Boy was this book a surprise. I almost stopped reading it because it wasn’t grabbing me. Whoa!! Keep reading!! I don’t want to give away the hook so I will just say some things are just as they appear but sometimes not.
#stmartinspress #netgalley #sallyhepworth

I love Sally Hepworth's books. Something about them makes them compulsively readable. Even if I have a gist of the ending, it doesn't even matter because her storytelling keeps me reading and eager until I get to the end.

This book was no exception, HOWEVER I am still so disturbed by the ending. Not even a "good" disturbing by a thriller, but one that has me thinking how the hell was this book published with this ending?

**SPOILERS BELOW**

It is so dangerous to perpetuate a narrative that claims an abuser's gaslighting > a woman's experience. To end the book making it seem like Heather 'imagined' the abuse she suffered at the hands of her fiance is disgusting.

I get what Hepworth is trying to do here (I feel like I'm being generous giving her the benefit of the doubt), that she is just trying to create mystery and a grey area and keep the reader guessing. But it rubbed me the wrong way. It did NOT need to end that way and I am really considering not supporting this author again.

This one of those psychological/suspense books that opens with a suspenseful scene and then goes back and forth to build up to it. I couldn't put this one down and read it in one day. The characters were all distinctly drawn - all with their own flaws and all relatable to in different ways. Sally Hepworth scores again with this well written tale - you will no be disappointed!!

Naturally Sally Hepworth delivers us a thrilling novel with exciting twists, plots, and loads of family drama. This page turner was very hard to put down! The drama started on page 1 and did not ease up until the end; this was one of those books that has you questioning what you just read (in a good way)! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

Two sisters, not particularly close. An institutionalized mother with dementia. A father with a new, much younger fiancée, who doesn’t seem bothered by the fact that he’s still married to his daughters’ mother. What could go wrong?

Plenty.

Rachel and Natalie (Tully) eventually come to grips with the fact Daddy is not only trading Mommy in for a newer model, but the woman in question—Heather—is nearly their age. While Tully suffers from a sticky-fingers impulse, her process for coping with stress, Rachel harbors a devastating secret that has left her ill equipped to handle a romantic relationship. Although Heather appears your average gold-digger on the surface, her sincere love for Stephen (the girls’ father) makes her more likeable.

The girls’ suspicions arise when demented mom habitually voices derogatory statements about Stephen, escalate when a mysterious wedding attendee shares a similar but cryptic announcement during an earlier discussion with Rachel, and reach a crescendo when Heather suffers an accident at home. As the daughters began to doubt the father they’ve always known, the tension and suspense increase, culminating with a heartbreaking but disappointing, and somewhat unrealistic ending.

"The Younger Wife" deals in dementia, kleptomania, rape, a familial secret, as well as spousal abuse. Quite an intriguing recipe! Hats off to the author for embracing her unfettered imagination. I do wish the characters had been equally as captivating, particularly that of Darcy, Rachel’s love interest. Unfortunately, I found the character underdeveloped and that he seemed too perfect to be believable. I realize he is a secondary character, but because he influenced a primary character to such a great extent, I felt he should have been equally authentic. Due to my issue with some of the character development and the ending, and because I committed to writing an honest review, I downgraded my rating to 3.5 stars. For those who love messy family dynamics and a very cozy mystery, I recommend this novel. My thanks to Sally Hepworth and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

What happens when you dream up some characters, give them what seem to be perfect lives, and then throw them all in a bag called dysfunction? Toss in ambiguous POV storytelling and an ambiguous ending, and you get The Younger Wife.

The books opens with an unnamed POV crashing the wedding of established, respected - revered, even -Dr Stephen Ashford to his much younger second wife. After the vows, there's a thunk and a scream, and suddenly we are moving back in time to What Happened Before.

Heather, the younger wife of the tile is about the age of Stephen's grown daughters. Stephen's wife Pam suffers from dementia and is in a nursing home where she can be tended.

Rachel, the older of the Ashford sisters, is a baker, and hasn't dated anyone since she was 16. We're not told why until late in the book (and the end of that intentional dry spell turns out to be Mr Perfect: handsome, witty, understanding. Of course he does.)

Tully, the younger sister, is an obsessive kleptomaniac who engages her compulsion when she is stressed, and she tries to hide the things she takes from her husband by dumping them into charity boxes. Her husband, for his part, has made a disastrous investment and lost a couple of million dollars, so they'll have to sell their house, sell a bunch of their stuff, and downsize.

Heather grew up in poverty, eventually breaking out of that and eventually becomes a well-regarded an expensive interior designer, which is how she met Stephen.

Stephen and Heather (well, primarily Stephen) spring the wedding news on Rachel and Tully at lunch one day. Not a nice thing to do, and of course they are shocked. The remainder of the book is told from POVs that cycle through the female characters. Secrets and backgrounds are slowly exposed, until we get to the heart of the matter: is Stephen a domestic abuser? The girls seem to think so, sifting through memories, looking at injuries their mother sustained, Heather being involved in a couple of falls, an so on.

Or, is it all in their heads? Are their memories being tainted by their conclusion that he is? This is where the ambiguity comes in.

It's not possible for the reader to accurately make that determination. The girls do - of course, as otherwise, there would be no ending or explanation as to what happened at the beginning - but for the reader, it's akin to the Choose Your Own Adventure books: do you take the dirt path and change being eaten by a bear?Or do you take the path through the woods, chancing death by tiger?

