Sadie: A Novel Hardcover – September 4, 2018

... because that’s how emotionally drained I feel since swiping the last page on ‘Sadie’. Future readers, stock up on the tissues, and keep them handy at all times while reading. You’ll need them!‘WEST MCCRAY: ”She [Sadie] lived for Mattie, lived to love, care for and protect her little sister, with every breath”.’Sadie Hunter only ever had one goal in life – to protect her little sister, Mattie. To shield her as much as possible from the harsh reality of their poverty-stricken trailer park existence, living with an alcoholic, drug-addicted mother, and her revolving door of boyfriends. For thirteen years Sadie kept her safe, until the dreadful day Mattie was murdered. A year later, sees Sadie on the road, hunting down her sister’s killer. Now Sadie is missing, and radio producer, West McCray is determined to get to the truth of what happened to her. Following her trail, he uses a serialised podcast titled ‘The Girls’ to record and report his findings. May Beth’s (who owns the trailer park, and has a Grandmother’s love for Sadie) only wish is that West finds Sadie and brings her home to her.I’ve been anticipating the release of ‘Sadie’ forever, pre-ordered it in June, and have yet to see a review under 4-stars. Last year I was fortunate enough to read ‘Some Girls Are’ (all the stars from me), so I was already a fan of Courtney Summers, and her ability to tackle timely, tough, real world teenage issues, in a realistic, emotional, thought-provoking manner. The former was dark in places, but ‘Sadie’ is even bleaker, so if you’re expecting a happy book then this is not the read for you. Warning for sensitive and disturbing content. References are used sparingly, and avoid great detail, but are still horrible to read. Also if you are feeling low, or dealing with a stressful situation in your own life, this may not be the right time to pick up ‘Sadie’, as it won’t cheer you up. Although it may put your own problems into perspective!I was immediately drawn to Sadie as a character, even before I got to her POV. It’s impossible not to warm to someone who has so much love for another human being, who is selfless to such an extreme that she fails to care about her own well-being and future. Reading her POV only further cemented my love for Sadie, and I feared for her safety, prayed she wouldn’t sacrifice herself in her search for answers, and quest for revenge. All I wanted for Sadie’s future was the kindness, love, and happiness she so richly deserved.There were so many emotional moments, but one part that really got to me was the reveal of who came up with the title for the podcast, and the reason it was called ‘The Girls’ (which went beyond the obvious just so you know).I thought it was realistic, yet shocking, the amount of people who encountered Sadie on her journey, saw she was in distress, yet did nothing. This is a real, current issue of people not wanting to get involved for a variety of reasons – the topmost being that we all have so much going on in this fast-paced world, and we just don’t have the time or the energy to help out.‘Sadie’ is an ambitious book (especially for the YA genre), that is completely different from anything I have ever read, and I applaud Courtney Summers for writing it. Chapters alternating between the podcast and Sadie’s POV were a unique way to structure a novel, and really upped the originality. Also cute how Macmillan Publishing has released an actual podcast, available on iTunes (which I have yet to listen to, but plan to). Very cool accompaniment!My current top YA read for 2018! This one’s going to be hard to beat. Courtney Summers, whatever you plan on writing next, I will be there hitting the ‘pre-order’ button. Recommend to all the adults and teens in my life.

