Sadie by Courtney Summers

After her sister was murdered and the police didn't catch the killer, Sadie decided it was time for her to take charge. See, she knew who killed Mattie. She knew exactly who was responsible. And she knew the kind of monster he was too. But that didn't matter, because she was going to make him pay.

A year later, Sadie's all but official guardian has contacted West McCray, the host of a radio show that once featured Sadie's hometown as part of a feature on America's forgotten towns. She knows that something is wrong, that Sadie didn't just run away, and she want's West's help to find her. The investigation kicks off a new podcast called "The Girls," but West has his doubts from the start. Sadie's car was found with all of her possessions still inside and no trace of the girl has been found otherwise. Surely if Sadie wanted to be found, she would have been by now?

Sadie is a dark read - really dark, so if you're a reader who needs trigger warnings, this one comes with a whole slew!

The book takes place in two separate timelines. As mentioned, when West begins his podcast, Sadie has already been missing for quite some time. But Sadie's story begins when she sets off to track down her sister's murderer.

It was an interesting set up. Given that the podcast is set later and Sadie is still missing, the reader does start the book with a sense of dread that only grows as the story continues. What happened to Sadie? Even as her story moves forward, that question nags at the back of your mind!

Sadie is one of the most talked about books of the season and I can easily see why now. It's a book that really straddles the line between YA and adult, with plenty to appeal to both audiences. Plus, as mentioned, it's super dark!

This was one of my latest audio listens and I have to tell you, it was a whole production! Each character was a different voice actor, there were sound effects, there was music. I'm not kidding, a whole production!

Sadie is out today and if you're a fan of dark and twisted, you're going to want to pick this one up!

This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

Happy Monday, all! It's Sunday night as I write this and I'm hoping that this week will prove to be easy peasy -- it's a holiday week (July 4th is Wed so that's a little strange but I won't complain) and then Saturday is my b-day.

My b-day is always sort of a toss up for me: I'm at that point where I just want to pause my aging. Yes, I'd just like to settle a bit and get used to being in my 30s before moving further into them. Too much pressure to be all grown up now. Makes it kind of appropriate that I'm blogging about a YA book today :)

When I first started coming across murmurings about Courtney Summers's This is Not a Test, I knew it had to go on my desperately want/must have list. It's zombiepocalypse for one! Who can resist that? Not me. For another, PW called it "The Breakfast Club, George Romero style." What, what?! Even better!

Sloane Price wants out. Her sister is gone and her home life is nothing to get excited about, but when the dead begin to walk, Sloane's choice is made for her. She and five other teens have managed to make their way to the high school, boarding up doors and windows and holing up in the auditorium to wait out the attack. They're all sure that help will be on its way soon, but as the days pass, that hope starts to wither. Desperate, each of the teens is confronted with the ultimate fear: what if no one is coming? What if they're all alone? What do they do next?

Publisher's Weekly definitely had it right in that This is Not a Test is an intense character study -- teens facing the end of the world as they know it, relying on each other for survival with no parents around to guide them or help them along the way. Summers adeptly combines true supernatural horror with the horrors of real life giving depth to an already gripping story. It's a win all around in my opinion.