This book was not for me, and I had to stop reading around 40% of the way through.

I have nothing bad to say about the writing or the story itself, but I could not get into it.

Del fled her hometown that is essentially one big mega church/cult, upon graduation. Her college boyfriend left her for her cult best friend. The two were married and Del kept to herself until she got word of her ex-boyfriend's suspicious death and returns to her hometown to try to get more answers.

I was disappointed because I really enjoyed this author's previous book, Girl 11. I just couldn't get into the story. I found myself in a spot where I just didn't care what the answer was. I wasn't craving the knowledge of whether it was truly an accident or if it was a murder, and if it was a murder, I didn't care who killed him. It just wasn't able to keep me hooked.

Thank you to William Morrow books for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

This thrilling contemporary fiction novel questions authority and power in the modern evangelical mega-church setting.

This was good. It was my first book by Clarke and I enjoyed it. I am always intrigued by cults so this was right up my alley. Del Walker has fled her hometown in MN to get away from the religious cult, the evangelical Messiah Church. The people of the city have fallen into this herd mentality. There are plenty of very unlikable characters in this one. Our MC goes back to her hometown to find out who has killed her ex. The mystery was interesting, but seemed a bit dubious. I'm usually able to suspend my disbelief when reading books so this wasn't a huge issue for me. The end was so good. Just when you think you got to the "big twist" …there's MORE!! So that's always fun. Definitely recommend this one!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own. My review will be posted on Instagram, Bookbub, Goodreads, and Amazon.

Lay Your Body Down, by Amy Suiter Clarke, is a two-headed story, both a murder mystery and an examination of a small Midwest town’s religious cult that ontrols the lives of its residents.
The story is told in three threads, in alternating POVs—Delilah, the protagonist’s first person narrative in the present; excerpts from teenage Delilah’s diary circa 2014; and her friend Eve’s Noble Wife blog spanning 10 years.
The plot unspools slowly, with plenty of background filled in by the diary entries and the blog. Del mourns the accidental shooting death of her old boyfriend Lars, and determinedly decides to investigate it as a murder, while also bringing down the local cult/church by exposing their sordid secrets. Del is easy to like, although her character seems a bit fragmented, since her inner thoughts are often a counterpoint to her actions. Eve, the religious marionette, serves to fill in the “tenets” of the church’s teachings in her blog. The male characters are, in general, portrayed as evil and cunning, or weak in the face of the church’s power in the town.
If you like a slow-burn mystery blended with a critical look at the functions of a male-centric extreme church then this is a book you will enjoy. Clarke’s story-telling skill and her ability to juggle three POVs is admirable and I look forward to reading more of her works.

Thank you to William Morrow/HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

Thank you to Thriller Book Lovers Promotions, the author, and William Morrow for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

I wouldn’t even consider myself a cult trope fan, but I will read anything this author writes! I loved this story and couldn’t put it down. Del’s character was developed so well and I wanted to fight alongside her as she tried to bring down the patriarchy. If you’re a quote collector, there are so many good lines in this one that left me with goosebumps! It’s a slow burn, but so worth it!

Lay Your Body Down is intense during most of the book. Del Walker left her small hometown in Minnesota when her boyfriend, Lars, left her for a girlfriend, Eve. All three attend Messiah, a cult-like church, led by Pastor Rick Franklin. As I was reading, the book brought back many memories of some people I have known who were part of a cult-like church and a couple cult-like organizations. SCARY!
Eve writes a blog called “Noble Wife” which has a huge following. I cringed when I read some of the entries. Del receives word that Lars was shot and killed. After not hearing from Lars in several years, she discovers that she received a message from him the week before. Eve returns home for the funeral. After some chapters, there are passages from Del’s Diary.

I enjoyed the premise of this book; however, I thought the middle part of the book could be shortened. It was repetitive in places and the pace of the book slowed down for me. I really liked the last fourth of the book. I look forward to reading Amy Suitor Clarke’s next book. My thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

A thriller focused around a cult?! Count me in!! I am so intrigued by cults. I have a very strong personality so I have such a hard time understanding how people fall under the "spell" of a cult. While I don't get it, I am very intrigued by them and love a book that is focused around one.
The main character, Delilah was raised in a strict, patriarchal religious cult. She left home years ago during college and is estranged from her family with no intentions of returning home. Plans change and she returns to her rural Minnesota hometown after hearing that her ex, Lars was killed under suspicious circumstances. Everyone in town insists it was just a hunting accident, but Delilah KNOWS that is far from the truth. She decides to launch her own investigation into what happened to Lars and is forced to face her past and confront her former best friend - Lars's widow, Eve.
This was a slow burn but I was very invested. I needed to know what actually happened. I liked that Eve's blog entries were included. It gave some insight on what the cult was preaching to the women, which is CRAZY!