At the time I’m writing this review, it’s been a couple of days since I finished Sadie, and I still haven’t fully processed it. This is one of those stories that seeps into your bones somewhere along the way, and it changes the way you look at the world a little. It is the best mystery—and one of the best books, period—that I have ever read, and it is also one of the bleakest, most devastating reading experiences of my life.You know, going into this story, that Sadie’s little sister’s body has just been found, and Sadie is on a mission to track down the man she believes is responsible. Besides the fact that it’s a story partially told through podcast episodes (which is such an incredible touch), that’s all you really need to know. This isn’t about what happens so much as it is about coming to know and love Sadie—and to know and love Mattie, too, through her memories. It’s about recognizing that the society we live in has this terrifying, grimy layer that nobody wants to talk about, where little girls are never really safe, and children are forced to grow up way too fast, to become adults in replacement of the parents they didn’t ask for.With a mother suffering from addiction, a community that looked the other way far too many times, and a life of barely keeping food on the table, much less having any real opportunities to succeed, Sadie feels like such an old soul. I don’t know how many readers will struggle to relate to the age of her inner monologue, but from another woman whose circumstances never quite allowed me to feel like a child, I saw so much of myself in the cynical, pragmatic way Sadie views the world around her.It’s hard enough to grow up poor and in a broken family, but Sadie’s also queer—she doesn’t label herself, but explains her sexuality in ways that heavily point to pansexuality—and she stutters, which forms a barricade between her and the rest of the world. Her representation feels so valid and genuine, and it broke my heart every time she mused about how imprisoned she felt by her struggles with speech.More than anything else about Sadie’s character, though, I loved the fierce, maternal determination she has for taking care of Mattie—and, once Mattie is gone, for finding her killer and dishing out justice. Every memory of Mattie, whether told through her view of their adopted grandmother May Beth’s, is beautiful and haunting. The tremendous amount of guilt that Sadie carries as she blames herself for what went wrong had me completely breaking down in passages, and I’ll admit without shame that I read the last several chapters through tears. The most brutal part of it all is that, somehow, it feels like Sadie’s story could be based on a real girl—no, on countless real girls, all over the world.Without spoiling the plot, I want to warn you that this book focuses heavily on child abuse and sexual assault, and it is broken down in the most honest, agonizing ways. There’s also a solid portrayal of how deceptive abusers can be, as the abusers in question are shown to have fooled so many people. But there’s also another side to the representation here, as we see Sadie’s intense solidarity with other abused girls, and her desperate need to protect and defend them, even though (perhaps especially though) she feels that she failed to protect and defend her sister.There’s not much else I can tell you now, because I think it’s the kind of story that you should go into without too many expectations. Just climb in, let Sadie take you for a ride and tell you her story, and try not to let your heart get too broken in the process. This is a phenomenal story, and I know that I will be thinking about it for a long, long time to come.

This book is incredible. It is absolutely breathtaking. What a page-turner, it will have you reading it in one go and you'll be left feeling bereft and shaken. You'll feel helpless and sad, but also kind of relieved and proud. Proud of Sadie and all she was able to accomplish, despite the lack of closure you (as a reader) get in the end.Everyone's going nuts over the ending, but I found the ending so realistic, so beautiful, exactly the way it should have been. I applaud Courtney Summers for her courage in writing such a poignant and important story and in ending it so fearlessly.The format of this book reminded me of a documentary format. Almost like I was watching "Making a Murderer", where you follow the series of events that occurred to someone through the eyes of radio producer, West McCray, who following Mary Beth's request (who was like a grandmother to Sadie and basically raised her), is determined to find Sadie and to get to the bottom of things. He does this through a podcast titled ‘The Girls’ to record and report his findings through episodes. At first, he is reluctant to go on this hunt, but his employer basically pushes him to do it. Once he starts his journey, he finds himself drawn into the lives of these people and especially that of Sadie.Sadie is nineteen years old, and has spent her whole life protecting her younger sister, Mattie. Their mom was a junkie, who eventually abandons them, and Sadie makes it her life's mission to protect her sister, first from her mom, then from her mom's countless boyfriends, and finally from life in general. Only Sadie realizes she couldn't protect her well enough, when Mattie is found dead in a ditch. A year later, when the case is closed and the police making little effort in the investigation to find her killer, Sadie sets out to find him herself.We read this story in alternating perspectives, one told by Sadie and the other by West, and it is executed to perfection. I loved Sadie's character, her strength, her stutter and how she managed it, her self-loathing, yet unconditional love for her sister that continued to drive her long after she was gone. I found myself falling in love with Sadie and the incredible selflessness and disregard to her own safety. I found myself rooting for her and applauding her craftiness in getting the information she needed. Her quest to avenging her sister was so pure, so honest, and I hated the guilt that she lived in, and wished I could comfort her and give her the love that she deserved. Sadie broke my heart.I also loved how Summers was able to show us so many different perspectives, and how well she was able to illustrate the "there's a different side to every story" phrase.It's not an easy book to read. There's a lot of violence and shocking content to get through. Topics discussed and portrayed are disturbing and sensitive and dark, but they are also real and thought-provoking and honest.Sadie needs to be read. Sadie is an important book. Sadie is real.

I took this away with me on holiday and devoured it in less than a day. It was absolutely amazing and the second I'd finished it I messaged a bunch of friends to tell them they simply had to read it. I don't want to give away any spoilers so won't talk about the plot or go into too much detail, but the characters were incredible and 100% felt like real people (far too often I read books and think to myself, 'No one is like this in real-life....').The format, half from Sadie's POV in first person, and half podcast transcript really worked for this story. It was a format I'd never seen before and I hadn't realised before I started reading it that that's what it was, but I'm almost glad I didn't know because it might have put me off a bit and I might have looked over one of the best books I read in 2019.I have to applaud Courtney Summers for being fearless in her writing, she tackles difficult subjects with sensitivity and skill, and that ending... well it's a work of genius is all I'll say. I can't recommend this book highly enough, even months later I'm still thinking about it (and still recommending it to anyone who asks me what they should read next). I don't say this often but I wish I could give it more than five stars because it was honestly that good.

