Coming Soon
I Built the House He Broke Me In.
A survivor's guide to recognizing narcissistic abuse, leaving for good, and thriving on the other side. Tara's most personal work yet, because your healing matters.
Releasing in
Paperback edition available November 3, 2026.
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By Tara Zaluski
You Are Not Alone. And Healing Is Possible.
Tara Zaluski spent years inside a relationship defined by control, manipulation, and emotional abuse. In February 2024, she left. This book is the honest, unfiltered account of what that looked like: recognizing the patterns, finding the courage to leave, and beginning to trust yourself again.
Written for anyone who has ever questioned their own reality, felt trapped by someone they loved, or wondered if they would ever feel whole again, this book is for you.
How to recognize the signs of narcissistic abuse, even when it feels like love
Why leaving is so hard, and the truth about what makes it possible
How to rebuild your identity, confidence, and life after trauma
The role faith, community, and purpose played in Tara's recovery
Practical tools for protecting yourself and moving forward with clarity
I didn't just survive. I built something better on the other side and I want to show you how.
Tara Zaluski
Early Reader Praise
A Story That Gives You Tools.
You wrote a real book. Not ‘good for a first time author.’ Actually good.
You have a voice on the page that most writers spend years trying to find. It’s calm, direct, protective of the reader without ever being soft on the truth.
The hour in the rental car building his case for him is a moment a lot of women are going to see themselves clearly for the first time. “He didn’t come to see me. He came to collect data.” Women will quote that line.
The Christmas Eve scene and the investment trap chapter, the way you let yourself be honest about what you knew and chose not to know, is some of the strongest writing in the book.
The “God Said Stay” chapter is brave. There are women of faith who have never heard anyone name that trap out loud. You did.
And the honeymoon chapter is structured like a thriller. Readers are going to feel the dread in real time.
I’m proud of you. You wrote a book that is going to find women on the worst days of their lives and sit beside them in the dark, exactly the way you wished someone had sat beside you.
Some books tell you a story. This one hands you a mirror. Tara writes with a kind of honesty that most people spend a lifetime running from, and her story hit hard. What sets it apart is what she does at the end of each chapter. She stops, turns around, and gives you the practical steps. The red flags. The patterns. The way to discern who someone is from who they project to be. This is a true self-help book with a memoir flavor that could change the direction of someone's life.
About the Author
Tara Zaluski Is Living Proof.
Tara is a Pittsburgh-based real estate investor, licensed PA realtor, and community builder, but this book isn't about real estate. It's about leaving a narcissistically abusive relationship in February 2024 and what the road forward has looked like since.
She wrote this book because she wished it had existed when she needed it most. Her hope is simple: that every reader who picks it up feels less alone, more seen, and more certain that the life they deserve is still within reach.
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12 Red Flags: Covert, Communal, and Machiavellian Narcissists
You are not paranoid. You are paying attention. Each type looks different. Knowing the pattern helps you spot it. The manipulation is subtle and calculated, which is how so much stays hidden for so long. Get the free one page checklist of 12 red flags across covert, communal, and Machiavellian narcissists, for yourself or for someone you love.