finished reading

This is a gripping, difficult, disturbing, compelling read. Categorized as contemporary YA, don't let the label turn you away. It's twin narratives go between the titular Sadie and West McCray who is creating a podcast piecing together Sadie's story. I liked the format--the chapters alternated from Sadie's account of the action to podcast accounting of events. It's going to stay with me for a long time.

From the publisher:

A missing girl on a journey of revenge. A Serial―like podcast following the clues she's left behind. And an ending you won't be able to stop talking about.

Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.

But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie's entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him.

When West McCray―a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America―overhears Sadie's story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late.

Trigger warnings: pedophilia, child abuse, sexual assault, violence, potential eating disorder, descriptions of blood, mentions of substance abuse