'EVERYONE IS GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THIS BOOK' BELLA MACKIE
'NIGHTMARISH, SHOCKING, BRILLIANT' STYLIST
'THE BOOK THAT WILL BE EVERYWHERE' INDEPENDENT
'INTELLIGENT, INCISIVE, INSANELY READABLE' JENNIE GODFREY
'BOLD, BITING. WILL LEAVE YOU GASPING' NITA PROSE
‘WICKEDLY FUNNY, FRIGHTENINGLY PERCEPTIVE' ABIGAIL DEAN
'INVENTIVE, ADDICTIVE, A WILD RIDE' ASHLEY AUDRAIN
'SHOT THROUGH WITH HUMOUR, LACED WITH DARKNESS' CLARE MACKINTOSH
'THE STEPFORD WIVES MEETS THE HANDMAID'S TALE' HANNAH DEITCH
'My name is Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive…'
Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle – and has the social media accounts to prove it. Her charming farmhouse on her working ranch is artfully cluttered, her husband is a handsome cowboy, her homemade sourdough boules are each more beautiful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers and industrial-grade ovens behind the scenes? What Natalie’s followers don’t know won’t hurt them.
Then, one morning, Natalie wakes up in a strange, horrible version of reality. Her home, her husband, her children—they’re all familiar, but something’s off. Is this a hoax? A reality show? A test from God? Natalie knows just two things for sure: this isn't her perfect life, and she must escape, by any means possible.
NOW BEING ADAPTED INTO A MAJOR FILM STARRING ANNE HATHAWAY
Review
I don't know what to say about this book, because if I say too much it will spoil your reading of it.
Natalie is an Instagram influencer. She didn't use to be. It's taken her a lot of hard work and training to be this real online, even if she isn't this real offline. All her family are involved as she portrays the perfect traditional lifestyle on her ranch.
We see the "before" Natalie as she realises her husband Caleb is not who she thought he was and she needs to create a life for him to live. With support from her wealthy Father in law she has the means to create that life, and now the medium to show it to the world via Instagram.
When Natalie wakes up one morning and doesn't recognise her home or her children, she wonders if someone is playing a reality TV show trick on her. It is her home, but without all the mod cons she hides from the real world. She has the right number of children, but not quite the same ones. As her life in 1805 begins she decides she has to escape from it. The real trad wife life is not for her it seems.
I really enjoyed the influencer parts of this book and the glimpse behind the "reality". Natalie is quite a character and not one I warmed to. Once it flipped to 1805 I got a bit lost and didn't enjoy it so much. I got my reward at the end, and all I can say is "wow!" What a premise for a book. Looking back there are some deep themes and a lot more under the surface of the superficial influencer tag.
I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review. This book is published on 9 April 2026.
