paigedc's review against another edition
3.0
I received this ARC and was so excited because I love the author and really enjoyed Sadie a while back. This one didn't quite do it for me, but it was still a pretty good read.
Lo Denham works for a glossy publication as an assistant and one day witnesses a boy commit suicide in the subway. Before his death, that boy calls her by name and mentions a Bible verse. He also happens to be the son of a friend of Lo's boss. She connects the dots to find he knew her sister who has been MIA from Lo's life since a tragic car accident that injured Lo and killed their parents and led her sister Bea to join The Unity Project, a cult-like organization led by the enigmatic and energetic Lev Warren. Lo sets out to learn all she can about The Unity Project, uncover its secrets and find her sister. But are there secrets, or is she the one on the wrong side of the information?
My biggest peeve with this book was the choppy and jarring transitions. It goes back and forth between 2011/12 and 2018/19, and that's a bit confusing in and of itself, but it just abruptly changes times or scenes with little warning, forcing the reader to pay close attention. It makes an otherwise quick and easy read tough to get through.
Lo Denham works for a glossy publication as an assistant and one day witnesses a boy commit suicide in the subway. Before his death, that boy calls her by name and mentions a Bible verse. He also happens to be the son of a friend of Lo's boss. She connects the dots to find he knew her sister who has been MIA from Lo's life since a tragic car accident that injured Lo and killed their parents and led her sister Bea to join The Unity Project, a cult-like organization led by the enigmatic and energetic Lev Warren. Lo sets out to learn all she can about The Unity Project, uncover its secrets and find her sister. But are there secrets, or is she the one on the wrong side of the information?
My biggest peeve with this book was the choppy and jarring transitions. It goes back and forth between 2011/12 and 2018/19, and that's a bit confusing in and of itself, but it just abruptly changes times or scenes with little warning, forcing the reader to pay close attention. It makes an otherwise quick and easy read tough to get through.
haydemoone's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
readwithanne's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Car accident, and Physical abuse
agxxo's review against another edition
DNF.
I can’t get into it and I’m not going to force it.
I can’t get into it and I’m not going to force it.
bigdreamsandwildthings's review against another edition
5.0
“Having a sister, Mom says, is a place only the two of them will share, made of secrets they never have to say aloud - but if they did, it would be in a language only the two of them could speak. Having a sister is a promise no one but the two of you can make - and no one but the two of you can break.”
I have no words other than w o w. This book is a TRIP, and it made me simultaneously so uncomfortable while also keeping me completely engrossed.
Lo hasn't seen her sister, Bea, in years. After a near-death experience that left her traumatized, Bea disappeared, into an organization called the Project. Now, at 19, Lo is ready to find the truth about the Project, no matter what it costs her - even if that cost is everything she once believed about herself and the organization.
I'm a true crime fan. My Favorite Murder, Netflix documentaries, all of those kinds of things tend to draw me in like nothing else and are both fascinating and terrifying. This book took everything I love about true crime and integrated it into this fictional story that I literally could not put down. It's so utterly absorbing, so easy to read and disturbing.
Courtney Summers is so good with her unlikable MC's, and both Lo and Bea definitely fit into that category. Lo is both ambitious and complacent, and her frustration with her situation and her life ooze out of the pages. She's sometimes hard to read about, especially as things change and she finds out more about the Project. Those last few chapters are absolutely wild.
There is this tension that permeates these pages that really made me squirm. As Lo descends further into the Project and talks with its members and makes poor decisions and experiences tragedy, it's so hard to not get fully wrapped up in her world. I felt like I needed a nap after reading from the intensity of the plot and how fully in this I was.
Slight spoilers ahead: the way that Lo follows in Bea's footsteps is perhaps the most disturbing part of the book as a whole. And despite my absolute disgust towards Lev and the Unity Project and my knowledge that it was absolutely, 100000% a cult, I also felt that same draw towards them????? And if that isn't the sign of a well-written book, I don't know what is.
