“You think kindness is some silly frivolous side virtue, when it is in fact the whole damn thing!”
― Caro Claire Burke, Yesteryear

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke is a twisty, tight paced, well written, suspenseful debut novel about a woman shattered under the weight of society’s expectations of her.

Natalie has always yearned for a traditional lifestyle. When she met and married her husband in college, Natalie had high hopes that he would guide their family to a beautiful traditional life. She has worked hard for the life she has: a rustic charming farmhouse, six children, and a handsome cowboy for a husband. Her social media life shows perfection, the ideal life.

Behind the scenes couldn’t be more different. Nannies, producers, a husband that is an heir to a political dynasty, and industrial-grade fridges and ovens populate her life. Her over eight million followers don’t need to know that. She is living the ideal and, more importantly, building an empire from it. She needs to secure a future for herself and her family because her husband certainly isn’t going to work to provide for them. Natalie isn’t afraid to work the system and take advantage of her husband’s political connections and her growing network.

Everything is running smoothly until Natalie wakes up one morning in a life that isn’t hers. Everything looks vaguely familiar, but slightly off. Her home, her husband, and her children are so close to the same, but something’s wrong. Fire warms her kitchen, the children are dirty, but most shocking of all her husband is actually a competent farmer. Natalie is expected to handwash clothes, haul firewood, make food from scratch, and tend to the house. When she suffers a catastrophic injury on the farm, Natalie realizes that life isn’t what she thought and she needs to find her way back to reality. She must escape and get back to her normal life.

Read this book if you’re looking for a slow burn debut suspense novel with unhinged characters in a social media landscape. This book appealed to my love of social media influencers, cults, and religious ideologies. If you’re wanting to read about tradition and how that interplays with faith, fame, and what it means to be a woman, check out Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke.

This title is also available in large print, CD audiobook, and Playaway audiobook.