I honestly have no idea what or how to rate this book. The story angered me, I could not get my head around anyone putting religion before their own child. To evoke such emotions in a reader is the sign of a good writer so on one hand I feel it deserves 5* but I don't feel the ending was as satisfactory as I was anticipating.

The beginning of this book grips you and pulls you right into the action. It is about a boy who decides that he is gay. He comes from a super religious family, who doesn’t support this type of lifestyle. The mother is a leader in their church and takes the family on rallies to protest gay rights. The son is ashamed of himself and tries to hide his true self. Throughout the book the family learns the truth about the son and they work to come to terms with it. I personally felt this book would be good for more of a person who believes in the Christian faith. This book was written around the time of the Gay Rights movements in the United States. So as the family goes through a tough situation and learns to come to terms with their son’s lifestyle this book goes through those motions.

Any book that engenders emotion in the reader has to be good. I found it disturbing and everything in me rebelled against the impact the religious beliefs of intoleranced wrapped up in love. I could not put the book down. I can see how the religious aspect might put a number of readers off. I am not religious and this book is not about religion it is about intolerance and conflicting emotions. Would highly recommend.

I'm going with 3 stars as I don't really know what to rate this. I felt absolutely enraged and a whole host of other emotions reading this - all signs of a good writer - but I feel the ending was a little rushed and unsatisfactory.

"...she knew. Suddenly she just knew that all these people -each and every one of them in this crowd, the old and the young, the homosexual and the heterosexual, the whole human family- were God's children. God loved them, and Jesus died for them. All of them..."

I'll give this opinion as a 38 year old queer human who came out 26 years ago!!! While assisting an all girls school ram by nuns. I understand why so many straight and/or younger people insisted this book is set in 2004 and saying that bothers them. Let me laugh about that, like history doesn't matter?? You're not interested in how it was for us 20 years ago?! Oh sorry now is different but let me remind you it is different because of the past generations who did things. Thanks for respecting and you're welcome!!! And also, with every anti lgbtqa+ law coming out every day based on religion, yeah every book like this matters!!!

The book is good!!! I couldn't stop reading once I started it. I could feel the desperation, the pain, the love, the confusion... It's written in a way that you always want to know what's next. There were parts of it that, as a queer human, were hard to read, but I couldn't put it down. If you have the chance to read it, I hope you do.

I loved some of laila's other books but not this one. This was not the type of book for me. While im Catholic I found that this was way too conservative and religious for me to enjoy.

Unfortunately this is a DNF for me. I didn't realise that the book was so heavy on religion. For some people this may be okay for me its a big turn off when reading. I appreciate that its a personal taste. But unfortunately not for me.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to see an ARC

Thanks you Netgalley and the publisher for this arc.

When I read the description of this book, I didn’t know that the story was based on so much religion. Jenn’s thoughts and her behaviour were very focused on her religion and I had the feeling that that was more important for her than her own son. It’s not a light/quick read and I think that this book just wasn’t for me but I’m sure that other people will like it.

Not my cup of tea. Topic wise, this book sounded interesting. It takes place in 2004, before gay rights became a more accepted piece of American equality. A gay teenager,Josh, unfortunately born into a devout Christian family, struggles with his sexuality . His mother is unwavering in her adherence to the strict rules of her Christian church and the pastor who is relatively new to that church. Josh is rejected by those he loves and trusts. Conversion therapy is explored, with all of its negative impact on the human soul. Sounds like there is much potential.

In actuality, I found that the characters were flat and one sided. There were good and bad, kind and unkind characters who totally lacked any depth. I was unable to connect at all. The dialog was stilted and didn’t sound like real conversation. The dogmatic religious point of view was obvious from the outset but was overemphasized and detailed ad nauseum. I found it hard to stay focused on those parts. Ultimately, the ending was very predictable and for me, anticlimactic.

My rating stands at two meager stars for I book that just didn’t do it for me. My thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an ARC in return for my unbiased review.

A conservative Christian mother must come to term with her son’s sexuality.

I have to start by saying that I’m a little disappointed with the book, probably because I was so looking forward to reading something by Laila, after loving some of her books. This is very different from what I had read before (Mustard Seed, Golden Poppies, Yellow Crocus and Paper Wife) and I couldn’t enjoy it as much. Still, the book deals with a very serious topic, which I’m very familiar with, having been raised in a catholic family where homosexuality wouldn’t have been tolerated. Honestly, I think Jenn’s character, while infuriating, is the most accurate one. I wish there were more dads like Steve, but I don’t think that’s the majority in such a community at all, so he sounded too good to be true, in my opinion. I love that the book shows that someone can be both gay and religious, by portraying several gay Christian characters and options for churches that are accepting and welcoming. Overall, the narrative managed to pull me in but not quite amaze me.

Very emotional and well worth a read. This is a 5 star book and I recommend you read this.

Thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for this ARC

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was an emotional rollercoaster for me. The storyline was brilliant and the characters were very well drawn. I wanted to stop reading at times due to the views this book brings to light. I'm glad I kept reading. This book really made me think outside my world. Thank you the author for touching on very sensitive subjects.

