Sadie

SYNOPSIS:

TW: child abuse, pedophilia, drug addiction, murder.

A missing girl on a journey of revenge. A Serial―like podcast following the clues she's left behind. And an ending you won't be able to stop talking about.

REVIEW

(5 STARS)

If you're a fan of a good mystery, you have to read this book. Better yet, if you love audiobooks, honour the story and listen to it, since its format resembles a podcast. It was the most extraordinary audiobook experience of my life. Interpreted by a full cast (to whom I'll now make a standing ovation), MacMillan Publishers didn't let anything left to chance. The sound effects, the actors' dramatic interpretation, the outstanding performances... It felt like watching a TV show, only without the image. Everything about this experience felt real, and at times I thought I was really listening to an actual murder podcast.

Of course, nothing could've happened without Courtney Summers. Her writing is exquisite and completely immersive. It mustn't have been easy to write about such dark subjects, but she's done it masterfully and respectfully. Even though she hints at what happened to the girls when she tells you it still feels like a surprise. When you feel like there are no more layers to the story, she peels a new one, leaving you bewildered. Summers is a true storyteller, one that compels you to read it all in one sitting. She takes you with her in this wild ride until you lose focus of where reality ends and fiction begins. I urge you to sign up to Scribd (if you want, you can use my affiliate link to get a 2 free month subscription) and to listen to this audiobook. Don't read its synopsis and please don't search for spoilers (I'm a spoiler lover so if I could contain myself, you must too).

Summers' book served two purposes as well. The first was to remind us of how education is a privilege. We're not all born in the same social conditions, we don't all have access to the same opportunities and finally, most times, wishing and working hard are not enough. No one escapes their past, sometimes all you can do is push through and suck it up.

The second thing was how no one should ever know what it is to grow without any siblings. I'm kidding, but at the same time, I'm not. I'm fortunate enough to have a wonderful family and a wonderful sister, so Sadie's story deeply touched me. This is the second book that I've read this year that explores other types of relationships other than romantic. These narratives make much more sense to me. I'm sick of love triangles, of enemies to lovers tropes, I'm done with YA literature feeding these unrealistic ideologies and perpetuating shallow values. Real love is not a crusade we all must fight in. Summers showed us that - she gave us a story that is based on millions of true stories. She showed us we should care more. Our eyes must be wide open. Everyone sees someone some time or another. No one vanishes from the face of the earth, so we must watch carefully and raise our voices to help the unprotected.