This was my first novel by this author. What an engaging story! Grateful for the opportunity to read it.

At first glance, this book unfolds at a somewhat leisurely pace; however, it soon ensnares the reader's attention in a way that makes it nearly impossible to put down. It masterfully weaves together a rich tapestry of themes, including the enigmatic world of a cult, the complexities of mental health issues arising from trauma, intricate family dynamics, and an underlying suspense that compels you to turn the pages in anticipation of what lies ahead. By the time I reached the final chapters, I found myself deeply resonating with the central character, Ophelia, feeling as though I were inhabiting her very being as she grappled with her quest for sanity. The prose is exceptionally crafted, making this book a standout read that I highly recommend to anyone seeking a compelling narrative.

3.5⭐️

I think this book had a lot of potential but the execution needed some work. The majority of the book was incredibly slow and I think a lot of the word count could’ve been cut down and still maintained the character building the author was going for. It’s a slow-burn thriller, but it wasn’t particularly thrilling. The big reveal at the very end was disappointing, and I didn’t find the writing to be anything special. Overall, I think there are better books about cults out there.

Oh. My. Gosh.

This is so hard to write a review for because I had about 1,000 ways I thought this book was going before we got to the end. For some reason I went in thinking it was one thing, but by the end, it was another thing completely. I'm always fascinated by "cult" stories, and this one left me questioning my own reality. If you're looking for a thriller that completely flips everything you know upside down, this one is for you. I started reading it for a few days a chapter at a time, then once I hit a certain point, I literally stayed up until 4am. Read it, you're welcome!!!

Allison Buccola is back with another twisty thought-provoking thriller! I loved her debut Catch Her When She Falls and was happy to see she had a new book coming out. The Ascent is about a woman who is struggling after becoming a mother. Her situation is unique, she was part of a cult as a child. Everyone vanished and left her behind.

Lee has made a life for herself and put all the trauma behind her. Her husband knows nothing about her past. Then she had their daughter and worries about her safety and well-being all the time. She's barely keeping it together but trying her best.

A person claiming to be someone from her past shows up and gives Lee hope. Her husband is obviously skeptical but Lee has to believe them. She thinks now she'll get answers, find out where everyone went and where they are now. But things aren't that simple and only lead to more questions.

Eventually Lee has to figure out for sure who this person is and her life starts to unravel. The one thing she wants to avoid more than anything is to lose her daughter. But that's a very real possibility as her husband loses patience and she seems to be losing her tenuous grip on reality.

All of this made for a nail biting experience! Lee is unreliable but you just know her paranoia is justified. The plot unfolds perfectly with a twist you will not see coming. I was riveted and highly recommend The Ascent.

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.

Loved everything about this - the setting, the topics, how much this had me questioning my own understanding of what I'd already read. It started just a little bit slow but then really picked up!

This was quite a fascinating book that kept me guessing to the end. In the end it turned out to be more of a domestic thriller than a cult-mystery story, which may be disappointing to some readers. But I think it will be read widely and received well, and I'll be recommending it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read a digital ARC in advance of publication.

I loved this book so much I can't remember if I've already reviewed it, but there isn't enough praise for a book you read until the wee hours of the morning. This may be my new favorite genre...suspense, thriller, mystery, cults! We really care and feel for the main character who has lost her family as a child and now struggles to move ahead as an adult with her own new growing family. The writing is fast paced yet still has time to give a sense of place in their home and the neighborhood they live in. We will definitely be hand selling this at our store!

the ascent was such a wild ride. the premise immediately hooked me—a woman with a cult-survivor past trying to keep her life together as secrets start unraveling? yes, please. i loved the psychological tension and how the story balanced suspense with deeper themes of identity and motherhood. some parts felt a little slow, but the twists more than made up for it. overall, a solid, nerve-wracking thriller i’d totally recommend.

Gaslighting is no joke folks. This book really threw me for a loop. Cult behavior and psychology is so interesting to read about, and part of me really feels like Buccola did a really great job of immersing me into the mindset of this woman, Lee (short for Ophelia), and fleshing her out into a really really uninteresting unreliable narrator, who aside from her backstory would just be another woman.

We see Lee as a new mother who is going through some severe postpartum anxiety and depression, no family aside from her husband and mother in law, definitely no friends to speak of. All this context only to say that she has been hiding her past life as an abandoned black sheep… from everyone including her husband. Her trauma as a 12 year old where everyone packed up and left in the dead of night, leaving her young, confused and horribly, horrifically, alone.

This book started off really slow, but by the 25-30% marks you could really start to understand the story and the weight and implications behind every situation, and you start to doubt yourself too… “did this really happen? I know Ophelia is an unreliable narrator but this just doesn’t make sense”. The twists and turns that this book took didn’t have me prepared for any of it, partly why it was sooo easy to binge. I believe that while Lee definitely struggled with her mental health, but it ended up not being all the problems everyone chalked out to be.

