Honestly, I began reading this book because I thought it was about David Koresh. Not until the afterword are you told it’s not. If it’s not, then why make Waco the setting? It’s a very involving read at times. But it definitely leaves you wondering why it was written, what the author actually thinks about the Koresh story, and why the fanciful, unrealistic ending was felt necessary?

We Burn Daylight is a fictionalization of the Waco, TX siege on David Koresh and his religious followers. That said, as someone who was quite young when this happened, prior knowledge of these events is not required. In this book, we have Jaye, a teenage girl who goes with her mother when she leaves California to follow "The Lamb" to TX, and Roy, a teenage boy who lives in Waco, the son of the sheriff, and their star-crossed romance. They are our two main protagonists, which therefore means we view the events around the Waco siege from the perspective of two kids who don't always know and understand everything around them.
As I previously mentioned, I had no real prior knowledge of the events that inspired this novel, and overall enjoyed this fictional take that attempts to illustrate what it was like to live in Waco at the time of the siege, and also attempts to elaborate on why the Branch Davidians were so inspired to follow the Lamb, despite quite poor living conditions. Both Jaye and Roy felt like authentic teenagers, behaving and talking ways that a teenager would. My one main criticism would be the jump forward in time and the final chapter, as it felt like a departure from the previous book stylistically, for me.
Thank you to Random House Book and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

Remember Waco and the Branch Davidian situation back in the '90s? I do, although it's becoming a distant memory. The "doomsday cult" members living on their own compound ... the Feds moving in ... Janet Reno ...

Well, Bret Anthony Johnson found the whole thing interesting enough that it inspired him to write "We Burn Daylight." Young teen Jaye moves with her mom from California to Texas, following Perry aka "The Lamb." Perry is into Jaye's mom, but also kind of takes a shine to Jaye herself. Meanwhile in town, the sheriff's young teen son Roy has a few meetings with Jaye and the two fall in love. As you can imagine, this leads to trouble. If you know the Waco story, you can guess some of what happens. But this book goes its own direction in an extended epilogue.

I enjoyed this book's throwback to the early '90s. The lack of smartphones, computers, and the internet was refreshing and made me nostalgic for that time. The writing was good.

For me, there were more things I didn't enjoy than I did. Jaye is confident in the you-go-girl way that is so popular today, but I found her brash and kind of annoying. I also found it off-putting that she kept referring to Roy as "my pilgrim." Their "romance" seemed based on very little other than its necessity as a plot device, and I think comparisons I've seen online to Romeo and Juliet (the origin of the title quote) are totally over-the-top. Perry, the David Koresh figure, didn't seem very charismatic and it was hard to imagine what the others living there saw in him. I wished more about the "services" or daily life in the compound had been fleshed out.

The pacing of the book was very slow, and podcast interviews interspersed between chapters broke up any momentum the story might have otherwise had. If you're interested in the Waco situation, you may enjoy this.

Loved the scope and sweep of this story. Found the characters engaging and story about religious fervor compelling. The sense of place and time were spot on and would recommend this read to anyone that likes William Kent Krueger or Mark Spragg.

"We Burn Daylight" is a masterfully crafted literary work authored by Bret Johnston, delving into the poignant events that unfolded in Waco, Texas in 1993. This compelling novel intricately explores the lives of two young individuals hailing from opposing sides of the situation. Roy, the son of the local sheriff, and Jaye, whose mother is entangled with the leadership of the cult, find themselves inexplicably drawn to one another amidst the chaos. As the narrative unfolds, the story adopts an enthralling thriller-like atmosphere, leaving readers on the edge of their seats as they ponder who will ultimately emerge from the tragedy unscathed. Seamlessly blending elements of romance and historical fiction, "We Burn Daylight" offers a profound depiction of a somber chapter in our nation's history. I wholeheartedly recommend immersing yourself in this remarkable book, which I personally awarded a solid four-star rating.
Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for the ARC to read and review.

This story begins with a mother and daughter who leave California, heading to Waco, Texas. Jaye’s mother has learned that a man she knew in California has formed a religious community where he plans to share the word of God, or at least his version of God. She’s heard the word about <i>’the Lamb’</i>, and is eager to become a part of this new community. Set in an isolated area, far from anything resembling a suburb, he is treated by some as a god, and where his followers, eager to follow, believe his words, and follow him.

When Jaye and her mother arrive, Jaye meets Roy, the son of the local sheriff, which slowly becomes somewhat of a love story.

Part of this story is shared through podcasts, although the main part of the story is shared through Jaye’s perspective and Roy’s, as well.

The longer you read this the more you begin to believe that it is one of those stories that will likely end badly. After all, put together a cult and Waco, and what else would you expect?

I enjoyed this, if somewhat unevenly, as the story continued, but while the podcast transcripts offered insight to some degree, it also felt like I was being taken out of the story to ‘listen’ to the podcast.


Pub Date: 30 Jul 2024

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random Houses Publishing Group - Random House / Random House

Great premise and execution, I loved the alternating perspectives between Roy and Jaye. This is a bit of a slow burn (you know, in broad strokes how this story will end) but it there is great character building and a deep backstory created on the way there.

Overall, I wish this story was not set in Waco. This appears to be a fictionalized account of the Branch Davidians' standoff, but it's also not. There is no David Koresh leading the group. The standoff ends similarly, but there are also many differences and we view the story through the lens of unique characters. Personally, I would have liked I firmer line between fact and fiction. I kept wanting to look up facts from the actual events to compare the two rather than becoming lost in the story.

But when I decided to just pretend this was a unique story, it was easier to get into. The tender, growing love story really anchors the book and gives the standoff much more heft. The fact that Roy's family is in law enforcement added another layer of stress to the events unfolding. You're not really clear on what this group actually believes in (other than judgement day) but do we ever? Cults are founded not on practicalities but on their leader's charisma (though this one seemed a bit of a distracted mess).

The final quarter of the book was tense and action packed, taking twists and turns you might not see coming. I think this was was my favorite part of the book. (It's hard to make a very long standoff dramatic since it is by nature a slow, boring process. You're intrigued during those scenes, but it inevitably slows the story down.)

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I grew up in Waco Texas so I was interested in this story at first. My problem is I know too much about what actually happened with the Branch Davidians to want to read fictional tales or documentaries about this cult. You missed the truth by miles.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I like the premesis of this book. The storytelling and different POVs at the beginning did make it hard for me to read and be engaged.

I love a cult story, so I jumped at the opportunity to read We Burn Daylight.

Jaye and her mother hopped in their car, driving from California to Waco, TX. Jaye's mother's plan is to find the Lamb, who she knew in California, and has since set up a religious community that's, largely, off-the-grid. Jaye decides to join her mom at the last minute, thinking this excursion will be, at most, a week or two, and a story to make her cooler at high school.

Roy, short for Royal, lives in Waco. His dad is the sheriff and his mom is a hospice nurse. Roy is curious about what's happening with the Lamb. And even more so once he meets Jaye and falls head-over-heels for her in a way that only a teenager can.

The story alternates between Jaye and Roy's perspectives, with excerpts from podcast transcripts about the cult. You don't know exactly what's going to happen, but you do know that it's bad, tragic, and disastrous - enough so that someone has decided to document the history in podcast form.

We Burn Daylight is a slow burn read. It's dense, taking a while to trudge through, and heavy content. Overall, I liked it, but the pacing felt off. It felt like work to get to the end, and I was glad when I did. Recommended. 3.5 stars rounded down. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: pedophilia, cults, brainwashing, consent, gun violence, police violence, all the violence

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an early E copy of this book. Love Johnston’ s writing style, was my first by him and won’t be my last. It hooked me from the start. A fictionalized version of the cult massacre in Waco, TX. Every thing was so realistic. Very highly recommend.

I burned the candle at both ends to finish this suspensefully plotted and meaningfully nuanced coming of age novel, set against the backdrop of the not-so-veiled tragedy of the Branch Davidian at Waco, Texas. Jaye’s mom decides to follow “the Lamb” out to the compound but Jaye won’t be left behind in California. Jaye, wearing her issued gas-mask at the local gun show, meets Roy, the sheriff’s son. Their guileless affection for each other is both naturally compelling and heartbreaking in its inevitable unfolding. Every side is fairly represented, allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions. Johnston has achieved an elegiac and symbolic American mythos set under a freezing and bullet filled Texas sky. “But the truth is holy in its indifference, as dangerous and elusive as the dead, and like the dead, always closer than you’d imagine.”

What would you sacrifice for the person you love? Roy and Jaye’s teenage Romeo and Juliet story will bring to life many tragic events of that time. Based on true events that happened thirty years ago at the Branch Davidian compound, this book reads a little like a documentary though it is a novel. The descriptions are good, as are the characters, but the story itself is slow going. Still, an interesting read.

Cowboys say, "We Burn Daylight," so I picked the book up thinking Bret Anthony Johnston was going to tell a story about cowboys in Waco, Texas. His Prologue quickly set me straight. It is a story about Waco and guns and a showdown that makes High Noon or the O.K. Corral look puny in comparison. Johnston's story deals with the events leading to the raid on the Branch Davidian Compound in 1993. He tells the story through the eyes of two teenagers; Roy, the Sheriff's son and Jaye, who comes from California with her mother who comes because cult leader Perry Cullen makes her "visible." The teenagers provide the reader with an insight into the hopes and fears they experience as time moves slowly toward the climax. Additional insight is provided through a series of "On the Lamb" podcasts with interviews of some of the cult members. The Romeo and Juliet epigraph is appropriate for the story as Roy and Jaye worry about family and each other much as Shakespeare's young lovers did in their time. No cowboys here, but a number of heroes and perhaps a lesson for law enforcement and for those who watched media coverage of the standoff. In Johnston's Epilogue, several mysteries become clear. Jaye narrates this final chapter as Roy is finished with talking. We learn who the creator of the Lamb podcasts is and the reason behind them. The novel provides an intimate portrait of events beyond the scope of the media and its blatant quest for ratings at the time and allows a closer look at the real tragedy of Waco. The novel is well worth a careful read, especially for anyone who witnessed the progression of events in real time.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

WOW. That's truly all I can manage after finishing this book. What an impressive feat by Johnston to take on this sensitive and challenging topic, and turn it into an absolute masterpiece. As a history buff, this almost felt like reading nonfiction. It was INSANELY good. The author has clearly done an exorbitant amount of research for this novel, and it absolutely shows. These characters that were fictionalized felt like they were real, and that made it even better. I hope Johnston continues to venture down similar avenues, because this was downright astonishing work.

There are 2 main indicators as if a novel is great or not so great.
1. Do you find yourself wishing it was 400 pages longer?
2. Is it highly quotable?

This one answers yes on both counts.

Inspired by the true events in Waco, Texas, We Burn Daylight is the fictional story of fourteen year olds Roy - son of the sheriff - and Jaye - daughter of one of the Lamb’s followers. Jaye is new to Waco and thinks everyone on the compound her and her mother have just moved to is nuts; she sees Perry aka The Lamb for the con artist and manipulator that he is. Roy is the son of the local sheriff, who is trying to determine if Perry and his followers are doing anything illegal on their compound.
While I know the basics of what happened in Waco in 1993, I wasn’t familiar with the specifics of the cult and the siege. I really enjoyed this book, it was incredibly well written and well researched, with believable charters. One of my favorite aspects about this book was that the characters actually acted their written ages - one of my biggest peeves in books is when children behave wildly out of character for the age they are written, whether too mature or too childish for the assigned age. These were 14 year olds who spoke and behaved and thought like 14 year olds… all without making the book come off as YA.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of We Burn Daylight in exchange for my honest review.

We Burn Daylight takes as inspiration the siege on the Branch Dividian compound in
Waco. Texas in 1993, and adds in a teenage love story. The writing is good, but the story could have been told with more intensity, especially the portrayal of “the Lamb,” - I found myself wanting more details about his life, and how he came to be kind of man people followed and believed in despite his being a pedophile. I wanted to know the members of his cult more intimately so that I could begin to understand how they were drawn in, and why they stayed. I kept waiting for an emotional connection, but the interspersed transcripts from a podcast only served to further distance me from the story. This will be a good book cub title, with much to be discussed.

I have to admit, my knowledge of the Waco tragedy from the 90's is next-to-nothing, so I had no real preconceived notions coming into this tale, which clearly does NOT claim to be nonfiction. I quickly got attached to the characters, and I appreciated and enjoyed the use of present-day interviews of some of the participants to flesh out the story. I think the landscape of the compound was set very well, and the interaction between the townspeople and the sect was fascinating.

I enjoyed this -- I felt real emotions at the end, which doesn't often happen. Recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being given freely.

Unfortunately I was very disappointed in this book. I didn’t like it at all and I’d rather not write a review. Sorry
Irene G