This was an intriguing and engaging book. It was fascinating to see how Lo could be pulled into the Unity Project despite everything she believed. I also liked the chapters from Bea's point of view to give perspective on her story as well. This book did a great job showing how a group like the Unity Project can reel people in. There were a few surprises to the story that I did not expect. Overall, this was well written and engaging. Similar to the other book by Summers that I read, Sadie, this was hard on the emotions. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy.

Having always been interested in cults I was excited to read this book. Even though it didn't approach anything new, at least not in my eyes, it was well written and I did enjoy the story.

This is the second Summers book I read, and I can not say that I am disappointed. The writing style, the storyline, the different povs and timelines, the well-crafted characters all of these elements contribute in the making of a riveting psychological thriller/cult fiction.
Throughout the book, I kept getting Inside The Criminal Mind vibes, which has giving me goosebumps reading it. I felt entranced, hooked, and awed by the author's talent and ability to portrayal such a nuanced and sensitive topic.

Her characterisation is meticulous and multi-dimensional; she sketches her characters perfectly to demonstrate the cult system and its hierarchy. I find Lev 's character fascinating. The strong grip he has on his followers, and the way he brainwashes them into embracing his role as their redeemer and savior, the sadistic tactics he practices to alienate them from their loved ones, and bend their well are all a part of his scheme to break them. He's a predator who seeks vulnerable individuals who are mentally ill or broken. He makes them feel special and loved and creates an enmeshed relationship with them where they become co-dependent on him, and adulate him. Casey, Foster, Bea, in fact, all of his followers are eager for his approval and validation. It's obvious that the writer has done her fair share of research concerning the topic cos Lev's psychological profiling is on point. It goes without saying that he's a classic case of a narcissist/sociopath who manipulates and abuses others emotionally, mentally, and physically to exert power over them.

The author, accurately, portrays such features through his relationship with Bea and Lo (The main characters). He exploits Bea's desperation and pain when her little sister is facing death, convinces her of his "message", and that he saved her from the clutches of death. He then demands that she leaves her past life behind and start anew in The Project where he takes advantage of her sexually and molds her the way he sees fit. As for Lo, He uses her PTSD against her, and pushes her to surrender to his charm and fall for his love bombing act. He appeals to her ego, and makes her feel special cos she's "The Chosen One"; the girl he brought back to life, and everyone in his "family" knows her.

Personally, I am too invested in Lev's character to talk about anything or anyone else, but notably, Summers incorporates sisterhood, motherhood, Family dynamics, trauma and parental abuse, and how it shapes individuals as main themes.

All in all, The project is a books that would keep you on your toes, break your heart, and then make you sigh in relief cos the bad guy got what he deserves.

I was really looking forward to this book, as I loved her book Sadie and I enjoy reading about cults and that mindset. However, I could not get into this book.
The character of Lo is searching for her sister who left to join a cult after their parents died in a car crash which almost killed Lo as well. She works as a receptionist for a magazine and wants to write, so after a chance meeting with someone who knows her and her sister, she begins to investigate the cult.
My problem with the story is that Lo is not a likeable character. In fact the book is filled with unlikeable characters. She is 19 with no job experience and argues with her boss for not letting her write the article for his magazine (she was not hired as a writer, so I never understood why she had such an attitude).
The leader of the cult is an interesting character and you really do wonder throughout the book if he and the cult are good or bad. But there are multiple time jumps and back and forth character perspectives to the point that I would sometimes have to go back and reread sections to find out how was talking.
It was too confusing to really get hooked on the book and the characters kept making me cringe. I am not sure I would recommend this book, and I really don't think I would recommend it to teens.

Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this eARC.

Whew. If you liked <i>Sadie</i>, I think you will like this one also. This is a fascinating look at the Unity Project, a religious group with a charismatic leader, and two sisters, Bea and Lo, who suffered a tragedy as children and later became involved with this group. Cults are fascinating for a reason, and this cult is no exception.

I will say, I sometimes found the out-of-order storytelling a little choppy and frustrating and the end of this one is very abrupt. I think it could have been paced differently. Those quibbles aside, this was incredibly engaging and interesting, but I think this is a title for older teens or adults because some of the content is genuinely harrowing.

