𝘋𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘝𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴: 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘛𝘝 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘸 (𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘈𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵!) is a memoir written by Bethany Joy Lenz, an actress and musician best known for her work on popular teen drama 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘭𝘭 and an array of Hallmark movies. I admit I watched the first few seasons of 𝘖𝘛𝘏 when it first aired in the early aughts, but my interest in the book primarily came from my fascination with stories of former cult members. Though there are some behind-the-scenes Hollywood tidbits, the bulk of 𝘋𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘝𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 is centered around Lenz’s time in The Big House Family—a small and lesser known but still destructive religious group—and her break from it.

The memoir is very interesting and readable and offers valuable insight on how an independent, capable person could become prey to a high-control, high-demand cult. In Lenz’s case, an unhappy home, lonely school life, and feelings of being “second-best” led her to seek solace and a sense of belonging in the church as a youth and then to a bible study group as an adult living and working in Los Angeles for the first time. That bible study would morph into The Big House Family, and its leaders would take money from Lenz, isolate her from her parents and colleagues, heavily influence her romantic and social life, and steer her away from huge professional opportunities for almost a decade.

While I mostly enjoyed the book, there were a few things that rubbed me the wrong way. First, Lenz changed the names of several people for privacy reasons, however for two of them she bestowed the aliases of “Blue Eyes” and “Quiet Boy”—this struck me as a bit twee and awkward. I really wish she had assigned actual names to them instead so it was less distracting in the story. Secondly, her tone when describing other people and her interactions with them often took on a judgmental quality. She does explain that she struggles with insecurity, but nonetheless I sometimes found her narration off-putting. But these observations are of course subjective and it’s very possible that these things won’t bother other readers as much.

Overall, 𝘋𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘝𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 is an enthralling memoir and shares a unique perspective that one is unlikely to get from other actor autobiographies. Thank you to Simon & Schuster for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dinner for Vampires is already my favorite memoir of the year! Bethany Joy Lenz pours her soul into this book and you can feel it in her writing because it's so raw and vulnerable. In her memoir, she talks about her time in a cult, not for the simple purpose of showing you how naive she felt, but to show the importance of knowing yourself, sticking to your own morals/values, and realizing your own strength. Since the moment I first watched One Tree Hill and met Haley James Scott on screen, I became a fan and after reading her memoir I am an even bigger fan of hers because you get to see her as more than a celebrity/actress/singer you get to see her heart. Her kindness, love for others, and positivity shine brighter than all of the darkness!

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was a freshman in high school and caught a stomach bug. I stayed home from school and was lying in bed. At my mom's plea to eat something, I got up and ate some soup while watching the SoapNet channel and stumbled upon an episode of One Tree Hill. It was halfway through a rerun(probably an episode from season 2) and I was hooked. Haley James Scott quickly became the character I felt that I could relate to the most. I knew this show was going to be good and I begged my mom to buy me the DVDs because I couldn't continue to watch season 2 when I didn't even watch season 1. (Yes this was a time before streaming) I sped through the season and was all caught up and I never missed another episode. In my eyes, Bethany Joy Lenz had it all. She seemed cool and down-to-earth and was obviously super talented. She was a great actress, a beautiful singer, and again just seemed so cool. All this to say, I am a huge fan of hers. And when I heard that she was coming out with a memoir I knew I had to read it!

I started to read the first few chapters and was stunned. I didn't expect all the rough parts she had to go through. She gave so much happiness and joy to her fans and to know that she cried most days and had people who 'loved' her being the same people to make her question herself and tear her down when they saw fit, made my heart shatter.

From the beginning, you can see how big she dreamt. She wanted to be an actress and sing on Broadway and knew her hard work would take her there. And to see her achieve it had me bursting with joy. On the other side of it, I felt sad to see her turn down roles, distance herself from possible lifelong friendships,and shy away from passion projects because others convinced her that it was best for her relationship with God.

