What do you think?
Trad Wife
A "traditional wife" influencer allows a demonic creature to impregnate her in this unnerving horror novel, perfect for fans of Nightbitch and Mary, from the author of Serial Killer Support Group.
Every #tradwife needs a baby. She’ll get one at any cost.
When Camille Deming isn’t cooking, cleaning, or homesteading in her picture-perfect country farmhouse, she’s posting about her tradwife lifestyle for her online followers. She takes inspiration from other tradwives on social media, aspiring to be like them, but Camille’s missing a key component: a baby. And contrary to what she posts online, things with her husband Graham have been strained. Pressured by her eager followers, Camille fears that without a baby, her relationship will suffer and her social media will never grow out of its infancy.
When Camille discovers a mysterious, decrepit well in the wheatfield behind her house, she makes a wish for a baby. Afterwards, she has unsettling experiences that she convinces herself are angelic in nature, and when she’s visited one night by a strange creature, her wish comes true.
Camille’s pregnancy announcement gets more engagement than anything she’s ever posted—so what if Graham’s reaction is lukewarm? Camille’s life is finally falling into place. Never mind that her pregnancy is developing freakishly rapidly and she’s suddenly craving raw meat. Being a traditional wife is worth it.
Rosemary’s Baby for the digital age, this disturbing horror novel is one you’ll want to devour in just one bite.
Every #tradwife needs a baby. She’ll get one at any cost.
When Camille Deming isn’t cooking, cleaning, or homesteading in her picture-perfect country farmhouse, she’s posting about her tradwife lifestyle for her online followers. She takes inspiration from other tradwives on social media, aspiring to be like them, but Camille’s missing a key component: a baby. And contrary to what she posts online, things with her husband Graham have been strained. Pressured by her eager followers, Camille fears that without a baby, her relationship will suffer and her social media will never grow out of its infancy.
When Camille discovers a mysterious, decrepit well in the wheatfield behind her house, she makes a wish for a baby. Afterwards, she has unsettling experiences that she convinces herself are angelic in nature, and when she’s visited one night by a strange creature, her wish comes true.
Camille’s pregnancy announcement gets more engagement than anything she’s ever posted—so what if Graham’s reaction is lukewarm? Camille’s life is finally falling into place. Never mind that her pregnancy is developing freakishly rapidly and she’s suddenly craving raw meat. Being a traditional wife is worth it.
Rosemary’s Baby for the digital age, this disturbing horror novel is one you’ll want to devour in just one bite.
309 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 10, 2026
About the author
Saratoga Schaefer
8 books767 followersSaratoga Schaefer (they/them) is the USA Today Bestselling and Indie Press Bestselling author of vicious horrors and twisted thrillers. Their books have been featured in Variety, People Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, and Glamour, and their writing has appeared in Writer’s Digest, CrimeReads, and more. Originally from Brooklyn, Saratoga now lives upstate with several needy animals and a haunted clown table.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,638 reviews
September 29, 2025
I have been staring into space for ten minutes without a clue as to how to review this book. It's full of irritating tradwife nonsense and unlikeable characters and it's beyond disgusting at points, and yet it's also just about unputdownable. I didn't like a single thing that happened in this novel and yet I enjoyed it tremendously.
Imagine Rosemary's Baby (if Rosemary had willingly agreed to the whole “gestating Satan's spawn” thing) but with modern — and grosser! — twists. There's a ton of social commentary to be found here, especially where the tradwife social media influencer lifestyle is concerned. I've never had any interest in the tradwife scene (because … ha, no), but I feel like the the author did a fantastic job of portraying the lifestyle and all of its … issues. Camille is completely insufferable and yet you can't help but feel a little sorry for her too.
But this book is about so much more than just the tradwife lifestyle. It's also about the sacrifices of motherhood and feminine rage and the ills of social media and oppressive gender roles. And, okay, there's also the whole bit about having a baby with a random creature that wanders out of the woods behind your house — Camille really makes some impressively bad decisions as far as that whole situation is concerned.
I do feel that the ending was a bit predictable. I mean, perhaps I've just read too many horror novels at this point, but could it have really ended any other way? It is absolutely a wild (and disgusting) ride, but I'm not sure that many readers are going to reach the end and think “Wow, I never saw that coming.” It's not necessarily a bad thing, though — knowing how it's all going to end only increases the sense of dread you feel as you make your way to those final pages. And, lemme tell you, the ending of this novel is absolutely not for the squeamish.
Overall, Trad Wife is an excellent horror story that addresses important societal issues in the most twisted way possible. It's full of gore and death and antiquated gender roles, and I both loved and hated just about every moment of it.
4.25 stars, rounded down.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is February 10, 2026.
Imagine Rosemary's Baby (if Rosemary had willingly agreed to the whole “gestating Satan's spawn” thing) but with modern — and grosser! — twists. There's a ton of social commentary to be found here, especially where the tradwife social media influencer lifestyle is concerned. I've never had any interest in the tradwife scene (because … ha, no), but I feel like the the author did a fantastic job of portraying the lifestyle and all of its … issues. Camille is completely insufferable and yet you can't help but feel a little sorry for her too.
But this book is about so much more than just the tradwife lifestyle. It's also about the sacrifices of motherhood and feminine rage and the ills of social media and oppressive gender roles. And, okay, there's also the whole bit about having a baby with a random creature that wanders out of the woods behind your house — Camille really makes some impressively bad decisions as far as that whole situation is concerned.
I do feel that the ending was a bit predictable. I mean, perhaps I've just read too many horror novels at this point, but could it have really ended any other way? It is absolutely a wild (and disgusting) ride, but I'm not sure that many readers are going to reach the end and think “Wow, I never saw that coming.” It's not necessarily a bad thing, though — knowing how it's all going to end only increases the sense of dread you feel as you make your way to those final pages. And, lemme tell you, the ending of this novel is absolutely not for the squeamish.
Overall, Trad Wife is an excellent horror story that addresses important societal issues in the most twisted way possible. It's full of gore and death and antiquated gender roles, and I both loved and hated just about every moment of it.
4.25 stars, rounded down.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is February 10, 2026.
August 1, 2026
Trad wife gets impregnated by a demon out of desperation to get likes and clicks on social media? 🍿🪑
This was as deranged as it sounds.
Trad wives bamboozle me if I’m being completely honest. I struggle to understand the ideology behind some of the more extreme fringes of the movement.
What's most difficult for me to fathom is the cognitive dissonance and hypocrisy in influencers with explicitly anti-feminist rhetoric who build lucrative careers via social media exercising enormous economic and public influence, and benefiting from the very freedoms and opportunities that allow them to do so.
Make no mistake, I’m absolutely not talking about stay at home mothers who enjoy cooking and gardening or women who simply prefer a more traditional family structure. And if you choose to be subservient to your husband, you do you. Isn't that the whole fucking point, that women should have the agency to decide what they want their lives to look like, assuming they have the privilege and circumstances to make those choices. Whether you want to be a childfree cat/dog lady, prioritise a career, opt-in to marriage and kids, stay at home to raise a family, terminate a pregnancy, feel comfy in your gender/non-gender whether within or outside of the binary, embrace your hetero or LGBTIQA+ sexuality and/or go run off into the woods to be a forest witch and befriend the crows (and I personally really love that last option for us as a legitimate life choice).
Anyways, let's just liberate ourselves from the patriarchy yeah?
Anyhow, Saratoga Schaefer absolutely nails the cognitive dissonance and absurdity of the trad wife through the main character, Camille, bitingly well. (pun intended, watch your toes!). I know this is horror, but this also made me cackle at the satire.
The demon was the most likeable character in this book, which tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the main characters here. But weirdly enough, as much as I disliked our titular trad wife MC, I found myself rooting for her, especially when you learn how much of a bellend her husband and her father is.
Anyway, I wouldn’t say this is very scary or unpredictable but it is very bloody and I found the ending extremely satisfying. If you don’t like blood, guts, pregnancy horror, body horror or cannibalism, you probably don’t wanna be reading this. But if you can appreciate an unhinged, campy, satirical horror-comedy with social commentary, and a dash of getting freaky with a demon, you should 100% give it a go. Highly recommend if you want a weird and fun time.
Thanks so much to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for the ARC.
This was as deranged as it sounds.
