*Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

I freaking love a cult book. But it took me awhile to really get into the story. I don't know if it was because of the slow burn gaslighty elements or just because I was more interested in the cult story than the modern storyline. But past 80%, I was in it to win it and there were some twists that I truly didn't see coming. The ending though?? WTF!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of The Ascent by Alison Buccola. This one was a ride! It pulls you in with an eerie kind of tension that slowly builds until you’re questioning everything and everyone. I wasn’t sure where things were heading, and that unpredictability really worked for me. It had a layered, almost haunting vibe that kept me flipping pages, and I love when a story can keep me in that kind of suspenseful headspace. Definitely glad I was able to get my hands on this one!

A great thriller that kept me guessing! There were quite a few times that I gasped out loud at a turn in the story! I’m a sucker for a well done cult thriller and this was exactly that.

The Ascent by Allison Buccola is about new mother Lee, who is struggling to adapt to motherhood. Unbeknownst to her husband, she grew up in a cult and when she was 12 years old, everyone disappeared except for her, including her mother and young sister. This has haunted her her whole life and now there’ is a documentary out about the disappearance. Her husband is a public defender and is pushing her to get back to work at her old job, make more friends, and basically become the person she was before she had their daughter. Lee does not trust anyone to take care of their daughter Lucy, even her husband. One day, someone shows up out of the blue that may know what happened to Lee’s family and the rest of the cult members.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I like the way that the chapters alternated between present day and 20 years prior when Lee was 12 years old leading up to when the cult disappeared and after. I especially identified with her feelings of not trusting anyone to take care of your new baby. I felt the same way when I had my son and I struggled with postpartum and giving up some control of childcare. The way the story wove in the popularity of true crime documentaries was also a nice touch. I definitely recommend reading this book. It is not what I would call fast paced, but it moves pretty quickly. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher of this book for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed quite a bit about this book. The mystery behind the disappearance of the cult, the drama of her sister returning, and the twist at the end. This book keeps you on your toes from start to finish!

4.5 rounded up

I am always one to enjoy a good thriller, though generally I would not name it as a favorite genre. I typically listen to a thriller on audiobook while I am multitasking, hearing the story in the background to keep from scaring myself too badly. But, recently this dynamic has changed and I am on a nice little thriller journey, thanks to a recent read that I can’t stop thinking about.

The Ascent by Allison Buccola is a slow-burn novel with a creative narrative that flips from the backstory of childhood to present-day adulthood. Main character Lee Burton grew up as a member of a doomsday prep cult but has worked hard to put the pain and mysteries surrounding her childhood well in her rear-view mirror. Now that she has a family of her own, what should she do when a person from her past shows up: seek answers or raise an alarm?

In my opinion, the story was so rich, well-researched, nuanced, and very thorough. We spend much of this novel not knowing whether our narrator is reliable, but this unsteady ground only added to the tension for me. I felt for Lee but also wasn’t sure where the story would lead us and that made for an utterly absorbing reading experience.

In broad strokes (no spoilers!),I found the ending to be unexpected and satisfying. Typically, I see twists coming and when I don’t it feels like the author has come out of left field to construct a convoluted scenario that leaves one baffled. In contrast, The Ascent’s wrap-up was clear, concise, and plausible (in the literary sense). A true delight to read!

This novel gives the reader quite a bit of supplemental information to bolster the story. I found that information to act as world-builder, and gobbled up the entirety of this novel as I learned about Lee’s previous and current lives. I do think, though, that there is an element of personal preference here and that potentially an argument may be made that the book is a bit over long, for those that want less frills and more to the point. It is up to us to know what kind of reader we are.

I am so pleased to be able to thank Allison Buccola and The Ascent for my loving-a-great-thriller-novel renaissance, perfectly timed for spooky season! Take it from this reliable narrator, thriller fans - go get yourself a copy!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I don't typically read thrillers, but this one was a treat. Well-written, with a plot that is gripping and really did have me guessing. There were several times I needed to read just one more chapter because I needed to see what happened next. This one would be easy to consume in a weekend.

This story is told asynchronously, with a timeline in the past when Ophelia was a child and a present day timeline. I thought this worked well, as this story is really dealing with two mysteries that begin to intersect in interesting ways. The descriptions of media, of judgment, and of mental illness/unreliable witnesses were fascinating and definitely kept the tension.

Would recommend for people interested in mysteries, thrillers, cults, two timelines. Would be interested in reading more from the author too!

Absolutely amazing book that deals with serious topics about who to trust and how our own hope can blur our perceptions. It also touches upon how difficult it is for individuals with different upbringings to fit in with others.

Thank you NetGalley and Allison Buccola for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love a story with an unreliable narrator, and I didn’t trust Lee for one moment of this book. I loved how it unfolded through flashbacks and present time. I really appreciated how the story was formatted, focusing on the trauma and the life that follows a survivor after an experience like that, rather than taking place during. I think it added a lot more depth and suspense and mystery. It was a little slow in the beginning but once the pace picked up I couldn’t put it down. This book thoroughly entertained me and left me adding Buccola’s other book to my TBR.

Another solid read about cults and religious zealots!
The book switches back and forth from present day to twenty years in the past. Twenty years ago, 12 year old Ophelia was left alone. All the others members of the cult simply disappeared. Or did they?
Present day Ophelia has a baby and a husband. One day a woman shows up at her door claiming to be a former member of the cult.
Lots of tension and tense moments in this one, although most were pretty predictable. I was definitely invested from the get go and wanted the answers to what happened to those who disappeared!

I couldn't put this down. I love a good cult book, and the events that unfolded, and the pace in which they unfolded is a masterclass in captivating writing. I was hooked from the first page until the end. The big reveal? WOW.

