Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show (While also in an Actual Cult!)
An “incredible” (Alex Cooper, Call Her Daddy), “riveting” (People) New York Times bestselling memoir by One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz about her decade in a cult and her quest to break free.
In the early 2000s, after years of hard work and determination to break through as an actor, Bethany Joy Lenz was finally cast as one of the leads on the hit drama One Tree Hill. Her acting career was set to soar, but her personal life was beginning to unravel in ways her fans could never imagine. Unknown to the millions of viewers and even her costars, Lenz led a secret double life within a cult.
As an only child seeking belonging, Lenz thought she found a safe haven in a Bible study group with fellow Hollywood creatives. However, the group morphed into something more sinister—a web of manipulation and fear under the guise of a church covenant called The Big House Family. Piece by piece, Lenz surrendered her autonomy, eventually moving to the Family’s Pacific Northwest compound overseen by a domineering minister who convinced her to marry his son and secretly drained millions from 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 escape and spare her child from a similar fate. After nearly a decade (and with the unlikely help from a devoted One Tree Hill fan), she broke free from the family’s grip, beginning her healing journey from deep trauma that reshaped her faith and identity.
Written with powerful honesty and dark humor, Dinner for Vampires is a “tart, refreshing” (The New York Times Book Review) story about the importance of identity and understanding what you believe.
In the early 2000s, after years of hard work and determination to break through as an actor, Bethany Joy Lenz was finally cast as one of the leads on the hit drama One Tree Hill. Her acting career was set to soar, but her personal life was beginning to unravel in ways her fans could never imagine. Unknown to the millions of viewers and even her costars, Lenz led a secret double life within a cult.
As an only child seeking belonging, Lenz thought she found a safe haven in a Bible study group with fellow Hollywood creatives. However, the group morphed into something more sinister—a web of manipulation and fear under the guise of a church covenant called The Big House Family. Piece by piece, Lenz surrendered her autonomy, eventually moving to the Family’s Pacific Northwest compound overseen by a domineering minister who convinced her to marry his son and secretly drained millions from 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 escape and spare her child from a similar fate. After nearly a decade (and with the unlikely help from a devoted One Tree Hill fan), she broke free from the family’s grip, beginning her healing journey from deep trauma that reshaped her faith and identity.
Written with powerful honesty and dark humor, Dinner for Vampires is a “tart, refreshing” (The New York Times Book Review) story about the importance of identity and understanding what you believe.
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Community Reviews
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars
I waited forever for this audiobook through Libby and it was definitely worth waiting for. Anytime someone narrates their own memoir I always prefer to listen to them tell their story, it just seems so much more personal that way. The audio cameos from One Tree Hill cast members Tyler Hilton, Paul Johansson, James Lafferty, and Chad Michael Murray were a great bonus!
I have to admit, I was a latecomer to the One Tree Hill fandom and only started watching the show a couple years ago. Once I started though, you can believe I binged that whole series in no time. So, because I didn't watch the show as it was airing, I had no clue about the cult scandal that surrounded one of its leading ladies.
My heart broke for Bethany as she told of her life, and when she talked about giving up her dream role as Belle on Broadway and why, ugh I was devastated for her. I mean, what book lover hasn't dreamt of being Belle at some point in their life.
Well written and narrated, Dinner for Vampires is not only a must for any OTH fan, but really for anyone who enjoys a candid telling of someone's life experiences.
I waited forever for this audiobook through Libby and it was definitely worth waiting for. Anytime someone narrates their own memoir I always prefer to listen to them tell their story, it just seems so much more personal that way. The audio cameos from One Tree Hill cast members Tyler Hilton, Paul Johansson, James Lafferty, and Chad Michael Murray were a great bonus!
I have to admit, I was a latecomer to the One Tree Hill fandom and only started watching the show a couple years ago. Once I started though, you can believe I binged that whole series in no time. So, because I didn't watch the show as it was airing, I had no clue about the cult scandal that surrounded one of its leading ladies.
My heart broke for Bethany as she told of her life, and when she talked about giving up her dream role as Belle on Broadway and why, ugh I was devastated for her. I mean, what book lover hasn't dreamt of being Belle at some point in their life.
Well written and narrated, Dinner for Vampires is not only a must for any OTH fan, but really for anyone who enjoys a candid telling of someone's life experiences.
I can't imagine being in a cult and the biggest take away from this book, is that cults are not only the huge ones we hear about but smaller ones exist too and you can easily fall into their traps. Overall, I think I wanted more from the OTH behind the scenes stuff and less cult, but overall it was an easy read. I enjoyed on the audiobook that Bethany had a few friends read parts, like Chad Michael Murray and Paul Johansson.
I approach most celeb memoirs with a lot of suspicion, but honestly this one is pretty solid. There’s not a lot of fluff, it just tells the story in a very narrative fashion with interesting details about being in a cult while being on television in a very mainstream way (which as you can imagine is a unique perspective). It’s thoughtful and reflective without being too much.
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