Trad wives bamboozle me if I’m being completely honest. I struggle to understand the ideology behind some of the more extreme fringes of the movement.
What's most difficult for me to fathom is the cognitive dissonance and hypocrisy in influencers with explicitly anti-feminist rhetoric who build lucrative careers via social media exercising enormous economic and public influence, and benefiting from the very freedoms and opportunities that allow them to do so.
Make no mistake, I’m absolutely not talking about stay at home mothers who enjoy cooking and gardening or women who simply prefer a more traditional family structure. And if you choose to be subservient to your husband, you do you. Isn't that the whole fucking point, that women should have the agency to decide what they want their lives to look like, assuming they have the privilege and circumstances to make those choices. Whether you want to be a childfree cat/dog lady, prioritise a career, opt-in to marriage and kids, stay at home to raise a family, terminate a pregnancy, feel comfy in your gender/non-gender whether within or outside of the binary, embrace your hetero or LGBTIQA+ sexuality and/or go run off into the woods to be a forest witch and befriend the crows (and I personally really love that last option for us as a legitimate life choice).
Anyways, let's just liberate ourselves from the patriarchy yeah?
Anyhow, Saratoga Schaefer absolutely nails the cognitive dissonance and absurdity of the trad wife through the main character, Camille, bitingly well. (pun intended, watch your toes!). I know this is horror, but this also made me cackle at the satire.
The demon was the most likeable character in this book, which tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the main characters here. But weirdly enough, as much as I disliked our titular trad wife MC, I found myself rooting for her, especially when you learn how much of a bellend her husband and her father is.
Anyway, I wouldn’t say this is very scary or unpredictable but it is very bloody and I found the ending extremely satisfying. If you don’t like blood, guts, pregnancy horror, body horror or cannibalism, you probably don’t wanna be reading this. But if you can appreciate an unhinged, campy, satirical horror-comedy with social commentary, and a dash of getting freaky with a demon, you should 100% give it a go. Highly recommend if you want a weird and fun time.
Thanks so much to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for the ARC.
March 10, 2026
Genuinely crazy!! Knowing this was about demonic impregnation I was expecting a certain amount graphic imagery and body horror, but I was taken aback by just how *intense* and *disgusting* it came to be 😅
Everything about this story surprised me in the best way! Highly recommend if you can handle some seriously nauseating subject matter.
Everything about this story surprised me in the best way! Highly recommend if you can handle some seriously nauseating subject matter.
September 1, 2026
she's just a girl 🎀
July 1, 2026
Well that was absolutely insane. 😝
August 27, 2026
4.5 stars.
< Maybe there are things I can do that don’t cater to others. Things the men in my life have gently rearranged or removed so my attention would drift back to them. >
This book was utterly disgusting; I loved it.
Are you familiar with books where the author isn't afraid to explore the darkest, most grotesque details of the story? That’s exactly what this book delivers.
Trad Wife chronicles Camille's journey, a young woman who, over the course of the story, learns to stand tall, break free from her societal shackles, and finally embrace her true self, shedding years of imposed identity.
This story critically examines the harmful era of traditional wife influencers and the superficial narratives they promote, feeding lies to young, inexperienced girls. These influencers spread the disturbing message that a woman's only option is to be financially dependent on men, forcing them to see men as providers, and that women are created solely for male pleasure and to bear numerous children. By the end, the author masterfully dismantles these dangerous ideas, tossing them into the trash where they belong.
Camille is a fascinating protagonist. Her development throughout the story is complex and multi-layered, revealing a nuanced growth arc. The author excels at crafting characters who seem unlikeable, but are actually just women seeking justice. Despite disagreeing with many of her choices, I never truly disliked Camille; her relatability kept her grounded.
Her life goes wrong mainly because of her utterly incompetent father and how he raised her. Once a bright, promising young woman on the verge of greatness, her low self-esteem and desperate need for validation (traits instilled by her disgraceful father) led her to abandon her true potential for a traditional life she never genuinely desired.
Reading her gradual realization of what she truly wants, and the struggle to suppress her intelligence due to her community’s disdain for women who know more than how to serve men and children, was compelling. The author skillfully ties everything back to the demon character, subtly illustrating how Camille’s liberation begins once she stops trying to fit into a suffocating mold that’s slowly killing her.
I was genuinely surprised by how good of a mother Camille turned out to be. At the beginning of the book, Camille wants a child mainly because she believes it will help her gain more social media followers and attract attention from prominent traditional wife influencers. She perceives having a child not as a meaningful life event but as a fashionable accessory that enhances her online persona and social standing.
But the birth of her child and the love she develops for the baby become a turning point, allowing her to see through the façade of the traditional wife role. She finally recognizes the superficiality of her online friends and the fake personas they maintain.
Speaking of the demon, I must say, the demon was such a gentle, soft creature. Its patience with Camille and the way it helped her realize that life exists beyond her husband and social media feeds was truly heartwarming. Every appearance of the demon brought a smile to my face.
Do I need to mention Graham? Not really, because he was a hopeless husband and father, a deadbeat who contributed nothing. This story isn’t about him; it's about Camille reclaiming the parts of herself she had discarded and learning to love them again.
The atmosphere throughout the book is phenomenal, eerily creepy, and genuinely unsettling. It’s filled with gruesome, visceral moments that made my stomach churn. The author knows how to dig deep into the story, pulling out everything (including intestines and blood) with relentless intensity.
My only complaint is that this does have its slow moments, in the middle particularly, but other than that I had no other problems.
In conclusion, this author has earned a dedicated place on my auto-buy list. I also loved how, in their author's note, they humorously clarified that they, of course, do not endorse eating neighbors, which I found hilarious.
< I am suddenly consumed with hate for every woman in my community who insists natural childbirth is the way to go, who acts like you’re not a woman unless you’re a mother, who demonizes anyone who has a
pregnancy that doesn’t imitate their own. >
< Maybe there are things I can do that don’t cater to others. Things the men in my life have gently rearranged or removed so my attention would drift back to them. >
This book was utterly disgusting; I loved it.
Are you familiar with books where the author isn't afraid to explore the darkest, most grotesque details of the story? That’s exactly what this book delivers.
Trad Wife chronicles Camille's journey, a young woman who, over the course of the story, learns to stand tall, break free from her societal shackles, and finally embrace her true self, shedding years of imposed identity.
This story critically examines the harmful era of traditional wife influencers and the superficial narratives they promote, feeding lies to young, inexperienced girls. These influencers spread the disturbing message that a woman's only option is to be financially dependent on men, forcing them to see men as providers, and that women are created solely for male pleasure and to bear numerous children. By the end, the author masterfully dismantles these dangerous ideas, tossing them into the trash where they belong.
Camille is a fascinating protagonist. Her development throughout the story is complex and multi-layered, revealing a nuanced growth arc. The author excels at crafting characters who seem unlikeable, but are actually just women seeking justice. Despite disagreeing with many of her choices, I never truly disliked Camille; her relatability kept her grounded.
Her life goes wrong mainly because of her utterly incompetent father and how he raised her. Once a bright, promising young woman on the verge of greatness, her low self-esteem and desperate need for validation (traits instilled by her disgraceful father) led her to abandon her true potential for a traditional life she never genuinely desired.
Reading her gradual realization of what she truly wants, and the struggle to suppress her intelligence due to her community’s disdain for women who know more than how to serve men and children, was compelling. The author skillfully ties everything back to the demon character, subtly illustrating how Camille’s liberation begins once she stops trying to fit into a suffocating mold that’s slowly killing her.
I was genuinely surprised by how good of a mother Camille turned out to be. At the beginning of the book, Camille wants a child mainly because she believes it will help her gain more social media followers and attract attention from prominent traditional wife influencers. She perceives having a child not as a meaningful life event but as a fashionable accessory that enhances her online persona and social standing.
But the birth of her child and the love she develops for the baby become a turning point, allowing her to see through the façade of the traditional wife role. She finally recognizes the superficiality of her online friends and the fake personas they maintain.
Speaking of the demon, I must say, the demon was such a gentle, soft creature. Its patience with Camille and the way it helped her realize that life exists beyond her husband and social media feeds was truly heartwarming. Every appearance of the demon brought a smile to my face.
Do I need to mention Graham? Not really, because he was a hopeless husband and father, a deadbeat who contributed nothing. This story isn’t about him; it's about Camille reclaiming the parts of herself she had discarded and learning to love them again.
