I’ve read quite a few books with cultish themes, and many of them tend to spiral into over-the-top territory. I appreciated that The Ascent didn’t do that. It stayed grounded, which made it feel more believable and, in some ways, refreshing.

That said, I found myself wanting more depth, especially when it came to the inner workings of the cult and Ophelia’s upbringing. There just wasn’t quite enough substance in those parts of the story. The book focused heavily on gaslighting, which was well portrayed, but I would have liked a closer look at the everyday dynamics within the group.

My biggest issue was the ending. I didn’t feel like I fully understood what happened, which left me a bit unsatisfied. However, I was glad that the central mystery—what happened to Ophelia’s family—was revisited. Without that closure, the book would have been much more frustrating.

Overall, The Ascent had a strong premise and some compelling moments, but it didn’t quite deliver the depth or clarity I was hoping for.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the eARC.

This book had so much potential, I was all in and was in full binge mode and then it just fell so flat. I did love the dual timeline and the cult. But there just was something missing.

The husband - wtf
Our FMC - wtf
The ending - wtf

This book has an intriguing premise. It is purportedly the story of a woman, Ophelia, who, at 12 years old was the only one left when a cult of people mysteriously disappeared. However, the central mystery has little to do with that. It is also rather cliché. The major plot twists are not new and exciting, but something that's been done a million times before.

The whole cult aspect seems like an underutilized element of the plot. Although it's easy to feel sympathetic towards Ophelia, much of what she experiences doesn't seem specific to having grown up in a cult and could have come from numerous sources of trauma that have previously been explored in other books. Thus, the plot doesn't feel as fresh and new as you might think it would. Much of what Ophelia experiences seems to be due to her sense of abandonment, which is a common feeling that many people experience without having to specifically have grown up in a cult to do so.

There's not a lot of romance in this book either. From the beginning, Ophelia's husband is a controlling jerk, and even though she keeps things from him, that is part of her trauma response and not an excuse for him to be so controlling. He never really tries to understand what she is dealing with and help her; he just wants her to get therapy and get over it. He is so unlikable that you never really root for the relationship.

The main conclusion of the story is extremely clichéd and not at all interesting. The conclusion to the mystery of the cult is thrown in like an afterthought in the last few pages. Although it makes sense within the story, it is not exciting either. It would be much more interesting to read about a real cult than this one. Thus, if you're in it for that, don't be surprised if you end up disappointed.

What happens after the cult disappears? In “The Ascent” (Random House, $29), Allison Buccola flips the script on typical cult thrillers by zeroing in on what comes next — the long shadow of survival.

Twenty years after being left behind by a vanished doomsday commune, Lee Burton has reinvented herself: new name, new life, new baby. But when a woman claiming to be her sister knocks on her door, the past she’s tried so hard to hide threatens to reemerge.

Lee isn’t just a traumatized cult survivor. She’s also a new mother, unraveling under the weight of sleepless nights, unspoken memories and a husband who doesn’t know the half of it. As her paranoia deepens and her sense of reality begins to fray, the novel taps into the uneasy truths of postpartum fear and the cultural tendency to dismiss women’s instincts as instability.

Told in dual timelines and steeped in dread, “The Ascent” is less about what happened to the vanished commune and more about what it costs to outlast it. The final twist is a jaw-dropper, recontextualizing everything that came before. Gripping, emotional and layered, Buccola’s novel is a standout thriller with something deeper on its mind: how the past doesn’t just haunt you, it reshapes you.

Although this book started as a slow-burn, the pace quickly picked up and I was mesmerized by the story of the lone survivor of a cult near Philadelphia. Lee Burton walked away on the day that all of her fellow cult members disappeared and started a new life for herself, but she is haunted by her past. She also has a real problem with relationships and a new infant to care for. Her entire new life is centered around her new infant, to the point that she is obsessed with her and ignores her own feelings. This book is a fast read after about the first 20% and then I couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed the dual timeline, with focuses on Lee’s past and her current situation. The characters were well-developed and engaging in that I just wanted to keep reading to find out what secrets they were keeping. I really wanted to know what happened to all of the cult members and how Lee got left behind. This is a mystery entangled in suspense and wrapped around thrills, so it is a great read with an extremely powerful story, escalating tension and sharp writing. Fans of thrillers with complex layers will enjoy this book and get lost within the pages of the book as they dive into Lee’s psyche.
Disclaimer: I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

