You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
I’m so upset about the “twist” that even though the rest of the book wasn’t bad, it completely ruined the book. Also, the main character was unintentionally obnoxious.
I liked the commentary on rape/purity culture and religious trauma; it was so good that it made me really uncomfortable to read because it was so relatable and slightly triggering. However, this is supposed to be a mystery and it was infuriatingly predictable.
As annoyed as I am about the ending, this book wasn’t 1 star bad. I still enjoyed a lot of it. I thought it was a good premise. I enjoyed myself all the way up to the “reveal.”
Spoilers Ahead!!!! The best way I can explain how bad this book was because of the twist is to spoil it. The book description explains how the main character’s hometown pastor has poisoned everyone’s minds, the church is corrupt, and someone was killed. From that alone, you’d probably guess it’s the corrupt pastor who killed the guy, and you’d be right. Congrats, you guessed the twist from the description alone. And you’d probably think the hot stranger the main character befriends is really suspicious when he’s oddly dismissive of her conspiracies and congrats, you guessed the other plot twist that the hot stranger is also a bad guy.
I liked the commentary on rape/purity culture and religious trauma; it was so good that it made me really uncomfortable to read because it was so relatable and slightly triggering. However, this is supposed to be a mystery and it was infuriatingly predictable.
As annoyed as I am about the ending, this book wasn’t 1 star bad. I still enjoyed a lot of it. I thought it was a good premise. I enjoyed myself all the way up to the “reveal.”
Spoilers Ahead!!!! The best way I can explain how bad this book was because of the twist is to spoil it. The book description explains how the main character’s hometown pastor has poisoned everyone’s minds, the church is corrupt, and someone was killed. From that alone, you’d probably guess it’s the corrupt pastor who killed the guy, and you’d be right. Congrats, you guessed the twist from the description alone. And you’d probably think the hot stranger the main character befriends is really suspicious when he’s oddly dismissive of her conspiracies and congrats, you guessed the other plot twist that the hot stranger is also a bad guy.
mysterious
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
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Is Del a bit of a hot mess? Yes. Is the plot wild and enthralling? Also yes.
Wow. I'm not sure where to start with this one.
As a recovering evangelical, I can tell you that Amy Suiter Clarke knows what she's talking about. This book should come with a trigger warning for survivors of church trauma. The self-righteousness, the sanctimonious gossips, the music, the potluck dinners -- it's all there. I'm not kidding when I say I had flashbacks while reading this. I've already recommended it to a few fellow former churchgoers, based solely on the feeling that Clarke GETS IT.
However.
The mystery is REALLY far-fetched, the protagonist is super annoying, and the twists are incredibly predictable. The church people are the most unlikeable, one-dimensional characters ever created, reminding me of why I no longer want to hang out with church people in the first place. And the "investigation" drags on for far too long before we make any progress on solving this mystery.
No young woman who left a church under the shadow of "immoral behavior" is going to show up in her home town and start asking questions about a death she finds suspicious. It just makes Del come off as obnoxious and bratty for her to be showing up on people's doorsteps and being nosy. She comes across as incredibly dumb too -- why did she trust the people she trusted? Why did she put herself in positions where she'd be in danger? I found it hard to sympathize when she found herself in a tight spot, because she's the one who put herself there.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
This book spends a lot of time building up to what happened between Del and Noah, but when we finally find out what it was, it falls flat. Pictures of her breasts? That's it? Yes, I understand that what Noah did was wrong and it would be devastating for a teenager. But ruining her life? I'm not buying it. In addition, Pastor Rick never touches her, even though we spend half the book thinking he's going to. If you're going to set a murder mystery in a megachurch, then make the villain a villain! I wanted more overt bad behavior on the part of both Rick and Noah.
With that said, having Rick be the actual murderer was a disappointment and a far too easy solution. Believe me when I say I know people like Pastor Rick, and they'd never get their own hands dirty. Hire a hitman? Absolutely. Shoot someone themselves? Never. They might mess up their perfect evangelist hair.
Finn's motives don't seem serious enough to me either. Anyone who's ever read a murder mystery could see the twist coming, but he wasn't very convincing. And all I could think was how dumb Del was not to see it coming too.
Eve and Keith are also unbelievable. People like that don't change their minds.
Church trauma is a really complicated topic and I appreciate the difficulty Clarke likely had in deciding to write this story, and in making it accessible to people who didn't grow up in that environment. I'm giving the book three stars just for sheer ambition. But the story needs more big events, and more nuance on the murder side of things.
Also, I'd like to meet Amy Suiter Clarke. I have a feeling we'd have a lot in common.
