The Project by Courtney Summers

“You wanted the truth. Or are you afraid of it now?”

Whenever I hear about cults, I always learn something about the worst of human nature but also how loneliness, trauma, and more can lead people into situations they never would’ve thought was possible. The Project intrigued me from the moment I first read the summary. Courtney Summers has written some heavily acclaimed books that I’ve loved, so reading this one was for sure on my to do list. Lo Denham is used to being on her own. After her parents died, Lo’s sister Bea, abandoned her to join The Unity Project. Thanks to their charity work and outreach, The Unity Project has won the hearts of many in upstate New York. But Lo knows there’s more to the group than meets the eye. She’s spent the last six years trying to prove it. When a man shows up at the magazine Lo works for claiming his son was murdered by The Unity Group, Lo sees this as her way to expose the group and finally reunite with her sister. Her investigation leads her closer to the group’s leader Lev Warren and everything she thought about the group she starts to question. Lo is confused about what she once thought was true and what isn’t. She never believed in Lev Warren or The Unity Group before. But now she doesn’t know if she can afford not to... The first 20% of this book, I didn’t understand what I was reading. I was confused because I knew I didn’t sign up for whatever I was reading. Y’all... I wouldn’t have pushed through if I didn’t have to review this book for the blog. The book's opening started strong for me but then quickly fizzled out. The narration switches between Lo and Bea, her sister. It wasn’t clear at all who was who in those moments. I constantly found myself confused on who was narrating at that moment. The storyline switches back and forth between timelines. The time gaps were very small but I found myself constantly questioning what year we were in. Also, Lo isn’t a character I could understand or even really empathize with. Courtney Summers is known for writing “unlikeable” female protagonist but Lo wasn’t likable or unlikeable to me. She was just ...there. By the end of the book, I was like oh okay. That’s it? It’s a extremely slow burn mystery but it was a lot of slow and not a lot of burn for me. This is easily a 3-star read for me. I had a lot of hope for this book but I was sadly disappointed. I did enjoy how Courtney Summers explores complicated familial relationships and how trauma can impact one’s life for years after. The mystery aspect of this book is there but it’s not at the forefront of the plot. This is a detailed dive into trauma, PTSD, cults, and more. I didn’t love this book but that could also have something to do with me not knowing what I was in for. If this was a book you were interested in, please do not let my review hold ya back! I think some readers would enjoy this book. Even if I didn't love this book, I will definitely be reading the next Courtney Summers book release!