I requested this book after seeing it was Gillian Flynn’s first choice for her new publishing imprint. My confidence in Flynn’s taste was borne out. This book has the humor, sharp plotting and terrific writing you would hope for from a book Flynn is metaphorically shoving into your hands. Throughout the novel, Douaihy threads wonderful imagery of light/darkness and fire/light as well as the warped light of stained glass windows. Sister Holiday is a funny, interesting, clever protagonist.

Douaihy joins the ranks of authors who've written an incredible New Orleans novel. Excited to see where her career goes from here.

I received an e-galley of this book from Netgalley in return for this review.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

Sister Holiday is one bad mother*** I absolutely loved this book. Not only was she unconventional but amazing. If this ever gets to the big screen,I know it will become a cult classic.

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

A nun with full body tattoos who also smokes the cigarettes and other contraband from her students, all while starting a new reputation as super sleuth as she works on the clues for multiple fires at her convent. This story didn't need any more surprises, but it definitely kept them rolling in.

I love that this takes place in New Orleans, a perfect city for the scene of any murder/mystery. Sister Holiday has been a nun for about one year after leaving her tumultuous life behind in NYC. There are many looks into her past throughout this book, which only adds to the drama. Sister Holiday teaches at the private school attached to the convent with a few other teachers and nuns. When fires begin erupting seemingingly out of nowhere several times at this school and convent, Sister Holiday takes it upon herself to find the culprit.

This is an intriguing read that definitely kept me entertained. However, I felt like some of the characters and the interactions in this story fell a bit flat. With that said, I still couldn't put this book down!

Out February 21, 2023!

Given the hype for this book (On Gillian Flynn's imprint and a movie adaptation is already sold), I had high expectations. While it didn't meet those, it was still an enjoyable read. I felt like there were some things that were overexplained in a more juvenile way, which can take me out of a mystery novel. I did enjoy the main character, and would be interested in reading more books with her in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Zando Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was honestly unlike anything I've ever read before! I'm a sucker for a mystery and this crime fiction debut was certainly something I thought would be right up my alley and I was absolutely right about it. Sister Holiday is a flawed but intriguing main character, made all the better by the way she acknowledges and pushes through her past. Every character felt so purposefully placed in their roles and felt fleshed out so well, no matter what their purpose was, and even more than that, they were all equally unreliable to me (which I absolutely loved). My only (small) drawback with this book was the pacing. While it wasn't too bad, there were some moments that felt like they dragged and then it almost felt like we were thrust too fast into the ending, leaving me wanting more of what comes next. Though I believe this will be a series if I remember correctly so it's likely that will be resolved in the next book! Overall, this is a crazy, twisting and turning debut and I'm excited to have it officially on my bookshelf! (Don't forget to check content warnings!)

This is an interesting fast read, a nun, sarcastic, quirky, tattooed, lesbian solving a case of multiple arson attacks. It took me a bit to get used to the style and also the religious references were outside of my experience. But it had a surprising depth and perspective as the story went on

My first read for 2023 - picked up mostly because I loved the cover... but the thought of a young, tattooed nun solving crime was also quite appealing.

Faith, fire & female rage, Sister Holiday is a young woman trying to overcome the horrors in her past, having removed herself from her previous life as a promising musician in a band to take up a post as a music teacher in a Catholic school where she is on the verge of taking permanent orders with the Sisterhood of the Sublime Blood.

This second chance / reinvention is interrupted when Saint Sebastian's School is rocked by an arson attack that ends with a janitor dead and 2 students hospitalised - suddenly finding herself considered a person of interest by the police - Sister Holiday decides to start her own investigation.

I love a debut, I love an amateur sleuth and i'm very partial to Murder, She Wrote references! This book sucked me in and kept me guessing until the very end... so really - sometimes it's completely fine to judge a book by its cover.

Premise

A chain-smoking, heavily-tattooed, queer nun inserts herself into the center of a murder investigation after a fire at the school.

Quick Review

With a unique voice and interesting main character, I found this book fairly entertaining. However, I lost connection with it about halfway through, and struggled to finish it.

Long Review

My biggest critique for this book was the exposition. The writing style, while charming at first, eventually served to drag down the plot and make scenes feel choppy.

I have no major opinions about the plot. It wasn't mind-blowing, but wasn't bad. The culprit taking the time to explain everything felt a little cheesy, though.

Overall, I might recommend this to fans of the genre who are looking for a different sort of main character than usual!