I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
As a recovering evangelical, I can tell you that Amy Suiter Clarke knows what she's talking about. This book should come with a trigger warning for survivors of church trauma. The self-righteousness, the sanctimonious gossips, the music, the potluck dinners -- it's all there. I'm not kidding when I say I had flashbacks while reading this. I've already recommended it to a few fellow former churchgoers, based solely on the feeling that Clarke GETS IT.
However.
The mystery is REALLY far-fetched, the protagonist is super annoying, and the twists are incredibly predictable. The church people are the most unlikeable, one-dimensional characters ever created, reminding me of why I no longer want to hang out with church people in the first place. And the "investigation" drags on for far too long before we make any progress on solving this mystery.
No young woman who left a church under the shadow of "immoral behavior" is going to show up in her home town and start asking questions about a death she finds suspicious. It just makes Del come off as obnoxious and bratty for her to be showing up on people's doorsteps and being nosy. She comes across as incredibly dumb too -- why did she trust the people she trusted? Why did she put herself in positions where she'd be in danger? I found it hard to sympathize when she found herself in a tight spot, because she's the one who put herself there.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
This book spends a lot of time building up to what happened between Del and Noah, but when we finally find out what it was, it falls flat. Pictures of her breasts? That's it? Yes, I understand that what Noah did was wrong and it would be devastating for a teenager. But ruining her life? I'm not buying it. In addition, Pastor Rick never touches her, even though we spend half the book thinking he's going to. If you're going to set a murder mystery in a megachurch, then make the villain a villain! I wanted more overt bad behavior on the part of both Rick and Noah.
With that said, having Rick be the actual murderer was a disappointment and a far too easy solution. Believe me when I say I know people like Pastor Rick, and they'd never get their own hands dirty. Hire a hitman? Absolutely. Shoot someone themselves? Never. They might mess up their perfect evangelist hair.
Finn's motives don't seem serious enough to me either. Anyone who's ever read a murder mystery could see the twist coming, but he wasn't very convincing. And all I could think was how dumb Del was not to see it coming too.
Eve and Keith are also unbelievable. People like that don't change their minds.
Church trauma is a really complicated topic and I appreciate the difficulty Clarke likely had in deciding to write this story, and in making it accessible to people who didn't grow up in that environment. I'm giving the book three stars just for sheer ambition. But the story needs more big events, and more nuance on the murder side of things.
Also, I'd like to meet Amy Suiter Clarke. I have a feeling we'd have a lot in common.
I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
emotional
tense
medium-paced
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm a religious person who is also fascinated with cults and religious extremism. I don't know why; I just find the subject endlessly intriguing. Since I also needed a book set in Minnesota for a reading challenge, LAY YOUR BODY DOWN seemed like a perfect pick. While it's not actually perfect, I sped through the book and ended up enjoying it for the most part.
Del is a sympathetic, likable character. Her bumbling about while trying to investigate Lars' death feels authentic, unlike all those books where someone randomly decides to play Nancy Drew and magically gets all the suspects to spill the beans, leading them right to all the vital clues that the inept police walked right past. Yeah, right. Del makes realistic mistakes while trying to take down a powerful man, some of which result in gutting consequences. As far as plot goes, this one is pretty straight forward. I wish it had been twistier, with a more surprising killer (I had a great one all picked out, in fact!). Nevertheless, the story moves swiftly, with plenty of conflict and tension to keep it interesting. I whipped through the novel, always wanting to know what was going to happen next. Sure, I saw the ending coming, but still, LAY YOUR BODY DOWN kept me engaged throughout.
As far as the religious trauma aspect goes, there's nothing really unique here. The book does provide some food for thought, though, and would probably provoke a lively book club discussion.
Del is a sympathetic, likable character. Her bumbling about while trying to investigate Lars' death feels authentic, unlike all those books where someone randomly decides to play Nancy Drew and magically gets all the suspects to spill the beans, leading them right to all the vital clues that the inept police walked right past. Yeah, right. Del makes realistic mistakes while trying to take down a powerful man, some of which result in gutting consequences. As far as plot goes, this one is pretty straight forward. I wish it had been twistier, with a more surprising killer (I had a great one all picked out, in fact!). Nevertheless, the story moves swiftly, with plenty of conflict and tension to keep it interesting. I whipped through the novel, always wanting to know what was going to happen next. Sure, I saw the ending coming, but still, LAY YOUR BODY DOWN kept me engaged throughout.
As far as the religious trauma aspect goes, there's nothing really unique here. The book does provide some food for thought, though, and would probably provoke a lively book club discussion.
fast-paced
*3.5.. this book was good to get me out of a reading slump and the twists kept me guessing but I found the ending underwhelming (and slightly annoying if I'm being honest).
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced