Thanks to Catapult for the free advance copy of this book.

Peaches, California, can't escape the drought. But the town's inhabitants, including 14-year old Lacey May, once saw their pastor Vern bring rain when all seemed lost. If they just believe in him and follow his instructions to the letter, more rain will come, right? No matter what Vern tells them God has chosen for them?

GODSHOT is a deeply engrossing look inside the mind of a young girl slowly realizing the world she grew up in isn't what she thought it was. Between her alcoholic mother, senile grandmother, and all-controlling pastor, Lacey May begins to see the cracks in the beliefs she has built her life on, and we are all along for the ride as she begins to push back.

The atmosphere in this book practically seeps out of the pages - more than once I found myself craving a glass of water while reading about Peaches residents relying on soda and canned fruit as Pastor Vern insisted they wait for God to deliver water.

Books with as many horrific events in them as GODSHOT (dm me for content warnings, I don't want to accidentally post spoilers) often come across as voyeuristic or gratuitous but this book walks that line without crossing it, I think partly due to Lacey May's naivete. This tack, I think, makes the book all the more compelling - we've seen these stories before and therefore don't need the gory details, but we want to be sure that Lacey finds her way out. I would have gladly spent more time with Lacey and the town of Peaches - given that this is Chelsea Bieker's first novel, I can't wait to see what she'll do next.