Yesteryear - Caro Claire Burke

YESTERYEAR

CARO CLAIRE BURKE

*****

'My name is Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive…'

Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle – and has the social media accounts to prove it. Her charming farmhouse on her working ranch is artfully cluttered, her husband is a handsome cowboy, her homemade sourdough boules are each more beautiful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers and industrial-grade ovens behind the scenes? What Natalie’s followers don’t know won’t hurt them.

Then, one morning, Natalie wakes up in a strange, horrible version of reality. Her home, her husband, her children—they’re all familiar, but something’s off. Is this a hoax? A reality show? A test from God? Natalie knows just two things for sure: this isn't her perfect life, and she must escape, by any means possible.

MY REVIEW

*****

Yesteryear has been one of my most anticipated reads of 2026 and I was so excited to get to the right stage in my TBR to start reading it.

Natalie is a Christian tradwife influencer who has it all – the cowboy husband, a beautiful barn house and 5 children with one on the way, all as God intended. One day, she wakes up and something is not quite right - the team of nannies and producers are nowhere to be found, all of her electronic gadgets have gone and the height mark notches on the wall say ‘1805’. Can she work out what is happening and escape?

From the books I’ve read so far, it really feels like 2026 is the year of the unlikeable, female protagonist. Natalie is no exception to this – she’s bitter and twisted, sociopathic and unempathetic. Through the plot we learn more and more about her life and the more we learn, the worse she gets. The chapters alternate between the events in the 1805 ranch and flashbacks of Natalie’s past – starting at university and moving forward all the way up to the events of the first chapter. This writing style had me hooked throughout and every chapter provided important context for Natalie’s backstory and personality. There are also some great moments of humour throughout which had me laughing out loud.

I don’t want to give too much away with this review – I would urge you to read it and find out what is happening for yourself! I would say I think the reveal will divide readers, it’s a fun twist but some parts of it don’t make much sense on closer inspection. I think it will be a book that will be talked about a lot in 2026 and I’m excited to read reactions – I imagine they’ll be a few ‘angry women’ who have opinions!

Overall, Yesteryear was one of my most anticipated reads of 2026 and it certainly did not disappoint – a Kindig Gem for 2026! Thank you to NetGalley and 4th Estate for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

LINKS TO BUY

Amazon UK Waterstones