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Yesteryear
- Author
- Caro Claire Burke
- Narrator
- Rebecca Lowman
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date
- 7 April 2026
- Run Time
- 13 hours 48 minutes
- Format
- x-book®
- Genre
- Psychological thriller, Satirical fiction and parodies, Family life fiction / Stories about family, Contemporary lifestyle fiction, Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general
- Rating
- 4.4 (24 reviews)
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What to expect
'NIGHTMARISH, SHOCKING, BRILLIANT’ – STYLIST
'MADDENING, MESMERISING, INGENIOUS’ – NEW YORK TIMES
'FUNNY, SHARP ENOUGH TO DRAW BLOOD’ – STEPHEN KING
'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
'EVERYONE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THIS BOOK’ BELLA MACKIE
‘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
Critics Review
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'Everyone will be talking about this book' Bella Mackie
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'Funny and sharp enough to draw blood. A feminist Catch-22' Stephen King
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'Daring, deranged, cleverly written' Vogue
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'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
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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'Tense, intriguing, funny and conversation-starting' Sunday Times Culture
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‘Intelligent, incisive and insanely readable’ Jennie Godfrey
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‘Perceptive, timely, exquisitely written.’ Joanna Cannon
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‘An absolutely unhinged novel’ Roxane Gay
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'Witty and thought-provoking' Independent
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'A piece of howling feminist rage. Nightmarish, shocking, brilliant' Stylist
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'A bold and biting satire, will have you gasping right to the final page' Nita Prose
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'Highly original and utterly addictive' Louise O'Neill
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‘Unapologetically political fiction in the tradition of The Stepford Wives or The Handmaid’s Tale. Enraging, thrilling – grimly funny but intensely humane’ Hannah Deitch
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‘Wickedly funny, beautifully written, and frighteningly perceptive.’ Abigail Dean
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‘Inventive, addictive and funny. A dark, biting social commentary and a wild, thought-provoking ride’ Ashley Audrain
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‘Shot through with humour and laced with darkness’ Clare Mackintosh
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‘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
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‘Deliciously topical, with a chef’s kiss of a twist’ Pandora Sykes
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'Original, biting, propulsive and unhinged' Red
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'Funny, terrifying and original' Woman & Home
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'Crazy and completely addictive' Prima
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'Mind-bending, propulsive, thought-provoking' Good Housekeeping
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'A dark comedy and a delicious satire that will keep you guessing' Heat
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‘Unpredictable, original and beautifully written. I couldn’t guess the genius ending’ Adele Parks
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'An intoxicating fever dream through the lens of a thrillingly complex protagonist.' Hannah Beer
User Reviews
Book 4.4
Narration 4.9
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2.0 5.0
Great premise and gripping, but ultimately disappointing. So much potential but in the end it felt underdeveloped, didn't offer any real insight into influencer culture, and I didn't like how some of the issues and characters were handled in the end. Well narrated though.
lydiadeetz 2026-09-07 -
5.0 5.0
Wow what a book! Quite an astonishing story. Although I'm not quite sure what the message is. America is like another world to me, and quite a scary one. Absolutely top marks for the narration, which was brilliant and made the story easy to follow. I’m now feeling addicted to my daily audio book listening slot!
Kannie 2026-08-29 -
5.0 5.0
It's hard to know where to begin. Such a clever, well observed book.
fluentindothraki 2026-08-24 -
1.0 4.0
Disappointing. For me the characters were badly developed. How did Natalie become such a narcissist when coming from a seemingly normal childhood? Who was her husband? Very poorly developed character and role. The trad wife role could be much better exploited and really what was the point of the in-laws and a run for president? Often when stories seem disjointed, things come together in the end. Here, so many loose threads and irrelevant characters.
Cazzauk 2026-07-03
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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4.0 5.0
Excellent narration conveying the different characters.
cbroster 2026-07-01 -
5.0 5.0
Really enjoyed this. A clever premise which kept me guessing until the end. I found the writing style very witty, the narration was well done too. Such an easy listen/read!
Meg Chaplin 2026-06-14 -
4.0 5.0
I listened to this with trepidation. There's a lot of social media "buzz" around this book, everyone saying they love it, and I'll be honest, it's was intrigued - as well as expe ting the worst.
Well, I was wrong, because I've really enjoyed Yesteryear. The time jumps worked really well and kept the story moving at pace, and it really took the fashion of trad-wives to the extreme.
Very entertaining indeed!ClareR 2026-06-07 -
5.0 5.0
That was fantastic and wild - highly recommend for a satirical look at influencer culture and the madness we all live in today
EmDo 2026-05-18 -
5.0 5.0
Well deserving of the buzz. A great story, well narrated.
sardow 2026-05-12 -
5.0 5.0
Hooked fro start to finish. Kept me guessing till the end. Great narration. Highly recommend.
Egw78 2026-05-02 -
5.0 5.0
Compulsive listening! This story kept me so engrossed I carried on cleaning my house so I i could keep listening! The protagonist is brilliantly awful and her sharp and snarky voice was captured perfectly by the narrator. If you want a deeply satisfying political examination of the politics of trad wives and Internet culture you might be disappointed but this is a great story and will at least get the conversation started. Great for a book club.
nwf 2026-04-29
Details
- Author
- Caro Claire Burke
- Narrator
- Rebecca Lowman
- Duration
- 13 hours 48 minutes
- Release Date
- 7 April 2026
- ISBN
- 9780008742799
- Format
- x-book®
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Genre
- Psychological thriller, Satirical fiction and parodies, Family life fiction / Stories about family, Contemporary lifestyle fiction, Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general
- Rating
- 4.4(24 reviews)
- Narration
- 4.9(24 reviews)
Synopsis
THE MULTI-MILLION COPY INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'NIGHTMARISH, SHOCKING, BRILLIANT’ – STYLIST 'MADDENING, MESMERISING, INGENIOUS’ – NEW YORK TIMES 'FUNNY, SHARP ENOUGH TO DRAW BLOOD’ – STEPHEN KING '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 'EVERYONE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THIS BOOK’ BELLA MACKIE ‘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
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