The “gone girl” is a captivating topic in today’s society. Whether it be on TV, the big screen, books, or podcasts, people love to hear the tragic stories of girls gone missing. Even some, such as the wildly successful Up and Vanished podcast set out to find these missing girls, and in the case of Up and Vanished, actually do solve the mystery.
Which brings us to Sadie, the new suspense YA novel by Courtney Summers. Sadie is a nineteen year old girl who has only one goal - to avenge her sister’s killer. Wes McCray is a podcaster who has only one goal - to find Sadie Hunter. As Sadie follows clues across the country left behind by her thirteen-year-old sister’s murderer, Wes follows clues left behind by Sadie while making a podcast called The Girls about his efforts to bring Sadie home.
Sadie is told in alternating points of view with Wes always a few steps behind Sadie. Readers get to experience Sadie’s take on a situation, and then follow along with Wes as he visits the places Sadie has been and tries to piece together the mystery. This is really a fascinating concept for true crime aficionados because so much of solving a case is about figuring out what actually happened in a situation. With only the people involved in a crime knowing what REALLY happened, piecing together a crime often feels like taking a stab in the dark. With Sadie, readers know what actually happened, and then get to see how those who stumble across clues left behind either get it wrong or get it right.
Anyone who enjoys podcasts will love the fresh spin on the “gone girl” novel that Sadie provides. Wes’s parts of the novel read just like a podcast episode, complete with intercutting interviews and sound bites, reflection, and phone calls. Even better, Wes’s podcast about Sadie is out there in the real world for you to listen to! The Girls: Find Sadie is available for your listening entertainment wherever you get your podcasts.
Sensitive readers should note that Sadie is not a happy book, as most real-life cases of murdered and missing girls are not stories with fairytale endings. Sadie deals with real and raw issues, and overall, has a dark and tragic feel. While wonderfully and compellingly written, it can sometimes be difficult to “keep going” while reading the horrid details of girls used and abused. On the other hand, thousands of people go missing every year, and if passionate people don’t “keep going” in their efforts to uncover what happened to these missing persons, who will?
- Brooke, Public Relations Librarian
ARE YOU AND THIS BOOK A GOOD MATCH? DISCOVER MORE WITH NOVELIST APPEALS! Sadie
GENRE: Canadian Fiction; Multiple Perspectives; Thrillers & Suspense
THEME: Real Life Monsters; Surviving Sexual Violence; Vengeance is Mine TONE: Bleak; Disturbing; Emotionally Intense
STORYLINE: Nonlinear; Nonconventional WRITING STYLE: Compelling; Gritty CHARACTER: Ability Diverse; Brooding; Well-Developed SUBJECT: Investigative Journalism; Missing Girls; Murder Investigation; Podcasts; Sisters; Small Towns; Stuttering; Teenage Girls
BROOKE REALLY LOVED THIS BOOK - SHE GAVE IT 4/5 STARS! If you like it too, you may enjoy these titles:
