This was a decent read but I think the title works against it. It’s a little off for the actual book itself. Some of the characters were depressingly dumb and lacked common sense despite being written as “bright”. The plot was pretty awkward and the family dynamics were painful at best.

This was funny and entertaining. I loved Glinda's sarcasm and the nerdiness, but she's definitely a piece of work. There's lots of angst and past trauma and impulsive, dumb decisions. Nevertheless I was hooked and finished the book in 2 sittings.
The writing style is fluent and the pacing was great.

I can recommend this one to anyone who likes a light cult-thriller.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was in love with the first chapter, and so excited because THIS book was going to get me out of my reading slump. Nothing went right from that point on.

No one in Glinda's family knows how to talk to each other or communicate. Texts are not returned or not believed or not even sent. Any statement, no matter how innocuous, is met with distrust. Most important things are just not communicated at all. Glinda, our main character, is a college-educated 25 year old who behaves like she's 16. She has done some atrocious things to her family and when dealing with other people returns every thank you with a snarl, every kindness with venom. It is explained that Glinda has gone through some things, but guess what, a lot of women have gone through those things and we didn't turn into monsters against every single person in our lives.

But Glinda and her family are the ones we're supposed to root for, because there is also a villain. I guess the only way to differentiate him from the completely problematic family of Glinda's is to make him a horrific comic book level caricature of a villain. He's only missing a mustache to twirl.

Could Glinda not have had one element of goodness that we could root for? I was continuously horrified every time she opened her mouth. I'm not even mad at the author, I'm more frustrated that no one around her in the process pointed out that a reader needs something to hold on to, to hope for. This was just doom and gloom and hopelessness until the last chapter when everything is wrapped up in a tidy bow and a magic wand was waved over everyone to make them nice and good and happy people. The end.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately I never would have finished this one if not for NetGalley.

It's Not A Cult (awesome title, promising premise!) follows Glinda Glass, a woman trying her best to save her mother from the clutches of a dangerous cult, the Starlight Pioneer Society. As Glinda navigates her own personal struggles and dysfunctional family dynamics, she decides to take matters into her own hands by infiltrating the cult. What she uncovers is far more sinister than she could have imagined, forcing her to confront her own past trauma and repair her fractured relationships.

Now, let's talk about Glinda, our main character. I have to be honest, she wasn't the most likable protagonist. Her emotionally clumsy attempts to fix things often ended in disaster, and at times, I found myself frustrated with her decision-making. While flawed characters can be compelling, Glinda's actions frequently derailed the plot and made it difficult for me to fully engage with the story.

Despite this setback, I have to commend Danhof for crafting a genuinely intriguing premise. The concept of a cult and the desperate race to save a loved one had me hooked from the start. The moments of tension and suspense were well-executed, keeping me on edge and eager to unravel the mysteries surrounding the cult's leader, Arlon.

Additionally, the author's writing style had a personable quality that made it easy to immerse myself in Glinda's world. The book had its humorous moments, reminiscent of "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," which added a much-needed touch of levity amidst the dark subject matter.

However, the plot suffered from pacing issues. The focus on Glinda's personal struggles often overshadowed the larger narrative, detracting from the urgency of the cult storyline. I found myself wanting more depth and exploration of the cult itself and its inner workings.

In the end, "It's Not a Cult" had its strengths and weaknesses. While the execution didn't quite live up to the initial promise, the premise was intriguing, and the writing had its moments of charm. If you enjoy character-driven stories with a dash of dark humor, this book might still be worth a read.