Courtney Summers does something uncomfortably accurate with this book. She perfectly captures the reality of missing girls, how easy it is to overlook the monsters in our midst and most of all the devastation that comes with searching for answers about the loved ones you may never find. It's painfully realistic, the characters are incredibly well constructed and the unique approach is compelling.Sadie's sister died, murdered with a bludgeon to the head, and Sadie's world is completely upended. Mattie has been her sole responsibility since her deadbeat mum upped and left them, and so it makes perfect sense that Sadie would feel an unrelenting need to hunt down her killer.The story is cleverly delivered via Sadie's chapters and interspersed with a podcast called The Girls when Sadie is reported missing too. The radio presenter of the podcast is, after a tip off from Sadie's surrogate grandmother, re-tracing Sadie's steps and trying to find her before something terrible happens to her too whilst Sadie tries to find the man she plans to murder. This mixed media approach really works, it makes the situation feel so authentic with representation from the missing girl but also from the general public and the media revealing information to them as they discover new things. Quite often readers see one perspective; to see both running parallel adds a new dimension to the genre which has undeniably been lacking from similar novels.Sadie is a relentless, headstrong and frightened teenager and her narrative voice is so relatable. I loved that she was equal parts vulnerable and fierce, with a stutter she finds embarrassing and a quick hand in her pocket to stash a knife. I think she probably represents so many grieving families, desperate and heartbroken from their loss whilst angry that the person who killed their love one still gets to go on living. I think Summers has perfectly created Sadie's character; I was so invested in her and really felt like I understood her motives.There is something missing from this novel. I'm not sure what it is really, I think it's perhaps that we don't know very much about the girls lives because the chapters are short and mostly dialogue, and that the story only focuses on the impact of Sadie's case rather than the other missing girls mentioned. I think it's deliberate, a story told at distance to convey the uncomfortable nature of missing information in missing girl cases, but it still left me feeling a little too shielded from the details.Nevertheless, I think this is an intelligent and reliable portrayal of the stark reality of cases like Mattie's and the families left searching and I'd love to see Courtney Summers create more stories to continue to build on the fictional podcast.

On a reread, there are still a lot of things I'm troubled by with this novel. I don't know Summers's history - and it's none of my business - but I feel uncomfortable, as a survivor of CSA, with non-survivors writing narratives like this. Of revenge. Also, I just don't find it particularly original, or fresh, though that's a much less complicated feeling.The ending also feels like a cop-out.I just feel like PTSD and trauma were handled a lot better in All the Rage.But there were good things, too, don't get me wrong. I still gave it three and a half stars.The way the fact that abusers can do good things at the same time as terrible things, it was good to see that. You can't tell who will do monstrous things just by looking at them.The sisterly and daughterly relationships were well done.It was written propulsively and sharply.But I can't get away from the fact that maybe people love this book because it conforms to their expectations of what CSA survivors are like, then because it truly represents us. Maybe that's unfair, but when you take on such a fraught topic, you do invite these speculations, I think.

This is one of the books I purchased in hardback. I’d heard so much about it I had to fit this in to my TBR pile.Sadies sister was murdered at the age of just thirteen. The only person in the whole wide world she loved.She goes on the hunt for the murderer, the one she believes who killed her sister.It’s told in alternating chapters between Sadie and Podcast which makes for very interesting reading.There are trigger warnings in here.Parental abandonment.PedophiliaSexual abuse and much much more.It’s not for the faint hearted.What stood out to me was the victimisation. Just because someone is loud, at the forefront and can shout and ball doesn’t mean they can’t be victims of rape and crime committed upon them.Just because someone is poor and in need doesn’t make them immune to rape, to crime, to “pillars of the community “ who are hidden rapists and abusers any less a victim.Sadies love for her sister when she came home from the hospital and the actions of love she preformed was truly tear jerking. To have a sibling that loves and adores you so much.This author has captured a truly remarkable tales that could be true. Might even be true. If not for the fictional characters it could easily be happening, yes right now in 2018.If anyone reads this and have undergone anything remotely the same in this book and you need to talk to someone, please look up an organisation NOW.An outstanding remarkable read with heart.