You learn quickly about how she became part of The Big House Family, the cult that she was in for a decade. It gave her little but took so much from her. While some might say, "Oh, only weak or naive people can fall into or be persuaded to be in a cult" that is just not the case. Bethany shows you her experience so that you can see that anyone can be wrapped up in the world and most of the time you don't even see it coming. In her case, she became introduced to the leaders when she moved to L.A. in her twenties to pursue her acting career. Bethany had always grown up in Bible study having a strong faith. Her roommate at the time introduced her to the leaders. How awesome was it? She already made a new friends who shared her faith. But what she didn't know what that was the beginning of her decade long journey of being a member of cult. All this while filming one of the most popular series. She describes how that had an impact on her seclusion and loneliness from cast members and how she wished she could have embraced connection and friendship. In one instance, she describes meeting Sophia Bush and having a instant connection. She felt comfortable in that moment and that was a trigger that brought up her past. Because of that she closed the door for a chance at a budding friendship and how she wished she could turn back time. She also details how she was captivated by the group, how their inner systems worked, and how she lost her autonomy in her every day life. From long meetings in a basement where you were told everything you were doing wrong, to being controlled in your personal and professional life, ultimately leading to an arranged marriage full of toxicity. It shocked me in a way that made me sad and angry but it made me have so much more respect and admiration for Bethany. This woman was told what to do, when to do it, when to stop. She cried so many tears, felt confused, and when she had a gut feeling about something being wrong she was quickly convinced that she had to go through the harsh times because it was all in God's plan. I can't even imagine going through it, but she had the strength to escape. And that's thanks to her daughter. When Bethany had her daughter Rosie, she was finally able to see these so called 'faithful leaders' (including her ex husband) for what they were: controlling, demeaning, and destructive. They took so much from her; they took away potential friendships, jobs, true love, time with loved ones, and her autonomy, leaving her with scars that will never go away. Now, what is so special about Bethany is that once these revelations came to light she didn't hide she fought! She fought for her dignity, for her daughter, and fought for their future.

After I finshed the book, I realized how fitting the title 'Dinner for Vampires' is. She sat down and spent 10 years of her life with this 'family' and when she didn't agree or appease their wishes anymore, the fangs came out ready to sink into their next victim. To realize her strength and love for herself and her daughter left me finishing the book with the biggest smile. This memoir was like reading a journal that your best friend wrote throughout her life. Yes, there were alot of bad times, but the good moments helped make it easier to move forward. Bethany Joy Lenz's Dinner for Vampires was simply unputdownable! It isn't easy to open up your life, let alone open up about your darkest times to the world, but her vulnerability was the best part. She wasn't afraid to put it out there especially if it helps someone else! I truly applaud her for showing us her heart!

Dinner For Vampires is the absolute best title for Bethany Joy Lenz 'experience growing up wanting to be a part of something special. Once she found her “spiritual family” , a group of people from different walks of life trying to do their best by god. It quickly evolved into something different. Control, submission, lack of self worth. The perfect storm to feast upon her soul and suck her dry mentally, emotionally, spiritually and financially.

Bethany, best known for her role as Haley James Scott on One Tree Hill, describes the rollercoaster of life from her isolation as a child, her parents' struggle that led to divorce and finally feeling like she found her place at an in -home Bible group she found in LA.
With her strained relationship with her parents and wanting to do best by god, she was the perfect target for this cult. Isolating her from family, friends, coworkers. Questioning her loyalty to her big house family every step of the way as well as her obedience to submit. Even though she did question herself and had a little voice in the back of her head telling her something was wrong, she wouldn't listen to it fully for years. The leader of the cult that later became her father-in-law took full advantage of Joy's career and the money she earned.
She struggled in her marriage, constantly questioning the relationship,but continued with it thinking divorce wasn't an option.
People in the group started to leave, violence started to happen more frequently and once Joy became a mother she knew she had to break the cycle and get out for her daughters well being.

This book will break your heart, for what Joy went through. It will also make you so proud of her as well. Being able to finally admit that she was indeed in a cult after being told so many times took a lot of courage. The strength and determination she had to put her story out there for the world, I'm in awe of. I'm sure with this book others will feel seen going through similar experiences in their own lives whether it being family, religion or relationship issues. This is definitely a must read for 2024 even if your unfamiliar with Joys career.

* My copy of Dinner for Vampires was provided by NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I don't typically like to rate an autobiography, because then I feel like I'm rating someone's life, but this was an e-ARC. However, this is a fantastic book! It is so well written, it flows nicely with a very clean timeline. Some memoirs are just small stories at all different times and it can be hard to follow, but this is not one of those.

Bethany Joy Lenz was on a well known TV show, One Tree Hill, and while it was a good show, I wouldn't have said I knew much about the actors or actresses on it. While filming the show, and trying to "make it" in the entertainment industry, she was also trying to find her way in life, find God, love, and a family. She found all that through a group she calls The Family. The Family's "leader" was quick to isolate the members and control them in small ways, ways that would be huge and horribly manipulative. The book is her story in finding this group and then finding her freedom from it. I spent most of the book being so angry with how these people were treating their "chosen" family. It takes a lot for someone to see things need to change and find a way to make that happen, and thankfully Lenz did. She came out stronger and able to tell her story.

