I will preface this by saying that I love Sally Hepworth as an author and person (ok, I don't know her personally but she seems really cool) but The Younger Wife wasn't a fave of mine. I was expecting a dark domestic thriller but it was just a bunch of family drama. Yes, it was entertaining but I was really hoping The Younger Wife included a younger wife that was a homewrecking, conniving bitch, lol!

The Younger Wife revolves around the Aston family. Stephen Aston is a prominent heart surgeon who is getting remarried to a woman that is younger than his two adult daughters. However, he is currently married to his first wife who suffers from dementia and is in a care facility. The daughters, Tully and Rachel, aren't keen on their father marrying the younger woman (Heather Wisher) as they think that she is a gold digger.

It appears that everyone in the family, including Heather, are harboring secrets. Stephen's marriage to Heather makes them all come to light. It first starts off with their mother accusing Stephen of abusing her, so that places a seed in the daughters' heads that perhaps their mom has dementia because their father hurt her. Their mom always used to always fall and justify it by saying that she was clumsy - maybe she hit her head too many times?

One of the daughters also finds their mom's hot water bottle filled with close to $100k in it. That discovery further fuels their theory of their dad abusing their mother as they think she was trying to save up to leave their father prior to her dementia setting in. Of course, the daughters can't ask their mother about the money because of her dementia. Once Heather hears this theory, she starts questioning if she really knows Stephen and if he has been abusing her, too?

So many secrets! The secrets break apart the family but it's what brings them together as well. The ending was kind of abrupt and seemed a bit silly. I remember reading the epilogue and being like, "really? that's it?" It could have been executed wayyyy better. What I liked about the book was that Hepworth brought up mental health and the importance of therapy. I also liked that the hot water bottle story was inspired by true life events. I loved that Hepworth named one of the characters after someone who won her Instagram contest to have a book character named after yourself. I mean, how cool is that?

Overall, I did enjoy the book but it was definitely not a favorite of her's. If you're looking for a book on family drama, then you might enjoy this book - but I definitely wouldn't call it a thriller.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Sally Hepworth for providing an eARC of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Sisters Rachel and Tully navigate their father's new relationship with a woman their own age, while coming to terms with their mother's dementia diagnosis. We're introduced to the family on the day of their father's wedding... someone has been hurt, but who and why? Red flags seem to suggest not is all it seems with the family, and the sisters have their own secrets/issues to deal with as well. Sally Hepworth has written another clever domestic suspense book. This page turner will appeal to fans of Liane Moriarty and Lisa Jewell.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

Reviewing this novel is tricky. First and foremost, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was completely taken in by a set of interesting characters. The tone of the book was not what I was expecting. Given the title, I expected there to be some degree of creepiness, but there was little to none of that. The story involved some dark subjects: marital and parental abuse, rape, kleptomania, dementia. Yet the tone of the book was mainly upbeat and positive, not dark. I can usually compare a book to another, but I found this to be quite unique.

The characters are Stephen and Pam Aston, a doctor and his wife suffering from dementia. Add in their two daughters: Tully (the kleptomaniac, married with two daughters) and Rachel (a beautiful single woman who has not dated since being in her teens twenty years before). The younger wife is Heather, an interior designer who came to meet Stephen and Pam while working on their home renovation.

This is fast-moving with plenty of action and little mysteries. But it is a character-driven story. The reader wants to find out if and how each character is able to handle and conquer their challenges.

My only criticism of the book is how it ends. The ending is vague and ambiguous. But not so disappointing that it affects my very high praise for this book.

Thank you to #Netgalley and #StMartinsPress for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Just…..wow!!! This is my first book by Sally Hepworth but it definitely won’t be my last! The book had me hooked from the beginning. The writing is great. The chapters aren’t long, the characters are intriguing, and it had me questioning everything through the entire book. The ending wasn’t rushed and when I finished it, I laid my iPad down and had no words. I can’t wait to read another one of her books! My new favorite author!!
Review also posted to Barnes and Noble and Goodreads

The story captivated me and kept me wanting more from page 1, making this overall a quick and enjoyable read! I enjoyed that the story jumped around to all the different character’s perspectives throughout the book because it added an element of mystery as I was constantly changing my mind about different events depending on how each character viewed it. My only complaint, and my reason for taking a star off my rating, is that the ending didn’t give me that “thriller feel” I expected to get. It fell a little flat for me and ended up leaving me feeling a bit sad rather than surprised at the twist.

