This book! This book here! This might be the most entertaining book in a long time! Yet, somehow, it also managed to be thought-provoking, all while still being extremely entertaining.
This book’s title feels and reads like the most click-bait-y and cliched internet article titles – yet the book itself is that with a way more substance than you’d ever expect.
To break it down nicely, now:
Toxic influencers. (I know we all love those!)
Instagram, oh, so much Instagram.
Fake, fake, fake lives.
Far right-wing “traditional values”.
The horror show of “American values”.
Tradwife lifestyle. In detail.
Yucky family dynamic.
Toxic masculinity.
Drama. And twists.
And a satisfying ending, albeit one that will keep you wondering if the FMC was a villain or a victim after all that’s happened there.
And now, a warning: don’t you ever, ever read this addictive popcorn thriller with a bonus layer of depth if you are someone who wholeheartedly believes that this tradwife tradlife is the best thing ever and it should be the only way to live for everyone anywhere.

The book’s pub date is set to the end of May. I strongly feel like if any of those tropes are ones that you enjoy, then this book is soo worth preordering. Really. Seriously.

This was the best guilty-pleasure popcorn thriller that I devoured so quickly!

Here's what I loved:

* The feeling of seclusion: the characters are secluded, and the author made me feel like I was.
* What is portrayed on social media vs. real life: We all know that what you see on social media isn't real. This book explores this dynamic and adds another layer of deceit.
* The alternating POV

Thanks for the advance review copy.

The Tradwife’s secret is a well-paced, captivating thriller that exposes the appearance and reality of social media influencers.

Madison March spends her day being a traditional housewife on her vast Montana homestead property. She documents her life on social media for her millions of followers. But behind the camera, her life is very different. Her seemingly perfect life, husband and children are a product of meticulous planning. She has assistants, IT people, and a nanny and is now looking for someone to homeschool her children in the traditional values that she wishes to portray.

The Tradwife's Secret is a compelling read that delves into the contrast between public persona and private reality. It uncovers the ‘fakeness’ that followers are trying to achieve and finding impossible to attain.

Narrated from multiple points of view, Madison, Cally, and Brianna, each character brings a unique perspective and adds layers and depth to the narrative.

The alternating perspectives are seamlessly integrated, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of the characters' motivations and conflicts. The pacing is well-balanced, with moments of introspection interspersed with plot-driven action.

This was an excellent thriller with a new look plot. An unputdownable read.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

Madison March is the queen of the tradwife influencers. Her social media is flawless, her beautiful kids featured in wholesome fashion, and Madison, herself, is always gorgeous and perfectly turned out. Behind the scenes is another story, and we see the cracks in the veneer as told through Cally, a woman brought into this family’s life to help homeschool the March children. Cally’s job requires anonymity and secrecy, which suits her as she is trying to stay one step ahead of a debt collector who will go after her brother for the tidy sum of cash she owes from a loan gone bad back in Boston. We also meet Lori, who does more work behind the scenes to make Madison’s life go than Madison does herself. As Cally’s stay on the March ranch goes on, she learns that the life portrayed on social media is all smoke and mirrors to put the March family in the most perfect light.

Told in a separate timeline is the story of another tradwife, who embarks on this lifestyle with much different expectations than what she finds in reality. Homesteading life is hard and often stark, especially starting with nothing but a plot of land and an abandoned house on a wide-open prairie during the cold winter months.

Towards the end of the book we learn how these two stories intertwine as a crisis on the March ranch comes to a head and the truth about the real Madison comes to light. She is nothing if not a survivor and is someone who knows how to reinvent herself, especially in times of crisis.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great story with so many twists and turns in it. it kept you hooked in from page 1 right the way through to the very end.

Sometimes life isn’t as sweet as Cherry pie.
An ambitious story with plenty of characters to love and even more to absolutely loathe, this is a novel not to be missed.

I enjoyed this didn't see the twists coming. It kept me reasonably engaged and really showed a dark side to the trad wife lifestyle. The characters were quite likeable and I think the book progressed well and at a good speed I'd recommend this book to my friends.

Wow! What a deeply chilling and disturbing book! Most of us are aware of the discrepancy between real life and that portrayed on social media but maybe not the lengths people go to to perpetrate their own myths.
However, I was previously unaware of the trad wife lifestyle and I found it frightening that in this current climate of many onslaught against women's rights Andrew Tate, incels, men self identifying as women to access actual women's safe spaces, reproduction restrictions in the US, the appalling situation in Afghanistan there are women choosing a life where they are totally subservient to all men.
This was so well depicted I even had bad dreams around it. I am still undecided as to whether or not Madison was a victim or a villain but she was definitely unpleasant.
A strong narrative which will definitely make you think.

Wow! Sit down and hold on for the ride! This the first book I’ve read from this author and I didn't want to put down.
Just as I love a psychological thriller to be and the ending was just perfect. A stunningly compulsive read from a truly brilliant author!

I was hooked from the first page and blown away wow! This book was twisty , dark, disturbing and emotional.

This book explored topics such as Domestic Violence and violence against women and girls and I felt like the author did this is diligent and sensitive way.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me!

This was such a uniquely dark and intriguing tale. Loved the different perspectives switching after each chapter because it kept me guessing and wanting more. It poked fun but also shared truth about a real thing happening in our culture today. Very well written.

