This book started out slow. It picks up about halfway through. Even pastors have secrets. There are a couple twists and turns and a surprise ending.

I was immediately engaged and intrigued by this story. LynDee Walker draws readers in with a vivid sense of place—it's easy to picture the small town, complete with the looming influence of the Baptist church. The writing is smooth and easy to read, and the author sets the scene well.
One of the highlights for me was watching Martha and Mary’s friendship develop. Their bond added emotional depth and complexity, and I found myself truly invested in both of their stories.
While I enjoyed the book overall, there were a few elements that didn’t quite work for me. The mention of the months at the beginning of each chapter felt unnecessary and a bit distracting.
That said, the plot twists were absolutely jaw-dropping. I didn’t see any of them coming— Walker does a fantastic job of building suspense and keeping the reader guessing.
Overall, The Pastor’s Wife is a compelling and thought-provoking read with strong characters, surprising turns, and an unsettlingly real atmosphere. I’m glad I had the chance to read this ARC and look forward to reading more from LynDee Walker.

Wow! What a fantastic thriller book - I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future. This book kept me HOOKED the entire time, and I binged it in 1.5 days. I loved how this book kept me questioning EVERYTHING, and there were so many plot twists. I found myself second guessing everything that I thought that I knew, and it kept me wanting to continue reading after every chapter. I'm not going to say too much as I went in blind, and I think it very much added to the experience. The title and synopsis of this book are more than enough to start you off with before diving into this book - and I would HIGHLY recommend reading this book if you're a fan of thriller/mysteries and many plot twists!

In a small village, it seems like the walls have ears. Everyone knows everyone and thinks they know everything about everyone. But on the other hand, such a small village is also ideal if you want to build a new life, far from your past and the hustle and bustle of big cities.

This is also the case for Martha. She tries to stay under the radar as much as possible, but that actually has the opposite effect. She especially becomes a thorn in the side of a certain person who does everything possible to make her life miserable. However, there is a guardian angel involved, and who else could that be but Mary, the pastor's wife?

It becomes clear fairly quickly that Martha is carrying a secret, and that Mary has a warm personality that takes her under her wing. But soon it also becomes clear that the Mary at home and the Mary in public are not the same person. What’s really going on?

Another important character is Pastor Tim. He immediately wins the hearts of the female community. He has charm in abundance—but is he using it in the right way?

The story is smoothly written and paints a perfect picture of all the main characters. This makes it easy to take sides. More and more, I began to realize that the author was pulling the wool over my eyes, with the result that I kept falling from one surprise into another.

Suddenly, I started seeing red flags everywhere and began to understand certain things.

For me, this is an incredibly good book. Personally, I think the ending could have been a bit more developed. Other than that, I really enjoyed it. 4.5 stars.

Thank you

Wow this was a really dark book that starts off with a young woman who is hiding from something and this small town seemed to be the best place to hide out but it seems her new bosses wife hates her and wants her to leave but a chance meeting finds her a new friend and a life she is desperate to keep hold of but is the perfect Pastor and his lovely wife really as perfect as they make out and could she be in danger closer to home. This is a dark thriller not to be missed!!

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from Netgalley. I was instantly intrigued by the synopsis for this book and was pleased to see the plot lived up to it. However, it's execution fell a bit flat. I was engaged throughout and Mary and Martha were intriguing protagonists. However, the story jumped about a lot, making it hard to follow at times, and while it is normal to suspend disbelief with this genre, the ending was far-fetched.

The plot was SO good. The twists just kept coming. Not my typical book to pick up, but I’m SO HAPPY I did because it was incredible. 10/10 of bringing us through the relationships and ups and downs.

Something strange is going on in the town of Whitney Falls, but only one person seems to be noting that. And interestingly, the person concerned just happens to be one of the newer residents of the town.

But why does nobody else seem to sense the strange disconnect in the behaviour of the pastor and his wife? On the contrary, most people seem to feel that the sun shines out of the pair.

But there is a darkness just below the surface...

This is an entertaining thriller that does a good job of portraying small town life. It gets 3.5 stars.