If You Loved ‘Yesteryear,’ You Need to Read These 4 ‘Trad Wife’ Books Next
From Jo Piazza's twisty thriller to a 1972 classic, you don’t want to miss these reads
Key Takeaways
- ‘Yesteryear’ by Caro Claire Burke isn't the only bestselling trad wife thriller out there.
- Jo Piazza's 'Everyone Is Lying to You' mixes influencer culture with a murder mystery.
- ‘ The Stepford Wives,’ published in 1972, is considered the original trad wife tale.
The bestselling novel Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke is taking the world by storm right now. The book follows Natalie Heller Mills, a social media influencer and “trad wife” (short for traditional wife and used to define someone who prefers to stay at home and take care of her kids, husband and house) who wakes up in the 19th century and has no idea how she got there. It’s funny, suspenseful and filled with satire. But it’s not the only trad wife tale out there. Over the years, several authors have written books that feature trad wives and we’ve rounded up the four best, including the decades-old novel that started the trend.
‘Everyone is Lying to You’ by Jo Piazza
This bestseller ny Jo Piazza (the first in the recent slate of trad wife novels) follows Lizzie and Bex—best friends in college who haven’t spoken in 15 years. Now, Bex, who goes by the name Rebecca Sommers, is a successful trad wife influencer; Lizzie is a struggling magazine writer who can never seem to make ends meet. But when Lizzie receives a call from Bex with an exclusive opportunity to cover a massive influencer conference, Lizzie jumps at the chance to reconnect with her friend, finally find out why Bex dropped her all those years ago and turn her career around. But when Bex goes missing—and her husband Gray is found murdered—Lizzie is forced to uncover the truth about who her friend was and is and what really happened—before it’s too late.
What readers are saying: “Jo Piazza perfectly blends mystery, drama and the dark side of social media in Everyone Is Lying to You. I couldn’t put this book down! The story dives deep into influencer culture, friendship and the lies we tell to look perfect online. Every chapter had me guessing who to trust—and I loved how real and relatable the characters felt, flaws and all. It’s sharp, fast-paced and filled with just the right amount of scandal and suspense. If you love a good thriller with a social bite, this one’s a must-read!”
‘The Stepford Wives’ by Ira Levin
Originally published in 1972 and turned into a 2004 movie starring Nicole Kidman, this book could be considered the trad wife book that started it all. After Joanna, her husband Walter and their children move to the town of Stepford, Connecticut, they are excited about their fresh start. But behind the town’s perfect facade lies a dark secret that could threaten to destroy Joanna and her family.
What readers are saying: “The Stepford Wives is a book that deserves its iconic status. It succeeds as both a feminist text and a psychological horror story. And it is no less needed now than it was in 1972. We may have come a long way baby, but we still have a ways to go.”
‘Trad Wife’ by Saratoga Schaefer
Camille Deming looks like the perfect wife. She cooks, cleans and takes care of her husband Graham and their picture-perfect country farmhouse. The only thing that’s missing? A baby! Desperate to be a mother, Camille goes to a mysterious well behind her house and wishes for a child. Days later, after a series of unsettling experiences and a creepy night visit from a mysterious creature, Camille learns she is pregnant, and her social media announcement receives more likes than anything she’s ever posted. The downside? Her husband doesn’t seem all that thrilled, she’s getting bigger and bigger by the day and she’s craving raw meat. Camille isn’t worried though, After all, having a baby is every trad wife’s dream…right?
What readers are saying: “I didn’t know I needed this book. After a steady diet of dark romance (shoutout to book club), I was craving something that scratched a different literary itch—and Trad Wife delivered in the most decadently unsettling way. This was my first experience with Saratoga Schaefer , and I genuinely could not put it down. I bought it and finished it in a single day. The suspense builds steadily, blending psychological tension with visceral horror. Schaeffer’s prose is immersive and sharp, capturing both the glossy aesthetic of curated domestic life and the raw, unfiltered emotions simmering underneath. There’s so much more I could say, but space doesn’t do it justice. If you’re looking for horror infused with feminine rage, moral ambiguity and razor-sharp social commentary, Trad Wife is absolutely worth the read.”
‘Trad Wife’ by Sarah Langan
Danger, suspense and secrets combine in this upcoming novel also called Trad Wife. To her online followers, Mia Wright looks like the perfect trad wife—she takes care of her seven children and she has a handsome husband and a 300-acre farm called Black Swan. Elsewhere, journalist Jenny Kaplan is desperate to save her tarnished career and decides to write a profile of Mia at Black Swan. But when she arrives, things get weird. The children sing strange songs at night, Jenny’s hair starts to fall out and she starts to think she’s losing her mind. Can Jenny figure out what’s wrong and escape or will she be stuck there forever? (Out September 29, 2026)
What early readers are saying: “This was a deeply intimate and unexpectedly emotional novel that completely caught me off guard. I went into it expecting sharp satire and entertaining commentary, but instead I found myself highlighting passages, taking notes and occasionally having to pause because certain moments hit far harder than I anticipated.”
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