1,012 books
—
5,562 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Sadie” as Want to Read:
Sadie
by
A missing girl on a journey of revenge. A Serial―like podcast following the clues she's left behind. And an ending you won't be able to stop talking about.
Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.
But when Mattie is found dea ...more
Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.
But when Mattie is found dea ...more
Get A Copy
Hardcover, 1st Edition, 308 pages
Published
September 4th 2018
by Wednesday Books
Featured Notes & Highlights
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Sadie,
please sign up.
Popular Answered Questions
This question contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)
Erin Franklin
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)
This question contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)
Miss Bookiverse
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of Sadie

Sadie splintered in my heart, and I’m sure the author meant it to. I finished it, shivering with a chill inside me that nothing could possibly drive away. It’s been days and I still can’t swallow past the unaccountable lump in my throat. But I guess that’s just it—all that is harder to read, proves much slower to heal.
So, what's this book about?
Nineteen-years-old Sadie has raised her little sister, thirteen-years-old Mattie, since she was born to Claire, their drug-addicted absent mo ...more
So, what's this book about?
Nineteen-years-old Sadie has raised her little sister, thirteen-years-old Mattie, since she was born to Claire, their drug-addicted absent mo ...more

And it begins, as so many stories do, with a dead girl.
Holy hell, this book hit me hard.
I've been reading Summers' books for seven years now and she is both consistently good and continually getting better. I remember thinking that Some Girls Are was one of the most powerful and vicious books I'd ever read back in 2011. Then All the Rage came along and destroyed me some more.
Whether Summers is writing a contemporary high school novel, a mystery, or a zombie apocalypse, she crawls right insid ...more

CW: Pedophilia, sexual abuse, drug abuse, murder
This was a raw, emotional, and incredibly dark book. There are zero moments of levity and as someone who reads a lot of contemporary romances, it took a lot out of me to get through it. I am grateful that Courtney Summers did not sensationalize any of the abuse that went on before and during the events of this book. Though it's definitely present, it happens off of the page. She focuses on the toll it took on the victims rather than the acts themse ...more
This was a raw, emotional, and incredibly dark book. There are zero moments of levity and as someone who reads a lot of contemporary romances, it took a lot out of me to get through it. I am grateful that Courtney Summers did not sensationalize any of the abuse that went on before and during the events of this book. Though it's definitely present, it happens off of the page. She focuses on the toll it took on the victims rather than the acts themse ...more

Sep 26, 2018
Hailey (Hailey in Bookland)
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
mystery-thriller-paranormal,
owned
but what happpppppppened?????

Oct 12, 2018
Melanie
rated it
it was amazing
Recommended to Melanie by:
Aleksandra
Shelves:
buddy-reads,
dark,
contemporary,
feminism,
read-in-2018,
young-adult,
mystery,
lgbtqiap,
audible,
favorites

“I don’t know why this is the thing I choose to say out loud because it hurts to say it, to feel the truth of those words pass my lips, to have them be real in this world. But she’s dead is the reason I’m still alive. She’s dead is the reason I’m going to kill a man.”
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 e ...more

I didn't know what to tell her. That I tried not to think about that kind of stuff, because it was painful, because I thought I could ever have it, but when I did end up liking someone, it always made me ache right down to my core. I realized pretty early on that the who didn't really matter so much. That anybody who listens to me, I end up loving them just a little.
Heartbreaking, hopeful, and impossible to look away from.
I am really loving this recent trend in YA thrillers of k ...more

To say I’m not much of a YA reader is underplaying reality a bit. To say that I’m extremely choosy, ready to renege at the first sign of any juvenile antics and pretty much dragging my feet through the first few chapters, when I do finally cave, is all too accurate. My point being, if you’ve hesitated to pick up Sadie because you don’t frequent YA reads, let those preconceived notions go and take a chance. Live life through Sadie’s eyes—I'm betting you won’t regret it. Hers is a bleak and tormen
...more

