This blending of horror and religious trauma, set in Wisconsin amid a pandemic is not a book that you are going to sit down and binge. It is one that you come back to time and time again, until that feeling of disquiet and unnerve becomes too much. But the intrigue and heart of the story will bring you back.

Be warned, there is lots of bloody horror, religious trauma, sexual assault, and a particularly horrible animal death. But for many, exploring these dark themes through books is a way of acknowledging and working through our traumas. This is the first book that I've ever read where the author's note at the end of the book made me cry.

There were points in the book when I felt the plot was lost and the focus was on the here-and-now horror, without a clear direction of its purpose. In those times, it felt a bit egregious and lost a star for me. It all came together in the end, but I was hoping for a bit more of a finale.

Overall, highly recommend this book to readers who love a bit of bloody gore and dark themes to their horror, especially when it dips its toe into writing that is deeply poignant and challenging.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listener copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A dystopian coming-of-age, anti-Catholic, horror story. Sophie is a sheltered girl from an ultra-religious family with a fractious relationship with her parents. That’s because they sent her twin brother away for “reeducation” after he was found with a gay men’s magazine. Sophie, now on the cusp on turning 17, has bloomed overnight and needs more “suitable” (ie modest and larger) clothing. She notices boys now looking at her and this makes her extremely uncomfortable. Yet, like all 16-year-old girls, she now thinks constantly about her sinful (in her mind) yearnings. That’s when a virus mutates and all of a sudden the infected are having violent sex everywhere: in the streets, on the sidewalks, even in her home as she witnesses her infected parents copulating then turning their lust towards her. She flees for her life (and to protect her virginity and find her twin). The book is about her questioning religious doctrine, learning who to trust, to love, and finding herself. There is a lot of loss and gore, this being a horror story. It’s definitely not for everyone, but the writing is vivid and I enjoyed the descriptions of many familiar places in Wisconsin. I did grow impatient with Sophie always blaming herself for everything bad that happened, but perhaps it stemmed from her church indoctrination and upbringing.
The audiobook narrator has a soft, breathless voice that suits the character although I had to speed it up quite a bit. 3.5 rounded up.
My thanks to the author, publisher, producer, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook for review purposes. Publication date: Oct 14, 2024.

This was another perfect casting for the audiobook. This title needed a voice actor and they delivered. Perfect for the character and situation. Thank you for making this audiobook available.

American Rapture. A raw look into hyper religion and fanaticism, the oversexualization of young girls and women, the overwhelming burden given to us by our parents, religion and society as girls and how sometimes found families are better than the ones we were born into.

A mix of the walking dead with horny zombie-like infected, a coming of age of an extremely sheltered young girl trying her damndest to survive what it feels like the apocalypse and find her family. An extremely well written and narrated novel about found family, unlikely friendships, lots and lots of emotions, the ugly and terrible truth of extreme religion ideologies and the worst, most terrifying thing of all, humans at their darkest.

I just finished the audiobook ARC not even an hour ago and am still trying to find all the words to relay my feelings into a coherent review. But with all of it what's better than the raw truth?

Plain and simple: this book is a must read for this fall, hell for this year even this lifetime.

The long answer: A true rollercoaster of emotions, from beginning to end, all the way to the acknowledgments. It resonated close to my heart, with me being raised in a traditional Catholic Mexican household where your biggest sin was existing as a woman within a man’s world. Can’t look too easy, can’t wear skirts, shorts or even anything remotely showing any kind of cleavage because you're not respecting yourself as a woman, you’re opening yourself to passes, comments and male gaze, you’re inviting them to say and do with you because you’re easy.

This was one of my favorite reads of this year and I hope ya’ll get to enjoy this book once it's out.

I want to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to hear the Audiobook ARC. Happy reading yall!

Book pub date is 10/15/24 and if you can get the audiobook version, the way Moniqua Plante narrates is seriously the best Audiobook I’ve ever heard.

Religious trauma and horror- is anyone shocked I was interested??? I will say you should know going in that there is a lot of sexual assault in this book (and a pretty horrific animal death). But the main theme is religion and sexuality, so I think it makes sense and is pretty smart. I did appreciate that while the instances of assault or attempted assault are many and awful, the descriptions of what's happening aren't overly graphic. Especially compared to the quite graphic descriptions of other things that you would expect to see in a horror novel.

