What I Liked:
This thriller was fantastically crafted. I read a lot of thrillers and did not see the last twist coming! If I’m surprised, I am pretty impressed with a book. Readers will enjoy the multiple narratives and the twists. I feel that many people love to hate the tradwife movement and you’re given plenty of reasons to roll your eyes, feel superior, and question the women in this role.

What I Didn’t Like:
There were a few passages that cited distance using meters and it threw me off when the book is set in Montana in the United States.

The Trad Wife’s Secret is a twisty, unputdownable thriller that pulls back the curtain on the curated perfection of influencer life. Madison’s picture-perfect world is as captivating as it is chilling, and watching it unravel is pure reading pleasure. If you love domestic thrillers with a dark edge and social commentary, this one is a must-read!

Thank you Liane Child, Harper 360, Harper Audio, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

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Thank you so much to NetGalley for an ARC of The Tradwifes Secret!

The Tradewife’s Secret was more of a 3.5 stars.

Not going to lie the title is what drew me in and I’m so glad it didn’t disappoint. I love books that give us a look behind an influencers life, especially when it’s full of drama, lies, and twists. It’s one of my favorite subgenres.

I will say my only gripe with this book is the narrative it seemed to push about all traditional wives/marriages. I am more traditional (stay home with kids, homeschool, cook, clean, believe in God), but that doesn’t mean I have no agency, I don’t believe in human rights (I’m pretty left leaning on most things), or that all traditional husbands are abusive, controlling men. It was a bit unfair to paint all “traditional” marriages as an all or nothing sort of thing.

BUT, when I reminded myself it was just a book and maybe it’s not that deep and it says nothing about me or my life - I had a great time! Madison was such an interesting character and the lengths she would go to keep up her facade was so wild to read about it.

A fun popcorn thriller that you can read in one sitting.

This book delves into the world of traditional wives and influencers providing a fascinating exploration of modern societal norms and personal identity. The interplay between a seemingly perfect lifestyle and the underlying complexities creates an engaging narrative filled with tension and unexpected twists. The fast pace and unpredictable plot are key elements that keep you on the edge of your seat, eagerly turning pages to uncover the next surprising development. It definitely earned a 5-star rating in my eyes!

*The Tradwife’s Secret* is an addictive, drama-filled page-turner that hooked me from the very first chapter. Liane Child paints a picture of a seemingly perfect homesteading influencer mom—four kids, a charming rural life, and an online following that eats up every curated moment. But behind the filtered photos and wholesome videos, there's so much more going on.
Beyond the drama, it's also a sharp look at influencer culture, especially how some “tradwives” and family vloggers use their kids and personal lives as content. In today’s age of curated perfection on social media, this story felt both entertaining and relevant.
If you love domestic suspense with a modern, influencer-era twist, this is definitely a must-read. I couldn’t put it down!

I was really intrigued by The Tradwife's Secret but ultimately this was just an okay read for me. The first half of the book was exciting but began to fall flat around the midpoint. It also felt the author was trying to cram every theme that came to mind into the book. I also didn't find it to be very "thrilling". Still, I think many will enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper360 for the advanced copy. The Tradwife's Secret publishes on May 27, 2025.

4 stars

I have been absolutely fascinated with tradwife culture since it started popping up..
This book was great, I loved seeing the dark side come out. The he twists, and the characters…*chefs kiss*

5 enthusiastic stars! I absolutely loved this book. I have a weird fascination with fundies and how they like to make their lives out to be the only good way to live. I have a feeling more of the women are just as fake and fed up as Madison was.

I had only recently discovered what Tradwife meant and was intrigued. This book wonderfully wrote how social media affects our lives and how most everything that is seen online is planned and purposeful and, most importantly, not always true.

Warning for those with trauma that there are moments of physical abuse.

This book kept me guessing on what would happen next and there were several twists that had me shocked! Intriguing, gripping and would recommend.

This book releases May 27th. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in return for my honest review.

What a thrilling ride! Tradwife influencer, Madison, has so many people fooled except for the ones who live and work with her. She is not what she seems. Plenty of juicy secrets and plot twists are unearthed in this novel. I enjoyed the multiple narratives in this book. I think the author developed the characters well, and I learned a lot about tradwives. I’ve never heard of them before reading this book. This book had me truly engrossed; and from the ending, I wonder if there will be a part two.

