Sally Hepworth has been quickly rising to one of my favorite must read authors as of late, so when I was given the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Younger Wife, I stopped the book that I was already reading and dove right in. A decision that did not disappoint and led to a very late night with little sleep the next day. Basically I need to start planning on carving out the day for Hepworth reads and start in the morning.

A family's story told through multiple rich characters' viewpoints. Two sisters are introduced to their father's new young girlfriend at a lunch. Taking it in stride, but very conflicted internally because their father is still very much married to their mother that has been suffering from dementia and in a nursing home, both return to their lives and process this new information in their own secret ways. This sets the reader on the path with all these characters trying to piece together what's real and true based on cash and a couple names in a hot water bottle left by the mom with dementia. Each character has their own secrets that they have to confront, there are misunderstandings, and plenty of twists. And as always, Hepworth can craft an ending.

Thanks so much to netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Sally Hepworth for the opportunity for reading this advanced copy. Can't wait until it's released and my friends can read it and we can discuss it like we have done with the author's other books.

I am a huge Hepworth fan. My top book of 2021 was Hepworth's The Good Sister, I absolutely loved it! I was beyond ecstatic to be approved for Hepworth's latest novel, The Younger Wife. It's not really a thriller, more of a domestic drama. The whole time I was reading, I was less than captivated. Everything that happened seemed so obvious.
The story is told in the POV of three young women: Tully the uptight daughter of Stephen Aston; Rachel, Aston's beautiful and forever single daughter, and Heather, his much-younger-wife-to-be. Each young woman has her own demons to battle. (There are triggers galore, but none of them are fully developed). Stephen himself is still married! His wife, Pamela, suffers from dementia.
I thought about DNF'ing this book about 10 times but it's SALLY HEPWORTH and I love her. At the end of the day, even my favorite authors have a book that's less than perfect. That's this book for me. When I closed the last page I thought to myself, what was the point? I had hoped for a twist that would shock and amaze me but alas- it did not happen. I am looking forward to Hepworth's next try but this one was huge miss for me.

Sally Hepworth is one of my favorites and knows how to grab the reader from the very beginning. Her characters are so well developed you connect with them from the beginning. This one had a lot of twists and a CRAZY ending!!!

This book follows the lives of Rachel, Tully and Heather. Each chapter is told by one of three women, and I loved the different points of view. There are also a few chapters told from another characters POV that flash forward to a wedding. As the story progresses we learn a lot about each women's past, issues, relationships and thoughts.

This was such a good family drama, full of mystery and second guessing yourself. I loved this one, and once I started I couldn't put it down. The writing was brilliant and I couldn't wait to find out more and figure out what was happening. This was definitely a wild ride, that I enjoyed, but I did not like the last chapter!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is due for publication 4/5/22 and I recommend it.

4.5⭐s! This review will be added to Amazon/B&N on publication day, and will be posted in my Instagram (that.bookmom) soon.

Wow, Do I have to say more than wow?

This book was very intriguing. It is a story of 2 sisters, Rachel and Tully, their mom, Pam, who has Alzheimer’s, their dad, Stephen, and his new young wife, Heather. There are a lot of twists and turns in this book. Heather Is an interior designer who was customizing a house for “Pam” then eventually became the new wife. Each character has their story line but things transpire that make it appear the Stephen might be doing things to make them doubt themselves and their judgement. They form a bond and then … Just read it, I don’t want to spoil it

The story begins with a wedding where someone in the wedding party leaves in an ambulance. Who is it? What happened? Cut back to the present and Rachel and Tully are sisters who grew up having great parents and normal childhoods. Despite this they have never been super close. This begins to change when their father announces he is engaged to a younger woman, Heather, who is their age even though he is still married to their mother. Rachel and Tully grow closer as they learn more about each other and realize things about their parents they never saw before. Who is hurt at the wedding? What transpired to lead up to this catastrophy? This book is full of wonderful twists and turns and keeps you on your toes. I would definitely recommend it.

I received an advance reader copy of this book and am voluntarily submitting a review.

This was a solid read that kept me intrigued, but I wouldn’t necessarily classify this as a thriller. This had more of a slow burn throughout that was a bit predictable. I liked the various narrations though felt some of their side stories were unnecessary and became the primary focus more than the potential abuse.

Perhaps my biggest issue, however, is the title of the book. A better title even would’ve been “the older husband” as this story is less about heather (and even the marriage) and more about Stephen’s role as a husband, ex-husband, and father.

Nonetheless, I’ll be tuning in to Hepworth’s next read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another corker from Sally Hepworth. Two sisters coming to terms with their father remarrying a younger woman, while still married to their mom who has alzheimers. The evil stepmother seems to be playing her part or is all as is seems to be? I really enjoyed this book, especially all the twists and turns and unexpected ending was perfect.

Always love Sally Hepworth’s books and looked forward to this release. Loved the different perspectives and watching each character grow throughout as they reveal their personal secrets . Wish the ending was different, but overall a well written book by one of my favorite authors. Thank you, Net Galley for the advanced copy.