The main character is Sophie, a Catholic teen girl who has led an extremely sheltered life and lacks access to a lot of information. Meanwhile, a deadly virus is sweeping the nation and it causes people to be uncontrollably sexual in really disturbing ways. And then there are your not-infected creeps who also perpetrate assault. What I think I really smart about this is it literalizes this conservative religious teaching that men "can't control themselves" and places the responsibility for sexual assault on women. In this case, while women can be infected too, only men get red hands as a late symptom. And the infected quite literally cannot control themselves.

This also gets at the danger of lack of education when it comes to sex. Whether because of lack of knowledge or discomfort, Sophie thinks of each penis she sees or encounters as a "thing". Sexuality for her is this blend of guilt, shame, desire, and traumatic responses, which is pretty common for people with religious trauma who grew up in purity culture. Even in a consensual situation, these responses are triggered in what is clearly PTSD. Again, this is a real thing even if it's not coming from such unhinged situations. But I think the fact that the horror is so over the top allows for a bit more distance and comfort with addressing really difficult subject matter. Like incest, religious abuse, and more. The main character may be a teenager, but this is definitely not YA.

I could say a lot more, but I think this is an incredible book, especially if you grew up religious and are deconstructing that. Just be aware that the subject matter is intense. The audio narration is really good too! I received an audio review copy via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I venture to say that this is not the best landscape for a coming of age saga, at least for Sophie, that is.

I enjoy C.J. Leede’s work quite a bit. It’s bleak and occasionally pretty intense. And has a lot of heart too.

Even though this one lulled a bit for me in a few parts it was still paced well enough to keep me engaged throughout. I even enjoyed most of the religious imagery which is sometimes difficult for me to take. It wasn’t too heavy and handled very deftly.

3.5 Stars! Looking forward to more from C.J.

American Rapture is a wild ride through a plague/zombie apocalypse told through the eyes of a teenaged girl raised in an extremely repressive Catholic household. It explores the mysteries of faith and anguish of teen desire. The build-up is slow, like any good zombie horror setting, and the payoff is terrifying. Imagine a flu that could mutate and turn you into a super strong sex-craved demon. The sin! The guilt! The violent assault! We follow Sophie, just shy of 17, as she tries to survive amidst the ongoing and increasing mania around her, and search for her twin brother who was whisked away in the night several years ago to a Catholic conversion center for wayward teens. Sophie and a small group of survivors must deal not only with the fear of infection and attacks from the infected, but also the evil machinations of religious Crusaders who believe they must help God's plan for the end times along by attacking vaccination centers. American Rapture is timely, thought-provoking, heartbreaking, and horrifying. A perfect read for the upcoming spooky season.

Moniqua Plante's narration is quite breathy, which I don't necessarily love in an audiobook all the time. However, it did feel appropriate for our narrator Sophie, who was a scared teenager.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2024, and it also happens to be one of my favorites as well. I went to all Catholic, private schools growing up, and since I've stepped far away from that culture, I feel like I was drawn right back in while reading this. I truly felt as though I was inside the story with how well she described the religious culture in the Midwest. I also had a true appreciation for how well she wrote about the places in the Midwest so well, especially The House on the Rock. It was like I was on a tour of that insane place again.
CJ Leede took an apocalyptic phenomenon to the next level at the height of religious chaos. This atmospheric story will have you connected from start to finish with not only the story, but with the characters; the emotional connection I had with them was top notch.

This was such an interesting and thought provoking book! I absolutely loved the chaos of it all and really enjoyed how the story played out. My biggest issue was not even an issue at all because it’s just a “me” thing - as someone who is not at all religious and never has been, I had a hard time relating but that truly didn’t stop me from enjoying the story at all be she’s the way CJ told the story was still very entertaining.

3.5 stars!

American Rapture is my first book from CJ Leede. I went into this book blind. I really enjoyed the first half of the book then it started to feel repetitive to me. I didn't hate the story at all. I was thoroughly engaged until the last half of the book. I've read amazing reviews about her previous book, Maeve Fly. This one was ok though. Not my favorite but definitely worth a read!

I really enjoyed this! I especially liked the setting being in Wisconsin because we don't often see that, and I knew most of the locations referenced which was fun to relate to. I thought the characters had great development and the premise is very unique.

