Yesteryear: The electrifying must-read debut – ‘Everyone will be talking about it’ Jennie Godfrey

Yesteryear is the electrifying debut novel by Caro Claire Burke, a darkly humorous and unsettling psychological thriller about identity, social media, tradition, and the performance of modern womanhood. It has been praised by authors including Jennie Godfrey and Bella Mackie.

The story follows Natalie Heller Mills, a picture-perfect lifestyle influencer who appears to have the ideal traditional life: a beautiful farmhouse, a loving cowboy husband, happy children, and a carefully curated online presence admired by thousands. Behind the scenes, however, her "perfect" world is supported by hidden labor, producers, and carefully managed illusions.

One morning, Natalie wakes up to find herself in a disturbing version of her own life. Everything seems familiar, yet something is deeply wrong. Unsure whether she is trapped in a reality show, a strange experiment, or something far more sinister, Natalie must uncover the truth and find a way back—no matter what it takes.

Blending sharp satire with suspense, the novel examines fame, faith, motherhood, online personas, and society’s expectations of women. It has been described as a mix of dark comedy and thriller, exploring what happens when the fantasy of a perfect life begins to collapse.