If you're looking for some dirt from an old TV show, this isn't that. This is a story about how a woman got herself out of a cult and survived. There's a lot of religious stuff, even after the cult, and I normally don't like that kind of thing. It was never over powering though, it's what she believes and she doesn't need you to believe it too and that's respectful.

I absolutely adored Bethany Joy Lenz in One Tree Hill and I was so excited to be granted the opportunity to read Dinner For Vampires. This was something I never knew about before and I was shocked at what Joy endured and amazed at her strength to get out. It’s been a long time since reading a nonfiction book and I was not disappointed. Her writing felt like I was reading an email from a friend and I had to force myself to put the book down a few times. Such an interesting story and I’m so glad that Joy shared it with the world!

Dinner For Vampires comes out on 10/22!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster and Bethany Joy Lenz for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars round up!
wow wow wow. I've watched a little bit of one tree hill and other things Bethany Joy Lenz has been in but the cult aspect of her book was really what intrigued me most and mannnnnnnn did she deliver!
What starts out as something wholesome and innocent quickly morphed into something else entirely. I highly recommend this book!! A warning if you are sensitive/ triggered by religion, this book goes into heavy detail about Christianity which at some points were tough for me to read.
I feel like she summed everything up so well and even with the ending and having closure I still want to know so much more!
Thank you to NetGalley, Bethany Joy Lenz, and Simon & Schuster for an advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest opinion

I’ve always heard small snippets of Joy’s time in a cult so I was excited to learn more about her personal history while breaking into the Hollywood scene. It was nice to get the full spectrum of events that happened to her and see how it shaped the woman the came out the other end of it all. My only real negative critique is that there was a lot of unnecessary filler information thrown in at times when it didn’t need to be. Almost like the scene was being painted a little too clearly. It got to be a bit wordy and distracted from the overall takeaway a bit.

I devoured this book in 1 day! It is such a vulnerable, honest look at BJL's experience with a cult that did not look like a cult. I would have liked to read more about her life and faith journey since leaving but it was a very insightful, heartbreaking yet hopeful read that resonated with me in many respects.
Thanks so much to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the chance to read it in exchange for my thoughts.

Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and Bethany Joy Lenz for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I haven’t seen much of One Tree Hill, but I was still really excited to pick this one up because I love memoirs and her life seems very interesting. I ended up really enjoying it!

This book follows Bethany’s time in a cult - and the title is perfect. It’s a fast-paced book and I read it quickly because I was really interesting to see what happened with the cult and how she escaped from it. Throughout, I felt a range of emotions, and was shocked, upset, and heart-broken for Bethany. I’m glad that she was able to escape and is now telling others about her story.

This book does include a little about OTH and her life as an actress, which was also fascinating to learn about. I recommend this book for everyone, even if you don’t know much about Bethany Joy Lenz. Be sure to pick it up when it comes out!

I loved One Tree Hill and I loved Nayley so much! I haven't been following their podcast but I knew I had to pick this one up. I think the only thing that could make this better was when the audiobook comes out.. I am really hoping she narrates it herself!!!

The tv show One Tree Hill is one of my all time favorite shows, and the character Haley James Scott, played by Bethany Joy Lenz, is one of my favorite from the show. So when I saw that she had written a memoir about her life during that time I knew that I had to read it. My heart hurts for Bethany Joy Lenz, and all that she had to endure, but I’m so thankful that she got herself out. It took so much courage and strength for her to put all of this out there, for all the world to see, but she did and the world is better for it. I hope that someone reads this book and it helps them to either leave a similar situation, or spot a situation starting and stop it from starting. I enjoyed learning about all of Bethany Joy Lenz’s other passions as well. It’s amazing to learn how she kept up with her passions even after all that she went through. This book was well written and contained a lot of details. I definitely recommend this book to everyone.

I devoured this book. I am a One Tree Hill fan, having grown up and still have a house in Wilmington, NC. I had no clue Bethany Joy Lenz was in a cult. I have read many cult books. You name the cult and I've read/researched about it. This book was written in chronological order and very easy to follow. Such a fast read. If you are wanting behind the scenes of OTH this is not the book for you. This book is solely her cult experience.

The title of the book is perfect. The cult completely sucked her dry. I won't give any spoilers, but I was shocked with what she went through, all while filming a cult tv show.

The fact that she was in this cult, she ended up coming out of it with a strong relationship with God is amazing. "While most people tend to wonder why God would allow so many bad things to happen, I wondered why God allowed so many good things to happen to me while I was involved in something so damaging."

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC.

I could not put this book down. I have always been fascinated by cults and this took a deep dive into the small intricacies that will lure you in and keep you there. A deeply personal and brave memoir that kept me on my toes, the way the cult lured her in were in many how she got lured back out.

I always feel weird rating reviews. But, since I have to leave some sort of review on NetGalley I am giving this five stars.

One Tree Hill was monumental in my college experience and was always on in the background in my dorm rooms as we were doing homework. So, I was excited to see that Bethany was coming out with a book and equally shocked to see the subtitle mention that she was in a cult. First of all, I commend Bethany for sharing her story and putting it out into the world. Although (and she mentions this in the book) she was not involved in a "popular" cult, it was still a cult that damaged her life and manipulated her. So, I think her experience will open eyes for some people who may even be in a cult and not know it.

The writing was so good and I flew through the book (in less than 24 hours). I was so impressed with the records she kept over the years of full conversations and what happened to her. I wish she spoke more to her relationships with the OTH cast and that experience, but that could be a whole different book I'm sure.

All in all I really enjoyed it!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

As someone who grew up with One Tree Hill as well as a very specific flavor of 2000s evangelism (I cackled at the Psalty reference), I found Dinner for Vampires fascinating. Joy balances sharing aching vulnerability alongside her witty personality, resulting in a memoir that is at times hard to read but also hard to put down.

As a fan of “One Tree Hill”, my favorite character was always Haley James Scott played by the author, Bethany Joy Lenz. I love celebrity biographies and I was particularly interested in this one because I realize that there are so many cults out there masquerading as “Christian” when they are truly exactly the opposite of that. As a follower of Christ myself, I found it really interesting to see how Joy got pulled into this cult. I do feel compelled to mention as I start this review that if you are looking to read about some behind the scenes stories about One Tree Hill or the cast, you aren’t going to find that with this book. I personally thought that Joy wrote enough of One Tree Hill information that stayed relevant to the story but didn’t veer off on that too much which I actually felt may have distracted from the overall message. As much as some OTH behind the scenes would have been interesting, that’s what the Drama Queens podcast is for. Also, because Joy made it clear in this book that her sole focus and group was the cult and its members, she chose to keep her costars at a distance so that’s another reason I believe there weren’t stories about One Tree Hill in this book. Despite that, I was totally hooked. One thing I remained unsure of was if the two men who started the Bible study group that Joy joined at the beginning of the book had been cult leaders. It didn’t seem like they were as I understood by the end of the book. Les definitely was when he took over. Joy did a terrific job of showing how easily she got into this trap of a cult and how slowly over time, things just got progressively worse. I really commend her so much and have a lot of respect for her to remain a Christian after all that stuff happened to her because that would not be easy to do. Also, I have so much respect for her for getting her daughter out of that place. Truly, the most satisfying part of the book was where she recognized that she was in a cult. The part about the baseball game was so disturbing and the truth about Kurt was not surprising. She had good instincts about him from the beginning, especially r when she realized something was amiss with the cough medicine. Parts of it are hard to read because as a reader, it is clear that these people are walking red flags but you cannot fault Joy for not seeing it because living it is a whole lot different than reading her hindsight on it. Thank goodness for Joy’s dad for all his research. I’m glad Joy and Rosie seem to be in a better place now and I think this book can really teach you, as she says toward the end, cults can be well disguised and easy to fall into. This is different than any celebrity biography I’ve ever read (and I sure did read a lot of them) but it is an interesting read and I would highly recommend. It flows really nicely.

Thank you to Netgalley, Simon Books and most of all, Bethany Joy Lenz, for letting me receive a copy of this book early in exchange for a review.

I devoured this book in less than 48 hours. It was my most anticipated read of the year… probably for the past year after Joy first mentioned her involvement in a cult on the Drama Queens podcast. She's said several times that she has been somewhat insecure about telling her story, as the cult she left wasn't as "viral" as others. But this story will draw you in immediately and keep surprising you at every turn, taking you on a rollercoaster of emotions including but not limited to disbelief, anger, and heartbreak.

It was a perfect storm: childhood wounds, feeling isolated away from home, and a seemingly like-minded community welcoming her with open arms. What started as an innocuous, casual bible study group soon spiraled into something much more menacing, leading to emotional, psychological and financial abuse..

In this memoir, Joy recounts her start in show business as a child, experiencing her parent's divorce, getting her big break on One Tree Hill, and stumbling into a cult that would change the trajectory of her life and career. You see the slow burn of red flags, with just enough positivity peppered in to keep someone feeling comfortable, and the grooming happening in real time to make sure a victim will always doubt their own inner voice.

As a life-long fan of One Tree Hill (currently rewatching for the millionth time) it's truly jarring to read about Joy's home life in contrast with her character's. It's like she was playing two roles at the same time, without much agency over either (maybe more agency as Haley?!). The memoir almost reads like fiction-- thanks in part to Joy's engaging storytelling but also the drama within the story itself. There were parts as I was reading where my hand literally flew to my mouth in shock.