The atmosphere throughout the book is phenomenal, eerily creepy, and genuinely unsettling. It’s filled with gruesome, visceral moments that made my stomach churn. The author knows how to dig deep into the story, pulling out everything (including intestines and blood) with relentless intensity.
My only complaint is that this does have its slow moments, in the middle particularly, but other than that I had no other problems.
In conclusion, this author has earned a dedicated place on my auto-buy list. I also loved how, in their author's note, they humorously clarified that they, of course, do not endorse eating neighbors, which I found hilarious.
< I am suddenly consumed with hate for every woman in my community who insists natural childbirth is the way to go, who acts like you’re not a woman unless you’re a mother, who demonizes anyone who has a
pregnancy that doesn’t imitate their own. >
May 6, 2026
pls guys dont let it be 69 likes on this one, pls guys not this one.
This might be the ultimate weird girl book.
the supernatural pregnancy, the manipulator husband, the intense trad wide pipeline, the influencer horror, the murder/cannibalism, EVERYTHING was done so well in this book. it was perfect. the perfect spiral for the quintessential wife. the creature that treated her better than her silly little husband 🥹
also i know not the best example but how much being a mother can change one as a person.
This might be the ultimate weird girl book.
Maybe I don’t want to raise a traditional wife. Maybe I want to raise a feral woman.
the supernatural pregnancy, the manipulator husband, the intense trad wide pipeline, the influencer horror, the murder/cannibalism, EVERYTHING was done so well in this book. it was perfect. the perfect spiral for the quintessential wife. the creature that treated her better than her silly little husband 🥹
Which one of us is really the fallen angel?
also i know not the best example but how much being a mother can change one as a person.
February 22, 2026
ballerina farms eat your heart out
September 16, 2025
1.6 " the incubus may be the stud but the novel is mostly a dud" stars !!!
Thank you to Netgalley, and Crooked Lane Books for an ecopy. This will be released Feb 2026. I am providing an honest review.
A difficult review to write. This has 18 ratings thus far with an average of 4.5 stars. Not at all my experience. I was hoping that this would be THE Halloween read.
First of all...I was most excited by the premise of this novel of an Instagram Trad Wife getting involved with an Incubus to conceive...wow ....this could have been a most amazing psychological horror or supernatural horror but it is neither...
Camille... our insecure, dependent and needy tradwife....is just not well etched....I don't believe in her and I don't give a shit about her...as she is not real but rather a superficial rendering by a liberal agenda....deepen her psychology, make her real, make the reader care about her experience and place in life rather than draw her as a caricature....
Most of the prose is terribly cliche and mediocre (although there are a few passages of excellence)...
the plot is only semi-sensical, the interpersonal transitions are rather poor and I am not once afraid although a bit curious....then around the half way mark we move almost fully into body horror and I am out...running away....body horror is not my jam and in fact I find it both stupid and gross....I stopped reading at 58 percent as I just can't stomach it...don't need to hear every single detail of what was discharged from her vag....
I am sure many of you will love this but I was terribly disappointed and disgusted and not at all frightened which is just too bad...so sad for me as a reader....
Amazing book cover and premise...the rest not at all...
Thank you to Netgalley, and Crooked Lane Books for an ecopy. This will be released Feb 2026. I am providing an honest review.
A difficult review to write. This has 18 ratings thus far with an average of 4.5 stars. Not at all my experience. I was hoping that this would be THE Halloween read.
First of all...I was most excited by the premise of this novel of an Instagram Trad Wife getting involved with an Incubus to conceive...wow ....this could have been a most amazing psychological horror or supernatural horror but it is neither...
Camille... our insecure, dependent and needy tradwife....is just not well etched....I don't believe in her and I don't give a shit about her...as she is not real but rather a superficial rendering by a liberal agenda....deepen her psychology, make her real, make the reader care about her experience and place in life rather than draw her as a caricature....
Most of the prose is terribly cliche and mediocre (although there are a few passages of excellence)...
the plot is only semi-sensical, the interpersonal transitions are rather poor and I am not once afraid although a bit curious....then around the half way mark we move almost fully into body horror and I am out...running away....body horror is not my jam and in fact I find it both stupid and gross....I stopped reading at 58 percent as I just can't stomach it...don't need to hear every single detail of what was discharged from her vag....
I am sure many of you will love this but I was terribly disappointed and disgusted and not at all frightened which is just too bad...so sad for me as a reader....
Amazing book cover and premise...the rest not at all...
April 18, 2026
The description that this is "Rosemary's baby for the digital age" is very apt. Camille is a social media influencer with a picture-perfect lifestyle. She bakes, she cleans, she becomes increasingly aware of the misogyny behind her lifestyle. She really wants a baby and as it turns out, her husband is more attentive to his other interests than to her. So Camille wanders the woods behind her home and finds a spooky well and makes a wish with a copper penny. She begins having dreams and a being appears and tells her if she wants a baby then her wish will be granted. Camille tells herself this is an angel come to save their marriage, what could go wrong.
Eventually little sweetheart is conceived and Camille's pregnancy lasts an unnatural 3 months. Sweetheart has white eyes and barracuda teeth, and mommy loves her so much! Mommy sacrifices so much of herself to feed little hungry sweetheart. Just keep telling yourself she's an angel, Camille :):)
This was a fun escalation of horror. I enjoyed that the horror elements were not presented in a gruesome way, but rather, I found myself chuckling about how she talked about her missing toes and the baby's strange behaviors. She starts craving raw meat and goes to some humorous lengths to devour it as she descends into madness. It was a propelling, fun, fast read that also pokes fun at some bigger social issues. It often reminded me of the movie "First Omen" which deals with demon conception and fear of childbirth, however it was not as raw. There is tw: cannibalism, but again it was not described in a detailed or gruesome way, so the humor of it was more prevalent.
Eventually little sweetheart is conceived and Camille's pregnancy lasts an unnatural 3 months. Sweetheart has white eyes and barracuda teeth, and mommy loves her so much! Mommy sacrifices so much of herself to feed little hungry sweetheart. Just keep telling yourself she's an angel, Camille :):)
This was a fun escalation of horror. I enjoyed that the horror elements were not presented in a gruesome way, but rather, I found myself chuckling about how she talked about her missing toes and the baby's strange behaviors. She starts craving raw meat and goes to some humorous lengths to devour it as she descends into madness. It was a propelling, fun, fast read that also pokes fun at some bigger social issues. It often reminded me of the movie "First Omen" which deals with demon conception and fear of childbirth, however it was not as raw. There is tw: cannibalism, but again it was not described in a detailed or gruesome way, so the humor of it was more prevalent.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.5 stars
Video Review https://youtu.be/_I7RqcGnN7U
This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2026 and I am thrilled to report that it did not disappoint.
I loved how the author uses the phenomenon of trad wife influencers to explore surrounding themes of feminity, equality and motherhood. While this novel clearly has a perspective on this performative social media, I appreciate that the narrative does not talk down to stay at home women who persue these more traditional paths within equal relationships.
I normally struggle to read novels surrounding pregnancy and delivery but I couldn't look away feom this trainwreck. I was surprised to find our protagonist so sympathetic in her desire for motherhood.
Finally, without giving away too much, I thought the ending was brilliant. It fit the story well, leading to a satisfying ending.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys these reading horror stories involving these themes. The story was perfectly plotted, grusome and memorable.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
Video Review https://youtu.be/_I7RqcGnN7U
This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2026 and I am thrilled to report that it did not disappoint.
I loved how the author uses the phenomenon of trad wife influencers to explore surrounding themes of feminity, equality and motherhood. While this novel clearly has a perspective on this performative social media, I appreciate that the narrative does not talk down to stay at home women who persue these more traditional paths within equal relationships.
I normally struggle to read novels surrounding pregnancy and delivery but I couldn't look away feom this trainwreck. I was surprised to find our protagonist so sympathetic in her desire for motherhood.
Finally, without giving away too much, I thought the ending was brilliant. It fit the story well, leading to a satisfying ending.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys these reading horror stories involving these themes. The story was perfectly plotted, grusome and memorable.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
February 9, 2026
This is one of those books where I stared into space and said to myself “What in tarnation?” … in my country voice. 🤣🤣 Talk about unhinged, yeah, I’m talking to all you unhinged horror fans.
Trad Wife is an influencer maternity mommy horror novel. Only, this one is brutal with a feature of some cannibalism. Even the baby wants a bite. Get ready.
What I particularly liked was the raw and surreal look at how influencers become obsessed with fame, likes, comments and follows. The longing for approval from complete strangers is baffling. When you find your approval is only needed from the people you love, that’s the real deal.
This story was crazy bonkers and definitely hits the WTF Did I just read mark! Also available with @aardvarkbookclub this month.
3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trad Wife is an influencer maternity mommy horror novel. Only, this one is brutal with a feature of some cannibalism. Even the baby wants a bite. Get ready.
What I particularly liked was the raw and surreal look at how influencers become obsessed with fame, likes, comments and follows. The longing for approval from complete strangers is baffling. When you find your approval is only needed from the people you love, that’s the real deal.
This story was crazy bonkers and definitely hits the WTF Did I just read mark! Also available with @aardvarkbookclub this month.
3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
September 5, 2026
THIS WAS MADDENING AND GRUESOME AND I LOVED ITTTTTT 🎶🎶🎶
“Maybe I don’t want to raise a traditional wife. Maybe I want to raise a feral woman.”
Hell yeah🤣
I love how at the beginning of the book, I was just rolling my eyes at the fmc's inner thoughts, especially when it came to doting on her husband (gag), to actively rooting for this girl and all the horrible things she was doing🤣🤣 Graham you deserved even worse than what became of you 🥰🥰
Tell me why the demon was kindaaaa 🫦🫦🫦 he was so attentive hello? and I mean attentive IN EVERY WAY 👅
The commentary on Trad Wife culture was very well done imo. I'm so not against being a SAHM, in fact I regularly think about quitting my job and staying home😅, but this overly antiquated idea of the woman doing literally everything while the husband barely lifts a finger outside of working is just DISGUSTING.
Also, naming the famous trad wife influencer the fmc follows on Instagram "Mara" was so funny🤣 I kind of like to think it could be alluding to Nara.. as in Nara Smith😅
“Maybe I don’t want to raise a traditional wife. Maybe I want to raise a feral woman.”
Hell yeah🤣
I love how at the beginning of the book, I was just rolling my eyes at the fmc's inner thoughts, especially when it came to doting on her husband (gag), to actively rooting for this girl and all the horrible things she was doing🤣🤣 Graham you deserved even worse than what became of you 🥰🥰
Tell me why the demon was kindaaaa 🫦🫦🫦 he was so attentive hello? and I mean attentive IN EVERY WAY 👅
The commentary on Trad Wife culture was very well done imo. I'm so not against being a SAHM, in fact I regularly think about quitting my job and staying home😅, but this overly antiquated idea of the woman doing literally everything while the husband barely lifts a finger outside of working is just DISGUSTING.
Also, naming the famous trad wife influencer the fmc follows on Instagram "Mara" was so funny🤣 I kind of like to think it could be alluding to Nara.. as in Nara Smith😅
September 2, 2026
4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
⁺‧₊˚ ཐི⋆♱⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺
Unadulterated Female Rage. Just a mom and her love for her sweet baby. At least the creature cares about his baby mama unlike her cheating husband. I'm so glad they got the HEA.
Playlist: ⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆
"Me and the Devil" by Soap&Skin
"LABOUR "– the cacophony" by Paris Paloma"
"Unholy" by Sam Smith & Kim Petras
"you should see me in a crown" by Billie Eilish
"Too far gone" by KESHA
⁺‧₊˚ ཐི⋆♱⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺
Unadulterated Female Rage. Just a mom and her love for her sweet baby. At least the creature cares about his baby mama unlike her cheating husband. I'm so glad they got the HEA.
Playlist: ⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆
"Me and the Devil" by Soap&Skin
"LABOUR "– the cacophony" by Paris Paloma"
"Unholy" by Sam Smith & Kim Petras
"you should see me in a crown" by Billie Eilish
"Too far gone" by KESHA
October 17, 2025
I have such mixed feelings about this one—love and hate in equal measure. The book takes on a lot: women’s autonomy, the illusion of perfection on social media, the pressure to conform, and the manipulation that hides beneath “traditional” values. At its core, it’s about choice—real choice. A woman can absolutely choose to be a homemaker or a full-time professional, but when that decision is coerced, romanticized, or filtered through someone else’s expectations, it becomes suffocating.
It also hits on the performance of perfection—the curated feeds, the “ideal” family life, the way people listen to influencers instead of experts. That part felt sharp and timely. What resonated most, though, was the question of purpose. As someone deep in academia and science, I understood the exhaustion, the quiet questioning of “is this what I’m meant to do?” That part felt painfully real.
The story raises important questions about women’s roles, societal expectations, and how both men and women contribute to the pressure to be everything at once. But the execution didn’t land for me—the characters felt flat, the pacing dragged, and the ideas that could’ve been powerful often got lost in the delivery.
I appreciate what Schaefer was trying to do, but ultimately, the delivery was not for me.
It also hits on the performance of perfection—the curated feeds, the “ideal” family life, the way people listen to influencers instead of experts. That part felt sharp and timely. What resonated most, though, was the question of purpose. As someone deep in academia and science, I understood the exhaustion, the quiet questioning of “is this what I’m meant to do?” That part felt painfully real.
The story raises important questions about women’s roles, societal expectations, and how both men and women contribute to the pressure to be everything at once. But the execution didn’t land for me—the characters felt flat, the pacing dragged, and the ideas that could’ve been powerful often got lost in the delivery.
I appreciate what Schaefer was trying to do, but ultimately, the delivery was not for me.
October 7, 2025
ARC for review. To be published February 10, 2026.
1 star/DNF at 10%
I chose this because I thought this might be a fun little horror story about these TradWives getting knocked off, or, magically, getting parts of their brains back and turning on the patriarchy (but both #tradwives and #bad girls know that Santa never brings you what you want.)
By about twenty pages in I was getting suspicious. So I checked. This is by the same Saratoga Schaefer who wrote the abysmal SERIAL KILLER SUPPORT GROUP. I read that whole thing so I knew this wasn’t to get any better.
First of all, why is this woman a tradwife? Early trauma? Conservative family? Wants to be an influencer? Because they aren’t presented as really good or bad, there’s no moral judgment here, and we’re ALLOWED to poke gentle fun at these ladies, who will make chicken soup for you when you are sick but who also wrung the neck of the chicken. The FMC thinks (about infertility) “And it could be him, a voice in the back of my head points out before I chase it away. It’s true, the voice mutters, almost petulantly. I read a chapter about male infertility three weeks ago. It isn’t Graham’s fault. It couldn’t be. That’s not him this is supposed to work..”. Dear Lord, she JUDT FOUND OUT men can be infertile? And then dismisses it? I weep for our nation of young women.
So, don’t do it. There’s a good horror book somewhere in here. This isn’t it.
1 star/DNF at 10%
I chose this because I thought this might be a fun little horror story about these TradWives getting knocked off, or, magically, getting parts of their brains back and turning on the patriarchy (but both #tradwives and #bad girls know that Santa never brings you what you want.)
By about twenty pages in I was getting suspicious. So I checked. This is by the same Saratoga Schaefer who wrote the abysmal SERIAL KILLER SUPPORT GROUP. I read that whole thing so I knew this wasn’t to get any better.
First of all, why is this woman a tradwife? Early trauma? Conservative family? Wants to be an influencer? Because they aren’t presented as really good or bad, there’s no moral judgment here, and we’re ALLOWED to poke gentle fun at these ladies, who will make chicken soup for you when you are sick but who also wrung the neck of the chicken. The FMC thinks (about infertility) “And it could be him, a voice in the back of my head points out before I chase it away. It’s true, the voice mutters, almost petulantly. I read a chapter about male infertility three weeks ago. It isn’t Graham’s fault. It couldn’t be. That’s not him this is supposed to work..”. Dear Lord, she JUDT FOUND OUT men can be infertile? And then dismisses it? I weep for our nation of young women.
So, don’t do it. There’s a good horror book somewhere in here. This isn’t it.
