Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Bret Anthony Johnston’s We Burn Daylight is a gripping and poignant exploration of love, faith, and survival set against the backdrop of a doomsday cult in Texas. This novel, inspired by the true events of the Branch Davidian siege, masterfully intertwines historical reality with a compelling fictional narrative.

The story is set in Waco, Texas, in 1993, where people from diverse backgrounds converge to follow the teachings of a charismatic yet dangerous prophet known as the Lamb. The plot centers around Jaye, a young girl whose mother is deeply devoted to the Lamb, and Roy, the son of the local sheriff. Their romance is fraught with peril as the Lamb’s influence grows increasingly sinister. Johnston’s narrative is engaging and suspenseful.

Johnston excels in creating multi-dimensional characters who are both relatable and deeply flawed. Jaye’s skepticism and inner conflict about her mother’s devotion to the Lamb are portrayed with nuance and sensitivity. Roy, with his innate sense of justice and burgeoning love for Jaye, provides a stark contrast to the oppressive environment of the cult. 

We Burn Daylight delves into themes of faith, family, and the lengths to which people will go for love and salvation. Johnston’s exploration of the psychological grip of cults is insightful and disturbing.

Johnston’s prose is lyrical and precise, capturing the stark beauty of the Texas prairie and the intense emotions of his characters. His ability to weave historical facts with fictional elements creates a compelling narrative.

We Burn Daylight is a powerful and evocative novel that offers a profound look at the complexities of faith and love in the face of extremism.

Johnston’s storytelling is compassionate and unflinching, making this book a memorable and a thought-provoking read. Whether you’re drawn to historical fiction, psychological thrillers, or love stories, We Burn Daylight has something to offer.

There’s a Place for Us

The pitch is fairly simple: a Romeo and Juliet romance set in Waco, Texas, during a scenario much like the Branch Davidians siege. Author Bret Anthony Johnston was in Waco on the 25th anniversary of the tragedy and met with a number of the survivors and people involved– here the story began germinating in his imagination.

Jaye, the Juliet, is a teenaged girl who has reluctantly moved with her mother to the compound run by a religious zealot, Perry Cullen or “the Lamb” – a character similar to the real-life David Koresh. The members are permitted to go into town and Jaye meets the Sheriff’s son, fourteen-year-old Roy (our Romeo). Roy falls heavily for Jaye but has no idea she lives in the compound that his father and other law enforcement officials are investigating.

So, the real-life events of 1993 provide the skeleton for much of the setting. As such, we know how things ended, and we know there was a lot of controversy about the way the government handled the situation. In between Jaye and Roy’s chapters there are episodes of a podcast, “On the Lamb,” a modern-day investigation to find out what really happened. These are short and refreshing breaks as the pace seems to sputter at times. The kids are creations and not historical figures, so a driving motivation to keep reading is to discover their fates.

The sense of place is intense– this is Texas and cannot be confused with anywhere else. The people here are all understandable, if not sympathetic. The Lamb is extreme, of course, but the followers are multidimensional and not painted as mere zombies or robots. If anything, it is the federal government officials who are portrayed as a bit shady.

Overall, this is an interesting depiction of the Waco setting and the people there. For anyone who cares, the Romeo and Juliet theme was all right, with “Easter Eggs” scattered throughout. Knowing the probable outcome only made it drag out to a longer journey than necessary.

Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #WeBurnDaylight #NetGalley.

A beautifully written love story set against the backdrop of a tragic standoff in Waco, TX in 1993. Though it is not specifically the Branch Davidians led by David Koresh, the characters and events are clearly inspired by that event. I liked how each chapter would switch between the viewpoints of Jaye and Roy, with current day podcast interviews spliced in. Highly recommend!

This love story was beautifully written! I feel like everybody loves a good cult story from an insiders perspective and this book did it in the best way! There is no way you cannot fall in love with the two main characters. There were so many times that I felt like my heart was going to stop and I had to keep reading. I didn’t even feel like I was reading most of the time!

