Sophie is an extremely sheltered sixteen year old girl, living with her conservative Catholic parents, when the world falls to pieces around her. There is a virus decimating the population, but Sophie knows next to nothing about the ordeal, due to her parents strict rules against consuming media of any type. All Sophie knows is that she must get to her brother, her twin, Noah, who was brutally ripped from their home several years before. With the streets crawling in infected people and the types who always take advantage of chaos, Sophie treks across a devastated Wisconsin in search of Noah, and the truth.

I have mixed feelings about my reading experience here. I'm not religious at all, so I know I have a bias and blind spot where religion is concerned. This book really explores religious trauma and the shame it comes with, so that I did gain a better understanding of how pervasive and insidious that control can be. The actual story was slow to start, but I enjoyed the writing, even though it can be overly descriptive and meandering. American Rapture evoked in me nearly the entire spectrum of human emotion. I was terrified of how completely plausible this scenario is, given our current political climate. I openly sobbed more than once, and certainly shivered with disgust, too. When it gets going, it's intense. I would have awarded 5 stars with a tiny bit more editing and a lower page count, but I will be eagerly awaiting more from this new horror powerhouse, C.J. Leede. 4.25/5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for the review copy.

Completely horrendous and absolutely devastating. Leede reached into my brain and yanked out the flesh with this book. She is a great new talent in the horror genre and I can’t wait to read what she comes up with next.
*Editing note: Some spelling errors and grammar inconsistencies still included in the galley version.*

C.J. Leede’s American Rapture is a visceral journey into an apocalyptic Midwest ravaged by a virus that turns the infected into feral beings driven by unrestrained lust.

Catch your attention?

At the heart of this chaos is Sophie, a young woman raised with strict Catholic values, who must make her way through a landscape that resembles a twisted zombie apocalypse to reunite with her family. The book offers a darkly imaginative exploration of religious themes and self-discovery, where Sophie faces horrors that test not only her physical survival but the beliefs she's clung to for so long.

American Rapture balances horror and thriller elements, plunging readers into a nightmarish world that's violent and sexually charged, with a graphic edge that might not be for everyone. Leede skillfully uses the viral outbreak as a metaphor to unpack religious ideas, delving into taboos around sex, temptation, and the concept of sin. This virus lays bare the inability—or refusal—of some to control their urges, intensifying the book’s religious undercurrents and thematic depth.

Leede’s pacing is an interesting mix; the book opens at a good pace, slows down to let the gravity of the world sink in, and then ramps back up for a powerful finish. Fans of Leede’s previous work, Maeve Fly (which I was), might find American Rapture very different in tone, but it’s equally compelling in its raw, thought-provoking narrative. This isn’t light reading, and it confronts some challenging triggers along the way, but for those willing to dive in, American Rapture delivers a haunting, unforgettable story.

Strongly recommended.

Thanks to Tor Publishing Group for the advance reader's copy of this intense and memorable novel.

I have become a fan of CJ Leede.

When I read the description of this book, I was a little hesitant, but this book was nothing like what I was afraid it would be.

This book was great. It was very different than Maeve Fly, but both books were so creative and THE ENDING! Wow!

I can't wait for her next book.

I’m so grateful for this advanced copy of American Rapture by C. J. Leede. Unfortunately for me, this wasn’t my cup of tea but it may be yours!

This felt like I was reading a horror video game. Around every corner was another attack waiting to happen. I wasn’t expecting there to be so much s*xual assault and full on r*pe. I would have loved to see this book go into demonic or curses or hauntings. I was not expecting the sexual assault zombies and was not able to stomach all of the assault going on.

Major trigger warning for a graphic dog death.

Thank you Tor Nightfire, NetGalley and C.J. Leede for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a coming-of-age story about Sophie, who was raised in a strict Catholic home. She's beginning to notice boys and they notice her. She sees how her body is changing. This is also a horror story about a rapidly spreading virus that turns people into lust crazed zombies. When the world goes to hell, Sophie knows she must reunite with her brother if she hopes to survive.

I love the journey we go on with Sophie and how she is forced to mature quickly in this hostile world. At times my heart would break for her. She meets so many interesting people along the way. I also live in Wisconsin where the entire book takes place, so it was fun to see all the places referenced (The Dells, House on the Rock, Baraboo, Neillsville, Milwaukee, Devils Lake). Don't get me wrong, there are a fair share of horrifying elements in here. I would recommend checking trigger warnings if needed.

I have heard some people complain about the number of religious references in the book. I'm a Christian so it's all familiar to me and didn't bother me. I still haven't read Maeve Fly, but it's sitting on my shelf and needs to get moved up on my tbr!

In the end i gave this a 5/5 stars. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride and strongly recommend if you want a post-apocalyptic horror with a strong character story that will draw you in.

Honestly, I had neither knowledge of this author, nor of this book. There are just a lot of books out there, as you all know. However, she did a video with Chuck Tingle, and I LOVE Chuck Tingle, and the video was hilarious, so I got the ARC. I tore through this book. It is one of the most intense, unique books I've read in a very long time. I cried more than once, I cringed away from parts, I celebrated some things, and it just evoked so many emotions. And then I read the author's note at the end, and cried some more.

I think one of the best aspects of the book is one of the most difficult. She had to navigate sexual topics from both a religious point of view AND a pandemic point of view. I felt like the synopsis of the book didn't really do it justice, and it would sound like a pandemic where people are overcome with lust is hilarious, but the author makes a completely believable foundation for it - viruses look for hosts, and will do anything transmit that. There is a scientific explanation of the virus that completely tracks and the sex is not funny - it's horrifying. I don't feel like the author went TOO far with the sexual violence, like she pulls back at a couple of points, but it's enough to horrify you and to understand how the narrator is horrified. At the same time, this girl is negotiating life on her own, outside the extremely sheltered town she lives in where she has no contact with the outside world. EVERYTHING is new to her. She had just started to get a sexual awakening of sorts and realizing her body was changing when all of this happens, so sex is bad from two angles - this pandemic, and for religious reasons, and based on some of the encounters she is aware of even before the pandemic, sex often goes with violence, so there is a lot of confusion.

There is one scene where I was totally thinking, "This reminds me of the scene in Romeo and Juliet!" and the author was like "I got you" and I was so excited!

Cons: the ages don't add up. She's 16, and only now noticing that her body is changing. Part of this is that they don't really have full length mirrors, but she has eyes. Sixteen is old to think about sex, especially considering what her twin goes through at age 11, which seems very young for some of the story with him (I don't want to give a lot away, but he comes into contact with some things that seem VERY mature for 11, that would have been almost impossible for him to get to, etc.). The protagonist also only got her period a year before, which would be 15. That seems really late. I think she had to be young for the story, but it just seemed strange.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book, and I'll be checking out the author's other works. She's very talented and you can tell she put so much care into this book. It comes through.

*American Rapture* by C.J. Leede is an intense, emotionally charged novel that blends apocalyptic horror with themes of identity and personal transformation. The story revolves around Sophie, a young woman raised in a strict Catholic household, who finds herself confronting not only a world descending into chaos but also the deeply ingrained guilt and shame from her upbringing. As the world around her collapses, Sophie’s journey becomes one of self-discovery and survival, navigating the brutal new reality she faces.

Leede does an excellent job of mixing psychological horror with elements of coming-of-age, exploring themes of faith, sexuality, and trauma. I found Sophie’s character to be both complex and compelling, and the relationships she forms along the way were highlights of the book for me. The atmosphere is tense and unsettling, and the themes of guilt and redemption are explored in ways that make the story feel both personal and universal.

While the story’s darker themes might be challenging for some, it’s a gripping read that pushes boundaries and asks difficult questions about faith, survival, and what it means to break free from past constraints. I was especially drawn to the way Leede handled these complex issues without shying away from their intensity, yet still offering a sense of hope and growth by the end. For fans of dystopian and psychological fiction, this book is a must-read.

This book was bonkers in really exciting ways!! It felt almost decadent, the degree to which the protagonist's mundane, internal struggle was so powerfully mirrored in the speculative/horror elements. It wasn't subtle, and I wouldn't want it to be—IMO a zombie apocalypse story should be over the top, it's that heightened reality that creates the tension and dread and stakes for me.

