🏘Book Review🔥
After We Were Stolen
By: Brooke Beyfuss
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/4 stars

📢TRIGGER WARNINGS📢
*child abuse *extreme teachings *brainwashing *rape *child deaths

Saved the twist until the very, very end! Nice! This book pulled me in immediately because it explored the life of Avery as she grew up in a cult. I've always been intrigued by the psychology surrounding those who join or are raised into these lifestyles.

Avery and her brother, Cole, escape the, "Clovelite" compound after realizing that the way they've been taught isn't the way they should be living. After Avery becomes the "breeder" for the families longevity do they realize something is seriously wrong.

Once their compound has burned to the ground, Avery and Cole, have to start putting their lives back together. Adding to the tragedy is learning that they were actually kidnapped as little children. Finding their biological families tears these two apart after thinking they were siblings this whole time.

This book was heartbreaking but it also provides redemption for both. My heart feels for Avery!

Published July 17, 2022

Thank you @netgalley and @bookmarked for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Wow. Grim. Unflinching. Heartbreaking. Dark, very, very dark. This was Avery's story. It grabbed me right away from the beginning and never let go. From her life living with her twisted survivalist parents, to her escape, to her life after, your heart will break for her. I'd call this a slow burn thriller. I'd give it four stars, but due to the disturbing nature of the story, the plot left me depressed and bothered.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

I was the most excited to read this book unfortunately I didn’t really enjoy it, I felt it was slow and not much happened.

This book was so much sadder and tragic than I thought it was going to be, going in. I mean, you wouldn’t know that from the beginning half of the book, which is filled with the usual inherent terror of almost any cult book written from the perspective from someone living inside the cult; but in the second half, as we follow what life is like after the cult is gone and you now have to learn to live what other people consider a “normal” life (normal is a word that’s just about banned in my house, personally) when you’ve never known anything else but the life the cult let you live and what they prepared you for… now that half of the book is downright heartbreaking. It’s cruel and harsh and what’s even worse is that Beyfuss took it easy on her characters, because I know some children and teenagers who’ve survived cult life and turned out a lot worse than the characters in this book.

I guess that’s part of the appeal of this book: both the cult these characters lived in and the trauma of the aftermath both could’ve been so much worse, but even just this small taste of cult life is absolutely horrific and dehumanizing. It gives us enough to tantalize, but not so much that readers will shy completely away from the book. The more graphic scenes are handled with great maturity and sensitivity, but never with complete opacity. There’s no doubt what’s happening to these characters, but Beyfuss isn’t about to sensationalize the book’s events just for kicks. This isn’t about the cult: it’s about trauma, what’s best for the survivors, and who exactly is to blame when something like this goes so wrong?

Beyfuss knows how to construct an excellent story and craft excellent, unique characters. Where this story slips up is that there is just so much going on that I got a little lost in the mire a few times. I felt like I must have missed something somewhere, because all of a sudden I wasn’t understanding what was going on. Did I miss a line? Did I misunderstand a line of dialogue? I ended up shrugging it off, because I wasn’t going to go back and try to find it, because who knows where that (possibly) tiny bit of missing information would be in the book to help me find out what I missed or misunderstood? To me, this signals that maybe Beyfuss should’ve slowed down a little toward the end or she should have made things a touch clearer at different points in the book. The final turn, when it came, just confused me. Plain confounded me. Not surprised me. There’s a difference.

Overall, it’s a great psychological read about the dark side of “after the cult”. I do recommend it, overall.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for granting me access to this title.

Please note this review is being written as part of a series of backdated ARC reviews that were due earlier in the year but, for one reason or another, I wasn’t able to get to them by the publication date.

File Under: Coming of Age/Cult/Domestic Thriller/Psychological Thriller/Suspense Mystery

t first this was not easy to get in it, however it ended up being a great book. It starts in a compound wherr this "family" lives. when they wake up to a fire two kids escape. Thats all they know. WHat they find out after they are out is horrifying. This is a book about a cult.
I did enjoy it. It stuck with me afterwards for a while.

This book was fantastic!!! I can't believe that this was a debut novel. Once I picked this book up I couldn't put it down. I don't normally read books about cults or about people who are able to escape/actually escape from on. I should have gone in blind when I picked it up because I spoiled myself a little bit, but it wasn't a huge deal. I would say that you should really check the trigger warnings for this one because I can see why people shouldn't pick up this book. But, overall it was really good

“These words are not my confession- they are my triumph.”

