Unapologetic Reviews

I read The Trad Wife by Carrie Hughes as part of my Trad Wife Reading Project. This was the fourth book in the project, and it ended up being one of the stranger entries. It blends domestic thriller, cult fiction, and religious manipulation into a story that is less about the idealized trad wife lifestyle itself and more about the systems of control hiding behind it. Melissa is a single mother living in New York with her seven year old daughter, Willow. She works in social media and hosts a podcast, and she has become fascinated by Faith, a wildly successful trad wife influencer whose perfect family life is broadcast from a picturesque ranch. When Faith unexpectedly offers Melissa a job as her social media manager, the opportunity seems impossible to refuse. Housing is included, the pay is good, and it also gives Willow a chance to escape the relentless bullying she has been experiencing at school. The catch is that Faith and the entire community are Mormon. Melissa grew up in the chu...

I read Trad Wife: A Novel by Saratoga Schaefer as the third book in my Trad Wife Reading Project, and this was easily the darkest one so far. The book has been marketed as a modern Rosemary's Baby, and that comparison is very accurate. Instead of focusing on a woman forced into a horrific pregnancy against her will, this story follows a woman who desperately wants a baby, even if she has to make a deal with something she doesn't fully understand to get one.  The main character, Camille Deming, has built her entire identity around becoming the perfect trad wife influencer. She lives in a large country farmhouse with her husband, Graham, spends her days cooking, cleaning, homesteading, and carefully curating her online image. The only thing missing is a baby. In Camille's mind, motherhood isn't just something she wants personally. It's the final step towards becoming the successful influencer she dreams of being. When she discovers an old wishing well on her property...