Sadie
By: Courtney Summers
Grade: A-
“I can’t take another dead girl.”
“We have more story than time to tell it- but I suppose that’s true for all of us.”
I received Sadie from Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion.
Sadie has lived for and cared for her sister Mattie since the day she was born. So when Mattie is killed she sets out on a road trip to find Mattie’s killer because, unfortunately, she has a pretty good idea exactly who it was. Long after she’s gone missing her (kind of) grandmother hires a podcaster to track her movements and attempt to bring her home.
We follow Sadie on her quest as well as McCray tracking her movements.
I am a huge fan of Courtney Summers- I read and still think about both All the Rage and This is Not a Test and recommend them both. (This is Not a Test is a great Fall/Halloween read but be aware of the content in All the Rage- trigger warnings for rape.) Needless to say I had high expectations.
“The beauty of childhood is not entirely grasping the cost of living.”
“Sometimes I don’t know what I miss more; everything I’ve lost or everything I never had.”
Sadie was just as raw and brutal. I really don’t want to give too much away but keep in mind trigger warnings for child sex abuse, assault, pedophilia and drug abuse. There was also extreme grief and events with Sadie and her sister reminded me a bit of Three Billboards.
Sadie herself is a strong character and I rooted for her cause which was also a little uncomfortable because Summers manages to get across that Sadie also, desperately, needs help. Abused herself and abandoned by her mother Sadie’s shock and distrust at any kindness she’s offered is as heartbreaking as the violence she’s often meet with which says as much about her past as anything.
“Girls go missing all the time. And ignorance is bliss.”
While I liked the podcast idea and it makes it very modern and gives us a flavor of how the adults failed both girls in the past. For most of the book I probably could have taken it or left it to be honest. I can easily imagine the podcast annoying readers. I think where it worked the best though was the ending. Because I think the ending could definitely be controversial.
While I’ve thought about it and still loved the book- still thinking about it several days later- I can’t wait for others to read it so we can talk about it and see what they think and where they fall on that one.
Recommend: Yes.