Sadie: A Novel

I feel like I am going to forever love everything Noelle Stevenson puts out. I have read this before but it had been so long that I really needed a refresher. And I am so excited I picked it up! Nimona is one of my favorite characters, especially in graphic novels. She's confident, hilarious, outspoken, and powerful. She doesn't let many people get close to her but once she starts letting Blackheart get to know her she grows so much as a character! It made me want novels and novels of Nimona's back story and even what she does after this story. Blackheart was a great mentor and friend to Nimona. He is the more responsible one and typically has to keep Nimona focused on whatever schemes they're planning because of how distracted and excited she can get. I really liked his relationship with Goldenloin and I wish we could get more of their backstory. I think we get enough information from everyone's backstories for this story in particular but I am so interested and want more. It is also heavily implied that Blackheart and Goldeloin are romantically interested in each other but it isn't outright said. However, I really like what we got of their relationship and I wish the epilogue would have given us a little more of them. Goldenloin isn't as developed as the other two because for a good part of the story he is their "nemesis" but I did enjoy his character. Both Blackheart and Goldenloin gave me Harry/Draco (Harry Potter) vibes or Simon/Baz (Carry On) vibes. The plot is super engaging and addicting. The witty humor and beautiful art pull you in but then you're hooked because you need to know what will happen next. I really loved Nimona's shapeshifting powers and the way Stevenson drew Nimona's transitions from human to creature. I liked that Nimona had so much unknown power and that she was a threat to the Institution. I am a sucker for a badass powerful girl character who is an obvious threat to her enemies. When it came to the plot/writing, I did find that the explanations and the ending were a bit rushed and hard to fully understand that had happened. I am not sure if that was just me or if it was something other readers experienced also. I think Nimona's backstory could have been cleared up a bit more by the end. I love the witty dialogue between the characters. Nimona is easy to love despite her destructive nature and despite Blackheart's efforts he isn't immune to her charms. They become an amazing team and I loved their dynamic, especially their bickering. I think the writing and story are really well done other than the ending and I liked how much personality is presented not only in the art but the dialogue and writing. I also love that Nimona is a fat character. She has curves and is fat but that does not affect her job or stop her from doing what she wants to do. It also is not brought up once, which is amazing. What I really like is that she is able to change her appearance at will and the body she decides to live in as "Nimona" is a fat one. It made my heart really happy. Overall, I highly recommend this graphic novel. It's one of the best and I cannot read more by Stevenson and of course watch her new She-Ra remake once it's released! I think this is a great book to pick up if you are not super experienced in graphic novels but also it's a great one to read if you are. Like I said earlier, it's hard not to love Nimona because she's so charming. So if you're interested you'll probably love it!

i absolutely lovedddd this book but all that buildup for THAT ending 🤨 what even wassss that i cant it was crazy

This is a good book about a difficult topic. Triggers abound in this novel about child abuse and assorted other misdeeds. You have been warned. But, it is an interesting story about 2 young sisters, one dead, one missing and the sad circumstances that lead to their troubled end. The book is narrated by the missing girl and the other narrator is a radio (serial-type) podcaster/broadcaster who takes up the cause of finding out who killed the first sister while trying to locate the missing second sister. It is quite the adventure. I give is 3.5 stars because the narrative was hard to follow at times but in general it was a worthy read. Hug your babies tonight. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - #book #bookstagram #booknerd #bookish #childabuse #abuse #bookworm #read #readersofinstagram #reader