Thanks so much to Alcove Press for the opportunity to read an eArc of this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Glenda glass is a dropout graduate student she was going to school for middle age literature but the best job she can get is working at a renaissance fair that is probably because when we first meet Glenda she is showing up at a job that is way out of her genre and skill set soaking wet dressed in her winch outfit from the fair with a soaking wet resume then she couldn’t remember the interviewers name. Needless to say she doesn’t get the job. Her mom belongs to a cult that she joined after the loss of her beloved husband and Although Glenda and her little sister west try to come up with reasons to make her skip the meetings her mom is diligent. So much so that she announces her an arm on the cult leader or getting married. Needless to say this is something Glenda and her sisters are definitely against she has another sister named Dorothy that in the beginning of the story isn’t talking to Glenda do to the atrocious and selfish acts she committed. Glenda is a very selfish person and I mean extremely selfish she litters she’s rude and egotistical. She’s always saying “I’ll take care of it,“ but in the end take care of nothing. I didn’t like her from the beginning and although I could see where the author wanted to go with the story and the character of Glenda but the only one in the book that was even likable was troy and even he had his issues. I mean he offered Glenda ffeared de oh pizza but what is even more surprising is that she ate it… OK gross! I really really wanted to like this book and hate to say bad things about anyone’s Hardwork I do think the author is talented and should definitely not give up but this one was a definite miss for me. I want to thank alcove press and net galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for gifting me the debut novel by Lauren Danhof - 4 stars!

Glinda Glass is back living with her mom after dropping out of her graduate school program. She's spending her days working in the dunking booth at the local Renaissance fair with her only friend, Troy. But Glinda is desperately trying to keep everything from falling apart - after their father's sudden death, her mom has joined a cult and is totally obsessed with its leader, Arlon. Glinda's twin sister, Dorothy, isn't speaking to her and their younger sister, West is not happy with her either. Then Glinda learns that the cult is taking over their family home and making it into their commune. Glinda is desperate to save her mom and their home, but she'll need help.

While this book covers lots of heavy subjects - grief, cults, abuse - it does so in a humorous, quirky way. It is more focused on trying to heal relationships by being open and honest, and needing other people to get by in this world.
Glinda continues trying her best but everything always seems to turn out wrong - you'll be rooting for things to finally go right for her. This was an engaging, story and I can't wait to read more from this author!

I love consuming media about cults it’s always so fascinating to me so just the title was enough to pique my interest.

Off the bat I enjoyed the story though the main character did sometimes get on my nerves, my only true gripe with this storyline was that sometimes I couldn’t predict where the author was taking it. Overall an enjoyable read

Cute and funny to start, but certainly takes a dark and serious turn that I wasn't quite expecting since the beginning was quite lighthearted and joking like. I enjoyed it overall.

Glinda is doing the best she can with her mom, who has joined a cult, and her job at the drench-a-wench tent. When she learns the cult is taking over her family home, she takes matters into her own hands.

I loved this book for the family drama and the quirkiness. You have never met a character like Glinda, or the other cast of interesting individuals you’ll be introduced to. While there are some heavy topics involved: grief, drug addiction, sibling rivalry, the story is hilarious all the way through. I loved this one and wish I had more.

“Why did one think I was strong enough? To tell my sisters, to bear our collective broken heart?! I wasn’t even strong enough to bear my own.”

It’s Not a Cult comes out 8/22.

It’s Not a Cult. Actually, it is. I had to give it a few days in order to write a review because the book was not what was advertised. It is neither Bunny nor Kimmy. So I was disappointed that I didn’t get what I thought would be a truly weird experiment in novel form.

But I want to judge the book and not the bad descriptions. The book was about a girl trying to keep her mother from giving the family farm and money to a cult. She’s already been in the cult, but we all know cults aren’t satisfied until they have everything. The book itself had funny and touching family moments. These people have some issues.

In the end, I never became immersed and invested. It was a good book though. I wanted the Glinda to find happiness. I cared for the characters on some level.

Circumstances have Glinda working as a 'drench a wench' at the local renaissance fair. She is back living in her childhood home, with her mother who is in a cult, and her teenage 'baby of the family' bit of a terror sister West. When her mother is selected to marry the cult leader and their house will be turned into a commune, Glinda decides she needs to save her family and take the cult down.

The narrative has a friendly, quirky, 'I'm opening up to you' quality. Sucked me in with the funny and kept me with its emotional integrity and sense of a mission. I adored its wry humor, bringing in the 'this can't be happening to me' flair.

The protagonist is relatable with her clumsy attitude, the way she often speaks before she thinks. A bit of a temper, a touch of sarcastic, both defense mechanisms. You can understand her anti-relationship conviction with what she has endured. That difficult family dynamics color her behavior. You will enjoy the shy and kind character of Troy. The awkwardness between him and Glinda. Their conversations that are grounded and soul-searching though simultaneously fun and unexpected.

