This book starts off well but it loses pace in the middle third. The storyline was interesting. The twist was shocking.

Some really good twists and turns in this one that keeps you guessing and hooked. I read a lot of thrillers and really thought I had guessed where this one was going but I was very wrong!

She knows him better than anyone.
She doesn’t know him at all…

Lottie and Nick once had a dream marriage, but a series of failed IVF attempts has left Lottie feeling insecure, and her paranoia is further stoked by the arrival of a new starter at Nick’s firm. Nuala is the spitting image of a younger, more attractive Lottie, and Nick is paying her a lot of attention…

But then Lottie discovers she’s pregnant. A surprise getaway to their country cottage to celebrate Nick’s birthday will provide the perfect backdrop to give him the news and start to heal the rifts in their relationship.

Then, on the eve of Nick’s birthday, Lottie goes into the cellar, and what she finds makes her question everything.
Because there, in the corner of the cellar, is the body of a young woman.
A young woman who looks just like Lottie…

This is a thrilling read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of The Younger Woman by Mandy Byatt from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion, WOW - this book starts out with twists and turns that will have you holding your breath waiting to see what is going to happen next. I absolutely loved it and can't wait for my friends to read this so we can all talk about it.

This book was very enjoyable to read! It did start off just a little bit slow, but once it picked up I didn’t wanna put it down!

Thank you so much to Netgalley for letting me read an early copy of this book! I loved it, i normally hate books with the cheating in them however this one had me hooked and i couldn't put it down. I didn't know where it was going to go and I didn't expect the ending at all!!

This was another recommendation from my good friend Dawn! Dawn is my go to when I am struggling to pick books up at the moment.
The book was very addictive and gripping and didn’t take me too long to get through it! It was a very easy read, that pulled you in and can be described as the perfect escapism.
I had so many theories about Tasha. So , so many! I loved the twist that the author pulled with regard to Tasha and thought it was very clever.
It is hard to revie the book without giving the spoiler away, but for any thriller loves, I would definitely recommend adding this to your pile and going on the rollercoaster of a journey to find out what the younger woman did!
I haven’t read this author before, but I have "Just Another Liar" on my shelves and will be prioritising that!
I can see the author becoming an auto-buy author.

Really enjoyed this book series book by this author I.have read. I thought I knew where this book was going but clearly not as things started to unravel. Very good.

The download date was unfortunately missed, I would be happy to re-review if it became available again. I have awarded stars for the book cover and description as they both appeal to me. I would be more than happy to re-read and review if a download becomes available. If you would like me to re-review please feel free to contact me at thesecretbookreview@gmail.com or via social media The_secret_bookreview (Instagram) or Secret_bookblog (Twitter). Thank you.

This was a fantastic, thrilling, edge of your seat, suspenseful novel! Absolutely loved it...only flaw...WAAAAAY too many characters at the end!

This was a great read and I thoroughly enjoyed it from the start. However, I started to get a little confused towards the end when the storyline was getting tied up and there were too many characters to bring in for this to happen in a short space of time. Such a shame as I loved it but I just couldn't help getting confused. Definitely worth a read though.

Thank you Netgalley.

This book started off with a bang but then it fell flat. Way too many characters but unfortunately it picked up at the end. I felt like it was the writing style that I didnt connect with.

It's my second Mandy' book and she's doing amazing job! Again, she created not only a story you can't put down, but visualize a characters from the worst nightmares...

This story is not a comfort book to read in between. This story makes you feel insecure, analize what is hidden behind the people's smiles, even though you seems to know them by heart. It also makes you realize that nothing lasts forever and the evil could be in anyone, even if you don't see it at first.

I really hope that Mandy will keep writing stories like this. Full of emotions, of non obvious darkness and life far from perfect.

5/5

This was explosive. I loved it. Couldn't put it down. An absolute whirlwind from start to finish. And that ending--WOW! Totally blew me away. I loved this book!

Oh Mandy Byatt, would I love to do a Q and A with you!!!

As a self proclaimed thriller enthusiast, I have pretty much read every type of thriller out there. Sometimes, you come across a book that makes you stop dead in your tracks and literally exclaim out loud "What The FLiP did I just read?"

Well, that is this book...

The Younger Woman

Mandy Byatt is a literary genius and made an instant fan out of me. Every time I would pick my jaw up from the floor after a big reveal, it was back where I had left it within seconds. The Younger Woman is the definition of "jaw dropper".

This book packs a KILLER twist that you will not see coming. This is a MUST read for all thrill lovers.

