Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

I enjoyed this one.I liked the different p.ov.s and the twist. Was it a little predictable? Yes. but it was fun to read.

# The Tradwife's Secret: A Captivating Mystery

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC!

Madison March is a well-known social media tradwife, sharing her seemingly “perfect” life with her followers. Yet, what if everything she presents is a façade?

*The Tradwife’s Secret** unfolds as a mystery told from multiple perspectives. While it offers an entertaining experience, it can be somewhat challenging to follow at times. The pacing in the middle felt a bit slow and drawn out, but the intriguing twists and mysteries made it worthwhile! However, I wasn't particularly fond of how the narrator depicted the male characters, and I wished the voices were clearer to distinguish while listening. Overall, **The Tradwife’s Secret** was an enjoyable read, enriched with compelling twists!

The Tradwife's Secret is a fast-paced read that easily captures interest. However, there were some inconsistencies and the story was much too unrealistic. It was filled with overused stereotypes. Additionally, the British spelling/terminology is off-putting. It does take away from the read considering it takes place in Montana (for instance, the use of 'metres' and the use of 'hospital' versus 'a hospital'). Definitely not an insightful read, but still entertaining.

This was a slightly predictable thriller but I enjoyed the elements of influencer lifestyle and the relevance to today's culture. Quick, easy read!

This is obviously a super timely book as there seems to be a boom in “trad wife” content across social media, especially in the US. The book did a great job interrogating a lot of the trademarks of the trad wife social movement that are unnerving — the patriarchal roots, the outdated ideas of gender performance, the authenticity or lack there of, the hypocrisy, the falseness of what we see online versus what is the truth behind the scenes. I think the multiple POVs really helped to look at this from all angles. And all of that was woven really well into a central mystery with a great sense of growing tension.

Such a super fast and fun read! If you like Freida’s books you’re gonna love this one! The book was twisty and very hard to put down!

“A marriage is between two people. And their millions of followers.” That single line captures the sharp edge of The Tradwife’s Secret, a domestic thriller that tears apart the curated world of influencer culture and the toxic underpinnings of the so-called “tradwife” movement.

Madison March is an Instagram phenomenon. With her four picture-perfect children, a rugged husband, and a self-sustaining homestead in rural Montana, she has built a brand—and a lifestyle—that promises simplicity, obedience, and wholesomeness in an era of overexposure. Her followers believe she is the gold standard of femininity and motherhood. In reality, Madison’s “life” is a high-gloss fabrication: every moment is staged, every smile practiced, and her household held together by NDAs, secrets, and fear.

Joining the household is Cally, the new live-in tutor for the March children. A long-time follower of Madison’s account, Cally believes she’s stepping into a dream job—until the cracks begin to show. She’s stripped of her phone, warned not to speak to anyone about what she sees, and soon finds herself questioning everything she once admired. At the same time, across the country, Brianna—young, unmarried, and determined to build her own tradwife life with her boyfriend—realizes the version of this lifestyle she’s chasing might be a trap. She reaches out to the #TradWife Instagram community for guidance. No one answers.

Through these three perspectives—Madison, Cally, and Brianna—Liane Child explores not just the psychological weight of performance, but the darker consequences of traditional gender roles when taken to the extreme. The story is packed with secrets, betrayals, and eventually violence, culminating in a viral scandal that shatters Madison’s perfect image and forces all three women to reckon with their realities.

The novel excels at exposing the mechanics of influence: how curated content is manipulated, monetized, and weaponized. Child doesn’t preach, but she does peel back the layers with precision. Madison is a particularly complex character. She is both victim and perpetrator, navigating abuse and control while also exploiting her audience and her staff. She’s hard to like but impossible to ignore. Cally, meanwhile, adds a grounded outsider perspective that keeps the narrative from being completely swallowed by Madison’s unreality. Brianna’s arc—less flashy but emotionally resonant—offers a counterpoint, illustrating how aspirational lies can shape the lives of everyday women trying to escape modern burnout through a retro fantasy.

As a thriller, The Tradwife’s Secret is messy in the way that real life often is. There are some implausible twists, and a few characters (like Michael March, Madison’s domineering husband) occasionally verge on caricature. But in a genre that often centers male violence and female helplessness, Child gives us women who are complicated, flawed, and—most importantly—capable of disrupting the systems that trap them.

A few drawbacks: the language occasionally slips, with Britishisms like “torch” instead of “flashlight” pulling some readers out of the U.S.-based setting. The pacing lags in the middle, and one or two character arcs could have been more fully fleshed out—particularly Cally’s background, which feels underexplored. Still, these are small quibbles in what is otherwise a bold, smart, and highly readable book.

