I really enjoyed reading Catch Her When She Falls.
So I was super excited to start a new novel by Allison Buccola which did not disappoint.
So enthralling and intriguing that I devoured the book in matter of 6 hours, I didn't want to put it down.
I had so much fun reading this book!

Thank you again Publisher, NG and Author for this amazing story!

3.5 stars. A cult, alternating timelines, domestic suspense-all the makings of a great book! Personally I was not on board with all of the twists and felt like the ending wasn’t developed enough. It definitely left me wishing there was more. It kept my attention and had a strong sense of place (Philadelphia) so I had a good reading experience. I recommend for a good summer suspense!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I was absolutely blown away by this book. To be fair, I’m a sucker for anything cult-related, but The Ascent had me STRESSING OUT. The tension, the deceit, the shifting truths... it was all so well done that I could barely put it down.

This is a slow burn psychological thriller with an atmosphere thick enough to choke on, and I mean that as a compliment. The story follows Lee Burton, a woman who survived a cult and is now a new mother, quietly trying to outrun her past. When someone from that buried life shows up on her doorstep, everything she's built begins to unravel. Allison Buccola creates an incredible sense of unease as Lee becomes entangled in a mystery that had me questioning everything, especially Lee herself.

And let’s talk about that unreliable narrator magic. Buccola nails it. I was fully convinced Ophelia was on to something, then just as convinced she was spiraling, and then somehow back again. It’s the kind of mental whiplash I crave in thrillers.

The only reason this wasn’t a full 5-star read for me is the ending. While satisfying and not confusing to me (maybe thank my true crime obsession), it did require a little suspension of disbelief. Given some of the choices Ophelia made, (view spoiler) It wrapped up almost too neatly, which felt slightly at odds with the rest of the book's tight, unsettling tension.

Still, this is a stellar read and one I’d recommend to fans of cult aftermath stories, unreliable narrators, slow-burning psychological tension, and twisty dramas that don’t rely on constant action but still leave your jaw on the floor.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Allison Buccola. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Twenty years ago, the members of a cult outside Philadelphia disappeared without a trace - except for one 12-year-old girl found wandering alone looking for her family. Since then, Lee has been trying to move forward with a new identity, a new husband who doesn't know her full story, and a baby girl. But her past comes out in other ways, because Lee is terrified of letting baby Lucy out of her sight, and it's ruining her marriage. Then a stranger shows up on her doorstep who may have the answers Lee is looking for.

I could not put this book down and thought it was fabulous. Told in dual timelines, both tense and filled with secrets that had me flipping the pages as fast as I could. I liked that there wasn't too much attention paid to the cult itself, but focused more on the trauma afterwards that is carried forward. It also delves deeply into motherhood and identify, and the challenges of those even without extra baggage. I did love the storyline of Anna, Lee's aunt, who took her into her family. This was the perfect blend of suspense and character drama, and I highly recommend it!

I went into this book with zero expectations and it was such a treat. The writing was incredible, I was sucked into the suspense of the story from page one and I was fully engaged until the end. Parts of the book were predictable, but it did not ruin any aspect of the story for me. I found myself struggling to trust any of the characters, making for an "on the edge of the seat" kind of thrilling read. The characters were well developed and the plot was great. Another book taking place in Philadelphia, which is always a win for me. Lee spent the first 12 years of her life living in a cult, until one morning she woke up and everyone was missing. Fast forward 20 years, she is married, a mom to a 7 month old and dealing with some undiagnosed postpartum anxiety. When a woman shows up at her door, claiming to be someone from her past, but also threatening the quiet life she has built. This book takes you on unexpected twists and turns and will keep you up at night turning the pages. If you are looking for a fun thriller, I suggest this one (and I am a tough critic of thrillers!)
Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

3.5 stars, rounded up
Really intriguing book overall. Wasn't a huge fan of the main character, but the book kept my interest wanting to know what happened to the people who disappeared.

Twenty years ago, Lee was twelve years old and lived with her mother and sister Mona in a "living community" (aka cult). One day, Lee (known then as Ophelia) woke up and everyone was gone. She searched and could not find them. Now, she is married with a seven month old baby, and has put that part of her life to the side--even her husband doesn't know about her past. But then, a woman claiming to be Mona shows up and Lee desperately wants to know what happened all of those years ago and why she was left behind.

This story is told with multiple flashbacks to Lee's time with the cult and also to the aftermath of the disappearances. I was captivated by the story in the past and was completely invested in knowing what had happened. I liked that Lee's perspective was skewed by her age. It gave the story a more mysterious quality and her reactions and the reactions of those around her really enhanced the plot.

What didn't work as well for me was Lee's intense naivete as an adult, as well as the poor choices she made. She was too attached to her child to even take a shower while her husband watched the baby, yet then a short time later she freely leaves the child with her supposed sister, who she knew nothing about. She didn't push for more information when I feel like most people would have in her situation. Granted, she had a lot of unresolved trauma and likely postpartum depression, but the descriptions of her pre-baby life didn't mesh with the Lee we see in the book.

If you can set that aside, this is an intriguing and surprising novel. I appreciated how the author brought all of the elements together in a cohesive, believable way at the end. There are some jaw dropping twists that I absolutely did not see coming. I know that's a cliché, but I like to be surprised and this one definitely did that!

