Review: After We Were Stolen - Brooke Beyfuss

Review: After We Were Stolen - Brooke Beyfuss - July 2022

A trope that I have always enjoyed is the story of cults and then missing children returned to their parents. In After We Were Stolen, we meet a cult known as Cloverlite. It is made up of a big family - Mum, Dad and their 12 children. Avery is one of the oldest at 17 years and the youngest Benjamin is 2-3 years old. This family has been taught that the outside world is dangerous and that there is a big event coming and have been raised to be survivalists. Avery disrespected the family and was sent to live outside in a tent, now after the newest baby died. She has been brought back inside as the family has a job for her, she is to become the new mother and procreate with an outsider to create the next generation of "The Family". Avery has always been closest to her brother Caleb and when there is a fire on the grounds, most of the family are killed. Caleb and Avery manage to escape and they eventually find their way to a police station and hospital. It turns out that the children weren't related and that most of them were kidnapped from their real families. It seems that Avery has blocked this out as she doesn't remember life before Cloverlite. For Avery, her biological family is now dead but Caleb and another sister who is alive - are welcomed back to their families. But what happens when Caleb 202learns the truth and Avery's memory of the fire returns? I didn't mind the ending of this book but was a bit sad that Caleb didn't embrace or want anything to do with Avery even though she was just like them and in the same boat. If you love reading books about cults, then After We Were Stolen by Brooke Beyfuss is the read for you.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3KY8p4x