Title: Sadie by Courtney Summers
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Mystery
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
Read this gripping novel about the depth of a sister’s love with an ending you won’t be able to stop talking about.
A missing girl on a journey of revenge and a Serial—like podcast following the clues she’s left behind.
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.
Courtney Summers has written the breakout book of her career. Sadie is propulsive and harrowing and will keep you riveted until the last page.
Review:
Sadie by Courtney Summers is an emotionally compelling, suspenseful and incredibly poignant young adult mystery.
Nineteen year old Sadie Hunter’s world and heart are shattered by the murder of her thirteen year old sister Mattie Southern. With their drug-addicted mother, Claire, neglecting them, Sadie steps in and takes care of Mattie. When Claire abandons them completely, Sadie drops out of school to care full time for her sister. With Mattie’s murder still unsolved, Sadie is certain she knows who killed her and she is determined to bring him to justice. With scant clues to follow, Sadie desperately follows every lead and forces answers from the people she encounters along the way.
Sadie is relentless in her quest for Mattie’s killer. She knows exactly where to begin her investigation and struggling with a debilitating stutter, she begins making headway. Not all of the people she talks to are eager to give her the information she needs, but Sadie absolutely refuses to back down. Some of her encounters turn violent but she remains undeterred as Sadie methodically and persistently hunts down Mattie’s killer.
The girls’ honorary grandmother May Beth Foster is broken-hearted when Mattie is murdered and Sadie vanishes. She turns to radio personality West McCray to help locate Sadie. West is reluctant to become involved in the case, but May Beth’s plight tugs on his heartstrings and he turns what he uncovers during his investigation into a podcast about the tragedy.
With the trail long gone cold, West’s search for Sadie moves in fits and starts as his leads quickly dry up. Whereas Sadie makes progress fairly quickly, West is frequently stone-walled as he locates people who might be able to help. While the passages from Sadie’s perspective are raw with pain and her desperate need for vengeance, West’s podcasts are often a bit detached as he interviews subjects. He also often considers giving up when he runs out new avenues to investigate. However, West helps break the case wide open but will he uncover the truth about Sadie’s fate?
Sadie is a heartrending portrait of the negligent parenting by a drug addicted mother whose choices put her daughters in harm’s way. Sadie is blinded by pain and rage which leads her to make some questionable and reckless decisions as she hunts for Mattie’s killer. West is drawn into the case almost against his will but he becomes completely invested in finding Sadie. Courtney Summers brings this deeply affecting and heartbreaking young adult novel to a mostly satisfying yet realistic conclusion. I highly recommend this riveting and powerful story to older teen and adult readers.
