This book was interesting. Honestly, I didn't know what the term "Tradwife" was! It's definitely not the direction my personal life goes in, but it was interesting to read regardless. I learned a lot about a lot of things.
This book follows a tradwife who is also an internet personality. She does tradwife videos and shows her way of life. Her husband is a complete tool, but she seems to be fine with it for the most part. Life seems so perfect for this couple and their children with one more on the way. However, things aren't always the way they seem. Buckle up friend, you're in for a ride!
I really enjoyed this story more than I thought I would at first. It seemed sort of slow and not going anywhere super-fast. However, you are reading the present time and also a story that takes place in the past. When they finally come together it's... BOOM! Nice ending to the story.

I really enjoyed #TheTradwifesSecret
An entertaining read full of drama, secrets and lies. It didn’t disappoint. I couldn’t put this book down. A fast paced thriller that keeps you guessing. With short chapters that keep you turning the pages.
I liked the “tradwife influencer” storyline. It draws you in, I was curious to see where it would go, becoming completely immersed in the story. And a brilliant twist at the end. Told in multiple POV’s from Madison, Callie and Brianna adding depth to the story. The characters are well written with depth making the story engaging. This book is intriguing, gripping, twisty, heartbreaking, addictive and poignant.
A brilliant debut from @lianechildauthor and I can’t wait to read more.
Definitely recommend this book, if you like psychological suspense domestic thrillers or are intrigued by the tradwife phenomenon you’ll enjoy this.
Thanks to #NetGallery #HQ @hqstories for an arc in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 22 May 2025.

I went into The Tradwife’s Secret expecting a breezy, entertaining domestic thriller that was fun, but ultimately forgettable, but what I got was something far more clever and unsettling. Liane Child delivers a sharp, slow-burn unraveling of the “perfect wife” fantasy, complete with eerie tension, social media satire, and just enough twists to keep you rapt.

Madison March’s seemingly idyllic homestead life feels like something off Pinterest, but you can sense the cracks from page one—and watching them widen is both chilling and deeply satisfying. The novel’s commentary on performative femininity and the curated tradwife aesthetic is surprisingly layered, and I appreciated how it subtly critiques the toxic pressures hidden beneath all that sourdough and sunlight.

Is it a little over the top at times? Sure. But that just adds to the fun. I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this one—dark, juicy, and sneakily smart.

This was a very interesting read! I truly did not know what was going to happen or how all the characters were connected until the very end! Thank you to the Author and publisher for the advanced reader copy!

An enjoyable read. Good storyline if you are into social media etc, although the final few pages were a little far fetched. Maybe the author intends to write a follow up and had to leave it open.

Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Audio and HQ Digital for the digital copy of this book and audiobook; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Trigger Warnings: Physical and mental abuse.

I’m not one to follow influencers, but I do a lot of the things that may seem foreign to some people: canning fruits, vegetables, meat, and meals in a jar, I make some of my own bread, I cook from scratch all the time, before I had physical limitations, I gardened (now I rely on farmer’s markets). It’s what my Silent Generation mother and father taught me to do. I stayed at home with the kids when they were little simply because I got laid off while pregnant, but while I was home with the kids, I went back to college and got a dual degree. I also took over the money management. So, I always say I’m an urban homesteader/NOT A TRAD WIFE. I’ve only seen clips here and there of trad wife content and it’s so–ick. But that’s part of the reason I wanted to check out this book. From working in television, I know that what happens in real life is not the same as a carefully curated and edited reel.

There are three points-of-view in this book. First, Madison March. She’s a trad wife content creator who does and says what her husband will allow. He is the head of the household, period. She has four children and another on the way. If you only looked at her online presence, you’d be wowed. But things are not always as they seem. Younger influencers are making it tough for Madison to get the same amount of traction on her posts that she used to.

Another POV is Kylie (Kally–had a hard time discerning this name while listening). She’s desperate for money to free her brother and she needs it fast. She takes a job as a tutor for Madison’s children. Of course, working for an influencer means she has to sign an NDA, and all she can think of is to try and make it to July when she’ll have enough money to quit. She sees some crazy crap going on in the house.

The last POV is Briana. She’s been sucked in by the trad life she sees on social and wants to be a trad wife. She and her boyfriend just up and leave their home and move to Montana, otherwise known as trad country. Their parents have cut them off because they’re not married. She’s having a hard time adjusting and wonders how all these other women with trad content make it look so easy. She reaches out to the trad wife community and gets no response. She’s bereft.

This was a really interesting book with a lot of red herrings, and MacGuffins. I was fully engaged with the audio narration of Lauryn Allman. Excellent twisty thriller!

𝓐𝓻𝓬 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀
The Tradwife’s Secret by Liane Child

This twisty novel follows 3 different women:

Madison March: the perfect 'traditiona'l role model, she’s teaching millions of women online to make sourdough and bend the knee.

Cally: a liberal Bostonian running from mistakes and seeking safety and a paycheck in Madison’s ranch life, tutoring her four children.

Brianna: a young woman who dreams of a sparkling homesteading life just like the one she sees on social media.

As their stories weave and collide, tensions are high, and they all have secrets to hide.

If you already sped through the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, this is a great read for you! It has the same high-stakes influencer drama, but escalated to 11. From what’s going to happen to Momtok? To what is Madison March, queen bee of the trad wife conservative influencers, hiding behind her perfectly curated aesthetic, ranch life, rosy-cheeked children, and strapping husband?

Child’s writes an interesting commentary on the promise of a perfect life that so many of us are addicted to consuming, A very dark fantasy of what the cost of performing for the approval of millions is. The plot was gripping, and I enjoyed jumping from POV to POV, as each person slowly pulled the camera back so we could see what was going on behind the 4:5 lens. If the drama of momtok isn't enough for you or if you like to imagine something more sinister behind Instagram's favorite homesteading momfluencer's perfect smiles, you'll enjoy this fast-paced suspense novel.

TW: verbal abuse, physical abuse

I'm not sure whether I've been living under a rock or no longer 'down with the kids 🤣', but I'd never actually heard of a Tradwife, but I'm now fully clued up!

With over a million followers, Madison March is the queen of the #tradwives. Living on their family ranch, ran by husband Michael and mum to their four children who are all homeschooled, Madison is living the dream, or at least that is what she portrays to her adoring viewers and subscribers.

With their gardener, cook, cleaner, tutor, and driver, it takes a village to raise a family, but Madison keeps that all hidden, letting the world believe she does it all on her own.

Told through the POVs of four women; Madison, Cally, the new tutor, Briana, who is desperate for the life Madison leads, and Lori, the housekeeper. Each POV shows a complete switch of reality, showing just how things are different in the eye of the beholder.

This wasn't a book that excited me. It didn't have me desperate to turn the pages, but I'll admit I didn't see the end coming.

It's definitely a book you have to suspend belief with. There are a lot of moments that made me double back on what I'd just read, you'll also need either a really good memory or a notepad to keep track of all the secrets flying around the place!

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ for the ARC.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. I just really struggled with it. The premise was good but I couldn’t get sucked into the plot to enjoy it.

✨Do tradwives ruin lives?✨

Madison has built a very successful influencer account showcasing her perfect tradwife life. But what her followers don’t know is how she got to be where she is, the secrets she’s holding deep inside and the truth about her darling husband.

This book was a thrilling ride that I couldn’t put down and it has come at a perfect time as the tradwife lifestyle is increasing in popularity. This book served as the perfect reminder that not everything we see online is as glorious or as honest as it may seem.

I really enjoyed this book as a thriller, an excellent story and also the theme which I wasn’t that knowledgeable about. I know about influencers and social media of course but I hadn’t realised that there was such a thing as ‘homesteading’ !! It was fascinating and especially could be argued as very current with regards to where some recent events have played out on the world stage. I thoroughly recommend the book for anyone who enjoys a fast paced, can’t put it down book!!!

Madison March is the perfect traditional wife and has millions of loyal followers. Only, what if the perfect life is a lie?

I found myself really intrigued to read this one as I enjoy domestic thrillers based on the influencer culture and the focus around the traditional wife felt original. The story looks at the dark side of tradwifes and social media, while exploring some serious topics and raising questions. The story is told in a few different points of views which was interesting, however there were some unlikeable characters. It also took me a while to distinguish between the different characters due to many names starting with the same letter. I can understand why the author developed them in this way though.

