3.5 star, YA

Review: The Project by Courtney Summers

Lo Denham is used to being on her own. After her parents died in a tragic car accident, her sister Bea joined the elusive community called The Unity Project, leaving Lo to fend for herself. Desperate not to lose the only family she has left, Lo has spent the last six years trying to reconnect with Bea, only to be met with radio silence.

When Loโ€™s given the perfect opportunity to gain access to Beaโ€™s reclusive life, she thinks theyโ€™re finally going to be reunited. But itโ€™s difficult to find someone who doesnโ€™t want to be found, and as Lo delves deeper into The Project and its charismatic leader, she begins to realize that thereโ€™s more at risk than just her relationship with Bea: her very life might be in danger.

As she uncovers more questions than answers at each turn, everything Lo thought she knew about herself, her sister, and the world is upended. One thing doesnโ€™t change, though, and thatโ€™s what keeps her going: Bea needs her, and Lo will do anything to save her.

From Courtney Summers, theย New York Timesย bestselling author of the 2019 Edgar Award Winner and breakout hitย Sadie, comes her electrifying follow-upโ€”a suspenseful, pulls-no-punches story about an aspiring young journalist determined to save her sister no matter the cost.



This book is everything Courtney Summers has attempted to do for her audience: make them think without judging at first glance. The Project follows a hardened protagonist, Lo Denham, who has been orphaned in an accident that left her with physical (and plenty of emotional) scars. The further loss of her older sister Bea has pushed her more into this impenetrable shell that wonโ€™t easily let anything in.

The only thing that seems to wake her up is her pursuit of a story about the group her sister ended up in. The Project. On the surface level, seems like a good group who does a lot of charity work (ie. Giving food and a warm shelter to those who are down on their luck, even if theyโ€™re not so poor off enough for city sanctioned help) and helps their members with becoming better versions of themselves – aka more altruistic and in touch with their spiritual faith.

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3 star, YA

Review: Namesake by Adrienne Young

Series: Fable #2

Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men.

With the Marigold ship free of her father, Fable and the rest of the crew were set to start over. That freedom is short-lived when Fable becomes a pawn in a notorious thugโ€™s scheme. In order to get to her intended destination, she must help him to secure a partnership with Holland, a powerful gem trader who is more than she seems.

As Fable descends deeper into a world of betrayal and deception, she learns that the secrets her mother took to her grave are now putting the people Fable cares about in danger. If Fable is going to save them, then she must risk everythingโ€”including the boy she loves and the home she has finally found.



Another seafaring journey for Fable in this sequel to her titular book, Namesake starts off where the first one ended, carrying Fable farther away from her friends and newfound family into the unknown across the sea.

I didnโ€™t have any particularly strong feelings for book 1 so I wasnโ€™t sure what to expect for book 2. And what I found I enjoyed immensely more here was Fableโ€™s individual journey away from the crew she had just joined. Alone and seeing a familiar face on the ship taking her captive, she didnโ€™t know who to turn to for help or guidance except herself. Her strength came in her decisive actions, whether that be to observe and bide her time or to act with the risk of everything falling apart.

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top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: My Most Recent (Favourite) Reads

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.


Itโ€™s Tuesday again and this weekโ€™s TTT is going to seem a little repetitive since I have recently shared what Iโ€™ve read last month here.

Instead, I will share my last 4 to 5 star rated books in 2021 so far because they warrant just more notice and love! If anything catches your eye, please try and find a copy for yourself because I more than recommend these to anyone who is even remotely interested in their descriptions.

1. The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna (review)

  • A beautiful first book in a new fantasy world, a girl faces her inner demon (literally) when she realizes her blood bleeds a different colour. Her salvation? An offer to fight as the monster she is for the kingdom against savage beasts.
Continue reading “Top Ten Tuesday: My Most Recent (Favourite) Reads”