Man this book was a RIDE. Avery is a young girl living in a cult. When a fire destroys their home she escapes with her brother assuming to be the only survivors. Eventually they are found and discovered to be kids that had been kidnapped years ago. This story gets a bit dark at times so check trigger warnings but I loved watching Avery persevere throughout this book! Fantastic read.

I read this during my Waco and cult podcast days, and devoured the story. While this isn't quite real life, it was a great read with a few twist and turns to keep you on your toes. Watching the journey and the way that the main female character changes course, it was a read you won't want to put down until you are finished.

This was a fun setting and a good mystery. I think the house was a setting in and of itself and I enjoyed reading it. I would read more by this author.

I really like the cover on this one. For a debut it wasn’t bad, but it did capture me in to it like i was hoping for.

So, I just finished listening to After We Were Stolen by Brooke Beyfuss, and I must say, it's definitely one of those books that left me with mixed feelings. Let me break it down for you.

First off, I have to mention that this book is on the melancholy side. I mean, if you're looking for a light and happy read, this ain't it. It's quite dark and emotional throughout, which can be a bit overwhelming at times. The narration, oh boy, it's really intense. Sometimes, it felt like the narrator was screeching every other sentence, and it honestly got on my nerves.

Around the halfway mark, I found myself getting a tad bit fed up. I mean, I couldn't handle all the emotions being thrown at me, you know? So, I made the bold move and fast-forwarded to skip ahead to what I hoped would be a better spot. But alas, I didn't really find that "better spot" I was looking for.

Overall, After We Were Stolen is a book that definitely leaves an impact. It's intense, emotional, and full of dark undertones. However, it wasn't exactly my cup of tea.

A trope that I have always enjoyed is the story of cults and then missing children returned to their parents. In After We Were Stolen, we meet a cult known as Cloverlite. It is made up of a big family - Mum, Dad and their 12 children. Avery is one of the oldest at 17 years and the youngest Benjamin is 2-3 years old. This family has been taught that the outside world is dangerous and that there is a big event coming and have been raised to be survivalists. Avery disrespected the family and was sent to live outside in a tent, now after the newest baby died. She has been brought back inside as the family has a job for her, she is to become the new mother and procreate with an outsider to create the next generation of "The Family". Avery has always been closest to her brother Caleb and when there is a fire on the grounds, most of the family are killed. Caleb and Avery manage to escape and they eventually find their way to a police station and hospital. It turns out that the children weren't related and that most of them were kidnapped from their real families. It seems that Avery has blocked this out as she doesn't remember life before Cloverlite. For Avery, her biological family is now dead but Caleb and another sister who is alive - are welcomed back to their families. But what happens when Caleb learns the truth and Avery's memory of the fire returns? I didn't mind the ending of this book but was a bit sad that Caleb didn't embrace or want anything to do with Avery even though she was just like them and in the same boat. If you love reading books about cults, then After We Were Stolen by Brooke Beyfuss is the read for you.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Sourcebooks Landmark for the gifted e-book ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Check the triggers**

Read if you like: Cult trope, suspenseful reads, kidnapped kids

I liked this. It's not quite a thriller but has some suspenseful parts. I think it's a good debut. It had a fresh feel to me. It just felt like it was missing something. It dragged a lot at the beginning. The characters are well developed and intriguing. I recommend it.

I pretty much tore through this book and knew pretty early on that this would be a 5 star read for me. It's so well written that I'm surprised it's a debut novel!

The gist of it: two siblings escape a "survivalist" cult that lives remotely in a family compound. They aren't allowed to leave and have been taught that the outside world is dangerous. After years of abuse and training for the end of the world, a fire takes the lives of their "parents" (the cult leaders) and most of their many siblings. Once they're out and trying to acclimate to the real world, the two siblings discover that they were actually kidnapped as children.

Cults have always fascinated me. I've read and researched quite a few, and it always blows my mind. I think it's the psychology behind the how and why people get sucked in and essentially brainwashed that interests me. This story really highlights all of that: the fear instilled, the abuse, the desperation, the isolation. No doubt there were some brutal and disturbing scenes, but the author still manages to write in such an eloquent, unique way, with a very distinct voice. Incredibly well developed characters really enhance the story and bring it to life, especially because we've seen several real life cases that mirror this one. The trauma is depicted so realistically.

All in all, this book is gripping, devastating, and pretty heavy, but is WELL worth the read. This story will live in my head for a long while, and I am thrilled to see that Beyfuss has another book forthcoming... she will absolutely be an auto-read author for me.

Highly recommended and an enthusiastic 5/5!

