American Rapture is the second novel by CJ Leede and it follows a very sheltered catholic teenager named Sophie who finds herself in the middle of the apocalypse. Surrounded by sex obsessed zombies, Sophie is determined to find a way to her twin brother. Meeting several different people along the way, Sophie learns more about herself and the world in this coming of age horror novel.

I read an arc of this author’s debut novel and while that was a gory romp, this book has a lot more introspection. This book is for the people who are dealing with religious trauma from their childhood. I feel like this book approached religion in such an interesting way. There were times that this book felt incredibly relevant to things that are happening in the world right now.

I found this book to be incredibly captivating. I was so engrossed in it every time I picked it up and I think that’s because of the great character work Leede is able to do in this story. The writing style has a certain snappiness to it that keeps the story moving and the way that it is told from Sophie’s perspective really allows the reader to learn with the character.

This book also has an almost episodic quality to it. Like while I was reading it, I kept thinking that it would make a perfect mini series because of the way it could be broken down. I think anyone who is a fan of things like The Walking Dead or The Last of Us would love this. Anything that has a zombie type vibe but is really more about human nature.

This book is very different from Maeve Fly but I feel like I loved it just as much in a different way. This is definitely one of my top books of the year and I will be recommending it to everyone who will listen.

Had I known that this: "A virus is spreading across America, transforming the infected and making them feral with lust," meant that infected people became rapists, I wouldn't have requested this book and I'm sorry I got it because I'm not finishing it. I understand why that's a horrific element, but it's just not something I want to read about, so I guess that's on me for not picking up on what the description of this book was putting down. That, combined with the choppy writing style, is a no for me.

Unfortunately, this book was not really my vibe so I DNF'd it. I will not be providing a rating on Goodreads or posting about it on social media. I do not think there is anything wrong with the writing or the story, it was just not for me as it's intended audience. I think the story was set up well and the characters were fully developed.

Thank you NetGalley and TOR for providing me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First, WOW this was incredible, thought provoking, shocking, touching, and unique take on an apocalyptic sci-fi horror. I devoured this in under 24-hours. It was an engrossing read that weaves together themes and compelling characters. The story's pacing keeps you hooked from start to finish, with enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes. The author's ability to blend different elements into a cohesive narrative is impressive, making this book a must-read for anyone who enjoys a mix of suspense and reflection on deeper societal issues. Definitely worth picking up if you're in the mood for something that challenges your perspective while entertaining you.

American Rapture is a complete departure from Maeve Fly regarding protagonists. Maeve is violent and kinky while Sophie is a tender-hearted virgin. The apocalypse is here and it comes in the form of a virus that causes those infected to become sexually feral. Sophie goes on a wild road trip across the Midwest in search of her brother but also tries to outrun a virus that is infecting everyone. While the virus sounds horrific (because the person dies a few days later after being infected), the real horror is how Sophie was brought up. Sophie had a very strict Catholic upbringing that had her parents not allowing her to watch television or read books they didn’t approve of. Her descriptions of her upbringing – the constant fear, guilt, and shame are scary (and can understand why people decided to remove themselves from religion when that is what is being preached). I guess for me, despite being Catholic, I was raised very liberal and so never understood the restrictions some of my friends had (I’ve also noticed that Italian Catholics are more chill cause Roman paganism still hovers predominately over us). This is to say that the most horrific things that happen in this novel are caused by the religious cult and misogynistic men – which are very real horrors (and ones we deal with in our own lives). If you enjoyed movies like Zombieland, you will love this novel as the group of characters get to visit and stay in some really fun Midwestern locations (I was having a blast Googling and finding pix of these crazy but cool places!). This book will make you feel all the feelings – but there are enough horrific, gory scenes for the extreme horror lovers out there. I really loved reading this and going on this wild ride, and Leede always lands her endings in ways that are hard to beat. This is a phenomenal novel that is jam-packed with emotion and grit, and never a dull moment in sight.

I recommend this book if you love horror that leans on cults, conspiracy theories, pandemics, and zombies (although not entirely zombies, what happens to the infected is close enough).

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

"American Rapture" by CJ Leede is an apocalyptic coming of age horror novel following a young woman searching for her brother amidst a mysterious Pandemic.

This book is simply beautiful. It challenges ideas of what it's like to find yourself through the lens of what it's like to be a woman. Atmosphere and tension breathes through its pores to create a creepy, sad and exhilarating ride.

This book is a slow burn and at times I struggled with it, but for me I feel it was less about the pace and more about the material. I could see it being adapted into an awesome TV show a-la "The Last Of Us".

I can't wait for this book's release so I can proudly display it on my shelf.

