Release: February 2nd, 2021
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Amazon
Find it at Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, Kobo.
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From Courtney Summers, the New York Times bestselling author, another thriller about a young journalist determined to save her sister from a cult.
The Unity Project saved my life.
Lo Denham is always on her own. After her parents died, Lo’s sister, Bea, joined The Unity Project, leaving Lo in the care of their great aunt. The Unity Project has extensive charitable work and community outreach. As such, the Project has won most in the Upstate New York region’s hearts and minds. 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.
The Unity Project murdered my son.
Meanwhile, 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 charismatic and mysterious leader, Lev Warren, he proposes a deal. If she can prove the worst of her suspicions about The Unity Project, she may expose them. If she can’t, she must finally leave them alone.
So Lo delves deeper into The Project, the lives of its members. As she spends more time with Lev, 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.
Welcome to The Unity Project.
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 received multiple starred reviews, with numerous awards and honors. This includes the Edgar Award, John Spray Mystery Award, Cybils Award, and Odyssey Award. And has got recognition from many libraries, ‘Best Of’ and Readers’ Choice lists.
She lives and writes in Canada.
The Project Review:
“The Project” is a twisted YA mystery thriller that shows how easy it is to fall into Cults.
Firstly, “The Project” turned out to be different than what I expected. Initially, I expected this story to be a typical mystery revolving around a cult. But, the story turned out to be one of those books that slowly unnerves you and psychologically disturbs you. The author writes the tale in a gripping manner where you wonder what happened to Bea. I loved the slow-burn feeling during the first half and how it continues to an intense climax towards the end. The author also writes the story alternating between Lo and Bea’s perspective between the past and the present, which somehow blend beautifully towards the end.
Similarly, the author also did an excellent job with the characters. I liked Lo in the lead. She goes through a lot in the story, from investigating Bea to her conflicting dynamic with Paul at work and the strange phone calls she receives. However, more than Lo, I thought Lev was the highlight. Lev is probably one of the most disturbing villains I have read recently. He is charming, charismatic, and knows just what to say to make people take notice. What surprised me was how he compelled her towards the Project by convincing her that she survived because of him. Similarly, I also found the moments where Lo meets Emmy and Bea’s history with the Project memorable.
While I enjoyed this overall, I thought the timelines’ shuffling became too frequent in the second half, and I had a hard time following the events between them. Apart from that, I enjoyed “The Project.” I have not read any of the author’s previous books, but I enjoyed this and would like to see how.
