The Ex-Cult Halfway House

by Alisa Dean

Ex-best friends who longed for more reunite to bring down a cult in a spicy romance brimming with Southern charm from the author of The Jezebel List.

Five years after escaping from Ascension, a religious cult targeting new adults, Bree Camden has rebuilt her life, all with a new city, a steady job, and a reliable boyfriend who checks all the boxes. Nothing gets a rise out of her anymore—until her ex-crush goes viral for whistleblowing the cult where they first met.  

Nathan Bell can no longer stay silent. After plenty of therapy and soul-searching in the four years since leaving Ascension, he’s ready to speak out against the institution that continues to harm his small town and drove away the woman he loved.

In a fit of dangerous emotions, Bree flies home to Georgia and lands on Nathan’s doorstep with a proposition: work together to bring Ascension down. They haven’t seen each other since she begged him to leave the cult with her nearly five years ago. Their mutual attraction still lingers—but were their feelings ever real or just a product of their shared trauma?

When a carload of ex-cult members shows up seeking solace, Bree must choose between staying with Nathan to help them deconstruct, or returning to her reliable, predictable life. And as Bree and Nathan navigate their new mission and rekindled friendship, their complicated feelings for each other only get more difficult to ignore.  

A heartfelt novel about embracing your full self, The Ex-Cult Halfway House is perfect for fans of the second-chance romance in Happy Place and the deep yearning of The Night We Met.

Genres: Romance, Ebooks, Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

Expected publication March 9, 2027

About the author

Alisa Dean writes romance primarily at her favorite local coffee shop, hopeful that anyone sneaking a peek at her steamy screen will be intrigued and even liberated by stories of love, desire, self-discovery, and partnership. As a university professor, Alisa also writes less-liberating academic articles about how writing works in the world, and she will likely encourage her students to analyze this very bio for its patterns. Alisa favors long walks among very tall trees with her characters for company.

Reviews

[Danielle Salvatore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This is an easy 5 stars for me.

I got an ARC for this book and could not wait to gush about it.

I loved Alisa Dean’s debut novel, “The Jezebel List” and the moment she mentioned this novel at her event that I attended, it was immediately on my TBR. This book is sweet, intelligent and spicy all at the same time. I feel like Alisa was able to show the process of reintegrating into society after leaving a cult without having to sensationalize it.

Often I find that fictional books about cults go too far so it feels more like fantasy than something that people would realistically find themselves joining. This book does an excellent job of showing a realistic experience of being in a cult and the way that your life can be controlled by it, even if you aren’t being locked up.

The romance in this book is also top notch! I love the friends to lovers trope and this one does it incredibly. I could feel the genuine connection that they had and see how they are each other’s supporter/cheerleader.

The supporting characters are also great! I loved seeing characters who live in a small town in the south portrayed with good attributes, not just stereotypes. I do wish I could have learned more about The School through the experiences of some of the ex-cult members. I was fascinated by what day to day life would have been like for them and wish we had gotten more insight into that.

Overall, this is such an interesting combination of both a romance novel and religious cults. I will most definitely be recommending it to everyone and will for sure re-read it when it officially launches!

[Corinne’s Chapter Chatter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this book was so grounded! I’m thankful to have received the complimentary eARC from Alcove Press ahead of publication.

Full disclosure, I’m planning to reread this closer to publication when I receive the physical galley. Digital reading is more difficult for me without immersion reading, and that can impact my overall experience. So, my current rating is a placeholder for now, as I think it could go even higher when I can read it under better circumstances.

I loved that the story jumped right into the plot. One reviewer mentioned how the book explored the cult without sensationalizing it, and I absolutely agree! When I read that observation, it made some of my own impressions click into place.

I also appreciated how well the spice was balanced within the story. It wasn’t gratuitous, and the intimate scenes actually moved the plot forward instead of feeling like the author was just throwing in another sex scene for the sake of it.

