ARC Review: The Project by Courtney Summers

Title: The Project

Author: Courtney Summers
Publisher: Wednesday Books

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Hardcover, 352 Pages
Publication Date: February 2nd, 2021

Summary: "The Unity Project saved my life." Lo Denham is used to being on her own. After her parents died, Lo's sister, Bea, joined The Unity Project, leaving Lo in the care of their great aunt. Thanks to its extensive charitable work and community outreach, The Unity Project has won the hearts and minds of most in the Upstate New York region, but Lo knows there's more to the group than meets the eye. She's spent the last six years of her life trying--and failing--to prove it. "The Unity Project murdered my son." When a man shows up at the magazine Lo works for claiming The Unity Project killed his son, Lo sees the perfect opportunity to expose the group and reunite with Bea once and for all. When her investigation puts her in the direct path of its charismatic and mysterious leader, Lev Warren, he proposes a deal: if she can prove the worst of her suspicions about The Unity Project, she may expose them. If she can't, she must finally leave them alone. But as Lo delves deeper into The Project, the lives of its members, and spends more time with Lev, it upends everything she thought she knew about her sister, herself, cults, and the world around her--to the point she can no longer tell what's real or true. Lo never thought she could afford to believe in Lev Warren . . . but now she doesn't know if she can afford not to. Welcome to The Unity Project.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of THE PROJECT in exchange for an honest review, and I'm so glad that I did, because I absolutely was hooked on this book and couldn't put it down. I read SADIE a few years ago, and it was one of the best thrillers I've ever picked up, with so many twists and turns that I wasn't expecting. (You can read my review by clicking here!) I was expecting just as amazing of a book when I picked up THE PROJECT, and that was absolutely what was delivered. So without further ado, let's get into my review!

As the summary explains, Lo comes to after a violent car accident that kills her parents, and she finds out that the last member of her family -- her older sister, Bea -- has run off to join The Unity Project, which is believed to be a cult. Years later, it's been forever since she's heard from Bea, and all she wants is her sister back. Plus, The Unity Project is making waves in the media for some mysterious deaths and practices, all of which they deny, but Lo knows something is up, and she's determined to prove it. No matter what it takes.

I absolutely loved this book! I read over 100 pages in a single sitting because I just wanted to know what was going to happen next. The timeline was a bit confusing to get used to at first, since it jumps around a little bit, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly and then I was so hooked that I couldn't put the book down. I ended up nearly skipping dinner because I wanted to know what Lev Warren and Lo and Casey and Bea were up to -- and watching the story unfold, with all of its shocking plot twists, kept me on. the edge of my seat the entire time.

I am also super fascinated with cults and how they begin, especially since I have always been curious about what makes people join them -- and stay in them -- even when the signs are glaring right there. Lo sees this from the very beginning and is so desperate to show The Unity Project's true colors, but it seems like the public is so enamored by all of their charity work and all of Lev Warren's words that Lo feels isolated and alone in having something against them. But through it all, she's determined to prove it. And above all, she's determined to find her sister. And what she gets up to in order to find the truth will truly blow your mind, that's for sure.

(MAJOR spoilers in this paragraph, so please skip to the next paragraph to avoid them!) The ending of this book absolutely blew me away as well, just like it did with SADIE. I thought things were up with Lo's brakes failing, and when Lev slowly starts to disarm her and she even ends up wanting to join The Project, I was getting major bad vibes and I knew that things were heading south. I didn't trust Lev from the start, especially since as a reader we get to see both how Lev treated Bea and how he treated Lo, and how some of the things that he said and did were exactly the same. Definitely the attitude of a cult leader. And the fact that they did what they did to Bea...I had a bad feeling that something like that happened to her, but it was a gut punch to see it happen on the page. 

But even though I was emotionally gutted, I still loved every second of reading this book.

Overall, I absolutely loved reading THE PROJECT and I would 100% recommend it to anyone looking for another great thriller read to keep them hooked and staying up reading through all hours of the night. Courtney Summers displayed her expert writing skills yet again with this incredible story. I'll definitely be talking about it for a long time! 

Review: They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman

Title: They Wish They Were Us
Author: Jessica Goodman
Publisher: Razorbill

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Hardcover, 336 Pages
Published August 2020

Summary: In Gold Coast, Long Island, everything from the expensive downtown shops to the manicured beaches, to the pressed uniforms of Jill Newman and her friends, looks perfect. But as Jill found out three years ago, nothing is as it seems. Freshman year Jill's best friend, the brilliant, dazzling Shaila Arnold, was killed by her boyfriend. After that dark night on the beach, Graham confessed, the case was closed, and Jill tried to move on. Now, it's Jill's senior year and she's determined to make it her best yet. After all, she's a senior and a Player--a member of Gold Coast Prep's exclusive, not-so-secret secret society. Senior Players have the best parties, highest grades and the admiration of the entire school. This is going to be Jill's year. She's sure of it. But when Jill starts getting texts proclaiming Graham's innocence, her dreams of the perfect senior year start to crumble. If Graham didn't kill Shaila, who did? Jill is vows to find out, but digging deeper could mean putting her friendships, and her future, in jeopardy.

