The Younger Woman by Mandy Byatt was a fantastic book.
It was fast paced throughout with great twists and turns that just had you sitting on the edge of the seat.
I was hooked from the start and every chapter left me wanting more, those twists were so intricate and left me thinking one direction but, in the end, went the other way!!
From the start of the book until the end will keep you turning the pages of this intriguing thriller.
Byatt has a way of bringing you into the book.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Avon,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

I'll be honest, I wasn't sure about this book at first. A big issue I had with the author's first book was the incessant fat shaming and reducing women to how they look, and again this was rife in this book. The book plodded along well enough, I was quite interested in the storyline and wanted to see how it would all pan out but the writing style wasn't really for me.

I was all set to mark the book as an average read but then THE TWIST. I am never shocked anymore, I read so many books that I can usually spot twists a mile off but I will admit to being well and truly duped by this book.

I really don't know if I would recommend the book - I really did think the ending was fantastic but can I overlook the fact that I didn't really like the writing? I'm not sure.

Compelling, Tense..
Dream marriage slowly turning sour and a surprise birthday getaway to a cottage in the country forms the backdrop to this immersive suspense where nothing is as it seems. Lottie and Nick have their problems but for Lottie there is hope that the getaway will prove productive - especially when Nick hears her news. Things are about to take a downward turn, however, when Lottie discovers something in the cellar that will change everything. Compelling and tense, character driven and atmospheric.

It took me a while to get into this writing style but once I did I found it to be enjoyable, The storyline was engaging and there was a lot of twists and turns, I enjoyed it,

I will be brutally honest and say I hated the writing style. The first chapter just seemed to have far far far too many run on sentences with commas conjoined them and it made for some very drawn out, never-ending sentences that just irked me fro the start.

That aside however, the actual plot was really captivating. It's got multiple povs and can be a bit slow going and drawn out in chapters when it's just explaining backstop that noone cares about but there are some amazing twists and the whole books opens with such a bang that you force yourself to get through the boring bits so you get some kind of explanation.

I've no doubt those who like character led stories and stories where absolutely every little character action is noted and described, will really enjoy this. And it does definitely make you feel like you know the characters and I'm assuming the hope is that it'll make the characters seem more realistic and layered. I found it unnecessary though but to be fair, I prefer books with more action and less adjectives and excess narration!

This has been a bit of a half and half review but overall it is all subjective and I do think most thriller fans would still enjoy this, even if like me they end up skim reading a few paragraphs to get to the interesting bits quicker.

Lottie and Nick are having marriage problems and they go on a getaway trip to a cottage. Nick leaves for wine and Lottie goes into the basement and finds a woman’s dead body that looks like her. This book is full of twists and secrets and the first I’ve read by this author. I hope to read more. Thanks NetGalley and Avon for the opportunity to read this book!

Thanks to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and Mandy Byatt for the opportunity to read an advance copy of THE YOUNGER WOMAN, to be published 2 February 2023. It started out strong, with a body early on, but then slowed down a bit while describing the backstory. This novel was presented from various POVs which were not clearly delineated as I read through the chapters. I had to discern who was presenting their case which was obviously meant to be mysterious. The characters were varied and I particularly wanted to hate the younger woman, a despicable person. By the end of the book, it was clear there was much more to the backstory than had originally been told and it seemed many of the character’s pasts were coming out of the woodwork so to speak which made the end a thrilling ride.

A thriller in the true sense of the word.
This read will have your brain going in all directions.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.
I totally enjoyed every moment.

Yet another amazing thriller by Mandy Byatt! I loved the seductive setting and the vicious characters that definitely did not pull any punches!

This author has written an intriguing mystery with characters who are secretive and mysterious. What has happened? What will happen? Murder and mystery…family and friends…love and deceit…is anyone who he/she claims to be? Why is there a body no one mentions? Why is she in the basement of the cottage? So many questions to answer…so many red herrings…this book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher the author.

Oh wow! I absolutely devoured this book in one sitting, it’s a windy night here in Scotland, but the wind could not have been further from my mind as I gasp with each exciting twist, even that little one right at the very end! Everyone needs to read this book! It’s one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time.

I was quite excited to try this, I've heard good things about Mandy Byatt's debut Just Another Liar.

The Younger Woman is a domestic thriller starring Nick the husband , Lottie his loving wife, and Tasha, The Younger Woman. No spoilers, early in the book the wife finds a dead body in the family holiday cottage. Whodunnit and why?

It's fairly entertaining, good character writing and plenty going on. I liked the 'will they, won't they?' tension, will Nick commit the infidelities that Lottie suspects him of?

There are some big twists which are well set up, though for me it veered off course a little bit towards the end.

Not bad at all, but not one for me to get too excited about.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK