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Holy hell. This was a fantastic listen and honestly inspired me to be more accepting of others because I want to be there for someone when they are ready for my help vs reinforcing their cause for isolation. I never watched One Tree Hill so this isn‘t a fan girl review - this story is just plain incredible.

This book was beautifully written and I love Joys raw and honesty throughout. You can feel her struggles and understand how she ended up in a cult without even realizing it.. I also love that she narrated her own book 🥹❤️

Cult memoirs fascinate me. I didn't watch One Tree Hill, so I'm not familiar with this author, but this memoir was captivating; she's an excellent story teller. (I prefer audiobook format for memoirs.)

⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#JuneReCap

#OffTheShelf2025
@Librariana

Cults scare me so, so much! This book was so sad, the stuff she went through - I am so terrified of being caught up in something similar (but I don't have the $ for them to really want me).

📸 Lazlo annoying Zoey

Spent a little time reading outside. I had wanted to go to a beach and my hubby found one, but --- it was still too cold to spend time in the water. Hopefully soon!

Started this one yesterday while sipping a drink in the hammock - I am hoping to finish my homework early today so that I can have more hammock time. #NursingSchoolSux Ugh! I hate papers!

4.2⭐️ this was a #FriendsPicForMe read. It is a memoir that really shows how easy it is to get sucked up into somebody else‘s plot. I‘m so happy that she was able to find herself make a life for her and her daughter away from all that control and manipulation.

In the early 2000s, Lenz, a devout Christian, joined a Hollywood Bible study group mostly for some camaraderie. She quickly found herself sucked into “the Family” cult, giving them access to all her money and eventually marrying one of their own.

I would never call what Lenz experienced “harrowing,” but I definitely found myself thinking, “oh, girl, no…” many times as she was coerced into making choices advantageous to the Family.

“There is one indisputable way to identify a cult, one characteristic they all share...it is the notion that anyone who does not agree with the group's beliefs or choices, who expresses concerns, who simply dares to ask questions, is deemed "unsafe.””

As someone who is very interested in human behavior, including the manipulations of cult leaders (and how intelligent, kind people can fall victim to cults), this memoir was very interesting. The book mostly centers around her involvement in the cult itself. This is definitely an insightful read. It is well written and based on Lenz' memories, well-documemted in her personal journals.

I loved One Tree Hill, I‘ve the series on DVD, & even to this day I watch ship videos of Nathan and Haley on YouTube. Thanks to all the listens who reviewed this book so I knew she had a book out

I‘m so glad I read this. Another reminder that we don‘t know what‘s behind the facade people put up. How easy it is for things to change since we‘re all looking for something. & love, to love friends & family even if they make the wrong choices

She‘s not a bad story teller. I understand the feelings in the book. I was uncomfortable during some parts which probably was meant to. The book just didn‘t grab me and I was a little disappointed.

I love that Lenz started her memoir with this Buffy quote, but then I love Buffy as well

“Terrifying darkness and shocking beauty coexist in everyone and god doesn‘t wait for us to clean out all the bad before celebrating the good”
As someone who has been in a religious cult, I could relate to much of her story. She is brave, articulate, powerful, resilient, forgiving, and joyful. I definitely recommend this memoir and the audiobook is read by her! 10/10 I would listen to it again!

Utterly unputdownable.

You don‘t have to be familiar with Bethany/Joy‘s acting career to appreciate her audiobook. She‘s been through some tough times with her found “family”, a religious group she eventually married into, before escaping due to abuse. There‘s some TW but one the whole, I felt the book was hopeful and light in sections, all things considered. Quick listen.

I have watched a few One Tree Hill episodes (mainly on streaming during late nights when my kids were babies). I listened to the audio read by the author. It is fascinating to hear how easily she was able to get sucked in & manipulated by this cult. It‘s sad to hear how much she has lost & sacrifices she still has had to make & still make to keep her daughter safe. I‘m happy that she is able to tell her story & be brave to make others aware.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A celebrity memoir that‘s also about a cult? This checks so many of my favorite boxes. That said, this is truly serious, and I appreciate Lenz‘s willingness to share her story. Though I never watched One Tree Hill, hearing the celebrity aspect of being part of a “family” and how they abused her emotionally and financially, is reminiscent of Scientology. Users, the lot of them.

