This book devastated me and solidified CJ Leede as a favorite author. It took me a few chapters to get onboard with the story and characters but boy is this a roller coaster of emotions. I felt the joy, sadness, confusion and hope these characters shared on page. Apocalyptic horror has always been an effective genre to stir up anxiety and fear for me along with the religious messaging made this book a powerful read. What a huge impact!

American Rapture, in the most straightforward terms, is a coming of age story set during an apocalypse. However, the book is so much more than just that. 

We experience some truly terrifying apocalyptic horror and events taking place on a grand scale, but at the same time, the heart of this is Sophie's story. Her story is intimate, heartfelt and thoughtful. Her being so sheltered due to her ultra-religious upbringing is a hurdle she must overcome in order to survive. 

The various elements of this novel come together and work in a satisfying way. The dangers imposed by the virus outbreak itself as well as the human component of how people will react and behave in an apocalyptic setting are genuinely scary. This, balanced with the character growth Sophie endures, makes this a great read. In a book filled with moments that hit hard, the internal struggles Sophie juggles might hit the hardest.

When you’re raised in a righteous community as a young woman, one thing is drilled into your head - “ Beware of lust; it corrupteth both the body and the mind.” What’s a teenage girl to do when curiosity is the lust of the mind? Sophie is torn between what she has always known and the world outside of her small Midwest town. Parents and teachers telling her to stand with the Lord only for those like minded people to forsake the innocent. When Sylvia, a new virus, sweeps across America, Sophie is faced with an impossible choice. Her hand forced, she ventures out to search for answers, finding unlikely companionship along the way. Horrors of this changing world plague Sophie as she questions her beliefs and faith. She needs to stay curious, it might be the only thing that keeps her alive.

I will start off by saying rarely ever am I frightened by a story, regardless of the format. What Leede did with American Rapture was haunting.

Off the heels of Maeve Fly, Leede came out swinging with her second novel. I’m so glad horror has taken on more modern day religious extremism. Head on, this is a creature feature; as the reader delves more into the story, they discover the true monsters set on purging the sinners. A sinner is a person who transgresses against divine law by committing immoral acts, not someone that goes against YOUR beliefs. Leede could not have set the scene better. This story wouldn’t have hit as hard if it took place anywhere other than today’s America.

Leede’s dialogue feels true to how a teenager who is discovering parts about themselves would talk especially to people who don’t share the same ideology. She also splices in “How To” sections into the story as if Sophie is remembering all the information she has compiled from reading books other than the Bible. American Rapture was a fast-paced read that you don’t want to put down. This book is one the reader will not soon forget.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the arc!
Oh man where to begin. CJ put a piece of herself into this book and it shows. The prose was great, the characters were believable and including places that exist in real life was super fun because I could google where she was at and see it for myself.
Adding elements to make me feel morally conflicted right along with Sophie was genius. This book is going to sit with me for a long time and I can honestly say without any hesitation it is the best thing I have read all year.

This was a twisty fever dream that was everything that I've come to expect from CJ Leede. The apocalypse, a deadly virus, religious trauma, cults, and heart wrenching scenes. I couldn't ask for more. This book cemented the fact that Leede is an auto buy author for me now

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The first quarter of the book was really strong. I think CJ Leede did a good job at setting the tone and showing us how things can gradually take a turn when an epidemic hits the outskirts of society. Unfortunately, I think the rest of this book fell flat and I felt myself skimming entire chapters just to get to the action, which still did nothing for me.

I think the main character Sophie’s personal struggles with religion, sexuality, and being sheltered were well thought out. I also think Leede did a fantastic job of capturing the essence of adolescence. Sophie’s sense of wonder and excitement about everything increased after she was quickly and violently forced into society as a result of the zombie outbreak, which was an aspect I loved.

I was really disappointed by the choice to include an older male characters insinuated feelings for our teenage protagonist, which is one of my book turn-offs. I don’t think his supposed feelings added anything to the story, and all it did was make me cringe and divert my attention from her primary love interest.

The graphic nature of the zombies (how they r*ped people instead of just killing them) also really bothered me, and I can definitely see how it’d turn some readers away.

HUGE trigger warnings:
- R*pe
- Graphic dog death

6/8/2024
SOBBING.

I’ll sort this review after I’ve processed a bit more.

Preorder the HELL out of this one. It comes out Oct 15, 2024.


Update 7/19/2024
DON'T READ THE AUTHOR NOTES UNTIL THE END. They're at the end for a reason, trust me.

I thought about this book for a month before writing a review. I really just want everyone to read it and love it as much as I do.

This is a horror story, but there is hope.

On the surface, this is a survival story. The main character, Sophie, is a 16yo young woman raised by religious zealot parents. A pandemic forces Sophie to leave her home and everything she has ever known in hopes of finding her brother. Facing challenges she has been sheltered from, Sophie is both horrified and in awe of the world around her.

In her second novel, Leede’s has given us a story that we can connect with, a character we can root for, and people we will love along the way. She made me laugh. She made me cringe. She made me cry so much.

I love this book!





Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for the eARC of this book! It was both and honor and a pleasure to read!

This was a heartwrenching, gripping, and fascinating book! I absolutely loved CJ Leede's previous book, Maeve Fly, and her writing skills continue to shine here.

The story follows Sophie, a sheltered teen who grew up in basically an extremist religious group. She had very limited knowledge of the outside world, but still found ways to assert her individuality (eg reading books from the library that were "forbidden to her" aka anything that wasn't middle grade). A COVID-esque zombie plague is sweeping the nation, and being as sheltered as she is (no substantial exposure to the outside world) Sophie barely knows about it before it's too late. This infection turns people into rabid, lust driven creatures essentially. After a series of events, Sophie ends up on the run and encounters lots of different people who sort of become a found family for her.

There was mystery, some great horror moments, and a ton of emotional gut punches. Loved the writing style, loved Sophie's character so much, as well as some of the side characters.

The only reason this isn't a 5 star read for me is 1) some of the heavier themes felt a tad surface level, I kinda wish there was a little more in depth exploration of the some of the trauma etc, 2) ending felt a little too generic for this genre, whatever you think is gonna happen...it's gonna happen lol, 3) there was a weird relationship that felt inappropriate and uncomfortable (Sophie and an adult. Sophie's reactions as a sheltered kid finally venturing into the world made sense but the adult was concerning).

Thank you so much to Tor Nightfire and Netgalley for the ARC!!

Not only does this start off slow but it took me a bit to fully immerse myself into the story because of the writing style. I’m glad I read it though and I look forward to hearing what others will think when it comes out.

A virus is spreading across the U.S. and making everyone feral. Okay I'll bite. Leede has a way of including horrific scenes and gore but somehow interweaves heart and soul into the story too. A blood soaked traumatic experience that will stay with you long after turning the last page.

Tor publishing truly has some of the best books and this book is another great addition to the line up. Leede's book was so much fun to read and I couldn't put it down. I love the writing style and the characters that were created in this book. I loved Sophie because as someone who grew up catholic I had heard all the time of the end of the world stories. I think this was a great book and I had so much fun reading it. I love the journey of Sophie comparing what she had been told versus what she experiences during her journey and seeing her grow. I also love the cover art, it is a beautiful design.

_American Rapture_ is a tragic, suspenseful, and unputdownable apocalyptic horror read. It follows Sophie, an extremely sheltered teen, as she experiences a pandemic that halts everyday life and leaves those infected violent with lust. Sophie is forced to reconsider her faith and evaluate her sheltered upbringing in order to trust others and survive. It’s an emotional and entertaining book that will engross the reader.

With American Rapture, C.J. Leede has crafted another strong story with solid plotting, great action sequences, memorable characters, and poignant messaging.

The story follows Sophie, a young woman raised in a fundamentalist Catholic family, as she confronts an apocalyptic scenario and forges friendships with various companions along the way. This is a coming-of-age story that deals with trauma, religious shame/guilt/conditioning, sexual awakening, and a load of other important and topical issues. I think Leede pulls all of this off really well.

Despite its strengths, this is getting a 3 star review for me because there are substantial portions of this that did not jive with me as a reader. I related a lot to Sophie, as I grew up in evangelical Christian setting, and her journey and struggles rang very true to me. However, I deconstructed 20 years ago, and the messaging felt a little too basic for me. I think if I was reading this as someone in the process of examining my faith, it would have had more impact.

I am also not a fan of romance in general, and, like Maeve Fly, this book has a lot of this, and these portions felt very YA (which is all good, just not my thing).

Overall, I felt that there was a bit of a disjunct between the brutal horror/action sequences (which are truly brutal) and the rest of the novel. It is technically horror, but felt more like YA action/romance to me as I was reading.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Wow!!

