Americans are not buying the explanation of Rolling Stone why the iconic magazine featured as its cover story a glamourised photo of accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

The fallout would be felt in the sales of the August 2013 issue as at least five retailers from the New England area would not sell Rolling Stone magazine. These are CVS, Walgreens, Rite Air, Stop & Shop, Roche Bros and Tedeschi Food.

"CVS/pharmacy has decided not to sell the current issue of Rolling Stone featuring a cover photo of the Boston Marathon bombing suspect," said CVS, a Rhode Island-based pharmacy chain, in a statement.

"As a company with deep roots in New England and a strong presence in Boston, we believe this is the right decision out of respect for the victims of the attack and their loved one," CVS explained.

Many readers posted their negative reaction on social media sites to the glamourised look of the accused bomber and said they will stop their subscription to Rolling Stone or not buy the August 2013 issue.

Rolling Stone defended its editorial decision, saying in a statement released on Wednesday that the cover story is part of the magazine's "long-standing commitment to serious and thoughtful" coverage of the most important national issues on politics and culture.

In a hint of the contents of the article, Rolling Stone contributing editor Janet Reitman wrote in a blog post on Tuesday that Tsarnaev's devotion to Islam grew when he was in high school while older brother Tamerlan had possible mental illness. But their mother deemed it better for her sons to be treated by Islam instead of a psychiatrist.

Erik Wemple of Washington Post called the image of the accused bomber exploitative, but also smart, unnerving journalism by portraying an alleged terrorist as sweet and handsome instead of ugly and terrifying.

The controversial issue is slated for release on Friday, July 19, on newsstands and retailers that would still want to carry the magazine at all.

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