It started off super suspenseful! And some of the small town things coupled with the accent had me rolling my eyes but I was still enthralled. That was until the second half of the book when it just slowed down and I wanted it to end.

LynDee Walker delivers a gripping psychological thriller with *The Pastor's Wife*, weaving small-town secrets, unsettling relationships, and a protagonist who finds herself entangled in a mystery she never expected. Whitney Falls seems like the perfect place to disappear, but when the pastor’s wife saves her from an accident, she’s drawn into a world where appearances are deceiving and danger lurks beneath the surface.

Walker’s writing is immersive, with a slow-burn tension that builds toward shocking revelations. The characters are layered, particularly Mary, whose quiet distress hints at something far more sinister. While some moments feel predictable, the novel’s eerie atmosphere and well-paced twists keep the pages turning. Fans of psychological thrillers with dark secrets and unexpected turns will find this one thoroughly satisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this audiobook. Great story wonderful narration I can’t wait for this book to come out. Thank you for this advanced copy. I look forward to giving it a more detailed review soon.

I really liked this audiobook. Some of the characters of this group had significant twists that I didn’t see coming — some I could predict but still didn’t impact how enjoyable this book was to read.

Great read!

I never intended to listen to this in one day but I couldn't stop once I started and so it goes! Walker developed a great plot, sharp dialogue, well-written characters, juicy secrets and big reveals...everything I want in a thriller.

The twists were twisting and the I was there for it.

I see you, LynDee, and I'll be keeping my eye out for more!

Thank you to Bookouture Audio for gifting me a copy. It is my pleasure to write an honest review.

Ummmm What did I just read? That was the craziest, most insane ride I went on.
Pub Date: 6/16/2025

We follow two ladies in a small town in Arkansas. One is new to town. One is the pastor’s wife. We get dual points of view and dual timelines. The way it came together… 😳

I can’t give too much away, but when you read it… buckle up! The way my jaw was on the floor and the way I gasped.
FYI: The title says Pastor, so there it is wrapped around religion… so don’t be shocked. Read it regardless! It’s worth it!
Stephanie Cannon and Patricia Rodriguez nailed it! They rocked the southern accent and the vibe the whole book was going for!

Thank you, Linder Walker, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley for letting me listen to an ARC of the audiobook!

There was few things stopping me from really getting into The Pastor's Wife. First, the two main characters' names start with an M. It was confusing at first and annoying while reading. The time jumps around and scenes started and stopped abruptly. I'm sure it was to keep you guessing, but it just got choppy.

I started to get into the story in the middle, but I lost interest when towards the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc.

Martha is settling into a new town after running away from her past. She befriends the Pastor's wife and everything seems perfect. But, things are not all they seem.

The narrators for this book were amazing! They kept me engaged and made the audiobook more enjoyable.

I really liked the storyline, the writer would throw bits and pieces alluding to Martha's past and Mary and Tim's relationship here and there to keep you guessing. I did feel like it was very slow at the beginning, not much happened until the middle of yhe book. The ending felt a bit rushed but I felt like itt tied up nicely. Over all enjoyed the book, 3.5 ⭐

Mary and Martha? Lol really?

I really wanted to enjoy The Pastor’s Wife, but it just didn’t work for me. While the full-cast audiobook—narrated brilliantly by Stephanie Cannon and Pat Rodriguez—was a highlight, the story itself fell short. The small-town dialogue often felt awkward, and many of the twists seemed forced or illogical.

Though the book is dark and filled with secrets, the characters—mostly hypocrites hiding behind religion—weren’t particularly engaging. It’s meant to be a twisty, entertaining read, but it didn’t quite land. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either.

Thank you to the Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the ARC.

*ARC review*

This was an interesting book filled with twists and turns. I connected with the main characters and I was excited to see how the story unfolded. Solid thriller!

The Pastor’s Wife started strong, with an eerie small-town vibe and a solid setup that had me ready for secrets, scandal, and suspense. The first half definitely delivered—well-paced, intriguing, and full of potential. But the back half lost steam, with twists that felt more forced than shocking and dialogue that occasionally veered into cringe territory. I listened to the audiobook, and while the full-cast narration was excellent, it couldn’t quite save the uneven execution.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5 stars with a PG-13 rating for mild language.

this book was a 3.5⭐️ for me, super quick and easy to consume. would recommend for anyone wants a book to binge and the plot twist was really good

I devoured the audiobook for The Pastor’s Wife! The narrators were absolutely FANTASTIC and brought every delicious layer of drama to life. The fake Christian southern charm oozed from every scene, creating a perfectly tense atmosphere where it felt like everything could implode at any second. The husband gave just the right mix of charm and suspicion, making the story feel dangerously unpredictable. Not everything is as it seems in a small-town church, and the twists this story takes are refreshingly bold and diabolically satisfying.

The Dixie mafia, religious hypocrisy, and tradwife angst - there are a lot of fun parts here, but in the end the sum wasn't quite for me.

