Book Buzz
By: Jill Gunderson
Happy April, neighbors! This month, I am so excited to bring a book into your life that is a definite must read! Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz is a memoir unlike anything you’ve ever read before. Did One Tree Hill have a chokehold on you like it did me in the early 2000’s? Bethany plays Haley James Scott in the show and from the outside we all saw her career completely take off! And while it certainly looked that way on the outside, her personal life was starting to unravel and this book does not leave out the details. (Slow clap, please…)
One thing about me is that I love a cult story. I’m truly fascinated by them—how they start, the cult leaders background, their beliefs, and how their followers don’t see through it all! Bethany legit lays it all out for us. (Thank you, Bethany!) From her early career days and upbringing to meeting the cult leader, how she finally escapes and everything in between. Friends! This book is seriously unputdownable!
Here’s a shorter version without the juice, because you have to read it for yourself! (Or listen which is what I did, and with Bethany narrating her own story? It’s like you’re sitting down for coffee with a friend completely enthralled, mouth agape, as your listen to this incredible tale. But I digress…)
This book takes you through the decade long journey that was hidden from her fans, her costars, but not her own family. (Her dad is a serious hero!) It began as a much-needed bible study as Bethany navigated her way through Hollywood. She wanted some grounding in her faith among the noise of fame. She’s invited to this bible study in a cozy home in Hollywood, makes friends, has a connection with the parents of other Hollywood creatives, and feels a sense of belonging—finally!
When one ‘pastor’ makes his way into the center of this group, he slowly leads Bethany and others away under the guise of a church family covenant. Bethany, desperate for belonging, slowly starts to give up her autonomy until she loses it all—her decision making, her money and her family. She marries the cult leader’s son, and has a baby girl. It’s only through her journey with motherhood and the reality that there is a little life attached to her decisions that Bethany, desperately wanting to protect her daughter, starts to see the truth of her situation and seeks escape. Are you hooked yet?
Bethany’s writing is powerful, and laced with dark humor, wit and details galore! I promise you will not regret picking up this story. It’s also the perfect book club read because who wouldn’t want to discuss all the juicy details of a life being sucked into a cult?
Happy reading, neighbors!
Jill xoxo