Today’s review is about TRAD WIFE by Saratoga Schaefer. It’s a standalone, contemporary horror that pulls inspiration from Rosemary’s Baby. It’s easy to read, though doesn’t delve deeply into the social commentary on trad wives.
Author: Saratoga Schaefer
Series: None
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publish Date: February 10, 2026
Print Length: 320
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Trad Wife Synopsis
Synopsis
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. 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.
Rosemary’s Baby for the digital age, this disturbing horror novel is one you’ll want to devour in just one bite.
Trad Wife Review
In TRAD WIFE, Camille desperately wants a baby to level up in the eyes of her online followers. She has the hot husband and the house in the countryside, does all the home cooking and cleaning, and dotes on her husband’s every need. Yet, despite all of her effort, Graham’s interest in Camille wanes, which makes getting pregnant problematic. On one of her walks around the property she discovers a wishing well and makes a wish for a baby. After some unsettling dreams, she convinces herself an angel is visiting her. So when a strange creature visits her one night, she allows the consummation to occur. She gets what she wants and finds herself pregnant. But the pregnancy experience is a strange one.
TRAD WIFE is what I would categorize as a popcorn horror read. It was very easy to read, despite the inclusion of a fair amount of gore. Even though I rarely read horror, I got through these sections or just skimmed them. The inclusion of various topics or themes of trad wife-dom is rather surface level, though. This is what, in my mind, makes this easy to get into and then easy to move on from.
As the story eventually shares, Camille’s father discouraged her from pursuing science. He convinced her that science isn’t for girls and, eager to please after losing her mother, she eventually gave it up. Her community now is that of the traditional wife. There are so many things that one could analyze about the trad wife culture. Schaefer includes topics such as: social media voyeurism, perceived perfection, fulfilling a biblically defined role (obedient wife), spousal pleasure (i.e., only the man’s pleasure matters), science misinformation, the monolithic style/personality of trad wives, the subsumption of a woman’s personality when putting others first, the ethics of putting photos of your child online, and others I’m sure I’m missing.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of reflection on Camille’s part regarding these various topics. As such, the book felt rather shallow for it. While not necessarily a “bad” thing, this probably isn’t for someone who wants a slightly deeper exploration or self reflection of being a trad wife. I did like the transformation at the end, though, which symbolizes throwing off (conservative) society’s expectations.
Overall, the comparison to Rosemary’s Baby is pretty spot on. This was a “fun” read, but not particularly earth shattering.
Rating: 3
Content warnings: sexual content, blood, gore, death, sexism, infidelity
Reading format: Library hardback
I remember reading Rosemary’s Baby years ago. It was a definitely a memorable read. I think I’ll pass on this one though
I didn’t realize it was originally a book! I’ve seen the movie, but haven’t read it.
It traumatised me when I read it in my late teens. Nowadays it’s classed as horror but they didn’t worry so much about genres in those days😳
I am sort of interested in this but feeling kind of lukewarm after reading your review. I was actually just approved for another book with the same title (and completely different story), so I’ll be curious to see how it compares😁
Yea, idk…this might be a pass for you if you have other things you’d rather read more. I didn’t know there’s yet another book with that title…I’ll keep an eye out for that review of yours.