This was so good! I feel like Sally Hepworth is the only author that can pull of the domestic suspense genre this well.

The characters were well fleshed out. I loved how real they felt.

Not going to say anything else because of spoilers!

Sally Hewlett has done it again!

The Younger Wife is a novel that will turning pages AND guessing, right to the very end.

THE YOUNGER WIFE
BY SALLY HEPWORTH

Four stars for being compulsively readable. The ending was confusing and the character's seemed to be full of dysfunction. I had thought the premise to this one was interesting but it almost read to me that to have so many dark themes and flawed characters as I read on that I grew disenchanted. I felt like the more that I read the less likely could I believe it. In addition to that mix in the level of cruelty for which when combined with the ending I felt that all of this seems a bit far fetched and unrealistic.

A successful doctor in his sixties summons his young adult daughter's to have lunch with his girlfriend to announce over a toast that they are going to get married. Did I mention that the bride to be named Heather is younger than one of his two daughter's? Add to that conundrum he is still married to his daughters' mother. He plans on divorcing his wife Pam who is in a nursing home with early onset dementia. There seems to be an epidemic lately with women getting early onset dementia.

Tully who is married with two young son's is a kleptomaniac and lacked a warmth that seemed to border on as being quite disturbed. I warmed slightly to Rachael because I thought she was an excellent cook but she has her own problems and secrets. At first I thought the father's fiancee named Heather was a gold digger but she is hiding things as well. And the father whom at first seems caring turns out to have his own hidden secrets. For some reason I doubted that the mother of Tully and Rachael and the supposedly first wife was as unaware of things than what was written, but that was just a feeling I had.

I couldn't put the book down because it really does draw you in from the very beginning. At first I just felt so bad for the first wife, Pam and Rachael. Then towards the last 20 percent I thought that how could so many of these character's have so much going on with them? Really? Can there be that much darkness and flawed people in one family? And it strains belief and credibility that if what is implied was going on was really happening then how could it have escaped notice by everybody? It got kind of drawn out too long towards the ending and that ending ruined the book for me.

As I mentioned either this was just dark and if so the more that I read the more it seemed to make me feel as it was a bit unrealistic. I do admit that I couldn't stop reading hence my four star rating. It seemed just unrealistic so I feel that 3.5 stars rounded up after thinking about it seems like my most honest rating. I did love the book at first but the more that I read the more surreal it felt. I so much wanted to love this book. I always feel badly when my review isn't as positive as I would hope for it to be. I know how labor intensive writing a book is and I don't feel good when I have to admit that I am disappointed. I have to take comfort that the objective of a review is to be fair and honest. Isn't that the whole point? I couldn't help but feel bad for the mother with early onset dementia and now I am not even sure if it was as bad as described because of the ending and the Author's Note. I really did think that this was really promising until my reflections after finishing it. I don't like to read about darkness within so much of a story that I have to suspend belief. Suspending belief at times isn't always a bad thing but I don't like feeling like I am being spoofed. And the more I read the more I doubted the circumstances revealed could be so entirely hidden for so many years within a family never mind a community as well. It just didn't ring true for me. It just seemed so ludicrous that nobody had any idea of the horrible circumstances of what had been the main theme and how is it that not one person noticed? Also on the other side of the spectrum my sense is maybe deep down that was the reason for the two daughters to be so damaged. Maybe on some subconscious level the daughters knew but were in denial. There is a lack of authenticity to this plot that I felt it on a level that coupled with the ending I was left feeling disappointed. I do think that it is a great challenge to write a novel and I sincerely wish success for this Author and its publisher. I mean that with all my heart. 3.5 stars!


Publication Date: April 5, 2022

Thank you to Net Galley, Sally Hepworth and St. Martin's Press for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#TheYoungerWife #SallyHepworth #StMartin'sPress #NetGalley

Sally Hepworth writes smart, thought-provoking, and at times unsettling, novels - and The Younger Wife definitely fits the bill. Tully and Rachel are dealing with the engagement of their father to a much younger woman. His impending wedding is of course a point of contention, but there's one other "minor" issue - he's still married to their mother.

Rachel and Tully's mother suffers from early onset dementia. She has been living in a nursing home for a while and their father has decided it's time to move on. Rachel is dealing with trauma from her past, a compulsive eating disorder, and tumultuous feelings over her father's new bride. Tully is battling kleptomania, anxiety, and her own feelings of despair about their father's relationship. Meanwhile, his new fiancé, Heather, is trying to decide if she's being gaslighted or if her worst fears are coming true.

I'll be honest, it felt like I was gaslighted while reading this - ha! Hepworth does such a great job of laying out the story while simultaneously planting seeds of doubt. Just when I'm sure I've gotten to the heart of the matter... the tides turn and I'm left questioning my judgements. The way that the story is wrapped up, but still left so open is what makes The Younger Wife the perfect thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book encompasses the drama of Aston family, Stephen, the Patriarch, is about to marry a new wife who is younger than his two adult daughters. There is an immediate twist. Stephen is already married, and his current wife suffers from dementia in an assisted living facility.