I found that it took a while for me to get into the story but once I did I enjoyed it and I found it entertaining. There were some great twists in the story that I wasn’t expecting. This ended up being a fun, fascinating story with a unique premise and I would certainly read more by this author. 3.5 stars rounded up.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book at first glance. But a fast paced tale of the life of a social media influencer, where all may not be as perfect as it would seem on the other side of the camera lens had me quickly caught up in the drama, the twists and turns, and the characters.
Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

Madison lives the fairytale life of many, with a beautiful family, a gorgeous house and a traditional lifestyle. She also has millions of Instagram followers who feel inspired by her lifestyle... but is it truly what it's cracked up to be?

I found the premise of the book pretty intriguing, catching a glimpse of a Tradwife's life. Knowing this is Liane Child's debut, it's absolutely superb. Gripping, twisty and heartbreaking all rolled into one.

Omg where do I even begin with this feedback!
Absolutely 5* I couldn’t put it down and I loved every minute of the book. I was hooked and needed to know what was going on and the secrets that were being kept. The twists I wasn’t expecting and I was shocked by some of them! Just goes to show that not every life you see someone posting online is as happy and great as it looks!
I will absolutely be recommending this book. I wish I could give it more than 5*

This was such a fun book. I do like those traditional values, but I am also open to other’s choices. I do think this family took things too far, especially with the lies made for social media. I did figure some of the twists out, but not all of them. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

I plan to share this title on my Instagram on Wednesday, May 21st at www.instagram.com/robinashleyreads

I am loving this new sub-genre of women's fiction about the trad-wife movement. I think it's because when i look at their social media, I wonder how they are so perfect all the time. Madison March is at the top of the trad-wife pyramid, with a picture-perfect family and homestead that she promotes constantly on social media but lately, there have been some cracks in the facade that lead to her life turning absolutely upside down. I devoured this book. Perfect summer read and just twisty enough.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for the advanced readers copy of The Tradwife's Secrety by Liane Child.

The author did a really great job of showing the darker side of influencer culture. The story is fast-paced, with unexpected twists that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The characters are complex and multifaceted, making it difficult sometimes to predict their actions and motivations. Particularly those with an online persona to uphold.

I enjoyed how this book really makes you second guess the authenticity of content that we consume each days as much of it is sometimes purely performance and not actual reality. Definitely a good reminder of the pressures of social media and the impact it has on people.

Thank you to HQ, Harper Collins and NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

Madison March appears to have the perfect life - an idyllic homestead in Montana, days filled with baking sourdough, tending the garden, and watching her four children play. She’s the picture of a devoted wife, with dinner ready each night and quiet sunsets shared with her husband - and shares her Tradwife lifestyle on Instagram. But beneath the flawless facade, everything is a carefully crafted lie. Cally is hired as a tutor for the children and gets a peek behind the curtain of the influencer’s life.

This was an easy read, though it did feel like quite a long 350 pages. The story is told through a triple POV between Madison, Cally and Brianna – another homesteader whose role in the narrative we gradually come to understand. It may have been a layout issue with the ARC, but I didn’t find it immediately clear that the chapters were switching POVs, especially early on. At times, you’d get back-to-back chapters from one character or it would just flip between two, without much of a pattern.

I found the depiction of social media unconvincing, as it didn’t reflect a real grasp of influencer culture for me personally. The Instagram comments at the start of Madison’s chapters felt formulaic, lacking the spontaneity of actual online interactions and instead following a pattern of comment and a series of 4 hashtags felt really inorganic. Her rapid growth to hundreds of thousands of followers also seemed far-fetched for such a niche space. It came across as an outsider’s view of social media, missing the nuance and dynamics of how these platforms and communities really operate. These points irritated me more than they probably should have, but it really affected my belief in the story!

It didn’t quite grip me, and although marketed as a thriller, it didn’t really read like one for most of the book – more of a gentle mystery where you sense something slightly off. I really didn't bond with the characters, all of them feeling shallow in their own way - I was hoping towards there would be personality redemption for some of them but that didn't really come.

I did guess a few of the later twists, though not all - it did feel a little like there were a lot of reveals all thrown in at once which felt a little messy. One thing I appreciated was that the twists weren't saved for the very end – often they’re dropped in late and the ending feels rushed, but here it was given space to unfold, which worked well.

There was a lot going on all the time in this story. I was a bit lost for awhile with who was whom but it all unravelled at the end. Interesting story..