Name: Yesteryear
ISBN: 9780008742782

Caro Claire Burke

'NIGHTMARISH, SHOCKING, BRILLIANT' STYLIST 'THE BOOK THAT WILL BE EVERYWHERE IN 2026' INDEPENDENT 'EVERYONE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT IT!' JENNIE GODFREY 'BOLD, BITING. WILL LEAVE YOU GASPING' NITA PROSE ‘WICKEDLY FUNNY' ABIGAIL DEAN 'SHOT THROUGH WITH HUMOUR, LACED WITH DARKNESS' CLARE MACKINTOSH 'INVENTIVE, ADDICTIVE, A WILD RIDE' ASHLEY AUDRAIN

Yesteryear

biddy

All men wanted to become legends. It was so embarassing.

Freaky as hell. Loved every bit. Read it 2 days! A little bit like M. Night 

 The Village, a lot a bit Ballerina Farms. Fascinating, funny, creepy and kind of relatable? Just glad someone’s addressing all of it. Thought the grocery store veggies / the fact that they can’t actually farm and her inability to make a good sourdough loaf was just hilarious and I loved the way all of the pretend ends up coming full circle, completing it all nicely for the reader.

Lily Dendy

Freaky as hell. Loved every bit. Read it 2 days! A little bit like M. Night Shyamalan‘s The Village, a lot a bit Ballerina Farms. Fascinating, funny, creepy and kind of relatable? Just glad someone’s addressing all of it. Thought the grocery store veggies / the fact that they can’t actually farm and her inability to make a good sourdough loaf was just hilarious and I loved the way all of the pretend ends up coming full circle, completing it all nicely for the reader.

Loved this deep dive into the facade of social media.  Felt a real connection to the protagonist, despite her flaws.  It was beautifully written, and visceral.  The “it was all a dream” style ending could have been cliche, but connected back through the story in such a way, that it was profound.  

Emily Hylton

Enjoyed while I was reading but fell apart in some spots esp the end. And a tradwife that can't make a good sourdough loaf... what??? 

Patsy Koss

Yesteryear was a highly anticipated read for me. I am a mood reader, so I usually don't get around to reading new releases when they are still hot off the press. However, last year I saw many glowing ARC reviews and the premise of yesteryear seemed so unique and refreshing that I bookmarked its title, and as soon as I saw it was available, I jumped at the opportunity to read it.  I wish in the review I could tell you it was so worthwhile; however, in honesty, I am mostly disappointed. 

First, I want to clarify that, unlike some other readers whose criticism of the book stems from a dislike of how the main character is written, I actually think the characterisation was one of the strong points of this book. Yes, the main character is absolutely reprehensible; she is completely indoctrinated into white supremacist alt-right Christian talking points. So selfish and heartless that it is sickening. Yet that is the point, yesteryear is satire, we are not meant to feel any sympathy for Natalie. She mirrors what many tradwife influencers are like with only slight exaggeration. So her characterisation didn't really bother me. In fact, I like the way all the characters were almost cartoonish in nature; it worked well in creating the atmosphere for the book. 

The rest of the writing, I had way more issues with. Yesteryear is written in a very dry way, and the pace at which major events occur is disjointed, which meant at times it was challenging to read. Throughout my reading, I was waiting for something to happen that would wow me, that would make me think wow this book is so clever, so well done. That moment never really came, leaving me underwhelmed.  The prose is split into a dual narrative, one which shows us how Natalie rose to fame, and the other shows Natalie 'stuck' in the past. Both narratives are not equally well written. I didn't really actually enjoy Natalie stuck in yesteryear. After the initial shock of her getting there and one or two escape attempts, nothing much happens... she's just there. I enjoyed reading her backstory to date much more and found myself irritated when we cut back to yesteryear, which I feel defeats the purpose of the book. I wasn't interested in a tradwife influencer being stuck in a historical period; she glorified views and clicks. I am interested in the mind of a tradwife influencer. The somewhat fantastical element of this book is not well done, a shame because, like many other readers, that is what initially brought me to pick it up. This is just a theory, but it's as if this book was written with the express purpose of being adapted into a TV show or movie, which I think it could actually work better as. However, as a book, it often felt long and drawn out.

