Author: Courtney Summers 
Pages: 320
Genre: Young Adult Thriller
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Photo Credit: Goodreads.com
Where to buy: Amazon|Barnes & Noble|McNally Jackson
Content Warning: Discussion of – Child abuse, Child Pornography
*Thank you Wednesday Books for providing a free advanced readers copy of Sadie during BookExpo America* [This is a delayed post!]
Synopsis:
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 meagre 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 such a good thriller. Throughout the story I kept wanting to know more about Sadie, her past, her path towards destroying the man who broke her family and what destination she was bound to take us to next.
The story was form two different perspectives, that of Sadie herself and the other of the folks on the podcast, The Girls. As a fan of multiple perspectives in a story, this did not disappoint. We were hearing West McCray’s path towards finding Sadie while simultaneously being thrown back into Sadie’s world as the mystery was unfolding. The author masterfully took on not only different perspectives but different timelines of events which work beautifully with how the story was meant to be told. The dual perspectives also added substance to the mystery of Sadie. I was on the edge of each page as I, along with West McCray was trying to find Sadie while also having the advantage of being in Sadie’s mind and following her next unpredictable move. The podcast perspective also gave way to a set of characters who were secondary in importance but still played a role in who Sadie was.
Sadie was such a well-developed character. She was strong, vengeful, intense and confident. She was a woman on a mission to avenge her sister and herself. Sadie used what she had to be a quick and forceful character. Her development was so extraordinary. Through her mission, we had a glimpse of young Sadie before she was stripped of the little happiness she had left. She was a protector through and through and sacrifices herself in many instances to save her sister. However, her only mistake, led to her sister’s hope which led her sister to her own murder. Although Sadie blames herself, I can see why it was done and in no way would have blamed Sadie for her action. She loved her sister Maddie more than herself and did anything to ease the pain their mother created when she left them. We see Sadie develop into a stronger and more clever woman with each encounter that it makes you think whether her trail is made for her to be found or made to forever question where is Sadie.
I really enjoyed the alternate timelines because it made myself think of what will happen next. It gave more questions than answers, but it allowed me to play detective along with West and figure out this case. Aside from the alternate timelines, the twists were extraordinary woven into the storyline and truly surprised me throughout the way. For example, the twist of the postcard and the importance it then had to understanding Sadie and Mattie’s mother was something I did not expect. Each twist gave more sense and suspense to the story and the author masterfully wrote the story to continue to capture that aha or gasp moment. Another favorite moment was the investment West gave into the case as he researched further into it. We knew he was invested, but he became driven to find Sadie after reading the horrors she faced as a child and what continued to haunt her as a young adult. I was glad to receive the backstory of May Beth and Sadie’s mother along with the corrupted and heinous past of the man May Beth believed was the best man in Sadie’s mother’s life. It showed that what is seen on the outside isn’t always what is really happening on the inside of a person’s home.
Overall, this book was amazing, and I could write pages on how much of a page turner it was. It was raw, intense and kept you at the edge of your toes. Courtney Summers created a story you became invested in even if you didn’t realize it after turning that first page. I would recommend this to older teens and adults because of some of the violent nature discussed in it. If you are craving a great thriller with profound gasp worthy moments, Sadie is the book to read. But be warned, you will end wanting to find Sadie yourself and you won’t regret it. #FindSadie
*Sadie comes out today, September 4th. Be sure to stop by your local bookstore to request/buy or copy or support your local library through borrowing the book and requesting more copies for more folks to read*
A Bronx Latina Reads 