Summary:
Once bitten by the acting bug, Bethany Joy Lenz chased her dream from New York to California. What she didn't plan on was falling into a Christian cult. Not to mention being the last one to realize she had. Within these pages, she tells how it all unfolded. She peels back the layers she didn't always know existed to show you what her life looked like before, during and getting out of the controlling hands of people she once trusted.

From a young age, Bethany discovered her love for the arts. Whether it be acting or singing, these creative endeavors were her passion and escape. At 18, she formed a band while in New York. At 19, she moved to LA to pursue her love of acting. The two locations turned out to be more different than she anticipated. Life in New York seemed effortless and like home. Whereas, life in LA was isolating and made her feel as if she didn't belong. Friends were plentiful in one, but scarce in the other.

Cue a group of people meeting at a house for a Bible Study. What started out innocently morphed into something everyone around her questioned. This group that studied the Bible together became a close knit group who supported one another. As time moved on, this tight group became to feel more like a family. The leaders taking on a more hands-on and controlling nature. While real family members of the group noticed a dark intention, the group themselves felt loved. However, that love grew more and more controlling, manipulative and sinister. As years rolled by, Bethany's feelings exchanged comfort for distrust. By the time the light finally shown on her situation, Bethany had a daughter. How was she going to get them out of this group's control? How was she going to protect her daughter from people Bethany now wanted nothing to do with?

There were numerus parts of this book that were hard for me to read. Seeing how subtle the leaders of this group gained control of it's members was disturbing. Seeing how manipulative they became of their members in order to continue their control was infuriating. What began as gentle emotional support grew into mind control. The leaders were able to so seamlessly gain autonomy over every aspect of the members. The leaders control their thoughts, decisions and jobs. All while the members never even thinking twice. Reading all of this was scary enough. Seeing it play out in Bethany's life was gut wrenching.

In Dinner For Vampires, Bethany tells you how they talked her out of making her Broadway dreams come true. How this group was instrumental in her job on One Tree Hill. She'll tell you how they would manipulate themselves back into front and center of her life whenever she began to drift away. How they preyed on her every vulnerability- even in the romance department. She would eventually marry the son of a leader and quickly realize the mistake it was. Bethany will tell you how huge that very mistake would go on to be.

As you read her story, you will journey all over the emotional map. I felt anger at everyone for allowing this to happen. My heart broke when she would lose out on a dream they talked her out of. I was in shock when she discovered how much money they had taken from her. I was cheering her father on when he showed up locked and loaded with years of intel he had been doing into the main leader. By the time I read the last word, I was emotionally exhausted and I hadn't been the one to live it out.

I applaud Bethany Joy Lenz for being willing to share her story. For being willing to share how she allowed people into her life who would eventually take it over. I would like to thank her for being so raw with this nightmare- I know there are other people out there walking a similar path. It wasn't an easy read so I know it wasn't easy to write. I'm glad she was able to claw her way out. I'm glad there were people ready and waiting to help her in any way they could- some were former members.

I’m a huge fan of One Tree Hill so I just had to read Bethany’s memoir! Dinner for Vampires was everything I wanted and expected in a memoir. A lot of this was about Bethany’s time in a cult and all of her experiences and how she was shaped from that. It was very interesting.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the arc of this book.

I was (and still am) a huge OTH fan and I also listened to Al of Bethany’s music. When the skies go blue was on serious repeat!

With all that being said, growing up I never thought that these actors had anything but wonderful amazing lives. I have learned quite a lot since then. The author writes in a perfect tone and allows me to “see her” in the positions that she was in and everything she had to go through. I could FEEL it from the words. That is particularly what signifies a good book to me.

I really enjoyed the narrative and honestly, she shared that she isn’t just some prissy actress but that she earned her spot despite it all and then some.

I think writing a memoir about your life in a cult while you're a cult-show celebrity takes a lot of courage, and this book delivered. I hope it brought her some much-needed catharsis. I think the need to belong is inherent in all of us and her story - mostly the themes of being a woman - felt relatable in many ways. I've always been a fan of OTH, and I wasn't expecting this to be a recollection of her time on the show - and you shouldn't either - but she did share some internal turmoil and hesitation about getting close to her castmates because of her 'family' which again, I thought was interesting, courageous and truthful.

