and talked about but never actually seen.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Monthly Roundup - January 2017

In January I read 6 books, which is keeping with the pace I need in order to read 80 books this year. 1) The Reader - Traci Chee (3 stars) 2) Wayfarer - Alexandra Bracken (3.5 stars) 3) Windwitch - Susan Dennard (3.5 stars) 4) The Underground Railroad  - Colson Whitehead (3 stars) 5) Behind the Throne  - K. B. Wagers (5 stars) 6) Queen of Shadows  - Sarah J. Maas (4 stars) I say that's a pretty good start to 2017! I recently started a new job, so posts have slowed while I rediscover the work/life balance, but overall I really enjoyed the books I read this month and would recommend them all (especially Behind the Throne !!! Gahh!!! Review coming soon!). My TBR pile for February is a mile long, but I'm especially excited for A Conjuring of Light,  the conclusion to the Shades of Magic  series by V. E. Schwab. I've also got the February Book Club pick, Daring Greatly  by BrenĂ© Brown, and I'll finally finish up Empire of Storms , the latest book in Sarah

Monthly Roundup: March 2017

Notice something different? I changed the layout of the blog! What do you think? There are a few kinks I'm still trying to work out, like now the sidebar is only visible from the menu button at the top left side of the page, but I'll figure it out ;) This month I read seven books! I'm now actually four books ahead of my goal for the year. I thought that with working, etc., I wouldn't have as much time to read, but I've also learned that you have to make time to read, which I do every night. It wasn't a *great* month for books, in terms of quality. There were a few books I had high expectations for and they didn't quite meet them, though I still enjoyed them! If you need a refresher for what the various star ratings mean, then you can check out the "Ratings Guide" at the top of the blog. Reviews are coming soon! Beyond the Savanna - Maryann Martinsen (2.5 stars) Empress of a Thousand Skies - Rhoda Belleza (3 stars) Norse Gods - Neil

Arcanum Unbounded

Arcanum Unbounded - Brandon Sanderson Synopsis A collection of Sanderson's "short" stories and novellas set in his Cosmere universe. Review It's no secret that Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite authors. His writing is stupendous, his stories are incredible and his plot twists are mind-blowing. Rarely can I figure out exactly where the story is headed, but I am always exceptionally pleased when I get there! Sanderson isn't as known for his "short" stories. Probably because they aren't short. Two of them in this collection clock in around 40k words, which is approaching the line between a novella and a novel. A few of the stories ( The Emperor's Soul, Sixth of the Dusk, Shadows for Silence ) can be read with no knowledge of his other books, and would perhaps be a good introduction to his writing. Those ones you can get individually or are published in other anthologies. I myself had already read a few of the stories, but withi