Publication Date: May 20, 2025

Lee is a new mom to Lucy, and is striving to be the best mom she can to this little girl. Lee has not had the easiest life, growing up in a cult and being abandoned by all the members as a young girl when they all suddenly went missing. But she’s determined to make the best of her new life, even if that means hiding it from those she loves the most. But when someone from her past finds her, she is torn between protecting what she has now, and discovering what really happened on that long ago night.

PROS and CONS:
For me, a pervasive sense of dread followed me through this entire book. It is truly a psychological thriller. Maybe I am as paranoid as Lee, but I couldn’t stop worrying about baby Lucy! I was like, don’t let that child out of your sight! Lee, although at times frustrating, is an endearing character who has suffered greatly and just wants a normal life for herself and her new family. But what is normal really? I found the middle to be a teensy bit slow, but overall, I enjoyed it very, very much.

READ IT?
If you are fascinated by cults and enjoy potentially unreliable narrators - then this one’s for you!

4 Stars

Twenty years ago, twelve-year-old Ophelia woke up to find herself utterly alone, left behind by her entire community.

Now, she goes by Lee. She’s a new mother, married to a rising Philadelphia district attorney, and trying to hold it all together in a modest row house. Her baby is colicky and demanding. Her marriage, already strained by threats from a victim in one of her husband’s cases, is teetering. And her husband has no idea about her past. As far as he knows, Lee is estranged from her mother and sister, and has a couple of cousins she rarely sees.

Then one day, a woman shows up on her doorstep, claiming to be her long-lost sister, Mona. Lee is stunned. She’s torn between fear—of her husband uncovering the truth—and overwhelming hope that maybe, just maybe, she has a piece of her family back.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: I love stories about cults. The psychology of surrendering logic and identity to a so-called savior is endlessly fascinating—and terrifying. Just look at Jonestown, the Branch Davidians, Heaven’s Gate. We know how those stories end.

But what really sets this novel apart is its focus on what comes next.

This isn’t about the cult itself—it’s about the aftermath. The survivors. The ones who didn’t ascend. It’s about trauma, identity, and how you try to build a life on a foundation of secrets. Like Jessica Knoll did in Bright Young Women, Allison Buccola digs deep into that emotional terrain—and delivers something gripping, thoughtful, and unforgettable.

Twists? Oh, yes. Several. And the final one? Absolutely chef’s kiss.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the chance to read and review this stunner of a book.

A slow start, but once it got going, it was tough to put down. I enjoyed how the story jumped between present day and 20 years ago. I found the whole cult mentality and the speculation of what happened to them so interesting. I also never knew who to trust or what to believe, due to the main character’s history of delusion. Lots of other twists and turns that I didn’t see coming- love a book that keeps me guessing! I didn’t love the ending- I still had lots of questions unanswered, but overall a good read!

Received an ARC via NetGalley.

I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of the book and the very end. It was unsettling bc you kind of feel like you know where it’s going and know it’s probably nowhere good but you’re not totally sure. The narrator’s postpartum.. depression? anxiety?.. adds to the tension. It’s easy to root for her, even when you feel like she’s not thinking clearly. You want her to snap out of it.

Towards the end, maybe not 3/4, maybe closer to the 4/5.. things happen very quickly and unexpectedly. The present day part.. without saying too much it kind of comes out of nowhere. There weren’t signs and it’s all very sudden. So it lost me a little bit. But I liked the resolution of the story. So as a whole I really enjoyed it.

I was so invested and one of the twists did shock me. I wish it ended differently but still a solid book

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Review:
Sometimes the past doesn't knock—it kicks the door in. "The Ascent" by Allison Buccola is a psychologically rich thriller that explores the lingering trauma of cult survival, the slippery nature of truth, and the quiet terror of motherhood.

Twenty years after walking away from a vanished cult as a child, Lee Burton has built a seemingly perfect life: loving husband, new baby, new identity. But the illusion of safety fractures when a stranger arrives, claiming to hold the key to Lee’s buried past. As paranoia builds and motherhood isolates her further, Lee must confront whether her instincts are a sign of unraveling or a sign she can't ignore.

