This book was absolutely a page turner. The switching between character POV isn’t my favorite but I thought it worked very well in this book. This story had more twists than I anticipated and was a very entertaining read, despite the dark subject matter. The ending felt a little rushed to me, and I wished the author had taken a bit more time to let readers see/connect more dots. The twist at the end felt a little unbelievable and out of left field, but didn’t have to be. Overall though, a thrilling ride of a novel.

I gave this one a 3 stars - I'll list the things I liked and didn't.

Liked - I was definitely hooked from the start, the writing really pulled me in and I read the first 15 percent in one sitting and it was late at night while my eyes were closing 😅 I also enjoyed the characters, it was quite fun to get to know them and I enjoyed the Christian aspects in this.

Didn't like - I was hooked and thought I was going to stay hooked, but then I personally felt the momentum went down and I wasn't as drawn as rather than like the first page. So then there were parts I enjoyed, parts where I gasped, but nothing that got me entertained every page, you know? I wished for more suspense maybe throughout. Again, this is just my opinion, everyone might have felt differently.

Overall, good book, it was decent for me but maybe incredible for you! Check it out 😄

First things first, thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

This was my first LynDee Walker book, and while I am not religious at all, I was curious about the book while reading the blurb. I personally have never been going to church to seek comfort, but each their own, and here we have Martha, running away from her past and fleeing to this small town, doing exactly that. And she is also taking a like on Tim, the pastor, and his wife, Mary. However, soon Martha does sense that not everything in this little town is as it seems...

This was a really good book, the perfect pace and a lot of twists that kept me engaged from the start, and was the reason yet again I did spend almost all of my free time reading. Very well done!

Running away from her past and carrying a dark secret, Martha arrives in the quaint town of Whitney Falls. It's the perfect small town. She meets Pastor Tim, a man with a dazzling smile, and his dutiful, faithful wife Mary. Mary and Martha quickly become friends, but things soon change as the cracks in the wonderful Tim and Mary start to appear. Everyone has secrets, but who has the biggest one?

Books like this are so easy to read because you have to KNOW what is going on. I NEEDED to know who was hiding what and how it would all implode. I was NOT disappointed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Started out a little slow but when it hooked me I couldn't put it down, kept thinking I had it all figured out but of course I didn't. Love when that happens.

The Pastor's Wife by LynDee Walker--Filled with heart and a slow burn of suspense, this book portraits the dynamics in small conservative churches really well. I enjoyed the cat and mouse game featuring a new woman who moves to town. What she learns threatens to undermine the quaint reality the town is living in. I had trouble engaging with some parts of the story, but the ending makes up for a somewhat lackluster middle. Thumbs up.

The Pastor's Wife tells the story of Martha who is trying to stay under the radar. However, once the small village finds out Martha has a secret, the pastor's wife, Mary takes her under her wing. After awhile it becomes clear that the Mary in private is very different than the Mary in public, This was incredibly thrilling and a great, twisty read!

Fast paced thriller that left me with my mouth on the floor! I was obsessed from the very start. I could not put this down and finished it in one sitting! It will def not be a last read by this author for me!

This was a ride! It kept me guessing and I didn’t see the twists coming. It was a very fun, easy read but still interesting enough to keep my attention. There may be some triggers in this book for some people.

Thank you to LynDee Walker, NetGalley, and Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A quick and easy read that left me intrigued all the way through. I thought the pacing started off a bit slow but it did pick up in pacing as plot tension increased. I enjoyed it

From the beginning of the book the character of Pastor Tim instantly creeped me out. A man that rules over his congregation drawing them in by his charismatic personality, flashing white teeth and handsome looks.

In this small village of Whitney Falls, members of the community are immersed in their beliefs and pastor Tim is seen by many as the ultimate man of God. A man who has a way of engaging all, especially the women that are completely taken in by him. His wife Mary is portrayed as his devoted spouse who lives to support her husband and provide the impression of a life that is all encompassing but what are these two running from, this is the mystery that prevails and carries the reader throughout the book. Then there is Martha, a woman who moves to this small town to try to shake off her own demons. Mary and Martha develop a strong friendship, and Martha is accepted into a tight knit group of women who look down on her by her relationship with Mary.

This is a well-developed psychological thriller that will immediately take you and have you turning the pages quickly. The only negative I found was the ending, it just didn’t sit right for me and let down the rest of the book that was so well told. I felt the author could have thought a more complex resolution than what was presented.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions expressed are my own.

Small towns keep big secrets—& the pastor’s wife knows them all.

Creepy, fast-paced, and compulsively readable. The Pastor’s Wife lures you in with its sleepy small-town charm—and then quickly reminds you that not everything is as it seems. Mary, the seemingly perfect pastor’s wife, is hiding something dark. And when a newcomer starts digging, secrets unravel fast.

The tension builds steadily, and there’s a sinister energy woven through every chapter. I loved the slow burn of suspicion, though a couple reveals felt slightly rushed. Still, this one absolutely delivers on the twists and had me flying through the pages. Fans of domestic thrillers with a sharp bite will eat this up.

I was definitely intrigued by the subject matter of this book. I did think it would be a little more thrilling. I was very entertained and I had a great time reading it. I recommended it to my thrillers book club on Goodreads. Thank you for the ARC!

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an early copy of The Pastor’s Wife. This started out a bit slow but was intriguing, the part where Mary gave Martha her gift was very emotional, loved it!! All of a sudden it took a Horrible twist, that if I knew I would not have kept reading. Soooooo very sad and not right. I understand how much human trafficking is alive everywhere but I don’t like reading about it. Reading about it truly disturbed me.

While reading this book, I had so many questions. Is Mary REALLY that nice and helpful? What is "Martha's" real name? What secret is Martha keeping? Who is driving around in the black truck? What really happened to Lisa? Where did Sam go, and when is he coming back? Is Pastor Tim someone who can be trusted? What kind of relationship do Mary and Pastor Tim really have?

The answers to many of my questions were not at all what I expected! This book went in a completely different direction than I originally thought it would. The pastor and his wife were not the good, honest Christians one would expect them to be. Who can you really trust??

I had never heard of this author before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

So much going on.. easy to keep track, great premise great storyline. And such a great ending. I have never read anything from this author I definitely enjoyed it.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early release of this book.

The Pastor's Wife is a captivating read! The sheer number of characters and their shifting perspectives definitely kept me guessing and engaged. A sold 4 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published June 2025.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I absolutely loved it! The premise was brilliant and the story was well executed. The twist made me actually gasp. Can’t wait to read more by this author.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. This book was definitely fast paced but I felt a lot of the twists came out of nowhere. I wish there had been a little more development on certain things and less on others.

All I can say is... WOW.
This thriller takes you on a wild psychological adventure!
Twists, turns, and drama at every turn.

Martha shows up in the small town of Whitney Falls hoping to blend in and hide from her past. Then she meets Pastor Tim and his wife Mary-who seem like the definition of picture perfect. But perfection is not what it seems.

When Mary unexpectedly befriends Martha, things get... complicated. Their lives and "friendship" quickly become a tricky matter.

This book is told by both Martha and Mary's POVs, and had me second-guessing everyone and their motives. A must-read for thriller fans who love deceitful, cunning characters and small-town secrets with a sinister twist.