Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke is a mind bending character study with thriller elements. The premise is genius. A trad wife influencer wakes up one day to find herself living in the past, where she has no choice but to live the traditional life she promotes online. The catch is that she only knows how to play the role. Behind the scenes, her modern life depends on nannies, personal chefs, and assistants, while her interactions with her children are carefully curated for social media.
The main character, Natalie, is deeply unlikable. She is completely set in her ways and has an ideal version of life in her head. Even when she doesn’t fit that ideal herself, she continues pretending. Life is a competition to her, and every other woman is an opponent. She is a tragic figure who constantly sabotages herself.
Natalie is difficult to sympathize with because she experiences very little personal growth. Even in the college flashbacks, she is fundamentally the same person, only quieter about her beliefs. There are moments where I could empathize with what she is going through, and throughout the novel I kept hoping she would finally have the self-awareness to change.
The novel is very readable and moves at a steady pace through most of the story. I thought the first half flowed better than the second. This is a strong debut overall. It rarely felt like a first novel until the ending, where it lost a little momentum.
The novel has a lot to say about envy, traditional values, men’s roles within the family, influencer culture, motherhood, and religion. Nearly every value Natalie clings to is built on illusion. The religious aspect was especially interesting. The novel never explicitly states her religion, but many of her beliefs feel almost cultlike. If Natalie truly believes she is God’s favorite child, then she behaves like a spoiled one.
The narrative alternates between Natalie’s past and her experiences in another time. Readers expecting the novel to focus entirely on Natalie living as a genuine trad wife may be surprised. The story is more interested in using her past to reflect on her present circumstances.
The ending will be divisive. Some readers will love it, some will be surprised, and others will see it coming. I figured out what was happening around the 65% mark. I was almost entirely correct except for why Natalie was there, and honestly, I preferred my own explanation. I wasn’t a big fan of the twist. There is a movie with an almost identical reveal, but naming it would spoil both stories. I know many readers will enjoy it, but it didn’t fully work for me.
Yesteryear was first published on April 7, 2026, by Knopf.
Why did I read Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke?
Yesteryear was one of the books publishers seemed especially excited about. Many bloggers and librarians I follow mentioned how much Knopf believed in it.
I included Yesteryear on my Most Anticipated Books of the Year list. I was rejected for an early reader copy, but thankfully my library came through. I actually tried to buy it at Barnes & Noble first, but they were sold out.
I also think Yesteryear has a strong chance of being nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award. One of my reading goals for 2026 has been to read more books that could become award contenders.
Plot Summary:
Natalie is a trad-wife influencer with six children whose perfect online lifestyle is almost entirely fabricated. Behind the scenes, chefs, nannies, and assistants do nearly all the work while she builds her brand on an illusion.
One day she wakes up in the 1800s, where she is forced to become a real trad wife to a husband and children who resemble her modern-day family, but are not quite the same. Natalie has no memory of how she got there and begins to wonder if she is trapped in some elaborate reality show.
What I Liked:
The opening of Yesteryear is fantastic. I was completely hooked. If I had reviewed only the first half, this easily would have been a five-star read.
I found a lot of truth in Burke’s observations about envy, especially influencer culture. Even as a book reviewer, I can admit to feeling jealous when I see a review go viral. That aspect of the novel felt incredibly authentic. I imagine Natalie would give every book five stars online, then criticize it the moment the camera was off.
I really liked Mary as a character. I’m not sure I would have given her the epilogue, but I enjoyed her journey throughout the novel.
I liked that Caleb dreamed of becoming a kindergarten teacher. He was basically a big kid himself. He may have made a great teacher, but he would have been a terrible husband.
The moment where Natalie clicks her heels together and says, “There’s no place like home,” genuinely made me laugh. You have to try it if you’re in that situation. I could already picture that scene in the movie adaptation.
What I Disliked:
We only see Natalie beginning in college. I think I would have understood her better if we had seen more of her childhood and how she became so self-centered.
The Civil War storyline remains mostly in the background. I wanted it to play a much larger role because it often felt like an afterthought.
I also disliked how heavily the final twist relied on a single event that is never shown happening again. For me, it felt more like a soap opera reveal than a satisfying payoff.
Recommendation:
Yesteryear is one of the buzziest books of the year and would make an excellent book club selection because there is so much to discuss.
Love her or hate her, Natalie is an intriguing protagonist. I wanted more character growth, but she is certainly memorable.
Yesteryear has already been picked up by Anne Hathaway’s production company, and I honestly think it may work even better as a film than as a novel. If Hathaway stars in it, I can easily see her bringing extra depth to Natalie that I felt was missing on the page. And if they make the movie, it absolutely has to end with a new rendition of My Way. It would be the perfect song for this character.
I recommend my followers check out Yesteryear. It won’t be for everyone, and I’m still a bit mixed on it myself, but I can’t deny what an impressive debut this is from Caro Claire Burke.
The book I would compare it to is Yellowface by R.F. Kuang which is also about an unlikable character justifying horrible choices.
Rating:
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
3.5 out of 5
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