The publisher kindly sent me a physical copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
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.
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 leader, Lev Warren and as Lo delves deeper into The Project, the lives of its members 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.
The Project Review
After reading Sadie a couple of years ago, I quickly fell in love with Courtney Summers. The writing and the overall plot of Sadie made it a quick favourite for me.
Once I heard about The Project, I immediately added it to my list of books to read in 2021. While it’s a solid read, I didn’t love it as much as I wanted to.
The Project follows two sisters, Bea and Lo, following the death of their parents. When Bea joins The Unity Project, the sisters are separated from one another. Lo begins investigating The Unity Project while working for a magazine and it brings her closer to Bea.
The characters in The Project are incredibly appealing. Both Bea and Lo draw the reader in — into their lives and their experiences. Because of this, it’s impossible not to be curious about their story. Between the loss, the grief and the separation, there’s a constant desire for a happy ending.
The exploration of cults in this book is really interesting. It’s also a really unique aspect of this book, at least in my opinion. It’s a dark, haunting and suspenseful addition to the overall story.
While I enjoyed the writing and the characters, I didn’t love this book as much as I wanted. And this is my fault. I went in expecting another Sadie, especially since it follows sisters. But it’s not and it just didn’t spark the same feelings I had while reading Sadie.
Overall, The Project is a dark and haunting mystery that many people will love. The focus on sisters and the writing totally grabbed me and makes for a solid read. But Sadie still remains my favourite.
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Favourite Quote
There are a lot of ways you can push somebody.
About the Author
Courtney Summers is the bestselling and critically acclaimed author of several novels for young adults, including Cracked Up to Be, All the Rage, and Sadie. Her work has been released to multiple starred reviews, recieved numerous awards and honors — including the Edgar Award, John Spray Mystery Award, Cybils Award, and Odyssey Award — and has been recognized by many library “Best Of” and Readers’ Choice lists. She lives and writes in Canada.
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I read this book because of loving Sadie too and I agree – I did like Sadie better but I found the way the author covered The Unity Project to be really interesting.