Some ideas or events needed more fleshing out. The story does go in a different direction than expected in the middle of the book, which sometimes I liked, sometimes I didn't. It seems to veer off track and take its time with other things which is aggravating, needed more of the cult. But I was invested. I think the unbelievable things that happen fuelled that, so I needed to read on to see where it would lead. Some jaw-droppers along the way and an interesting road to the ending rewarded me.

It is basically about our fundamental need as people to belong. About being okay with yourself and it's okay to be yourself. Love doesn't mean you have to lose yourself. This is a getting over your trauma and trusting people again story disguised as one about a cult and dressed with wit and feeling.

This is my first time reading Lauren Danhof and I enjoyed every second of it. This witty book kept me entertained and disappointed when I reached the end, I didn't want to put this book down and I didn't want it to be over with.

MY REVIEW: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
👉 I love a cult book and this cult is one you DON'T want to mess with—Danhof did a great job with building up the big bad cult (it's like, really not good).
👉 I was kind of expecting this to be closer to a thriller and maybe a little 2D, but it was emotional, funny, and so sweet, in between the all the action!
👉 I do feel like there was somewhat of a disconnect between all of the drama around Glinda, and while some of her actions did piss me off, my biggest gripe was how the family (and basically everyone) treated her… BUT the story and book as a whole delivered on exactly what I wanted 👀
👉 Overall, very fast, darkly comedic read that you gotta pick up if you're into cults, women tryna figure out their lives, and family drama.

Um, it's definitely a cult. This book deals with some dark themes but handles it with a smart-aleck protagonist, who is also NOT ok. The Glass family seems to need a lot of healing after the loss of their patriarch from a sudden heart attack. Glinda can't seem to finish her Masters, her twin, Dorothy hasn't spoken to her in 18 months and her mother, Julie, has joined a cult. There is a ton of trauma and a completely deranged villain but eventually all's well that ends well.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for this e-arc.*

📚 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰- It's Not A Cult⁣
𝘉𝘺 Lauren Danhof⁣
(𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘈𝘶𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝟸𝟸𝘯𝘥)⁣
⭐⭐⭐️⭐️ (4.5/5)⁣⁣⁣ ⁣
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𝐓𝐡𝐞 "𝐆𝐢𝐬𝐭": Glinda just lost her job, everyone in her family hates her, and her mom is in a cult. No big deal, right? 🤣 Can Glinda make good on her promise to "take care of everything" and reunite her family, before her brainwashed mother marries the cult leader and moves the entire congregation into their home? Here's hoping! 🤞⁣
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𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 💭: If you're in a reading slump and unsure what book to reach for next, I guarantee this one will have something to satisfy every reader! ⁣
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Unique settings that draw you in, quirky characters, laugh-out-loud dialogue (I especially loved the banter between Glinda and her little sister, West), romance, trauma, legitimate suspense, family drama, and the cult.....😱...oooooo, the cult!⁣
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Beginning to end, this book was a treat. I will definitely be buying a physical copy when it releases on August 22nd through @alcovepress !⁣
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Huge thanks to @netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review. ⁣
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This book is not to be missed!⁣
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𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 📖: You like: Cult stories; novels with a bit of everything; the Renaissance Faire⁣
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𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: R (for language and adult situations)

I wanted to love this book. The premise sounded right up my alley but unfortunately it didn't quite land for me.

The Good - I really liked grief as the impetus for joining the cult. It certainly resonated and thought that the initial sale of the cult seemed realistic. The sister dynamics also felt rooted in reality. I was interested enough in the topic that I wanted to read the whole book to see where it went.

The Not-so-Good - The heavy reliance on dialogue, especially when much of the dialogue was just similar fights between family members, made it tough to read. The various wild settings also made it feel cluttered. Trying to get to know and understand cult operations, the layout of a Renaissance Fair, and the workings of Bigfoot aficionados was all a bit much at once.

Glinda was such an engaging and quirky character, and her family kind of put 'fun' into dysfunctional!

Glinda knows she's selling herself short at her job as a wench at the local renaissance festival. But she's not one to blame anyone else for her problems, so she just keeps on keeping on. Within a short time, her life suffered several devastating blows, and she dropped out of college to just try and exist on a path that would help her exist without getting hurt any more. Living with her mom and younger sister, West, was less than ideal, but the price was right.