April 7, 2026
Intimate, conversational, almost confessional prose makes this dark and heartfelt story a delight to read. The story manages to be incredibly sympathetic to its main character while also letting her performativity, naivete, and intentional obtuseness be remarkably aggravating at times. That is to say, she feels like a real woman who is responding to the traumas she has experienced with the best tools she sees as available to her, and unfortunately a lack of resources means those aren’t the best tools. Not at first, at least. Part of me wants to believe the antagonist, her husband, is some over-the-top stereotype of a Chad, but reality quickly divests me of that delusion. He isn’t given much dimension in this story, though, and I would have liked him to be just as awful but with a little more depth, perhaps. It was just remarkably easy to root against him, and that just makes the inevitability of the narrative less emotionally fraught. He does still feel genuine though, because being blandly misogynist and patriarchal with performative religiosity as a half-hearted justification feels unfortunately too genuine.
The writing itself felt intimate and was enjoyable, with enough description to really let the reader feel invested in the environment without feeling florid. The writing does a good job at paralleling the main character’s inner journey, always letting us stay within her sphere of experience. The pacing did feel a little slow by the final act, though. This is simply because the story is written for the reader to have far fewer doubts and ambivalence about the reality of the situation than the protagonist does, and we can see the writing on the wall very early on. She tries to deny it, and this makes things feel a little more drawn out than they need be, and the final act suffers a little because of this. Not in terms of what actually happens, the course of the narrative makes sense and is satisfying, but it does have a sense of inevitability to me as a reader that made me disconnect from the character in that final act. This novel is not long but I almost wonder if it could have been a long novella, instead of a short novel, maybe just 50 pages shorter, which would have kept the tension ratcheted up to a higher level for the whole back half.
Emotional and engaging characters, a sympathetic exploration of how trauma and 21st century (online) culture can warp that trauma into something even more malignant, and a meditation on family, self-empowerment, and accountability (among other themes) make this story a fun and worthwhile read. The narrative is direct, without any complications or twists, but satisfying and meaty. The pacing could have been trimmed up a bit in the final act, but it is still a fast and enjoyable read, never feeling plodding, just inevitable and hence not as tense or untrustworthy as it might have been. It definitely scratches a few different itches, and a welcome addition to the emerging canon of feminist psychological and body horror.
(Rounded from 3.5)
The writing itself felt intimate and was enjoyable, with enough description to really let the reader feel invested in the environment without feeling florid. The writing does a good job at paralleling the main character’s inner journey, always letting us stay within her sphere of experience. The pacing did feel a little slow by the final act, though. This is simply because the story is written for the reader to have far fewer doubts and ambivalence about the reality of the situation than the protagonist does, and we can see the writing on the wall very early on. She tries to deny it, and this makes things feel a little more drawn out than they need be, and the final act suffers a little because of this. Not in terms of what actually happens, the course of the narrative makes sense and is satisfying, but it does have a sense of inevitability to me as a reader that made me disconnect from the character in that final act. This novel is not long but I almost wonder if it could have been a long novella, instead of a short novel, maybe just 50 pages shorter, which would have kept the tension ratcheted up to a higher level for the whole back half.
Emotional and engaging characters, a sympathetic exploration of how trauma and 21st century (online) culture can warp that trauma into something even more malignant, and a meditation on family, self-empowerment, and accountability (among other themes) make this story a fun and worthwhile read. The narrative is direct, without any complications or twists, but satisfying and meaty. The pacing could have been trimmed up a bit in the final act, but it is still a fast and enjoyable read, never feeling plodding, just inevitable and hence not as tense or untrustworthy as it might have been. It definitely scratches a few different itches, and a welcome addition to the emerging canon of feminist psychological and body horror.
(Rounded from 3.5)
September 19, 2026
3.65⭐️
This book really reminded me of Nestlings without actually being like it. Both books handle social commentary very well (with the added satire in Trad Wife), but the horror elements aren’t necessarily as strong.
Our protagonist is that kind of performative influencer we all know, yet we quickly grow fond of her as we come to understand why she acts the way she does. She's desperately trying to emulate what she thinks people want from her, even if it means letting her own ambitions fall by the wayside. While I’m not excusing her behavior, it’s not too hard to empathize with her, recognizing the toxic situation she's in. Especially when it comes to her husband, the real horror of the story.
As for the plot, I found it fairly straightforward, with few surprises, even predictable, though it remains effective. I did, however, really like the fact that motherhood represents her emancipation and her awakening, since we usually see the opposite. Her fate touched me, I felt as though she was moving from one prison to another, even though this one seems to suit her better.
The real downside of Trad Wife for me is its lack of subtlety. Everything is spelled out, even though it’s written well enough for us to figure things out on our own.
This book really reminded me of Nestlings without actually being like it. Both books handle social commentary very well (with the added satire in Trad Wife), but the horror elements aren’t necessarily as strong.
Our protagonist is that kind of performative influencer we all know, yet we quickly grow fond of her as we come to understand why she acts the way she does. She's desperately trying to emulate what she thinks people want from her, even if it means letting her own ambitions fall by the wayside. While I’m not excusing her behavior, it’s not too hard to empathize with her, recognizing the toxic situation she's in. Especially when it comes to her husband, the real horror of the story.
As for the plot, I found it fairly straightforward, with few surprises, even predictable, though it remains effective. I did, however, really like the fact that motherhood represents her emancipation and her awakening, since we usually see the opposite. Her fate touched me, I felt as though she was moving from one prison to another, even though this one seems to suit her better.
The real downside of Trad Wife for me is its lack of subtlety. Everything is spelled out, even though it’s written well enough for us to figure things out on our own.
August 2, 2026
This was so freaking good. It was exactly what I wanted it to be. Grossly-entertaining with plenty of good content to chew over...
See what I did there? 👀🥩
I might end up rating this even higher, I just need to think on it for a bit. Schaefer definitely wrote a banger with this one.
Full review to come...stay tuned!!!
See what I did there? 👀🥩
I might end up rating this even higher, I just need to think on it for a bit. Schaefer definitely wrote a banger with this one.
Full review to come...stay tuned!!!
June 16, 2026
Now this is a book with a bite!
Camille and Graham are happily married. She's the ever dutiful wife that caters to Graham's every whim. She cooks and bakes everything from scratch all while keeping the house perfectly pristine. What good is it to be the perfect wife if you don't post every moment online for the world to admire? The likes, the praise, the encouraging comments from strangers fulfill Camille in way that nothing else can...except a baby.
Lately Graham is always working late and when he's home he's always too tired for a "date night" so Camille does what she has to do. Venturing into the wheat field behind her house she finds a wishing well and with that one penny she opens the door to something that lay long dormant. Surprising even herself when she finds out soon after that she's pregnant.
This is NOT a normal pregnancy and what she births is NOT a normal baby - this little Sweetheart is ravenous!
"I may be young and naïve, but I'm not stupid. This isn't how pregnancy is supposed to go. You're not supposed to throw up blood and then immediately discover a baby bump that already contains a kicking child when hours earlier there was nothing. But you're also probably not supposed to have sex with wishing well creatures that you find in your bedroom.
Angel, I insist angrily. It was an angel." 😇😈
Bless her heart! 😉
Wow, this exceeded my expectations. I had so much fun reading this one. Obviously, with a plotline like this, any and all logic needs to be chucked out of the window. I enjoyed Camille as a character. Even she knows that this entire lifestyle is bullshit, as a teen she wanted a career in biology, but her widowed father insisted science was a field for men and she should concentrate more on Home Economics. Then having met Graham who also felt that a woman's place is in the home she decides it's best to mold herself into the kind of woman the men in her life find worthy and bidding her own hopes and dreams farewell.
"Maybe I don't want to raise a traditional wife. Maybe I want to raise a feral woman."
Get your fangs out and claws ready!
I must forewarn future readers that this book is gruesome. The pages are oozing with blood splatter, viscera, and all sorts of ick so if you're squeamish at all then I beg you to skip this. 🤢
I, however, am not squeamish so I can honestly say I loved this very much. Lucky me! 5 stars!
Camille and Graham are happily married. She's the ever dutiful wife that caters to Graham's every whim. She cooks and bakes everything from scratch all while keeping the house perfectly pristine. What good is it to be the perfect wife if you don't post every moment online for the world to admire? The likes, the praise, the encouraging comments from strangers fulfill Camille in way that nothing else can...except a baby.
Lately Graham is always working late and when he's home he's always too tired for a "date night" so Camille does what she has to do. Venturing into the wheat field behind her house she finds a wishing well and with that one penny she opens the door to something that lay long dormant. Surprising even herself when she finds out soon after that she's pregnant.
This is NOT a normal pregnancy and what she births is NOT a normal baby - this little Sweetheart is ravenous!
"I may be young and naïve, but I'm not stupid. This isn't how pregnancy is supposed to go. You're not supposed to throw up blood and then immediately discover a baby bump that already contains a kicking child when hours earlier there was nothing. But you're also probably not supposed to have sex with wishing well creatures that you find in your bedroom.
Angel, I insist angrily. It was an angel." 😇😈
Bless her heart! 😉
Wow, this exceeded my expectations. I had so much fun reading this one. Obviously, with a plotline like this, any and all logic needs to be chucked out of the window. I enjoyed Camille as a character. Even she knows that this entire lifestyle is bullshit, as a teen she wanted a career in biology, but her widowed father insisted science was a field for men and she should concentrate more on Home Economics. Then having met Graham who also felt that a woman's place is in the home she decides it's best to mold herself into the kind of woman the men in her life find worthy and bidding her own hopes and dreams farewell.
"Maybe I don't want to raise a traditional wife. Maybe I want to raise a feral woman."
Get your fangs out and claws ready!
I must forewarn future readers that this book is gruesome. The pages are oozing with blood splatter, viscera, and all sorts of ick so if you're squeamish at all then I beg you to skip this. 🤢
I, however, am not squeamish so I can honestly say I loved this very much. Lucky me! 5 stars!
March 22, 2026
I picked this out for my Aardvark box for Feb and am glad I did - it turned out fantastic and totally gory, which I love! I also listened along to the audiobook, narrated by Rachel Jacobs, while I read and while I cooked and cleaned (haha).
I'm the furthest thing from a Trad Wife myself; I'm unmarried, I have no kids, I'm liberal and science-minded, an atheist... yet I find that content online to be somehow compelling. Not in a way that's alluring, but in a way that's almost horrifying. Schaefer's book puts into words all the reasons I both question it and can't help but watch and consume it, especially when they come awfully close to self-parody (like when the real version of Mara Shoemaker went and made homemade Lucky Charms or whatever cereal, from scratch, lmao). This book satisfied that urge I have to occasionally watch #tradwife content but with the added bonus of a wildly satisfying ending.
I think Saratoga Schaefer did a great job with this, especially with balancing the chaotic manicness of Camille slowly changing, almost losing her mind in the process, with moments of reality. This book was compared to Rachel Yoder's Nightbitch, a novel I enjoyed but had difficulty reading because of how deep into the MC's psychosis we're sent. Trad Wife is like Nightbitch-lite, with a lot more gore, which honestly makes me like it more. It was easily devoured (hah) in two days, where with Nightbitch I could only read a couple pages every couple months because it was SO MUCH. Of course part of that is the fact I find the idea of motherhood absolutely terrifying, so Nightbitch did scare me more than Trad Wife, though they're both horrifying in their own ways.
Most of Trad Wife's true horror is the slow mental and cultural imprisonment of Camille to patriarchal red pill views. Her awakening is, though also horrific, is a relief in comparison to how Graham and her father constantly belittle her. It made my skin crawl they way they would speak to her.
The ending very much gives Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery or Hungerstone - two novels I've given five stars and highly recommend if you like this or want more like it. Nightbitch was another 4 star from me, though I'd consider Trad Wife like a 4.25 star because, as I mentioned earlier, I liked this just a little bit more.
(eta 7/11/26: I keep thinking about how much I really enjoyed this and I'm bumping it to 5 stars. I'm making a five star video and I had already thought I rated this a 5 because I did love it lol, though still not quite as good as Slewfoot or Hungerstone, the vibes are all there and I really really enjoyed this!)
A quick and easy read, recommended if you find marriage, motherhood, the patriarchy, misogyny, etc horrifying, and want a satisfying gruesome and gory resolution hehehe
I'm the furthest thing from a Trad Wife myself; I'm unmarried, I have no kids, I'm liberal and science-minded, an atheist... yet I find that content online to be somehow compelling. Not in a way that's alluring, but in a way that's almost horrifying. Schaefer's book puts into words all the reasons I both question it and can't help but watch and consume it, especially when they come awfully close to self-parody (like when the real version of Mara Shoemaker went and made homemade Lucky Charms or whatever cereal, from scratch, lmao). This book satisfied that urge I have to occasionally watch #tradwife content but with the added bonus of a wildly satisfying ending.
I think Saratoga Schaefer did a great job with this, especially with balancing the chaotic manicness of Camille slowly changing, almost losing her mind in the process, with moments of reality. This book was compared to Rachel Yoder's Nightbitch, a novel I enjoyed but had difficulty reading because of how deep into the MC's psychosis we're sent. Trad Wife is like Nightbitch-lite, with a lot more gore, which honestly makes me like it more. It was easily devoured (hah) in two days, where with Nightbitch I could only read a couple pages every couple months because it was SO MUCH. Of course part of that is the fact I find the idea of motherhood absolutely terrifying, so Nightbitch did scare me more than Trad Wife, though they're both horrifying in their own ways.
Most of Trad Wife's true horror is the slow mental and cultural imprisonment of Camille to patriarchal red pill views. Her awakening is, though also horrific, is a relief in comparison to how Graham and her father constantly belittle her. It made my skin crawl they way they would speak to her.
The ending very much gives Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery or Hungerstone - two novels I've given five stars and highly recommend if you like this or want more like it. Nightbitch was another 4 star from me, though I'd consider Trad Wife like a 4.25 star because, as I mentioned earlier, I liked this just a little bit more.
(eta 7/11/26: I keep thinking about how much I really enjoyed this and I'm bumping it to 5 stars. I'm making a five star video and I had already thought I rated this a 5 because I did love it lol, though still not quite as good as Slewfoot or Hungerstone, the vibes are all there and I really really enjoyed this!)
A quick and easy read, recommended if you find marriage, motherhood, the patriarchy, misogyny, etc horrifying, and want a satisfying gruesome and gory resolution hehehe
August 18, 2026
꒰ 🍵˚˖𓍢ִ 𝘼𝙫𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚’𝙨 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘿𝙞𝙖𝙧𝙮 ໋🌷͙֒✧🍓˚⋆꒱
𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 ⌗52
(Some spoilers!)
Trad Wife👰♀️💍🏡👹
⤷ ゛Read: 8.17.26 - 8.18.26 ˎˊ˗
𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 3 ☆
Maybe I don't want to raise a traditional wife. Maybe I want to raise a feral woman.
⋆｡˚🪽𖦹ׂ⋆ 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: i devoured this so easily so okay wtf i dont know how to describe what i just read? This was the ultimate weird book. this felt like a fever dream. The whole book i was either concerned or laughing 😭
꒰ 👹 ꒱ 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀
˚˖𓍢ִ🍷. ݁𐙚 Camille: honestly she portrayed the female rage so well. She was so much more than a trad wife she had so much potential if her fricking dad and husband diddnt lock her up in a box all of these years. I feel bad though because she just wanted to be loved.
˚˖𓍢ִ🗑️ 𐙚 Graham: most unlikable character ever he literally is a MANCHILD he had everything yet he still was looking for more. He deserved that ending
˚˖𓍢ִ😈 𐙚 Demon: tbh he was the most likeable character he treated camille way better than fuckass graham.
꒰ 🗒️ ꒱ 𝗙𝗮𝘃 𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 ┊
“Which one of us is really the fallen angel?”
“All I ever wanted was to be loved. But the love I sought had conditions attached. I was only loved when I was doing what they expected, what they wanted.”
“My heart is so full of love for her. Isn't motherhood all about sacrifice anyway?”
“I am happy to give up parts of myself to make sure my daughter has a healthy life.”
⋆｡˚🖤👻𖦹ׂ⋆ 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
I was sat down for this entire book because we have a trad perfectionist wife who gets impregnated by a demon and shes so desperate for likes and her idol to notice her. Although i found this to be predictable it was actually had me hooked SO FUN🍿😭 i was so weirded out because of the cannibalism and blood
With Love, Avrielle 🍓💌
⋆˚✿ ˖°♡ Pre-Read:
Im in for a Summerween vibe, So excited for this spooky read as I’ve been seeing this on booktok and reviews here. the premise seems so weird interesting! she gets impregnated by a demon?! 🖤
𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 ⌗52
(Some spoilers!)