I've loved Courtney Summers' work in the past especially Sadie. I may have gone into "The Project" with my expectations way too high because I LOVE CULTS. I did like Bea and Lo a lot and the darkness of their relationship compelling. The book was just missing plot and intruigue in my opinion. It was a little predictable. I enjoyed it, but would be less likely to recommend than Sadie.

Courtney Summers writes beautifully, but something about this didn’t work for me. Where Sadie has a forceful drive to a dreaded end, The Project is achingly slow, forcing you to experience the creeping dread in slow motion. It wasn’t a pleasant read, and it’s not meant to be. Maybe the problem was me - it just wasn’t the thing I wanted to read at the end of 2020.

The characters couldn’t have been teens for the plot to work, but why wasn’t this published/marketed as adult? The protagonists are in their late teens and early twenties. There is some teen appeal for the right reader, but I suspect not enough for me to want to buy for my library collection.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the advanced review copy.

Thank you to Wednesday Books (via NetGalley) for the ARC!

Content warnings: physical abuse (hot water burns, burn with cautery pen), emotional manipulation, death, car accident, murder, drowning, significant age difference in an abusive relationship

Anyone who's read Courtney Summers before knows that her books are going to hurt. The Project is no different.

The Project follows two POVs and two timelines: It begins with Bea as a young girl, upset that she will have to share her parents' affection with a sister that has just been born. The baby sister, Lo, is in the ICU after having been born prematurely. Something their mother says to Bea becomes the thread that follows this story to its conclusion: being a sister is a promise that only Bea and Lo can make, and that only they can break.

We fast-forward to early 2018, when Lo is 19 years old. Her parents have died in a car accident that left Lo fighting for her life at 13, and has now left her with a prominent scar on her face. Her sister Bea has found something called The Unity Project and has seemingly left Lo to her own devices. Lo has an okay job and an apartment of her own, but she's not content just being someone's assistant. She wants to be a journalist. She wants to write about the man who stole her sister from her; Lev Warren is the the man who began The Unity Project and Lo wants to expose him as a cult leader she knows he is, rather than the man of God he claims to be.

The action really begins when Lo sees a young man at the train station. He knows who she is, thought she is sure she's never seen him in her life. And then he jumps in front of an oncoming train and Lo is thrown into the world of The Unity Project, even more desperate to find the sister who has abandoned her.

Though The Unity Project claims it is not a cult, that's exactly what it turns out to be. One of my favorite things about this book is that Summers addresses just how insidious and subtly manipulative cults can be. People on the outside always say things like, oh I would never fall for that. I am smart enough to realize that's a cult and I wouldn't be tricked like that. And that's exactly what Lo thinks at the beginning. She knows it's a cult, but after going in with the idea to write a profile that exposes all the terrible things The Unity Project does, Lo somehow finds herself on Lev's side, believing and defending him. Summers does this masterfully. It's so subtle that you hardly notice it. One moment Lo is arguing with Lev and sure she's going to expose his lies, and the next she is a believer of everything he touts.

Lev Warren is an abusive man. There are small things in his behavior that show this, but neither Bea nor Lo realize it until they are already in his grasp. We see his behavior from both of their perspectives: he makes both of them feel special. He makes them both feel unique and loved and wanted. But seeing that he does the exact same thing to both of them really sheds light on the fact that he is using these young girls for his own motives.

It is not explicitly stated in the context of their relationships, but there is a huge age difference between Lev and both the girls. He is around 33 when he first has sex with an 18-year-old Bea, and he is 38 when Lo, just 19 years old, sleeps with him for the first time (both times it could be argued that he manipulated them into sleeping with him, but I'm not going to delve too deep into that). It is fascinating to see how, when this is seen from the perspective of Bea and Lo, it doesn't seem wrong. They seem to really enjoy their time with Lev and the don't think anything of the age difference. But that is part of Lev's abusive behavior. He is grooming these young girls and manipulating them to believe that he is the only good thing they have in the world. Summers does this really well without ever saying "Lev is abusing these girls and manipulating them." She just shows us what it's like to see that from Bea and Lo's perspectives and leaves the reader to figure out what's actually going on.

The Project is so well-written and affecting. It very deftly illustrates what it's like to be in an abusive relationship and how hard it is to get out once you're in. Summers shows that subtle shift from thinking you're in control of everything to realizing that you have no control at all. She shows how manipulative abusers can be and how they position themselves as the only good thing in your life. I think the fact that Lev thinks he can talk to God is a great metaphor for how an abuser feels in a relationship. Lev is the only one who really knows what God wants, so who are you to question him? The same in an abusive relationship: what right do you have to question the person who loves you more than anything and claims to want only the best for you?

