Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz on October 24, 2024
Genres: Biography & Autobiography / General, Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
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In the early 2000s, after years of hard work and determination to breakthrough as an actor, Bethany Joy Lenz was finally cast as one of the leads on the hit drama One Tree Hill. Her career was about to take off, but her personal life was slowly beginning to unravel. What none of the show’s millions of fans knew, hidden even from her costars, was her secret double life in a cult. An only child who often had to fend for herself and always wanted a place to belong, Lenz found the safe haven she’d been searching for in a Bible study group with other Hollywood creatives. However, the group soon morphed into something more sinister, a slowly woven web of manipulation, abuse, and fear under the guise of a church covenant called The Big House Family. Piece by piece, Lenz began to give away her autonomy, ultimately relocating to the Family’s Pacific Northwest compound, overseen by a domineering minister who would convince Lenz to marry one of his sons and steadily drained millions of her TV income without her knowledge. Family “minders” assigned to her on set, “Maoist struggle session”–inspired meetings in the basement of a filthy house, and regular counseling with “Leadership” were just part of the tactics used to keep her loyal. Only when she became a mother did Lenz find the courage to leave and spare her child from a similar fate. After nearly a decade (and with the unlikely help of a One Tree Hill superfan), she finally managed to escape the family’s grip and begin to heal from the deep trauma that forever altered her relationship with God and her understanding of faith. Written with powerful honesty and dark humor, Dinner for Vampires is an inspiring story about the importance of identity and understanding what you believe.
I was a HUGE fan of One Tree Hill and still rewatch episodes as of today, so I was thrilled to hear she was making a memoir of her life during this time. Warning, this has nothing to do with One Tree Hill, but I devoured it none the less. This was something I never knew about before and I was shocked at what Joy endured and amazed at her strength to get out. In this memoir, Joy recounts her start in show business as a child, experiencing her parent’s divorce, getting her big break on One Tree Hill, and stumbling into a cult that would change the trajectory of her life and career. You see the slow burn of red flags, with just enough positivity (love-bombing) peppered in to keep someone feeling comfortable/loved, and the grooming happening in real time to make sure a victim will always doubt their own inner voice. It’s a quick read, and I was appreciative that it was written chronologically and easy to follow. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but each plays a pretty significant role in the story arc.
I rated this memoir five stars. Her writing felt like I was reading an email from a friend and I had to force myself to put the book down a few times. Such an interesting story and I’m so glad that Joy shared it with the world!
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster publishing for the advanced reader copy of this breathtaking journey of her life.