Final Thoughts:

If you’re intrigued by the dark side of influencer culture, fascinated by how online personas bleed into real-world dysfunction, or just want a thriller with teeth, The Tradwife’s Secret is well worth your time. It doesn’t just offer twists and reveals—it asks bigger questions about power, performance, and what women are willing to endure to be seen as “ideal.”

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Highly recommended for fans of domestic suspense with a modern, timely edge.

very first page, I was HOOKED, I literally couldn't put it down!
Thankfully, I grabbed the audiobook too and let me tell you... Lauryn Allman was phenomenal! 🎧 I had it playing while doing chores and carpooling the kids and I didn’t want to press pause.
This thriller was unlike any I’ve read before. The twists came out of nowhere 😲 and the story kept me guessing until the final page. I was honestly sad when it ended! 👏
Highly recommend if you're looking for a sharp, chilling, and fresh thriller!

Review will be added below closer to pub date.

The trademan wife. This book seemed like a knockoff of Rae Dunn This was a sad book to me. Influencers are sad people

Thank you NetGalley for sending me an ARC copy of this novel.

I thought this story had really good promise. I was pulled in by the title and cover. It’s a very different vibe from the usual mystery/thrillers I’ve read.

This book is about the life of a trad wife and the lengths she will go to in order to appear to live a perfect, happy life. All while hiding her darkest, terrible secret.

All in all, I enjoyed the story of 2 of our main characters, but the third just didn’t feel like she added much to the actual storyline.

Still a good, cozy read.

This was a pretty good thriller- I was completely surprised by the twist and the plot line. I enjoyed the writing and the inside scoop into the life of an influencer. The one issue that I did have was with the characters- I feel like Madison kind of went haywire in the end of the book, and I think some of the other characters could've been "edited" a little more. Overall, I really enjoyed this quick read!

This book is too political and stereotypical for me. I was only a few chapters in but knew that I would not enjoy it so I am choosing to DNF it.

Madison is an influencer with millions of followers who films herself making her husband wonderful breakfasts while she's fully made up, looking like the glamorous woman she'd like to be. But Alice is "stealing" her followers and she's mad! These families are "Preppers" who believe the world will end so they need to be prepared. But then we have a new tutor, hidden weapons, and suspicious people lurking about. It's a crazy tale of what it means to be a "traditional" wife as compared to a modern one where equality is key.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

I have a weird fascination/recoiling in horror/can't look away from the whole Tradwife thing, so this title definitely piqued my interest. And, honestly, Liane Child did a good job of keeping me on my toes with this one - I really did not see the twist coming until the very end. My biggest complaint is that I spent the entire book thinking that Madison was the hero, and that it was all an act, that she was in on the joke. And when that turned out not to be the case, I was stunned and surprised, and I felt like the payoff was somehow missing. Maybe in a different book, that would be a good thing, but in this one, it just sort of felt like a bait and switch. Overall, an enjoyable read, and a satisfying ending!

Madison March is an influencer, she projects the perfect life. but it is all a lie. Lots of twists and turns. it was hard to put down.

I haven't read any books by this author before, but I will certainly look for more of her work. The storyline was captivating, and I was eager to discover what would happen next. I anticipated one of the plot twists, but the other one completely surprised me. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Madison is a huge social media presence and has built a brand around being a "tradwife". She submits to her husband, lives the homesteading lifestyle and raises her children to follow in her footsteps. At least, that what it looks like to her Instagram followers. What Instagram doesn't see is the people keeping the facade running. Lori pretty much runs the show but nobody will ever know that. Madison's husband Michael is of the "rule with an iron fist" kind of mindset and is very strict with his wife and children.

The Tradwife's Secret is one of those books that I really didn't want to put down until I finished it. With social media being as prevalent as it is now, it was an interesting to kind of go behind the scenes (and yes, I know it was fiction but still!). It really drives home the point that what you see on social media is often times far from the truth. Everyone puts on their best face for the world but what goes on behind closed doors is a whole different story. This book did have several twists that I never saw coming and I loved it! I can't wait to see what Liane Child comes up with next!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Solid suspense with a tone that is sadly prevalent in society. Quick read that kept me engaged.

Really great book with some interesting commentary on trad wives and influencers. Very twisty and unpredictable with a nice fast pace and tons of tension build up! 5 stars for sure!

This was an interesting read. It reminded me of a lot of People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd and a little bit of You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Sutanto. TW for domestic violence and abuse. I had to skim some sections because while it was not terribly graphic, it was still uncomfortable to read. But the writing was crisp and fast-paced, the characters were layered and believable, and I did not see some of the twists coming. It was a a gripping thriller and very timely. I would recommend to anyone who likes thrillers about influencers, and the less than savory behind the scenes.