Trad Wife👰♀️💍🏡👹
⤷ ゛Read: 8.17.26 - 8.18.26 ˎˊ˗
𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 3 ☆
Maybe I don't want to raise a traditional wife. Maybe I want to raise a feral woman.
⋆｡˚🪽𖦹ׂ⋆ 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: i devoured this so easily so okay wtf i dont know how to describe what i just read? This was the ultimate weird book. this felt like a fever dream. The whole book i was either concerned or laughing 😭
꒰ 👹 ꒱ 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀
˚˖𓍢ִ🍷. ݁𐙚 Camille: honestly she portrayed the female rage so well. She was so much more than a trad wife she had so much potential if her fricking dad and husband diddnt lock her up in a box all of these years. I feel bad though because she just wanted to be loved.
˚˖𓍢ִ🗑️ 𐙚 Graham: most unlikable character ever he literally is a MANCHILD he had everything yet he still was looking for more. He deserved that ending
˚˖𓍢ִ😈 𐙚 Demon: tbh he was the most likeable character he treated camille way better than fuckass graham.
꒰ 🗒️ ꒱ 𝗙𝗮𝘃 𝗤𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 ┊
“Which one of us is really the fallen angel?”
“All I ever wanted was to be loved. But the love I sought had conditions attached. I was only loved when I was doing what they expected, what they wanted.”
“My heart is so full of love for her. Isn't motherhood all about sacrifice anyway?”
“I am happy to give up parts of myself to make sure my daughter has a healthy life.”
⋆｡˚🖤👻𖦹ׂ⋆ 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
I was sat down for this entire book because we have a trad perfectionist wife who gets impregnated by a demon and shes so desperate for likes and her idol to notice her. Although i found this to be predictable it was actually had me hooked SO FUN🍿😭 i was so weirded out because of the cannibalism and blood
With Love, Avrielle 🍓💌
⋆˚✿ ˖°♡ Pre-Read:
Im in for a Summerween vibe, So excited for this spooky read as I’ve been seeing this on booktok and reviews here. the premise seems so weird interesting! she gets impregnated by a demon?! 🖤
April 7, 2026
I dove into this without any expectations, and I was immediately hooked. While it's not exactly the same, the whole time I was reading, I was thinking of the 2009 movie Grace. The content is kind of brutal and graphic, and the characters aren't likeable, but it combines to create something fun for horror fans and well-balanced. Great read, and I'll definitely look for more from Schaefer.
May 31, 2026
4.5 he needed to suffer more ✨✨
March 5, 2026
TW/CW: misogamy, language, infertility, toxic family relationships, death of parent, gaslighting, sexism, toxic relationships, sex, gory scenes, blood, violence, grieving
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
When Camille Deming isn’t cooking, cleaning, or homesteading in her picture-perfect country farmhouse, she’s posting about her tradwife lifestyle for her online followers. She takes inspiration from other tradwives on social media, aspiring to be like them, but Camille’s missing a key component: a baby. And contrary to what she posts online, things with her husband Graham have been strained. Pressured by her eager followers, Camille fears that without a baby, her relationship will suffer and her social media will never grow out of its infancy.When Camille discovers a mysterious, decrepit well in the wheatfield behind her house, she makes a wish for a baby. Afterwards, she has unsettling experiences that she convinces herself are angelic in nature, and when she’s visited one night by a strange creature, her wish comes true. Camille’s pregnancy announcement gets more engagement than anything she’s ever posted—so what if Graham’s reaction is lukewarm? Camille’s life is finally falling into place. Never mind that her pregnancy is developing freakishly rapidly and she’s suddenly craving raw meat. Being a traditional wife is worth it.
Release Date: February 10th, 2026
Genre: Horror
Pages: 320
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
What I Liked:
1. Tradwife theme
2. Writing style
3. Rosemary's Baby feeling
4. Creature/demon love
5. Gory scenes
What I Didn't Like:
1. God, Graham
2. Last 30% get boring and repeative
Overall Thoughts:
{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}
Well that's just disgusting hearing about how her talk Dad talked about her food. Saying he had to go get takeout every time she went to bed because her food was so gross. It's like why did he even let her cook if it was so bad and waste her time why not just tell her to not even bother. I'm sure she could be doing something else as a teenager instead of catering her dad's needs.
Graham over here telling her that she doesn't need to do any strength training for her arms like lifting. I suppose he doesn't think about osteoporosis and how it can affect women's bodies but we don't want women looking like men now do we.
So there is a bathroom downstairs that they remodeled but Camille never mentioned it before when she was describing all the rooms on the first floor.
This neighbor waited a month before giving Camille the warning to stay out of the woods. She says it's so dangerous but why wait this long to say it. Now I know why the neighbors before told Renee at the beginning of her moving in but I am unsure as to why Renee would wait this long other than her lame excuse of wanting her to have time to settle in.
Graham over here cheating on his wife to come home and see her passed out and then ask her if she's made dinner. What an a-hole seriously. Gross.
Who knew the gentleman of this story would be the demon who asked and waited for consent before sex and giving her the baby. Can the demon kill Graham so she and the demon can live happily ever after together?
Graham never letting her leave the house but always leaving. Even saying she didn't need a car and isolating her with no friends and family.
See him cheating is proof that even when you give someone everything they want it's never good enough. She's "perfect" in all the ways he said he wanted but he still wanted more. It's absolutely sickening.
Craving raw meat just reminds me of an iron deficiency.
Awe the creature keeps bringing her meat to eat so she doesn't go hungry. It's so sweet. While on the other side Camille is passing out and falling apart and Graham is upset that he doesn't have dinner and the house is a mess.
I'm so disappointed that the Instagram dms weren't more juicy and were on the boring side. I was seriously hoping for something more exciting. I guess Graham is boring in real life wouldn't get also be boring in his cheating life? I just thought it would be great if he had been a hypocrite if he was cheating on Camille with dominatrix.
Yes, she finally got that hint and left Graham - okay she ate him but still she moved on to better things.
Final Thoughts:
I get that we are supposed to hate Graham like in Rosemary's Baby with Guy, but I seriously hate them. Graham is your typical red pill dude that wants to do what he wants while having a wife that's like his mom. It's sickening that there are real men like this in the world.
It also killed me everytime I heard Camille blame herself when Graham treated her a certain way; him cheating was her not trying hard enough, unable to get pregnant that there was something not right with her body, or him pulling away it's her not being perfect enough for him. All these beliefs set in stone for her because her mother was groomed into these thoughts because of her father and they trinkle down to Camille. Toxic men encouraging other toxic men to abuse their daughters. There is a part where Camille is worried that her dad will be upset that she found Graham but he's actually happy for her to finish what her mother couldn't finish - because she DIED. Even in death Camille's mother still failed in his eyes.
It was sad that the only time that Camille found any kind of actual tenderness for herself and without having to give anything away for anyone else was with the demon. He gave her the baby she wanted and the pleasure she had always been denied. She admits that Graham was a selfish lover - never doing oral on her and rushing through sex to get what he wanted and asking her if she got anything from it as an afterthought. It's so surprising that this terrible man is even able to find someone to cheat with but not surprising as he is a master at gaslighting.
Unfortunately I felt like the book got a little stagnant once the baby was born and Camille repeated the same things over and over again and again. She would feed the baby, the baby would grow, she'd hid the baby, and then Camille would eat. This for 70 pages just made me feel bored. I did love that she ate Graham and went off to live with the demon creature.
IG | Blog
Thanks to Netgalley and Rand crooked house for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
When Camille Deming isn’t cooking, cleaning, or homesteading in her picture-perfect country farmhouse, she’s posting about her tradwife lifestyle for her online followers. She takes inspiration from other tradwives on social media, aspiring to be like them, but Camille’s missing a key component: a baby. And contrary to what she posts online, things with her husband Graham have been strained. Pressured by her eager followers, Camille fears that without a baby, her relationship will suffer and her social media will never grow out of its infancy.When Camille discovers a mysterious, decrepit well in the wheatfield behind her house, she makes a wish for a baby. Afterwards, she has unsettling experiences that she convinces herself are angelic in nature, and when she’s visited one night by a strange creature, her wish comes true. Camille’s pregnancy announcement gets more engagement than anything she’s ever posted—so what if Graham’s reaction is lukewarm? Camille’s life is finally falling into place. Never mind that her pregnancy is developing freakishly rapidly and she’s suddenly craving raw meat. Being a traditional wife is worth it.
