The literary fiction novel “Yesteryear” by Caro Claire Burke was released in April 2026. The narrative centers around Natalie Heller Mills, a tradwife influencer who wakes up one day in a home and century that is not from her own time, but from the 19th century. 

If you are not familiar with the rise of tradwives on the internet, let me explain. They are a new fad of the 2020s. Women who fall into this category follow a very traditional feminine blueprint. They spend their days cooking, cleaning and taking care of their growing families, all while posting curated photos and videos that align with their chosen aesthetic. 

Typically, these influencers have made a name for themselves by presenting their homestead lifestyle. They are known for making every meal from scratch and wearing clothes that appear to be made of home-spun wool. 

In no way is this review intended to be critical of these individuals and the way they choose to live their lives, but the background knowledge of the topic is necessary to understanding key themes of the book. 

While Natalie is a fictional character, her outward-facing social media described in the book is reminiscent of many real-life creators. 

Some of these women are Hannah Neeleman, Nara Smith and Alexia Delarosa. 

Throughout the story, Natalie describes posting Instagram videos of bread baking tutorials, house tours and short “spend the day with me” content. 

As the book is told via first-person narrative, the reader gets unlimited access to Natalie’s thoughts and motivations. It is clear that she has a fixation with perfection and manipulation, whether it is at the familial level or to millions of followers. 

She and her husband, Caleb Mills, move to Yesteryear ranch in Idaho to live out the American dream. At least that’s the story Doug Mills tells. 

Doug, Caleb’s father, is a prominent conservative politician. Natalie masquerades on the internet as a woman who is an expert at living off the land, but she secretly has millions of dollars at her disposal thanks to her father-in-law’s successful senate campaigns. 

Another secret she keeps from her followers is her social media producer and the two nannies she has employed to take care of her children. 

Even standard kitchen appliances like her microwave and fridge are tucked behind carefully crafted cabinets to paint the perfect pioneer picture. 

As the reader learns more about Natalie, more of her flaws come out. She believes she is better than everyone around her, especially the group of what she calls “angry women” online. 

These are the women that comment “There’s no way this is their actual life!!!!”, and “Dear God the names keep getting worse,” in reference to her children’ s names (one of which is actually Junebug). 

I believe this novel was a profound commentary on the current state of social media. 

Not all of us have millions of followers on Instagram, not all of us have a ranch with hundreds of acres gifted to us by our millionaire father-in-laws, but we do all have a desire to be perceived a certain way. 

Social media is inherently performative, tradwives are just performing in a different way. Whether people are watching out of support, hatred or curiosity, they are drawing views. I think Burke sums this truth up the best by saying, “The goal of an influencer is not to be lovable, and it is not to be unbearable. The goal is to be both at once. In other words: addicting.”

In the book, this was Natalie’s exact goal. She wanted to draw people in with her illusion of perfection. She feeds off of others’ jealousy, even though her life is far from ideal. 

Social media has trained us to look at others’ lives in colorful squares and decide we know everything there is to know about someone. It has also led us to filter so many details of our own lives before sharing them. 

“Yesteryear” was a very impactful story with complex and layered characters. 

Although it was an entirely fictional setting, so many of the issues felt very current and real. I know that this book will stay with me for a long time.