Yesteryear: A GMA Book Club Pick

A Novel

A GMA BOOK CLUB PICK • 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.

What an ending!

A protagonist you’ll love to hate, and a twisty, gripping ending you may —if you pay very, very close attention— or may not see coming. Worth the wait!

It was OK

I live in a very rural county in Utah, and many women here strive for the ideal in the main character’s life. I suggested this for our public library. However, it has too much graphic sex for these trad wives to read, so they won’t have the opportunity to do the critical thinking about women’s roles. Only the “angry women” demographic will embrace the novel. That’s a missed opportunity.

Wow! I’ll think twice before I like.👍🏻

This novel made me seriously question who I follow and watch on social media.
Who could they be hurting and what are they pretending to be.

Keep Listening

I have been anticipating this book for months. I bought the audio and kindle. I was annoyed at first, it was not what I thought it would be . An amusing modern trad wife influencer goes back in time and gets her comeuppance, zaniness abounds!

It was more than I ever expected and I’m blown away. Just keep listening. I hope no one spoils it for you.

Just keep listening/reading

I don’t have anything to compare it to and I’ve been reading 2 books a week since I was 12. I’m 52. Enjoy

Entertaining Ride

This was a refreshing and entertaining novel. I look forward to reading more from this writer.