Sadie is worth all the praise and hype you’ve heard about it. I had a feeling I was going to love this book, but I didn’t know that I would give it a piece of my heart. This is such a bright light in 2018 releases, and even though it handles some really tough topics, I recommend it with my entire heart and soul. And I will never forget Sadie or her story, and I will never stop listening to, and I will never stop believing, the voices of girls who have their own stories to tell. This story is told in alternating chapters between a podcast and Sadie. We follow nineteen-year-old Sadie who is on a mission to murder the person who she believes has murdered her thirteen-year-old sister. The podcast is about five months behind the steps of Sadie, but the two storylines come together so very beautifully. But again, this is a dark book and this review is going to talk about some of those elements, so please use caution. Content and trigger warnings for pedophilia, loss of a loved one, bullying, assault, sexual assault, murder, death, extreme parental abandonment and neglect, talk of suicide, drug use, and underage drinking. We get bread crumb after bread crumb from Sadie, while she travels to get revenge for her sister, the only person she has ever loved in this world. And the story really is so expertly crafted with the podcast element. I will say that I did listen to this on audiobook because so many people recommend the story to be experienced that way, but I didn’t love it as much as most people. But then again, I do have a hard time with audiobooks. But I fell so in love with Sadie and her story, that I listened to this in one day and one sitting. And I know a lot of people don’t love the ending, but I think it is one of the most powerful endings I’ve probably ever read in my entire life. Plus, I feel like the choice of the cover of Sadie is genius, because Sadie truly is a faceless girl. She is a girl like so many whose stories don’t get to end happily, a girl whose story rarely even gets to be heard, and when it does it isn’t believed. Something that I think is a really easy concept, but is hard for so many people to understand, is that rapists and pedophiles can be kind, and successful, and funny, and pillars of their community, and it will still never take away from the fact that they are rapists and pedophiles. The other titles and attributes do not lessen the fact that someone is a rapist or a pedophile. And how we teach girls at a very young age that the crimes committed against their bodies, and against their wills, is something to feel shame over. And how we live inside a broken system where rapists can commit the same horrific crime over and over, because no one wants to listen or believe the victims, especially if they are poor and uneducated. And Courtney Summers really illustrates that point so very beautifully throughout Sadie. Because our own world proves every day that people would rather believe powerful men over loud girls. But Sadie takes action into her own hands, and reclaims her power, her body, and her heart, along with getting her vengeance. And it is one of the best journeys I’ve ever experienced. “Sometimes I don’t know what I miss more; everything I’ve lost or everything I never had.” I also want to talk a little bit about the representation in Sadie. First off, Sadie has a very severe stutter. I didn’t know this going in, and as a matter of fact I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where the main character has a stutter before, but it was perfection. Heartbreaking perfection though, because seeing Sadie unable to get the worlds out when she was feeling extreme anger or sadness was so heart wrenching. But Sadie always got the words out, and she always got her hurt across, and it was so beautifully done. Also, I know the scene is brief, but Sadie is so not straight, if anything she sounds rather pan to me. Lastly, Sadie has some of the most realistic poverty rep I’ve ever read, and I still feel like in 2018 that is something that is hard to find. And I obviously think Sadie is a masterpiece of a story, and the themes are so important and relevant, but I think the biggest reason I loved this book so much was because I felt so connected to Sadie because of what she felt for Mattie. I will be completely honest with you all, I wouldn’t want to live in a world without my little brother. Me and my brother are a bit closer in age than Mattie and Sadie, and we were never abused or neglected, but the pure unconditional love that Sadie feels for Mattie, and how responsible and protective she felt, it was so pure and so realistic and just completely ripped out my heart and left me feeling so raw and vulnerable. I would do anything in the universe to protect my little brother, and I feel like I fell in love with this book just because Sadie’s love for her sister resonated so strongly in my very soul. There is a line in this book about Sadie feeling alive when her sister comes home from the hospital, and how she laid a hand on her baby sister’s chest and felt her breathing, and I was uncontrollably weeping while reading it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the love I have for my brother depicted so closely than to that passage, and I know I will carry that inside my heart forever. “I stood over her crib and listened to her breathing, watching the rise and fall of her tiny chest. I pressed my palm against it and felt myself through her. She was breathing, alive. And I was too.” Overall, this book just really meant a lot to me. And even though this book is heartbreaking, it has some of the most beautiful quotes I’ve read all year. I read it with tears in my eyes for at least half, but I wouldn’t trade this reading experience for anything. And I am now going to read every single thing Courtney Summers has created. I truly loved this one, and I recommend it with my entire heart and soul, especially if you have a close sibling relationship, if you enjoy murder mystery podcasts, and if you also want to change the world so that more victims’ voices not only get heard but get believed.