It's a quick read, and I was appreciative that it was written chronologically and easy to follow. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but each plays a pretty significant role in the story arc.

If you're not a fan (or only a casual fan) of One Tree Hill, I think this memoir will still be interesting to read from the cult aspect, as it really paints a complete picture from start to finish of being targeted, groomed, and then finally the wake up call to leave. If you're a die-hard OTH fan like I am, you'll love the recognizable players mentioned (Hilarie, Sophia, Daphne, Paul, James...) but just to manage expectations: this isn't a One Tree Hill tell-all. You get glimpses of her time behind the scenes, but mostly as it relates to her being socially isolated by the cult, and then rebuilding relationships afterward.

One thing I do wish she talked about more though was her relationship with Haley's storyline in terms of getting married and pregnant in high school. Knowing that she had so many people in her ear about her career choices from the religious perspective, I'm curious if this influenced Haley's trajectory as a character.

Overall, I felt it was paced well. It's not very long and I never really felt it lagging, though I do feel that the ending was a little more rushed than the first two parts. It just seemed like we got a lot more of her inner thoughts during the grooming process versus the leaving process. Additionally, I think hearing more about recovery from this experience would have added a lot of value as Joy has mentioned on some talk shows that the aftermath was harder than her time in the cult.

I would have also liked to read more about how she co-parents with her ex-husband. She mentioned visitation rights in the beginning of their separation, but I imagine a lot was left out for the protection of her daughter. It would be interesting to hear how she navigates letting her have a relationship with someone who caused her so much pain.

I am so glad that she decided to share her story. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC-- I was literally jumping up and down when I was given the opportunity to read it ahead of release.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I loved One Tree Hill and was so excited when I got a copy of this. I screamed. This story is mind-blowing and I loved every minute of it.

I've been looking forward to this for a long time. I'm an avid listener of the Drama Queen podcast, as I watched the show when I was in my 20s, and I'm the same age at the Queens. It's been super interesting listening to them reflect on the show every week. I have to be honest, Joy is my least favorite Queen, but I've been super curious about her story, as she's been teasing it for a long time.

This book is super dishy and compelling. As a formerly religious person, and someone who is deeply obsessed with cults, I was all in on the religious cult aspect. The whole thing is real gross and concerning, and of course in retrospect it's obvious what was happening. I'm sad she wasted all that time, but glad she made it out the other end.

A note on the writing, and this was probably because this was an ARC, but there were multiple instances where entire paragraphs repeated themselves. Just needs a little editing.

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book*

Oof. Somehow, someway, Bethany Joy Lenz's debut memoir was one of the easiest books I've ever read and one of the hardest.

You (and I) know her as Haley James Scott from One Tree Hill, where she played Lucas's best friend, Nathan's wife, a musician, teacher, mom, and bestie. I've watched OTH many times. I'm rewatching it now with my husband. Haley was always my favorite character, the one I related to the most. To know what was going on behind the scenes of this cult TV show in her personal life is so...sad.

I often wondered while listening to the Drama Queens podcast and seeing social media posts made by on-screen besties Hilarie and Sophia why their relationship with Joy seemed so strained and distant. Like there were gaps and years missing. I now know why. Joy was in a cult for 10 years, isolated from her real family, old friends, and co-stars.

If cult culture interests you, pick up this book. The things that this man (who would, spoiler alert, become her FATHER-IN-LAW) did are abhorrent. The abuse she suffered was severe. And the thing is, a quick Google search will show that he still practices what he preaches and has multiple business ventures. Cancel this man!

My only wish with this book is that it were longer. Obviously, that would be ridiculous as it was already pretty lengthy and covering a lot of time, but sometimes I felt like things were rushed and I wasn't getting the full picture. Don't get me wrong, this was a cult. These people were crazy and manipulative and thieves. But the timelines sometimes were jarring to me (For example, we spend a LOT of time in 2005...so much so that I felt like a few of the months happened multiple times) and once she got married, we skipped three whole years! I feel like while what she was trying to say it was three years of more of the same, I wanted more. I wanted to know what was happening.

I also needed more of what lead to her breaking away. It felt like she went from fully trusting and believing in the cult to almost being so exhausted by it that she just...didn't anymore. In reality, I feel like it may have been a bit more complicated and nuanced, but for the sake of being concise, we arrived at the end quicker than we should have.

All in all, excellent book. I would've read more. I'm so sad for Joy, but happy that she found peace for herself and her daughter.