This is a spoiler, but the fact that Natalie wasn't actually stuck in yesteryear and was rather just living as a recluse kind of ruined it for me. I think I was just expecting something different; however, this is a personal gripe.

Finally, when it comes to the social commentary of this book, the way it examines tradwife influencers, misogyny, religion, and expectations on women, it felt a bit blunt and clunky at times. I think it does well to delve into the mind of someone who is a tradwife influencer, what forms their belief system, and how they manage the inherent contradiction of aligning themselves with being homemakers but managing multi-million dollar businesses at the same time. There was a lot this book managed to discuss; however, to me, it felt a bit surface-level. At times, it felt like things were being brought up because the author wanted to make sure they mentioned multiple aspects of misogyny and the flaws of this brand of white supremacist thinking; however, any sort of analysis or meaningful insight was lacking for me. 

In all, yesteryear did not live up to my expectations. 

Marz 

Yesteryear was a highly anticipated read for me. I am a mood reader, so I usually don't get around to reading new releases when they are still hot off the press. However, last year I saw many glowing ARC reviews and the premise of yesteryear seemed so unique and refreshing that I bookmarked its title, and as soon as I saw it was available, I jumped at the opportunity to read it.  I wish in the review I could tell you it was so worthwhile; however, in honesty, I am mostly disappointed. 

First, I want to clarify that, unlike some other readers whose criticism of the book stems from a dislike of how the main character is written, I actually think the characterisation was one of the strong points of this book. Yes, the main character is absolutely reprehensible; she is completely indoctrinated into white supremacist alt-right Christian talking points. So selfish and heartless that it is sickening. Yet that is the point, yesteryear is satire, we are not meant to feel any sympathy for Natalie. She mirrors what many tradwife influencers are like with only slight exaggeration. So her characterisation didn't really bother me. In fact, I like the way all the characters were almost cartoonish in nature; it worked well in creating the atmosphere for the book. 

The rest of the writing, I had way more issues with. Yesteryear is written in a very dry way, and the pace at which major events occur is disjointed, which meant at times it was challenging to read. Throughout my reading, I was waiting for something to happen that would wow me, that would make me think wow this book is so clever, so well done. That moment never really came, leaving me underwhelmed.  The prose is split into a dual narrative, one which shows us how Natalie rose to fame, and the other shows Natalie 'stuck' in the past. Both narratives are not equally well written. I didn't really actually enjoy Natalie stuck in yesteryear. After the initial shock of her getting there and one or two escape attempts, nothing much happens... she's just there. I enjoyed reading her backstory to date much more and found myself irritated when we cut back to yesteryear, which I feel defeats the purpose of the book. I wasn't interested in a tradwife influencer being stuck in a historical period; she glorified views and clicks. I am interested in the mind of a tradwife influencer. The somewhat fantastical element of this book is not well done, a shame because, like many other readers, that is what initially brought me to pick it up. This is just a theory, but it's as if this book was written with the express purpose of being adapted into a TV show or movie, which I think it could actually work better as. However, as a book, it often felt long and drawn out.

This is a spoiler, but the fact that Natalie wasn't actually stuck in yesteryear and was rather just living as a recluse kind of ruined it for me. I think I was just expecting something different; however, this is a personal gripe.

Finally, when it comes to the social commentary of this book, the way it examines tradwife influencers, misogyny, religion, and expectations on women, it felt a bit blunt and clunky at times. I think it does well to delve into the mind of someone who is a tradwife influencer, what forms their belief system, and how they manage the inherent contradiction of aligning themselves with being homemakers but managing multi-million dollar businesses at the same time. There was a lot this book managed to discuss; however, to me, it felt a bit surface-level. At times, it felt like things were being brought up because the author wanted to make sure they mentioned multiple aspects of misogyny and the flaws of this brand of white supremacist thinking; however, any sort of analysis or meaningful insight was lacking for me. 