Very decent mystery/thriller. Writing flowed well and made for an easy read. Ending was satisfying and not a let down.

The Ascent by Allison Buccola is one of my favorite books of the year. Buccola does a great job of weaving the past and the present while also leading the reader to believe that their main character may not be reliable. This book was filled with deception and mystery. You never knew who to trust. The plot was easy to follow, fast paced, and engaging. I highly recommend this story to anyone looking for a fun, fast-paced thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Ascent.

I'm not a fan of cult-themed books but requested The Ascent, hoping it was a straightforward mystery/thriller.

It's not and that disappointed me the most.

Twenty years, Lee was a member of a cult that vanished without a trace and through the love and care of a supportive aunt, she managed to carve a new identity for herself.

Now she is a new mom to Lucy and life has only gotten more difficult; she's not sleeping well, she has no friends or allies, and her mental health is slipping.

When a strange young woman appears claiming to be her long lost sister, Lee immediately accepts her at face value. But has she made a deadly mistake at the cost of her family?

This is my first book by the author and I enjoyed her writing.

But I wasn't a fan of Lee; I didn't dislike her but I didn't like her.

I feel the author's use of popular tropes hindered the narrative; Lee is struggling as a mom, she has no friends or family to rely on for support.

For someone who grew up unconventionally, Lee has no street smarts, gut instincts and common sense.

Her mental health is suffering and her husband, a scumbag (as they all are in these books) gaslit her and prey on her vulnerable emotional state.

Eventually, Lee will realize her husband is not who she thinks he is.

I do like the ending; how Lee takes matters into her own hands which was the only time I was impressed with her.

Instead of waiting for a rescue, she took action and made things happen.

The cult is a backdrop to the real story, a domestic thriller that takes too long to get to the point.

I liked the flashbacks which provided exposition to Lee's past but the narrative lacks suspense and urgency.

The plot drags since we're in Lee's head most of the time and most of the time she's ruminating about her sister and this soon became repetitive.

I hoped the sinister and deadly elements revolved around the fate of the missing cult members and thought the suspense would derive from their disappearance.

Lee grew up in a cult. When she was 12 her family vanished and she was the only one left behind. Lee has tried to distance herself from her past but there is a documentary about the cult she grew up in gaining popularity. This is making it really difficult to hide her past.

Mostly I enjoyed this book. I thought Lee had an interesting back story. I was a little disappointed with the ending. There were a few loose threads that I wish would have Ben tied into the ending.

I really liked this one. This was a gripping psychological thriller that slowly builds tension and angst throughout. Suspenseful with a bit of unreliable memories and the lingering trauma of past choices.

The protagonist’s inner turmoil and unraveling mental state are portrayed with nuance, keeping me questioning what’s real and what’s imagined. While the plot is deliberately paced—and occasionally verges on being a bit too introspective—the resolution was intense and I wasn’t expecting it to go where it went.

Perfect for fans of moody thrillers that trade breakneck twists for slow-burn suspense and psychological depth.

Thank you to Random House publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lee Burton was born into a cult. When she was twelve, everyone in the group vanished without a trace, but Lee survived. Twenty years later, Lee has a new life with a husband and new baby. While motherhood is a struggle, her life is generally without drama. Suddenly someone from her past life shows up on her doorstep and Lee begins to question everything she has ever known about her life. She has kept her past from everyone but now it all has to come out.

This book was very twisty. I don't love an unreliable narrator (or even questioning if the narrator is reliable) which made it hard for this to be a standout read for me. Overall it's a great twisty thriller if a sleep deprived mother questioning her reality doesn't put you off.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of The Ascent.

The book starts out when 12 year old Ophelia wakes up alone in the residence. She was part of a cult, Jacob's Hill which included her mother and a younger sister. She looked through the woods for The Fifteen, but never found them. Eventually the police found her and after questioning her, turned her over to her Aunt and Lee went to live with her them, meeting two cousins for the first time.
The story alternated between 20 yrs ago and the present. While living with her cousins, Lee was very much the outsider and her cousins involved her in situations which emphasized her differences.
In the present, Lee is a new mother trying to balance this role with that of the dutiful wife to her attorney husband. A reporter has picked up on The fifteen disappearance and Lee, being the only survivor, is a part of that.
When she meets a woman claiming to be her sister, Lee carefully tries to find out what happened to the rest of the members.
This book had several plot twists, which were well developed and surprising. The characters were believable, and fully fleshed out. The tension in the book was Lee trying to maintain a safe, stable environment for her child, and uncovering the truth about her family's disappearance.
I found that the suspense kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the book.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and will definitely share it with my book clubs. There is a lot to discuss about this bool.

I didn't realize this book was a thriller. I expected to hear about the inner workings of a cult from Lee, the survivor left behind. This story was about the survivor and the ways in which she was affected by being left behind. I don't want to give anything away but I will say that the book took quite a twist. I couldn't put it down. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the complementary ARC. This review is my own opinion and not coerced in any way.

Special thanks to Random House Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC of thos book.

I love a goid "cult book". Unfortunately this book was not for me. IThe Asscent has 2 timelines with the main character Lee, once Ophelia, as the only survivor of a cult.

I really wish this book elaborated more with the cult and the aspects of that. Instead we are left with Lee, in her present timeline married to this jerk, with a baby, Than a mysterious stranger shows up on her door.

I'm sorry to say I did not like any of the characters in this book and not in a good way like "oooòoh I loved to hate so-and-so in this book", but just in the way I really did not like any characters. . I feel like this could have been a much better story. It had all the components of one, it just was a descent for me.