Caffeinated Reviewer | Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
12th May
Narrated by Rebecca Lowman, Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke delivers a mystery-thriller where a pioneer-woman, social media influencer, awakens to find herself in 1855 and is living the reality she portrayed. I went into this cold and found myself completely caught up in this story and our disturbed protagonist.
Yesteryear
by Caro Claire Burke
Narrator: Rebecca Lowman
Length: 13 hours and 47 minutes
Genres: Fiction, Suspense Thriller
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible | Libro.fm *affiliate
Rating: 
Narration: 5 cups Speed: 1.45x
A traditional American woman, a beautiful wife and mother who sells her pioneer lifestyle of raw milk and farm-fresh eggs to her millions of social media followers, suddenly awakens cold, filthy, and terrified 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.
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 Republican equivalent of a Kennedy? 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 brutal 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.
The story begins by introducing socially awkward Naomi during her college years. She gives off the impression of being a sheltered, religious girl, yet it doesn’t quite ring true. She is an unlikeable and unreliable narrator in this story.
Caleb, whose father was a politician, was someone she met in college. The couple eventually marries, and a daughter is born to them. Here, the problems start, and we discover that something is amiss with Naomi. Caleb is no better. He lacks direction in life and is satisfied with his father’s financial support. This is when the concept for the farm and subsequently the social media channel came about.
We see cracks in Naomi’s relationships, her methodical plodding, her cold nature, and plenty of things that contradict the image she is trying to create. She is barely holding things together, keeps forgetting about her children, and frets over perfection. Things escalate until something threatens to destroy this carefully constructed image/world Naomi has created. This is when she awakens in 1855. It’s her farm, but it’s not her children and not her husband, well, not exactly. She believes this is some type of reality show or that she is being held prisoner, and I couldn’t stop listening.
This is a fantastic listen/read for a book club. This story touches on a lot of topics and issues, from mental health to culture trends, but doesn’t really address them and offers plenty of topics to dig into and examine.
While the ending had me questioning the realistic aspect of some events, reality has forced me to understand that money, influence, and those with political reach don’t always follow the same rules, making it seem at least plausible. I have spent very little time on TikTok and don’t really follow any of these pioneer or trad-wife types. I don’t follow celebrities and absolutely hate reality TV shows. Give me books to escape into, and to heck with reality. Burke’s portrayal of these influencer channels is quite like I imagined. Staged.
Rebecca Lowman gives voice to Naomi and does a wonderful job of capturing her personality, flaws, and the wrongness of this character. It was an addictive listen and I’m glad I listened.
About Caro Claire Burke
Caro Claire Burke received her Master’s in Fine Arts from the Bennington Writing Seminars. She is the co-host of Diabolical Lies, a politics and culture podcast. YESTERYEAR is her first novel.
About Rebecca Lowman
Rebecca Lowman is an American actress, writer, and audio-book narrator who has established herself as a versatile performer across television, film, and audio media. Originally from Springfield, Illinois, Lowman pursued formal training in the performing arts, earning her Master of Fine Arts degree from Columbia University. Her educational foundation provided the technical skills and artistic depth that would later define her multifaceted career in entertainment.
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat.
