ARC, 310 pagesRelease Date: September 4, 2018Published by: Wednesday Books
Read from: August 26-August 31, 2018Stand-aloneSource: Publisher (This did nothing to influence my review.)TW: Child Molestation
For fans of: Mysteries, Thrillers, Contemporary,
Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.
But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie's entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice and hits the road following a few meagre clues to find him.
When West McCray—a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America—overhears Sadie's story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late.
*MY THOUGHTS*
When I first requested this, I was trying to be part of the blog tour. But then I started hearing what a wild ride it was and I just wanted it because I needed to know for myself. And next time I'll trust you all because it was most definitely a wild, crazy, ride.
"Hate the sin, love the sinner."pg. 36
Sadie hasn't had much, but she's always had her sister. She's there to take care of her since her mom has gone. But then one day Mattie is found dead and the police have no clues. Sadies takes it upon herself to find Mattie's killer. But soon, she's missing too. Then, a radio anchor hears of Sadie's story and starts his own investigation in the hopes that they can find Sadie before it's too late.
"But imagine having to live every day knowing the person who killed your sister is breathing the air she can't, filling his lungs with it, tasting its sweetness."pg. 44
I am new to Summers' works, but after reading this one, I know it won't be my last. Many authors have so much trouble trying to "show" readers instead of "tell" them what's happening, but not Summers. With the added descriptors and the vivid way puts them into reader's heads, it wasn't hard to be sucked into her writing. I found myself wanting to take a 15 minute break at work just to be able to read some more.
"It seems pretty obvious the girls needed help. MARTY MCKINNON: Yeah, but everyone here does, you get me?"pg. 49
And then there was the format. I'm not usually a fan of books that have letters, interviews, etc., but this one was actually ok. I found myself losing track of who was talking a little bit because I never read those lines in books with that format. I think I was too into the subject matter to be put off by the format.
"Kids shouldn't have to worry about that kind of stuff."pg. 142
The way I know I really liked a book is the way it makes me feel and how much I want to tell everyone about it. With this one, I raged, I got choked up, I was terrified for Sadie, and in the end my heart broke for her. My emotions were all over the place with this one. I found myself talking to the book out-loud and arguing with Sadie when I didn't like the thing she decided. It took my emotions on a roller coaster, and I loved every second of it.
"It'll h-heal fine. It'll heal ugly. But most things do."pg. 227
The only reason I did not give this book 5 stars is the ending. I feel like there is way too much unanswered and I need to know what happens. I kid you not, I went looking for more episodes of the podcast online because I just knew there was more. There has to be.
This is not an easy read, but it definitely is a great one. It will make the reader go through so many things, all while questioning if Sadie is right or wrong in all of this."I wish [...] darkness lived outside of [...], because you have to know it's there to see it. Like all real monsters, [...] hides in plain sight."pg. 260
Overall, I give this
(Don't forget to check out my blog tour post that I had for this book on Thursday. I talk about my favorite podcasts!)