My B*tches and I met up this week to discuss the most buzzed about book of the summer: Yesteryear. If you’re not familiar with this novel, here’s a brief synopsis:

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.

I have thoughts (no spoilers). First, I appreciate satire and Caro Claire Burke does an excellent job of prompting thought about politics, religion and social media. That being said, I disagree with the description of this novel being “darkly funny.” I honestly did not find it funny at all…just depressing. Did I enjoy the book? No. Could I put it down? Also no. Do with that what you will. All of my Book B*tches felt the same, which actually made for a great discussion.

We decided to meet at the pool for this month’s meeting, which was easy and lovely.

Yesteryear Book Club Discussion

Of course I had to give everyone a bit of sourdough starter as a party favor. If you’ve read the book, you know why.

Back to our discussion…every single one of us felt the ending was weird. Convenient. The author hit the easy button. Unsatisfactory. Confusing. In other words, we didn’t care for it. Lo and behold, we’re not alone. Turns out the novel was attached to a movie project before completion, which explains a lot. The ending really doesn’t fit with what the plot is marketed as. I don’t want to give anything away, but instead of a trad wife takedown, the overall theme felt much more like a mental illness story.

Do I recommend? Honestly, no. It’s not what you think. Supposedly Anne Hathaway is set to star in the film adaptation, which should be interesting. If you want to purchase, click here: https://amzn.to/4eSc42X.

I’m ready for my summer books!