CJ Leede is becoming on of my favorite horror authors. Every single book I’ve read by her is different but they are all so good.

There is a pandemic happening, but it is not like any flu before this. People are getting flu symptoms but then they are becoming feral and giving into their most carnal desires then dying. Sophie has lived a sheltered life and now she is dealing with the end of the world.

This book is so heavy when it comes to religion trauma and had to deal with that. We get to watch Sophie not only find out who she is as a person but also her sexuality. I do wish that Sophie was a bit older as she is 16 and some of the scenes did make me a bit uncomfortable.

This was a great take of the end of the world / pandemic book definitely after that pandemic we have been in.

Genre: Horror
APK: Ebook
Pages: 372
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Series or Standalone: Stand-alone

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Okay now that’s what I want out of a horror book. Enough plot to keep you excited but not over the top where it gets frustrating. Gore and blood and main characters getting realistically hurt but not constantly to the point of incredulity. What a beautiful look at the nature of people, the fine line between lust as a sin and lust as human nature. I absolutely adore a book that brings me a good healthy dose of looking into psychology and human nature without making me feel preached to. So yeah, I loved it.

I am convinced the best horror novels 1. make you feel deeply and not always fear but heartbreak, empathy, affection and/or 2. help you realize that we, humanity, society, humankind, are the scariest monsters. Leede's American Rapture is a masterpiece. I know it's only her second novel and I was impressed by Maeve Fly but this book was an experience and one of the best books I've read this year.

There was a time when I thought I could never read a pandemic-related story again. I'm glad I was wrong, or I would've never been able to read this.

This is a complicated story about the apocalypse, zombies, lust, Catholic guilt, religious trauma, and coming of age. There are so many elements here that it's hard to pin it all down within one review. Like all good apocalyptic stories, you'll see humanity at its best and worst. You'll need a high tolerance for gore, sex, violence, assault, and wrestling with your demons. And for bearing witness to a young woman whose sheltered world is shattered one revelation at a time. It's well-written, it's gut-wrenching, it's brutal, it'll stick with you for a long time.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for the advance copy!

𝟯.𝟱 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗦 𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗗 𝗨𝗣

“𝑵𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆.”

WILDY different than CJ Leede’s first novel, Maeve Fly, but still deeply enjoyable and entertaining. I am new to the apocalyptic horror genre as a whole, but another book I read and loved that felt quite similar to this one, (minus the religious aspect), is ‘The Violence’ by Delilah S. Dawson. I’d feel fairly confident in saying that if you liked one, you will like the other!

I read this in one sitting and while it did keep my attention, I did not necessarily see the overall vision. ALSO I am still very much upset by the final act and am grappling with how to feel about it. Was it better the book ended that way or do I wish another outcome had happened? I am still undecided.

Side note: I am BAFFLED by the fact that Sophie knew how to hot wire a car but didn’t know what a penis was and/or what it was even called. She just kept referring to it as “the thing sticking out between his legs”. Unserious, but I just felt like I needed to point this out.

AMERICAN RAPTURE by @ceejthemoment is another knock out of the park from this author IMHO. Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publishers, @tornightfire and @macmillan.audio for the e-ARC and the audio-ARC.

🖤💚🖤

Sophie has grown up very sheltered by her uber-religious, strict and controlling parents. She is given very little time to herself, but is allowed to spend time in the library where she reads forbidden tomes along with the allowed religious and self-help texts. Returning home one day she finds her dowdy and devout parents not only attacking each other sexually, but when they notice her, they start to go after her as well. A new flu outbreak is apparently causing a terrifying urge to violently fornicate and share fluids so as to spread the disease faster. Now, Sophie will have to navigate this strange and terrifying new world with what little knowledge she has of the old one.

🖤💚🖤

Rife with religious trauma and all the content warnings (read with care💚), this post-apocalyptic story was a mash-up of harrowing adventure, socio-political commentary, and an anthem for being your authentic self. Told in the originally timid, naive voice of the MC, the voice progresses throughout the story as Sophie learns, comes into her own, and survives.

Read this one if you:

🖤Enjoy religious tropes turned on their heads
💚Love a found family vibe
🖤Are a fan of dystopian fiction
💚Are not afraid of sex and blood
🖤Love a good coming of age horror story

Really loved the audio on this one too!

American Rapture is a bold story that spans several genres: from apocalyptic sci-fi horror to young adult dystopian romance. Maeve Fly this is not. Our protagonist Sophie struggles to find her own identity while handling both the religious and familial trauma that preceded her. She is a sheltered young woman whose on-the-road education unfolds as the secular world crumbles around her.

This was a gut-punch of a tale to process and contains what might be one of the most brutal, heartbreaking fictional on-page deaths in recent memory. Spoiler alert – under no circumstances are you to read the author’s notes until the end!

A very special thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the advanced copy for review.

Thank you @tornightfire and @netgalley for allowing me to read an advance digital copy!

I loved this book.

That is such a weird thing to write when you are *literally* crying as you type it, but it is true. This book chewed my heart up and spat it out, but it also gave me such beautiful perspective. There were so many things in this book that I needed to hear. There were so many infuriating things that I needed someone to understand. So many heartbreaking moments that I needed someone else to share (though, I would wish them on no one). I felt like this book gave that to me. I felt seen in a way that I rarely do when reading (or in life in general). I hope this is making sense, because I am not kidding when I say I am still shaken up by this book. I simultaneously feel like this book healed me, and that I also need to heal from reading this book. I’m a mess is what I’m saying.

So yeah, I am doing a wonderful job of selling you on this book! 😅 Okay, so here’s a quick rundown of what I loved about this book:

Coming of age
Apocalyptic horror
The real world is far scarier than any virus
The virus is pretty messed up too though
Sibling bonds
Friendship
The best dog
Finding beauty and love in a world that’s gone to poo

You all, I really hope you read this book and love it as much as I do.

✅ Highly Recommend
Rating: All the ⭐️s

This book was WILD!! And I say that in the best way possible. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and Leede’s delivered! 🙌🏻

This book took a kind of 180 shift from her last book and I loved how bold this book was in terms of the religious and sinful chaos in an otherwise apocalyptic world. Leedes writes the worst of the worst but with such emotion and beauty and dare I say grace; she makes you feel for these characters. I’m not usually a huge fan of world wide viruses but man did this story get to me. I was fully invested. Leede’s gives us this coming-of-age story of a 16 year old girl who’s been subjected to religious oppression her entire life when suddenly her world (and everyone else’s) flips upside down and it was not only horrific and bizzare but heartbreaking. Her journey to find her brother was intense. This was a pulse pounding read and this book gave me all the feels. There’s found family, religious trauma and healing, and an action packed story full of heart! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I love being impacted with such an emotional reaction in a horror novel and this book did that for me! Sophie lived a sheltered life unaware of so many things in life thanks to her parents and her religion and you would think that would leave her to be one of the first to die in an otherwise zombie apocalypse but she discovers so much on her journey. And Barghest! Again I ask, can a dog be my favorite character in a book? This one crushed my soul a little but that note in the end made up for it. If you love religious trauma and horror, you’re gonna love this one! The catholic girls are gonna eat this up. 🙌🏻

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Tor Publishing for the digital galley!!

“Virginity, chastity, purity, men only being with women, women only being with men. How can these things possibly matter when people die.”

“What is good anyway? When the people who are supposed to be the ultimate embodiment of Goodness seem to be those who hate and fear the most.”
.
.
.

I love Leede’s first book, Maeve Fly, so I knew I had to get my hands on this one!! And y’all, let me tell you, I was not disappointed.

This book. This book made me feel so many things and sometimes all at once: anger, hope, joy, disgust, sadness, despair and hopelessness. This book made me think. It made me reflect on the world and what it means to be human.

The writing is beautiful even as Sophie, FMC, describes the horrors around her. I’m not a cryer, but that last little bit made me tear up!

There was a lot left open at the end of the book, but that ending… was perfect. 👌 It made my mouth drop open in disbelief, but perfect nonetheless. 😂 It’s definitely one of those books that makes you think long after you’re done reading!

This book is all the things horror stories should be. Scary, gross, terrorizing. and even hopeful. 16-year old Sophie, a very sheltered Catholic girl traverses a pandemic way worse than Covid. When all hell breaks loose and people start becoming feral with lust, Sophie must find her twin( who was sent away because he's gay), and figure out how to balance her Catholic guilt with starting a new life. CJ Leede is a must-read and this is, by far, one of the best books of the year!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for this e-arc.*

What a fun read! I really enjoyed the ride that this book took me on, and how intense some scenes in the book were.

Thank you Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for this one.
Thank you to CJ Leede. You are truly one of the great ones.

Sophie can quote you any scripture from the Bible. Her parents have made certain her soul won't burn as her twin brother Noah's is going to.
Living a life devoted to God and the Catholic Church, Sophie is not allowed access to television, smart phones, or the internet.
Whispers are swirling around her though. Around school and even at church she hears others talking.
People are getting sick.
A virus is spreading across the country.
A virus that turns people feral with lust.
As her world starts to tilt Sophie starts to demand answers concerning Noah's safety. Noah was removed from the family home years ago and is living in a facility hours away from Sophie. Where her parents put him.
Fearing for her other half, Sophie is determined to find Noah.
With out any knowledge of this world's sins nor any life experience she sets out to find Noah.
Alone.

CJ Leede didn't just write a book. A story. She emulated our world right now into the written word. And in these words she layered hatred, fear, pain, and loss.
She also wrote of hope. And Love.
CJ Leede turned a light on in the darkness.
The fundamental thread that tethered these characters to one another was that there is hope. That in this extraordinarily scary world, hope and love still remain. As Ben says to Sophie, "It's our job to find the beauty and the light".
This won't be an easy read.
It broke my heart. Several times.
But, life is heartbreaking. It's the pain that makes us appreciate all the beauty the world has to offer.
And I love CJ Leede for this.

wowoWOW!