Scorched Grace is a wonderfully atmospheric debut novel. Main character Sister Holiday is a queer, chain-smoking, tattooed novitiate at a tiny convent in New Orleans, and she also teaches music at the convent's private Catholic high school. Restless in her new life, she stumbles upon a fire within the school one night that kills one of her beloved coworkers and launches her into an investigation that threatens the precarious stability she's built for herself at the convent. As more arsons take place at the school and more of her beloved convent family are killed, Sister Holiday must finally reckon with the turbulent past she's been hiding from within the convent walls.

It was a bit challenging to connect with Sister Holiday at first, but as the story progressed and we learned more about what she valued and what drove her to join the convent, she became easier to relate to. By the end I was craving more time with her, so I hope that this is only the first in a series of Sister Holiday mysteries.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book!

Sister Holiday, the star of Margo Douaihy's debut mystery "Scorched Grace," is a character like no other. A chain-smoking, hard-swearing nun with a troubled past. Sister Holiday + the vivid New Orleans setting (the humidity jumps off the page) makes this book one mystery lovers won't want to miss.

Scorched Grace, debut mystery novel of Margot Douaihy, follows Sister Holiday, a chain-smoking, tattooed queer nun, who starts investigating on a series of fires and murders at Saint Sebastian's School, where she works as music teacher. She is more faithful than others, but she's no saint. And to discover the truth, she must first acknowledge the sins of her past.

I always enjoy a nice "classic" mystery story, where the main character becomes an investigator and is able to find more clues than the police! That's exactly what happens in Scorched Grace, where the most unconventional nun is determined to find the perpetrators of a series of terrible crimes. I was immediately intrigued by the plot and the dynamics between the nuns and the other people in the school, but I struggled to connect with Sister Holiday at first: besides her physical appearance, we don't know much about her past until we reach the last third of the book, which is where the reasons of her attitude and why she became a nun are finally revealed. Because of this, I really hope Scorched Grace is the first book of a whole series: it took me almost a whole book to get to know Sister Holiday, and now I want more! In my opinion she has the potential of becoming a very interesting character, if only her "present" behavior could match the fire (no pun intended) of her past.
Fingers crossed for more adventures with Sister Holiday!

* I'd like to thank Margot Douaihy, Zando Projects, Gillian Flynn and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When you see its a Gillian Flynn presents book you know you are in for a ride and just I am so sold on this book this start t a series just everything. I will be reviewing a physical copy of this book on my social media platforms but thank you agin to Zando for the digital arc

felt a bit mixed about this one. in the beginning i was struggling to really get into the story but once i got past the first 25% it read very quickly (short chapters <3) so i started enjoying it more.

the mystery part kept dragging on though and the actual reveal wasn’t very surprising. i also feel like the flashbacks weren’t incorporated in the best way, the scenes were just thrown in between other scenes with little explanation.

This was an easy read and, at a certain point, the chapters were short, which I love because it makes it more accesisble to continue with the story. Overall it was an interesting book, I wanted to know who was the responsible of the fires and I liked the flashbacks about the main character's life.
But there where things I didn't like or that didn't make sense in the story, like how the main character is obsessed with investigating the fires even though she doesn't know anything about arson or isn't qualified to conduct an investigation because she is a nun, not a crime investigation or arson expert. I also find it quite convenient that she found everyone suspect but not the actual culprit, additionally the ending felt a little bit rushed for my liking, but despite all that, it was quite an enjoyable read

So original and weird and fun. While the writing style wasn't my favorite, Douiahy made up for it with the story line (very gripping) and characters (you love to hate her). The setting feels like a character in and of itself and it's super duper queer, which automatically makes a book good in my book haha

Wow, what a debut! Douaihy starts off this mystery series about the most unconventional nun you’ll ever meet with the ferocity of a cat clawing its way out of a full bathtub. With tight yet lyrical prose, she introduces Sister Holiday and all her emotional scars with equal amounts of humor and tenderness, and every secondary character feels just as fleshed out and vital to the story. New Orleans serves as the sweltering, magical backdrop to a solid, engaging mystery with plenty of twists. Looking forward to seeing what this tattooed, sailor-mouthed sleuthing nun gets into next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando Publishing for the early copy of Scorched Grace that was provided for me to read and review!

"Earth can be a heaven or a hell, depending on perspective."

For my fellow queers and those who might be healing from religion, this book is for you. This story follows a queer, tattooed nun, Sister Holiday, as she investigates a series of fires and murders that are committed at the school she works at.

I absolutely loved this story and loved reading about a character who is unabashedly queer while also growing up in a religious home. This is a book that really healed my inner child to read. I loved that it took place in New Orleans. The description of the scenery was very immersive. I also really enjoyed getting to know Sister Holidays character more and understanding her past.

Please see the content warnings below.

