This book definitely lived up to the hype for me. This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021.
This book does not read like a debut novel, but as a novel that was written by someone who has been doing this for some time.
The storytelling was impeccable.
West tells the story of questioning faith, familial ties, mother daughter bond, and so much more.

the only thing I wish this book did was give us a little bit more detail about Joanne's sisters I wanted to learn more about that relationship

Revival Season, as the title alludes,, is the saga of a family who hits the road every summer so the father, a charismatic Evangelical preacher with the apparent ability to heal, can preach the Gospel and heal the sick. It is a remarkable story on so many levels that it’s hard for me, someone rarely at a loss for words, to describe it. And to do so without revealing spoilers.

This is a hard-scrabble family whose livelihood depends on the annual trek to various backwaters where, hopefully, huge crowds will be drawn to the fathers eloquence and healing ability, and on his ability to draw the same kind of crowds to his local church. Things begin to turn sour when his abilities start to fail him in his home church at the same time his daughter, the narrator, discovers her own nascent healing ability. This is the source of the major conflict in the book.

The title, while clearly describing the annual road trips to revivals during the summer (the “revival season”), also alludes to the inner struggle and ultimate revival of personal spirit and belief of the narrator. I truly cannot do justice to the experience of reading this extraordinary book in a review. The writing and character development are outstanding. The way the book builds to its climax and then tumbles to its denouement are outstanding. I felt as though I were a tiny fly on the wall of this family; the author did such a wonderful job of drawing the reader into her compelling story. Very highly recommended.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley. I look forward to reading more by Monica West. She has the gift of storytelling.

This book went fast and it kept me on the edge of my seat. It reminded me of Shiner, another book with a father who is revered and feared due to the divinity that he preaches. I hoped it would have a different end but this was a realistic one, and I liked that Miriam was able to come into her own in some ways.

Thank you to @simonandschustar and @netgalley for the eARC of Revival Season by Monica West. This is a debut novel and it's a wonderful read!

Miriam is the daughter of a black southern Baptist preacher. Every summer the Horton family travels to small towns for Revival Season. In each town, people come to witness the healing power of Miriam's father and to watch him perform miracles as he heals people. But Miriam soon becomes skeptical of her father's power as she witnesses him perform a violent act during one of the revivals. Keeping this to herself, she struggles with her faith. She also discovers the truth about her mother and father's relationship. Miriam soon discovers that she has healing powers of her own but keeps this a secret; afraid of her father's reaction. But soon, her mother needs to be healed. Then, Miriam decides to heal her sister who has cerebral palsy. Does she dare go against the wishes of her father? If she does, what will be the consequences? As Miriam searches for God's will for her, will she find the strength to become the woman she is meant to be?

This is a quick read and I was engrossed from the very first page. It does touch on some difficult subject matter such as domestic abuse. I found it to be a powerful read! I can't wait to see what Monica West writes next!

Thank you SO much to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book! I requested this after I saw the cover which gave me summer vibes. Overall, I really enjoyed this and found the premise very interesting since I don't have extensive knowledge of the evangelical community. The plot centers around a southern black evangelical family who travels around to different healing revivals in the summer months where the pastor father "heals people" through himself or God working through him. Our narrator is 15 year old Miriam, the oldest daughter in the Horton family who begins to question her father's true ability and discovers her own which becomes problematic because of her age and her gender. One of my favorite tropes I guess you could call it is when coming of age novels highlight kids beginning to view their parents or adults around them through a different lenses and realize the adult's ability to be flawed humans and not superheroes like we believe our adults to be growing up as children. I love reading a coming of age stories especially with some more difficult undertones as I think it paints a more realistic picture of how life is a compilation of ups and downs and discovering truth. I found this debut absolutely amazing and Miriam will stay with me for a long time. I am eager to hear what Monica West's next novel will be and I will definitely pick up any future works!!

I just loved this book. Miriam Horton is an exceptional character who will stay with me for a long time. Growing up on the road following the charisma of her daddy, the faith healer--Miriam is starting to question if her father is truly healing or is hiding from his own demons. But this isn't your traditional white loss of faith disillusionment story--Miriam has her own gift of the Spirit to contend with that rivals her father's. This unexpected gift of a novel is beautifully written, heart-wringing and soul-piercing. I flew through it in one night--it was hard to piece together all that I loved about it, except that as a story, it has a ring of truth. Highly recommended for book clubs, and anyone from a faith background.