I had a hard time putting this book down, but the ending didn’t have the payoff I hoped it would. The premise was fascinating—everyone from a cult disappears except one adolescent girl—but the ultimate *gotcha* moment seemed out of left field and too unbelievable to take seriously. I don’t require books to be mundane facsimiles of everyday life, but the motivations behind some of the most pivotal aspects of the book seemed out of character. I still enjoyed reading it and found the portrayal of anxiety in early motherhood to be poignant and relatable, but the plot twist didn’t convince me.

Do you like a book with cult vibes? The Ascent by Allison Buccola has it.

"Years ago, an entire cult known as The Fifteen disappeared. All except for one twelve-year-old girl - Lee. Many think she had something to do with the disappearance. She's moved on with her life and is now married with a new baby. A stranger appears at her door claiming she has information on her missing family. Can Lee trust her? Can she keep her stable life or will revelations about the group shatter everything?"

This is a slow-burn story. Lots of post-partum issues through the first part make the story drag but it does help setup Lee's paranoia. This is a story where you want to yell at a character for their awful decisions. Lee makes many. The cult is not really the center of this story - it's Lee. There is gaslighting, paranoia and deception throughout the book. Lee has to navigate a lot of issues after being abandoned by the cult (that included her mother and sister.) It gets better at the end and there's a surprising explanation at the end. One of those that make you go - WHAT?!?

The ending saves this one. Would not recommend for anyone that had any postpartum issues unless you're okay reliving it.

20 years ago, 15 members of the Jacob's Hill cult seemingly disappeared into thin air- the only remaining member was 11-year old Ophelia. Now, Ophelia has married, is a new mom, and has done her past to put her past behind her. But when a girl shows up at her door claiming to be her sister Mona, who disappeared with ther other members of the cult, things begin to spiral for Ophelia.

Liked: I thought the pacing was good and I enjoyed the alternating POVs and timelines. It was interesting seeing her over the years and what led her to be the way she is now.
Disliked: I thought the "twist" was too predictable and overdone. I also wish there was more closure on the cult storyline.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was very suspenseful with a lot of twists. Every time I thought I had everything figured out, I found out I was wrong. I found the main character to be very sympathetic and complex. I couldn't put this book down!

3.5 / 5 stars

"People are interested in my story, not in me."

Lee Burton is in the thick of new motherhood – sleep-deprived, overwhelmed, and showing signs of postpartum anxiety. She can’t bear to be away from her infant daughter, Lucy. Her unease intensifies with the release of the new true crime documentary The Fifteen, which revisits the nighttime disappearance of an entire commune more than twenty years ago. Only one 12-year old girl remained behind, seemingly abandoned.

That girl was Lee. A fact she’s kept hidden, even from her husband.

Then, a young woman shows up at her door, claiming to be her long-lost sister. Lee is desperate to understand her past and the night The Fifteen vanished. Will this woman unlock those secrets, or is she weaving a darker deception?

Thematically, The Ascent grapples with trauma, mental health, identity, and the aftershocks of surviving something unknowable – all rich, worthy topics. But for me, the emotional throughline didn’t fully land. Lee’s struggles with postpartum anxiety were vivid and well-drawn, but I didn’t always feel like the cult mystery and the domestic suspense threads cohered into a unified whole.

This may be due (in part or whole) to the book’s structure. The first three quarters are a very slow burn of tension and suspense, which I found engaging. I’m totally on board with a quiet, character-focused psychological thriller. However, the events in the final portion of the book arrive in an onslaught that feels at odds with the rest of the book’s tone. And all that momentum crashes into an ending that feels both rushed and a little too eager to tie up loose threads.

That said, Allison Buccola absolutely knows how to write a gripping premise. I was always curious to see where things were headed for Lee – hoping for the best but fearing for the worst. If you like your thrillers more psychological than action-packed – and you don’t mind a simmer that takes its time – this one might work for you. Just be advised that the ending feels slightly disjointed from the rest of the book.