I was ready and eager for the end-of-the-world zombie plotline—and holy moly, Leede delivered—but I wasn't quite prepared to get so emotionally involved in protagonist Sophie's personal journey. Her slow awakening from a fearful, virginal, brainwashed ultra-Catholic to a Lilith-loving bisexual who is willing to listen, change her mind, and embrace and explore her own wants and feelings, was so compelling and poignant! I rose and fell with her, I struggled with her, I was gripped by her anguish and her fragile hope. I truly enjoyed all the characters who slowly assembled around her, too, though to me none of them were quite as fully fleshed out as Sophie. (Except for Barghest the dog, who was perfection T^T)

And on top of, behind, and all around Sophie's fascinating character growth, the world collapsed in truly gruesome fashion! The sex-zombie apocalypse walked a really interesting line between horrifyingly titillating and just straight horrifying, digging fingers of dread into every tiny reaction or look or snap of chemistry between characters. The way the tangible fear of this virus made even uninfected bodies seem grotesque and uncontrollable, and the ways Sophie's ultra conservative upbringing echoed and heightened that body horror.....just wow. conflating sin and lust and punishment with very typical human sexual nature and very atypical, inhuman behavior, all together in a big mess of uncertainty and fear, it was all so juicy and layered and good!!!

I'm starting to run out of smart words to describe how much I liked this. I really, really, really liked this.

American Rapture by C.J. Leede unfolds a dystopian horror where a relentless virus sweeps across America, turning the infected into dangerously lust-driven creatures. Sophie, a devout Catholic raised with strict values, is thrust into this twisted new reality, journeying through a chaotic Midwest in a desperate attempt to find her family. Along the way, she learns that there are fates worse than death—and that innocence is a fragile shield against the horrors of a collapsing world.

Unfortunately, I had to set this book aside. Though I’ve been diving into horror more this past year, this story delves into themes that, combined, were tough to stomach: excessive religious trauma, disturbing scenes of sexual violence, and animal cruelty. While I appreciated the decision to cast Sophie as a severely sheltered protagonist, which amplified the horror of her experiences, her extreme naivety became more frustrating than sympathetic for me.

This novel certainly pushes boundaries, and readers who appreciate transgressive horror might find its themes compelling. However, for me, it was a bit too intense and unsettling, and I ultimately found myself unable to finish.

[TW/CW: religious guilt, anxiety, mental abuse, sexual assault, body shaming, smoking, misogyny, sexism, drinking, toxic family relationships, homophobia, animal death (graphic) ]

*****SPOILERS*****

About the book:
A virus is spreading across America, transforming the infected and making them feral with lust. Sophie, a good Catholic girl, must traverse the hellscape of the midwest to try to find her family while the world around her burns. Along the way she discovers there are far worse fates than dying a virgin.
Release Date: October 15th, 2024
Genre: Horror
Pages: 384
Rating: ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Cover is gorgeous
2. Writing was okay

What I Didn't Like:
1. So so so many commas
2. Boring
3. Too many convenient things happening
4. Felt like the longest book

Overall Thoughts:

{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}

On a shopping trip with Sophie's mom we get to learn why she's so stern in their religious background. It seems that her mom went to live with other religious people while she was going to college and let the way she dress change two more secular, so one day the man that she was living with sexually assaulted her. Rather than go to the police she took this as a learning lesson that she was the one to blame because of how she had dressed that it gave this man lust toward her. And how lucky she was that her husband still accepted her despite her not being a virgin. Religion is such a wild drug. It can turn someone being sexually assaulted into making them feel like they're the ones to blame. I remember watching a show that was showcasing an art exhibit in New York where women who had been sexually assaulted donated the clothes they were wearing at the time of the assault and 9 out of the 10 clothes were basic sweatpants and loose-fitting outfits. I encourage you to check it out. It's called “What Were You Wearing?”

Noah shows Sophie a magazine and their mother catches them. I wonder if Noah is gay. [I was right]

A tornado now??? *rolls eyes*

Geez does Sophie just want everyone? She's obsessed with Maro and then Ben and now Helen.

I feel like this book lacks focus. I mean what are we doing here???

Final Thoughts:
Dnfed this at page 277. I know I was so close to the ending and I could have got to the end of the book, but have you ever read a book where you just don't care what happens at the end? That is how this book made me feel. I started caring and towards the middle I cared less so by the end I didn't care at all. I really feel like I didn't miss out on anything not knowing what was going to happen.

Honestly this book tries too hard to be something complex and out there, but ends up just being boring.

This book left me feeling like it's a book about a girl that is so horny she wants to have sex with anyone that gives her attention. It was hard to tell the difference between the virus and her being so sexually obsessed. Times when I was reading it and I would think that she had gotten the virus but no. I understand being sexually repressed by her parents but I don't know if in the situation you would instantly be this hooked on every single person you talk to. You've lost your parents granted you were not close to them, but still your parents and you're on this desperate search to find your brother whom you don't know is dead or alive, but she stops to have these moments that she wants to be romantic and I just don't know how realistic that is to human nature.

I also found it so hard to believe that she didn't hear about ANYTHING that was happening in the world. She went to school and yes, it was a Christian school, but even teens would talk about these things. All these things are happening and there's no lockdowns she's able to still go to the library and school is just as normal, but this highly contagious viruses going around and the world is still functioning as normal.

This book is about two things;
• Her obsession with every human
• Must find Noah, Noah, Noah, Noah

Skip this and read the graphic novel Black Hole.

I was lucky enough to see CJ Leede at a release event for this book and got to hear all about the innerworkings of this book, and it made me love this story even more. There are some scenes from this that will never get out of my brain, and I loved the descriptions of this virus and how it affects humanity as a whole. Religious trauma peeps will find a home in this just like I did, but highly recommend checking trigger warnings before diving in if you have any!

Huge thank you to Tor Nightfire and Netgalley for my review copy!

The language of this book was beautiful. Sophie’s narration made everything around her feel scary and foreign, like sex was a devious, violent thing, like everything around her was something to be feared. I loved seeing her transformation as the horrors went on, even if it did hurt to read.

This book reminds me a lot of HELL FOLLOWED WITH US by AJ White, and the sort of hope through the hopelessness, learning that “sin is made up and stupid.” I think Sophie and Benji would be besties.

This is one of those books that got me anxious and sick, and there’s not much I can say except give it a read, but be warned you’ll feel like you’re sitting at the bottom of a gross swimming pool. As always, Leede is the master at making me both terrified and depressed 🖤

Wowza! Religion horror is one of my favorite subcategories within the horror genre, so it's no surprise that I devoured this book for two days.

This post-apocalyptic world is dark, feral, and intensely violent. Leede powerfully explores how religion and religious rhetoric can be wielded to justify hate—“all in the name of God.” While the theme of religious horror isn’t new, the story feels original through the lens of a teenage girl’s coming-of-age journey. Her internal struggles reflect the chaos around her, albeit not as extreme. Through the lens of coming-of-age, Leede explores themes of sexuality, morality, and identity. While much of the narrative delves into darker themes, Leede also illustrates beauty and hope through a found family trope. For example, I love how Ben tells Sophie that he chooses to smile because, in this post-apocalyptic world, it’s the only choice he has left.

I buddy-read with @amy_alwaysreading and @thats.one.for.the.books and thoroughly enjoyed examining the symbolism. There's so much to unpack—like the significance of the red hands on the hypersexualized zombies, the robes of the religious zealots, and that unforgettable scene with Barghest (you'll definitely know it when you get there!). Plus, the Wisconsin landmarks add such a fun layer to the story! Check out pictures of the House on the Rock! Leede describes it perfectly!!

Now, this book will not be for everyone, but for me, American Rapture is the best horror book I’ve read all year! Please, please check the trigger warnings if you have ANY triggers.

4.5 stars and my thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the eARC!

Before I get into my review, please please please find some Content or Trigger Warnings associated with this book. There was none that I remember at the beginning and nothing in the summary. Warnings include, but are not limited to: A LOT of sexual assault, body horror, body fluid horror, and an incredibly graphic scene of a dog dying. Take care of yourselves.

"'God's plan will always prevail,' he says. His voice higher than I expect. This man, so painfully ordinary. So cruelly mediocre.
What would Jesus do?
What would Cleo do."

Sophie is a good girl. Loves her parents, loves God, never does anything wrong. Except for borrowing books from the library her parents wouldn't approve of. And also thinks too much about her twin brother, Noah who was sent to a home for troubled teens. But when a virus takes hold of the nation and the life Sophie new ends, she has to find out what it means to be a survivor.

American Rapture is a story about survival and guilt. The sickness running through the country is nothing compared to the immense religious guilt Sophie feels every single moment throughout this book. Her parents, her brother, her school, her friends, her thoughts. Despite all her choices, all she wanted to do was survive and find her brother.

I'll say, this book kept me reading even when I wasn't supposed to. At dinner with my family, on the reference desk at the library (LM and BT, that's a lie don't believe that), even while playing Yahtzee with my grandmother. Any moment I could be reading this book, I took. It was gory, it was fast paced, and terrifying.

"You do not have a "most precious gift" that you can only give once. You in your entirety ARE the gift."

Not a direct quote, but a quote as I remember it from the audiobook.

C.J. tackles faith, guilt, shame, living, and death with an unapologetic and unflinching gaze. She has this ability to write strong female characters who adventure into the unknown and you're desperate to be taken along with them. I felt corners of my heart stitching back together as the MC confronted religious shame and said "no more" for herself. Love it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. She's done it once again. I knew after Maeve Fly, Leede would be on my radar for the next book to come and this did not disappoint. I cannot wait to see what she writes next. I am not sure why I didn't think this was going to be as brutal as it was but by the end I was trying to hold back tears, gasping in unbelievability. Sophie is such a precious main character and I want her to experience every joy in life possible. I loved the progression of the plot and all the characters we get to meet along the way in this fast-paced journey. This book goes from zero to one hundred very quickly and does not let up on the potential violence for a second. I am always down for a book that questions religion and I think this is one of the most tasteful representations I have ever read of someone growing up sheltered and having to find their way out of it. It is hard to know who to recommend Leede books to given their violence but if you are not squeamish, you should pick this one up.

American Rapture is a perfect horror novel blending a coming of age tale with an apocalypse, as Sophie travels a ravaged midwest to reunite with her brother.

Without getting into spoilers, at one point in my life I needed a Cleo. I hope maybe this book could be that for someone young and trapped in an abusive religious experience.

People not raised with religion could maybe find it hard to understand our main character Sophie at times, especially her thought processes and internal monologue. Religious extremism is a spectrum; and some of the most insidious control isn’t the external but the internal. No child should be terrified that if they put one single toe out of line that they are damning their entire existence to eternal hellfire. A crush shouldn’t make you feel dirty, and wicked. Queer kids shouldn’t be thrown out by their families and discarded as easily as one would throw away a used tissue, and yet “loving Christians” of all sects do this. This book explores that pain, and truly does bring Sophie on an emotional journey in the midst of the physical journey she is on.

This book obviously hits hard for me, and I think that’s why it worked so well. I don’t normally like apocalyptic stories, nor road trip tales, so this one pleasantly surprised me in those regards, and then ripped my heart out by the end. Seriously, tears for the last few chapters of the book, and it’s rare that a book brings me to genuine, more than a misty eye and full fledged crying. Brava CJ Leede! Between this and Maeve Fly you’re one of my new favorite authors and I’ll be picking up anything you publish!

I loved this post apocalyptic horror book with social commentary on organized religion. I enjoyed the first half of the book much more than the second half but overall another great read from CJ Leede.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this eARC and audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was insanely good! I expected to to like this book because the description sounded right up my alley but holy cow! I ended up LOVING IT! When people are looking for a horror book that centers religious trauma, this is going to be the first book I recommend. I loved how it was addressed from start to finish, how we as the reader were experiencing this deadly virus that pretty much destroyed society, through the eyes of Sophie, an extremely sheltered Catholic teen girl.

I won't say anything more because you just need to read this book! Please do check content and trigger warnings for this book because there are a lot of them including SA and a horrific animal death.