I found the ending of this story to be satisfying, especially considering the trials and tribulations that Lee had gone through, it felt like I was watching a true crime doc and reached the final stretch where they go over “where they are today”. Do I have the answers to everything? …no. Does it really affect the outcome of the story? No, and I liked that this book recognizes that there are not always clearly defined answers to all of life’s questions, but the answers that we do have can still be just as gratifying.

4.5/5

This had a slow burn. I enjoy books about cults, so it was still thrilling enough that I enjoyed reading this book. Allison Buccola took a unique approach to creating Ophelia and the plot of this book, which is refreshing. The twist at the ending was good, but I felt disappointed about her family history because it was already something you figured out all along, and it left me with so many unanswered questions. Although if you read this, you won't be disappointed by the thrill factor engraved in this story. 
Thanks to the publisher, author, and Netgelly for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick and engaging read with a nice twist. Ii found it to able to maintain its status as an independent novel rather than falling too far into the conventional cult survivor trope.

ARC Review - From the beginning, this book sucked me right in. So much mystery about what happened to the 15 at Jacob’s Hill. It was hard to put this book down! I usually don’t like books that jump around in the timelines but this one was put together well. Each jump back revealed just enough. I liked how the author wrote the book, like how conversations were happening around Lee and at the same time her own inner thoughts swirling, paranoia and mania progressing. It was easy for me to imagine her. After learning about everything she went through I’m not surprised. The twist at the end I did not see that coming at all. 😮 I would definitely read another book by Allison Buccola.

I received this book from NetGalley as an ARC. It’s not my usual genre, but I still enjoyed it. It’s definitely more of a thriller than horror.

A woman who recently had a baby is experiencing post partum depression and anxiety. As a child, she was left behind when the cult she was raised in disappeared overnight. There was always suspicion that she had something to do with the disappearances, but she insists she woke up and everyone was gone.

She meets a woman while out and about with her daughter, who claims to be her long lost sister. As the sister becomes more and more enmeshed in her life, she begins to wonder if this woman is actually her sister or a grifter.

I enjoyed this book. While it’s not something I’d normally pick up, it was interesting, unique and kept me on the edge of my seat. While the story was thrilling enough without the addition of the cult’s mysterious disappearance, it aided in making the main character a robust person. I find cults and the people who join them fascinating.

The Ascent will be released May 20, 2025. I recommend you pick it up.

Buccola’s sophomore novel knocks it out of the park. It deftly explores the challenges of motherhood, complex trauma, abandonment, trust, and what it means to be family.

It also begs the question: what happens when true crime entertainment reopens wounds for victims?

The characters are complex and every single one feels untrustworthy which left me with a feeling of unease throughout.

I loved everything about this book: from the cover to the twists and reveals. I devoured it one sitting, completely hypnotized. This will be one of my favorites of the year.

This was interesting and easy to binge. The twists were very unexpected and kept me hooked. I felt like Lee and Theo didn’t have the best relationship and it made me wonder how well they really knew each other, which took me out of some of the story, but I still really liked it. Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, so I’ll round up.

It was a very promisng book, but the more you read, the more unanswered questions there were. The logic behind the disapperance and then reapperance of certain people just didnt answer the bigger question of what happened.

I have an obsession when it comes to reading about cults and who doesn’t love true crime so this book spot both spots for me!
Reading about Ophelia and how she was just a broken girl and taken advantage of, left me emotional the whole book. It’s disgusting how some people will treat others or break them down in general.
However, the twist at the end of this book, left me wanting it to not be true. I felt she deserved her happy ever after and much more.
But thank you NetGalley for the ARC, I highly recommend this book!

I think that so many of us have such a fascination with cults, so there is always going to be room for another book about a cult. In this case we have a cult survivor trying to live her life after the trauma of losing the cult. The relationship she has with her husband and mother-in-law felt a little awkward as did the appearance of her sister. It begs the reader to believe things that seem preposterous. I wondered how one earth Buccola was going to wrap it up, but that might be the best part of the book. A very satisfying ending. I'd read another book by this author, so that says something right there.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It certainly held my attention until the end. 3.5 stars really....

This novel was described as an “irresistible” and “nerve-rattling thriller.” While the premise of being raised and then abandoned by a cult was intriguing, I did not find the writing style lived up to the hype. I did feel the twist at the end was unexpected and partially redeemed the storyline’s slow pacing, uninspired characters, and abrupt ending, which left several unanswered questions. Would I recommend the book? Doubtful. It was dark and not very entertaining..

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.