In all, yesteryear did not live up to my expectations. 

Adele Etheridge Woodson

I couldn't put this down, especially the ending. Really interesting seeing the world through Natalie's POV and her anger.

Jenny Engel

an interesting book! definitely dragged at times especially the parts set in the past. but overall entertaining enough to continue reading

jacq bridge

The main character is so unlikeable but that’s what makes it so compelling. 

Sayali

I am struggling to give this a rating since I felt it was really well written (and very well narrated as an audiobook) -the prose flowed easily and, overall, the novel did not seem to suffer from needing a lot of trimming. The twist towards the end was also something I could appreciate for not being the most obvious approach to the denouement of the story and helping to give it a little extra something.

However, I also felt that the novel missed a couple of good opportunities to truly make a commentary on the zeitgeist and "tradwife" / mummy bloggers. While the twist somewhat makes up for it, it felt like the novel was weakened by deciding to contrast the experience of a modern woman who chooses this lifestyle to that of a woman from the 1850's who has no choice for the majority of the novel. This kind of lifestyle is currently being promoted to many young women via social media, uncritically, and the fact of the matter is that the majority of them will not have farmhands, nannies and a rich father-in-law to bankroll their enterprise, and I expected the novel to engage with this a little bit more.

Another disappointing aspect is that the novel does not really delve into the life and reality of tradwife content creators - it still hinges heavily on the assumptions the rest of us make about them based on rare glimpses we get of their lives behind-the-scenes. And while I appreciate that we may never know until someone of the rank of Nara Smith (who does not view herself as "tradwife") or Ballerina Farm does not do a tell-all memoir, it still would have been nice for the novel to tell us something we did not already know. Unfortunately, ultimately, this novel would have always suffered from this - preaching to the choir.

There is a bit of a sense of the novel revelling in punishing its main character and the people pursuing this "traditional" lifestyle which felt a little meanspirited and, again, seemed to lessen its impact. Especially given that the novel did not really have anything particularly complex or layered to say in its critique. But then again, it is not like it sought to depict its more progressive characters as beyond hypocritical and one-dimensional either. (In fact, I really hated the way the novel toyed with sexual assault on several occasions).

Ultimately, while the novel never quite manages to express a viewpoint that is as complex as its topic, I still think it is worth reading. But it might be more enjoyable if the reader disregards the majority of its real-life context and lets it just take them for a ride.

P.S. Can I also say, if you are looking for something to tamp your libido down, read this book. So much unpleasant sex was had, no one was having a good time.

I am struggling to give this a rating since I felt it was really well written (and very well narrated as an audiobook) -the prose flowed easily and, overall, the novel did not seem to suffer from needing a lot of trimming. The twist towards the end was also something I could appreciate for not being the most obvious approach to the denouement of the story and helping to give it a little extra something.

However, I also felt that the novel missed a couple of good opportunities to truly make a commentary on the zeitgeist and "tradwife" / mummy bloggers. While the twist somewhat makes up for it, it felt like the novel was weakened by deciding to contrast the experience of a modern woman who chooses this lifestyle to that of a woman from the 1850's who has no choice for the majority of the novel. This kind of lifestyle is currently being promoted to many young women via social media, uncritically, and the fact of the matter is that the majority of them will not have farmhands, nannies and a rich father-in-law to bankroll their enterprise, and I expected the novel to engage with this a little bit more.

Another disappointing aspect is that the novel does not really delve into the life and reality of tradwife content creators - it still hinges heavily on the assumptions the rest of us make about them based on rare glimpses we get of their lives behind-the-scenes. And while I appreciate that we may never know until someone of the rank of Nara Smith (who does not view herself as "tradwife") or Ballerina Farm does not do a tell-all memoir, it still would have been nice for the novel to tell us something we did not already know. Unfortunately, ultimately, this novel would have always suffered from this - preaching to the choir.

