ARC Review: The Pastor’s Wife by LynDee Walker

Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Setting: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Themes: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Emotional: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️
Enjoyment: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, LynDee Walker, and Bookouture for the advanced copy and audiobook!

This was hands-down my favorite read of the month so far. The Pastor’s Wife is a gripping, twisty small-town thriller that had me hooked from start to finish. Told in dual POVs—from the seemingly perfect pastor’s wife to the newest woman in town who takes the job as church secretary—the story unfolds in a close-knit community where everyone knows your name… and your business.

It’s one of those towns where everyone pretends to be perfect, especially in church, but behind closed doors? Secrets, lies, and plenty of gossip. You know something shady is going on, but you’re never quite sure what—addiction? affairs? theft? maybe something much darker.

The suspense builds with each chapter as you try to piece together what’s really happening and who can be trusted.

Fast-paced, intense, and packed with tension, I couldn’t stop listening/reading until I uncovered the final truth. If you enjoy thrillers full of secrets, small-town drama, and layered female characters, this one is for you.

I enjoyed the digital copy as well as the audiobook, but with the dual POV I think I preferred the audiobook with the different narrators voicing each character.

ALC Review
In this chilling mystery a woman named Martha Escapes her past and starts her new life in the sweet and calm town of Whitney Falls.
When one day the new pastors wife helps her from a accident and befriends her. As the two women get close to each other Martha starts to learn that the relation between Pastor and his wife doesn't seem to be what they pretend to show the town people. She also notices this black truck every time she visits their home with the start of her new life she fears does anyone now about her past and is spying on her.
One October morning martha is scooping through the couples house she see's something that makes her guess everything about the couple. She gets to know the pastors wife is not as sweet as she seemed to believe.
My review: I was absolutely intrigued and hooked from the start. It made me question everything and everyone. The only thing is that you have to give the book some time to develop the plot to actually start the thrilling sections but when they start they do not end till the last chapter of the book. I really enjoyed listening to it, both the narrators did very good job to show the emotions and personality of both Martha and Mary!
Thank you Netgally, Bookouture Audio and lyndee walker for this amazing Audiobook!!

I loved the different POVs between Mary & Martha! The timing of the switching between the two was spot on and flowed great throughout the story. The 2 narrators voiced this story perfectly as well! I enjoyed the twists and figuring out the darkness that surrounds Whitney Falls. I appreciated the ending for what it was, but I wish there had been answers to some of the bigger plot-lines that seemed to be overshadowed in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture Audio for the advanced copy!

Set in Whitney Falls we follow the mysterious story of Pastor Tim and his wife Mary, who befriends a young new girl called Martha, but the more time Martha spends with them the more she becomes suspicious that something isn’t quite right. Martha comes to town with bags of her own secrets so she is well attuned to recognising dark behaviour isn’t she?

I quite enjoyed this audiobook and felt the narration for Mary and Martha really added to their character building. I found myself really feeling for Martha by the end, I wanted to know more about her, a sequel would be great to find out more.
I felt the end was a little rushed and got a little confusing at times. I also feel like there were a few too many questions left unanswered.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves a slow burn, psychological mystery with a chick flick feel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for offering this ARC in exchange for my personal thoughts.

Great audio book. Wow not what I was expecting, more twists than spaghetti. I was expecting adultery, jealousy and unhappiness. These I got but with so much more . Mary and Tim, the pastor and his beautiful wife, the book revolves around this couple and the new girl in town. This book touches an unsavoury topic with sensitivity and understanding.. A great story. The narrator did a great job .

The first part of this book held my attention and was really good. But it really feel south quickly. I had a hard time keeping up with who was who and the story become laborious rather than enjoyable.

And Breathe!!!!

The Pastor's Wife by LynDee Walker and narrated by Stephanie Cannon and Patricia Rodriguez was an excellent audiobook/book, it was a totally gripping psychological thriller packed with great twists and turns throughout that just took my breath away! It has great characters, and they all have dark secrets which will have a way of coming out into the open. . . . . Once I started to listen to The Pastor's Wife was just what I needed to listen to and I could not turn it off! Great for a hot summers day,

The narrators Stephanie Cannon and Patricia Rodriguez were excellent and brought the Pastor's Wife alive.

Another 5 ⭐️ read I highly recommend, Great Holiday read.

Big Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for my audiobook.

I picked this one up from NetGalley and went in completely blind. I honestly wasn’t expecting a five-star read from an author I hadn’t heard of before, but "The Pastor’s Wife" by Lyndee Walker surprised me in the best way. This was my first book by her, but definitely won’t be my last.

