BOoks like yesteryear: what to read next [updated july 2026]
By Staff Writer, 7/27/26
Fact checked: July 27, 2026
The best books to read after Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke are The Scoop by Erin Van Der Meer, Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, Everyone Is Lying to You by Jo Piazza, Kindred by Octavia E. Butler, and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. These novels share Yesteryear’s combination of thrilling plots, sharp social commentary, and dark and complicated female main characters.
Yesteryear, the breakout debut novel by Caro Claire Burke, is one of the most talked about books of the year. It follows Natalie, a “tradwife” influencer with millions of followers, who wakes up one day in the brutal reality of 1855 and must unravel whether her living nightmare is an elaborate hoax, a twisted reality show, or something far more sinister. The dark satire and social commentary on modern life, internet culture, and womanhood has made it the perfect book for discussion and debate.
From a “savage” dark satire of a desperate journalist who’s willing to trade her integrity for relevance, to Octavia Butler’s time-travel classic, these five novels are the answer to the question of what to read next after Yesteryear.
Best books like Yesteryear
Best overall: The Scoop by Erin Van Der Meer
Best for social satire:Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Best for tradwife culture:Everyone Is Lying to You by Jo Piazza
Best for time travel:Kindred by Octavia Butler
Best for unreliable narrators:Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
THE SCOOP BY ERIN VAN DER MEER
If you’re looking for a darkly funny social satire with a thrilling plot and a complicated female protagonist, THE SCOOP might be your next read after Yesteryear. Named one of the best books of April 2026 by People, it follows down-and-out New York City journalist Frankie Miller who is laid off from her job at Marie Claire, and in desperation takes a job at a sleazy tabloid website called The Scoop. Frankie believes she’s above unethical practices of the other journalists at The Scoop, but soon finds herself sinking lower and lower to dig up stories about a washed-up pop star who just wants to be left alone, until it escalates to a dangerous place. The debut novel of former journalist Erin Van Der Meer, reviews say it’s a “savage” satire of internet culture and ambition, and a “thrilling page-turner”.
Why it’s like Yesteryear: Like Yesteryear, The Scoop is a sharp, darkly funny satire about a woman navigating a culture obsessed with image, relevance, and public approval. Both novels follow ambitious female protagonists whose worlds are shaped by the pressures of modern media, forcing them to confront the gap between who they appear to be and who they really are. If you loved Yesteryear’s takedown of influencer culture, online performance, and the lengths people go to stay visible, The Scoop offers a similarly ruthless look at the price of chasing attention.
What reviews say: “A searing indictment of our chronically online world.” - Buzz magazine
“If you like your satire biting.” - Goodreads editors
“With a propulsive narrative and vivid language, former journalist Van Der Meer pulls the reader into the ruthless 24/7 news cycle of tabloid journalism.” - Booklist
Yellowface by r.f. kuang
Fans of Yesteryear’s social commentary will appreciate Yellowface, a sharp and unsettling satire about publishing, identity, ambition, and who gets to tell certain stories. R.F. Kuang’s novel follows a writer who takes credit for another author's work, leading to questions about creativity, privilege, and the stories people tell themselves to justify their actions. Like Yesteryear, Yellowface uses an entertaining premise to explore uncomfortable truths about society. It is funny, provocative, and designed to make readers think long after finishing the final chapter.
Why it’s like Yesteryear: Like Yesteryear, Yellowface uses biting satire to examine identity, ambition, and the stories people create to justify their own choices. Both novels feature morally complicated protagonists and explore what happens when personal branding, public image, and self-interest collide. Readers who enjoyed Yesteryear’s critique of modern culture will appreciate Yellowface’s fearless examination of privilege, authorship, and the pressure to succeed in a world built around visibility.
What reviews say: “This unsettling and electrifying book piercingly addresses issues of cultural appropriation and racial identity.” - Library Journal
“Well-executed, gripping, fast-paced novel." - NPR
Buy YELLOWFACE at bookshop.org
Everyone Is Lying to You by jo piazza
If your favorite part of Yesteryear was the thrilling plot and exploration of tradwife culture, add Everyone Is Lying to Youto your TBR. This murder mystery from the bestselling author of The Sicilian Inheritance explores deception, public image, and the ways people curate their lives in a world shaped by technology and constant visibility. Like Yesteryear, it is interested in the gap between who people appear to be and who they really are.
Why it’s like Yesteryear: Like Yesteryear, Everyone Is Lying to You explores the dark side of curated online identities, especially tradwife influencers, and the unsettling gap between a person’s public persona and private reality. Both novels examine influencer culture, modern womanhood, and the way social media encourages people to turn their lives into performances. If you enjoyed Yesteryear’s exploration of tradwife culture and the hidden reality behind an idealized lifestyle, this thriller offers a similarly sharp and suspenseful take.
What reviews say: “Fast-paced and suspenseful.”- Boston Globe
What reviews say: “Jo Piazza’s latest is an incredibly spot-on thriller slash satire of our current obsession with homemaker influencers.” - Glamour
Buy EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU at bookshop.org
Kindred by octavia butler
Readers who enjoyed Yesteryear’s time travel premise should try Kindred, Octavia Butler’s groundbreaking 1979 novel that makes us feel the horrors of American slavery and indicts our country’s lack of progress on racial reconciliation. It follows Dana, a modern Black woman who is repeatedly transported back in time to the American South during slavery. The book uses science fiction as a way to explore history not as something distant, but as something personal and immediate.
While Kindred is more intense and emotionally challenging than Yesteryear, both novels share a fascination with how people respond when they are forced into unfamiliar worlds. Both ask readers to consider how much society changes—and how much remains the same.
Why it’s like Yesteryear: Like Yesteryear, Kindred uses time travel as more than a plot device — it places a modern woman in a radically different world to examine identity, power, and the forces that shape a person’s life. Both novels ask what happens when someone is removed from the world they know and forced to confront uncomfortable truths about society and themselves. While Kindred is a more intense and historically focused novel, fans of Yesteryear’s time-shifting premise will find the same fascination with perspective and transformation.
What reviews say: “A marvel of imagination, empathy and detail.” - Stephen Kearse, New York Times
“One of the most original, thought-provoking works examining race and identity.” - Lynell George, Los Angeles Times
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
For readers who loved the twists, suspense, and psychological elements of Yesteryear, Gone Girlis a must-read. Gillian Flynn’s bestselling thriller examines marriage, identity, media attention, manipulation, and modern womanhood by interweaving missing midwestern wife Amy’s diary entries with the husband’s first-person account. Gone Girl has been praised by readers for its taut, twisting, suspenseful plot and spiky unreliable narrator.
Although darker and more suspense-driven than Yesteryear, Gone Girl shares the same ability to make readers question what they know and reconsider the motivations behind every character’s actions.
Why it’s like Yesteryear: Like Yesteryear, Gone Girl is driven by a complicated female character, a gripping mystery, and questions about how much we can trust the stories people tell about themselves. Both novels examine marriage, identity, media attention, and the performance of the “perfect” life. Readers who loved Yesteryear’s unreliable perspectives and sharp observations about modern womanhood will find a similar mix of suspense, dark humor, and social commentary in Gone Girl.
What reviews say: “The story unfolds in precise and riveting prose . . . even while you know you’re being manipulated, searching for the missing pieces is half the thrill of this wickedly absorbing tale.”- O: The Oprah Magazine
As Nick and Amy alternately tell their stories, marriage has never looked so menacing, narrators so unreliable.”- The Wall Street Journal
If you liked this about Yesteryear Read this next
Dark satire of modern womanhood and internet culture:The Scoop
Questions about identity, privilege, and storytelling:Yellowface
Tradwife culture, online personas, and deception: Everyone Is Lying to You
Time travel and confronting another era: Kindred
Unreliable narrators and psychological twists: Gone Girl
Frequently Asked Questions About Books Like Yesteryear
What books are similar to Yesteryear?
The closest books to Yesteryear are novels that combine sharp satire and social commentary with a thrilling plot. Recommended reads include The Scoop, Yellowface, Everyone Is Lying To You, Kindred, and Gone Girl, depending on which elements of Yesteryear you enjoyed most.
The Scoop has the combination of sharp satire, a thrilling plot, and a complicated female main character as Yesteryear, although it focuses on a journalist in present day New York City.
What should I read after Yesteryear?
After Yesteryear, readers looking for a similar experience should try books that mix speculative ideas, social commentary, and emotional storytelling. Kindred is ideal for readers interested in time and history, while The Scoop,Yellowface and Gone Girl are better choices for readers who enjoy satire and suspense.
What should I read if I liked Natalie in Yesteryear?
Readers who found Natalie’s complicated personality and unreliable perspective compelling may enjoy The Scoop by Erin Van Der Meer and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Both feature ambitious, morally complicated female characters whose choices drive the story.
Is The Scoop similar to Yesteryear?
Yes. The Scoop is one of the closest contemporary matches for readers who enjoyed Yesteryear. Both novels combine dark humor, social satire, and female protagonists navigating cultures obsessed with image, relevance, and public perception.
What books are like Yesteryear about social media?
Readers interested in Yesteryear’s exploration of influencers, online identity, and internet culture should try The Scoop by Erin Van Der Meer and Everyone Is Lying to You by Jo Piazza. Both examine the gap between online personas and private realities.
What books are like Yesteryear with a time travel element?
The closest recommendation is Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. Like Yesteryear, it uses time travel to force a modern character into an unfamiliar historical reality and explore how society shapes identity.
Is Yesteryear science fiction?
Yesteryear appeals to science fiction readers because it uses imaginative ideas to explore real human experiences. However, its appeal also overlaps with literary fiction, satire, and contemporary fiction.
Why do readers like books similar to Yesteryear?
Readers who enjoy Yesteryear often like novels that challenge assumptions, explore different perspectives, and use unusual situations to reveal something meaningful about society and human nature.
About Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Author: Caro Claire Burke
Genre: Dark satire / speculative fiction / contemporary fiction
Main character: Natalie
Setting: Modern day and 1855
Major themes: Tradwife culture, social media, identity, womanhood, internet fame, historical perspective
Best for readers who enjoy: Sharp satire, psychological suspense, speculative premises, morally complicated female protagonists
About The Scoop by Erin Van Der Meer
Author: Erin Van Der Meer
Genre: Dark satire / contemporary fiction / psychological suspense
Main character: Frankie Miller
Setting: Present-day New York City, inside the world of tabloid journalism and celebrity media
Major themes: Internet culture, celebrity obsession, journalism ethics, ambition, social media, cancel culture, female ambition, moral compromise
Best for readers who enjoy: Sharp social satire, morally complicated female protagonists, newsroom novels, fast-paced thrillers, stories about media and internet culture