I love Courtney Summers, and I will read anything she writes. This is another gripping book that grabs you and just won't let you go. I'd recommend this to true crime fans, mystery buffs, and YA fans who like their plots dark and their characters grey.
I have no words other than w o w. This book is a TRIP, and it made me simultaneously so uncomfortable while also keeping me completely engrossed.
Lo hasn't seen her sister, Bea, in years. After a near-death experience that left her traumatized, Bea disappeared, into an organization called the Project. Now, at 19, Lo is ready to find the truth about the Project, no matter what it costs her - even if that cost is everything she once believed about herself and the organization.
I'm a true crime fan. My Favorite Murder, Netflix documentaries, all of those kinds of things tend to draw me in like nothing else and are both fascinating and terrifying. This book took everything I love about true crime and integrated it into this fictional story that I literally could not put down. It's so utterly absorbing, so easy to read and disturbing.
Courtney Summers is so good with her unlikable MC's, and both Lo and Bea definitely fit into that category. Lo is both ambitious and complacent, and her frustration with her situation and her life ooze out of the pages. She's sometimes hard to read about, especially as things change and she finds out more about the Project. Those last few chapters are absolutely wild.
There is this tension that permeates these pages that really made me squirm. As Lo descends further into the Project and talks with its members and makes poor decisions and experiences tragedy, it's so hard to not get fully wrapped up in her world. I felt like I needed a nap after reading from the intensity of the plot and how fully in this I was.
Slight spoilers ahead: the way that Lo follows in Bea's footsteps is perhaps the most disturbing part of the book as a whole. And despite my absolute disgust towards Lev and the Unity Project and my knowledge that it was absolutely, 100000% a cult, I also felt that same draw towards them????? And if that isn't the sign of a well-written book, I don't know what is.
I love Courtney Summers, and I will read anything she writes. This is another gripping book that grabs you and just won't let you go. I'd recommend this to true crime fans, mystery buffs, and YA fans who like their plots dark and their characters grey.
chahat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kiara_adir's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
summer_reads1's review against another edition
5.0
This is my first book by Courtney Summers. Any mystery/thriller novel involving cults usually will make it to my tbr list.
The story rotates between past and present which gives us the backstory of the two sisters. It also alternates from different points of views.
This is not like any typical book about cults where the protagonist is telling the story instead this is more of an outsider looking in on the inner workings of a cult.
This book deals with a lot of complex family issues. It’s also a coming of age story about dealing with the female psyche while growing up with a complicated family history. This book is so different from any other cult book in the same genre. It also deals with issues on how society can make a young vulnerable woman fall to prey to the wrong type of people. But at the same time, The Project shows how almost anyone can unexpectedly get sucked into a cult.
Overall this was a wonderful story, it made me question everything I thought was going on. I do enjoy more of a fast paced story but in this instance I the slower pace was necessary. I thought the author did an amazing job. The Project definitely stands out from my recent reads and I see it being very popular when it is published!
Many thanks to the publisher, Courtney Summers, and Netgalley for the arc!
The story rotates between past and present which gives us the backstory of the two sisters. It also alternates from different points of views.
This is not like any typical book about cults where the protagonist is telling the story instead this is more of an outsider looking in on the inner workings of a cult.
This book deals with a lot of complex family issues. It’s also a coming of age story about dealing with the female psyche while growing up with a complicated family history. This book is so different from any other cult book in the same genre. It also deals with issues on how society can make a young vulnerable woman fall to prey to the wrong type of people. But at the same time, The Project shows how almost anyone can unexpectedly get sucked into a cult.
Overall this was a wonderful story, it made me question everything I thought was going on. I do enjoy more of a fast paced story but in this instance I the slower pace was necessary. I thought the author did an amazing job. The Project definitely stands out from my recent reads and I see it being very popular when it is published!
Many thanks to the publisher, Courtney Summers, and Netgalley for the arc!
raeofpurple's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
tonij's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0