Wow! This story was not at all what I was expecting and the fact that this is a debut is beyond impressive.

Avery and Cole escape their abusive family after their home catches on fire. While trying to survive on the run, they are arrested for shoplifting and find out… they are actually not related. Both of them were stolen from their respective families as toddlers. Their home? It was a compound that housed a survivalist cult.

My expectation: a fast paced thriller about the realities of escaping a cult. The reality: After We Were Stolen is an emotional character driven story about what happens to people who survive horrible, brainwashing abuse. Avery is a heroine with grit and watching her attempt to pick up the pieces of her broken life was gut wrenching yet strangely hopeful.

The ending. I have no words. I guessed the twist but the confirmation of what actually happened was powerful and heavy. This is the type of story that stays with you without being turned into trauma porn however be warned- there are many triggers but are all handled thoughtfully.

I can not wait to read whatever Brooke Beyfuss writes next!

"Whoa." - Me, reading this book...

So good! I loved the way this book made me think about the current state of society and how far some people are truly willing to go. Definitely not a book for the feint of heart but I would recommend they read it any way because...WHOA.

First off, let me start with the caveat that I LOVE books about cults, so I may be a little bit biased. I don’t know what it is but I find them fascinating. Though a small cult, the ‘chosen’ family has a devastating impact on Avery and Cole, haunting long after they escape.
The writing is stark and gorgeous, and you can really feel what Avery is feeling as she experiences the outside world for the first time.
Fair warning, this is not a happy book, and deals with many heavy topics that could be triggering. Warning: rape, incest, child abuse, kidnapping.

Brooke Beyfuss sets the bar high in her debut novel, After We Were Stolen." It's the story of Avery and Cole, siblings who survived a fire that killed their cult-like family. For the first time in their lives, the pair experience life outside the compound, an environment they are neither emotionally nor physically prepared for. Survival is hard, especially when you don't know where you're going - or where you came from. Where the words mom, dad and family don't mean what you hoped they did.

Both the audiobook and the ebook are fascinating. The narrator brings listeners into Avery's world, while readers follow the pair on their life-changing journey. Both audiences will be excited to read - or hear - what the author brings next.

Cult books of summer 2022! I can’t remember a time that I have seen so many come out and it’s been refreshing to see that ALL have been so different, yet amazing!

I enjoyed this books focus was more on the personal aftermath of what happens when you are able to walk away.
Imagine been born and raised to only live your life as directed by your “father”. You have never left nor have ever seen anyone else other than your family.

This was both terrifying yet so tenderly written as teenagers must learn an entire new life, like no one has every showed them before.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* this was, intense. lots of stuff was going on and started reading this right after watching a documentary about similar stuff! would reread in the further future.

Nineteen year old Avery and younger brother Cole,16, finally get the opportunity to escape the cult where they live with their "family" when fire destroys everything during the night. While life had been hard at the camp, survivalist skills that were drilled into them daily come in handy as they're forced to live off the land. When they're captured during a shoplifting spree, shocking revelations rock their world. It turns out both Avery and Cole were stolen when they were very young. Cole's real family is located and he's reunited with them. Avery, however, is left alone in a big, strange world she doesn't know how to manipulate, and is forced to seek shelter in a shelter for women. An investigation into the cause of the cult fire raises some serious questions. Were there other survivors? Were there more survivors from Avery's fake "family"? Avery decides only the truth will set her free, and so she begins investigating.

After We Were Stolen is a heartbreaking, gritty story - highly emotional as it delves into what happens to survivors of cults once they're living in a free world and charged with learning new survival skills. It speaks of family and what it really means to belong whether by blood or by choice. Needless to say, this is not an easy read and may present triggers to some readers. As the story unfolds, it follows Avery as she attempts to move forward in a strange, new world while struggling to lay the past to rest. Having her point of view means readers feel her confusion, turmoil and determination. The author does an expert job of showcasing the emotional and psychological aspects people face after escaping a cult. The pace is steady as the story progresses to the final revelation. I found the characterizations to be well-developed and believable and the plot line intriguing. Together, they work. After We Were Stolen by Brooke Beyfuss is an impressive debut that I highly recommend to fans of heartfelt suspense thrillers. It's not an easy read, but it's an important one. I look forward to more from this obviously talented author.

Very interesting take on a cult story line. Avery was a very hard character to read simply because you could feel deeply how broken she was in every facet of her existence. The triumph over her extremely harsh childhood as well as being thrown back into normal civilization was filled with uncertainty and twists. Well written.