Thank you endlessly to NetGalley and Tor who gifted me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is easily one of my favorite reads this year, and I'm super pumped for the release of this book. It only took pressure from everyone telling me to read it, but I finally got to it, and now I need to get on with Maeve Fly. CJ Leede is a beautiful writer. This book made me feel a thousand emotions, and chapter 41 made all those feelings pour out. I appreciate my emotional support friends through this read who knew what I was getting myself into. I'm gonna gift this book to so many people.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for this ARC!

I was a big fan of CJs first book and I was looking forward to reading American Rapture. I found this book to be a lot more tame than Leede’s first book, but I didn’t mind that.

American Rapture dealt with a lot of heavy themes and I really liked the characters. I felt that the pacing and storyline was also done very well. I didn’t feel like any of the book dragged or went on for too long. Cjs writing is great and i can’t wait for what she writes next!

I fell in love with CJ Leede’s work last year after reading Maeve Fly which quickly became one of my favorite books. But with American Rapture she has outdone herself. This book is dark and beautiful, heart wrenching and truly terrifying.

I rarely get actually scared reading horror but found this truly terrifying and engrossing with building tension and nightmarish imagery that doesn’t let up. At the same time I loved Sophie and seeing her character growth and truly cared about the people she encountered as she searched for her brother. The themes explored of coming of age, religious trauma and extremism, and questioning the beliefs one is raised in were emotional and poignant and while at times quite brutal there is an underlying hopefulness. C.J. Leede is one of my favorite authors and for the second time she has written my favorite book of the year.

If you’re looking for something incredibly unsettling with emotional moments and haunting prose set against an apocalyptic setting this is it. I cannot recommend it enough.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher. I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

thank you netgalley, the publisher and the author for letting me read this for a honest review.

if you get it, you get it. that was my thoughts the whole time i read this amazing book. sex crazed zombies and religious guilt is such a crazy combo yet work so well that i don't think anyone else could pull it off

I saw some people say in their review, that they didn't like how young the FMC was, due to her more mature thoughts she is feeling towards the other characters. however, weren't we all sixteen seventeen crushing on someone much older than we are? a person in a movie, tv show, musician in our favorite band, we all did and the FMC is no different than us in this aspect. leede does a amazing job at this, putting you in the mind of this young FMC.

last notes, this was good. i see this book getting LOTS of heat but i truly think those who give it a shot will eat it UP!!

thank you, tor and netgalley, for the e-arc!

I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this. as a big fan of the walking dead and other survival style stories, this definitely hit the mark. it was fun and dreadful at the same time. CJ Leede just has a way with storytelling that keeps you locked in. I will for sure do a reread via audiobook when it comes out.

all I know is that I do NOT want to be stuck in a car when the world falls apart.

while I didn't enjoy this as much as Maeve Fly, it was still worth the read. CJ Leede will be an autobuy author for me!

I have never sobbed so hard at a book before.

Growing up in a highly religious family, this book hit so many soft spots in my psyche. The fact that I saw myself in Sophie made this book that much more special.

Being told my entire life that homosexuality is wrong, sex is wrong unless for procreation, ignoring my feelings of being “different”. It took me well into adulthood to be okay with who I am, be okay with being part of the LGBTQ community, and be okay with enjoying sex.

This book is one of the most phenomenal books I’ve read in a long time. I never expected a horror book to make me feel the feelings I did, but here we are.

CJ Leede writes such beautiful, brilliant characters. Watching Sophie on this journey to discover herself while simultaneously fighting to stay alive in a world gone to hell is an edge-of-your-seat adventure.

I grew so attached to these characters. Something that doesn’t often happen with books I read. They have such depth and feel so real I had to constantly remind myself that this is a book.

I will forever sing the praises of this book.
If you love a horror book that has tragedy, heartfelt moments, and will bring you to your knees, I cannot recommend this one enough.

I really, really hope, with a passion, that this book gets turned into a TV series.
While some characters felt a bit generic at times, I liked the premise: a sheltered girl from a Catholic family trying to survive a gruesomely icky virus outbreak. There were moments when the protagonist's inner monologue felt a bit out there, obsessing over boys and crushes amidst such horror, but then I realized... that's exactly how intense and random I was as a teenager.
It was a perfect summer read; I flew through it and found the level of gore and brutality just right for the story. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author!

Featured quote:

"No hate in the world like Christian love."

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was amazing. I do not say that a lot but this one was. All I was thinking was could some of this happen? The twists and turns in this book made it for me. If this book is not on your list it should be.

