Courtney Summers: Sadie (2018, St. Martin's Press)
304 pages
English language
Published Nov. 18, 2018 by St. Martin's Press.
When radio host West McCray receives a desperate phone call from a stranger imploring him to find a girl who fled home after the brutal murder of her little sister, he sees the makings of his next big podcast . . . ([source][1])
It was really hard to put down. The story gave me a lot of feelings and was sad and frustrating but also hopeful and.. satisfying, with the revenge parts and with the Podcast dude commemorating Sadie's journey and reflecting on the way his view of her disappearance changed. I really enjoyed the contrast between the podcast and the parts from Sadie's perspective, and how they add to each other.
Content warning Ending Spoilers
Perfect audiobook for a long car trip where you can listen in one sitting, it really makes the podcast gimmick pop. I really enjoyed the author's voice and the prose, although it occasionally tried too hard. I don't think this would have worked nearly as well in print.
Alternated between wanting to protect the protagonist and give her cocoa, and wanting her to succeed in her violent revenge. And that's the way I like it.
Four stars instead of five because of the ambiguous ending. It was a bold choice and I see what the author was goin for, but I simply would have preferred more finality.