What you cannot do, in life or in this book, is not choose.

If you're a reader who likes a definitive ending, this is not the book for you.

The only thing I noted was a little sag in the middle, and Mr Perfect showing up in Rachel's life.

Four out of five stars.

Thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the reading copy.

In all appearances this is same old story about an older man trading in his first wife for a younger prettier version. Throw in a couple of bitter adult kids and you have your story right? Oh no this is much better than that old storyline. The adult children are flawed but human and you can't help but love them and root for them. The younger wife is flawed but also just wants a family and has her own skeletons. Is the first wife the actual first wife? What about the so called golden boy husband? Is he really so golden? These are all woven in to make a really good story and keep you guessing.

Sally Hepworth has done a really good job of taking several subplots and made a really good story while allowing each to have the detail that keeps a reader engaged. She does all of this without being too wordy and having a story that drags on and on. Can I mention the epilogue fellow readers? I do not want to give the story away but let's just say some discussion needs to be had on my part. I want to thank Netgalley for allowing me to read this book and give my honest opinion. Read it. Ms. Hepworth did not disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book! I kept hearing how great The Good Sister was by Sally Hepworth (currently-reading), so I was looking forward to this one! I enjoyed reading it and wanted to see how it all came together, but I was a little disappointed in the ending. It was ambiguous and I am not really a fan of that. Other than that it was a good story! Thanks again to NetGalley!

Interesting but somewhat not really my cup of tea. A mystery thriller crime. A man’s wife has dementia and doesn’t remember anything. So he is ok to marry another person, right? Well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is the second Sally Hepworth books I’ve read. She has become one of my “ Go to “ authors. One I start her books I can’t put them down. This read didn’t disappoint.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the opportunity to read and review The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth. I just finished this yesterday and I’ll be honest, I’m still thinking about it. The story begins at a wedding. Steven and his MUCH younger bride Heather are tying the knot, flanked by his grandkids and daughters (both of which or older than Heather). Suddenly a commotion erupts during the ceremony and someone will not make it to the reception. As the book unfolds you get the points of view of each character in the months leading up the wedding. This includes the emotional dynamic between the sisters, their own personal challenges, the dementia Steven’s first wife, and the introduction of Heather to the family. While this book felt like a typical domestic thriller, the ending showed the power of strong female bonds. In the end, you’re left to determine on your own - did he or didn’t he? Overall, I thought it was a great read and would certainly recommend giving this one some attention. This book will be released on April 5, 2022

This is my second domestic suspense story by Sally Hepworth, I find her stories really interesting and easy to read. She gets the reader invested in her characters early on as they are flawed, ordinary people who you can see as friends. In this story, there are two main characters, Tully and Rachel, who are the daughters of Pam and Stephen. When Stephen divorces his wife, Pam, who is suffering from dementia, because he’s met at fallen in love with someone else, it becomes a bit of a problem for Rachel and Tully since their father’s new love is their age! As the story progresses, Rachel and Tully divulge things in their lives to each other as they struggle to make sense of their mother’s ramblings. #netgalley

This book was enjoyable and kept me on my toes. The characters were decently developed, though I felt there could have been a bit more into the past for the older sister and her kleptomania. I also felt like the introduction of an old love was unnecessary, but it didn't harm the story. It was a quick read and it was what I was looking for - mystery, character, suspense.

The Younger Wife tells the story of a traditional upper class family hiding a wealth of dysfunction. Stephen Aston is a prominent heart surgeon who is married to Pamela, a woman in the advanced stages of dementia. The Austin's have two grown daughters Rachel and Tully (Natalie). When Stephen brings his new romantic interest Heather into the fold, all of the family's dirty secrets begin to surface and no one will escape the experience unscathed. Is Heather out to get Stephen's money, or does she really love him? Was Stephen REALLY a good husband to Pamela or did his actions ultimately contribute to her dementia? When a calamity occurs at a family gathering and one family member perishes , the dysfunction heightens and the suspect list increases. Readers will enjoy peeling back the secrets of this multi-layered novel.

Wow, that was a fun and fast read. Super LifeTime channel levels of mama drama and I was there for it. I read this in a day and enjoyed the ride.

Trigger warning for domestic abuse.

Another "I just can't put this down till I finish it book"
Just a FANTASTIC book with lots of twists and turns and a very surprise ending.
Just when you thought you had it all figured out you realize how very wrong you are!!!!
This is the second book I have read buy Sally Hepworth and look forward to reading many more!!!!

This was different from a lot of the "domestic thrillers" people are churning out lately and so I liked that it was a little more unique than what I have been seeing recently. Definitely took me on a ride that I was not expecting!

Didn't love this book, although it kept my interest well enough and was a quick read. Ultimately, however, the portrayal of the characters and their issues didn't ring true for me, which is the same problem I had with The Good Sister. Three stars because I appreciate the writing style, structure and swift pace of the story.

Thank you to netgalley.com for the ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e ARC of this book.
Chick lit at its finest. Could not put it down. Though probably not outstanding for its socially redeeming qualities, it is an entertaining read.
Can't bring myself to give it 5 stars, but it can have 4.

Sally Hepworth made me felt gaslit the entire time I was reading (which is what she intended, she told me). Great work!