4.5 stars! I picked this book up on a whim and I GREATLY enjoyed it. This is a must-read for my fans of crime fiction.
CW: sexual abuse, pedophilia, violence, drug abuse, death/murder
I really did not know what to expect from this novel going in. All I knew was that it was half-podcast, half-novel which tells the story of a girl searching for her sister’s killer. I was totally unprepared for the true darkness of this book, which was a (weirdly) wonderful surprise. This is my first read from Courtn ...more
CW: sexual abuse, pedophilia, violence, drug abuse, death/murder
I really did not know what to expect from this novel going in. All I knew was that it was half-podcast, half-novel which tells the story of a girl searching for her sister’s killer. I was totally unprepared for the true darkness of this book, which was a (weirdly) wonderful surprise. This is my first read from Courtn ...more

((disillusionment with the world intensifies))

Alternating between the perspectives of a Serial-type podcast and Sadie, a teen girl with a need for revenge, this hard-hitting YA Contemporary novel is a gut-punching tour de force of modern-American noir.

By the time she has reached her mid-teens, Sadie has accepted the fact that she is the main caregiver for her little sister, Mattie.

Although dealing with Mattie can be infuriating at times, Sadie loves her with her whole heart and has done her be ...more

Alternating between the perspectives of a Serial-type podcast and Sadie, a teen girl with a need for revenge, this hard-hitting YA Contemporary novel is a gut-punching tour de force of modern-American noir.

By the time she has reached her mid-teens, Sadie has accepted the fact that she is the main caregiver for her little sister, Mattie.

Although dealing with Mattie can be infuriating at times, Sadie loves her with her whole heart and has done her be ...more

Hello, readers of Sadie! Tomorrow, October 28th, 7 PM EST join me, Rebecca Soler (the voice of Sadie), Dan Bittner (the voice of West) and Macmillan audiobook producer Matie Argiropoulos as we talk about bringing the Sadie audiobook to life as part of East City Book Shop's LIT OUT LOUD series! I definitely plan on asking everyone what they think happened at the end of the book . . . and maybe, absolutely no promises (probably not? BUT YOU'LL HAVE TO COME TO FIND OUT!) potentially answer that que
...more

"Imagine having to live every day knowing the person who killed your sister is breathing the air she can't, filling his lungs with it, tasting its sweetness. Imagine him knowing the steady weight of the earth under his feet while her body is buried six feet below it."
Sadie was everything I wished and more than I could have fathomed.
I always try to keep my expectations low, especially if it’s a debut author, an overhyped book or a book by an author that I’ve never read before. If I do not keep my ...more
Sadie was everything I wished and more than I could have fathomed.
I always try to keep my expectations low, especially if it’s a debut author, an overhyped book or a book by an author that I’ve never read before. If I do not keep my ...more

*5 solid stars!*
"I’m dangerous. You shouldn't underestimate people, I want to call out. I have a knife."
SADIE has lost herself and she doesn't want to be found. Not by the few remaining people in her life, not even by life itself. She lets the reader know right away that she is being fueled only by revenge, and there is no question that Sadie is surviving for the sole purpose of killing the man she believes murdered her little sister.
"I’m going to kill a man. I’m going to steal the light fro ...more
"I’m dangerous. You shouldn't underestimate people, I want to call out. I have a knife."
SADIE has lost herself and she doesn't want to be found. Not by the few remaining people in her life, not even by life itself. She lets the reader know right away that she is being fueled only by revenge, and there is no question that Sadie is surviving for the sole purpose of killing the man she believes murdered her little sister.
"I’m going to kill a man. I’m going to steal the light fro ...more

oooh, goodreads choice awards semifinalist for best YA 2018! what will happen?
In our last episode, I introduced you to the two girls at the center of this podcast, Mattie Southern and Sadie Hunter. Mattie was murdered, her body left just outside her hometown of Cold Creek, Colorado. Sadie is missing, her car found, abandoned, thousands of miles away, with all her personal belongings still inside it. The girls’ surrogate grandmother, May Beth Foster, has enlisted my help in finding Sadie and brin ...more
In our last episode, I introduced you to the two girls at the center of this podcast, Mattie Southern and Sadie Hunter. Mattie was murdered, her body left just outside her hometown of Cold Creek, Colorado. Sadie is missing, her car found, abandoned, thousands of miles away, with all her personal belongings still inside it. The girls’ surrogate grandmother, May Beth Foster, has enlisted my help in finding Sadie and brin ...more

