Yesteryear: A GMA Book Club Pick

By Caro Claire Burke

Yesteryear: A GMA Book Club Pick - Caro Claire Burke
  • Release Date: 2026-04-07
  • Genre: Fiction & Literature
Score: 4
4
From 1,760 Ratings

Description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A GMA BOOK CLUB PICK • A NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR (SO FAR) • A traditional American woman, a “tradwife” influencer, suddenly awakens in the brutal reality of 1855—where she must unravel whether this living nightmare is an elaborate hoax, a twisted reality show, or something far more sinister in this sensational debut novel.

"A bold and biting satire, Yesteryear…will have you cackling and gasping right to the final page."
—Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid series


My name was Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive.

Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle. Her charming farmhouse is rustic, her husband a handsome cowboy, her six children each more delightful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers behind the scenes, her kitchen hiding industrial-grade fridges and ovens, her husband the heir to a political dynasty? What Natalie’s followers—all 8 million of them—don’t know won’t hurt them. And The Angry Women? The privileged, Ivy League, coastal elite haters who call her an antifeminist iconoclast? They’re sick with jealousy. Because Natalie isn’t simply living the good life, she’s living the ideal—and just so happens to be building an empire from it.

Until one morning she wakes up in a life that isn’t hers. Her home, her husband, her children—they’re all familiar, but something’s off. Her kitchen is warmed by a sputtering fire rather than electricity, her children are dirty and strange, and her soft-handed husband is suddenly a competent farmer. Just yesterday Natalie was curating photos of homemade jam for her Instagram, and now she’s expected to haul firewood and handwash clothes until her fingers bleed. Has she become the unwitting star of a ruthless reality show? Could it really be time travel? Is she being tested by God? By Satan? When Natalie suffers a brutal injury in the woods, she realizes two things: This is not her beautiful life, and she must escape by any means possible.

A gripping, electrifying novel that is as darkly funny as it is frightening, Yesteryear is a gimlet-eyed look at tradition, fame, faith, and the grand performance of womanhood.

Reviews

  • Yesterday

    1
    By MichsaKopcsak
    This was a total waste of time and money. Do yourself a favor and don’t read this book. It’s actually just plain stupid. DO NOT READ
  • Terrible book

    1
    By noneofit
    One of the most depressing books I have ever read.
  • Fantastic read

    5
    By Talker26
    This book captured me immediately and I was hooked. Read it every free moment. Now that I’m older, I don’t have the focus I used to have, can’t read as fast - but with this book - I got it back! Loved her writing, the clever story. I was worried I would hate the ending, thought it would leave me wondering but it was a great ending. I do have questions though. I can’t ask without spoilers. Please read this book. You won’t regret it. It will take you away and that’s why we read wonderful fiction. Thank you to this talented author.
  • Love to hate and hated to love

    4
    By Madelive Moves Rocks
    It felt really political but without a resolution. Making the enemy a type of person we all have interacted with was controversial and made me love it but also my compassion and empathy grew exponentially for those who stay in their echo chamber. It’s hard to see truth when there is a filter on.
  • Couldn’t wait to finish

    2
    By femmerouge
    I stuck with this book all the way through, even though I felt lost during most of it. The time and place transitions were never clearly explained until the very end, which frustrated me. The characters were not likeable enough to keep me engaged. And the children were also a mystery. On the whole, I’m sorry that I cannot recommend this book. Not my cup of tea.
  • Disappointing

    1
    By Reader1803
    A lot of hype but a disappointing read. Lack of cohesive follow through that reflected the main character’s development as a person of power and choice.
  • Better than I could have expected

    5
    By ReaderToast
    I really enjoyed this book.
  • From an Angry Woman

    3
    By M.Z. Freeman
    I did enjoy this book! I think it accomplishes what it sets out too, the themes are strong, and the plot is compelling. Simply put: the middle could have been cut down! Majorly. I think this book could have easily gutted 15-20 chapter of the middle, and expanded the ending chapters for some full character depth on the part of the children. Great summer read, with a lot of cultural, social, religious concepts that leave you thinking.
  • I don’t know what this book was trying to convey

    2
    By nvenga
    Sad I wasted my time. I heard such great things. Maybe I’ve just seen too many seasons of “Sister Wives” to have been surprised by anything. There’s no comic relief. Props to the author for having an incredible PR team that generated so much buzz to get movie rights. That’ll just be another audience disappointed by a lackluster plot and no redemption arc.
  • Couldn’t put it down!

    5
    By KristenYogi
    Wow. This was an amazing read. It was so interesting the way the author took us inside Natalie’s head and we saw so many versions of reality from her perspective. I would definitely recommend it!
  • Avid Reader

    1
    By READER327
    Terrible book! Stupid, didn’t get the message or point!
  • Reading lv.Z

    5
    By Stephen Jobzy
    I loved it, thank you.
  • Yesteryear

    4
    By YayaNetski
    I found this book difficult to read. I think it was the jumping from one decade to another and one reality to another . Natalie was an interesting character and the premise of her life choice was relevant and interesting. But the disjointedness of the family and characters was difficult at times. The issue of ‘what women want’ is dealt with in an unusual way. Natalie is a determined mastermind of a fabricated ‘perfect Chritianwomanhood ‘that she cannot herself mentally maintain. After she’s thrown into a macabre world of a past/ concurrent life she learns some difficult lessons.
  • Keep turning the page

    5
    By D'Reading
    Original and timely Feminist dissonance vs evangelical patriarchy- women don’t win. But Natalie’s kids emerge into a better future
  • Riveting

    5
    By Allieeeeee88283994
    Such a complex character and point of view, it felt like watching someone’s mind spiral and somehow being able to understand why while also finding it unfathomable.
  • Good!

    4
    By MegCollette96
    Great ending
  • Closure is the hardest part.

    3
    By wild ending
    I read this book in one day. It was so much fun until the last 15%. I understand since it isn’t fantasy or sci fi that landing the plane was going to be hard but I’m really disappointed. Make your own decision but I won’t recommend this book to anyone.
  • Yesteryear wild ride

    5
    By Nina1770
    Hard to put into words what a wild ride this book will take the reader on, but it’s well worth the journey!
  • Don’t Bother

    1
    By tomkat1319
    Oof this book is bad. It’s a structural and narrative mess but the author also clearly just wanted to write a torture fantasy book about influencers without bothering to try to write a holistic character or do even the mildest possible research. Woof.