Sadie has already dealt with far more than the average nineteen-year-old. Between having to raise herself, be a mother to her thirteen-year-old sister Mattie and provide for them both as her drug-addicted, absent mother would not, Sadie had to remain strong, impenetrable, fierce. But when Mattie disappears and is found brutally murdered days later, it's as if something breaks inside of Sadie. She no longer has anything or anyone to live for, and so her heart racked with grief and rage, she disappears into the night on a journey to find Mattie's murderer. With nothing to lose, Sadie is willing to give up everything, including her life, for revenge. She's going to take him down, even if that means going down with him.

West McCray leads a pretty lonely, boring life. Being the personality of the local radio station isn't as glamorous as he once thought. Yet, when he gets a call from a desperate woman pleading him to find Sadie and his boss persuades him to run with the story, he becomes invested in a podcast of his own making. Sadie's haunting, discomforting story takes over his life, and after uncovering the gruesome details that surround her immense trauma, he realizes where she's gone and what she intends to do. So, he decides to pack up and track her down, hoping that he can get to her before it's all too late. Amongst all of the uncertainties, West knows one thing for sure: 

He can't take another dead girl.

Sadie was honestly the most gripping, devastating, emotional novel I've ever gotten the chance to read. Courtney Summers' direct, blunt writing style captured Sadie's brusque and desperate nature perfectly as she struggles with the traumatic events that have fabricated her life thus far. At only nineteen-years-old, Sadie was already weighed down by hardships that most of us hope we never have to face, including losing her bright spot in all the darkness, her little sister Mattie. The writing throughout this story was suspenseful but written in a way that made everything seem simple, clear-cut. It's so raw and real that it legitimately feels as if this could be the headline on the front page of the New York Times, and I'm just reading along with the rest of the world as more details of the case are uncovered. I'm not sure what necessarily drew me into picking up this one, whether it was the simple title that piqued my interest or just a feeling that drew me towards it, but I am so happy that I decided to take the leap. Between the separate narratives intertwining as West comes closer and closer to finding Sadie, desperate to get to her before death does, and Sadie's vengeful journey to find Mattie's killer, Sadie was exceptional. If you finish this book without your heart shattering, then congratulations, I don't know how you did it.

Quite honestly, to be simply put, this was one of the best books I've ever read. 

If you're looking for other captivating reads such as this one, I'd recommend looking into books written by Maureen Johnson, Lauren Oliver and Stephanie Perkins.