Premise - A new member of Pastor Tim's congregation, Martha, isn't as easily charmed as the rest. The newcomer soon realizes all isn't as it seems between Pastor Tim and Mary, and when a grieving teen, Charlotte, joins the family as the as-of-yet childless couple's foster daughter, things go from strange to stranger.

I enjoy tropes as much as the next girl, but (unless the voice absolutely slays) I like a little twist on them. This set up tropes well (poor abused girl, trafficking ring, publicly good and privately wicked holy folks) but it executed them just as you'd expect, so it all felt really predictable. Maybe I just read too many thrillers and have too much fun with red herrings these days! I think I also didn't fall for this story quite as much as I'd hoped to because Martha didn't win me over. She was fine.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Stephanie Cannon and Patricia Rodriguez. They did a great job with both delivery/tone and accents! They were well-matched, so I was happy listening to either one of them.

Thanks, NetGalley and Bookouture Audio, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a dark, twisty domestic thriller set in a small town and centring around a local pastor, his wife and a newcomer from out of town. So many dark secrets, so many ulterior motives and so much suspicion surrounds this church, its leadership and congregation.
Lots of twists and turns in this slow building book which is expertly narrated to offer a very immersive experience.
I am grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced listener copy of this recommended audiobook.

Audiobook: Narrators - Stephanie Cannon and Patricia Rodriguez

These narrators both have engaging voices that brought an atmospheric southern tone to the story. That said, I didn’t realize there were two narrators at first, partly because of similar accents and delivery styles. It occasionally made it hard to tell whose perspective we were in, especially before character specific dialogue kicked in to clarify. Still, once the rhythm settled, I appreciated their performances and how they captured the tension beneath the surface.

This story had me questioning everything and everyone from the beginning. I usually try to get ahead of a plot, guessing where the author is leading me, but not this time. The use of time jumps kept me constantly on my toes, unable to predict motivations, relationships, or outcomes. While they added a fascinating layer to the suspense, I’ll admit that following along via audiobook made those transitions a bit tricky to track.

That said, the story is anything but confusing. It’s sharp, clever, and full of tension, with character development that’s as central as the mystery itself. Each reveal pulled me deeper, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was always just slightly off…in the best way. The unease, the secrets, the subtle dread, it was all woven together beautifully.

If you're looking for a thriller that grips you tight and keeps you guessing, this one delivers.

Well full disclosure this book was disturbing in that the realism displayed insofar as certain crimes that are in the limelight in the news at times. I don’t want to give any spoilers so forgive the cryptic nature.

I was fortunate to be able to do an immersion read for this book with both the eARC and the Audio ALC and it was the perfect experience. Usually when I do such a read I’m trying to ascertain which format suits the book better for those that have a choice of how to read. But in this case they both were equally effective but even better together.

That narrators Stephanie Cannon and Patricia Rodriguez both did a fabulous job with this Duel POV book which centers around Martha and Marys perspective in their mentor/ mentee type relationship and their interactions and life with The Pastor in a multi timeline thriller. They both spoke at a good even pace for the 1x speed but it also translates very well to increasing the speed. I was able to listen to it at 2.5x with no issues. However, I would have listened at 2x speed had I not been able to follow along with the digital copy.

The physical copy enables the reader to more easily follow along with the time line as it does jump around a lot and there are many small sub plots to make sense of. That’s probably where the book suffers a bit as there was a bit too many side issues going on. I will say that I did find the twists a bit predictable but I enjoyed the ride regardless.

So if your looking for a thriller that a bit on the darker side filled with more than a few twisted individuals, this book is for you as it comes out on June 16th 2025

I am thankful to have gotten both a complimentary audio ALC and the eARC from Bookouture and Bookouture Audio through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

This one is an edge of your seat read. Even in a small town like this one with so few people, the real question is still, who can you possibly trust. This book will keep you guessing till the very end. I am hoping this author will write a book to about Charlotte. I would love to visit these characters again.

OMG, OMG, OMG!

I wanted to love "The Pastor's Wife," but I didn't.

WHY?

At times, the book's folksy small-town dialogue was cringeworthy.

Many of the book's twists were contrived and eye-rolling.

I listened to the audiobook, expertly narrated by Stephanie Cannon and Pat Rodriguez.

I always enjoy full-cast narrations, and both narrators gave outstanding performances.

Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.76 🌟

Buckle up, prepare for the ride and expect to still walk away with whiplash.

From the first chapters of say the narrators more than the story baited and hooked me more than the story did, it didn’t take long though until I was completely immersed the story. I loved that lonely down in her luck Martha found a friend in Mary, the pastors wife, but something sinister is seeping in from the past. Is it from Martha’s past though?

Don’t read the synopsis, just dive right in. It’s difficult not to spoiler.

This was really a 5 🌟 read tight until the very end, which was good but i expected slightly more.

Huge thanks to Bookouture audio via NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