Bret Anthony Johnston is an author whose work leaves me breathless. Taking on difficult—impossible—human experiences and tragedies, he narrows perspective to one or two people. In We Burn Daylight, those perspectives come from two teenagers experiencing a Branch Davidian-like charismatic leader, law enforcement and the inevitable destruction of what each represents.
Roy is the second son of the small-town sheriff father and hospice nurse mother. There older son is in Iraq, first as a marine, but after his deployment, as a contractor. Roy is close to each of his family members, in the realistic way a teenage boy has. They don’t shelter him, but his parents and grandparents clearly cherish him. Jaye, a teenage girl who wants to be desired by her peers, is ripped from her California home when her mother, perhaps in a midlife crisis of her own, wants to be closer to Perry, also known as the Lamb.
Through the two of them, we meet townspeople and followers of The Lamb. We go to prayer meetings and gun shows and abandoned malls. Life in rural Texas in the early 90’s, before cell phones and iPad and social media, is engagingly depicted, and our imperfectly perfect characters, ultimately wanting mostly to be loved. In Johnston’s words, “Love is equally dyed in faith and fear. One life is always another life, another thousand lives.”
Along with the engaging story, Johnston’s writing is exquisite.
While I wanted to put the book down at the halfway point, where the downward spiral accelerates and leaves the reader believing there is only one end, as there was in Waco 1992. I admit to reading the author’s note before I went any further, where it was clarified that this was in fact fiction, though reliant on many of the details of reality. So, I kept reading, and found myself speeding through to find out what happened, I won’t spoil it, but I encourage you not only read the book, but by all means, to finish it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the review copy. We Burn Daylight was published on July 30, 2024.

This is a fiction book based on the Branch Davidian's and the subsequent siege that took place in Waco Tx. Back before Waco was known for Chip and Joanna Gaines they were known for what happened between the Branch Davidians and the US government.

This book centers around a young girl and her mother who follow "Perry" to Tx. Jaye doesn't like Perry and is only there for her mother. She meets Ray, the Sheriffs son, at a gun show and the two are drawn toward each other. She is given a truck to drive to make pick up and deliveries for the religious organization and often meets up with Ray. When the siege happens Ray is left to wonder about not only his father's health but that of Jaye. 

This was a fascinating glimpse inside a cult and while I know it was fiction it felt very real. I don't think I will ever understand how someone could fall for someone randomly calling themselves a prophet that speaks for god but then I'm not a super religious person. Anyone who sleeps with underage children and claims to have a moral high ground I will always have issue with. The story between Jaye and Ray was a little bit of a leap for me, particularly in the end but it was still interesting and I kept routing for them. 

If you have any interest in cults, doomed love, and interesting take on what happened that fateful day in Waco, Tx this is a good read.

I'm just tired of reading this book. It's not bad and it's not good. I'm just tired of it. I keep telling myself I will get interested in it but I'm at the halfway point and I'm done.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

This is an ambitious project. The author overlays fictious characters over the historical setting of Waco, Texas. This coming-of-age love story is told from three POVS; Jaye, living inside the compound, Roy, the son of the local sheriff and a podcast 30 years after the events unfolded. This is a tense story with a slow burn build up until the siege. The quality of the writing is beautiful, and the author has the reader seeing, smelling and feeling the scenery, the emotions and the tension on both sides of the standoff and in the town. The podcast perspective of interviewing people 30 years later was well executed and really added to the story. It was so interesting to see where people landed. The time setting of 1993 was very important to the story as Jaye and Roy were disconnected in the pre-cell phone era. The anxiety of not knowing how a loved one is during a tragedy for weeks and months is what drove Roy to do anything to find Jaye. The story also gives an insightful glimpse into cult life and the impact the siege had on the small town and people on both sides of the standoff. This was so well executed. It is a dark story that is beautifully written.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher to have early access to the kindle version of this book. I love me a good thriller/historical fiction.

I received this book from #NetGalley and was excited to read it! I watched the documentary series about Waco on Netflix awhile back and was hooked so I knew this would be great. Even though it isn’t about David Koresh it is based on it and I wasn’t disappointed. I really loved reading it from the view of the teenagers who were hopelessly in love. It was so raw and full of their emotions. There was enough suspense to keep you holding your breath at the end. I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome of the book and smiled while reading the ending. A love like Roy and Jaye’s don’t come around often so being inside of it and all of their turmoils was a wild ride!

We Burn Daylight is the story of two teenagers, Roy and Jaye, that fall in love in the town of Waco Texas in the late 1990's. Jaye's mother has just left her husband to follow a preacher to a promised Utopia in Waco, Texas. Jaye is much more cynical than her mom, but follows her to escape the mundane existence of her middle school and possibly gain freedom and a new life. When they arrive at the compound they are created by Perry Cullen, aka "the lamb" who has build a community on a ranch, and raises money for his community selling guns and ammunition - all while preaching about the second coming. Having just read the nonfiction book, Cultish, it was interesting to read about the life and words of "The lamb", who was based loosely on David Koresh.
Roy is fourteen, the son of the local sheriff, and feels a bit lost without his older brother, who is stationed in Afghanistan. When Roy and Jaye meet at a gun show, the two feel connected and begin a star crossed relationship. You feel immediately that the story is headed to dark territory. Interspersed in the novel are excerpts from a podcast that interviews various people that were involved with "the lamb", law enforcement officials, FBI, and towns people that were involved with the siege on the compound. Unlikely ending, but would be an interesting book for a book discussion.

If you are going to set a book about a crazed cult leader in Waco, Texas, in 1993, everyone is going to assume it’s about David Koresh. While this book may be inspired by those events, similar to Bright Young Women, We Burn Daylight tells a different story about a different cult leader. Unfortunately, I found Perry, the cult leader in this novel, more of a caricature and not compelling at all. I wondered why anyone would follow him. The book sparked some interest in looking back at the events of 1993, but I was not that absorbed in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the eARC.

This concept had me so excited but, I don't know why it just didn't work for me. I struggled to get through the book and really was glad to be done with it. I can't fully put my finger on why.

Fascinating take on the David Koresh story with nuanced character development and fun turns of phrase. Thank you NetGalley!

This novel is so well done. The characters are believable, the love story innocent and heartbreaking, and the confusion and chaos of Waco was perfectly described. I loved the usage of a podcast recording as a storytelling device, and the epilogue was pitch perfect. I’m so glad that I read this, and can’t wait to recommend it.

I got about 30% in and this one just felt slow to me. Interesting subject but I needed a bit more plot. I’ve heard good things so maybe try it if you’re interested.

We Burn Daylight is set in 1993 Waco, Texas against the backdrop of a communal doomsday cult's heyday. While not precisely about Daid Koresh and the Branch Davidians, it is clearly based on actual events. These actual events played out my freshman year in high school, which I remember watching daily in captivation. That the main characters in this book were my own age at the time made this story extra special and relatable. What We Burn Daylight excels at is painting vivid shades of gray. There is no exact right and wrong, truth or lie, prophet or profiteer, lar or lawlessness, moral or immoral. This is a story GenX will particularly relate to, and it is brilliantly written. The only thing that kept this from being a 5-star read for me is that I felt the "why" was missing from how events played out in the end. I respect the author's choice for the characters, but I would have preferred just a little more explanation. But maybe that is just another shade of gray to come to terms with?

4.5 stars for this brilliant story. The explanation for how it came to be in the author's note made it all the more incredible.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

While I was born in 1990, I was not privy to the "doomsday cults" that frequented many TV screens and newspaper articles. I did grow up in a Christian household, but my participation at churches often changed due to my mom's preferences until, one day, we settled on one in particular for reasons still not entirely clear to me. With this framework, I went into Bret Anthony Johnston's "We Burn Daylight."

Reading this novel from the perspectives of the two main youths and the occasional podcast snippet here and there kept me on my toes. I wondered not only what would happen next but also if I could foresee potential chaos and heartbreak from the podcast interviewees. I wanted to prepare myself for the worst by "figuring it out." That didn't stop me from becoming invested in these characters, even when I didn't understand their choices.

Bret Anthony Johnston did an excellent job of showing the complexities and fragilities of the human spirit and how desperate one can become to feel they are truly worthy to another.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with a digital review copy of this exceptional novel in exchange for my honest feedback.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for gifting me a digital ARC of this thought-provoking book by Bret Anthony Johnston. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

A fictionalized account of the Waco cult standoff, this story is told from the POV of two teenagers, Jaye and Roy, in 1993, and from podcast transcripts in 2024. Jaye's mother was a believer of Perry, also known as The Lamb, and Jaye followed her to Waco. Roy is the son of the local sheriff, struggling with his brother's deployment to Iraq, and becomes enamored with Jaye. The teenagers are smarter than many of the adults, and realize that Perry's intentions aren't good and something needs to be done. The story is suspenseful and you will be rooting for Jaye and Roy, as well as fearful for the way the standoff between Perry's followers and the Federal Government will end up. Fascinating look at cults, wonderfully written, suspenseful, and a novel that is both a love story and a tragedy.

Any book about a cult is usually a good one but this one was definitely one of the best ones I have read. The story goes back and forth between Jaye and Roy, two teenagers who fall for each other. Jaye is originally from California but comes to Texas with her mom to live with Perry, or The Lamb. Roy is the son of the sheriff who ends up being in charge of investigating the cult.

Both characters of Jaye and Roy were very well written and the book itself was a very fast read. I think the author did a wonderful job of portraying what it was like being in the compound and giving you an idea how some of the characters fell victim to a man like the Lamb.
Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy