Well this story was equal parts disturbing and enthralling!

From the author of “Maeve Fly”, a new apocalyptic story is arriving to blow readers’ socks off!

“American Rapture” mixes religious fanaticism with a bizarre virus sweeping across America. A very sheltered Catholic girl is at the centre of the story and readers follow along with her as she learns about the world around her, discovers who she truly is, and questions the strict set of beliefs she has been taught her whole life.

All I’m going to say is be prepared for a cycle of shock, disgust, heartbreak, and hope.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Tor Publishing for a copy!

I absolutely loved this book. It was a wild ride from beginning to end, and I read it in entirely one sitting. I'll be recommending it to so many people, because I genuinely believe that CJ Leede is a modern master of horror. I can't wait for the next one.

This book wrecked me completely. It means so much to me in so many ways. I'm going to say it now - it's my number one book of the year, and yes I know it's only June. This book has my soul.

I grew up Catholic and homeschooled, isolated from everyone and everything and I really relate to Sophie, at least my inner child does. I didn't have a good home life. As an adult, I relate with Cleo so much and I absolutely adored her. Also, the Spotify playlist CJ made for Cleo has my heart and I've been listening to it on repeat since finding it.

This is such a heavy story with so many deep and dark topics, but it was also extremely healing and validating. I'm so very grateful to CJ for this story and appreciate all the heart she put into this. There were multiple times I screamed "how are you in my head right now?"

CJ is one of my all time favorite authors now. She was one of my favorites already for Maeve, but this just further solidified that standing for me and bumped her up on my chart.

I was skeptical about the almost uniform praise in the ARC reviews of this book. The Familiar and a few other recent reads of mine got heaps of praise from advance readers and they turned out to be flops.

So was this a flop? Thankfully, no! I can’t say it was a five star read for me, but I think for many people it will be. The praise it’s gotten from advance readers is justified imo.

I think I might even have loved this if I hadn’t read Courtney Summers’s terrifying and pathos-laden zombie novel This is Not a Test last year (and revisited it a few times since). While very different in their particulars and plots, the books share a similar premise. They both follow a sheltered, inexperienced teenage girl, with domineering and abusive parents, who finds herself alone in a zombie apocalypse. After years of floating zombie-like through her life in the normal world, in the apocalypse she experiences a sexual awakening and discovers just how badly she wants to live. So how could I not compare?

On a narrative and theme level I think this book might be better, but I never felt entirely immersed. I found the ending of American Rapture emotional, devastating, and I came to care deeply about the main characters—our heroine Sophie, her dog Barghest, cop Maro, and cinnamon roll Ben. But I just never quite felt grounded in the story in a way that left me feeling connected to Sophie. I never felt like I was experiencing her story with her, entrenched in her mind. That is often the difference between a 4 and 5 star book for me. I think this was a really good book, but I don’t see Sophie being a character I remember a ton about in a year. Whereas I still feel like I lived through the apocalypse with Sloane in This is Not a Test.

This is not to say Sophie wasn’t a three-dimensional character. She was a heroine of depth and grit, but I do feel she and most of the characters seemed crafted to explore certain choices, beliefs, traumas, and ideas more than having sprung from Leede as individuals…if that makes any sense.

I maybe sound like I didn’t enjoy this but I genuinely did. On the whole it’s really well-written. I loved the dialogue, which I found natural and often very poignant, and the main characters are sympathetic and easy to root for.

I know some may balk at the Maro stuff due to the age difference between Sophie and Maro, but I liked it. I think being a teenager doesn’t preclude you from harboring romantic and sexual feelings for someone older. Leede explored the feelings on both sides in a very thoughtful way.

I finished this eager to pick up Leede’s first novel, but having looked into it, I think the level of horror in that one might be too much for me. Unfortunately, I am a scairdy cat. But I will be on the lookout for whatever Leede writes next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

A scathing critique of religious control of women and purity culture through the lens of a covid-era plague apocalypse. What if lust and attraction could end the world?—A truly unique addition to the zombie apocalypse genre.This plague really takes that rape apologist semtiment that "men can't help themselves" to the extreme. Be prepared for sexual assault and graphic descriptions of violence, gore, and sexual content.

The midwest version of "sad beige houses for sad beige children", teenager Sophie feels like a bystander in her own life. Other people decree what she can do and when. This overarching control stems twofold: from the small religious town weighing expectations down heavily upon her as well as her own micromanaging parents. Falsely believing that keeping their daughter incredibly naïve and sheltered from what they deem as <i>secular society</i> would keep her safe, Sophie is wholly unprepared to navigate social settings or the public.

Were it not for the copious hours she spends reading guides and how to books—as she couldn’t read the vast majority of what resided in her library—she definitely would have had an even rougher go of it. These tips and tricks she's memorized do come in handy when things go awry in action focused scenes, yet they don't help the all-encompassing awkwardness that is Sophie trying to talk to her peers. At times she's so sheltered and out of the loop she comes off as almost robotic until her religious guilt chimes in reminding her not to want for more or to belong.

The writing style is very choppy and lacks deeper descriptions or thoughts from our protagonist, which is intentional and highly successful in my opinion. Bored and miserable in a lackluster, unimaginative life Sophie coasts by and dissociates, while secretly longing for the freedom to make her own choices. Her coming of age arrives during the apocalypse, a taste of freedom surrounded by sweat, cum, and terror... oh and lust zombies can't forget about those.

This one is for all the girlies who are angry and have christian religious trauma. Midwest small towns are a breed all their own, and wow I know people personally who were raised like this. If you had religion used to hurt and control you, while the creed of purity culture hung overhead, I think you'll take something from this story. Also if you're a victim of SA and someone used religion to punish or shame you for your victimhood please know it wasn't your fault and you did nothing wrong. Surviving isn’t a crime any more than existing is.

TW: violence, sexual assault, homophobia, religious trauma and control, character death (parents, children, found family, pets)

4.25 - 4.5 stars -
American Rapture dives head first into the chaos of an apocalypse where the infected exhibit an uncontrollable, frenzied lust. Set in Wisconsin, my home state added a layer of connection for me, though I noticed some inaccuracies. The main character Sophie is a sheltered Catholic girl from a strict, rigid family, provided a compelling perspective. Being Catholic myself, I had to put aside my personal feelings about the faith to fully appreciate Sophie's journey.

Despite my personal baggage, the story was thoroughly engaging, drawing me into the turmoil and complexities of each character. The story's vivid portrayal of desperation and survival kept me hooked, and I found myself deeply invested in the fates of these characters. The ending of the novel was intense and emotionally raw. Overall, American Rapture is a gripping read that skillfully blends horror with human emotion.

Sophie Allen is a sheltered teenager living under the thumb of her strict parents and their oppressive brand of Catholicism. Her only friend and ally, her twin brother Noah, has been sent away to a program for “troubled” teens. Her life is boring, and bleak, and so so small…until a new virus cleaves through the country, turning people into sex-crazed maniacs. Now she has to leave everything behind and fight her way across Wisconsin, collecting a motley crew of companions as she fights her way to her brother, and fights against her awakening awareness of her body and what it means to be a woman
🪽
OOF. OOF OOF OOF. First of all thanks to @tornightfire for providing me this arc, THOUGH IT DOES FEEL VAGUELY LIKE A THREAT. In all seriousness, this is a novel that’s going to delight horror fans. It’s brutal unforgiving, but also heartbreakingly tender and incredibly important. Sometimes a book about female sexuality is written by someone who’s lusting after it, who makes it feel dirty: with this story that is so clearly not the case. CJ Leede masterfully shows the inherent terror of budding sexuality, tapping into the fear so many teenage girls feel at some point in her life. The ending fell a little flat for me (some open endings are a little too open in a way that makes the story feel unfinished) but over all this was a great-and heartbreaking-read.

Maeve Fly was one of my favorite books from 2023, so hearing that CJ Leede was working on a religious horror book? Hell yeah! I received an advanced reader’s copy to review and couldn’t be more happy that I didn’t have to wait any longer to read it.

American Rapture ramped up quickly and stayed there, giving the reader little rest between scene after scene of violence and mayhem. Sophie is an extremely sheltered girl in Catholic school, dealing with normal teenage problems. She’s processing her developing sexuality and beginning to question her Faith for the first time, so why not throw an apocalypse into the mix? From there we’re constantly moving forward in an attempt to find her twin brother and just one tiny moment of safety between scenes of violence as the world quickly falls apart.

I was drawn into the frantic pacing and had a sense of anxiety the whole time, barely able to process the horrible events before the next thing was happening. When it begins to feel like too much, Leede slows down. Not to give respite-we would be so lucky! No, we’re then treated to the most heartbreaking moments of the book, drawing out the gory details that made me squirm and wish for it to stop.

As you can see, I loved American Rapture. CJ Leede, you know what you’re doing-please don’t stop.

This is a tough review to write because I so wanted to love this one after Maeve Fly was one of my favorite books of last year. But this one just didn’t hit the same. Although I ended up enjoying the story by the end, there were large chunks of the beginning half of the novel that really dragged for me. I still think CJ Leede is an amazing writer with such creative ideas, so I look forward to continuing to follow her career. But something was just missing with this one.

I think part of my issue was that I expected this novel to be something it wasn’t - I anticipated more of a religious cult novel. And although there is a religious cult tangentially important to the story, that is not really what this novel is about. Instead this is more of a pandemic horror story laced with religious trauma. I found the religious trauma element much more interesting and could respect what the author was trying to do with the pandemic elements, but I just wasn’t really into that part of the story. It lends itself to large stretches of the novel where not much is happening other than the main character trying to find safety, and this was the part I really struggled to get through.

The main character, Sophie, is kind of interesting in that so much of the world is new to her due to her repressed background. But after a character like Maeve, she was largely forgettable to me. I did really enjoy the found family aspects of the novel, and when the large group of survivors were together talking about their past lives and helping each other to heal, those were the parts I really connected with and wanted more of. I liked the idea of Sophie searching for her real brother but finding family along the way. Unfortunately, this is really only the second half of the novel. There was also an age gap relationship hinted at that I found a little odd and uncomfortable given that Sophie was 16.

I don’t want to discourage anyone from reading this as I think there is a lot to offer here to others, particularly if you do enjoy pandemic stories or can relate more to the religious trauma elements. I think I set my expectations too high with this one and am left feeling disappointed but not sorry that I read this if that makes any sense.

A towering, complicated, emotional thrill ride through an American Hell. By digging deep and pushing boundaries, CJ Leede has produced what is easily her best work to date. The sleaze of "Maeve Fly" replaced with the massive feelings of a you g girl raised in a strict Catholic household in the Midwest. Half brutal post apocalyptic adventure, half introspective musings on what it means to alive. Excellent!

★ ★ ★ ★ • 4

This was unsettling in the way that only dystopian novels can be, but I mean that in the best way. I’d heard good things about CJ Leede’s debut, Maeve Fly and decided to give this book a try. Did not disappoint.

The given book description is a bit brief and vague, so I think it’s downplayed how big of a role religious fanaticism, toxic purity culture, and trauma play in the storyline. The main character is extremely sheltered and there’s definitely lots of TW. That said, I thought that the book was really good, but because of that specific aspect of the plot I wouldn’t recommend this to just anyone.

I really enjoyed the author’s writing style, which did a fantastic job of painting a very bleak and disturbing world from the eyes of a character who had trouble navigating things even while everything was “normal”.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is the first book I've considering dnf-ing out of fear. The author blends the coming of age story with the horror of living through the apocalypse so well. The highway scene genuinely had me sweating. I can't wait to grab a hard copy in the fall!

Just prepare to have your heart be ripped apart in the best and worst ways possible. This book is an amazing story about a virus ravaging the United States and creating an apocalyptic world à la The Walking Dead, but more importantly this intense personal journey of our FMC, Sophie. It was very interesting to see Sophie's life before this virus changed everything. The intense religious views she was taught was so well described and thought out that it almost felt like we were already living in the apocalyptic world from the book summary. It was tragic from the beginning when we slowly learned how emotionally and socially stunted Sophie was forced to be because of her upbringing. And then when we learn why her family was as religious as they were, specifically her mom, it just makes it all the more devastating.
Then as we go through the story, when the virus is really making itself known and its directly effecting Sophie and changing how the world works, we see her really understanding that maybe her upbringing wasn't quite right. I really loved the found family that she collects and loses along the way, and how her different relationships with each of those people changes how she views the world. I also thought it was so interesting to see Sophie be enticed into these new adult relationships that are being violently forced on her. She knows that what she's seeing is not how it's meant to be, but since it's so new and unknown, she still finds herself being tempted into wanting to explore these new things even if it may not be entirely inappropriate. But at the same time, she's also discovering the more innocent and childlike aspects of romantic relationships, so it's a really great exploration of balance and just the unknown in general that we see Sophie take on.
I think there probably could have been a little more conflict between the belief's Sophie grew up with and what she's seeing in real life. I think she is just way too accepting way too quickly of everyone she meets and their lifestyles. Of course were shown that Sophie is a really good person pretty early on, so it makes sense that she's quicker to accept others, but it seemed a little unrealistic. I think we should have seen a little more shame and guilt, and maybe a bit of unwilling hatred towards those who are different, instead of just a lot of innocence and naivety.
Overall, I think that this was an amazing story filled with very loveable and realistic characters and heartwarming relationships. It's a great exploration of human nature, especially when put into extreme circumstances. However, definitely check trigger warnings before reading, some of the topics in this book can be rough for people to read.

WOW -- EASY FIVE STARS!!!

I am now equipped to say that I will proudly consume and endorse anything C.J. Leede creates; this woman works wonders in her writing, and I cannot get enough. I am incredibly thankful to our lovely author, Tor Nightfire, and Netgalley for granting me early digital access to this end-of-times horror that hit all too close to home what with the Catholic guilt and rapidly spreading virus. At least COVID-19 never turned us into lusting, blood-thirsty rage zombies. This book hits shelves on October 15, 2024.

Sophie is a devout Catholic and knows nothing of the world outside her parish and catholic schooling. Her strict parents have limited her from the "threats" of the external world, reprimanding her for having an average teenage body and other frowned-upon "sins." After her parents found out her brother, Noah, was gay or damaged goods in their cherry-picking eyes, they sent him off to Sacred Hearts, a home for those who've fallen from God's path.

Separated from her brother and alone in her life, Sophie is left to her love for books and reading to keep her busy. As news from outside begins to spread more rapidly of a virus zipping through the country, Sophie and her brother grow nervous of what's to come. It's not long before people around her grow sicker and sicker, including her own parents, and it's almost overnight that they transform into sex-crazed blood-thirsty and flesh-hungry beings and they are after Sophie.

Thus starts her flee from the only home she's ever known on a journey to find her brother. Along the way she meets a cast of characters including Maro, a young cop looking to serve and protect those from this virus; Barghest, a trusty hound dog that protects Sophie from the infected and other perpetrators; Ben, a hometown acquaintance turned love; Helen, a young woman whose obsessed with her phone and social activism; Cleo, a recent widower who looks after Wyatt, a young orphaned kid. The group traverses around the midwest to find a vaccine, other resources, and stay alive while battling reformed religious terrorists who mean to "let the virus run its course, cleansing the world of sinners" -- Woof.

There's all this and more, and this book sure did scratch all of my rapture horror itches.

Hands-down my favourite horror novel to date! Religion and pandemic really are the most terrifying combination.

I'd like to start this review by saying Maeve Fly is and will always be one of the best horror novels I've ever read. American Rapture follows teenage Sophie as she tries to find her estranged twin brother in the midst of a sexually charged apocalypse, all the while grappling with her own issues concerning her own sexuality and her hyper isolated, religious upbringing. I wanted to love this book because Maeve Fly was a gamechanging book for me and the cover of American Rapture is stunning. However, the constant monologues about religion and slow pacing made this really hard to get through. I found myself skimming entire chapters. It felt like a completely different author wrote this book than the one who wrote Maeve Fly, but such is life. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Tor Nightfire for the ARC, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a horrific and beautiful book! I am plagued with emotions that I did not expect to have. Sadness, fright, hope, and happiness course through me. Following the main character as she navigates so many new experiences is one of the best coming-of-age plots I’ve read. Add in a fantastic found family and I am absolutely here for every page. I am already excited for a reread.

Please be warned, as beautiful as it is, this is a graphic and horror filled book as well.

Thank you NetGalley, Tor Nightfire, and author CJ Leede for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Obviously I loved American Rapture. CJ is beyond talented. This book was full of heart, terrors, self exploration, grief, shock, all the feelings, etc., etc. I think we can all agree that a pandemic is scary but the real fear is the human component. I have nothing bad to say about this… although I wish there were some specific survivors. Leede has done it again!

First kills & first kisses converge in this soul-wrenching struggle for survival. With American Rapture, C.J. Leede has securely cinched her spot as one of my favorite architects of modern horror.

Horrific lust zombies aside, Sophie's world is painfully relatable for anyone who grew up being constantly reminded of the threat of eternal damnation. You don't need your body to be overtaken by a demon in order to be possessed— religious indoctrination is perfectly capable of possessing a person on its own. Baptized in blood, Sophie's awakening is bold and inspiring, and you'll be cheering her on all the way. All shame & oppression be damned!

Like Sophie, I was raised in the church, a culture of sheltering children from the vital knowledge of the world under the guise of protecting them. I was taught nothing about my anatomy or the workings of my body and I was in no way protected by my ignorance, but rather rendered extremely vulnerable to harm and woefully unprepared to face the dangers of society. I resonated deeply with her journey of having to relearn everything that her parents and church ingrained in her mind, as I endured the same deprogramming at her age. Reading American Rapture was emotional & cathartic in the best of ways and Sophie's story is certain to stay with me for years to come.

All of my thanks to Netgalley, Tor Publishing, & Tor Nightfire for the ARC!

"I am changed, and I am new, and in the darkest darkness of my life, we stand in lethal color."

American Rapture is one of those books that is going to stick with me for a long time. This is the aching, confused, coming of age story we all know so well, wrapped in the trauma of oppressive religion, and the horror of a viral apocalypse.

Sophie narrates beautifully, in ways that make us feel real and big feelings. We feel the horror, the loneliness, the desperation, the wanting. We're all rolled up and turned around in the chaos inside her, the questions she's being forced to reckon with, and the new people in her life that are equal parts confusing and loving.

Truly terrifying in parts, hauntingly beautiful in others, American Rapture is everthing I want in a horror novel.