So this is not a story about rising up from extreme poverty and abuse. But that hasn’t kept them safe from predatory men, and though she did her best to protect Mattie, she ultimately failed. From the age of six, when Mattie was born, Sadie’s been in charge. One can’t help but wonder if it’s a result of living with a junkie for a parent and having to essentially raise her own sister. Sadie is 19 years old and has had a stutter nearly her entire life. Not to solve the murder of Mattie, which had happened the year before, but to find Sadie, who’s gone missing. She’s the one who calls West McCray and asks for help. The girls’ mother, Claire, an addict, had taken off long before this, and their neighbor May Beth was acting as a surrogate grandmother. Shortly after, her body is found in the woods. It begins with the death of Mattie, Sadie’s beloved 13-year-old sister, who disappears after getting into a truck with an unknown man. There are two points of view: West McCray’s, as told through transcripts of his podcast and Sadie’s, though it’s clear she’s not telling everything she knows. This is Sadie, a remarkable and intense YA thriller that tells the story of two sisters. This is not a podcast, although it begins that way. It’s about the lengths we go to protect the ones we love … and the high price we pay when we can’t.” It’s a story about family, about sisters, and the untold lives lived in small-town America.

“Created and hosted by one of our longtime producers, West McCray, The Girls explores what happens when a devastating crime reveals a deeply unsettling mystery. Take a Visual Tour of Sadie with GIFnotes! Sadie by Courtney Summers is a propulsive and harrowing novel about the depth of a sister’s love, with an ending you won’t be able to stop talking about.

Sadie by courtney summers