I love the true-crime category it’s so committed to the search for truth and justice.Īnd then Serial came out. What made you decide to integrate a true-crime podcast into Sadie?

I had to talk to Summers about this intriguing storytelling structure, books for dark times, and whether she prefers cake or pie.

The central question of whether Sadie will find her sister’s killer is paired with another question: Will the podcast’s team catch up with her before she does, and if they do, will it be too late? The story is told in alternating chapters that follow the eponymous protagonist as she vanishes from her hometown to seek revenge on the man who killed her little sister, and a true-crime podcast, The Girls, that’s investigating Sadie’s disappearance. In many ways, Courtney Summers’s latest book, Sadie (out on September 4), keeps with the rest of her YA oeuvre: It’s a dark, provocative story about childhood sexual assault, murder, revenge, flawed people, and the sexism with which society views-and harms-women and girls. Fans of the film Mean Girl will enjoy this tale of redemption and forgiveness.Courtney Summers (Photo credit: Megan Gunter) 'This story takes an unflinching look at the intricacies of high school relationships. Tensions grow and the abuse worsens as the final days of senior year march toward an explosive conclusion. if threats from the Fearsome Foursome don't break them both first. Friendship doesn't come easily for these onetime enemies, and as Regina works hard to make amends for her past, she realizes Michael could be more than just a friend. She takes solace in the company of Michael Hayden, a misfit with a tragic past who she herself used to bully. If Regina was guilty, it would be one thing, but the rumors are far from the terrifying truth and the bullying is getting more intense by the day. Now Regina's been 'frozen out' and her ex-best friends are out for revenge. until vicious rumors about her and her best friend's boyfriend start going around. Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell High. From Courtney Summers, the author of Cracked Up To Be, comes a dark new tale of high school rivalry in which vicious rumors and nasty tricks are the currency that buys you popularity or seals your fate at the bottom of the food chain.Ĭlimbing to the top of the social ladder is hard-falling from it is even harder.

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers