Sadie has always been prepared for anything. She was ready when her mother left her and her sister, and she was ready to take care of her sister when it was put on her. What she wasn’t prepared for was her sister’s murder. After Sadie disappears on a quest for revenge, a radio personality begins to investigate her story, hoping to find her before it’s too late.

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Why this book?: I’ve heard a lot of really good things about this book.

After seeing so many positive reviews on this book, I was so excited to fall for this story and the characters. Unfortunately, the story just never picked up enough for me, and I actually thought a large chunk in the middle was fairly…boring. When a book that’s promised to be fast-paced and heart-stopping nearly bores you to sleep, it can be wildly disappointing and frustrating. I can recommend, however, that the way to read this book is definitely the audio. I probably would have dropped this book if not for the style of the audiobook.

I will admit and say that the beginning of this book is intense and really interesting. I wanted to know what happened to Mattie, and where Sadie went. It was also really cool to get Sadie’s POV from the past while we got the present storyline from West McCray as he searched for her. Probably my favorite part of this audiobook was that when West interviewed someone someone over the phone, or talked to someone, you could tell he was talking over the phone. There was also a full cast to this audiobook, so it sounded so unique–like an actual podcast or radio show. 

About a quarter way through this book, Sadie’s part of the story really slowed down. A group of teens were introduced, and for a chunk of the book it felt like just any other YA contemporary book in a high school. And I get that Sadie didn’t get that stereotypical experience in her school, but I wasn’t really expecting such a focus on that aspect when this book was supposed to be a thriller novel. I also wasn’t really clicking with Sadie’s character–I get that she was a complex character, and I appreciate that, but it also felt like Sadie was only defined by her sister–not even her sister’s death–just her sister.

While I enjoyed the way the story was told, I didn’t enjoy a lot of the characters. I also really disliked the ending. In some cases, I like having an open ending where questions aren’t answered. But this one left a lot of questions unanswered, and instead of making it feel mysterious, it just made me frustrated. You have to answer some questions to satisfy people, and instead Summers just left everything open.

Final Rating: ★★★☆☆

Overall?

While I liked the beginning of the story, as well as several smaller parts, I overall found this lacking in the middle and end. The audiobook performance was phenomenal, and having a full cast really made it memorable.

Would I Recommend?

I know a lot of people who have enjoyed every moment of this book, so I wouldn’t take it out of your TBR just based on my review. I feel like this one might’ve been a lot of ‘it’s not you, it’s me’, and because of that, I’d highly recommend checking out other’s reviews. I will say that this book needs a lot of trigger warnings: specifically child abuse, pedophilia, violence/murder, gore, drug addiction and probably more that I’m forgetting.

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Additional Information:

Published: September 4th, 2018

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Page Count: 308

Genre: Young Adult/Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis: via Goodreads

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.

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 meager 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.

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