I really enjoyed reading this! It's not a particularly easy book to get through because I felt for her in so many ways but it's an important and raw read about manipulation, how easy it is to fall into a group of people who present as sharing your values, and how dangerous it can be to leave them when you come to the realization that they don't.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for sending me an advance copy!

Dinner for Vampires is actress Bethany Joy Lenz's bittersweet memoir that focuses heavily on her young adult years spent in a cult, though she shares aspects of her childhood and professional life as well. It was surprising to learn that this vibrant actress was often a loner in childhood, subjected to many relocations and her parents' eventual divorce. Having grown up religious (Christian), she sought out Bible groups and Christian churches as she began her career, first in New York City, and eventually in Los Angeles. While her regrets throughout these years are many, there is not a whiff of self-pity as she details her complete immersion into a cult she simply calls The Family. In fact, there are often witty asides and tongue-in-cheek observations, even about some of her more painful experiences. While I was older than the target audience for her hit show, One Tree Hill, her years in the cult overlapped quite a bit with her years on the show and fans of that show will probably enjoy her behind the scenes recollections of filming the hit. She eventually finds her way out of the cult, but only after losing the bulk of her substantial savings from singing and acting, enduring a physically and verbally abusive relationship with her husband, estrangement from friends and family, damaging rumors in Hollywood, and a corrupted sense of self and faith. I've enjoyed the roles that I have seen Lenz in, and I respect the honesty with which she shares some of the most vulnerable periods of her life. I think fans and those new to Lenz will enjoy this unique look into faith, cults, and Hollywood.

This is a very heavy memoir. It was shocking and heartbreaking and fully focused on Joy’s time in the cult. (Don’t be expecting OTH tell all)

Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
320 pages
Releasing October 22, 2024

Bethany Joy Lenz writes of her experience of being in a cult during her young adulthood & how a simple bible study turned into a life altering experience.

I am a HUGE One Tree Hill fan & so of course I had to read @msbethanyjoylenz memoir on her experiences of being in a cult, even while she was performing on One Tree Hill. This book was moving, left me in just complete shock hearing how manipulating and cruel this group was to her & how they took advantage of her fame and wealth, especially in her later years of filming OTH. It saddens me to know this happened. She brings light and awareness to her situation in a beautiful. A lovely memoir!

Read if you like:
✨Memoirs
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✨Chronological order stories

#dinnerforvampires #bethanyjoylenz #onetreehill #netgalley #memoir

I had been looking forward to this book since Bethany Joy Lenz talked a bit about her experiences on the Drama Queens podcast.

Her writing was easy to read and engaging. She also did a nice job organizing the events so you can see how she was drawn into the group and why she stayed for so long. It did feel like things were sometimes glossed over/kept surface level, and I wished she had gone more into depth.

While her time on One Tree Hill is covered, it is not the focus of the book, and it is fitting as I think it wouldn't have fit well with the rest of the narrative. Also, so much of that is covered on the podcast.

Dinner for Vampires, a metaphor for author Bethany Joy Lenz's time in the alleged religious cult, tells the actress' personal tale of navigating the group while balancing her years on the beloved series One Tree Hill. As the author's note mentions, Lenz drew from her comprehensive journals from 1999-2015, as well as interviews with other former members. All names and specific details (aside from OTH cast members) had been altered. Lenz tells her story through very compelling language, starting at the very beginning of her childhood to how she met this so-called religious organization. As established, she was already a member when she booked the role of Haley James Scott on OTH. As a reader, I found this memoir to be super compelling and I was very compelled to keep reading. Dinner for Vampires reads quite quickly and was a compelling and chilling first-person account of Lenz's life in this alleged cult and what made her finally get the courage to walk away. It couldn't have been easy to relive such trauma for a memoir, yet Lenz handled the subject matter honestly in a way that was also well-written.