Overall, this was a well-rounded, well-written, spicy second-chance romance that was so much fun to read! I highly recommend it to my romance lovers because this one is sure to be a hit!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alisa Dean has stuck the landing once again! The Ex-Cult Halfway House combines my two favorite romance tropes, friends to lovers and second chance, in a way I've truly never seen before. Of course, Dean’s books are always more complex than the sum of their tropes: Halfway House is also a thoughtful look at rebuilding your life after leaving a controlling community, and at what it costs (and gives) to choose love over safety.

At the heart of it all are Bree and Nathan, who ebb and flow around each other in a way that is just plain mesmerizing. Nathan, our MMC, is an especially memorable male lead. His vulnerability and attention to detail (especially when it comes to Bree's details) make him not only swoon-worthy but real. Together, the two capture the magic of finding the person who makes you feel safe, secure, and at home while still keeping life exciting. Like in Dean's earlier novel, The Jezebel List, the characters feel gloriously human. Their choices make sense for who they are, even when they're messy. And with leads this good come sex scenes to match (THEY ARE STEAMY 🔥)!!

Dean also captures the nuances and personality of the South itself. The book definitely feels SOUTHERN at times, but the emotional ups and downs hit home no matter where you're from. What’s better than a book that can teach you about a new place and culture while simultaneously speaking to all the emotional and personal beats of your own life?

The Ex-Cult Halfway House masterfully meets every cozy romance need while still tackling hard truths, in a way that only a Alisa Dean novel can. Every time I finish one of her romances, I fall a little more in love with the genre ❤️❤️❤️

[Stacey Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

In just two books Alisa has become an auto buy author for me. The Jezebel List is one of my top reads of the year. This one is right up there too. One never knows what to expect from a sophomore novel. Alisa has proven with this book that her debut was not a one hit wonder. Alisa Dean is a master at crafting real and relatable stories about sensitive topics.

She does it in such a way that it’s not sensationalized or disrespectful. It’s a fictional representation of real traumatic things that happen to people everyday.

It would be so easy to write a book about religious trauma and a religious cult and damn religion all together. Thats not what she does. She tells the story with nuance and understanding that I can only imagine comes from some real lived experiences.

As someone who also has lived through religious trauma, I appreciate the kindness and grace she uses to tell these stories. All that heavy is balanced with the perfect blend of humor and spice.

I simply adored Bree and Nathan. Their journey, while not as easy one, was so worth it. And that cameo by Christina and Danny was absolutely delightful!

I cannot wait to see what Alisa gives us next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Acorn publishing, and Alisa for the advanced reader copy

[Kristie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second read by Alisa Dean, and she is quickly solidifying her spot as one of my favorite authors.

One of the strengths of this novel is how well it develops this very large found family. I truly love all the darlings, especially Joel. The town members round out the ensemble. I also enjoyed that we get cameos from Christina and Danny from The Jezebel List.

At the end of the day, this book works so well because of the open hearts of the MCs Bree and Nathan. They are both so adorable, and I love how they are dealing with real feelings, both for each other and about their shared trauma of being in a cult. I also like how they are both so committed to helping other people who came from the same background as them. Nothing brings people together like a shared cause.

Overall I'd recommend this book to lovers of Abby Jimenez and B.K. Borison.

Tropes
* Second Chance Romance
* Escaping a Cult
* Found Family
* Adorable Dog
* Friends to Lovers

5 stars

[Iris Andersi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ex-Cult Halfway House is absolutely full of heart and warmth. The characters each deserve the biggest hug, and I am still slightly at a loss when I remember that these are just characters and not real people.

Between the very real threat of a cult, there are incredibly soft moments that had me deeply emotional. This book is beautiful, and The Jezebel List is immediately heading to my TBR pile because I'm officially an Alisa Dean fan.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

[Kathleen Gupton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alisa Dean writes religious trauma aware contemporary romance like no other!

This storyline follows Nathan and Bree, both ex-cult members of Ascension based in Georgia. After Bree sees some videos and writing of Nathan’s, she decides to leave her new home in Chicago and go back to the town that she left behind (as well as the man she loved who wouldn’t escape the cult with her) to work together to bring the cult down.

Nathan is DOWN BAD for Bree and the yearn and devastation is palpable as well as the emotion he puts into making her feel safe again.

If you want a second chance romance with yearning and religious trauma recovery, you will enjoy this book so thoroughly!