No one wants to believe her when she tells them that her mom is being seduced by cult-leader Arlon, or that they're about to lose their family home to the Starlight Pioneers that he leads. She personally knows it's a cult, but she also has some more guilt that it's gone as far as it has.

Finally, her co-worker Troy seems to trust her (and maybe more?) and is willing to get to the bottom of it with her, and even by dragging her older, estranged sister back into the loop. After trying to do nothing for so long, Glinda suddenly has to do something, and get others to help her, quickly!

This amusing read earned 4 out of 5 stars. With the varied characters, it felt like any reader to enjoy at least one. The family drama with a cult was hopefully unique for most, but the underlying relationships and traumas could ring true.

I requested Lauren Danhof’s new book It’s Not a Cult because I think cults and high-demand religions are very interesting. I went into this book not exactly sure what to expect.

It tells the story of Glinda Glass, a single, late 20’s woman who is down on her luck, living at home with her mother and younger sister. She is estranged from her twin sister for reasons that become clear as the novel progresses. Glinda’s mother is a member of a cult, though of course, everyone insists it’s not a cult.

This book is split between present-day narration and Glinda’s memories as she works to try and free her mother from this organization and figure out her own life. The Glass family has a lot going on—Dorothy and her partner have severed most contact and moved to Oklahoma to look for Bigfoot; North is just trying to finish high school and get away from her family, Glinda is working at a dunk tank at a Renaissance fair (but keeping it from her family), and their mom is heavily involved in her church and its leader Arlon. The one thing all these people have in common (besides being family) is their incredible inability to communicate clearly with each other.

I enjoyed the characters and felt that Danhof did a great job building believable characters with fairly believable problems. But the communication breakdowns between characters was sometimes maddening. I kept feeling that much of the conflict in the book could have been solved with a good conversation.

I also liked the premise of this book. It does a good job showing the ability that a particularly charismatic (and narcissistic) person can have to persuade normal people to believe things that at first seemed unbelievable. It shows the power of a cult leader, and how hard it can be to break away. And for most of the novel, this is done somewhat lightheartedly, but everything comes to a head near the end, and we see the true evil behind Arlon’s machinations.

My overall impression of this book is that it was entertaining, though frustrating at times. It highlights important things about high-control religions and family communication. It could be triggering for people who have suffered physical and emotional abuse.

4.25 stars

This book and the main character's situation in general stressed me out so much, I really had to sit and think about how I was going to rate it. But ultimately, I think that strong reaction is a mark of how good the writing is. But if reading desperate characters negatively impacts your mental health, skip this one (Mom, I'm talking to you.)

Glinda has dropped out of grad school and moved back in with her mom and 17-year-old sister, West, and the only job she's been able to get is at the Renaissance Faire. Her coworker at the Dunk the Wench booth, Troy, is just happy to be there and deserves the world. I will not be taking questions on this.
Glinda's whole family has been struggling to process their grief after her father's death, and her mom's way of coping was to join the Starlight Pioneer Society. Don't let the book title fool you, it is in fact a cult. 

Glinda is happy to ignore her mom's quirky way of coping when it's just burning incense to illuminate their inner light, but when suddenly the cult leader is about to become her new stepdad and the family house is being turned into a commune, she has to do something. 

The humor in this book was great, which I expected, but the emotional weight of this story surprised me. The portrayal of grief was well-done, and I got choked up at a couple of parts, but mainly I just found myself just so stressed out for Glinda. She is a pretty unlikable FMC, but the way her loved ones kept writing off her concerns about the cult and her mom had me on her side anyway. I was gaslit FOR her. By the end of the book, I was hard-pressed to think of a reason why she should talk to most of these people ever again. But maybe that's a me problem...

I would definitely read more from this author, though!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, & the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Yes, the Starlight Power Society is a cult. And Arlon is its leader who is about to marry Glinda's mom. Glinda, who, you gotta know in advance, is deeply unlikable, is determined to stop him, in part because she doesn't want him to take her house, There's something about a group of sisters named after Wizard of Oz characters that makes you wonder what inside jokes you are missing but that's ok. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, This is one of those quirky novels that might be a love it or hate it proposition for some readers, It all will depend on how you take Glinda.