Just like most people on their 20s, my favorite tv show growing up and still to this day is One Tree Hill. I have always been a fan of Bethany but didn’t know anything more than what she shows us from her social media. So I was super excited to read her memoir to see how she got her start and what she went through in life. Now it’s no surprise that you have to put in a lot of work to make it in the entertainment industry but seeing how much Bethany had to do at such a young age is mind boggling. I imagine myself doing that at her age and don’t think I could’ve done it. She deserves all the success she has because she has been putting in the work from a very young age. Now all of my OTH friends just know that this is not heavily talked about in the book. She goes much deeper into how she was stuck in this cult and how she came out of it.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

Wow!! What an interesting and heartbreaking book!! Great insight into both the tv world along with being an influencer. This was so well written!

Incredibly interesting insight into both the TV world and the innermost workings and influences of a religion based cult. Lenz went into her own conflicting feelings, regrettable moments, and crooked dynamics, and it was definitely an interesting read. I do wish it was more well written, it felt quite simple at times, and didn’t have much grounding factor, leaving it to feel a little shallow in tone.

I was a big One Tree Hill fan so I jumped at the chance to review an early copy of Bethany Joy Lenz's memoir. I never remember hearing even a whisper of her involvement in a cult back when the show was premiering. It just goes to show that no matter how much someone's life is displayed in public...you never really know what's going on behind the scenes.

Lenz thoughtfully and respectfully shared her story. She took into account the other individuals whose lives might be affected by her words and tried to keep their identities private. In a world where people love name dropping to garner more attention, I think this says a lot about Lenz as an author and human.

In her formative years as a young actress, away from home for the first time, Lenz sought out community through a Bible study. She was able to connect and form relationships with like-minded Christians. That is until a new member joined the group. "Les" slowly and methodically assumed leadership while gaining control of his "family" through the guise of accountability, encouragement and mentorship.

From an outside perspective, you can immediately feel every ounce of manipulation this man employed to make his "family" rely on him for spiritual and life guidance. You can also see how someone in a vulnerable position might not see the gaslighting and isolation until they're too deeply invested.

Lenz became so thoroughly tied to this "family" that it affected her marriage, career and financial decisions. It was incredibly sad and infuriating to see the opportunities Lenz let pass her by because of the amount of control Les had over her life. I was also sad to see how this element of Lenz's life affected her relationships (or lack thereof) with her OTH cast members.

This was a compelling read. Highly recommend for those fascinated by cults or just enjoy a well-written memoir. It's definitely heavy on Biblical truths (or the misuse and abuse of the Bible).

If you're an OTH fan, this book will make you love Dan Scott aka Paul Johansson.
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Spoiler-ish Alert:

Lenz does "escape" the cult life with her faith still intact! I thought Lenz did an amazing job of showing the goodness of God even in a situation where a so-called Christian leader abused his power in the most un-Christlike ways. I wish the book had gone a bit deeper into Lenz's recovery and current life but perhaps that's a story for a different time.

An honest and raw account of Bethany’s journey as she shares with us her life while under the influence of a small cult. The beginning is slow as the author lays out the details and sets the stage for her biography. It begins to speed up and get more interesting when her acting career begins to excel and she meets two brothers that have an organized bible study group. Then enters Les, the ultimate cult leader. He manipulates this small bible study group and slowly takes control from the brothers. There is no question Les is a sales and conman all in the name of God. That being said it amazes me that educated, intelligent people can turn over every aspect of their lives and let someone control them to this level. Bethany even went ahead and married his son when every part of her being was telling her not to. Handing over complete control of her finances and having almost nothing to do with her “bio-family”, allowing the leaders to make life changing decisions regarding her successful blossoming career.

I have never heard of or seen One Tree Hill, so I am unfamiliar with Bethany as an actress. I am however fascinated by people who are this vulnerable to the point they would willingly allow others to prey on and control them. I’m happy the birth of her daughter finally gave her some vision and strength to do the right thing and get away from these pariahs that stole ten years of her life not to mention her $2M. Her parents must have been sick with worry. How do you get your family members back when they are consenting adults and no longer trust or listen to you following so much brainwashing and manipulation?

