This book was entertaining yet really frustrating to read about the life of a tradwife. I enjoyed the depiction of social media, but the ending wrapped up in too much of a bow for me

[3.5 STARS]

Perfect wife, perfect life.

Madison March is a tradwife influencer and mother of four — soon to be five — children who spends her days curating the ideal, wholesome life on their family homestead (just picture Ballerina Farms). But as the saying goes, don’t believe everything you see online. The March family is full of dark secrets her followers would never believe.

The Tradwife’s Secret is a gripping thriller that highlights the far-right positions on feminism, doomsday prepping, patriotism and patriarchy.

Hits: a real twisty page-turner; multiple POVs and time frames (Madison’s POV is *chef’s kiss* especially in the last 20%); most of the book takes places on the homestead and the author really paints a picture of the March family’s world

Misses: heavy on the stereotypical political traits on both sides (mentions of Jan. 6, red hats, Obamas, etc.) (not that any of these mentioned in a book is bad, but they were just really hammered throughout)

Thank you to #NetGalley and Harper 360 for an advanced reader copy of #TheTradwifesSecret!

Thank you to Netgally for the opportunity to review this ARC!! This is a fun thriller I would recommend to fans of Frieda McFadden. I absolutely could not put this down! The story follows trad wife influencer Madison March and her family, and her supposed perfect life curated on social media. But of course not everything is as it seems. I don’t want to give too much away since the twists and turns were super unexpected. The multiple POVs and shorter chapters made this easy to fly through. This is an easy one to recommend for fans of any domestic psychological thriller- especially fans of the Housemaid!

Liane Child gives us a compelling peek behind the lens of a #tradwife influencer. Think: multiple kids, homemade meals from homegrown ingredients, spotless kitchens, and doting husbands. But as we all suspect, there’s always more happening off camera.

In The Tradwife’s Secret, Madison March appears to be the epitome of domestic perfection, living an idyllic life in the Montana wilderness. But it’s all a carefully curated illusion. As her picture perfect world begins to unravel, so does she. As the ugly truth spills it’s impossible to look away.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this story. I love suspense and when it is so well done I cannot recommend it enough. This will definitely be one of those times. The plot was well written and the characters felt so real!

I loooooved this book! I wish I could read it again for the first time. A good story, characters that are cringe, and twists that I didn't see coming had me devouring this book.

Going into this book I really had no idea exactly what a tradwife was. I've heard the term a few times and guessed it was a woman who played a traditional role in the home as wife and mother. I soon learned that Madison, the main character, was a social media influencer living the tradwife lifestyle. Or is she really?

Got to be honest here and say I really didn't like any of the characters in this book except Cally. But I think that was the author's intent. We get a behind the scenes look at the influencer lifestyle and how it isn't as perfect as it looks. A great reminder for when people are scrolling and getting down about their not-so-perfect lives.

This story is told from the pov of a few characters. This keeps things moving along at a nice pace. There are plot twists that I didn't guess until they happened and it made reading this book fun.

All in all this was a great book and one I quickly read. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. When I had to reluctantly step away from.the book I couldn't quit thinking about it. A book Ibwould definitely recommend!

I absolutely devoured this. I was totally engaged the whole way though. Trad wife influencers in general fascinate me; the idea of portraying such perfect domesticity when so often there are outside forces propping it up.

The characters were really well developed and all of them had flaws, although I was definitely rooting for some over others. I thought the relationships between the male and female characters was really well done, showing the struggle to find the balance of power in these relationships.

Madison March is the perfect tradwife, with a social media following in the millions, with people following her perfect homestead life and her perfect family. Things, however, are not what they seem on camera.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 An Addictively Twisted Look Behind the Apron Strings
The Trad Wife’s Secret by Liane Child is a deliciously dark dive into the carefully curated domestic bliss and the sinister truths that can lurk beneath the surface of a seemingly perfect Instagram influencer. This is a compelling, twist-filled thriller that is chillingly relevant based in the influencer culture, gender stereotypical beliefs of the trad-con movement, and the pressures of being viewed as “perfect” online. Child takes the glossy veneer of the tradwife culture and shreds it completely into ribbons.

On the surface, Madison March is the embodiment of tradwife chic living the American dream-homesteading in rural Montana, baking from scratch, homeschooling her kids, smiling sweetly, and posting sun-drenched photos of farm life for her millions of loyal social media followers. But behind the filtered reels of her idyllic life of sourdough starters, dresses, and a feed-friendly façade is a woman walking a razor-thin line trying to hide the dark, disturbing truth of her secret-filled life and Child makes sure the reader feels every wobble.