Like Summers' other books, this one is not easy to read. It tackles tough subjects and hurts already-broken characters even more. But it is so worth reading

I am having more revelations about this book as I'm writing this review, and I could go on for a long time, but I think I'll stop here. If you've read this far, definitely check this book out! It releases February 2nd and is definitely worth a pre-order.

This is a story about a girl in search of the truth after a life of confusion.

I enjoyed aspects of this book. The cult was appropriately unsettling, and the hold it had on its members felt authentic and unnerving. The MC was clever and tenacious, and the dual perspectives were well done and didn’t feel blurry the way that mode of story telling sometimes can... but this book just didn’t really come together for me personally. There’s a twist that felt like it came out of nowhere that really took me out of it- so although I liked 70% of the book, I ended feeling so/so. I will definitely read other things by the author!

3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley & St, Martin’s Press for this eARC!

I was so excited when I saw this was a Thriller about a cult!

The Project was a slow slow burn and hard to get into because in my e- ARC the story would just abruptly end and then resume and it'd be a different perspective and that was confusing. I assume the finished copy will have a smoother transition, so I'm not taking that into account.

Anyways,I love a story about a sisterly bond that's not perfect (hi, hello I have two sisters) and I found Bea and Lo's relationship very realistic and well written. Weirdly, Lo seemed to undergo a quick personality change towards the end and go against her beliefs that were built up so much in the story...that was strange to me. I did find the end predictable as well.

I liked how the story wasn't 100% focused on the cult, but more about it's impact on Lo's life. I do wish there was even more detail about it though. I didn't like the abrupt change in Lo's personality or the way the story took a bit to get interesting and make sense.

I'm still glad I read this, but I am a little confused still.

I was super excited to hear that Courtney Summers wrote another thriller. I, probably like most people, find cults mystifying.
First the book is told in two perspectives- Lo and Bea. Bea starts first since she is the oldest. And you see how her and Lo's relationship grows until the accident.
After that you get more of Lo's perspective until Lo starts poking around The Unity Project. So Bea's perspective is more in past until it meets up in the present with Lo. And Lo's perspective is always in the present.
I empathize greatly with Lo and Bea, as I have very tight relationships with my sisters too. I really like how Courtney tied theirs stories back together at the end.
Ok, now onto the The Unity Project and Lev Warren. Lev Warren is a convincing and compelling character. I could easily see how someone could follow him. He is an charmer who at first seems like an guy who is always rooting for you and wants to help you find atonement with The Unity Project.
I kind of saw the ending but I really didn't want it to be confirmed. But it was a bit open ended like Sadie was, in the fact that you had an IDEA of what had happened but no official confirmation. It leaves you with some questions.
I think Courtney Summers is a wonderful writer who gives readers thought=provoking and gritty stories. The Project is a thriller that no one should miss out on.

When I saw the description for this book, I knew I had to read it. I think we all have a fascination with cults, and I couldn’t resist seeing what this book had in store, kind of like how Lo couldn’t resist interviewing Lev.
The book focuses on two sisters, Bea and Lo, who lose their parents in a car crash and have to deal with aftermath of such a devastating event. While Lo recovers from the accident, Bea runs into Lev, the charismatic leader of The Unity Project, a group focused on redeeming the world through good works.
Reading from both sisters’ perspectives, especially as the darker side of The Unity Project was slowly revealed, was such a great choice, and I think it added a good balance of why two different people would get involved with something that’s clearly not healthy. The writing flowed really well and I couldn’t put it down once I got about halfway through.
The one thing I didn’t like, and I’m sure this won’t be present in the published version, is how there was no space between the transitions. In some chapters it seemed to switch very abruptly, and I had to back track several times to realize that a new scene had started.
Overall, a great and compelling read!

This was an intense, wild ride.

I've got a mild fascination with cults, as many people do, and already adored Courtney Summers other books, so finding out one of my favorite authors was doing a new contemporary about cults was a cause for celebration.

This book didn't disappoint.

