+Interesting premise (Cults???)
+Compelling characters
+Alternating viewpoints
+Great tension
+Shocking reveals
+Made me cry
-Intensely religious

I didn't expect anything less from Courtney Summers. Sadie was a heartbreaker, and I didn't expect The Project to be anything less. In my opinion, The Project stands strongly on its own and while many comparisons can be made between it and Sadie all I'll say is that while I found Sadie more compelling as a character than Lo, both books are absolutely fantastic reads in their own right.

I haven't consumed a lot of media regarding cults, so I was worried going into this that I might somehow be unprepared for what was to come. While there was like, a single reference to other well-known instances of cults, this book didn't rely on references to other events in order to make the reader understand the gravity of the cult within the book. Basically, you don't need to be a cult fanatic to love this book. Summers is able to show how manipulative and disarming a cult leader can be, how magnetic and charismatic, while also showing that the blame does not rest on all members of a cult equally.

Not only does The Project deal with cults and the abusive relationships that form within them, it deals with grief as well. The two main characters, Lo and Bea, both lost their parents in a tragic accident, one that Lo herself barely survived. This event kickstarts Bea's point of view, which starts earlier than Lo's and serves more as a string of flashbacks interspersed with Lo's present storyline. Both Lo and Bea have internalized their grief differently, and follow different paths in order to heal or bury it. We see people take advantage of this grief and of the ways that they handle that grief. We see how tragic loss has ingrained itself in every aspect of Lo and Bea, but in different ways. In this way, The Project is not only a harrowing story about unearthing the truth of a cult (and surviving it), but a character study of trauma, loss, and grief as well. Summers does a fantastic job of blending the two topics, and I felt they complemented each other well in the way the characters changed and grew, and how it affected their actions and reactions to plot points.

Sadie was already enough proof that Summers excels when it comes to characters and family-driven relationships, and The Project is only another example of this skill. In just a few shorts pages, I was drawn in by the pain and loss of Bea and Lo, of Lo's need to write her story and create a lasting impact, of Bea's protectiveness and how the accident shattered her belief she could protect Lo. Their bond seemed bone-deep, and learning what came between it later was heartbreaking. It also made the scenes where the two are manipulated even harder to bear, as we watch evil people manipulate their weaknesses to take advantage of them. And the worst part of it is that we can see how easily we can be manipulated too. None of the promises made to Bea and Lo seemed far-fetched or out there, and we understand why they made the decisions they did.

And on top of all that, you've got the actual plot itself. Like Sadie, the alternating viewpoints create so much tension that you can't help but keep reading. There's always some unexplained oddity nagging at the back of your mind, some new question that needs answering. Why does everyone seem to love the Unity Project? Why does Lev Warren just seem so nice? What is really going on here? It's a book that keeps you on your toes and questioning everything, even the narrators. And because of all this, this is a book that doesn't let you go until it's done.

I also want to take a moment to commend the audiobook of this too. I listened to Sadie on audio and it was a large part of my positive experience, and the same can be said for this one. If you're looking for your next great audio, pick this one up! You won't regret it.