This debut author certainly knew what I look for in a book; cults, suspense, and a little bit of a dark atmosphere.

Growing up on a remote compound with her family, Avery has endured severe punishment and grueling lessons on how to survive as a chosen one. As the family lives secluded from the world in a cult started by her grandfather, a horrific fire at the compound pulls her apart from her siblings and everything she has ever known. Avery and her brother Cole are forced to venture out into the world they know nothing about, only to find out the world knew about them.

I’m always fascinated to read about cults, and this book definitely had the cult vibe as well as a dark psychological twist. I found I was invested with the characters and I was truly interested in how the mystery of the fire started. I did enjoy the first half of the book more, I felt the “after” moved very quickly and I really wanted to see more of the secondary characters. I would have been interested in more background of the parents and how they incorporated new “family” members.

Overall I enjoyed the book and will be interested in more by this author.

She escaped, but is she truly free?

Avery hardly has time to think when she wakes up to find her family's compound burning around her. She escapes the fire with her brother, Cole, leaving cruel punishments, survival training, and strict rules behind with the burning compound. After months of sleeping wherever they can and eating when the can, Avery and Cole are arrested for shoplifting. When the police run their prints, they are shocked to find that Avery and Cole are both victims of child abduction by the cult leaders they thought were their parents. When Cole is reunited with his family, Avery is devastated to be separated from him. Without knowing if anyone else escaped the fire that night, Avery is on edge, scared that her "parents" could be alive, searching for her. Her own memory of the fire is murky at best, so she sets out to learn what really happened that night, so she can move on with her life.
This book was heartbreaking, but also beautifully written. The narrator for this book was amazing and gave probably the best performance I've ever heard in an audiobook. Her use of raw emotion was perfect in every chapter. I could feel the sadness and grief as if I was experiencing it myself. I would absolutely recommend this novel to anyone!

Please note this novel can be triggering to survivors of sexual assault.

Thank you @bookmarked for my copy/NetGalley ARC; I also checked out the audiobook from my library.

In one sentence: Avery and her brother Cole escaped from a fire at their family's survivalist compound to find that they were kidnapped 15 years ago, and everything they thought they knew about the world was wrong.

I just could not stop reading this book - I read about 3/4 of it in one sitting, and then I had to stop so that I could actually experience the audiobook! Good thing too, because the narration by Jesse Vilinsky brought me straight into MC Avery's head. Beyfuss made Avery such a compelling character, and I was totally caught up in her investigation of her kidnapping and the fire. The book read like true crime, and I think Law and Order: SVU fans will love it!

Since this is a book about a cult, it's natural that there are trigger warnings, and the author's note at the front of the book covers these well. I was able to handle the subject matter - this book doesn't feel as violent/dark as some other thrillers because it's more about Avery's future than her past. I'm very impressed by this debut, and I'm excited to read whatever Beyfuss writes next!

I enjoyed the storyline for part one and getting to know the characters and their lives living in a cult. Part two fell flat and didn't add anything new to the story. Overall, a disappointment. Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy.

DNF. Unfortunately, this was a book I started multiple times but could just not get into. I appreciate having the opportunity to read this book, it was just not a good fit for me as a reader. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my gifted review copy.

To prepare, endure, and thrive – that’s why Avery and her family have been chosen. Living in Clovelite, their isolated family homestead, her parents and their ten children spend their days preparing to survive when the world destroys itself – an inevitability her father is bound and determined to lead their family through.
It doesn’t take long for his ruthlessness to spark a horrific chain of events, and when Avery and her brother Cole learn the truth, their worlds will never be the same again.

The author gives a warning before this book begins that her goal was to celebrate the strength of the human spirit and the fortitude needed to break the cycle of abuse and emerge triumphant – but that to do so, her characters had to undergo hardships that were difficult to write. She succeeded on both fronts; the beginning of this book is a disturbing portrayal of several traumatic events. But I truly felt the journey that Avery went through more than matched them in inspiring hope and admiration for a character I was rooting for from the start.

After We Were Stolen was a very emotional read, one that tugged at my heartstrings, made me laugh, and made me cry. It never felt over the top, or like the author was taking cheap shots to inspire easy emotional reactions in her readers. Brooke Beyfuss instead writes very authentic situations and characters, ones that feel possible and real. This is a relatively short book, but it delivers an impact that belies its size – I think it’s an incredible read, one I’ll remember it for a long time to come.