I went into this book totally blind, and was blown away. The COVID parallels at first glance earned an audible groan from me. If this is you: KEEP. READING.

This is not only pandemic commentary. It’s feminist forward and tackles topics including religious oppression, guilt, shame, and sexual repression that plague many women raised in the church.

Sophie is an extremely sheltered, Catholic, high school girl. When sinful feelings of want begin to torment her hormonal teenage body, she feels the watchful eyes of God, her parents, and the opposite sex more than ever.

Across the U.S. a fever is spreading, causing a zombie-like outbreak of sexual mania. Sprung into chaos and bloodshed, Sophie begins to question her Catholic upbringing and discover the power of female pleasure and desire.

American Rapture is body horror, political commentary, and its own twisted spin on Revelations. You WON’T want to miss this!

Maeve Fly was one of my top reads of 2023, so when I got the opportunity to read 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝗮𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, I was ready to be blown away - and it did not disappoint.

America is in full apocalypse mode, thanks to a virus that makes people fevered, feral, and ✨frisky✨ Right in the middle of it all is Sophie, a good Catholic girl who just wants to survive. Sophie journeys across the Midwest through chaos and carnage to try and find her brother.

Beneath all the chaos, this book has so much heart. Sophie is unpacking her religious trauma and uniquely coming-of-age in the middle of an apocalypse. Her journey feels raw and real, and reading about her wrestling with her faith, survival, and self-discovery in such a scary world made it all more powerful. I was left gobsmacked by the end of this book. CJ Leede knows how to hit you where it hurts - in the best way!

CJ Leede is officially on my “I will read anything you write” list. If you like a “what the hell did I just read” kind of book, you need to add this to your list (and check your TW’s)!

American Rapture by C.J. Leede is disturbing, discomforting, distressing, disgusting, dreadful, frightening, shocking, and unsettling. It tells the story of Sophie, a sheltered teenager from a religious family. Her brother was recently sent away for homosexual tendencies. “A virus is spreading across America, transforming the infected and making them feral with lust…” and at the same time Sophie’s sexuality starts to emerge. In the beginning of the novel, I thought this is too much. It keeps getting worse. One good thing that happens is found family but while she is literally trying to find her brother in the middle of a pandemic. This book literally broke my heart near the end (iykyk). There’s a bit of whiny teenager behavior in there as well. ARC was provided by Tor Nightfire via NetGalley. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

4.5 rounded up!

WOW. I loved every part of this book.

This was nothing short of a coming of age story but toss in the LITERAL apocalypse. I absolutely loved the first person writing style as well. Seeing Sophie’s firsthand experiences and how her perspective shifted over time added depth to the storyline. The entire cast of characters were so likable and their development throughout was great, yet so so heartbreaking.

This is my first CJ Leede book and now I’m even more excited to read Maeve Fly.

This book may not be for everyone but I really enjoyed it. If you like books about the end of the world, found family and an edge of your seat horror story with plenty of gore to go around this one is for you!

CJ Leede killed this.

OUT NOW!!! Thank you so much @tornightfire and @netgalley for the eARC!!

Trigger warnings: unfortunate dog death, religious trauma and sexual assault.

American Rapture is an emotional gut punch, balancing the horrors of its setting with the enduring strength of human connection. Insert post-apocalyptic-zombie-virus-show here and that’s the atmosphere; CJ Leede does a great job dropping you right into that chaotic, tension-filled environment.

The main character, Sophie, is naive and incredibly sheltered. When the country is ravaged by a zombie-like virus, she’s forced to question everything she knows about sexuality, religion, and her life in general. When the virus breaks out, Sophie sets out to make her way to her brother. Along the way, she ends up banding together with a few others, forming a group to travel through the madness together. I really enjoyed the cast of characters. Their connection feels genuine, and they each add a different layer to the story and provide their own lessons for Sophie.

Thanks very much to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for the eArc in exchange for my honest review.

American Rapture follows Sophie, who has grown up very Catholic, as she tryies to get to her brother in the midst of a spreading virus that makes people feral with lust.

This book was a WILD fucking ride from start to finish. It took me through an entire spectrum of emotions, including a moment of uncontrollable sobbing 😭

The writing is fantastic, as are the characters (Barghest is the absolute best). Leede doesn't skimp on the gore and body horror either 🙈 The pacing was also perfect and I was completely hooked throughout.

I grew up in a pretty religious family (not Catholic, but the same issues with religious families seem to apply across the board) and I have a soft spot for books that call out all the hypocrisy and problems that come with forcing religion on people (that includes your children). I loved reading about Sophie dealing with having all her beliefs challenged and the growth that came from that.

Brace yourself before going in because American Rapture is a gut wrenching read. It's also one of my favourites reads of the year 👌🏾

Another binge worthy book from CJ Leede! I ravaged through this book like I was consumed by some sort of malady myself! Exploring the duality of a sheltered religious upbringing and the apocalyptic lust filled landscape that our main character Sophie is facing the author made something both horrific and thought provoking. This is a gory, heart pumping and sad tale that left me wanting more in the best way!