Wow, apparently even some present-day townsfolk in this Mormon Utah valley are going to be rocked by allegations uncovered in this book. This was a riveting, albeit difficult, story to read. The sexual abuse that was known about and overlooked, ignored, downplayed and allowed to continue is staggering. The fact that it was perpetrated by seemingly upstanding Mormon temple-goers, law enforcement and others is even more difficult to grasp. The well-documented, long-lasting, horrific effects of abuse on survivors is on full display here. The life of Valarie Miller and all that happened to her and her family is almost surreal if it hadn't been fully witnessed by many. I can't speak to the teachings of the Mormon church, but thankfully today more procedures are in place to help stop these cases before they escalate to this proportion.
I found the narration to be adequate for the telling of a serious case. The writing is sometimes textbook-like in its repeating of facts, but I guess there is no softening of these accounts in literary prose.
There will be a swift reckoning for these monsters on Judgment Day.
Thanks to NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group Press for this ARC. All opinions are mine.

The sexual exploitation and abuse of the young Mormon girl, Valerie, is a shocking and heartbreaking tale. I enjoyed experiencing this story as an audiobook, which effectively highlights the systemic failures within this tightly knit community. The book illustrates how religion can be detrimental to victims, as it indoctrinates them about morality, making them ideal targets for exploitation. At the same time, it reveals how religious structures can protect and empower the perpetrators. This story deserves 5 stars alone.
However, the book suffers from a lack of structure. It begins somewhat randomly and weaves in various stories without clearly connecting them. A tighter editing process would have greatly enhanced the narrative flow and overall impact of the book.

This story is an important one to tell and I appreciate all of the work the author did on such a hard topic. At times the information just felt like it was jumping around or in no particular order. Thanks for having me as an ARC reader.

I really tried but I couldn’t finish this book sadly. The content of this book is important, but also not for the faint hearted.

Hometown Betrayal by Emily Benedek is a gripping true crime audiobook that delves into the dark secrets of a remote Mormon community in Clarkston, Utah. The book follows the harrowing story of Valarie Clark Miller, a woman who appeared to have the perfect life but was secretly battling the trauma of childhood abuse. Benedek meticulously pieces together Valarie’s story, exposing the systemic failures that allowed her abusers to escape justice. The audiobook, brings the emotional weight of Valarie’s experiences to life, making it a compelling listen for those interested in investigative journalism and survivor stories. The book has received praise for its raw and powerful storytelling, with readers describing it as both devastating and necessary.

Rating: 2.5 stars
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Nonfiction

The story being told here is very important and I really appreciated the overall discussion of how pervasive the sexual exploitation and abuse was within the Mormon church. The content is very hard to read and it was infuriating to hear about how these young girls were exploited and abused.

The writing was pretty dry and I did struggle to stay engaged as the book continued on. It was repetitive and all over the place. The structure of this book was disjointed and poorly paced. I think it would have flowed better if stories about the town and the dynamics of the community were woven into Valerie’s account. Instead we get two distinct parts and it was often difficult for me to remember who was connected to who.

Also, I think it’s important to discuss how abused individuals impact others, and by no means do I think Valerie’s addiction and abuse of her children should be ignored or glossed over, but it seemed like a strange choice that there was way more detail about how she harmed the people around her vs the harm she experienced. I do think the narrative still portrays her relatively sensitively, but it was something I noticed that bothered me.

I always find it a bit hard to review true stories and true crime in the sense that I find the material important to read but I don't find enjoyment in the suffering of others - therefore assigning a star rating can be challenging. That being said this book was well done and I felt like it handled the heavier topics well - including CSA and all of the effects it can have on someone's life + the generational impact.

I originally applied for this ALC because I enjoy true crime and wanted to learn more about what happened in this situation and in this rural Mormon community in Utah. Unfortunately there is never a shortage of true crime and the monstrous acts of others. These people exist everywhere and are usually the ones we least expect. Things like this happen in our backyards and in our neighbourhoods.

Hometown Betrayal was a very sad read and I still feel upset with how quiet everyone had been when there were so many dangerous people around. It really drives home how important it is to believe the victims of SA and what happens to people when you don't. My heart goes out to Valerie and her family.

If you are interested in true crime, like small town secrets or want a moving read, this is the story for you. I want to thank Netgalley and the author for an advanced listening copy of this book. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

A deeply painful read, this book dives deep into Valerie’s horrific abuse and the lifelong trauma she suffered, as well as how the effects of that trauma rippled out to affect her community and loved ones. The book is well researched with tons of first hand interview accounts, and does a good job of handling Valerie’s story respectfully.

My biggest issue with the book though is that it felt like it spent a very long time detailing all of the suffering Valerie and her family endured, and not enough time on the mishandled investigation. I also wish there had been more emphasis on the broader structural issues that led to her abuse and its subsequent coverup.

Thank you to NetGalley and Greenleaf Audiobooks for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Hometown Betrayal tells the heart breaking story of Valerie Clark Miller who concealed years of abuse she suffered as a child.
A powerful story that confronts the hard truths of abuse.

I tried my best with this, but after listening to a little over half of the audiobook, I had to stop. The subject matter IS important, but there just wasn’t enough interesting information for a full-length book.

This book is not for the faint of heart. My heart broke for these victims over and over again. Valerie suffered for years before she even spoke about her abuse. This book takes the reader on a journey through her trauma and how it affected her for the rest of her life.