Teaser :

She knows him better than anyone.
She doesn’t know him at all…

Lottie and Nick once had a dream marriage, but a series of failed IVF attempts has left Lottie feeling insecure, and her paranoia is further stoked by the arrival of a new starter at Nick’s firm. Tasha is the spitting image of a younger, more attractive Lottie, and Nick is paying her a lot of attention…

But then Lottie discovers she’s pregnant. A surprise getaway to their country cottage to celebrate Nick’s birthday will provide the perfect backdrop to give him the news and start to heal the rifts in their relationship.

Then, on the eve of Nick’s birthday, Lottie goes into the cellar, and what she finds makes her question everything.
Because there, in the corner of the cellar, is the body of a young woman.

A young woman who looks just like Lottie…

A very cleverly put together plot with more twists and surprises than you can ever imagine being in one book. Just when you think you have it all worked out another plot twist comes along. A page turner that needs unpicking by the reader, nothing is ever as it seems.
I really look forward to reading more books from this author.
Thank you to Mandy Byatt, Netgalley and Avon Books for an ARC in return for an honest review.

What a roller coaster of a read. Lots of twists right up until the very end, with an ending I did not see coming.
Excellent story and one I would definitely recommend.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC

"unputdownable thriller" it's a very accurate description!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

"You shouldn't play around with people..."

What a delightful tension-filled twisted thriller THE YOUNGER WOMAN is! And definitely not what I expected at all. The author has cleverly constructed a complex plot that will have even seasoned readers like me fooled with each turn of the page, leaving us more stunned than Nick with Lottie's anniversary surprise.

Forty-somethings Nick and Lottie are off to Fairview, his parent's holiday cottage (which is anything but a cottage, I might add), to celebrate their tenth anniversary and Nick's birthday the following day. After several years of failed IVF attempts and their desperation to have a child, nothing has worked and Lottie's biological clock is ticking. But now Lottie has a big surprise for Nick...however, she is in for an even bigger surprise of her own.

Filled with excitement at Lottie's news, Nick braves the lashing rain and heads to the village for some champers. But an hour later and he still hasn't returned and Lottie is getting worried. Even more so when the storm cuts the lights in the cottage and she must use her mobile phone's flashlight (with its failing battery) to brave the cellar and its feisty inhabitants of the rodent kind in search of the fuse box (and hoping it is just a tripped switch). Of course she clocks a bottle of champagne on the shelf down there, but Nick claimed not to have known where the key to the cellar was. Yet Lottie found it on his own key fob. Strange? Or had he forgotten about it?

When she tries to retrieve the bottle, she unintentionally discovers the body of a young woman. A woman with red hair, like her own. Like Nick's new PA. Surely not?

Lottie's head is filled with questions. All those text messages; all those late nights "at the office"; his moodiness and snappiness; the lies she has uncovered and questioned him about...all of this and more. How did she get here? Why is she here? Did Nick meet her here? Were they having an affair?

But nothing will prepare Lottie for the answers when they are eventually revealed. Skeletons buried so deep, uncovering the lies and deception as the secrets of the past begin to resurface. And at the end of it all...what does it mean for Nick, Lottie and the baby they so desperately wanted?

With a handful of characters, a cleverly woven plot and a twisted tale that will keep you guessing who to believe and who not to, THE YOUNGER WOMAN is a psychological thriller that will have you second guessing everything. Even the characters all seem a little untrustworthy. One in particular is just deviously nasty. But the story as a whole is just really well-plotted and by the end you will be left pondering what exactly you've just read. Because it will make you second guess how you perceived everything. Not confusing, when really you think about it, just complex and very cleverly done.

THE YOUNGER WOMAN was nothing like I expected and I enjoyed every minute of it! Figuring out the twists and reveals never spoils the story for me, but when you get one that comes along and still has the ability to surprise and shock you, then you know you have a winner! I love the complexity of the story and its subplots that when I look back at it and see just how cleverly the author has woven the tale, I am just so impressed I'm speechless.

Overall, a thoroughly twisted tale and an enjoyable psychological thriller with plenty of tension and an abundance of secrets that are so cleverly hidden not even the seasoned reader will pick them!

I would like to thank #MandyByatt, #Netgalley and #AvonBooks for an ARC of #TheYoungerWoman in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

I was intrigued from the start with this book and days after finishing it I was still thinking about it! It dew me in hook, line and sinker. I was convinced I knew where the story was going and how it would end.