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The Ascent
Allison Buccola
Publication Date: May 20th, 2025
Random House Publishing Group
352 Pages
Amazon | Goodreads | Bookshop.org
Genre: General Fiction | Mystery & Thrillers
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.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
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