Jan 23, 2019
Emily (Books with Emily Fox)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audiobooks
Not fully sure how I'll rate this yet but..
I appreciated the representation. I don't think I've ever read a book with a main character with a stutter. Actually I know I haven't. The podcast concept was original. The story was heartbreaking and I really appreciated how for once the main character while poor doesn't ends up going on an adventure where money magically isn't necessary.
I usually rate books based on my enjoyment. Can't say this is a book I enjoyed but I'm not certain it would be possi ...more
I appreciated the representation. I don't think I've ever read a book with a main character with a stutter. Actually I know I haven't. The podcast concept was original. The story was heartbreaking and I really appreciated how for once the main character while poor doesn't ends up going on an adventure where money magically isn't necessary.
I usually rate books based on my enjoyment. Can't say this is a book I enjoyed but I'm not certain it would be possi ...more
![destiny ♡⚔♡ [howling libraries]](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1557144778p2/15335689.jpg)
At the time I’m writing this review, it’s been a couple of days since I finished Sadie, and I still haven’t fully processed it. This is one of those stories that seeps into your bones somewhere along the way, and it changes the way you look at the world a little. It is the best mystery—and one of the best books, period—that I have ever read, and it is also one of the bleakest, most devastating reading experiences of my life.
You know, go ...more
And it begins, as so many stories do, with a dead girl.
You know, go ...more

"When Sadie lost Mattie, it drove her to leave her home in Cold Creek, to take on the loneliness and pain of all those miles, just to find her little sister's murderer and make the world right again, even, possibly, at the expense of herself."
Sadie was everything I hoped she would be and more! She is the kind of character that tays with you long after you have finished reading the book.
Sadie has had a hard life but nothing affects her more deeply than the murder of her sister. It was a horri ...more
Sadie was everything I hoped she would be and more! She is the kind of character that tays with you long after you have finished reading the book.
Sadie has had a hard life but nothing affects her more deeply than the murder of her sister. It was a horri ...more

My reviews can also be seen at: https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...
19 year old, Sadie and her younger sister, Mattie struggled to get by. Cold Creek is a small town with very few opportunities for employment. Many have to go to a neighboring town for work and school.
Mary Beth Foster was Mattie and Sadie's neighbor and the manager of the trailer park where they lived. Mary Beth tried to look out for the sisters but basically, it was just the two of them. Their mother, Claire had been out of ...more
19 year old, Sadie and her younger sister, Mattie struggled to get by. Cold Creek is a small town with very few opportunities for employment. Many have to go to a neighboring town for work and school.
Mary Beth Foster was Mattie and Sadie's neighbor and the manager of the trailer park where they lived. Mary Beth tried to look out for the sisters but basically, it was just the two of them. Their mother, Claire had been out of ...more

May 18, 2018
Chelsea Humphrey
rated it
really liked it
Recommended to Chelsea by:
St. Martin's Press
Shelves:
giveaways
Happy Pub Day!!!
"I'm going to kill a man. I'm going to steal the light from his eyes. I want to watch it go out. You aren't supposed to answer violence with more violence but sometimes I think violence is the only answer."
Reading Sadie was the perfect example of why sometimes, the timing of picking up a book can make or break your experience. I tried to pick this one up months ago when I first received it and only made it about 25 pages before I had to place it to the side. I had some heavy stuf ...more
"I'm going to kill a man. I'm going to steal the light from his eyes. I want to watch it go out. You aren't supposed to answer violence with more violence but sometimes I think violence is the only answer."
Reading Sadie was the perfect example of why sometimes, the timing of picking up a book can make or break your experience. I tried to pick this one up months ago when I first received it and only made it about 25 pages before I had to place it to the side. I had some heavy stuf ...more

”For some people, the future ahead is opportunity. For others, it’s only time you haven’t met and where I lived, it was only time. You don’t waste your breath trying to protect it. You just try to survive it until one day, you don’t.”
My first reaction when I finished this book was:
THIS BOOK WILL HAUNT ME FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.
And I still stand by my initial response. Never in my entire life have I read a book that haunts me as much as “Sadie” does and quite honestly: I hope I’ll never ever re ...more
My first reaction when I finished this book was:
THIS BOOK WILL HAUNT ME FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.
And I still stand by my initial response. Never in my entire life have I read a book that haunts me as much as “Sadie” does and quite honestly: I hope I’ll never ever re ...more

“I’m going to kill the man who killed my sister.”
Sadie is a stunning, heartbreaking read about a girl dead set on murdering the man who killed her little sister.
19-year-old Sadie only had one thing her life to love, which was her 13-year-old little sister, Mattie. Growing up in a trailer park in Colorado, she had to endure her mother’s drug abuse, neglect, and many boyfriends; some of whom were verbally, physically, and sexually abusive. But Sadie survived in order to protect Mattie. Sadly wh ...more
Sadie is a stunning, heartbreaking read about a girl dead set on murdering the man who killed her little sister.
19-year-old Sadie only had one thing her life to love, which was her 13-year-old little sister, Mattie. Growing up in a trailer park in Colorado, she had to endure her mother’s drug abuse, neglect, and many boyfriends; some of whom were verbally, physically, and sexually abusive. But Sadie survived in order to protect Mattie. Sadly wh ...more

UPDATE: $2.99 on Kindle US today 12/29/18
That bastard!!!!

Sadie.....
I'm not writing a proper review.
1. I don't want to
2. There are 5o million reviews on this book & some don't matter in this GR world
3. Maybe I will come back and link some smaller awesome reviews.
Pay it forward!
Happy Reading! Put on your big girl panties, bring tissues & lots of anger ....
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
To all the girls... you read it... you will know. ...more
That bastard!!!!

Sadie.....
I'm not writing a proper review.
1. I don't want to
2. There are 5o million reviews on this book & some don't matter in this GR world
3. Maybe I will come back and link some smaller awesome reviews.
Pay it forward!
Happy Reading! Put on your big girl panties, bring tissues & lots of anger ....
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
To all the girls... you read it... you will know. ...more

Dec 18, 2019
Ariel
added it
The best audiobook I've ever listened to.. it has genuinely raised the bar for audiobooks for me that other audiobooks are never going to compare. If you work in publishing, please make all audiobooks like this, it was SO GOOD. The story and characters didn't hit me hard, I didn't connect with anyone, but I had a great time listening to the audiobook.
...more

Jan 07, 2019
Hannah Greendale
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
mystery,
young-adult,
lgbtq,
contemporary,
thriller,
edgar-award-winner,
best-of-the-year,
fiction
2019 Best Books of the Year [#02 of 11]
The word riveting doesn't even begin to describe this masterwork by Courtney Summers. The opening pages are unassuming, but Summers soon hooks her audience with a death grip and doesn't let go.
The magnetism of Sadie is not limited to the depth and despair of its subject matter (which will remain unnamed so that new readers can pick up this book, as I did, knowing little about it and therefore be swept away fully and completely - *see note below for trigger ...more
The word riveting doesn't even begin to describe this masterwork by Courtney Summers. The opening pages are unassuming, but Summers soon hooks her audience with a death grip and doesn't let go.
The magnetism of Sadie is not limited to the depth and despair of its subject matter (which will remain unnamed so that new readers can pick up this book, as I did, knowing little about it and therefore be swept away fully and completely - *see note below for trigger ...more