Bea's parents die in a car crash that leaves her little sister barely clinging to life. Miraculously, her sister survives, and Bea finds faith in God and in Lev, leader of The Unity Project. Told in alternate timelines and alternate POVs that only Summers can handle so masterfully, there is never a dull moment. The characters drew me in and kept me reading. There were a couple of twists I didn't see coming, which was great. I was so, so, so mad at Lev and so many other things and hurt so much for the sisters.

As with Sadie, the relationship between the sisters is the heart of the novel. There are a lot of other things going on, but Lo and Bea are the center in the ways they find each other and go apart.

I do wish there a little more in the ending with what happens with Lev, but the rest of it outweighs that complaint.

This is definitely not the faint of heart and probably not best suited for younger teens. As with Sadie, it's really toying that line between YA and Adult in terms of character age, themes, and subject matter.

Fans of Summers won't be disappointed.

Wow, cults!

Suspense novels aren't my usual go-to but I LOVED Sadie so I had to see what Courtney Summers was doing next. The Project did not disappoint! Multiple timelines and different points of view help to create and hold the tension in this book. Because it’s told essentially in vignettes, Lev’s brand of charisma really shines and leaves the reader just a bit confused—unsure if they’re getting the whole picture. I couldn’t put it down and was willing to question The Unity Project’s cult status until the end of the novel.

If you’re fascinated by cults or even just looking for a unique and engrossing YA read, check out The Project.

There are stories and there are storytellers. As a lifelong voracious reader I can attest to the fact that the two do not always coalesce. This masterful author achieves this brilliantly.

She constructs another stellar novel that unfurls the damage and devastation the world can do to people. Her writing lures you in with an intriguing story and then guts you with characters that will get under your skin. Be warned, you will feel their pain, but also, thankfully, their peace.

After her parents died, Lo’s sister, Bea, joined the Unity Project and cut ties to Lo. Outwardly the Project symbolizes charitable work, community outreach and selfless followers. But Lo has long believed there is something much darker and more sinister behind the curtain. When she finds herself with the access to learn more will her mindset be upended by the charismatic leader and genuine devotion of its membership?

That I will not tell you, but trust that it will not be an uncomplicated resolution of heart and mind for any of the characters.

The project is ultimately a story about power and men who wield it and how they do so. It's about cultist behavior but it's also about faith itself, told in fluid writing and challenging the audience to do have faith in what is left unanswered and untold since logic sure doesn't seem to cut it with the events. I can see how the gaps in the story and the things left unexplained could bother readers and I am to a certain degree bothered but the story kept me engaged and entertained, I couldn't put it down and that's a win.

4/5 stars. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I usually don’t pick up books like these but I definitely do not regret picking up this book. It was unsettling and compelling and so hard to put down.

The project follows two sisters, Bea and Lo. When Lo was 13 she got into a terrible car accident leaving her traumatised. Her parents had passed away and her sister left to join a cult. Six years have passed and we see her working at SVO where all good stories serve a purpose, and we see that the cult that took her sister away may have proved lethal to a young man named Jeremy.

In 2011, Bea sees her sister on the brink of death and her parents have passed away. She witnesses a miracle in the form of Lev Warren and decides to put all her faith in him. We follow her perspective through the years.

I really enjoyed Lev’s character development through this book and he was so well developed. We got to see the lies he spun through the two perspectives and I enjoyed it so much. Some parts were hard to read, the abuse and manipulation but I overall enjoyed it very much.

Gloria, known as Lo, having faced many challenges within her life beginning at birth, wants nothing more than to become a writer and believes that she is on the right path in order to accomplish that goal. After surviving a car crash as a child that took the lives of her parents, Lo was sent to live with an aunt while her older sister, Bea, became a devout member of the Unity Project, a group determined to make the world a better place under their leader, Lev Warren. Lo, believing that she knows the truth about the Unity Project, is of the opinion that they are a cult created by the charismatic Lev, and she is determined to expose them through her writing. While immersing herself in the Unity Project will Lo be able to resist the magnetic charm of Lev, or will she fall into the same trap that her sister and many others have?⁣
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The Project is a wickedly wonderful novel that grabbed me and didn’t let go until the last page! The Unity Project seems like a mix between Scientology and the Manson family, and I found myself happily trapped within its grasp. I love that Summers used a nonlinear timeline and slowly brought the two timelines together as the novel progressed, ultimately ending in a way that, to me, just felt right. She created a puzzle within the pages that, as it was pieced together, painted such a complete picture of the characters and their motivations. The characters are well developed and relatable, and the mirroring between them and their experiences was not only interesting, but it connected a lot of them to each other. I enjoyed all of the themes and symbolism prevalent throughout The Project, such as fire and water, as well as scars. ⁣
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Between the characters and the style, the story and its message, The Project was a page-turner of a novel that I could not put down. I highly recommend it to anyone intrigued by cults or just by a good book. ⁣
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Thank you to NetGalley for gifting me an electronic copy of The Project in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.⁣

