The premise of this book reminded me slightly of the Amish way of life, and I found myself shouting at the screen at times.
Women should be seen and not heard and submit to their husband, and all men in general. Children should be disciplined with violence and fear.
There are two stories, carefully interwoven, and they really had me wondering what the connection was..
Everyone makes mistakes, but some pay for them more than others.
We have the scheming, but shallow Madison, and loyal and hard working Lori, each trying to right a wrong., but submissive to men, whilst manipulating them. Cally has her own reasons for joining the Homestead, also involving men.
All of the men except Bill are selfish bullies, who only think of themselves. In the battle of wills, who will win?
But nobody is who they appear to be.
I enjoyed this book, once I got into it, and felt that the ending saw justice done.
Thanks to NetGalley , the publisher and author

Madison is an American “tradwife” influencer, sharing posts about her perfect life and how well she looks after her family. Of course things are not as perfect as they seem, but in Madison’s case the deception is huge. We see this from the point of view of outsider, Cally, a young city woman who joins the family as the children’s tutor. I found this book totally shocking but absolutely loved it. I had no idea that “tradwives” and “tradwife” influencers were a thing and found the whole concept deeply disturbing. The husband, Michael, was a monstrous character. I couldn’t’ make up my mind about Madison, whether she was a victim, villain or a bit of both, which added to my enjoyment. This was an excellent thriller with a clever plot, shining a light on this aspect of American culture.

With thanks to NetGalley and HQ Harper Collins for this review copy.

What a great read about how you should never trust what you see on social media. From the outside looking in Madisons life is perfect. She lives as a #tradwife with her perfect husband and her four children but behind the camera life is very different. The traditional wife role is a controlled and volatile environment with a husband who tolerates her social media obsession but only too a point however her whole lifestyle is carefully managed and constructed and the truth is a dark mess or lies that are now being threatened. Is she able to keep everything going with the pressures of viewing figures and likes and a husband who is a controlling bully plus all the secrets she is hiding from him. This is an edge of your seat thriller which I loved!

Madison March is the perfect tradwife. With a loyal following, an instagram perfect life, and the husband and kids to go with it, she is the envy of women across the US. Who wouldn't want her life, right? Except it is all a lie, and one which is starting to unravel.

I inhaled this book! The subject is so different and refreshing, and yet so relevant is the current climate. I was engaged throughout and the author kept me guessing until the end.

The book is out in May in the UK and I really recommend it if you're a thriller fan, especially if you are fascinated by Instagram culture. Thank you to NetGalley and Liane Child for allowing me to review!

a very interesting thriller highlighting such a current topic in todays social media crazed world! the characters were all quite interesting and the twists were great. the pacing could have been improved in order to really keep my attention throughout but overall a standard thriller that keeps you wanting to know more!

What an enthralling read. Madison March, and influencer with a perfect family, perfect children and a perfect husband. But what really lies under the facade? Her whole life is a lie.
This is one of the best reads of this year, a really hard to put down psychological thriller. I would highly recommend this book.

I've recently been watching the Yellowstone origin series, so couldn't pass up the opportunity to read about modern homesteading, and the blurb for this book caught my attention. I was hooked from the start, and love that I was surprised with a twist I didn't see coming!

I enjoyed how the book alternated between the two main female characters points of view, Madison - the Tradwife influencer who seems to have it all: a rancher husband, four beautiful children and a huge online following, and Cally - a modern young woman from Boston who is seeking the safety of Montana with a job as a tutor for the March children. We're also introduced to Brianna - a young woman seeking to live out the dream of the Tradwife life portrayed on social media, but is met with the harsh truth that what we see on social media is not always the reality.

The book has well developed characters and was paced well, I devoured this over two evenings (purely due to having to get some sleep for work the next day, otherwise I could have happily stayed up all night to finish!)

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review! I very much regret to say that I did not finish this book due to my negligence to fully think through what triggers may be associated with a book of this plotline. However, what I did read was very well-written. The writing style had a very easy-to-read potato chip style with a chilling, slightly nauseating undertone. The only thing that did briefly take me out of the story was the fact that the Instagram comments looked like they contained hashtags in them which I see infrequently online. Otherwise, the story and the writing were excellent. I would recommend this to fellow lovers of thrillers and social media who are aware of the triggers this may contain.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC of 'The Tradwife's Secret' by Liane Child - expected release date of 05/22/2025

ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not sure what stage this ARC is in. There was no title or publisher info page, no author note or publisher note. It's supposed to be released in May but the copy I received looked like it could be an original manuscript. Before going to print, this book needs some work, there's a lot off/odd things...

1) The name of the author on the cover isn't the same name as the author on each page.
2) The book was written using British English language (EX: savoury, practise, mesmerising, fertilise, cheese toast for dinner, flats as apts), but it was set in Montana. I don't know how all that made it into an American book.
3) The timeline and storyline was working fine until chapter 15. Starting at chapter 16 it skipped ahead a ways or something, leaving holes in the plot without explaining why. I even went back a few chapters to re-read them, thinking I missed something, but no.
4) Further in the book there are a lot of typos of the main character's last name (Marsh instead of March).

