2026 Reading Challenge discussion

*Featured Buddy Read*
This buddy read is featured on the homepage and is pinned to the top of the June Buddy Reads folder. Otherwise it works just like every other buddy read!

If you are new to Buddy Reads, check out the sign-up thread for instructions and to sign up for future buddy reads!

You can join in the discussion even if your name isn't on the list!

This thread is to discuss Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke.

Pages: 400 pages

Length: 1 month (June)

Participants: Valerie, LinaVer, Lorraine, Dominique, Susan, Luisa, Min

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Here are some questions to help get the conversation started! Feel free to look up discussion questions specific to this book or come up with your own. Just make sure any questions that contain spoilers are under spoiler tags.
Discussion questions are not required but may be a fun way to talk about the book and get to know each other!

Prior to starting:
What prompted you to join this buddy read?
Have you read this author before? What do you think of their other books?

Mid-read:
What character or ideas do you relate to the most and why?
Do you have any favorite quotes or scenes?

After reading:
What was enjoyable or not-so-enjoyable about this book?
Did this book change your perception about anything, either within the book (character development) or in real life?

Hi everyone! This was a FOMO book for me, because so many people are talking about it. The premise is so interesting and I'm excited to read the POV of a character whose personality and character are so different from mine.

About 30 pages in so far, and I think I'm going to fly through this book!

Hey! I'm going to start this one a bit later in the week, after finishing a book I'm currently reading. I've watched some interesting video essays about the "trad wife" phenomenon lately and when I saw people discussing this book, I was intrigued. It's one of my planned books this month that I'm looking most forward to reading, so I can't wait to start. :)

I’ll probably start this next weekend. I suggested it because it has an intriguing premise.

Edit: actually going to leave it until later in the month as there are a couple of other books I want to finish first.

Not sure if I will get my copy on time for the buddy read but I will certainly read it when I get it. There is a lot said about this book. Good and bad. So I am curious.

Hey, all.

Joining this Buddy read as my hold unexpectedly came in at the library and I picked it up today. I’ve never even heard of this author before. This is not usually my type of book but everyone has just gone so feral for it that my interest is peaked. Hope to start tomorrow.

I've started reading this book yesterday, wanting to read something a bit more riveting. And that it is! I'm surprised how quickly this book drew me in, and how (view spoiler)[delightfully morally unlikeable the main character feels to me. (hide spoiler)]
I do think though that there are probably people (view spoiler)[who genuinely enjoy living a life based on more traditional ideas and values, and as a somewhat of a feminist I believe every single woman (or just person in general) has a right to choose whatever life they want for themselves. So I feel like this over the top unlikeable character might ruffle some feathers 😆 🤭 But it is a good look (maybe?) into how dissonant a life can feel if you try to convince everyone, including yourself, you like it while you don't.
So far from what I've read (just started reading the time jump) it seems the author chose to portray the performative side of "trad wife" influencer's life and some other typically rage-bate type of topics connected to that (not that they aren't important to discuss of course), and I wonder if this is the general opinion of the author or if we'll see things a bit from more sides than one. (hide spoiler)]
I am enjoying the book so far. Lately, with the way the world is and looming wars and food prices going up, I have been thinking a lot about self-sufficiency and how much stuff people knew how to do in the past (like, even my grandmother's and mother's generation, not even that far into the past), and I don't know that I'd be able to survive in that kind of life. And I already consider myself as someone having quite a few handy skills (learned to garden, cook, sew, mend etc from said mom and grandma), but gosh lives were really much harder back then. Or maybe I'm just much lazier. 😆

I read this a few months ago - it's very under-researched and doesn't accurately depict right-wing Christian psychology; the theory of mind is plainly terrible. The presumption that ideological opponents secretly agree with oneself but are just hypocritical, narcissistic lowlifes is a tempting & comforting delusion, but very inaccurate.

Got this book unexpectedly early from the library so I'd love to join the buddy read!

I just got the book and would like to join the buddy read as well.

I’ve started and it’s not drawing me in. I find the main character intolerable. Maybe she’s meant to be that way. I didn’t know how “Christian” this book was until she talked to, or about, God 70 times in the first 3 pages. So far, it’s just not making me yearn to pick it up but I am not far so maybe I just need to give it some time still. I did unexpectedly see a spoiler for something though so that’s a bummer.

Allison wrote: "I’ve started and it’s not drawing me in. I find the main character intolerable. Maybe she’s meant to be that way. I didn’t know how “Christian” this book was until she talked to, or about, God 70 t..."

It's always so frustrating if you see a spoiler, isn't it?!
So sorry you're not enjoying the book yet. Will you continue reading it still?

I've just finished chapter 13, I'm moving slow because I don't have so much time these days, but otherwise for me it reads quickly and I'm engaged with it, which I'm glad about. I'm at the part where she (view spoiler)[finds a piece of plastic (in the 1800s), a part of microphone, and I wonder how the author is going to explain this in the plot later on. (hide spoiler)] So far, I'm mostly (view spoiler)[sorry for the oldest "daughter" in the past timeline, as it seems she's so used to carrying the whole life of that family basically on her shoulders. And we know the woman is not her mother (mentally, I guess) but Mary having to mother her own mother... yeah, I feel sorry for her. (hide spoiler)]

LinaVer wrote: "Allison wrote: "I’ve started and it’s not drawing me in. I find the main character intolerable. Maybe she’s meant to be that way. I didn’t know how “Christian” this book was until she talked to, or..."

Yes, I did carry on and actually finished it. Ended up being a very bingable book. Bingable but still not likable. I definitely get why everyone was wild for this….its a new concept and certainly delves into things people should be talking about but it ultimately fell flat for me (the spoiler I saw turned out not to be THE spoiler). This book will 100% be great in face to face book clubs, I’ll give it that.