From the first chapter of The Project it was immediately full of suspense. This dual POV features Lo's journey to understand The Project, as well as Bea's experience within. While The Project is very much a thriller, part of what I enjoyed was the bonds of sisterhood. We are able to see the love, confusion, and resentment in their words. The complex bonds of sisterhood that can leave you hollow and searching. The Project immediately becomes relatable in Lo's search for Bea. What will Lo stumble across? And where is Bea?

The Project is a book with many shifting faces. Constantly moving in your grips, it's a story that will take you on a roller coaster. At the heart of the book is not only a story about sisterhood, but also about what we will do to be seen. How relationships begin, form on shaky or non-existent foundations. The ways in which things rarely come for free with strings trailing on the ground like wisps of smoke. When we feel seen, it feels powerful. The ways people are searching for something in other people.

There goes Courtney Summers again, coming into my home to smash my heart. I would like her to stop, even though that is a lie and I will let her do it over and over if this is the result.

In 2011, Bea Denham's family was involved in a car accident that left her parents dead and her younger sister, Lo, clinging to life. And in this darkest of moments, she meets Lev Warren, leader of The Project organization. She follows him, joining his religious group and leaving Lo to grow up with a distant relative she barely knows. Now, in 2017, Lo is 19 and still searching for her sister. Every encounter she has had with The Project has ended in her being frustrated, angry, and more determined than ever.

This story was beautifully told, bouncing back and forth in time to reveal each sister's experiences with The Project. It was easy to follow, simple to piece together, and both absolutely devastating and horrifying to follow each sister as they dig deeper into the organization in tandem with each other's timeline.

Bea is the oldest and only Denham not involved in the tragic accident that tore her family apart. She is wracked with guilt and grief and is desperate for someone to comfort her, to give her something to believe in. When she meets Lev, God's prophet on this earthly plane, he is everything she needs. It takes time for her to understand, but soon she is up to her neck in The Project and its mission to bring God to the sinners of the world. I was highly invested in her side of the story, not only because she is the one wrapped up in the organization, but also because of the mystery that surrounds her in Lo's present day. Why won't she see her sister? What happened to her? My heart truly broke for her as she moved through the years. The events that unfold around her, the way her mind was twisted and undone was both fascinating and upsetting.

Lo has had to cope with a lot since her older sister, the only family she had left, really, up and abandoned her. The accident left her with some serious scars, both on the inside and outside. She lives a very lonesome existence that revolves around two things. One, convincing her boss that she can be a journalist instead of his assistant. Two, exposing The Project and finding her sister hidden behind it. She was a terribly interesting character to follow along with. I genuinely did not expect her journey to unfold as it did, but that is simply a testament to how painstakingly Summers wrote this novel. I loved the fact that she was on the older end of the typical YA age spectrum as it gave her more freedom and agency to live her life as she chose.

I admit I was a bundle of anxiety while reading this because it kept me on my toes the entire time. The dual POV really had me guessing which character would go where and who would fall to what side. The Project itself is obviously a large part of my reading stress. Is it really the good religious group their members all claim to be, offering shelter and support to those in need, or is it a well-hidden cult that is keeping Bea away from Lo? IS IT? As Lo gets access to the organization, it became harder and harder for me to answer that question. Lev certainly didn't help. The leader of The Project is charismatic and wonderful, but underneath that façade there is the slightest thread of manipulation in every word he says. He was convincing me alongside both sisters and I genuinely did not know what to think. Especially when you see him in everyday situations. Although, I did find it slightly uncomfortable (view spoiler)

The ending gets very dark and I was left rather distraught. It was difficult to put down in general, but the last 50 pages in particular had the book glued to my hand. When the truth is finally revealed, everybody better buckle the heck up.