Release Date: February 10th, 2026
Genre: Horror
Pages: 320
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
What I Liked:
1. Tradwife theme
2. Writing style
3. Rosemary's Baby feeling
4. Creature/demon love
5. Gory scenes
What I Didn't Like:
1. God, Graham
2. Last 30% get boring and repeative
Overall Thoughts:
{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}
Well that's just disgusting hearing about how her talk Dad talked about her food. Saying he had to go get takeout every time she went to bed because her food was so gross. It's like why did he even let her cook if it was so bad and waste her time why not just tell her to not even bother. I'm sure she could be doing something else as a teenager instead of catering her dad's needs.
Graham over here telling her that she doesn't need to do any strength training for her arms like lifting. I suppose he doesn't think about osteoporosis and how it can affect women's bodies but we don't want women looking like men now do we.
So there is a bathroom downstairs that they remodeled but Camille never mentioned it before when she was describing all the rooms on the first floor.
This neighbor waited a month before giving Camille the warning to stay out of the woods. She says it's so dangerous but why wait this long to say it. Now I know why the neighbors before told Renee at the beginning of her moving in but I am unsure as to why Renee would wait this long other than her lame excuse of wanting her to have time to settle in.
Graham over here cheating on his wife to come home and see her passed out and then ask her if she's made dinner. What an a-hole seriously. Gross.
Who knew the gentleman of this story would be the demon who asked and waited for consent before sex and giving her the baby. Can the demon kill Graham so she and the demon can live happily ever after together?
Graham never letting her leave the house but always leaving. Even saying she didn't need a car and isolating her with no friends and family.
See him cheating is proof that even when you give someone everything they want it's never good enough. She's "perfect" in all the ways he said he wanted but he still wanted more. It's absolutely sickening.
Craving raw meat just reminds me of an iron deficiency.
Awe the creature keeps bringing her meat to eat so she doesn't go hungry. It's so sweet. While on the other side Camille is passing out and falling apart and Graham is upset that he doesn't have dinner and the house is a mess.
I'm so disappointed that the Instagram dms weren't more juicy and were on the boring side. I was seriously hoping for something more exciting. I guess Graham is boring in real life wouldn't get also be boring in his cheating life? I just thought it would be great if he had been a hypocrite if he was cheating on Camille with dominatrix.
Yes, she finally got that hint and left Graham - okay she ate him but still she moved on to better things.
Final Thoughts:
I get that we are supposed to hate Graham like in Rosemary's Baby with Guy, but I seriously hate them. Graham is your typical red pill dude that wants to do what he wants while having a wife that's like his mom. It's sickening that there are real men like this in the world.
It also killed me everytime I heard Camille blame herself when Graham treated her a certain way; him cheating was her not trying hard enough, unable to get pregnant that there was something not right with her body, or him pulling away it's her not being perfect enough for him. All these beliefs set in stone for her because her mother was groomed into these thoughts because of her father and they trinkle down to Camille. Toxic men encouraging other toxic men to abuse their daughters. There is a part where Camille is worried that her dad will be upset that she found Graham but he's actually happy for her to finish what her mother couldn't finish - because she DIED. Even in death Camille's mother still failed in his eyes.
It was sad that the only time that Camille found any kind of actual tenderness for herself and without having to give anything away for anyone else was with the demon. He gave her the baby she wanted and the pleasure she had always been denied. She admits that Graham was a selfish lover - never doing oral on her and rushing through sex to get what he wanted and asking her if she got anything from it as an afterthought. It's so surprising that this terrible man is even able to find someone to cheat with but not surprising as he is a master at gaslighting.
Unfortunately I felt like the book got a little stagnant once the baby was born and Camille repeated the same things over and over again and again. She would feed the baby, the baby would grow, she'd hid the baby, and then Camille would eat. This for 70 pages just made me feel bored. I did love that she ate Graham and went off to live with the demon creature.
IG | Blog
Thanks to Netgalley and Rand crooked house for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own
February 24, 2026
4.5★
”He thinks me so sheltered and delicate. All he knows of me is what I’ve shown him.”
Talk about character development… #tradwife
”He thinks me so sheltered and delicate. All he knows of me is what I’ve shown him.”
Talk about character development… #tradwife
October 7, 2025
Some books make you laugh, some make you think. Tradwife made me laugh, think, and mutter “oh no theydidn’t” at least five separate times. Schaefer takes a scalpel to the polished, beige world of the Tradwife movement (and yes, it bleeds flour and sourdough starter).
Camille, in the beginning, had me bristling. On one hand, she’s talented enough to create a highly selective science program (only a handful of teens got in), on the other… she bailed the second someone critiques her work. Which, to be fair, same. But then she gets funneled toward this perfect-wife-perfect-mother life she was raised in and for that looks great on Instagram but is basically a 24/7 unpaid job with no PTO. And the accuracy is almost unsettling. Schaefer nails that dynamic where women end up as basically baby factories and domestic servants expected to care for everyone EXCEPT themselves.
Then there’s Mara Shoemaker (who isn't a main but appears secondhand often) is the human embodiment of Ballerina Farm vibes. Highly capable, a (former) huge career of her own, and yet somehow redirected into the Tradwife pipeline where her entire existence seems to orbit her husband’s career and childrearing schedule, like the NASA moon landing but for casserole. Watching Camille and Mara interact is equal parts fascinating and rage-inducing.
The horror kicks in when Camille, desperate for that missing baby to complete her aesthetic, wishes at some creepy old well and ends up knocked up by a demon—hello, Rosemary's Baby but with filters. It's gross and spicy in the best way, with cravings for raw meat that eventually turns into some cannibalism, and it skewers social media's role in turning domestic drudgery into a cult. Camille's arc feels a tad too on-the-nose at times, like the satire's yelling instead of whispering, but hey, in a world full of tradwife influencers, who can blame it for cranking the snark? Solid horror with bite. Pun intended.
Camille, in the beginning, had me bristling. On one hand, she’s talented enough to create a highly selective science program (only a handful of teens got in), on the other… she bailed the second someone critiques her work. Which, to be fair, same. But then she gets funneled toward this perfect-wife-perfect-mother life she was raised in and for that looks great on Instagram but is basically a 24/7 unpaid job with no PTO. And the accuracy is almost unsettling. Schaefer nails that dynamic where women end up as basically baby factories and domestic servants expected to care for everyone EXCEPT themselves.
Then there’s Mara Shoemaker (who isn't a main but appears secondhand often) is the human embodiment of Ballerina Farm vibes. Highly capable, a (former) huge career of her own, and yet somehow redirected into the Tradwife pipeline where her entire existence seems to orbit her husband’s career and childrearing schedule, like the NASA moon landing but for casserole. Watching Camille and Mara interact is equal parts fascinating and rage-inducing.
The horror kicks in when Camille, desperate for that missing baby to complete her aesthetic, wishes at some creepy old well and ends up knocked up by a demon—hello, Rosemary's Baby but with filters. It's gross and spicy in the best way, with cravings for raw meat that eventually turns into some cannibalism, and it skewers social media's role in turning domestic drudgery into a cult. Camille's arc feels a tad too on-the-nose at times, like the satire's yelling instead of whispering, but hey, in a world full of tradwife influencers, who can blame it for cranking the snark? Solid horror with bite. Pun intended.
August 3, 2026
I could see how this book will not be for everyone but I fricken loved it. Sick and twisted in the best ways.
I identified in a lot of ways the the female main character and the husband was one I loved to hate. A few times I wanted to square up. Like what do you mean you find your wife passed out and you ask where your dinner is. Ha!
Overall, it was fun and raw and dark and a pleasure to get lost in if your a little crazy like moi.
Awesome read.
I identified in a lot of ways the the female main character and the husband was one I loved to hate. A few times I wanted to square up. Like what do you mean you find your wife passed out and you ask where your dinner is. Ha!
Overall, it was fun and raw and dark and a pleasure to get lost in if your a little crazy like moi.
Awesome read.
Read
September 21, 2026I feel like i need paranormal stuff rn
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