The twist! Madison March is the tradwife, but not who you assume her to be when the cameras are off. The story is a fast one with twists and turns and a satisfying conclusion. This book is extremely timely in today’s online cultural atmosphere. I definitely recommend picking this one up! Thank you to the author, publisher, and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this arc!

Welcome to the world of the traditional wife social media influencer, the "tradwife" in the book's title. The couple -- and their four kids -- are at the center of this novel, which takes place on a remote Wyoming homestead, and across social media feeds as they navigate their days. Oh, and they have plenty of off-camera help with a housekeeper, a children's tutor -- because of course they are home schoolers -- a driver and a few other assorted others to set up the perfect meals, exercise programs, and stuff that just brings in the clicks. But then things get ugly as the tradwife rebels under some very dark circumstances. We start out with the family rejecting the big city hustle and "sticking it to the man, and living their best life" becomes a test of wills. Keep those clicks up becomes a chore to find something controversial and more "clickbaity." And then there is the essence at the tradwife core because the woman should submit to her man, and that he knows best. How these issues get resolved -- and how their social followers react -- will drive forward the plot. Highly recommended.

A perfect life sold to women every day on social media is really anything but. Madison is a social media influencer homesteading in Montana. She paints an idyllic picture of family life that unfolds in a suspenseful and enjoyable story.

The Tradwife’s Secret had potential, but the overwhelming number of characters made it hard to stay engaged. I often found myself confused and losing interest, even though the premise was intriguing. A tighter focus would have made the story more compelling. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

A reminder to not compare our lives to what we see on social media. Every single post has been chosen. We only see what the poster has chosen for us to see. This beautiful homes, loving marriages, and smiling children. But what happens behind the scenes? The bits we chose not to share? This was look into such a life and the secrets not shared.

I absolutely loved this book! I never wanted to put it down. I’ve always been interested by the fad of tradwives (definitely not one myself) but the entire concept of this book was why I wanted to read it. The plot and the twists at the end were so good!

This was kind of cringey. I don't really watch shows like this so I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I thought it was going to be more traditional domestic thriller. I finished it, but I can't say I'm happy with myself about that.

I was immediately interested in this book because I'm always curious about influencers, specifically the ones touting the tradwife life.
I enjoyed the twists in the book but it did take a while for me to get into too.

Things I liked about the book;
The insight-behind the scenes look at what it takes to be a social media influencer and how it's definitely not perfect.
The multiple POVs of the book

Things I didn't enjoy
I found the ending to be kind of clunky and despite the book seemingly being really long, the ended felt rushed.
I didn't find Madison's and Lori's story at the end believable, it seemed really odd when it all came out as to why they were connected
Cally's reason for being the tutor was so far fetched it was goofy. Every time she brought it up, I rolled my eyes.

Madison March is the perfect Montana “trad wife”. With a handsome rancher husband, 4 beautiful children and one on the way, she lives a life of domestic bliss. Or at least that is the image she projects to her millions of Instagram followers.

Cally is a young woman with a predicament, and the job at the March ranch as the family’s tutor seems to be the answer to all her problems. But seeing the life behind the screen is a shock. The ease at which Madison projects a wholesome image online is in fact carefully curated. The reality is much different, and there is a sinister undercurrent to the March’s marriage.

Brianna is a young woman trying to live out the dreamy homesteading life she sees online with her boyfriend, Jonah. But homesteading is a lot harder than influencers make it seem, and her confidence wanes as tension between her and Jonah grows.

In The Trad Wife’s Secret, we follow these 3 women as they navigate the choices they have made in life—and the consequences of those choices.

This book started off super slow. As “trad wives” are in the cultural zeitgeist right now, and certain influencers have been criticized for not showing both the true work behind what they post online as well as the help they have to produce the content, the subject is timely. But the characters are deeply unlikeable: Madison is shallow and self-centered, Cally is flat, and Brianna is pitiably naive about the situation she is in. The storyline picked up 3/4s of the way through as it became more clear that people were hiding things, and the twist at the end was truly surprising. The ending was satisfying. Content warmings: domestic violence, child loss.
Thank you Harper360 for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was an interesting thriller - I kept wanting to read it addicted to the trad wife lifestyle (is it all real or not will we ever know??) and then the storyline of Brianna got me pulled in too because I felt like that was so much more realistic than the IG stuff. I think it’s a good commentary about the irony that tradwives have made their life into a way to make money thereby defeating being a “true” trad wife. I would have liked more suspense and violence for the thriller aspect tho. Overall a decent read!