Yesteryear: A GMA Book Club Pick

By Caro Claire Burke

Book Overview

#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.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 059380421X
• ISBN13: 9780593804216
• Release Date: April 2026
• Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 6.1" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Well that was different

I love an unlikable character with a twist at the end

3.75 stars

YESTERYEAR by Caro Claire Burke This was snarky, funny and filled with many unlikable characters. Natalie’s inner thoughts were wildly unhinged and cringy. The whole thing was unsettling in the best way. While marketed as a satirical story about influencer trad wives, it’s really a commentary on parasocial relationships, patriarchy, political and religious indoctrination, societal expectations, and the way systematic misogyny affects people. Natalie was continually challenged and questioned about her radical ideas and beliefs. Instead of listening and learning, expanding her mind or doing any sort of self-reflection she doubles down. Natalie wants the same freedoms modern feminists (“angry women”) are fighting for yet she is woefully unable to grasp that those freedoms are impossible within her strict religious views and the oppressive political system. There’s no redemption arc here and that’s disappointing (as a reader), but extremely realistic given our current reality. This isn’t a comfort read, it’s actually really sad especially when you think of Natalie’s six children. (I would have loved to get Clementine’s POV!) Overall, I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. It’s definitely a polarizing novel. I’m gonna need all my book friends to read it so we can discuss! Rating: 3.75/5 ⭐️