I am a believer and follower of Jesus Christ as our father and savior but this is an entirely different level.

Definitely an educational read. I’m thankful the author decided to share her story. Hopefully it will help someone else in the exact same situation. It’s horrific to think how much of this goes on in the world.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster and the author for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was surprised by how much I liked Dinner for Vampires. I've only seen a handful of One Tree Hill episodes and I knew next to nothing about cults before reading this book. But wow, Bethany Joy Lenz's story was fascinating. I can really see how smart, kind, thoughtful people end up in cults. I have so much empathy for her and applaud her bravery in sharing her story. Dinner for Vampires was well-written, pacey and hard to put down.

Also, I'm easily disturbed and while this book certainly covered dark subjects like abuse, I was able to read it without feeling triggered.

I definitely recommend it if you're a One Tree Hill fan, are interested in cults or just like celebrity memoirs.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I am blown away with how well this book is written. It was so interesting and heartbreaking to read. I was a huge fan of One Tree Hill and was excited to read this book by Ms.Lenz. I have a whole new outlook on her life during the time she was in the show. Definitely pick this one up!

As a huge One Tree Hill Fan, when the publisher reached out to offer this Advanced Reader Copy I felt like it was my birthday and I was given the best gift ever. I am currently always with a book or knitting needles in my hand, and while knitting my forever ongoing projects I love to rewatch series, and I am currently in a rewatch of One Tree Hill.
I was pregnant with children during the show so I wasn’t spending time on message boards back then to know about Joy’s past, so it came as such a shock when I read the title…. A CULT. Nooo way not my Hailey. But as I dove into this book and doing my rewatch you can see the pain in Joys acting that made her so loved. I devoured this book and while I felt she was so eloquent with her words, I also felt she was trying to soften the blow of how hard her situation was or how awful she felt about putting herself in it.
This book is perfect for fans of OTH or just people who feel they get taken advantage of by others. Joy wrote an amazing book and she be honored of what she’s overcome in her life and how she’s handled her grief.

I really enjoyed this memoir by Bethany Joy Lenz. While we would all like to believe we wouldn't fall into a cult, I think Lenz showed us how that it's true. It was really heartbreaking to read her story, and I never would have guessed what she was going through while filming OTH. I'm glad she and her daughter were able to safely remove themselves from the cult.

I used to watch One Tree Hill all the time and even lived close to Wilmington, North Carolina for many years. I had no idea what Bethany was caught up in and reading about how she got there was also interesting. This was a quick read, and I enjoyed seeing all the insight she had about cults and how easy they can be to get caught up in without even realizing it happening. Her story is very captivating, and it also makes me want to go back and watch One Tree Hill all over again. I have so much more respect for her and her career after reading this memoir. Thanks, NetGalley for the ARC.

I remember Bethany Joy Lenz, not from One Tree Hill (which I didn't watch), but from Guiding Light, and yes, I'm 100% dating myself! I love reading and reviewing memoirs anyway, so when I saw this one, especially when it mentioned cults (another dark obsession of mine), I couldn't wait to read it. Wow, am I glad I did. Reading about how Bethany Joy was drawn in little by little by a religious leader who took advantage of her desire to be closer to God was very enlightening. When you hear about people who fall under the spell of these types of leaders, who give up everything for them and what they're selling, including their relationships with friends and family, it's hard not to wonder how anybody could be that gullible, but this book explained how it happens so slowly that you can't see from inside the bubble they build up around you what is really happening. Your family and friend's truths don't match up with your truths at the time, and when you go to your "leader", for want of a better word, for help, they jump at the chance to force even more distance between you and everyone around you. I was totally taken in by Bethany Joy's story and began to understand how she was taken in, how she lost her independence, but more importantly, how she got out, and the price she paid when she did. By the time I got to the end of the book, I had developed mad respect for Bethany Joy, and I admired her strength in taking back control of her life the most of all.

I loved this book so much, and highly recommend it to my readers.

5/5 stars.

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Simon and Schuster, and Bethany Joy Lenz for the opportunity to read and review this fascinating book.