Sally Hepworth does it again! She brings readers an unputdownable domestic thriller with all the trimmings! The opening of the novel is what had me hooked and I couldn't stop reading until the very end! It's no wonder that I keep coming back for more! I highly recommend this one!

I a m a really big fan of Sally Hepworth. She writes incredible domestic suspense stories in a way that engages you with characters that are so fully drawn out, that even when they are unlikeable, will keep you wanting more. The Younger Wife, Hepworth’s latest book (which is due out in April) was a great book, which had me turning the pages to see what was going to happen next.

The story is told primarily from the point of view of three characters: Heather (the titular younger wife) who is marrying Stephen Aston (right after he divorces his wife, who has dementia), and Tully and Rachel, Stephen’s two adult daughters. All of the characters have their own issues, which Hepworth unpacks beautifully. The story starts off with the wedding, followed by a closed door scream, and then backs up to the time leading up to the wedding. So you are left wondering, what happened and to whom.

This book had me hooked from the beginning and constantly guessing and second guessing what happened. The ending wasn’t perfect, but it did answer most of my questions.

The Mother-In-Law is still my favorite Sally Hepworth book, but I definitely enjoyed the Younger Wife and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a whodunit and a good family suspense book.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

A huge thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for an earc in exchange for an honest review.

#bookstagram #sistergram #theyoungerwife #sallyhepworth #stmartinspress #netgalley #bookreviews #bookish #bookstagrammer #booklover #instagramreads #readersofinstagram

I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley. This did not effect my review.

Got to 21%. I am not finding the characters engaging and I'm not getting into the story. I probably shouldn't have started this book as the disease of dementia is close to my heart and I'm not finding the descriptions of this to be all that accurate in this book. This makes it hard to read this book for enjoyment. Moving on.

Ambiguous endings aren't my favorite, but I get why the author left it the way she did. I enjoyed the story and the different issues each person had and how they were making progress.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC. While this book kept my interest I didn't really enjoy it. I would describe it as a family drama - and this family certainly had drama. There were way too many dysfunctional characters - the three main characters suffered from eating disorders, kleptomania and alcoholism. That's not to mention that there are also storylines regarding dementia, rape and abuse. It was just too much.

This was my second Sally Hepworth book. I enjoy her fast-paced writing style. and think she does a great job of character development. I liked The Good Sister much better. I will definitely read more of her books.

This is a good book! Sally Hepworth does psychological family drama the best. Everyone has an issue in this family. Very messed up! You are hooked in at the very beginning wondering who did it!

Sisters Tully and Rachel love their parents, Stephen and Pam. Stephen is a very respected, well liked doctor. Pam has dementia. Dad is getting married to a younger woman named Heather. The more you read, more secrets are uncovered from each of these characters until you get to the explosive and surprising ending where everything connects in a stunning way. This is an awesome book but it does not surprise me. Sally Hepworth wrote another masterpiece. Thank you NetGalley, publisher and author, for allowing me to read a free copy of this awesome book in exchange for my review.

I am starting to LOVE Sally Hepworth. This is my 2nd book I've read of hers and I devoured it. It had so many of my fave elements: domestic suspense, fast-paced, family drama, likeable characters, alternating perspectives, SHORT chapters (which is a personable preference for me), I seriously enjoyed this one!

CW/TW- Miscarriage

Meet the Aston family. Stephen is a successful doctor in his 60’s, and is getting remarried to the much younger Heather. Rachel and Tully are leery to meet their new soon to be stepmother, who happens to be the same age as they are. To complicate family matters further, Rachel and Tully’s mother Pam (and Stephen’s recent ex-wife) is presently residing in a nursing home as she has advanced dementia. The drama comes to a head at the beginning of the book, when some sort of accident occurs in the church immediately following Stephen and Heather’s wedding ceremony.