Set in a small southern town full of secrets, gossip, and tangled relationships, this story has all the things I love in a psychological thriller: small church politics, messy friendships, and the kind of drama that simmers just under the surface until it finally explodes. The southern charm and tension are layered in beautifully, and it really captured that tight-knit community vibe where everyone knows just enough about each other to be dangerous.

The audiobook is narrated by Stephanie Cannon and Patricia Rodriguez, and they are both incredible. Their voices bring the dual POVs to life with strong emotional nuance and distinct delivery. The southern accents were natural and never overdone, which added a strong sense of place without pulling me out of the story. I especially appreciated the way they handled tone during high-stakes scenes—measured but impactful, with just the right amount of tension. The pacing was also steady, especially considering it’s a tad of a slow burn. It takes a bit of time to build, but once the pieces start falling into place, I couldn’t stop listening.

The dual timelines and shifting perspectives were handled smoothly in audio format. I never felt confused about where I was in the story, which isn’t always the case with nonlinear thrillers. The structure worked really well here and added to the tension without sacrificing clarity.

I listened to this over just two days because I had to know what was going to happen. I was fully locked in. My only tiny wish? An epilogue. But honestly, the way it ended has me hoping we might get a sequel or companion story someday.

If you're an audiobook lover who enjoys a slow-burn psychological thriller with unhinged characters and a twisty plot, add "The Pastor’s Wife" to your TBR list. 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a good one. I did the audiobook version so the southern accent fit perfect. This is obviously a small town community that has church as the center of their lives. There are lots of secrets, lies, and sin😈

This book left me with more questions than answers. I want to know the fall out where did they land? What's her full name? Did the girls get rescued? Is she actually dead? I know that's the point of a thriller but it leaves you with spicy armpits


Dual pov alternating. I liked the narrators but they kind of had the same fake male voice for every male even though there were like 4 male characters that spoke regularly.

I never knew what was going to happen or what was reality through this entire book, and I LOVED IT!

The dual POV and scattered timelines really added to the tension and story building of Mary + Martha, and I finished this book in a single day because I just had to know what was happening. As a baptist pastor's wife (but not *this* kind of pastor's wife, I promise), I immediately could identify the side character stereotypes and they felt very true to life for me.

This book was twisty, shocking, + altogether a great story!

This book was a fun, twisty ride with just the right mix of suspense sprinkled with Southern flair. I listened to the audiobook and REALLY enjoyed both narrators—they did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life and capturing the tone of the story.

The plot unfolded at a great pace, with a few solid twists that kept things interesting. I especially appreciated how the story or shall I say lives unraveled.

One character in particular had me chuckling at times with her ability to turn on that good ol’ Southern charm at the drop of a hat. More than once I caught myself thinking, “What in the Southern Wisteria Lane is going on here?” 😂 That unexpected bit of humor made the story even more enjoyable.

That said, it was a bit of a letdown that we never got the full backstory on one of the main characters. I kept waiting for that reveal, but it never came. Maybe that was intentional—possibly a setup for a sequel????? I sure hope so, because I still have questions!

I also wish we had been given an epilogue. I would’ve appreciated just a little more closure.

Overall, this was an entertaining listen—layered with secrets, some never revealed 🥴. I’ll keep an eye out for more from Lyndee Walker, and hopefully, a follow-up to this one!

Thanks to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley and for the advanced audio version.

Rewind that—because wait, how can that be?! That was me, not once but three times, while listening to this twisty, expertly crafted audiobook.

It starts off a bit slow, but the payoff is absolutely worth it. As the plot unfolds, you’ll find yourself rethinking everything you heard earlier. No spoilers, but… hogs will never mean the same thing again.

The narration is top-notch—every emotion, every twist, every gasp-worthy moment is delivered with such precision that I had to pause and give it my full attention more than once. Perfect for audio thriller fans who love smart, layered storytelling. Highly recommend.

Once again, I am begging Goodreads to allow half stars. The Pastor's Wife was a good, solid domestic thriller which had me guessing. Better than a 3, not quite a 4, but tie goes to the author so I'm rounding up. It was a slower burn than I'd prefer, but the premise was solid - new Pastor, his wife, new friend.....weirdness. I struggled with the Mary/Martha names/connection, but perhaps that was on purpose?

Overall a solid, easy read perfect to throw in your beach bag this summer.