The way the story is told isn’t in a traditional timeline. We learn from Valerie’s trauma. I enjoyed the way the author described events and people. This is a topic that can trigger people, and she did it well.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

das ist die reinste Geduldsprobe. Diese Einleitung, das ist gar nicht mein Fall. Sorry. Das werde ich tatsächlich nicht ans Lager nehmen, weder als Buch noch als Hörbuch. Danke fürs Bereitstellen vom Hörbuch.

This book shows great research into the lives of those in the story and the history of the town. I am not from this community nor religious, so I appreciated the backstory of Mormonism and how the positions of power are allowed within the church. Mormonism places a lot of emphasis of women's actions and roles and that was exploited here to the max.
Benedek writes with skill and compassion while giving us the facts of the story. I appreciated her skill in handling delicate matters and how she made Valerie a whole person, not just a victim.
This is a shocking and thought provoking account of abuse with excellent narration.
RIP Valerie, you didn't deserve any of what happened to you.

thank you to NetGalley, the author Emily Benedek, and Greenleaf Audiobooks for my ARC of this audiobook.

This audiobook was ok. I liked the narrator but I was so lost and confused at times. I felt it was just all over the place.

The story of Valerie and what she went through is sad and horrible, but this book is a little all over the place. You can tell there was a LOT of research done in writing this book but I was not expecting a full history of the settlement of the area where the crimes took place. I felt like I didn't even start to learn about Valerie for the first 20% of the book. The focus was just missing. I felt like I was listening to a report on Northern Utah, Mormon culture, and the story of Valerie was slipped in.

This book is incredibly heartbreaking, but also such an important story to share. I applaud the bravery of both the family and those willing to come forward to share their stories. For the actual writing itself, Benedek did a great job of capturing the reader through interviews and diary excerpts, whilst also pushing forward a shocking narrative of patriarchal and societal pressures that resulted in such tragedy. I think this book is such an important read for so many people, and I hope it reaches those in the communities largely impacted and effected to open their eyes to something that seems to largely be ignored or considered common place. A difficult read, but one I would gladly do again.

Too often, perpetrators of sexual violence fail to be held accountable. This is a well documented reality, despite efforts to improve advocacy and support for victims and survivors. Even more often, the contributions of culture and communities that allow sexual abuse to continue unchecked are downplayed or ignored. In Hometown Betrayal, Emily Benedek exposes not only the men who actively harmed Valarie Clark Miller but the community that turned a blind eye, supported abusers over victims, ostracized victims who tried to speak up, and systematically covered for dangerous men who caused significant harm. We need more of that.

Not a fun read by any means but very well-researched, including a brief look into the history of the Mormon church and how the culture created by early church leaders has led to men feeling entitled to use and abuse women and children, and church leaders today needing to protect the church's image above all else.

I listed to the audiobook version, narrated by Maria Mcann. The book was read in a no-frills manner, appropriate to the material. Diction was clear, consistent, and well-paced.

Having lived in Utah for a long time and grown up Mormon, a lot about this book really hit home for me, though I never experienced anywhere close to what Valarie did. So much in this book was truly horrific but so important to talk about so no more children are abused in such horrible ways. I did think the latter half of the book was organized a bit weirdly, and thought a lot of that information could have been inserted in the narrative of Valarie's life and flowed a lot better. I did find the ending when some form of justice was brought about very satisfying. It's definitely a hard but vital book.

When I read the summary of the book, I expected it to be more like Educated by Tara Westover. Although that book is disturbing and sad, there is a vast amount of hope within it. In comparison, this book is far worse, chronicling the pain and anguish of one woman who was victimized by three men. Throughout the book, I was hoping for vindication, and must admit that I was disappointed repeatedly.

I want to start by saying that I believe that she believed these things happen. I believe she deserved the support she needed. I believe that religion is used to ruin the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, and that it’s an easy place for awful people to hide.

That said -

This book is problematic from a lot of levels. Sodium Barbiturate has been long disproven as a truth serum, as it’s known to create false memories. One person saying who they thought it may be is simply not enough. Hypnosis to recover memories is also problematic. Those are the only 2 things Valerie had to make her believe the specific things this book revolved around happened.

That said - I *do* think there was abuse aplenty in Valerie’s life - from her religion, her ‘doctor’, her parents, her education, her husband, the FBI… All of it. Valerie’s life was without a doubt an awful one for many reasons.

That said - is there ANY corroborating evidence of this at all?!? She says he shot their dog - was anyone else interviewed to link even that accusation?

Additionally, everyone directly impacted by these accusations and allegations is dead. With that, this book is wholly unsuccessful. The author could have taken this as an opportunity to show hard truths with actual, hard evidence of the ways the Mormon church shelters and enables abuse, and she chose not to. For that reason, this book is wholly and completely a waste of time for any reader. Those who want to believe her story but are critical thinkers will find nothing to solidify the claims, and those who don’t believe her will also find nothing to solidify the claims.

Some are saying this is a memoir - if that’s the case, it should have focused much more on Valerie’s feelings and impacts, and it would have been more successful.

If this was to be a true crime book, it needed proven facts obtained by legitimate means.

I do hope that a book about this case and the thousands of victims growing up in the Mormon faith comes out from an author that is more capable and prepared to tackle the nuance of the case in a more compelling, meaningful, and well researched way.