The uniqueness of the plot helped me to push past my dislike of Lee and her actions. If you're looking for a twisty thriller, this is an excellent choice.

The main character of this novel Lee, grew up in a small cult/commune called Jacob’s Hill. When she was 12 years old, she woke up one morning to find that everyone else had vanished, and no one has ever found out what happened to them. 20 years later, she is married with a baby, but had never told her husband about her past, even though it might help explain why she is so fearful to ever leave their baby daughter. And then a new streaming documentary about Jacob’s Hill starts airing. Interspersed with the present day chapters are flashbacks not to Lee’s time at Jacob’s Hill but to her life afterwards. Lots more happens, but you’ll have to read the book to find out what, as that’s part of the fun of this slow burn suspense/thriller.

And wow, this was a good one, I seriously could not put it down! There’s always something fascinating to me about books about cults, but it was also super interesting how that was less the focus of the book than how the abrupt end to her mostly pleasant life there affected her. Also loved how this book flirted with the question of how reliable a narrator Lee was, while still keeping her a sympathetic character. I really enjoyed Allison Buccola’s first book, but this one was even better - best thriller I’ve read in a while.

"What would you do if the past showed up on your doorstep?"

The Ascent by Allison Buccola is a slow burn but gripping psychological thriller that explores motherhood, identity, and trauma with an intriguing cult backstory.

When Lee (Ophelia) Burton was younger, she was the only person left behind when a cult like group of people, including her mom and sister, disappeared. Now twenty years later, Lee is a new mom who has tried to reinvent herself. When one day a woman shows up on her doorstep, Lee instantly recognizes her as Mona, her sister who disappeared when she was six. But along with Mona's unexpected arrival comes a flood of memories Lee has tried to bury.

This is definitely a slow burn type of novel but trust me when I say that it's worth the wait! The Ascent is not only a cult thriller, but a sharp look at what we will tell ourselves just to survive. As a new mom Lee is already on system overload. Add in the torrent of memories and paranoia that creeps around the edges, and you have this emotionally layered standout! If you are just looking for non-stop creepy cult action, this might not be for you. But if you want to dive into the complexities of the aftermath of living under control then I highly recommend you give it a shot!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Allison Buccola, and Random House for this ARC!! Publication date was May 20th 2025.

I wanted to love The Ascent. The synopsis is incredible - the only surviving member from a cult who went missing twenty years ago is finally offered some answers when a stranger appears at her doorstep.

Unfortunately, I just don’t think this one was for me. It was a very slow burn and I just never connected with the main character. I didn’t realize how much of the story would be focused on Lee’s day to day life as a mother and as a wife. I genuinely feel like if 30% of that had been cut out, the story would have been that much better and wouldn’t have dragged along as much as it did. My favorite parts of the story were the flashbacks to Lee’s childhood and her time in the commune, but these were few and far between and really didn’t add much to the story in the grand scheme of things.

I will say, as of the time of this posting, I’m one of only 4 2-star reviews on Goodreads so this one was definitely just not for me and it shouldn’t be a knock on the book.

2.5 ⭐️, rounded down

Thank you to Random House, Allison Buccola and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book hooked me from the start and happily kept my attention throughout. Ophelia spent her childhood in a cult...and of course all went wrong, and now she is attempting a normal life as a wife and mother. But her past's secrets refuse to leave her alone and she can't escape them no matter how hard she tries. I was invested in trying to figure out what bombshells might be dropped, but I definitely didn't see them coming! And that ending?? I'm still trying to sort it out in my mind.
This is a perfect read for those who want to try a little something different...but of course if you're already into domestic and psychological thrillers. So glad I picked this one up!
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC. All opinions are mine.

The Ascent by Allison Buccola
📖 Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book hooked me completely. The Ascent is a psychological thriller that explores identity, motherhood, trauma, and the lies we tell ourselves to survive—and I could not put it down.

Lee Burton has spent years trying to outrun a past she’s kept hidden from everyone, including her husband. She was the child found alone after an entire commune mysteriously vanished without a trace. Now, as a new mother struggling with postpartum anxiety and paranoia, that past comes knocking in the form of a stranger who claims to have answers about what really happened all those years ago.

This story is so well-written. The tension simmers from page one and doesn’t let up. I was completely absorbed by Lee’s inner world—her fear, her confusion, and the way her past collides with her present. Buccola masterfully balances mystery with emotional depth, making this much more than just a twisty thriller (though yes—the twists do deliver!).

It’s dark, it’s unsettling, and it raises smart, timely questions about trust, memory, and the roles we play in our own stories. I loved how the narrative kept shifting just when I thought I had things figured out. The ending? Perfectly executed.

If you love slow-burn thrillers with cult backstories, unreliable narrators, and a focus on motherhood and identity—The Ascent needs to be on your radar.

As a child, Leah becomes the only know surviving of a cult. As an adult, she still struggles with understanding what happened to her family. So, when a woman shows up claiming to be her long lost sister, Leah wants so badly for it to be true.

This is my first read by this author. I’m so intrigued by cults. There are some references to Jonestown. But I love a cult theme. I appreciated the small cast of characters, and a twist I didn’t see coming. Definitely give this one a read if you are into all things culty like me!

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.