Nothing good comes from dwelling on the past

Ophelia (Lee) Burton survived a childhood that would at best be described as traumatic. She, her mother and her sickly younger sister Mona were members. of a small doomsday cult led by a dynamic man named Christopher. One day when Lee was twelve she woke up to find that everyone else in the group, including her mother and sister, were gone. She combed their compound and the surrounding area hoping to catch up with them wherever they were headed, but they had vanished. She would end up being raised by her aunt Anne and spending a lot of time with therapists trying to come to terms with her abandonment and sense of loss. The authorities try their best to find the missing group which would become known as The Fifteen (the number of people who disappeared), but no trace of them was ever found and Lee has been unable to remember anything helpful. Despite her rocky beginning, Lee has created her own family, her loving husband Theo and their new baby girl Lucy. Motherhood is proving to be a difficult adjustment for Lee...she can't bear to be separated from Lucy, isn't getting much sleep, can't bring herself to go back to work...and Theo is losing his patience. Of course Theo doesn't know the truth about Lee's background, so can't know what a trigger a separation between mother and daughter could be. As she pushes back against all those who think she should be acting differently (particularly her condescending mother-in-law) and tries to avoid the new documentary on The Fifteen which is currently streaming and going viral, the strain is starting to show. Then the doorbell rings, and on the steps is a young woman who claims to have answers about Lee's childhood and The Fifteen. Is it possible that this young woman is her long lost sister Mona? She wants desperately to believe it is true, but is reluctant to trust the woman without verifying her claims. Lee must face her past head on at last...but doing so may have devastating consequences on her present.
A psychological thriller with a hint of true crime, The Ascent offers a flawed but sympathetic protagonist in Lee. Most parents will recognize the overwhelming terror that comes with being a parent for the first time, the doubts that one will be up to the task, the sleep deprivation of the early months, and more...and when all of those negative thoughts and emotions descend upon someone whose past has left them as emotionally vulnerable as Lee is, and its a disaster in the making. The reader can't be sure if Lee is a reliable narrator, given her past issues with mental illness, which adds to the tension of the unfolding story. There were characters who I didn't like very much, and others who could have been more fully developed, but Lee made up for that. Author Allison Buccola blends the psychology of cults, the need for love, and the challenges of parenthood into an unpredictable tale full of plot twists and turns that will keep most readers in its thrall to the end. Readers of Sarah Pekkanen, Ana Reyes and Stacy Willingham should definitely give The Ascent a try. My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me access to this twisty thriller in exchange for my honest review.

This book sucked me in and had me hanging on every word. I had no clue where it was going, I was stressed, excited, and was coming up with all sorts of theories (none of which were true). This was more than a fast paced thriller, it was an emotional journey that I’ll think about for a long time. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Welp. Let’s just say I was left wanting more.

The lead up in this book is so good, but there’s just one problem: it doesn’t seem to lead to anything. There were a couple twists that definitely caught my attention but there are so many unanswered questions that it took away from the strengths of this book.

The parallel of Lee’s, our main character’s, trauma as a prior cult member with the trauma she’s experiencing as a new mother was an intriguing story line that had me hooked from the get go. The inclusion of a present day timeline and years prior was a good way to illustrate the struggle of Lee’s mental state. She struggles with control and the emotional turmoil she feels of losing her cult family as well as the postpartum fear of something happening to her new baby, Lucy.

Gaslighting is a strong theme in this book, whether it came from Lee’s husband or the media regarding the cult. This theme reverberates throughout the timelines and causes the demise of Lee’s mental and emotional state.

There was so much potential with this book because it was well-written, however, the ending left me with more questions than answers and it just left me wanting more.

⭐️⭐️.75

The Ascent is the 2nd novel by Allison Buccola. It is a fast-paced psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. It’s about a woman named Lee, who grew up in a cult that disappeared without a trace 20 years ago, who comes upon a stranger be her long lost sister. Is she rally her sister and does she have the answers to what happened all those years ago? Her husband Theo has his doubts. Filled with suspense, paranoia, and mystery, I highly recommend this. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy.