The chapters alternate character narratives while mixing some of the timeline. The reader can dip into the thoughts of several characters, and the alternating timeline will keep one guessing what will happen next. If you like family drama with a touch of psychological thriller in the mix, this book is for you!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mind.

Another winner from Sally Hepworth! I’m a huge thriller fan and, while this fit the description, I really enjoyed that it didn’t follow the traditional thriller trajectory. Instead of twists and turns, I felt like I had the whole story fairly early in, but never knew the truth. I went back and forth, and flipped the pages as quickly as I could to find out what was REALLY going on!

THE YOUNGER WIFE is a domestic/suspense psychological thriller by New York Times bestselling author, Sally Hepworth. She is the author of six novels, most recently The Good Sister, which was an instant bestseller.

Her Novels Include:
The Secrets of Midwives (2015)
The Things We Keep (2016)
The Mother's Promise (2017)
The Family Next Door (2018)
The Mother-in-Law (2019)
The Good Sister (2021)
The Younger Wife (2022)

This is my review of The Younger Wife.
The story opens with a wedding ceremony between a successful heart surgeon, Stephen Aston and a much younger woman, Heather Wisher. Stephen is marrying a woman young enough to be his daughter’s sister!

Stephen Aston is getting married again. The only problem is, he's still married to his first wife, Pam, even though she is in a care facility for advanced dementia. So, Stephen divorces Pam, in order to move on with his new life. But his two daughters, Rachel and Tully disapprove.

Rachel is the younger sister, beautiful, charming, single and a “foodie” who runs her own cake business.

Tully is married to Sonny, a criminal lawyer and they have two young kids, Miles and Locky.

Heather is an interior designer and had been responsible for redesigning their mum and dad’s house, and enjoys yoga and gardening.

But as soon as his wife Pam’s dementia deteriorated, Stephen had her moved to a nursing home with a special wing devoted to dementia.

Tully and Rachel Aston look upon Heather as nothing but a gold-digger after their father’s money. Heather is the same age as Rachel and even younger than Tully. What had attracted this woman to their dad? Money? Status? So many unanswered questions… Heather has secrets that she's keeping close, and reasons of her own for wanting to marry Stephen.

Each chapter is devoted to the POVs of the three women: Heather, Rachel and Tully, and is used to great effect. This is a family drama where dark hidden secrets are slowly revealed on a need-to-know basis. All the characters have secrets that they choose to stay hidden.

With their mother unable to speak for herself, Tully and Rachel are determined to get to the truth about their family's secrets, and who their father really is.

This was a well-developed domestic/suspense psychological thriller that keep me hooked from beginning till the end. Well worth the read! Highly recommended!

Many thanks to the author and St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my digital copy of this book.

I have to give credit where credit is due, you know you've read a pretty decent book when at the end it's like whiplash and you're like "huh, wait, what happened??"
First off, I would classify Sally Hepworth's, The Younger Wife, is a psychological family drama maybe rather than a psychological thriller, which I'm not saying is a bad thing. I absolutely loved the characters and their connections plus this book has a little bit of everything from twists and turns, secrets, romance, friendship to some of the harder subjects like dementia, alcoholism, rape and abuse. And somehow through all this the author is able to incorporate humor and love into her writing. If I had one negative, it would be the ending, it threw me.a bit. If you're looking for a fast paced thriller this book may not be your cup of tea but if you're looking for a slow burning family drama with lots of deep dark secrets this will be right up your alley!
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was intrigued by the story from the get-go and read this quite quickly. I thought it was going one way but was surprised at how it ended. I didn't think that the storyline between Rachel and Darcy was developed enough though and it left me wanting to know more. I also found Tully to be quite unlikable as a character.

The one thing about this book that I did not like was the random talk of Covid. I know this is the time we're in at the moment but the references to it were so random and felt like they were just thrown in there. They just didn't fit. It would have been much better had they just not been in there at all.

This book has a whole bunch of places where you will stop and say "wait, what?". It is a classic story of an older man who has a fiancee who is younger than his two adult daughters and all the drama that creates. Add in the fact that his wife is still living but suffering from dementia and you have a book that will really hold your interest to see how he resolves that situation. But wait, there's more. Throw in some random comments by the wife (are they true or a result of her dementia), some found cash and another woman's name written on a piece of paper with the cash and you're not real sure where this story is going or where it will end up. And then even when the story is ended and all the pieces tied together, the author sticks an Epilogue on the end that makes you go "wait, what?" one more time just for good measure. I definitely recommend this book and will personally look for more books by this author.

Thank you so much for this ARC!

I absolutely love Sally Hepworth and was so thrilled to read and review The Younger Wife.

This book reads very quickly and is told from 3 known POV's and one mysterious POV. I enjoyed reading each character's thoughts and learning about their personal experiences that lead them to the issues they are each battling.

The storyline was definitely interesting - man divorces his wife with dementia, marries woman younger than his children but still maintains some sort of relationship with his ex wife (and invites her to the wedding!?). WEIRD. Does this make him a REALLY good guy or a REALLY bad guy. You will have to read to find out!