This story echoes real-life cults such as Jonestown and Waco, but instead of focusing solely on the cult itself, Buccola centers on the after. The weight survivors and their families carry. The way Lee is "othered" immediately upon transitioning from cult-life to pedestrian life highlights the way society often portrays uniqueness and differing life experiences as negative. We're told "different is bad," refusing to face how similar we actually all are. Buccola hits this nail on the head, authentically portraying the tactics used against the "othered" individual. Additionally, Buccola’s novel smartly examines how society often gaslights new mothers, brushing off their intuition as hormonal fog. Lee’s fears are amplified by a culture that tells women to question themselves. Ignore your gut. I see this ringing true for the women in my life.

While I found myself craving more exploration of the cult's inner workings, the narrative’s focus on how trauma ripples outward felt both intentional and resonant. Buccola deftly weaves together multiple storylines—past and present, real and remembered—into a layered, believable world of trauma and survival. And through it all, she delivers moments of quiet grace: the small, unexpected lifelines that often save us before we even recognize them as such. The novel also pokes at how privilege can both shield and blind—opening doors for some while leaving others out in the cold, disbelieved and dismissed.

A mysterious and fracturing thriller, "The Ascent" reminds us that sometimes what we’re searching for was within us all along.

Thank you to Allison Buccola, Random House, & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my authentic review.

I received a copy of the book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this. I love a good book about a cult where the focus isn't on the leader, but rather the people that are left behind. I could have done with a few less chapters rehashing how difficult motherhood is, because each time there was nothing new to say. The last 25% of this book bumped it up a star. The ending was so strong.

Buccola also does a fantastic job of writing emotion and characters that are believable. There are thriller books out there where the characters decisions make me roll my eyes, however, even though I wouldn't make the same choices, her decisions make sense given her background. I definitely recommend this one.

In The Ascent, Lee Burton, a woman who escaped a cult as a child, is confronted by a stranger claiming to have answers about her mysterious past. As she grapples with the unsettling revelations, Lee must decide whether to trust the woman and risk shattering the life she's built, or continue living in ignorance of the truth. A gripping thriller about motherhood, identity, and confronting buried secrets.

Lee grew up in a commune, a “cult”, and one day when she was 12-years old, she woke up and everyone else was gone, including her mother and younger sister. Twenty years later, Lee is married and they have a newborn daughter, Lucy. Her husband. Theo, doesn’t know about Lee’s background/childhood. And one day, someone shows up claiming to be Lee’s sister, Mona.

I really liked most of this but there was a twist near the end that I just don’t see how she could have figured out. I thought it was an unbelievable leap by an unreliable narrator. Other than that, I still really liked it. It kep me reading, wondering what had happened to Lee’s family.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a000 times, I love a good cult-themed story, and I love a good unreliable narrator. This book combines both with such ease that I couldn’t stop reading. I was immediately hooked and I just absolutely tore through this book.

Twenty years ago, Ophelia was only 12 years old when she became infamous as “the girl left behind” when 15 other members of the cult she was a member of disappeared, seemingly into thin air. She moved in with an aunt and worked hard to rebuild her life. In the present day, she’s married and has a young daughter, and no one knows about her past. Suddenly, an expected visitor appears at her door, dredging up everything she had hoped to keep hidden. Not only does this put a strain on her already fragile marriage, but it sends her into a tailspin that threatens her already unsteady anxiety.

This book is told along two timelines: in the past, as Ophelia recounts important events in her life, including when she wakes up and finds everyone has left her; and then in the present as she deals with what is happening now.

This book is filled with tension and suspense from the very beginning. Not only is there the central mystery of what actually happened to the cult members, which of course we want to try to figure out, but then there’s the question of this new person who walks into Ophelia’s life. I don’t want to give too much away because it’s better if you go in without knowing too much, but as Ophelia begins to examine her past again, we are left, questioning their authenticity and Ophelia’s objectivity.

It’s a very complicated situation that the author does a really good job of breaking down and making sense of so that it’s easy to follow.

I don’t want to say too much more because there’s just so many layers to this book that are a complete throw a ride to discover on your own. I was seriously gasping at some of the twists as they unfolded.

I also liked that the author addressed the anxiety and the self doubts that Ophelia faced throughout her life. Being so young when she had to deal with so much, it’s no wonder that she need help to sort through the variety of emotions she was feeling wondering why she was the one “left behind” when all the other people at Jacob’s Hill were deemed worthy enough to “go.” That’s something heavy that she carried with her throughout her life and it was very interesting to see how she felt. She had to carry it by herself at times. I think the author did a good job of dealing with those issues and her need to get help and get therapy to deal with that.

Overall, this book was an amazing story that kept me turning pages late into the night. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a good mystery/thriller.

This one will not disappoint!

Well this book literally kept me up at night! Wow! I was expecting a typical cult book, but this was so much more than that! Lee is such a complex character and I was rooting for her throughout this book, as she tries to juggle motherhood and the dark secrets of her past together. I had an idea of the ending, but I still stayed up past my bedtime to be surprised a few times as well. Thanks to #NetGalley for #TheAscent!

The writing was solid, but the pace was too slow for the genre. I did appreciate the fact that it is a character-driven novel. But there really isn't much action until the latter half of the story. Otherwise, it seems like a mom's ordinary day-to-day life. It wasn't creepy, which was something I was expecting based on the premise. Overall, this book is slow burn, and it never picked up the pace enough for me to consider giving it a higher rating.

This fantastic book was not at all what I was expecting and I’m not mad about it. It’s a dual timeline, anxiety inducing (in the best way) thrill ride from start to finish. I highly recommend to all fans of mystery, thriller and suspense.

Great, twisty thriller where the main character wants something so bad, she will believe anything, and everyone. Lee and her husband are at odds when her long lost sister finds her. They agree, disagree and are both hiding pieces of their true feelings. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

I read this book with so much dread, It's anxiety-producing in the best way, but gosh was a braced for terrible things to happen.

The story revolves around Lee, who was the lone survivor of a doomsday cult when she was 12 years old, who is now married and a new mom. Her husband is unaware of her past when a woman claiming to be Lee's sister appears.

While there are some flashbacks, the book doesn't spend a lot of time on Lee's time in the cult. And while I love cults tales, I think this was the right choice for this story. Instead we sit with Lee's fierce protectiveness of her daughter and her fragile relationship with her husband. The reader doesn't really know who to trust which makes for the ultimate outcome of the book to be quite a whopper. I won't go into details but I certainly did not see it coming.

Highly recommend.

[Snack-Size Review] The Ascent, by Allison Buccola

Quick Bite: Hey gut, sorry about that massive punch :(

(*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*)

What It’s About: When Ophelia was twelve years old, she, her mother & her sister were part of a small doomsday cult. That is, until the morning Ophelia woke up and all of the others were gone. Today, she’s married to a successful defense attorney and has a new baby girl and a whoooooole lot of abandonment issues. It’s a mostly good life, until a woman shows up outside her house, claiming to know what happened to the fifteen who disappeared.

A Word From The Nerd: This book, y’all. This freakin book. First off, I devoured it in just a few hours, and at no time did I have any idea where it was going to go. But more than all those delicious twists, Ms. Buccola has tapped into that double-edged sword of new motherhood, the love and terror that are our constant companions. Ophelia broke my heart, even when I wanted to shake her. Just read it..

The Nerd’s Rating: FIVE HAPPY NEURONS (and some ricotta on toast.)

4.5 stars. Really enjoyed this one and thought it was well-written. I was expecting a slightly bigger reveal at the ending but all in all thought it was really well done.

I have to be honest - I read this book and finished it a few days ago and somehow already forgot everything about it. I think that says everything there is to say about the book, no matter how much I liked it as I was reading. A lot of potential with an interesting and unique story but it simply fell flat.

This is the trifecta of a cult mystery, domestic suspense and unreliable main character psychological thriller. It's all balanced very nicely. Lee is the product of a cult and is abandoned by the cult as a child in a shroud of mystery. The story alternates between Lee as a new mom and experiencing what appears to be some sort of postpartum depression and anxiety seemingly stemming from her own abandonment issues. During this time a documentary on her time in the cult is released unburying the past.

I easily got the hang of the dual timelines and as you get into the heart of the book you realize there are about 3 plausible outcomes, I was very satisfied with the final direction they author took with the ending.

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 she is.

I do like the ending; how Lee takes things 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 theme 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 was hoping a more sinister and mysterious atmosphere was built around the fate of the missing cult members and the suspense was related to them.