Wow, what a ride! This book quickly made it onto my list of favorite culty reads! Dark and controversial, I was completely consumed.

All religions are based on faith. This book is centered around Christianity and evangelical faith. It is an attestation of what can go wrong when a congregation places their faith in a man instead of the God whom they’ve chosen to serve. Twisting the written word to suit the desire of personal gain will cause trouble every time.

Delilah, the main character, has had enough of the covering of wrongdoing and will not stop until she finds out the truth. And that last page? That last page will steal your breath and elicit a cheer but it will not be predicted.

Told in dual timelines and multiple points of view, the story unfolds in present day and in the past with a look inside Delilah’s diaries and Eve’s blog posts. Because of this structure, we get little tidbits of info at just the right time. Definitely pick up a copy or check your library for this one today!

Thank you to William Morrow, Amy Suiter Clarke, and NetGalley for the advanced copy! All thoughts are my own.

#LayYourBodyDown:⁣
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Thank you @thrillerbookloverspromotions and @williammorrowbooks for my gifted copy!!⁣
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Honestly and truly, it was hard to put this book down. I grappled with not running because I wanted to read it but didn’t have the audiobook. Okay? That’s what we’re dealing with here today. ⁣
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I do feel like our girl needed a vision board (dare I say murder board!) because her thoughts were everywhere. I mean, to be fair, my ADD thoughts would have been everywhere trying to understand what in the heck has been looming in the darkness since I’ve been gone (queue Kelly Clarkson)⁣
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A lot of the twists and turns I totally got, but the journey was perfection. The doubt, the hate, the paranoia, so so good. I really loved how the book ended, and how we are left perfectly imperfect, just like life. Also, sorry, I thought of Rick as an evil Ty Burrell (let’s make this movie happen)⁣
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A solid hit for me! ⁣
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QOTD: If you got to cast your favorite book, who would you add to your lineup?

I was a huge fan of Girl 11 by Amy Suiter Clarke and jumped at the chance for an ARC of Lay Your Body Down. She did not disappoint. If you are a fan of cult reads, you'll definitely want to grab a copy of this.

I'm always fascinated by cult stories and this one was especially compelling because the cult-like church in the book takes some problematic teaching that definitely exists in many real-life churches and shows how it can be used to manipulate and control people. I appreciated how the author was respectful of Christianity and never made it seem like the the church in the book is how all churches are. I enjoyed how the author included blog posts and diary entries from the past to help tell the characters' backstories. The ending was satisfying, but a little farfetched.

OH MY GOODNESS!! I highly recommend this one, especially if you love cult novels. This was a great read to end the month. I didn't want to put this book down. Clarke does a fantastic job with her characters and their stories. GO READ THIS BOOK!!!

This is a strong, moving mystery tangled up with a story of religious trauma and its radiating impacts. I really liked the way the author approached this topic with honesty and sensitivity, and the characters and story were equally compelling. The Minnesota setting was part of what drew me to this book, and it was a setting that contributed to the story.

When Del fled her hometown and cult-like church, she promised herself she’d never go back. Upon hearing news that her ex-boyfriend, Lars, tragically and suddenly died, she breaks her vow and returns. She is surprised to find that the church has grown in power and influence. As Del learns the details of Lars’ ldeath, she suspects foul play, rather than the “freak accident” narrative the church preaches. In her pursuit to learn the truth, Del must confront the trauma she endured and previously tried to bury.

This was an enjoyable and well-written church/cult suspense. Although not necessarily groundbreaking in its plot, it was easy to follow, and I found myself quickly invested in learning what happened to Lars. I particularly liked the blog element, which offered a voice for Eve (Lars’ wife).

After taking a moment to become familiar with the characters and their personalities, I dove into this book head first! It was so well plotted out. I highly recommend this book and that NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Just stop what you are doing and read this one now - top thriller of the year, alert! Religious cult books are my kryptonite and this was everything I wanted. Now, I am skeptical of organized religion after being raised Catholic (and have made this clear before) but this book is so realistic and matched stories I have heard before. The blog posts from Eve were so well done and truly showed how a person can change over time. Suiter Clarke has become a favorite after two *amazing* thrillers - if you haven't read Girl, 11, please do so now!

Lay Your Body Down is the first book by Amy Suiter Clarke that I've read and I found it to be an enjoyable read. Del returns to her hometown for the funeral of her ex-boyfriend and quickly becomes convinced that there is more to his death than what's being shared by the authorities. When the police have no interest in investigating, Del seeks out answers on her own which puts her up against Messiah Church - the same church that she was ostracized from - and Pastor Rick - the most powerful person in the small town.

