Book Review: Trad Wife by Saratoga Shaefer

Trad Wife by Saratoga Schaefer

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publication date: February 10, 2026
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publisher’s Description:

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. Afterward, 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.

Camille is the kind of influencer that most would call a trad wife. She longs to become as famous as her idol Mara Shoemaker (think Ballerina Farms), but her follower count is stagnant. She doesn’t even have 100K. The key to the next step is having a child. All of the well-known trad wife influencers have them. Camille has been trying to get pregnant for months, with no luck.

She discovers an old, abandoned well while on a walk in the fields behind her house and on a whim, she tosses a coin in while wishing for a baby. Soon, she’s visited by a strange creature and finds herself pregnant. Pregnancy content is just what her socials needed to break through the plateau. But something is not right – why is her bump growing so fast? Is in normal to crave raw meat?

Trad Wife was a gruesome and disturbing commentary on social media and surprisingly, motherhood. Camille actually buys into the traditional lifestyle, it’s not purely for show on her Instagram. Or at least, she’s convinced herself that she does. The line between reality and one’s public persona is blurred for a lot of influencers, including Camille.

Having a baby is life-changing for almost everyone and it’s interesting to see the effect Camille’s baby has on her, her lifestyle and her marriage. This book has been called Rosemary’s Baby for the digital age. I loved Rosemary’s Baby, but I think this book goes deeper.

I thoroughly enjoyed Trad Wife. Highly recommended.