I first found out about this book when we were putting a call out to 2020 debut authors for interviews, and I was immediately intrigued. A murder mystery set at an elite private school on Long Island (which is where we're from)? I immediately preordered a copy because I just knew that I had to have it. And I'm so glad that I did, because I ended up absolutely *loving* this book. So without further ado, let's get into my review! 

As the summary explains, three years ago, Jill's best friend Shaila is murdered by her boyfriend, Graham. Or at least, that's the story that goes around their elite prep school on Long Island. Since Graham confessed, that has to be it...until Jill starts getting texts proclaiming that it wasn't Graham's fault after all -- that he was framed. Of course Jill wants to dig deeper and find justice for her best friend, but at the same time, doing so may cause her to sever not only friendships, but also her status as a Player, an elite member of the secret society at Gold Coast Prep. So what will prevail -- her goal to have a good future that she's worked so hard for, or risking it all to avenge her best friend?

As I've already said, I absolutely loved this book. I was immediately sold when I found out that the book was set on Long Island, since that's where we're from. I love seeing books set in the places that I am familiar with! And once I decided to pick this book up, I was immediately drawn in by the story. It's a pretty short book, less than 340 pages, so I managed to read over a hundred pages in a single sitting. It was just so good that I couldn't put it down and kept wanting to know what was going to happen next!

Something that I really admired was the way that Jill wasn't as easily enamored by the Players as everyone else was. She saw through it for what it really contained, and she is caught between seeking justice or hiding behind the mirage of popularity -- even if everyone around her didn't seem to think so. She's caught in the crossfire of having the future she's busted her ass for or avenging her best friend, and both options come with consequences that she has to juggle. And as the texts proclaiming Graham's innocence increase, so does Jill's doubt that the night Shaila died was as cut-and-dry in the first place.

(Major spoilers in this paragraph, so please skip to the next one if you want to avoid them!) I also really loved the trail that this story took me on. I spent a good majority of the book thinking that Shay's killer was Robert, then I was convinced that it was their teacher for awhile, and when I found out that it was Adam, it only clicked in my brain about two seconds before it was revealed on the page. And let me tell you, I was shocked! It was a really great plot twist, the kind that you don't see coming at all, but once you look back and think on it, all of the clues are there. Hats off to Jessica Goodman, because I wasn't expecting an ending like that and it was great!

Overall, I absolutely loved They Wish They Were Us, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a great thriller that will keep them on the edge of their seat as they try to figure out if Shay's justice was really served or not. It's safe to say that Jessica Goodman's writing got me hooked and I'm a fan for life! I'll be eagerly anticipating her next book. :-)

If you're interested in reading our interview with Jessica, you can check it out here!

ARC Review: Amity by Micol Ostow

Title: Amity
Author: Micol Ostow
Genre: Horror
Format: eBook
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Release Date: August 26, 2014

Summary:

Connor's family moves to Amity to escape shady business deals. Ten years later, Gwen's family moves to Amity for a fresh start after she's recovered from a psychotic break.

But something is not right about this secluded house. Connor's nights are plagued with gore-filled dreams of demons and destruction. Dreams he kind of likes. Gwen has lurid visions of corpses that aren't there and bleeding blisters that disappear in the blink of an eye. She knows Amity is evil and she must get her family out, but who would ever believe her?

Amity isn't just a house. She is a living force, bent on manipulating her inhabitants to her twisted will. She will use Connor and Gwen to bring about a bloody end as she's done before. As she'll do again.

Alternating between parallel narratives, Amity is a tense and terrifying tale suggested by true-crime events that will satisfy even the most demanding horror fan.

~~~

".... a gruesome thriller suggested by the events of the Amityville Horror."

I saw the name Amity and the first thing that popped into my head was The Amityville Horror. I live on Long Island. Less then twenty minutes away from the actually Amityville Horror house, so of course anything involving it will catch my attention. I was disappointed that this wasn't a retelling. But besides that I enjoyed the story.

This was another book were I abandoned all my responsibilities and laid on the couch all night to read. It is told in alternate times. Ten years ago and today. 

Conner had lived in the house ten years ago. Now, when I first started the book I liked Connor, I really did. Then the book progressed and I found that some things he did were not normal. My biggest question is, was he in love with his sister? There is a part in the book that suggests that, then a dream were she kisses him. 

Qwen currently lives in the house. This was her parents latest escape with their family after Qwen's latest mental break down and she is convinced not to screw it up. Then she starts having the dreams, starts referring to Amity as if she were a person and seeing things, just like Connor had. 

As much as I liked the book there were things I didn't like. There were many things that were unclear or unanswered. Especially Connor's letter at the end. What exactly did he mean by everything he said? Who was the decomposed girl that Qwen kept seeing? Was it Jules or someone else from Amity's past?

RATING: ★★★