I read this book in the least cool way to read it, and it was still unbelievably cool. I did not deserve coolness, and yet I received it.
To anyone who lives under a rock that is impenetrable to news of Cool Things: First, may I suggest you move? Sounds like a terrible place to live. Under a rock that is specifically uncool. Anyway, due to the direness of your living situation, you would not have heard of this book, and so it is my solemn duty to tell you that this book is half podcast. The chap ...more
To anyone who lives under a rock that is impenetrable to news of Cool Things: First, may I suggest you move? Sounds like a terrible place to live. Under a rock that is specifically uncool. Anyway, due to the direness of your living situation, you would not have heard of this book, and so it is my solemn duty to tell you that this book is half podcast. The chap ...more

Edit: Had to change my rating to 5 stars. This book has lingered for a while and each time it popped into my head, I think about how impactful it was to read a story like this.
Well, I wasn’t expecting for this story to creep up on me the way it did.
I think it’s best to go on not knowing what the plot of the story is about, but I will try and articulate what it encompassed and how it made me feel.
More than anything I feel like this is a love story. A love story gone wrong. It’s a heartbreaking ...more
Well, I wasn’t expecting for this story to creep up on me the way it did.
I think it’s best to go on not knowing what the plot of the story is about, but I will try and articulate what it encompassed and how it made me feel.
More than anything I feel like this is a love story. A love story gone wrong. It’s a heartbreaking ...more

3.35/5 ⭐

I bought Sadie so long ago I don't even remember when. I do remember that I was kind of excited to get it. But I think I bought this so long ago that my enthusiasm vanished.
It wasn't a bad book.
I really found it interesting that it was written in this podcast-interview style, even though sometimes it took me a bit too long to wrap my head around the story.
The reality of the book is terrible, brutal and cruel and it pains me to think that things like that happen to children in real li ...more

I bought Sadie so long ago I don't even remember when. I do remember that I was kind of excited to get it. But I think I bought this so long ago that my enthusiasm vanished.
It wasn't a bad book.
I really found it interesting that it was written in this podcast-interview style, even though sometimes it took me a bit too long to wrap my head around the story.
The reality of the book is terrible, brutal and cruel and it pains me to think that things like that happen to children in real li ...more

"It's sad when people don't realize their worth."
WOW! Reading this book is like being sucker punched by sadness.
Sadie has lived a sad life. She is frequently teased for her stutter. She has no idea who her father is. Her Mother is an addict who had a bevy of boyfriends rotating in and out of their lives. Some of which are happy to ignore Sadie and her younger sister, Mattie. Unfortunately, there was one boyfriend who gave way too much attention. Sadie has basically raised not only herself, but h ...more
WOW! Reading this book is like being sucker punched by sadness.
Sadie has lived a sad life. She is frequently teased for her stutter. She has no idea who her father is. Her Mother is an addict who had a bevy of boyfriends rotating in and out of their lives. Some of which are happy to ignore Sadie and her younger sister, Mattie. Unfortunately, there was one boyfriend who gave way too much attention. Sadie has basically raised not only herself, but h ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Addicted to YA: Sadie | 23 | 205 | Jan 15, 2021 12:28PM | |
Time Out Book Club: January Book Club | 3 | 5 | Jan 14, 2021 02:45PM | |
YA Buddy Readers'...: Sadie by Courtney Summers - Restarting January 20th 2021 | 39 | 39 | Dec 30, 2020 01:31PM | |
Addicted to YA: Discussion Leader Sign Up: Sadie | 5 | 64 | Dec 23, 2020 09:45AM |
Courtney Summers is the bestselling author of several novels, whose career in writing began in 2008, when she was 22. Her work has been released to critical acclaim and multiple starred reviews, received numerous awards and honors including the Edgar Award, the John Spray Mystery Award, the Cybils Award, the Odyssey Award, the Audie Award, and has enjoyed the recognition of many library, state, 'B
...more
Articles featuring this book
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 will be long remembered as a Dumpster fire of a year. But the nice thing about time is that it...
348 likes · 161 comments
1 trivia question
More quizzes & trivia...
“People don't change. They just get better at hiding who they really are.”
—
160 likes
“But love is complicated, it’s messy. It can inspire selflessness, selfishness, our greatest accomplishments and our hardest mistakes. It brings us together and it can just as easily drive us apart.”
—
135 likes
More quotes…