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Yesteryear

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Yesteryear

By: Caro Claire Burke
Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman
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THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER

'EVERYONE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THIS BOOK’ – BELLA MACKIE

'NIGHTMARISH, SHOCKING, BRILLIANT’STYLIST

'MADDENING, MESMERISING, INGENIOUS’NEW YORK TIMES

'INTELLIGENT, INCISIVE, INSANELY READABLE’ – JENNIE GODFREY

'DERANGED, DARING, CLEVERLY WRITTEN’VOGUE

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

Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle – and her followers are sick with envy. 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 her 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.

As darkly funny as it is shocking and gripping, Yesteryear is an electrifying examination of tradition, fame, faith and the grand performance of womanhood, from a thrilling new talent in fiction.

NOW BEING ADAPTED INTO A MAJOR FILM STARRING ANNE HATHAWAY

‘WICKEDLY FUNNY, FRIGHTENINGLY PERCEPTIVE' ABIGAIL DEAN

'INVENTIVE, ADDICTIVE, A WILD RIDE' ASHLEY AUDRAIN

'SHOT THROUGH WITH HUMOUR, LACED WITH DARKNESS' CLARE MACKINTOSH

'THE STEPFORD WIVES MEETS THE HANDMAID'S TALE' HANNAH DEITCH

©2026 Caro Claire Burke (P)2026 Penguin Random House LLC
Best of 2026 (so far) Domestic Thrillers Editors Select Family Life Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Psychological Satire Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Marriage Funny Scary Ranch
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Critic Reviews

'Everyone will be talking about this book' Bella Mackie
'Daring, deranged, cleverly written' Vogue
'Maddening and mesmerizing. The premise is an ingenious, exquisite, be-careful-what-you-wish-for. Draws to a dizzying conclusion, I didn’t see the twist coming' New York Times
'Tense, intriguing, funny and conversation-starting' Sunday Times Culture
‘Intelligent, incisive and insanely readable’ Jennie Godfrey
‘Perceptive, timely, exquisitely written. An outstanding and utterly unique take on how we live today’ Joanna Cannon
‘An absolutely unhinged novel’ Roxane Gay
'Witty and thought-provoking, this is the book that will be everywhere' Independent
'A piece of howling feminist rage. Nightmarish, shocking, brilliant' Stylist
'A bold and biting satire, will have you gasping right to the final page' Nita Prose
'Highly original and utterly addictive' Louise O'Neill
‘Unapologetically political fiction in the tradition of The Stepford Wives or The Handmaid’s Tale. Enraging, thrilling – grimly funny but intensely humane’ Hannah Deitch
‘Wickedly funny, beautifully written, and frighteningly perceptive.’ Abigail Dean
Inventive, addictive and funny. A dark, biting social commentary and a wild, thought-provoking ride’ Ashley Audrain
‘Shot through with humour and laced with darkness’ Clare Mackintosh
‘Insanely good, fresh, sharp and spiky. It reminded me of Gone Girl, with its unreliable, intensely unlikeable narrator, amazing twist and needlepoint observations’ Stacey Halls
‘Deliciously topical, with a chef’s kiss of a twist’ Pandora Sykes
'Original, biting, propulsive and unhinged' Red
'Funny, terrifying and original' Woman & Home
'Crazy and completely addictive' Prima
'Mind-bending, propulsive, thought-provoking' Good Housekeeping
'A dark comedy and a delicious satire that will keep you guessing' Heat
‘Unpredictable, original and beautifully written. I couldn’t guess the genius ending’ Adele Parks
'An intoxicating fever dream through the lens of a thrillingly complex protagonist.' Hannah Beer
All stars
Most relevant
I never write reviews but I had too. I hated this book it was so difficult to listen to. Incredibly written and the narrator was so believable. I couldn’t stop listening I wished I could. It was so depressing but also enlightening. My words cannot compare or do justice with what is required for the depth of this book and what is needed to actually review this book. The author is a wordsmith beyond words. Incredible. Awful. A horror story of the reality of life and motherhood. A masterpiece that I wish I had never listened to but I will never forget.

Horrifyingly hard to hear but you can’t stop listening

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A must-read for the modern woman and indeed, man. Clever, poignant and complex. The heir to feminist literature. Can write no more, lest I spoil the book for others.

Wow. just incredible and thought-provoking.

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was so so so boring until shannon exposed them, plot twist was actually very interesting

hmmmm

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This would be a great book club book, the themes explored are nuanced and engaging. Unfortunately the writing was not. It was almost there but just not quite.
For a book where the core component was the main characters mental health, I found that it didn’t feel like I was truly inhabiting the mind of someone who had so much going on. Compartmentalisation, suppression, fragmented parts of self, defensive mechanisms, and trauma. So much trauma. This was told to us, but it just didn’t stick the landing for me as a therapist myself.
It was also quite on the nose at times and somehow came across as surface level while still tackling advanced themes. It could have been a 5 star book if the prose and the character work was worked at a bit more so I look forward to the authors next novels to see her writing progress.

Immaculate themes and average execution

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Skilfully uses themes of past and present as well as carefully placed socially commentary throughout, I loved it

Loved it - Simple & effective

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