The book jumps back in time as events unfold leading up to the wedding day. Heather has left behind a complicated past prior to meeting Stephen, and Rachel and Tully are each secretly dealing with their own complex life issues. After a large sum of money is mysteriously found in their mother’s things, questions arise in regards to their father, and suddenly suspicions are running rampant amongst all three women.

I really enjoyed this book! I find Hepworth’s writing style to be very engaging, making it for a fast paced read. I love a good family drama, and the mystery element thrown in made for a fun ride. The only downside for me was the fairly ambiguous ending. I prefer more concise endings to my mysteries and thrillers, but this one didn’t have that. It would make for a great book club discussion!

Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC! Sally Hepworth is quickly becoming the queen of the family drama and The Younger Wife was no exception. I read this book in a day and loved every minute of it. A wonderful recipe composed of a heaping scoop of family drama, a dash of mystery and suspense, with just a pinch of romance - the perfect combination that made this read a solid 5 stars for me and has officially landed Sally Hepworth on my list of 1-click buys!

This story largely centers around three well-developed female characters. Tully and Rachel are sisters attempting to navigate through their own difficulties and histories while also managing the changing landscape of their family – including their mother’s decent into dementia and their father’s re-marriage to the much younger Heather. The three female leads – Rachel, Tully and Heather – were all very well developed and while some aspects of their characterization were extreme, they were still highly relatable to any woman trying to juggle life, their own self-image, and their image as perceived by others. I related to each character in some way.

Ms. Hepworth always has a way of leaving just enough unanswered that you fool yourself in to believing it’s “one-more chapter” until all hope, and sleep, is lost and you’re turning the last page. This was absolutely no exception and I am already (im)patiently waiting for the next!

Another hit by Sally Hepworth!

This is one of those books where you don't know who to trust and everyone seems so reliable and unreliable at the same time. I enjoyed this book very much, however, based on the title and the description, I was expecting more of a secret from Heather than from Stephen. That may have been done to encourage more questioning of motives, but it made me wonder if I was missing something.

As a counselor, I appreciated how the mental health counseling was encouraged in this book and was written in a very positive light to help and support multiple characters.

I cannot wait to read more from this author!

This was an engaging read. I thought I had read something by Sally Hepworth previously but I hadn't so this is a new to me author that I will definitely be reading again.

The whole family had issues to work through aside from the father deciding to marry a younger woman while his wife is still alive suffering from dementia in a home. I enjoyed getting more about each character as the story progressed and changed my mind about how I felt about them several times. There were many twists and unanswered questions until the very end. I'm not sure I loved the ending because there were still some unanswered questions. I really appreciated the author's note explaining where the idea for the story came from.

Not what I was expecting at all! I spent this whole story wavering in my thoughts. I didn’t know who to believe or what was actually happening.

A few intersecting plots keep you on your toes and a bit off balance.

I do have to say Tully’s parts were a little annoying, but I think it’s just because of my headspace right now.

The ending was brilliant as it was written to keep the story going in your thoughts long after you’ve finished with the book.

I guess this book is technically a domestic thriller, but it’s very light on the ‘thriller’ while being gratuitously heavy-handed with the ‘domestic’… a/k/a it’s basically just another family drama. Domestic thrillers tend to be super hit or miss for me and this was definitely a miss, especially thanks to the incredibly vague and unsatisfying ending.

Stephen is getting married again to a much younger woman; while he's still married to his current wife, who has dementia. Not surprisingly, his daughters, who are near the same age as his fiance, are none too happy about the engagement..

I picked this up expecting a super sinister, dark thriller, and this just wasn't it. I'm not sure where the marketing is going wrong with some of these thrillers lately, but this was absolutely just a family drama. It was messy, chaotic, and if we are looking for this kind of storyline here - okay, you got it. But if I want that twisty, suspenseful, what-is-gonna-pop-out-next-kinda-thriller, this didn't pass the bar.

50% in, I just couldn't do it anymore, and opted to ask a friend what happened, who concluded that it was, in fact, just a family drama.

I think that fans of Hepworth will like this, and personally, I love Hepworth as a person, and want to support her. Overall though; this just wasn't for me - I need something a little more dark and suspenseful.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!