I don't know how to describe this book other than amazing. From the beginning to the end of the book, you read every page with the feeling of "I want to read more". So far it's the best book I read this year, the story is contagious and you really feel the characters pain

Strongly recommend this book. If you are into audiobooks I would suggest you give Sadie a try. I bought the print version after first listening to the audio version.

Sadie is a breathless thriller about the lengths we go to protect the ones we love and the high price we pay when we can’t. It’s a fabulous book. One of the best books one can ever encounter in a life time. I am so grateful I came across it. It’s a poignant drama about love and loss. The emotions expressed in the book are next level. An ugly cry book which stays in your heart long after the pages. With a heart wrenching, thriller plot that grips the reader every second. The characters in the book display immense strength and courage. The descriptions by Courtney Summers are amazing. Not a best seller yet but it’s few of the books I would sell my soul to read. Narrated by two very different perspectives, Sadie follows an unknown path to kill the man who killed her sister. A must read book for people of all ages. Hands off to Courtney Summers!!!

This broke my heart and everyone needs to read it/listen to it. Sadie is a young lady who puts everyones needs above her own and is looking out for everyone else, unfortunately no one is looking out for her. The saddest part of it all is that this is not a unique story, this is the story missing girls around the world and the hardships that they face and have to overcome. The heartbreak is that it's not just fiction, it's real life, and it shouldn't be. No review could ever do it justice, but this book is one of the most hard hitting books I’ve ever experienced. And that’s what this book is. An experience.

I was a little nervous to start reading SADIE as I’d heard so many positive things about this book and it had been recommended to me countless times. It’s one of those books that felt huge, and seeing recently that it had won a prestigious award finally motivated me to open it on my kindle. And immediately, I was hooked. I love books that use unusual writing devices as part of their narrative style, and just over half of this story is told via a podcast. I’ll confess, I’ve never listened to a podcast, so this format was new to me—and I was reading it rather than listening. The podcast revolves around a journalist called West who’s been employed by May Beth to look for her missing granddaughter (or rather surrogate granddaughter) and the episodes follow West as he travels around meeting people who Sadie, the missing girl, has talked to in her hunt for the man who killed her younger sister. The other half of the story is told by Sadie in a first person narrative and the alternating order of the writing and podcast episodes means that we witness something with Sadie and are left on a cliffhanger, only to discover what then happened a chapter or so later via West’s investigation as he interviews the shady people Sadie’s come into contact with. Sadie is a great character. She’s real, flawed, overwhelmed with grief over her sister’s murder and how she feels like she let her down. Sadie is thin and small, but as she tells the reader at several points, she is dangerous. She’s ruthless in her hunt for the murderer, and she saves a lot of other young girls on the way. Claire, Sadie’s mother, is also an interesting character. We see an almost transformation from rubbish mother to caring mother as the book progresses as West interviews her for the podcast, looking for any leads as to where Sadie is now. Claire’s characterisation is strong and well written. And the ending! Small spoilers here. It’s an ambiguous ending and we’re left only knowing the “ending” via the final episode of the podcast—which isn’t really an ending to Sadie’s story as the trail has gone cold. We don’t know what happened to her as her narrative is cut short during her meeting with her sister’s murderer. I was turning the pages eagerly as I read the podcast, hoping to be brought back to Sadie’s narration. But we’re not. This leaves an intentional and well crafted sense of unease in readers as we finish the book and it’s almost haunting. I can’t stop thinking about it. The writing is also equally beautiful and well-crafted and in Sadie’s narrative, there are many powerful and poignant statements and messages. I found myself really thinking about her thoughts, and her voice is so strong. Warning: This book does go to some very dark places: child abuse, rape, pedophilia, and murder are all bound up within the plot. Overall, this is a powerful read. Highly recommended.