This is a slow burn, which at times made it seem a bit long, but I was invested in the story throughout. I was able to guess many of the twists early on but that didn't impact my enjoyment of the book.

Read this one if you enjoy:
-Cult themes
-murder mystery
-amateur detectives

Wow. I'm not sure where to start with this one.

As a recovering evangelical, I can tell you that Amy Suiter Clarke knows what she's talking about. This book should come with a trigger warning for survivors of church trauma. The self-righteousness, the sanctimonious gossips, the music, the potluck dinners -- it's all there. I'm not kidding when I say I had flashbacks while reading this. I've already recommended it to a few fellow former churchgoers, based solely on the feeling that Clarke GETS IT.

However.

The mystery is REALLY far-fetched, the protagonist is super annoying, and the twists are incredibly predictable. The church people are the most unlikeable, one-dimensional characters ever created, reminding me of why I no longer want to hang out with church people in the first place. And the "investigation" drags on for far too long before we make any progress on solving this mystery.

No young woman who left a church under the shadow of "immoral behavior" is going to show up in her home town and start asking questions about a death she finds suspicious. It just makes Del come off as obnoxious and bratty for her to be showing up on people's doorsteps and being nosy. She comes across as incredibly dumb too -- why did she trust the people she trusted? Why did she put herself in positions where she'd be in danger? I found it hard to sympathize when she found herself in a tight spot, because she's the one who put herself there.

***SPOILERS AHEAD***




This book spends a lot of time building up to what happened between Del and Noah, but when we finally find out what it was, it falls flat. Pictures of her breasts? That's it? Yes, I understand that what Noah did was wrong and it would be devastating for a teenager. But ruining her life? I'm not buying it. In addition, Pastor Rick never touches her, even though we spend half the book thinking he's going to. If you're going to set a murder mystery in a megachurch, then make the villain a villain! I wanted more overt bad behavior on the part of both Rick and Noah.

With that said, having Rick be the actual murderer was a disappointment and a far too easy solution. Believe me when I say I know people like Pastor Rick, and they'd never get their own hands dirty. Hire a hitman? Absolutely. Shoot someone themselves? Never. They might mess up their perfect evangelist hair.

Finn's motives don't seem serious enough to me either. Anyone who's ever read a murder mystery could see the twist coming, but he wasn't very convincing. And all I could think was how dumb Del was not to see it coming too.

Eve and Keith are also unbelievable. People like that don't change their minds.

Church trauma is a really complicated topic and I appreciate the difficulty Clarke likely had in deciding to write this story, and in making it accessible to people who didn't grow up in that environment. I'm giving the book three stars just for sheer ambition. But the story needs more big events, and more nuance on the murder side of things.

Also, I'd like to meet Amy Suiter Clarke. I have a feeling we'd have a lot in common.

While I was reading this book, I was also watching a documentary about Hillsong so the book had more impact when I was reading it. I am also a sucker for cult like premises that’s why I was so glad I got this ARC. It was quite slow and the multiple povs make it slower too. Therr are times that the things one character says are just giving me confusion. But overall I enjoyed it.

⛪️Book Review⛪️
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Summary: After Del Walker fled her small hometown and its cult-like church, she vowed to never return. The man she loved, Lars, left her to marry the local golden girl Eve, and their romance is now the focus of Eve’s viral blog espousing the pastor’s conservative philosophy about women and marriage. But six years later, Lars is suddenly killed, and she’s convinced it couldn’t have been an accident.

When Del returns to her hometown for the funeral, she discovers the now mega-church—and the insidious, patriarchal teachings of Pastor Rick Franklin—has grown not only in size but in influence. Eve was clearly discontent in her marriage, despite the carefully constructed “Noble Wife” positivity of her blog posts, and Del knows better than anyone just how far she will go to get what she wants. Del is determined to cut through the church’s lies and corruption to find out who killed Lars—even if it means confronting the religious trauma she’s spent years trying to bury.
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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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My thoughts: happy belated pub day to this fantastic creepy culty read ! Thank you @williammorrowbooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy! This book was SO good. It hooked me right from the first chapter. I love a good creepy cult mystery. Del was such an interesting character and this book went to some very deep and personal places. I loved the atmosphere and setting of this book. Her hometown church was so creepy and I really didn’t trust a single character in the book 😂It was such a fun and quick read with twists that you definitely will not see coming. Some of the book dragged a little especially toward the end of the book and at times it felt very repetitive. Overall I thought this was a really interesting, creepy read and I highly recommend it !