I really admire Courtney Summers for giving missing girls and abused children everywhere a voice. I feel emotional just thinking about the whole story as if Sadie and Mattie are real people, because in so many ways they are. Sadie’s character was so well done, the way she loved her sister so much and fought through her heartbreak with a determination for vengeance and to find closure. My heart hurt while reading this book and I was left feeling so many different things at the end. Sadie and Mattie’s story, and the story of every girl who has ever and will ever disappear, was just so heartbreaking. I can’t wait to listen to The Girls now that I have read the book because I want to experience the story in a different medium, while still knowing the details Sadie’s chapters bring to the story that the podcast doesn’t have.

Courtney Summers is a genius, her writing intricate and so clever in the way it tugs at the reader’s fears and feelings in so many ways. It gave the whole story so many layers as the puzzle pieces came together and I just loved every minute of it. I thought the way the podcast The Girls wound through Sadie’s narrative was just incredible. I listened to Serial a few years ago and there is no question that the podcast aspect in Sadie gave me the same kind of vibe even though it’s fiction and the purpose of Serial was so different. If you’re someone who likes true crime podcasts and the sound of a story about a girl searching for her sister’s killer, you’ll love this book. If you somehow don’t know what Sadie is about, just go pick it up without looking at the blurb. Many of you will undoubtedly know what this book is about so I decided not to add a summary to this post. In saying all of that, I will try to give you a little glimpse into just how much I enjoyed living in the pages of Sadie for a few days. It’s also because I don’t like to gush too much or spill too much about the book, as I appreciate that anyone reading my review should be able to go off to read the book and experience it on their own without any of my ramblings ringing in their head. This is because I can’t find the right words to express my own reading experience in the way the book deserves. I often find it super difficult to write a review on a book I really love. It’s a thrilling, sinister, original and utterly heartbreaking book that I strongly, strongly recommend to every reader! As predicted, Sadie is without a doubt one of my favourite reads this year and also an all-time favourite of mine.

Books by courtney summers