There is a bit of a sense of the novel revelling in punishing its main character and the people pursuing this "traditional" lifestyle which felt a little meanspirited and, again, seemed to lessen its impact. Especially given that the novel did not really have anything particularly complex or layered to say in its critique. But then again, it is not like it sought to depict its more progressive characters as beyond hypocritical and one-dimensional either. (In fact, I really hated the way the novel toyed with sexual assault on several occasions).

Ultimately, while the novel never quite manages to express a viewpoint that is as complex as its topic, I still think it is worth reading. But it might be more enjoyable if the reader disregards the majority of its real-life context and lets it just take them for a ride.

P.S. Can I also say, if you are looking for something to tamp your libido down, read this book. So much unpleasant sex was had, no one was having a good time.

Perfect balance of fun and slightly trashy but still well written and not shit. I liked the twist, wasn’t what I expected. Finished v quickly and was impatient to get stuck into it every evening - the sign of a good book imo! 

Allegrachatterjee

This was such a page turner! I wasn’t sure this would be for me as I cannot stand influencers, but the storyline was captivating

Jacqui Spears

I loved the premise of the book it was so interesting I feel like so much more could have actually come out of it- it felt rushed, it felt wrong, and SO fucking confusing. It did however re affirm my hatred for the Christian trad wife botch I’m what Natalie would call one of those angry women, I’m just so confused i get that thats the plot of the book but it was not done correct in my opinion. Great premise I want to read more about tradwives actually

Anushree Taparia


The ending left me …. Confused?

I loved the premise of the book it was so interesting I feel like so much more could have actually come out of it- it felt rushed, it felt wrong, and SO fucking confusing. It did however re affirm my hatred for the Christian trad wife botch I’m what Natalie would call one of those angry women, I’m just so confused i get that thats the plot of the book but it was not done correct in my opinion. Great premise I want to read more about tradwives actually

This book is a five star, for how it made me feel throughout. The entire time you spend in this book you’re a little bit uncomfortable, a tad confused, the only thing you are confident about is how much you despise the main character and others throughout. That’s usually a big turn off for me but this had me transfixed throughout. 

Definitely recommend. A very clever book. Did not see that ending coming at all. 

Aims

Easy 5⭐️

This book is a five star, for how it made me feel throughout. The entire time you spend in this book you’re a little bit uncomfortable, a tad confused, the only thing you are confident about is how much you despise the main character and others throughout. That’s usually a big turn off for me but this had me transfixed throughout. 

Definitely recommend. A very clever book. Did not see that ending coming at all. 

I’m giving myself some time to process this book and then I am rereading it so I can properly take it all in again. I devoured this in like 3 sittings

I was captivated the entire time. First, because Natalie’s POV is a look into the mind of a tradwife influencer, which I have always been a curious about. Then I was captivated because I could not believe what I was reading. I was reading this book on my phone in my spare time - if you know me, you know that a book has to be INSANELY good for me to be opening Libby on my phone. I probably read the last half of the book with my jaw slack on the floor for various reasons. I had to close my mouth with my hand for the last 1/4 of it. Officially out of my reading slump lol

Nat V

I’m giving myself some time to process this book and then I am rereading it so I can properly take it all in again. I devoured this in like 3 sittings

I was captivated the entire time. First, because Natalie’s POV is a look into the mind of a tradwife influencer, which I have always been a curious about. Then I was captivated because I could not believe what I was reading. I was reading this book on my phone in my spare time - if you know me, you know that a book has to be INSANELY good for me to be opening Libby on my phone. I probably read the last half of the book with my jaw slack on the floor for various reasons. I had to close my mouth with my hand for the last 1/4 of it. Officially out of my reading slump lol

Robyn Smith

This is a three star book in terms of entertainment value, a two star book in terms of writing ability, a one star book in terms of character development, but it ends up being a zero star book because the plot twist is just a rip off of m night shyamalan's the village (which is also low key plagiarism of another book), and it is CRIMINALLY BORING that she did that 

Regan Martin

Precocious in a somewhat distracting way, and maybe about 50 pages longer than it needed to be. BUT, those are my only minor critiques. I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. Ultimately a humanistic and compassionate book. And a little scary too. 