This crime fiction book includes a mention of hate crimes; a mention of the sexual abuse of a teenager (it is not detailed); suicide; addiction; the death of an older animal (it is not graphic, nor is it detailed, but it is there); scenes inside a jail; corporal punishment; cancer; verbalized and internalized homophobia; and past incest. Although these are relatively short and succinctly crafted for narrative aims, if these content warnings are notable for you, please take that into consideration. There is a graphic description of a leg injury and lyrical descriptions of two deceased people. Religion, fire, and church windows are leitmotifs and featured heavily.

Rating this 4 stars only because I think the tone of noir novels and I don't quite get along. If this wasn't intended to be in the tradition of hardboiled detective novels but through the eyes of a queer Catholic nun, I probably would have found the tone unforgivable: dark, cynical, often hopeless. But the twist on the genre is compelling, as is the mystery and all the intricacies of Sister Holiday's story.

I find the portrayal of devotion, faith, and religion in this book earnest in a way that's very refreshing. Sister Holiday is queer and a Catholic nun; these things do not conflict for her. She is deeply religious, seeking - as many who enter this kind of religious life - something that will transform her, a something she desperately and deeply believes in, that grounds her and gives her solace. I say this as someone who is ex-Christian myself, and deeply critical and derisive of the religion as a whole, but also deeply disillusioned with the rancor many ex-Christians hold for religion as a concept and Christianity in particular. I also find it deeply meaningful that Sister Holiday is both unapologetically Catholic and unapologetically queer. Neither has to be denied for the other. Most important of all to me is her assertion that she has not signed away her queerness to join the Order; rather she is on an indefinite sabbatical from sex. This clear line drawn that one does not have to be having queer sex in order to be queer is very important to me, personally, as a aroace queer person. 

As a final overly specific note, as someone who has lived in New Orleans and still considers it my home city in all the ways that matter to me, the descriptions of New Orleans were wonderful. The heat and humidity pour through the pages, the Catholic backbone is obviously a strong presence on page, as well as all the weight of history. I don't think I've read a piece of media about New Orleans that quite captures the way I feel about the hurricanes like this one does. While not a major feature of the book, many metaphors involve them, and multiple characters have backstories deeply affected by Katrina and the following events - which is only correct in a story about New Orleans. 

All in all this book drew me in, and kept me riveted throughout. While not the genre of mystery I would usually read there was something deeply interesting to me about the world as viewed through the eyes of a fucked up nun desperately seeking redemption.

Note for the publisher: there is a scene where Prince Dempsey the diabetic teen is said to have gone into hypoglycemia and then emergency insulin is administered. Insulin lowers blood sugar and would be INCREDIBLY dangerous to administer in an emergency low blood sugar situation like this one. What is needed in this situation is high sugar content foods like fruit juice or even candy.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🔥🚬🔍✝🏳️‍🌈

I wanted to read this book the moment I read the description. A lesbian, smoking, nun with a tragic past, who investigates mysteries fires and murders. Sign me the HELL up. (Pun intended).

This debut book by Margot Douaihy was hard to put down. I loved the mystery, the detective work, and the characters and I especially loved how Sister Holiday was written. I loved that she had a troubled past and that her faith didn't damper her sexuality. I love how she is a very unconventional nun but still devoted at the same time.

My favourite part about this book is that it had me guessing until the end. I loved books where I can't figure out who did it before it's revealed. It had me sucked in from the very beginning right until the very end.

I hope there will be more books in this series because I absolutely loved it.

AND OMG I JUST FOUND OUT IT"S GOING TO BE A TV SHOW. I"M SO EXCITED! CONGRATS MARGOT!

Thank you to Netgalley, Margot Douaihly, Zando Projects, and Gillian Flynn Books for a copy of the ebook. I leave this review voluntarily.

Thanks to Gillian Flynn Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

“Sister Holiday, a chain-smoking, heavily tattooed, queer nun…” How could you not read this with that intro in the description?! The cover is also SO beautiful!

As someone with a complicated history with religion, I’m always a little hesitant to read about religious characters, but Sister Holiday breaks so many stereotypes and I couldn’t resist reading about a nun that isn’t afraid to confront issues like sexism and misogyny within religion. Felt like a riot grrrl/nun crossover. I agree with some other reviewers that the pacing did feel a bit slow compared to some other crime novels, but I still loved how the author shared Sister Holiday’s complicated past with us.

This was a fantastic crime novel that kept me guessing the whole way through. I loved how the author made you second guess your opinions of each character throughout the book. The symbolism was terrific and the way the author wrote about New Orleans made me want to visit immediately. The ending was truly unexpected which feels hard to come by if you read a lot of crime novels!

All in all, I highly recommend this book, and I am so grateful for the ARC!