Welcome to Litsy!

Super scattered and hard to follow for me. The timelines jumped all over the place and I couldn‘t keep track of what was going on which made me lose interest. I loved the cult part of it and thought that would be enough, but it just wasn‘t for me.

Bea and Lo Denham lost their parents to a car accident that almost took Lo‘s life, too. Bea finds solace in The Unity Project, a religious cult. When Lo recovers, she only wants her sister back but is soon tangled in the web of the Project. An eerie atmosphere, slowly revealed truths, believably damaged main characters and perspectives on the cult and its leader from both inside and outside make this a compelling read.

My pick for May!!! Creepy yet compelling. I apparently have had a thing for cult book recently I realized lol

Another book by this author I enjoyed. The ending was not what I expected so that was a pleasant surprise

I've always been most comfortable surrounded by books. Bookstores, libraries, next to the bookcase at a friend's house. Books have always brought a comfort that's hard to explain. Maybe it's why my dream has always been to have my own library.

Let me start out by saying I LOVED the author‘s book Sadie so I was very excited for this, especially since it was dealing with cults. It was a letdown for me but still a good read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#scarathlondailyprompts
October 1 Prompt: black

#scarathlon #dailyphotoprompts #challenge #dailyprompts #scarathlon22
 @StayCurious

This one was close to being a pick. It's a good, creepy read, but not great. Definitely a #BorrowNotBuy if you're wanting a quick thriller.

The cult aspect was handled well, the characters were intriguing, but I wanted more development of the main characters and the side characters. Also, the timeline changes a lot and at times there's not enough to differentiate between them.

Quick enjoyable read though, just don't go in expecting too much.

Book 25🎧

Hoooooly Moses…. This was a tense ride! I was continuously on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was going to happen.

In a cult, who can you really trust? Your own sister?😱💔💥

I did not love this. It was going well until about the last 1/3 of the book, when the MC does something that, to me, wasn‘t believable of her character. Instead, it just seemed like a convenient plot device.

#bookspinbingo
#booked2022 - about a cult or religion
#pop22 - book that fulfills a favorite prompt from a past PS challenge (book by a female author)

I started this book yesterday for #booked2022 and hope to make good progress on it today.

Thanks @Andrew65 for the fun game and for tagging me! 😊

Wanna play @JessBookNerd @Word_Dragon @Bren912 @MallenNC 🤗

Enjoyed this one so much! #12Booksof2021

***

The plot was compelling, but I just didn't quite connect with the characters. I appreciated that all faith wasn't portrayed as culty, though! #yalit

#DayOne📖

#theproject #courtneysummers #youvebeenchosen

A good cult book. Summers created a fantastically creepy atmosphere & I found her characters quite interesting. Lyrical & packed with tidbits of history & emotion, focusing well on the strength of the sisterly bond. The dual timeline is well crafted, createing a lot of twists & turns that make the book incredibly tense in some parts. There were some convenience pieces to the plot and the ending was a bit lackluster, but it was a fun ride.

4. The last book I finished.
#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Meh. I was surprisingly disappointed with this book. I love a good cult story but Summers missed the mark here. I couldn't even tell you what happened in the first half of the book, then when it started getting interesting it turn very predictable, finally ending in a completely anti climactic way.

Enjoyable to listen to but the story didn't do it for me

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks
#audiocrafting

I didn‘t like this one quite as much as Sadie, but I am a sucker for a cult story and thoroughly enjoyed this new thriller.

Loved this!! Gripping, thrilling and chilling.

SADIE gripped me and wrecked me and Summers‘s latest followed in the same vein. I‘m a sucker for a good cult story and I love how well Summers can put together a believable and yet, unresolved, ending. She‘s officially an auto buy author for me. I can‘t remember the last time I devoured a book like this. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #netgalley

This thriller takes you inside the inner workings of a cult and really shows how a charismatic narcissist is able to exploit people's true vulnerabilities with half truths and platitudes. I think it's a cautionary tale about how we're all susceptible to bullshit at different weak points in our lives. It's was very well done. It made me have more sympathy for people who've been easily hoodwinked by propaganda.

Me while listening to this book thinking “Lo is soooo entitled and whiny”,”Lev is obviously hella evil”, and “someone is acting out of character to serve the plot.” Nope. Still loved Sadie though.

March Round Up Part 1: I really slacked on posting here but I read a lot this month. Most of these were great except The Girl in the Mirror that I hate finished.

I was really bad about posting what I read this weekend. So here are the four books that I read. My favorites were The Project and Yolk.

A devastatingly sad book about the lengths we go to to find faith and the people who take advantage.

“ I think of Lev out there, in the water, perfectly still and untouched by the cold and it makes me wonder if that‘s what faith shields you from, if that‘s only one of the things that faith might make possible, and I‘m suddenly, painfully aware of my own teeth chattering, my numb and aching joints, the shivers moving across my skin.”

“Sometimes when I step inside my place, it feels like a language I‘ve forgotten how to speak and the days I feel that way are the days I most remember what it was like to have a home and a family - and what it means to not have those things anymore. “

I felt like I wanted more from this book. What were the backstories of each character? What was up with Casey? What was it about Lev that made Bea abandon Lo? It was a good premise, but the storyline fell flat for me.

I haven't done a lot of reading this weekend but did finish this one. I am still unsure of my final reaction to it but it did keep me reading. I did want to know if the Project was really a cult. Was it good or bad? Was Lev really good or bad? Where was Bea? Would Lo ever reunite with her? I did enjoy reading it overall but had a few issues. Still a pretty intriguing story.

Overall Rating 3½⭐ | Narration 😀 = Good

Cults, mind manipulation, coerced religion this has that...and yet…this story lacked something, it sort of felt cobbled together and someone forgot the glue to hold the story together. Basically, I didn‘t always have a clear picture of what was going on. Plus, once you get at the truth of the Unity Project, it all feels too insane to ever be believed. The cover is amazing, though!

I love books about cults and have enjoyed the author‘s previous books, so I was so excited for this one. Unfortunately, it didn‘t work for me. It didn‘t lean into the cult aspect enough for my taste (while simultaneously being heavy handed with religion), moved too slowly in parts, and had some pretty unbelievable events in the second half that really lowered my enjoyment of the book. I didn‘t particularly like Lo and wish she was stronger. 2.5⭐️

I am a huge fan of this Canadian writer, and while I did enjoy this book, it didn‘t pack the same emotional punch as her last book, Sadie. Lo is looking for her sister, Bea, who disappeared into a cult after their parents were killed in the car accident that Lo herself barely survived. The cult parts were well done and it was certainly easy to turn the pages.

This book starts strong, toggling between 2 sisters in the aftermath of a fatal crash leaving one fighting for her life and the other seduced by a cult. I thought it was quite good until about halfway through, when one character makes a choice that isn‘t believable, but upon which the whole plot hinges. And from there the book doesn‘t work at all. I think if this was reworked, it could be terrific.

I went for a lovely audio-snowshoe this morning. I am visiting my parents for a few days, as some COVID restrictions have lifted here and I haven‘t seen them in months. It‘s nice to be home and surrounded by nature for a bit. I started the tagged audiobook and I am intrigued so far! #dogsoflitsy #audiowalk

At its heart this is a story about the bond between sisters and the decisions grief can cause you to make. Full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3547904482

Free space for #BookSpinBingo

#ARC #NetGalley

My area got a once in a lifetime winter storm. While it‘s nothing compared to places that typically get snow, we don‘t really have the infrastructure. Over a million without power, including me (the house is 53 and dropping inside!). School has been cancelled the next two days. I guess I‘ll get some reading done!

I don't know if it was due to having read memoirs about time in cults or because I held Sadie (Courtney's previous title) at such a high bar- but this one just fell short for me. I finished it but it was just okay for me.

Starting one of the bajillion ARCs I have yet to read.

I LOVE this dedication ♥️

Some late night reading.

I enjoyed The Project. I find books about cults fascinating especially when the reader gets inside cult member‘s heads. The Project is told in present day from the perspective of Lo and the past in the perspective of Bea.

Thank you Wednesday Books, St. Martin‘s Press and NetGalley for The Project.

Full Review: https://justreadingjess.wordpress.com/2021/02/11/book-review-the-project/

A huge "nope" for me, which is a shame since I LOVED Sadie. It's only February and I'm pretty sure this will be getting the 2021 "Worst Protagonist" award--on top of the weird time jumps, non-existant motivations, and lack of mystery. I agree with several reviews saying this should have been much, much longer, as the plot could have easily worked with more world-building and development. Instead, this felt completely unfinished and disjointed.

After a terrible accident kills Bea and Lo‘s parents, Bea joins the Unity Project, leaving Lo in care of their great Aunt.

I could not put this book down. It‘s very interesting to see the parallels of religion and cults and how they attract people to join. So many points in this book had me frustrated to the point of me throwing the book lol. I was that invested in these characters. This author never disappoints me and is an auto buy.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️ Cults are so damned fascinating, but maybe I‘ve read too many true accounts to appreciate a fictional one. The Unity Project just doesn‘t feel authentic; the sensational stuff feels forced. The many jumping timelines were more confusing than effective. Even with two (very good) audio narrators, I‘d forget which sister‘s story, and/or what year, it was. Maybe it‘s because I was never immersed? A reminder that thrillers aren‘t usually my thing.

In which I talk about the Project by Courtney Summers. There's a lot to unpack and I only skimmed the surface. But also somehow managed to compare Summers' writing to a gravel driveway? Listen, I don't know either. https://youtu.be/XsV5NF-IGVs

Abandoned at about 50%. Just not holding my interest.

Found this quote in the Project that I think articulates what is being explored in what I have read of Summers‘ work (All the Rage, Sadie, the Project).