A Creepy, Unhinged Horror-Comedy You Can Finish in One Sitting

Audrey expects organic smoothies and sunset selfies. Instead, she finds her college friend turned tradwife influencer crawling across the kitchen floor at 3 a.m., hands raw and bleeding, chanting about being the “perfect modern wife.”

That friend used to drink too much tequila and rampage a bar like a hurricane. Now she is the face of a movement, running a bootcamp on her farm where women pay to learn how to attract a husband. Their other college friend Jessica signed up. But nobody will let Audrey see her until the retreat is over.

For Fans of Yesteryear, Tradwife Thrillers and Dark Domestic Suspense

This isn’t your typical wellness retreat. As Audrey peels back the farm’s picture-perfect façade, she uncovers an insidious plot that threatens to trap every woman in its web of mind-bending rituals, sinister “treatments,” and cult-like devotion. Perfect for readers of Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, and for anyone who watched Midsommar or Don’t Worry Darling and wanted the book version. Part Stepford Wives, part cult documentary, short enough to finish in one sitting.

Perfect for readers who devour:

• Feminist thrillers with bite
• Cult psychological thrillers
• Dark satire about modern womanhood
• Quick, bingeable reads that pack a punch
• Social commentary thrillers

Why Readers Love It

✓ Binge-worthy one-sitting read (53 pages)
✓ Perfect palate cleanser between heavy reads
✓ Sharp feminist social commentary
✓ Cult thriller vibes with humor
✓ Timely criticism of trad wife culture

Reader Reviews

★★★★★ “A fun and unsettling novella that reads like a Pinterest board that’s gone full horror movie. Fun, right? Also, slightly terrifying.” — Julie, Goodreads Reviewer

★★★★★ “Creepy, claustrophobic, and rage-inducing in all the right ways, it fueled me to keep flipping pages until the explosive finale.” — Erika, Goodreads Reviewer

★★★★★ “Quiet horror and cult control you’ll finish in one sitting.” — Heather, Goodreads Reviewer

“Kristen Van Nest’s novel is DON’T WORRY DARLING meets BLINK TWICE meets… what could be the not so far off future under our current administration. The author offers smart commentary on ‘wellness’ retreats and the rise of trad wife culture. […] She’s back with a bang, one-liners that belong in a funny horror like BODIES BODIES BODIES, and a much-needed reality check.”

— Laura Donovan, Business Insider Writer + Author

Pick up your copy of Perfect Modern Wife today and discover why readers call it “addictive,” “unputdownable,” and “a jaw-dropping ride” from page one.

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About the Author

Kristen Van Nest is the acclaimed author of the comedic travel memoir Where to Nest and a viral modern dating humor influencer whose sharp wit and global adventures inform her work. Growing up in the Connecticut suburb where The Stepford Wives was filmed, she witnessed firsthand the pressures of domestic conformity—a perspective further sharpened when her high-school homecoming king married a top “trad wife” farm-living influencer, both experiences fueling the dark domestic suspense of Perfect Modern Wife. With a career spanning New York City marketing, a Fulbright Scholarship in Luxembourg, years working in the wine industry in Shanghai, and now living in the heart of Los Angeles, Van Nest brings an unputdownable twist to every psychological thriller she writes.