Time for another round of Yvo’s Shorties! This time around two YA books that sadly didn’t hit the mark for me… The first an unpopular opinion review on Sadie by Courtney Summers, the second being me suffering from a romance and love triangle allergy and those ruining the series for me: Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins.
Title: Sadie
Author: Courtney Summers
Genre: YA, Mystery, Thriller
First published: September 4th 2018
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Finished reading: October 23rd 2018
Pages: 378
“People don’t change. They just get better at hiding who they really are.”
WARNING: Unpopular opinion review ahead.
Oh yes, the unpopular opinion curse has struck again… Sadie has been all over the place for a while now. I decided to pick up my copy on a whim, and I was fully expecting to love it: this story gives off all the right vibes, and I still think that the story itself was fascinating. But somehow, I didn’t actually enjoy reading Sadie all that much. I can’t put my finger exactly on the why, but I’ll try to explain anyway. First of all I have to say that the idea of the podcast is very cleverly done, mixing those chapters with Sadie’s POV. There were a lot of different minor characters and locations to keep track of though, which can be confusing… But overall I think the format was a success. The plot development, twists and level of suspense were quite well done as well. There is a lot of mystery around Sadie and her sister, and it’s interesting to slowly figure out more and more about the past. I wasn’t sure what to think of the ending though… I was left wanting for more. I also wasn’t able to connect properly to the characters, and I think that is part of the reason Sadie didn’t work for me in the end. The writing style didn’t click with me either (the same happened with All The Rage, so it might just be that her writing is not for me). Trigger warnings are in place for child abuse, addiction and violence. All in all sadly Sadie just didn’t do it for me, although I know I’m the exception and most people seem to love it. So definitely give it a chance if you haven’t read it yet!
Title: Spell Bound
(Hex Hall #3)
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
First published: March 13th 2012
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Finished reading: October 25th 2018
Pages: 337
“People are so rarely villains in their own minds.”
I wasn’t so sure whether to read this one after my disaster experience with the sequel, but since I already had a copy and don’t like leaving series unfinished I decided to give it a go. Initially, Spell Bound went slightly better than the second book, and I started to enjoy the sarcastic kind of humor and writing style in general again. Then… BOOM! The annoying romance and frustrating love triangle was back to ruin the day again, and things went downhill from there. I hate that the romance has ruined a potentially excellent trilogy for me, especially since I really enjoyed the first book and thought it had so much potential. Sadly, the main focus is on the romantic scenes, pushing everything else into the background and making other aspects of the story suffer from lack of development. Potential not exploited for me… Although I’m having a feeling romance fans will react differently to both sequels. Oh well, at least I now know for sure what my reaction was to Spell Bound, and I won’t be left wondering. I guess we can’t like them all, can we? And I guess I’m kind of at least part of the problem here.
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Hate when I have polar opinions on a book to most others…
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Yeah same here… It happens more often than not with hyped books unfortunately, but I really hoped Sadie wouldn’t be one of those cases.
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All the rage is from the same author as Sadie? I have that one to read and I’ll have to see if the writing style suits me, I’m not the easiest reader for styles that are a bit different. Also connection is key so I totally understand that it has a big influence on your enjoyment. It did seem an interesting novel but I know you’re always spot. Great rambles!
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Yeah they are both by the same author… I actually liked the original format in Sadie, but the writing itself just wasn’t for me. I’ve heard a lot of others do love both books, so I guess it can go either way… Both books include some uncomfortable themes though, so be prepared. 😉
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Fab shorties!
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Thanks!
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The Podcast is what made Sadie for me. It was so unique and added to the story. I didn’t care for the ending to much. Hope your next reads are more stars!!! I guess we can’t love them all.
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The podcast format was definitely one of things I did like of Sadie, very original! Good to hear I wasn’t the only one disappointed by the ending. It’s true we can’t like them all… At least I’ve had some better reads after Sadie.
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Sadie is a title that I have been hesitant to read because I don’t usually enjoy revenge stories though this one definitely does have a lot of hype. Sorry to hear that it didn’t quite meet your expectations though. Great reviews.
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If you don’t like revenge stories Sadie will be a tricky one, because it’s basically the most important focus of the plot besides the whole missing person part. The podcast format is original though.
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Sadie wasn’t quite what I wanted, so I’m not surprised to see your review. I love your shorty reviews!
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It’s always good to see others with a similar opinion, although it’s a shame we weren’t able to enjoy it better.
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I haven’t finished Sadie yet, but I can see where there could be a disconnect with the characters. It is hard to relate to Sadie. I agree that the podcast is an awesome part of the book. Great reviews!
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The podcast definitely is the selling point in Sadie… I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t relate well to Sadie.
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Oh, I don’t think I’ve come across either of those titles! And damn, you just can’t get away from those love triangles, hey?! 😀
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I guess love triangles just keep haunting me… Although I guess that picking up a YA fantasy or contemporary read in general means dealing with one. xD
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