Thank you to NetGalley/Tor Nightfire for the e-arc! Definitely check the TWs for this one, but I just want to highlight that it does include graphic animal death. :(

3.5 rounding up! Imagine having your coming-of-age experience at the worst possible time. Sophie, a sheltered teenager raised in a strictly Catholic household with basically no exposure to the outside world, meets a handsome boy and starts feeling things (shameful, embarrassing things in the Catholic perspective) right before all Hell breaks loose. There's a virus rapidly spreading through the US turning people into basically sex zombies.

It's a story about fighting for survival as much as it is about questioning the things Sophie was raised to believe. The writing immediately sucked me in and really put me in her mind. I could feel her constant guilt and simmering hate through the pages as things turned from bad to worse, and then the horror, desperation, and hopelessness as everything devolves to the point of no return. Though it took a few chapters for the plot to get going, the stakes never stopped increasing. Even when the characters tried to relax, the sense of dread never ceased and I found myself just waiting for something else horrible to happen. And oh boy, it sure did. The climax kind of wrecked me.

There is a lot going on in this story, and at times I thought it didn't quite juggle it all effectively. Not poorly enough to hinder my enjoyment, but enough for me to think about it after the fact. I already planned on picking up Maeve Fly at some point, but I'm going to bump that up on my priority list.

This is an apocalyptic pandemic tale in the same vein as Stephen King’s “Cell” or “The Stand,” except this one is focused on a teenage Catholic girl’s reckoning with her religion and upbringing. I am a huge fan of “Cell” and “The Stand,” so naturally I very much enjoyed this book.

The story has found family, a sweet romance side plot, and some sad and horrifying moments. It’s a blend of horror, thriller, and literary fiction, and it’s quite heavy on its themes; the author really hits you over the head with them in ways that feel repetitive and unnatural at times. I found myself frustrated with the main character’s decision-making and thought processes, though I suppose they make sense for someone with such a sheltered life.

There are many potentially triggering scenes in this book, so beware if you have any triggers.

I absolutely love cj Leede’s ability to write first person protagonist narratives. You fall in love with the imperfections of the protagonists and other characters and really root for their survival. You are made to feel like they are your friends and family in religious and biblical take on viral apocalypse narrative.
Following a Christian sheltered teen who is largely cut of from mainstream media and American culture, you are thrust into a world wher egos are not only learning how to live but also the rules of the viral outbreak survival first hand at same time as teen but feel the fear and anxiety inspired by lack of knowledge and spread of misinformation of the Covid pandemic

American Rapture by CJ Leede is my first read by the author, and I was absolutely blown away. Seriously so freaking good!

Fire and brimstone. Flood and blood. Plague and famine. There are a million books, a million and one movies depicting the apocalypse. The end has been depicted as everything from rapture to zombies to tornadoes of sharks. But what’s more horrifying than the loss of autonomy, of faith? Mutilation? Sexual assault? When a pandemic begins to sweep through the United States, sheltered Midwestern teenager, Sophie, is unaware of what’s coming. Living with hormones and curiosity, and now in fear for her institutionalized twin brother’s safety, Sophie flees her home to reunite with him as the flames of panic consume the world.

Oh, what a wonderful left turn from the never-ending absurdly macabre Hollywood picture show that is Maeve Fly! American Rapture is patient and succinct. So much of the horror is left veiled, imagined, and heard. In times of duress, we feel Sophie’s panicked thoughts conveyed through punches of prose. Each character we’re introduced to during her upper-Midwest road trip through Hell is a well-sculpted whole of a person. Sophie builds from a mild-mannered good ol’ Catholic girl into a woman born of fire and lust and hope. American Rapture is traumatic and reminiscent of the South Korean film, The Sadness. However, the hope for humanity despite its horror is a bleeding love letter portrayed through the tremendous bonds of the found family that Sophie collects.

Leede is quickly proving herself to be a master of writing location as a character. In Maeve Fly, it was the faded light of a ‘70s neon sign over a dark desert highway. In American Rapture, it’s the contradictory switch-up between the billboards that block the Midwestern sky along every highway from Missouri to Minnesota: truck stop erectile dysfunction pills on your next right, a goofily illustrated fetus telling you he’ll tell God if you abort him, the world’s largest prairie dog made of chewing gum off exit 132.

When left alone with our thoughts on a long road trip through soybean fields, what will we contemplate? Life and death, Heaven and Hell, the boredom of existence without sin and risk and heartbreak. American Rapture is a tremendous sophomore novel. Major kudos! Also, it's an absolutely GORGEOUS cover.

Very interesting commentary on religion, purity culture, and homophobia. I didn't like this one quite as much as Maeve Fly, but it's a close second. I liked Sophie, and I thought her growth throughout the story was great. I wish there had been a little more dealing with her childhood and her relationship with her brother, but the actual horror elements and the main plot were great.