Overall the book was OK, I didn't see the end coming but I wasn't really excited by it either. It's very much a right now kinda of book, since it heavily relies on Instagram and influencers.

The Tradwife’s secret is the story of social media star Madison March who dishes out content about her life and family on their homesteading farm in Montana. Buoyed by the income of brand partnerships, she is able to live a life that is quite different than what she posts on Instagram.

Alternatively narrated by Madison, tutor Callie and aspiring tradwife Briana, weaving together a plot about the hidden side of achieving influencing perfection. While Madison thrives at selling her brand of traditional values, she is living a life that is very different then she displays on social media. Callie is continually shocked at the true reality of the March’s lives and remains stifled by an ironclad NDA. And out in Wyoming, young Brianna feels trapped in her circumstances, her desire for the perfect homestead crumbling—the dilapidated land giving a glimpse to her true footing. Though their circumstances may differ, all of these women are struggling.

Child weaves together a compelling tale of the dark side of social media, of the realities of what we tell our followers and how it often differs from the less glossy reality. The core mystery delivers many shocking twist, right up until the very end. Five stars for this compelling, ultra-entertaining read.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

Social media star Madison March is up with the dawn in her perfectly staged kitchen, her perfect shelving adorned with perfectly lined up jars as she portrays her traditional homestead lifestyle and family in all its perfection. Adored by millions of followers who want a little bit of the magic for themselves, the myth she pushes reaps rich rewards in sponsorship.

Its social media, its a lie and Madison is just another influencer who's carefully staged lifestyle has staff on the payroll and NDAs in place to ensure that the truth remains hidden. One too many secrets and a few too many lies this is a dark, disturbing read.

I liked this one, it was a fascinating read with good characters whose multi perspective narrative added depth to its chilling storyline.

I was drawn to this book by the cover initially and was very pleased when I saw an email saying I'd been approved to read this as an ARC.
The Trad Wife life is not something I had any knowledge of previously but I feel this book opened my eyes. Madison's insta-perfect life, at times, was enviable; a beautiful home, children and an endless number of floaty dresses. But this book didn't hold back on exposing the dark side, emotional and physical abuse, lies, cheating and the fake side of social media.
The twist at the end was also very well done, not one I saw coming.

As soon as I heard about this book I was so excited to read it. Whilst it took me longer than I thought it would to finish, I still genuinely enjoyed this thriller. I was not expecting the twists at all!! And I I loved getting to know more about the trad wives influencer world.

Wanted to love and there's a lot of pros but ultimately, The Tradwife's Secret by Liane Child wasn't exactly for me.

The plot has a lot of promise, and I really was hooked slipping between the different POVs of our main tradwife insta influencer, Madison, her Boston bred liberal tutor for the kids, and the tradwife wannabe copying Madison's moves on Instagram. The characters did all read differently, and it was really nail biting to see how they all come together in the end to wrap up the story. In a twisty, thriller-y way of course. As a regularly reader of the genre, I did predict some things but even I was caught off guard by others which was a nice change of pace from always being able to guess the endings.

So the cons? Truly, when you look back at it, not that much happens plot wise. Not enough for a book, maybe condensed down into a short story or something. But mostly the political commentary/agenda, while necessary to lend to the drama of the tradwife influencer narrative, was really heavy handed in some spots. Took me right out of the story and to be honest, I get enough on social media from both sides every day, I want my books to be an escape. If you're likewise overwhelmed with the state of the world and people telling you what to think or that you're a monster if you don't side with them, skip this for your own mental health's sake.

This was a fun one! I am embarrassed to admit that I follow a couple of whispering tradwives online who happen to wear couture while making insanely labor intensive versions of foods that you could buy at the grocery store. They are ridiculous and unrealistic but I'm still mesmerized and will click on their videos every time!
The book starts off as a behind the scenes look at the reality of what I now suspect many of these influencers are like. As it progresses it turns into more of a thriller/suspense. The author weaves in some political context that is especially relevant right now. The ending has some twists I didn't expect.
Overall it was a page turner for me and I can picture this being a popular beach read! Thank you to HQ via Net Galley for allowing me early access. All opinions are my own.

As a self proclaimed tradwife, I was hooked from the cover of this book. It was so good. I couldn't believe all the twists. Thank goodness the husbands got what was coming too them.

An awesome thriller that had me reading into the night. The twists and turns were captivating. I plan on reading more by Liane Child.

I enjoyed this book so much that I read it in two sessions. It was a very interesting look inside the social media craze of shiny and glossy on the outside and icky and dark inside. I will say, I DID NOT see the twist coming and I was BLOWN away!! I will be pressing this book into my friends hands as soon as it is out!! Soooo Good!!

This was a great read that really translated well to the page, interesting characters and a thrilling intrigue. Ran through it in a few hours fully recommend

Excellent book, well written.

Influencers and the mixed messages they give out come to a head in this book. Real page turner of a novel.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book.