Thank you so much to Simon and Schuester and NetGalley for the ARC.

I'm still trying to gather my thoughts about this book. In fact I'm having a hard time remembering that Miriam is a fictional character. Her story affected me that much.

I love that West wrote the book from Miriam point of few. As young as she was, she was more mature than any adult I have ever met.

Thank you again!

I loved this book. Revival Season is a southern fiction coming of age novel. It centers around 15 year old Miriam and her family. Her father, Rev. Horton, takes his family along as he travels the south holding revivals and faith healing each summer. When it becomes apparent that Miriam herself has the healing touch, it is not something that can be accepted, because in this dysfunctional family 'children should be seen and not heard' and it would be a sin for a woman to use her healing powers. This book pulled me in from page one and held my interest to the last page about the downward spiral of this family. I'm adding this book to my list of favorites. Thank you Monica West for this great book, and to the publisher Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for a honest review.

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

This coming of age story focused on an Evangelical family in the South, who travels the country healing people. The main character, Mariam, has her faith tested when an event happens that shows the true human nature of her father. This is a beautifully written novel and an excellent debut. It wasn’t for me personally, but that is more a matter of taste, and the book will reach its key audience in a positive way.

What a fantastic debut novel! Revival Season follows Miriam Horton, a 15 year old, who is the daughter of a well-known evangelical preacher in the South. The Horton family spend their summers traveling from town to town to visit churches that hold huge healing services known as revivals. Revivals are held in an outdoor tent and are attended by local parishioners who have some kind of aliment that they feel Reverend Horton can “heal” them from (through what they believe is his godly gift). Reverend Horton is well revered in his family as well as in the community at large until some red flags start popping up. Miriam is unsure where her loyalties lay —that is until she witnesses first hand some un-pastoral behavior that she can’t unsee no matter how much she wants to.

Wow, this novel had me riveted. Revival Season is a coming-of-age novel filled with so many emotions. I wasn’t really familiar with revivals prior to this novel, I had a faint idea of what they were, but throughout this novel I learned a lot about the southern baptist healing revivals. I also felt Monica West did a fantastic job with character development and by the end of this book I felt like I knew them in real life! Through the characters (both main and supporting characters) I gained a better sense of entire revival culture. I was mesmerized by Miriam’s journey and what she ultimately discovers within herself! I really enjoyed Revival Season, I will absolutely be reading whatever Monica West comes out with next!

An intriguing look into the private family life of a failed faith healer. I was cheering Miriam on the whole time.

In a culture fascinated by cults and extremist religion, Revival Season focuses on an enthralling and topical subject: an extremely religious, evangelical Baptist family whose father claims to be a spiritual healer. I haven't come across a similar novel and felt that Revival Season really owned its distinctive voice. This coming-of-age story is told from the perspective of the family's teenage daughter (as a side note, I love an adult novel with a teen narrator!) grappling with the intersection of feminism and faith. At times, I sometimes struggled with the pacing of the book (the final third or so felt a bit rushed compared to the start), but I was drawn to the story and enjoyed following Miriam's awakening. Revival Season is rich with descriptive writing and an original story that dips into some weightier topics (be prepared for some domestic disputes and a bit of violence). Overall, this is a well-executed debut novel, and I look forward to following Monica West's literary journey! Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity for an early read!

REVIVAL SEASON by Monica West

This is not your usual coming of age story. It is a well written, tightly woven story of Miriam, a 15 year old daughter being raised in a family of black, Southern Evangelical Christians living in Texas. Each summer the family, in support of her father “ The Fifth Healer of East Mansfield”, leaves their home church and travels to small towns strewn across the South spreading the word of God and healing the weak. Her faith in her family and her faith are tested when she witnesses just how human her father is. The characters are consistent and well molded changing and growing as time moves on. The tension is unmistakable. The author writes with clean prose. I read this quickly, my attention never waned. What a great debut novel Monica West has written.

