Yesteryear Deep Dive + Little House Reboot Predictions (Special Episode) | Little House, Big Opinions Podcast

In this special episode of Little House, Big Opinions — the Little House on the Prairie rewatch podcast for people unpacking their childhood in real time — Riley and Amanda take a break from their Season 1 rewatch to discuss one of the year's most talked-about literary fiction releases: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke.

Spoiler warning: We discuss the entire novel, including the ending, major twists, and character arcs.

Yesteryear follows Natalie, a wildly successful trad-wife influencer who suddenly wakes up believing she's living as a pioneer woman in 1855. As reality begins unraveling, the novel explores social media, evangelical culture, motherhood, mental illness, performative perfection, and the unsettling gap between the life we sell online and the one we're actually living.

This week on the podcast: Riley and Amanda unpack why Natalie is one of the most fascinating unlikeable protagonists they've read in years, debate whether she's a victim, a villain, or both, discuss religious trauma, influencer culture, parasocial relationships, and why the book's biggest twist completely caught them off guard. They also compare Yesteryear to Little House on the Prairie, examining how both stories romanticize prairie life while revealing the realities beneath the nostalgia.

Then things take a turn.

The girls imagine what every major Little House on the Prairie character would be doing if they lived in 2026. Charles Ingalls accidentally ends up with an OnlyFans. Caroline becomes either the world's most wholesome teacher or a trad-wife influencer who actually tells the truth. Laura grows up to be a romance author, nature activist, or horse therapist. Mary launches an unbearably judgmental trad-wife course. Nellie Oleson reinvents herself as either a Manhattan socialite or a surprisingly lovable beige mom. Miss Beadle quietly works from home doing the absolute bare minimum.

Finally, Riley and Amanda dive into their hopes (and concerns) for the upcoming Little House on the Prairie reboot. Will it stay family-friendly? Will side characters finally get full story arcs? Why is Carrie missing? How closely will it follow the books? And why they think people calling the reboot "too woke" may have forgotten that the original series was already pushing social boundaries decades ago.

Book Discussion Topics:

• Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

• Trad-wife influencers and social media culture

• Religious trauma and evangelicalism

• Mental illness and unreliable narrators

• Prairie life vs. the fantasy of simple living

• Character analysis and literary themes

Little House Discussion Topics:

• Modern careers for Charles, Caroline, Laura, Mary, Nellie, and Miss Beadle

• Predictions for the new Little House on the Prairie adaptation

• Why the original series was more progressive than many people remember

• What we're most excited (and nervous) to see in the reboot

Little House, Big Opinions is a Little House on the Prairie rewatch podcast hosted by two former church kids processing their childhood in real time. Each week, Riley and Amanda revisit the beloved series one episode at a time, unpacking the nostalgia, trauma, history, humor, and wildly unhinged moments they somehow missed as kids.

New episodes every week wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow along on Instagram and TikTok @littlehousebigopinions.