[Natacha Tremblay · Rating 1 out of 5]

I DNF’ed this book at 40%. I really really wanted to love this book, but after weeks of literally bullying myself into a reading slump because I didn’t want to give up on it, I needed to cut my losses. I continued pushing myself past when I originally wanted to DNF closer to 20%.

The concept is so fun and it sounded like it should be zany and quirky. I kept telling myself something would happen eventually, but it just felt like the book was never going to deliver on its promise. I think maybe if it had been marketed/titled differently, I wouldn’t have expected there to be more tangible progress in the cult storyline. As it stands, I just don’t feel like anything really happens in this book - at least not in the first half.

I also just really couldn’t stand the FMC. I know that the book is based around trauma and religious indoctrination, but the FMC loves to remind the reader how much therapy she’s had while demonstrating absolutely no actual, tangible benefits, and needs a man to come in to show her how to enjoy life again without limiting her world to what she can control - which is honestly kind of icky. I’d much prefer someone cautious but self-aware, than someone who literally acts like reading for pleasure is a waste of time. That doesn’t make come across as ‘oh religion really messed her up’ - it comes across as ‘she’s just an elitist asshole’.

I also didn’t feel that any of the flashbacks were necessary or added anything that hadn’t been conveyed through the rest of the text. The ‘structure’ of the cult details also don’t feel necessary. Either go all in and give us the full thing, or just do it vaguely. We don’t need all the weird names if we’re not going to actually engage directly with the cult environment for a major part of the story.

I don’t know. I don’t like leaving bad reviews, especially for new and upcoming authors. This just really didn’t work for me. But I see so many other good reviews, so maybe this was just a mismatch! I’m sure it will really land with the right audience.

[Christopher Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s the opposite of a cult?

Alisa Dean’s first novel, The Jezebel List, explored freedom from past chains. The Ex-Cult Halfway House grabs those chains, yanks them out of the wall, and hurls them right back into the faces of the ones responsible.

Ironically, cults are defined via list. Should any group meet X% of criteria A-Z, it is a cult. Control of movement and choice, loyalty tests, destabilization of the self, and shibboleths feature commonly, but maybe the most common theme is alienation.

To be in a cult is to be owned. The individual has no value except as an integrated part of the whole. But integration is impossible by design. Worthiness cannot be achieved by any amount of effort, any measure of purity, any level of sacrifice. A cult alienates its devotees from itself as much as from themselves. In a cult, you can’t go home but you can’t stay here.

So the opposite of a cult can’t satisfy any checklist. It will hold you close and kiss you goodbye. It will give you everything and demand nothing. The opposite of a cult is love, is art, is joy. It is quietude and raucousness, laughter and tears. To heal, to become, to belong is to experience the opposite of a cult.

The Ex-Cult Halfway House is, both as a novel and as the titular abode, the opposite of a cult. Like a warm blanket on a cool night with someone by your side, this book will carry you into bliss.

[Elisabeth Addington · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

This book was a story of second-chance love, redemption of life after a cult, and the messy parts in between. I do believe the story was phenomenal and Alisa Dean is a wonderful author. Some of the portions of the book were too over-the-top sweet and a little unrealistic for me, BUT that is just one reader’s perspective. I LOVE the overall premise of this book and think that it would speak to so many people leaving fundamentalism as I did. Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

[Serenity Shaw · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

This book has some heaviness to it with the title giving away the heaviest piece. This book personally spoke to some of my own religious traumas and my growing up so I most definitely cried at the end and loved every bit.

Also I'd love to be friends with our main characters in real life, they are beautifully written and their connection is top tier, the spice just adds so much more too.

[Jessika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super fun read about an ex-cult life couple, will they or won’t they get together? She sees him on TV and something draws her back to him now that he’s left as well. I enjoyed this book and if you like romance and a dog (and leaving the cult lifestyle) you’ll enjoy it too.

[Tori (EighthHouseBooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the premise of this story & the way it approached the deconstruction journey of our characters. It was very sweet! My only thought was there would probably be more pushback? The ending came so fast but such a sweet love story!