This was a beautiful and heartbreaking story. I’ve struggled with what to write about it as my feelings are still all over the place. That’s the true sign of a great story I believe. My heart broke for Miriam and her mother. I could remember myself at that age. How confusing life is. How complicated feelings are. How you have an idea of who your parents are and then realize they are just human. This would be a fantastic read for a book club. So many points for discussion! I’m awaiting its release so I can do just that! Talk to someone about it!

Sometimes you have to give a book a review for what it is, not your actual experience with it. Personally, I didn't care for this book. But on a practical level, it's extremely well written and the plot, characters, dialogue, everything stands out as top notch. The author does an admirable job putting you in the shoes of a young girl, making you see the world through her eyes. While in the end I wouldn't list the book among ny favorites, there's no doubt it was written by a very talented author, and one I'm absolutely going to read again. There's no doubt the book deserves five stars.

I’m always interested in religious type books because of my strict religious upbringing in a cult like setting.

This book centers around backwoods tent revival meetings in the south. Rev..Horton is hoping to redeem himself after a scandal while his daughter Mariam takes the brunt of the abuse and is responsible for running the household. She starts questioning what she was taught and discovers her own life.

I enjoyed this coming of age book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a book about life lessons and families.

Thanks to NetGalley for my advanced ebook copy.

The novel opens with The Horton Family making its annual rounds to backwoods tent meetings throughout the South where Rev. Horton hopes to redeem himself as a faith healer after a scandal during last year’s Revival Season leaves his reputation in question. The narrator is a sweet, loving 15-year-old Miriam, the oldest daughter in this tightly controlled, patriarchal household. She bears the brunt as primary caretaker to a special needs sister and helpmate to a broken, subservient mother.

When the sheltered Miriam witnesses a series of events involving her self-professed “servant of God” father, she has an awakening where the once hero-worship admiration of her father sours. She begins to question much of what she was taught and believed as “gospel truth.” She also discovers her voice and God-given talents; she begins to use both in good faith with alarming results.

Part cautionary tale rife with the consequences of hubris, part coming of age amid family crisis -- this novel is packed with life lessons. While the story is set in a heavily evangelical setting and glimpses at controversial teachings and edicts, the novel is not “religious” or “preachy;” delicately maintaining a neutral tone while shedding light on some of the more questionable aspects of this lifestyle and belief system.

I’m surprised that this is a debut novel - the author handles the character development, pacing, plot (which included the taboo topic of religion) with aplomb -- definitely at a level that would imply veteran status. I’ll definitely look to read her next release!

I could tell almost immediately that I’d be hooked by this one. I was intrigued by the subject matter: a flawed traveling revival pastor and his adoring family, told in the voice of the eldest teenage daughter evolving from trusting child into skeptical woman. But the writing brought this book from merely an interesting premise to excellent execution.

Monica West absolutely nails this young narrator and her doubts, her beliefs, and the transformational experience of looking at her parents and religion through a more grown-up lens. I can’t believe this is West’s debut novel (I shouldn’t be surprised, West has her MFA from the Iowa Writers Workshop after all ❤️). It’s going to stay with me a long time. I loved the Horton family so, so much.

By the way, this story is not anti-religion. Based on the blurb alone I thought it might end up being a coming-of-age story about a girl growing up brainwashed in an extremist environment and completely rejecting religion altogether. It’s not that, and it’s so much more than that, and while the main character examines her religious beliefs, that process is inoffensive to believers and non-believers alike. It takes up its subject matter without judgment.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Simon & Schuster for providing me with this early copy. In return my unbiased review is voluntarily given.

Revival Season is the debut effort of Monica West about a evangelical faith-healers family. After seeing her father hurt someone who challenges him, his daughter Miriam begins to question and doubt all that she thought she knew about her world. This takes place within a closed world of their religious faith where, having a limited exposure society, Miriam struggles with this new reality.

This is a refreshingly original book that makes my 2021 Favorites list, and will keep you turning the pages long after bedtime. I look forward to more from this author.

I’m judging a 2021 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’m doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got this book from the perspective pile into the read further pile.

Already taken by the plot, the details in the exposition carried me along to read further. “My eyes searched the table’s shiny surface as I took another deep sip. The caffeine made the lights extra bright as they bounced off the orange plastic tables and amplified the clink of ice coming from surrounding booths; the effect made Papa’s words seem slightly forced.”