This is a new author for me and while not a new genre it was a very different take. Influencer and tradwife homemaker Madison is at the number one slot but needs to keep posting new content to keep that slot. When a secret from her past threatens her family she needs to find a way to keep it buried.

I didn’t think I’d like this book but I absolutely sped through it. Told from different perspectives but all comes clear at the end. Worth a read.

Was not a fan of this book. Had trouble staying interested in it. I’m not sure what the author could have done to make it better.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy.

This book took me a hot minute to read. I was engaged at the very beginning and the premise of the book was quite interesting. I felt the book really lagged in spots and I found myself not excited to pick it up. I’m giving this 3 starts because quite honestly I didn’t guess the twist until it happened and I love books like that. Overall it was a good read, I liked the story line but was somewhat slow.

2.5/5 stars

The title drew me in, and the plot kept me reading (I had trouble putting it down and read it in two days!). The twists are great, but at the end of the day, too much felt forced to make those twists happen. There was also a lot of abuse, and while some of it was necessary to the story, it did feel excessive at times.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQDigital for an advanced copy of this book.

The book opens to an arresting start. A text message that Madison March is dead. A well renowned influencer who had it all as a dutiful perfect wife and mother of four beautiful children. To her thousands of followers, she was a delight as she allowed them to peep into her daily life through her carefully directed and edited posts. Her life was to die for as she showed them how homestead living could work to produce an aspirational lifestyle.

But like all things on social media, it is not the reality. As soon as the camera’s stop filming her numerous re-takes, her home-made produce goes back into their bags and jars and her sweet little children are shooed off to Lori, the loyal housekeeper. Madison has far too much to do albeit she doesn’t actually do much.

Events start to take a sinister turn when Cally a long-term follower, arrives as the new tutor. She can’t help but notice the stereotypical roles reinforced in the household. “The housemaids' tales” meets Montana. As the plot thickens it is evident that Madison and Lori’s bond is based on emotional blackmail and past mistakes.

This is a fast-paced novel with plenty of thrills and mysteries along the way. Its insight into the world of social media is also interesting. I really enjoyed this and highly recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication.

Wow, hooked right from the prologue I loved this book and could not put it down.
Written from the point of view of several characters it’s easy to follow whom is narrating. Just when you think you have twigged the plot there’s a twist you just don't see coming which for me makes a great book. Highly recommended

had big hopes for this book because it’s totally my type of read. However, I encountered some serious trouble with the ambiance. The story is set in Montana ; however, it features a lot of slang, and the writing style has a distinctly British tone, (maybe people speak as that in Montana I have no idea) which often left me feeling confused and out of place. I understand that this might just be a personal reaction. The narrative unfolds at a very slow pace, which led to moments of boredom for me. While I found some of the characters quite engaging, there were others that seemed completely unnecessary—though I recognize that my opinion may not hold much weight. Ultimately, if you enjoy this type of book, it could be an interesting read for you.

***Actually 4.5 stars but that’s not an option***

Wow, did I enjoy this book! We all know social media isn’t always real life but this book showed just how far people can (and do!) go to make life seem perfect. That real life relatability is what drew me in to the book but the story of Madison and her family are what kept me coming back to read. I knew there were secrets within the confines of the March homestead but I didn’t see ALL those secrets coming! All I can say is WOW!

The Tradwife’s Secret by Leeanne Childs, Madison March lives in Montana with her husband Michael and four kids Molly, Milo, Mason, and Mia. She also lives with her longtime best friend/maid Laura, her two tech gurus a new tutor Kyla. She had to hire a new tutor because the last one slept with her husband Michael., Madison March has millions of followers on Instagram because she is a traditional wife who feels her husband is the head of the household and what he says goes… Or else. Madison is so fearful of losing traction and followers every photo must be perfect and she will do anything to keep it this way. And another POV we meet Brianna, she ran away with high school boyfriend Jonah to be homesteaders and because she isn’t married her family no longer speaks to her. she sees all the women on Instagram using the hashtag tradwife and it’s so troubled by the fact they make it look so easy when Brianna is having such a hard time adapting to her new life. She reaches out to the #TradWifes account but sadly no one responds. When these two POV‘s come together things will turn explosive in Madison will go viral for all the wrong reasons. This is a doozy of a book I do want to say however it is a big pet peeve of mine when British people try and write books set in America and yet still have the character speaking British and ending their sentences and questions eating cheese toast and just other minor things I noticed that really does irritate me but having said that I still thought this book was very well done. They had great twist and surprises it was just an OMG awesome book! If you like great thrillers and don’t mind the things I’ve mentioned, then you will absolutely enjoy this book. I do want to say in both relationships there is mental and physical abuse and I didn’t even get into Kylie story and OMG hers is just as crazy. This was really a good book. #NetGalley,#HQDigital, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #LeanneChilds, #TheTradWife’sSecret,

This is satisfying clickbaity fluff that I read in one day because it was fun and dramatic and pacy.

Madison is recognisable to any adult woman who is even mildly online and plays the villain beautifully. The topic of the right wing patriarchy is very of the moment and the whole thriller-y mess is great soapy entertainment.