Cults are creepy. Lee walked away (left behind) from Jacob's Hill at twelve years old. A gripping and antagonizing dual timelime thriller. Each timeline Is masterfully crafted. The past traumatic events shed light on the present situations. For me this was a well paced story withsome pretty amazing twist at the end.

Thank you to Random House for the ARC.

4 stars

💭Man! The gaslighting in this book! It made me question what was happening so many times! If you know me, you know I love cultish books, so I knew I had to request this one on Netgalley! I am SO glad I did! It exceeded my expectations! It is bingeworthy and has great twists and turns! This story focuses more on the aftermath than on life in the cult, which disappointed me a little, but didn’t affect the story at all.

Twenty years ago everyone in a cult disappears except for one 12 year old girl found wandering along the road. No one knows where everyone went, including the girl. She woke up and everyone was gone. As an adult, she gets a knock on the door who says they are a person from her past. She begins to trust the person whole heartedly, while her husband did not. It causes a rift in their marriage, but she is determined to find out what went on all those years ago.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Allison Buccola, and Random House for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

WOW I couldn’t put this down!! Everything I love in a thriller— cults, domesticity, motherhood, unreliable narrator, and twists I don’t see coming! This was my first read by Buccola but certainly won’t be my last. I found her writing so gripping, and I loved that this was fast-paced the entire read. If I had any critique, it would be simply that I wish there would have been more scenes about the cult/flashbacks for Ophelia just to get more context of that environment, but with what was included, it was good pacing to set up Ophelia’s story. I liked seeing her relationship with Lucy and how her past affected her as she started spiraling throughout. There were multiple twists that I didn’t see coming, and I was kept guessing what would happen until the last chapter. I also appreciate that Buccola wrapped up the ending without a last minute twist and had the story stand solidly on its own. Reading The Ascent has resparked my love for cult stories and well-written thrillers.

Thank you Random House for my gifted copy!

“I have experienced this before, and it is not depression. It is an untethering.”

For some people, there are two different dialogues: outside and inside. Outside and inside happen simultaneously, your brain tuning in and out. The inside dialogue growing louder with each turn of the dial, until it feels like your inner voice is screaming, drowning out the rest of the outside. There are scenes like this throughout the book where Ophelia is engaging in mundane small talk, but her mind is whirring and smoking, spiraling ever faster. It is horrifying to see in print, because it was like holding a mirror up to myself.

The Ascent masquerades as a thriller about surviving a cult, but it is so much deeper than that. It is an untethering: an unraveling of a traumatized person grappling with motherhood.

Motherhood is not easy for the best of us. But for the rest of us, it is a daily cycle of said untethering and unraveling. Unlearning and relearning. Cycle breaking. Exhausting self doubt and imposter syndrome. Primal and all-consuming love for your baby, and I’ll be damned if I didn’t see myself in Ophelia a hundred times over.

This book was powerful. It was shocking. It was relatable, horrifying, humbling and uplifting. It was raw; written so truly and beautifully. I am floored by this book. I immediately want to read the author’s first book. Like, now.

Go into this understanding that it will be heavy. But it is worth it if it may shed a little bit of “you’re not alone-ness” on you.

Definitely a different book than I’m use to but it was very interesting. I’m not sure exactly how I feel about this book but I would say read it and give it a chance!

This was a very gripping thriller. It's about a woman named Lee who was in a cult called Jacob's Hill as a kid. One day, the cult members simply disappear without a trace. Twelve-year-old Lee is left behind. Years later, and a mother herself, Lee has to finally face her traumatic upbringing when a stranger arrives and says they know why the cult disappeared. Can Lee trust this woman, or herself?

The writing was very suspenseful and I was sucked into Lee's world in both the past and present. It was very tense at times and had me furiously flipping pages. The characters are well thought out, the plot twists were surprising, and the ending was very satisfying indeed. But this is more than just another thriller, it's about a survivor and the mind games that were played on her. I like how the author shows how Lee's past shaped her present. I found the dynamics of the cult and the aftermath on Lee's life both fascinating and chilling. Highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys character-driven stories that are very suspenseful.