I’m not normally a horror girl— but I’ve been dipping my toes into it because it was something I enjoyed as a teen. This was EVERYTHING. I very much enjoyed the world and the characters that was present. The theme of acceptance and finding yourself was amazing

Thank you netgalley for this ARC i really liked maeve fly alot and so when i saw this cover i needed to read this one i really enjoyed this concept one thing i love is when an author has a great story and concept and this one had it.. It showed us the extremism in our world regarding certain situations but also had horror elements as well in it.. A pandemic of lust and her brother being taken away because he was different than the norm. I will say i wish we had a POV of Noah just because i wanted to know more about him and what he was dealing with on his side after being taken away but i understand why because a storyline of sophie trying to find him stuff after the whole world is in shambles from this situation.. I liked the characters sophie met on the way and i liked the eeriness when she encountered people who were infected and of course her companion 🐶. I definitely think CJ will be an auto read author for me now i enjoy the concepts CJ comes up with and i look forward to reading more novels in the future by her. This novel touches down on alot of important topics surrounding religion as well and it just shows that sophie sadly was part of that by having to live by her parents beliefs and be so sheltered from the outside world but im glad we got to see sophie be herself and see what she was going through internally as well this was a great story i will say at times it was super fast paced and at times wasnt but i still enjoyed it alot and i think you all should read this one. And i thought the ending was perfect!

WOW.

I am a horror girlie and it takes ALOT to make me uncomfortable or cringe but CJ Leede hit all the horror marks! Not only that, while hitting all the horror feels she tied in self discovery, coming of age, complicated family relations, accepting fluid sexuality, etc.

This novel takes place in the midwest where a virus is infecting the population at alarming numbers. At first it just seems like a COVID type virus but then it mutates into something so much worse and scarier. The virus turns people into zombies whose only firing neuron is the one that drives lust and the need for sexual release.

We follow the female MC Sophie who is a sheltered girl and has to learn about the world during this terrifying pandemic. We make friends with Sophie along the way and she even finds her soul-dog who is a giant wolflike dog that protects her at all costs.

Serious trigger warnings on this one - especially having do with SA.
But I HIGHLY recommend this read. I will be thinking about this for a long time.

Also, I never cry... but when I tell you I was sobbing for the last 50 or so pages. My poor partner thought I was having a breakdown haha.

Raised Catholic in a small town, Sophie who is 16 years old, must navigate around the Midwest while a virus plagues America. This book had horror elements, found family, coming of age, and final girl themes. This is definitely one of my favorite reads this year! The FMC's journey is amazing and heartbreaking. The ending will have you shattered. I definitely recommend this book to horror fans!

i really wish i loved this but i didn’t 🥲 honestly i didn’t find the beginning boring, my main issue was with the middle chunk of the book. there was so much redundant info & i even started to slightly skim because nothing was really happening. maeve fly was much more fast-paced & although i hate to compare, i think the author’s debut was way better.

This book is everything. A coming-of-age in a zombie apocalypse, found family, political/societal commentary, and a deep dive into religion. Every aspect was done in such a meaningful and full way that just felt correct. There was no part of the plot that I felt was unnecessary and everything connected in a heartbreaking but beautiful way.

The story follows Sophie, an extremely sheltered Catholic teenager. Her twin brother was taken a few years before after her parent found out he was gay and sent him to a conversion group. When a zombie apocalypse begins, turning the infected into list filled zombies, Sophie sees her own parents become infected, she and decides she must find her twin brother wherever he ended up. The rest of the book follows her journey, the people she meets, and the questions she has surrounding her religion.

This book had me absolutely hooked from the first chapter and it was all I can think about for the three days I read it. I fell in love with all of the characters and their stories and really gained so much from this reading experience. Easily one of the best fiction books I’ve ever read.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

There are a few things on my list of life that I have avoided until this year: horror and apocalypses. CJ Leede writes a very detailed story about both. I want to read everything she has ever written, even the manuscripts that haven't seen the light of day, I am a fan. Now I want to read as much horror as one can and maybe even watch.

Meet Sophie. She is 16 and has been watched like a hawk all her life. Raised in a strict Catholic home, Sophie is beyond sheltered. It's more like a case of Stockholm syndrome. She knows something isn't quite right. The book unravels with what it means to have belief and making choices to survive. Anything could have altered Sophie's life but having to fight for a life without common knowledge/street smarts is an adventure into itself.

If you want to have a wild ride within this world, I fully recommend American Rapture.