Emotional and thought provoking!

Jenn Henderson is living her seemingly idyllic life. Until she finds her 16 year old son unresponsive after returning from church. He whole world turns upside down.

Devout in her conservative and religious beliefs, she is lead to question what she's held true for a lifetime. And as things come to light and she encounters questions, it was fascinating to see the ripple effect in all aspects of her life. Wonderful character development helped make this novel difficult to put down.

Thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Laila Ibrahim for the ARC.

I was given an ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

After the Rain by Laila Ibrahim is a contemporary novel set in 2004 when Queer rights were starting to gain traction and many people were struggling to accept Queerness. Jenn is a Christian Conservative woman who centers God in her life and as does her family. When she finds her son, Josh, passed out in his bed and barely breathing, it sets them all on a path of learning how to accept that Josh is Gay.

In a lot of ways, this book hit close to home. Like many American Millennials, I grew up in a house with Fox News on in the background and was constantly hearing harmful rhetoric that was framed as ‘just a different opinion’. As a Queer person who was accepted by my parent, I still can relate to Josh’s anxiety because I had that same anxiety and fear. It’s hard to see that same hateful rhetoric, those same word choices, but it’s also important that we remember that 2004, which wasn’t that long ago, was a time when all of that did happen. Queer rights are still under attack to this day, but we have made some progress and we can’t forget how hard we fought for it.

The book is mostly focused on Jenn’s arc and Jenn’s growth but we see Steve, her husband, grow through her POV and we get Josh and Sara’s growth and loving sibling relationship through their POVs. I think the book truly benefits from Josh and Sara’s chapters because it provides balance to Jenn’s chapters and gives a voice to the main Queer character and a character who has already been open to growing and changing and was doing so. It’s a wonderful thing to see Sara accept and support Josh no matter what.

After the Rain asks its readers to extend empathy to Jenn and that can be difficult, but seeing how the Church pushed Jenn, something that I have heard from others did happen, does make her more sympathetic.

Content warning for depictions of homophobia, conversion camp, several uses of slurs, and repeated use of the word ‘homosexual’ in a derogatory way.

I would recommend this to readers who are open to narratives involving a parent learning how to accept their Queer child, readers who remember the 2000s and are in a comfortable space to listen to the POV of someone like Jenn, and those looking to research how far Queer acceptance has come in the 2000s.

I couldn’t put this book down. It was filled with emotion. It highlighted the struggles young people have in coming out and admitting how they feel for fear of hurting their family. Josh struggled for a long time keeping his homosexuality a secret from his family. His family were very religious and homosexuality was frowned upon by their church. Josh’s mum Jenn really struggled to support her son and was fast losing her family, friends and her church. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and found it very hard to put down.

'After The Rain' is an incredibly emotional and difficult book to read. It is also incredibly thought-provoking and powerful. At times, this was a tough read and the views of the characters were making me angry and it was hard to continue with the book. However, by persevering, I eventually ended up with a powerful read that really makes you think about the subject matter.
There were times when I did not want to continue reading this but I am glad that I did and this is saved by the ending as well as the characters who were very realistic and mostly likeable.
This is a very emotive book but one that will make you think as well.
Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an advance copy.

Jenn Henderson returned home after brunch, tending to household chores before discovering her son Josh's near-tragic secret. As she nurses him back to health, their family faces the intersection of religion, beliefs, motherhood, and teenage struggles. The story delves into Jenn's unwavering faith, the challenges of acceptance, and the harsh realities of certain religious communities.

The narrative, told from different perspectives, sheds light on the profound impact of societal views on identity and the poignant aftermath of a suicide attempt. While the book may be unsettling, it prompts introspection on personal beliefs and societal attitudes. The author, Laila Ibrahim, courageously tackles a sensitive and genuine issue, offering readers a thought-provoking exploration of complex themes.

I express my gratitude to NetGalley & Storm Publishing for providing me with the chance to read and delve into this book.

excellent book!!!! first book i've read from
this author but i'm def open to more after reading this!!!

This book was not for me. I DNF it at 40%. I just couldn't any more with the ultra religious nonsense that was in the book. then when the family got behind the gay conversion therapy, I just had to nope on out.
I did peek at the last chapter and the authors note so I understood what the main gist was, but this book was horrible.

The way that the mother and father were gung ho christian and thought being gay was wrong just rubbed me the wrong way.

Okay, this is an excellent story but very difficult to read! It's not difficult because of the writing, that's superb. However, the topics dealt with and the consequences of Jenn's behaviour are difficult to watch unfold. Jenn's strict, rigid and uncompromising religious belief regarding her son Josh nearly tears her family apart. Unfortunately, her pastor only reinforces her rigidity and uncompromising position. It takes her a long time to learn that not everything her pastor says and that she believes in, is the ultimate truth and that there are other ways to maintain her beliefs without destroying everything she holds dear. I feel the author has done a magnificent job portraying Jenn's and Josh's internal struggles. It's such a shame that this type of situation still occurs far too often in today's world and doesn't always have the same outcome as Jenn and her family.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.