An emotional and harrowing coming-of-age tale, CJ Leede’s second published novel is less insane and disgusting than her first, but no less compelling. There’s a lot to juggle here - a pandemic zombie survival story about sexual awakenings and oppressive religious shame probably shouldn’t work, but this absolutely does. The writing is swift and evocative - specific in that Stephen King way that’s all about the characters instead of getting bogged down in the details themselves - and I enjoyed spending time with Sophie and her inner turmoil a great deal. In particular I appreciate her willingness to take her destiny in her own hands: there’s a more passive version of this character being carried upstream by the forces around her, but this journey of self-discovery is very clearly about a girl who had this in her all along.

I also had the privilege of experiencing this both through eARC and audiobook, courtesy of NetGalley, Tor Nightfire, and Macmillan Audio, to whom I’m extremely grateful. I found both experiences great, but also think that Sophie is the most different of anything across the two versions: she’s desperate in both iterations, but on the page she’s angrier, while in the audio I found her more scared and confused. An intriguing difference.

A great book! Reminded me a lot of Andrew Joseph White, who is also consistently unafraid to write nasty, dark horror about teenagers escaping the shackles of their trauma and discovering What It Is To Be. I continue to love Leede’s interest in exploring both the liberating power and horrifying potential of lust. I found her endnote legitimately moving and quite wonderful, too. While I didn’t love this the way I loved <i>Maeve Fly</i>, I still find her to be one of the most impressive new voices in horror and am so excited to see where she continues to go from here.

American Rapture is a a remarkable sophomore effort for CJ Leede. It has deep rooted themes in shame, guilt, faith, and religious repression. It has characters and dogs to fall in love with, a unique spin on a pandemic/zombie apocalypse, and more heart than you'd expect in a horror novel.

Also, this is not Maeve Fly. I wasn't quite as shocked by things in this book like I was with Maeve. Maybe I'm numb to it and a lust-inducing virus that creates sex-crazed zombies will shock most readers. Instead, I think this books shows off Leede's writing and story telling prowess. She spins Sophie's coming of age tale in the lust-zombie apocalypse with grace, style and heart. Maeve Fly announced CJ was here, but American Rapture announces CJ is here to stay.

The audiobook had a listener's note at the end, I think narrated by CJ, that I really loved and resonated with. It gives you a little extra context and history of the book that I think added to its impact on me.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing an ALC. All opinions are my own.

I was not a fan of the book. It just keeps going and going. I was engaged until about halfway through, and it got very repetitive. She got somewhere safe, and then she had to run for her life while wanting to run off on her own to find her brother when she had to be saved by everyone around her. Sophie was somewhat insufferable except for her dated How-To knowledge. One character dies, which made me so angry that I almost DNF the book because I had it. I felt like I dragged myself through the whole story, and the ending was so anticlimactic. I am a fan of the body horror and the writing itself. The audiobook was performed perfectly. The narrator did a great job creating voices for the characters.

Wow! The author's note absolutely gutted me about why she wrote this book. A strict Catholic girl trying to understand the world that has been kept from her, including sexual urges when America suddenly has an outbreak of a virus that makes people become overly sexualized to the point of killing. Sophie has to navigate this new world without dying, and she encounters new friends along the way. This book absolutely broke me in one part that CJ Leede discusses in her Author's Note. This book discusses friendships, love, and religion. Such an amazing book. In fact, the narrator gave me an anxiety attack by the way she portrayed Sophie. I could not imagine being in Sophie's shoes, being scared all the time that she is a bad person and having to worry about what is right and wrong.

Just when I thought I couldn’t love a @ceejthemoment book more than Maeve Fly…AMERICAN RAPTURE came and said, “YOU THOUGHT!”😂😂😂

…AND LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THE PHENOMENAL AUDIOBOOK 1000/10 recommend!!! @moniquaplante killed it!!! The 14+hr audio literally flewwww by and I was entertained the entire time and was legitimately sad when it was over!

This book has everything, including an apocalyptic level contagion, sexual awakenings, a Midwest setting, religious trauma, and moments that are equal parts heartbreaking and hilarious (which @ceejthemoment has a special talent of doing like no other!!)

5⭐️

✨Synopsis: 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.

⭐️AMERICAN RAPTURE, out OCT 15th⭐️

Thank you to @macmillan.audio for the review ALC of this book! #MacAudio2024

#americanrapture #cjleede #macmillianaudio #tornightfire #torbooks

CJ Leede continues to serve. She strayed away from gory horror and brought back the epidemic (both physical and religious) horror. She created a great character who broke the walls built around her under the name of religion and with power of youth opened her mind to what life really is. Forget about the plot, I was in it for the arch Sophie went through. And CJ Leede - your note to reader wasn't lost on me!