This is not your average domestic thriller. Child dials up the tension fast and doesn’t let up. Just when you think you’ve uncovered Madison’s biggest secret, Child peels back another layer with one more well-timed twist—some shocking, some gasp-worthy, and a few genuinely disturbing. Madison is absolutely fascinating: equal parts calculating, trapped, and complicit. I was never quite sure whether to root for her, fear her, or pity her. With a plot that is stacked with betrayals, manipulations, and unpredictable turns and a protagonist caught somewhere between empowered and entrapped this book has a truly addictive pull.

That being said, there is one nagging flaw: the use of British English when Madison is supposed to be an ultra-American, trad-con Montana homemaker with a massive U.S.-based following. It felt jarring to read words like mum, snug, and windscreen, and see the alternative spellings of words like tyre, colour, and favourite disrupting the otherwise immersive narrative and pulling me out of the story breaking the illusion of Madison as an authentically American character.
Despite this, The Trad Wife’s Secret still delivers in spades with its juicy, knife-sharp exploration of curated identity, power, and control. If you’re drawn to stylish, smart thrillers with a wicked edge, there is plenty to feast on here. Just don’t be fooled by the flaky pie crusts and fake smiles—the truth is anything but wholesome.

I received a free copy of, The Tradwife's Secret. by Liane Child, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Looks can be deceiving, is Madison March the perfect tradwife? I did not care for any of these characters especially Michael.

TW: Domestic abuse

To Madison’s 10 million + Instagram followers, she has the perfect life. Loving husband, 4 perfectly behaved children, and exceptional domestic skills.

However life isn’t always what it seem like on social media.

This was such an entertaining read and a thriller where I didn’t guess most of the twists at all which was fun. It was also a good reminder that social media is typically more of a highlight reel than real life.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

The Tradwife’s Secret by Liane Child is a quietly unsettling domestic thriller that skillfully lulls readers into a false sense of security before pulling the rug out from under them. What begins as an almost mundane portrayal of a traditional, seemingly picture-perfect life slowly reveals a far more disturbing and layered narrative beneath the surface.

Child’s choice to open the novel with an air of normalcy appears entirely intentional—every detail feels controlled, almost too perfect. It’s this deliberate calm that makes the eventual unraveling so effective. As the story progresses, the cracks begin to show, and what initially feels unremarkable transforms into a psychological maze of secrets, manipulation, and unexpected revelations.

With well-timed twists and moments of genuine shock, The Tradwife’s Secret keeps readers questioning everything they thought they understood about its characters and their motives. It’s a slow burn that rewards patience, delivering suspense and surprises in equal measure. Liane Child has crafted a novel that is as deceptive as it is compelling—a haunting reminder that appearances can be dangerously misleading.

Rating: ★★★★½ (rounded up to 5)

I really enjoyed this book overall. It was fast-paced, full of twists I didn’t see coming, and genuinely kept me hooked from start to finish. I was never bored, and I didn’t find it hard to follow at all. Even with the story being told from three different points of view, each perspective was distinct and easy to keep track of, which I appreciated.

That said, I did have one issue that stuck with me. The book leaned heavily into portraying all the trad wives’ husbands as abusive and all conservatives as inherently bad. There was even a MAGA reference, and while I understand the stereotype the author was working with, it felt a little over the top. I don’t think it was necessary to make every conservative character awful in order to tell the story. It started to feel more like a political statement than part of the plot, and that pulled me out of it a little.

Also, the tone felt very British. After finishing the book, I saw that the author is British, which made sense. At times, it felt like someone writing about American conservative culture from an outside perspective, and that added to the feeling that some parts were a bit exaggerated…maybe out if personal opinion?.

Content warning: infertility and pregnancy are major themes throughout the book. It is not just a side element, but something that is woven through the entire story. I wish I had known that going in, so I think it is worth mentioning for readers who may be sensitive to those topics. There’s also domestic abuse.

Even with those concerns, I really liked the book. The story was compelling, the ending worked for me, and I would absolutely recommend it. Just know going in that the political elements are pretty strong.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I received a complementary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the author and the publisher.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this one. As I read I really got caught up in this book and the Tradwife's story. The characters were interesting, if not dysfunctional, and they had their own crazy backstories that become clear as you delve in to this story. Reading about an influencer and behind the scenes of her perfectly orchestrated on-line life were crazy and parts were surprising. There were a few twists and turns that I was not expecting and I always enjoy a good surprise twist.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
This was quite a unique book, upsetting, fascinating and kept me reading.
Madison lives a lie. She has an instagram account where she portrays the perfect wife and perfect mother. But what happens when her world begins to crumble? Is it all about the ratings? And the shocking ending!

This immensely readable book features Madison, a tradwife influencer who lives with her husband, Michael, and four children in Montana. She hires Cally to tutor the children, and we realize quickly that Madison's perfect influencer life is much different on the inside. A secondary story follows Brianna, a young new tradwife who is trying hard to achieve Madison's lifestyle but finding it very difficult. Both characters have similar challenges, and the stories eventually converge.

This is a psychological thriller that is fast-paced and engaging. I highly recommend it!

Every now and then a tradwife video or story will pop up on my feed. While I am far from a tradwife, I can enjoy the content, and maybe silently judge some of the things they say or do. I was really excited when I was sent this book on netgalley, and it didn’t disappoint.

For starters, this is not a friendly view of Tradwives. It’s a critique of the “I can do it all” mothers and wives, who actually have lots of help and money, and also shows how that can affect other people. This has a wild plot, that does have triggers. You have to suspend belief quite a bit with this one, but it’s a good story if you can.

Three different women have the majority of POVs. There’s Madison March, super mom and wife who does it all for the camera, but actually does shockingly little when the cameras aren’t rolling. Cally, an East Coast liberal who’s brought in as a tutor for the 4 March children, which goes about how you’d imagine. And Brianna, a young woman just out of high school starting a homestead with her boyfriend.

The arc had some formatting issues, but I do hope the changes back and forth between the last name being March to Marsh is fixed for the final copy.

Overall, I thought this was a binge worthy thriller with secrets and plot twists that really worked for me!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Trad Wife's Secret follows Madison March and her beautifully curated homestead life. She has four wonderful children, a loving husband and a huge homestead that they work on together. She keeps up her traditional home values and has the overall perfect life..... Or does she.

I went into this book with no real expectation. I just liked the idea of a Trad Wife being the center of the story. Within the story I did enjoy the back multiple POV's with Brianna, Madison and Cally. Along with the snippets of the Instagram posts/comments. The writing itself was good. The author clearly has a very good imagination. But I do think the story line just fell flat in some places. The writing seemed a little jumbled like the story line was there, but it wasn't fully fleshed out. There were also too many secrets. I get that it is the title of the book, but it just felt like the author was trying to do everything. Rather than stick with a few things and doing them well. It also felt like the author just took ChatGPT's description of trad wives and ran with it. So at times, it was almost damaging to the real ones which made it less fun to read about. I'm not sure if this was intentional but there were parts where their last name went from March or Marsh.. but then back. Which took me out of the story because I had to go back to figure out who we were talking about. The ending was a bit rushed and parts didn't make a lot of sense because they seemed to come out of no where.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper 360 for my eARC. All opinions are my own.

I had serious mixed emotions about this book. While the concept of Tradwives is fascinating and I am guilty of going down their Instagram rabbit hole occasionally, nothing is ever as perfect as it seems.

This book tended to exploit the extreme cases of "traditional values" by focusing on the mind control and physical/emotional abuse that are often associated with being submissive to your husband. I spent a good chunk of the book wanting to throttle Michael and Jonah myself. This book made me angry!

While I was furious at times, I was also drawn so completely into the plot that I couldn't put it down. The emotions that this story evoked further enhanced the suspense and the twists.

If you are looking for a book that will make you feel all types of emotions while still taking you on a wild ride, this is for you!

The Tradwife's Secret by Liane Child had me with the title alone, as a 50 something raging feminist housewife (by choice!) who is fascinated by the emerging social media wave of women catering to their husband's every need. (Your his wife, not his mommy, ladies!)

This book focuses on Madison March, a Montana ranch wife, whose home is ruled by her husband, Michael. She has four kids, is pregnant with the 5th and her carefully cultivated life is falling apart.

The story is told via Madison, the kids tutor, Cally, and Brianne, a very young wife trying to be perfect and failing miserably.

Nothing is ever as beautiful and fun as it seems in social media and Ms. Child breaks it down a little at a time as we see Madison's life and brand dissolve.

Very relevant in today's society and it was a fun read watching it all fall apart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I was instantly drawn in by the brilliant social media campaign for The Tradwife’s Secret, so getting an early copy felt like a real treat. There wasn’t much info out there yet, which made the reading experience even more intriguing, and it totally delivered.
Madison March lives the perfect life on a picturesque Montana homestead. She bakes sourdough, grows vegetables, and always has dinner ready, while millions admire her online. But behind the flawless image, not everything is as it seems.
Liane Child weaves a quiet, slow-burning tension that gradually peels back the truth behind the picture-perfect life. It’s sharp, timely, and incredibly compelling. I couldn’t put it down.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publishing house for this book in advance.