It’s been compared to one of my all-time favorite books: #stillmissing by Chevy Stevens so I am excited to read it!!
Avery and her brother 's world is suddenly upended one night after a fire ruins their home. But it's just a home. It's actually a compound where they have been raised inside a cult. Once the compound is found by police, awful things start coming to light. . They find six bodies in the charred remains of the fire – not ten – she is determined to unravel the lies behind the fire and the people who raised her…no matter how difficult the truth is sure to be. There are either surviving members of her family she is desperate to find or they have been killed and covered up. Not only has she lost her family, but after the police uncover their secrets, she finds out her entire upbringing has been based on terrible morals.
It's a suspenseful, emotionally driven cult mystery. The author does a great job writing about characters you care about, not just "Extras" and I appreciate that!

What an emotional roller coaster. Such a strong, original debut novel.
Avery, Cole, Hannah, Sarah, Amaris, Seth, Benjy and three other children in the family with the 11th child barely breathing before the end of his life. All 10 children and their parents. Living in a place untouched by the outside world with so many horrors in their inside world but they knew no different. Their parents were strict and no nonsense. All they needed was inside their compound. No school, no church, no doctors, no friends. No trips to the movies, playing at the beach or shopping at the mall. And that was normal, their normal. They were trained to survive for when the end of the world came.
And then there was the night of the fire. The compound burned to the ground and most of the family perished with it. For Cole and Avery, that was a night that freed them. Taught to fear the outside world, their escape was low key until they were caught shop lifting. But while the escape freed them from the horrors of the compound, other shocks and horrors greeted them on the outside.
Such an addictive book; the way the words just flowed,I read it all during two sittings,
ignoring everything else. I just couldn’t stop. This book will break your heart; what was done to the children in the compound, their confusion and shock by what was on the outside and where that escape led them. Who were they before? Who are they now?
The majority of books I read now are psychological thrillers but it was a really refreshing change. Such an original, thought provoking treasure. Highly recommend it and will be waiting for this author’s next release.
Thank you to the publisher and net galley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a bit of a heavy and emotional read. I really connected to Avery and her story. The beginning was a bit slow but overall I really enjoyed it and it was well written.

An astounding story about survival the unimaginable. I couldn’t put it down! Plot twists and turns when you least expect it. Highly recommend!

I really wanted to love this book. The synopsis sounded like one I would enjoy.
Unfortunately it did not hold my interest all the way. I gave up about 40% in.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. It just wasn’t the book for me.

I was very excited to start this book. The premise was so interesting. Unfortunately the whole book just fell very flat. Not much going on here and a struggle even finish.

This book was interesting. It took me a while to get through it but once I did, I wasn’t disappointed.

The premise of this book HOOKED me, like I couldn’t wait to read this book. Also I’m from Kansas so that was an added bonus. But this book was just downright bad for me. First of all the title completely gives a spoiler away that doesn’t happen till about 50% of the way through the book. Also Avery is familiar with things in the “outside world” that claim to be from reading books in the cult. How the heck does she even know how to read? None of that is ever mentioned like the author forgot to include some details. But the main thing that got me was the lack of realism in this book. The amount of negligence was ridiculous and highly unlikely. I don’t know if that’s an oversight by the author who didn’t do enough research or she did that intentionally but I wasn’t happy about it.

Cult stories are normally a fave for me but this was terrible.

4.5 stars

*trigger warnings for child abuse, rape, kidnapping, fire, homelessness, separation from family, etc. *

One night Avery and her brother Cole escape the "Clovelite" compound, a cult hidden in the woods. What ensues is a journey of discovering their past and trying to adapt to a new world and new new normal.

I found this book to be very compelling from the start, however with the difficult subject matter I did need to take frequent breaks for my own mental health. Brooke Beyfuss's writing is stunning and truly paints a picture in every scene. This story is truly one of the human condition and psychology as well as resilience,

It is difficult to discuss the plot of this story as much of it needs to be discovered for oneself, however any trigger warnings should not be taken lightly. I removed a half a star because I felt as though some of the scenes with the social worker and Avery's separation from Cole would not have happened the way that they did. Coming into it as a former mental health professional I don't believe that any social worker would have allowed the two children to be ripped apart the way that they were without recognizing and taking action too reduce this added mental stress.

Overall, a very good read and one that has stuck with me and been extremely thought provoking.

*Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC to read review.*

DNF @ 31%

The writing is decent, but there are too many boring details about mundane activities I’m just not interested in. I can also see the writing on the wall reference the “origin” story of how both Avery and Cole came to be in the cult. My money says they were kidnapped as kids. Haven’t checked any spoilers yet, but I’m betting I’m right. I’ve read multiple versions of that story before and have no desire to do so again. I thought this would be more about living in a cult and the aftermath of that…not a Grapes of Wrath journey through the woods. Maybe it improves later, I’m just tired of forcing myself to pick this up. Just not for me right now.

***ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

🏘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.