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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
I meant to start this as a nice early evening read, and now suddenly it’s the middle of the night and my dog is furious that the light is still on and I feel emotionally wrung out.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Gaslighting
Godshot is one I’ve had on my list for years - I’ve checked it out from the library a few times, but I’d still not gotten to it until this year. What a book! I only had a few days to finish it before it was due back, but that wasn’t a problem - this story is delightfully strange and surprisingly heavy, but in ways that immediately peaked my interest and continued to. Main character Lacey May kept me sucked into this one, and I was rooting for her until the end. To go through so many hardships, and to come out the other side mostly okay - what a character. Do you love novels that are a bit strange/feel like they’re not as grounded in reality, and usually are centered around female characters? If so, read this one. These types of books are definitely in my wheelhouse - a few I can think of that I’ve loved that fit are Pizza Girl, Convenience Store Woman, Kitchen, Kristen Arnett’s books.
If you’re looking for a powerful cult/coming of age novel- this is the story for you. So well written and thoughtful- an absolute joy to read.
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
After Madwoman skyrocketed to one of my top books of 2024, I had to start digging in to the rest of Chelsea Bieker's books. This cover is incredible, so I started here with Godshot.
After years of struggling, Lacey Herd's mother commits her life to the eccentric Pastor Vern and his Gifts of the Spirit Church in drought-ridden Peaches, California. Vern convinces his congregation, The Body, his plan will bring rain back to Peaches, and it leads to Lacey's world being turned upside down.
This may be a good fit if you're interested in:
- books about cults
- complicated mother-daughter relationships
- female friendship & found family
What a ride. Like Madwoman, Godshot ultimately centers on a young woman's relationship with her mother. It's heartbreaking following along as fifteen year old Lacey struggles to make smart decisions when she lacks the bond and leadership she desperately desires. No wonder she puts her trust in the charismatic pastor and his community.
This book was so heartbreaking and at the same time quirky, over the top, and almost humorous. The setting felt like a suffocatingly dusty John Steinbeck novel while the characters felt a bit satirical like But I'm a Cheerleader (90's Natasha Lyonne movie reference). Godshot was a challenging novel with some tough moments. (Look up TW.) Lacey was stronger than any young woman should have to be. While the pacing slowed a bit in the middle, the last 25% had me cruising, and I was so invested in the ending with many powerful observations I've come to love from Bieker.
Rating: I really liked it! (4)
I think this moment says so much about what this book is about:
After years of struggling, Lacey Herd's mother commits her life to the eccentric Pastor Vern and his Gifts of the Spirit Church in drought-ridden Peaches, California. Vern convinces his congregation, The Body, his plan will bring rain back to Peaches, and it leads to Lacey's world being turned upside down.
This may be a good fit if you're interested in:
- books about cults
- complicated mother-daughter relationships
- female friendship & found family
What a ride. Like Madwoman, Godshot ultimately centers on a young woman's relationship with her mother. It's heartbreaking following along as fifteen year old Lacey struggles to make smart decisions when she lacks the bond and leadership she desperately desires. No wonder she puts her trust in the charismatic pastor and his community.
This book was so heartbreaking and at the same time quirky, over the top, and almost humorous. The setting felt like a suffocatingly dusty John Steinbeck novel while the characters felt a bit satirical like But I'm a Cheerleader (90's Natasha Lyonne movie reference). Godshot was a challenging novel with some tough moments. (Look up TW.) Lacey was stronger than any young woman should have to be. While the pacing slowed a bit in the middle, the last 25% had me cruising, and I was so invested in the ending with many powerful observations I've come to love from Bieker.
Rating: I really liked it! (4)
I think this moment says so much about what this book is about:
She took my hand. She squeezed. "Whatever’s happened to you can either make you beautiful, or it will ruin you forever. You decide."
I pulled my hand back. "I’m not beautiful."
"I don’t mean beautiful like you’re thinking. I mean beautiful. I mean, deep and changed. Affected. Wise. When you see a woman like that, you know. She’s beautiful because of her undoing. Beautiful because she rebirthed herself from ashes."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
I got this book after reading about it in a recommendation tiktok for “Books About Cults”. I don’t think that that description fits; this book is definitely more about how a young girl deals with the abandonment and crumbling world around her.
Lacey May lives in a small town named Peaches in California, which is controlled by religious cult run by a man named Vern. The cult is a strict, god-fearing type, where only the most devout people are members. Peaches is experiencing an extreme drought, where literally every surrounding town is not being affected, due to Vern claiming that everyone outside of Peaches are “infidels” and that the residents of Peaches don’t need them or their help. Therefore, they’ve taken to drinking soda and eating canned food, but those too seem to be running out.
When every girl in Peaches get their period, they must let Vern know, because once they do, they get their “special mission”, which is a secret until they receive it. After Lacey May gets her period and reports to Vern, it starts a cycle of her life falling apart, from her family to her childhood, to her education.
I found the book very slow. Some parts were very very overwritten, and some parts (which seemed incredibly important), were glossed over. It was hard for me to find a connection with Lacey May, even though all of these horrible things were happening to her. It took me quite some time to start feeling for her, but by the end of the book I was finally able to find it (which, in my opinion, took too long).
I wanted to know more about the cult (but that could just be me being really interested in cults lol), but the backstory kind of fell flat. I don’t think I would recommend this book to anyone who asked, but I can see how other people would be interested in it! It was an interesting concept, but just a boring execution, in my opinion.
Lacey May lives in a small town named Peaches in California, which is controlled by religious cult run by a man named Vern. The cult is a strict, god-fearing type, where only the most devout people are members. Peaches is experiencing an extreme drought, where literally every surrounding town is not being affected, due to Vern claiming that everyone outside of Peaches are “infidels” and that the residents of Peaches don’t need them or their help. Therefore, they’ve taken to drinking soda and eating canned food, but those too seem to be running out.
When every girl in Peaches get their period, they must let Vern know, because once they do, they get their “special mission”, which is a secret until they receive it. After Lacey May gets her period and reports to Vern, it starts a cycle of her life falling apart, from her family to her childhood, to her education.
I found the book very slow. Some parts were very very overwritten, and some parts (which seemed incredibly important), were glossed over. It was hard for me to find a connection with Lacey May, even though all of these horrible things were happening to her. It took me quite some time to start feeling for her, but by the end of the book I was finally able to find it (which, in my opinion, took too long).
I wanted to know more about the cult (but that could just be me being really interested in cults lol), but the backstory kind of fell flat. I don’t think I would recommend this book to anyone who asked, but I can see how other people would be interested in it! It was an interesting concept, but just a boring execution, in my opinion.
A hyperreal portrait of suffering from a young, motherless girl coming of age as a member of a sick religious cult in a desolate small town. An intensely dark but compelling story.
Read my full review here: https://www.aimawaymessage.online/blog/godshot
Read my full review here: https://www.aimawaymessage.online/blog/godshot
So damn good. I am so happy we didn’t get some shit ending where Lacey and her girl don’t get to be happy. Women are amazing and men are SHIT!!!!!!
Eh, did not love this book as much as everyone else did.