Sophie had little too much fear of God in her. Her parents not even blurred the lines between having faith and following an organized religion but they thought those were one and the same. Sophie was stuck in a very thick jar and her only solace was library. Meanwhile, world was getting traumatized with a new epidemic making people go crazy with lust. Didn't matter how protected they were, Sophie's household was hit with it to Sophie's horror. After that moment. Sophie was a girl on a run trying to find her twin.

I'm looking forward for more Leede books. I was very impressed by her debut. This book showed me the different side of her. I hope her next books give me different faces of her.

This book is just…wow. It broke me, in the best way. For me, a five-star rating is a perfect book, one that I wouldn’t change a thing about, and this is that.

It’s the end of the world, in the form of a pandemic that makes people lustful to the point of violence. We follow Sophie, a teen girl from an ultra-conservative Christian family who was raised in an extremely sheltered environment. As she’s navigating the weird apocalypse hellscape to try to reach her twin brother, we learn about her life, her family, and her shifting morals and ideals.

I love horror as a means of processing trauma, and it seems that this is what CJ Leede has done with this book. I was raised Catholic growing up and so much of Sophie’s questioning of her religious views reminds me of myself at her age. Sophie proves to be an extremely capable, knowledgeable character (despite her parents’ efforts to quash that). I also love pandemic horror, processing our collective experience of the past few years.

And the author’s note at the end makes it clear that THAT character death was her way of processing a personal loss, too.

If I’m being nitpicky, the pacing seemed to lag at times, but more importantly, I know it's a spoiler, but I think that this book would SERIOUSLY benefit from a big ole trigger warning for

***SPOILERS AHEAD***



<spoiler>the most horrific, prolonged animal death I’ve ever seen in a horror novel…and I’ve read a lot of horror, including extreme horror. That scene and the ending, I cannot stop thinking about.</spoiler>




Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC/ALC of the audiobook.

CJ Leede has done it again! I loved Maeve Fly so much so as soon as I saw this book listed I knew I had to request it. I went into it expecting similar vibes and while it definitely is still horror, this one has a little bit slower pace and you can feel the amount of love and effort put into this book. I think CJ is going to be a big name in the horror genre for years to come. She is totally unique and I'm obsessed with her work. This book gives me vibes similar to The Walking Dead.

The book's concept is totally insane to start with. If you read the synopsis and are still weirded out by the content, then why did you even pick this book up? The negative reviews were literally commenting on what it already says in the description. I have to admit I wasn't the biggest fan of the MC, Sophie but I do think she was extremely well written. Sophie is a 16-year old ultra sheltered Catholic girl and slowly over the course of the book she is having to rethink her entire belief system all while trying to survive. As a former Christian (although not to the same extent as Sophie) it is always comforting when you have characters like Cleo, Ben, and Noah who are not trying to persuade Sophie against her beliefs but to assure her that thinking and doing certain things don't make you a bad person. Sophie deals with a lot of internal shame and guilt that I feel like most people brought up in the church can relate to.

I expected horror but did not expect this to be as sad as it was!! CJ why must you insist on breaking my heart into a million pieces? I feel like it will be a long time before I stop thinking about this book. I need a sequel!! I am looking forward to more from this author in the future. If you are brave enough give this one a read / listen!

"American Rapture" by CJ Leede is a visceral, high-octane horror novel that tackles religious trauma, sexuality, and survival in a world ravaged by a disturbing, lust-fueled virus. The story follows Sophie, a sheltered Catholic teenager, as she battles to stay alive while questioning everything she's been taught. The novel's intense pacing and raw reflections on faith create an atmosphere of unease, enhanced by body horror and a critique of fundamentalist ideologies.

While the plot draws readers in with its chaotic zombie apocalypse backdrop, it is Sophie's internal journey that stands out, offering a deep dive into the damage of religious indoctrination. The writing is gripping, though its mix of YA themes and extreme violence might jar some readers. The audiobook, narrated by Moniqua Plante, brilliantly captures Sophie's emotional shifts, adding depth to the experience. This is a bold and thought-provoking read for horror fans, but it comes with a heavy dose of trigger warnings.