This one was a wild ride! Whitney Falls’ new pastor and his wife seem perfect. Everyone loves Pastor Tim and his wife, Mary. Before long, Mary befriends Martha, an attractive young cashier, but of course, not everything is as it seems.

Whitney Falls is full of secrets, and so are some of its residents.

The story touches on some dark subject matter I didn’t expect. I was hooked from the beginning. The plot was engaging, the twists kept coming, and when the truth started to unravel, I wasn’t ready. It didn’t go the way I thought it would, and I enjoyed the ride.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the free audio copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 ⭐️
Pub Date: June 16, 2025
How I Read It: 🎧

Synopsis
Whitney Falls was supposed to be the perfect small town for Martha to disappear to. She wasn’t supposed to make any new friends, but when the pastor’s wife saves her from an accident, and covers for her, she befriends her, becomes a regular at church, and the pastor and his wife welcome her into their home with open arms. But something is off about Pastor Tim and his wife, Mary. There’s also a strange black car that’s been watching Martha every time she visits Mary. Martha eventually makes a discovery that has her wondering if her friendship with Mary was real or planned. Everyone thinks Tim and Mary are saints, but they may actually be sinners, and Mary knows their secret.

My Thoughts
Well, I didn’t see that coming! I knew the Pastor seemed weird, like he was hiding something, and I didn’t trust Mary one bit, but was not expecting where the storyline went! I picked this book up because it was set in the south and I loved a good southern read. The narrators on the audiobook did a great job with the female voices, but I was a little confused with the male voice because it sounded more like an old man than the handsome young man Pastor Tim was supposed to be. This was a pretty decent thriller, that had my attention for most of the book because I couldn’t wait to see what Tim and Mary were hiding and what Mary was trying to run from in her past.

Themes
🫣 Suspense
🔪 Murder
Kidnapping
Multiple POVs

Ratings
Characters: 4 ⭐️
Pace: 3 ⭐️
Enjoyability: 4 ⭐️
Narrator: 3.5 ⭐️

Thank you Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

This was not a “totally gripping psychological thriller packed with twists”. The premise of this book really hooked me and I was looking forward to a thrilling read, but unfortunately this book fell flat.

Most of the book was like a slow family drama, which is a trap a lot of thrillers fall into. We don’t know much about either of our main characters and Martha will hint at her background being so mysterious, but we don’t actually find out any further information until pretty far into the book. By that time, I didn’t really care about her past.

The book switches timelines and narrators. I listened to the book, which made it easy to follow who was speaking. The narrator for Martha was fine, although I didn’t like the voice used for the Pastor. It made him seem like an old man, not the young 30s ridiculously handsome man he was supposed to be.

All of the action happens in the last quarter of the book, which is too far in my opinion. I didn’t think the twists were all that shocking. The very very end was ridiculous and didn’t make sense. There’s no reason things needed to play out that way. It seems like the author decided there wasn’t enough drama, so the story was drug out for another chapter.

I would have DNFd this book if I hadn’t received a copy from NetGalley. I wanted to give an honest and complete review, since I knew there were expected twists at the end.

My first book by LynDee Walker (love the name!), and I was pleasantly satisfied with her writing. The story starts innocently enough, giving you that feeling of wonder about what's about to happen. It turns dark and twisty fast, and as much as I had my suspicions on what was going on, the ending had my jaw drop! The story moves at a nice pace, and the dual POV was delivered flawlessly. The narrators did a fantastic job. Many thanks to the author and Netgalley for approving the audiobook for an honest review. I am definitely going to check out more books by LynDee

twists and turns on twists and turns! Very much enjoyed this ride. The characters were unique and had a great development through the story. I seriously could not stop listening. There were a few times I looked at the progression and felt as though the story should be further along, but I honestly enjoyed all of it. AND JUST WAIT FOR THAT ENDING. Thank you Netgalley, LynDee Walker, and Bookouture Audio for gifting this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the author, narrators, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free e-audio version of this title in exchange for my review.

This book - wow, what a combination! The story started off strong and you could really feel the eerie, creepy coming up. The last half felt - forced. IT didn't really all fit together and mesh. Changing POV's and time lines got to be rather confusing. I'll admit, I didn't fully see the ending - that was a bit of a shock - but this does feel a lot like many other thrillers out. Very much the feel of a certain very popular author that I'm not a fan of.

This was my first book by LynDee Walker. I would try another one by this author.

3 stars - Recommend to readers of other popular thriller/suspense female authors. And do try the audio - it was good to listen to.