I don‘t know if anything scares me more than the abuse of the human mind through the bastardization of religion so accounts like this are hard for me. I never watched of One Tree Hill during its 9-yr run and when I saw this cover thought - ohh fun, a memoir from an Hallmark actress🤣

As with all memoirs I read that deal with escaping a cult, I commend the author for being so vulnerable and sharing her experience.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Current audiobook…This actress was unknown to me, but put “cult” in a title and I am all over it.

I used to love “One Tree Hill” when I was a teenager. I saw this one came out so I put a hold on it immediately and it‘s finally my turn…

#ReadAway2024 #20in4 #readathon

Finished today while running errands (I went between the audiobook read by the author & my #BOTM copy) & enjoyed it. I have never watched One Tree Hill -the tv show the author is most known for & was drawn to this book because I loves me a cult story, especially a biography because I find the subject fascinating. (I did look up Lenz mid book & I do remember her as the neighbor on Dexter which I just rewatched). ⬇️

I read 8 books in November. My favorites were:
Dinner For Vampires - memoir
PS: I Hate You - romance
Servant of Earth - fantasy
The City in Glass - fantasy

Tagged book is mine!! Happy Thanksgiving, Littens!!

No words. I finished this audiobook on my train ride to visit my family for the holiday. This is a memoir about this young actress falling victim to a nefarious religious cult based in Idaho while on a popular CW TV show. I wasn‘t familiar with the show but that doesn‘t really matter. The crux of the story is about how easily vulnerable people can fall prey. So important for this moment.

I kept seeing rave reviews for this so I dropped what I was planning to listen to and picked up the audiobook. It was such an engaging story, which may be a weird to say about a cult story. I feel so bad that she was taken advantage of in this way! So I was really rooting for her to find her way out. I am not really familiar with her acting but based on her audiobook performance she must be great. I finished this in just a couple of days.

I was off today for working Saturday and the majority of the day was spent reading this book. Only put it down to eat and walk Periwinkle. It's a fascinating memoir that focuses on Lenz's decade in a cult. She grew up very religious and when she moved out to L.A. to try out for acting gigs, she joined what seemed like a simple, small group Bible study. I sympathized with her. She really showed how cults tear you down and consume you.

I couldn't decide what genre of fiction I was in the mood for, so decided to read a non-fiction instead. I don't know this actress at all and didn't watch One Tree Hill, but I'm very interested in the being in a cult aspect of her life.

I am a sucker for stories about cults.

Her religious journey started off very much with the truth, but that truth was twisted by people who took advantage of her during a vulnerable time in her life.

I'm glad she's on the other side of this experience and still has faith in God.

Page-turner memoir about being a working actress who finds herself in a cult! I‘ve never watched “One Tree Hill” but I still enjoyed reading this book (mostly for the cult situations). It‘s unfortunate that the author cover photo is so unflattering; she looks like a 50-something starlet instead of a fashionable Millennial. #BOTM

This one exceeded my expectations! Liked it a lot. My review would echo pretty much everything @ImperfectCJ recently posted about it, including that I've never seen a single episode of One Tree Hill (but now I'm kind of contemplating it as an age-inappropriate comfort bingewatch...??). I also relate to elements of the author's Christian upbringing and her Broadway musical nerdery.

I've never seen One Tree Hill and had never heard of Lenz, but I'm intrigued by cults. Lenz's vulnerability makes this story compelling. The common threads between cults and other abusive relationships come through clearly, as does the way increasingly bizarre behaviors can seem logical at any given point. Awareness of the tactics of abusers on any scale is important so that our own needs/wants don't keep us from seeing abuse for what it is.

It's an interesting book, especially when in possession of just a touch more information than Joy provides (i.e., particular names). It's easy to see how someone could get swept up in the situation, and how a person's brain might make excuses for any red flags along the way. It's not earth shatteeing, but it's interesting. #56-2024

The tagged book was featured in a book talk held tonight at the college where I work. I always volunteer to usher at these so I can go for free! I‘m not a big One Tree Hill fan but her life — in a cult — sounds so interesting. I look forward to reading her book.