As the story opens Stephen Aston, a sixtyish physician, is marrying Heather, a thirtyish interior designer. Stephen's daughters Rachel and Tully - both older than their future stepmother - are the bridesmaids and Stephen's ex-wife Pam - who Stephen divorced to marry Heather - is a guest at the wedding. You might think 'What can go wrong?' Well, something does. Blood flows, an ambulance is called, and the remainder of the book details the year leading up to the nuptials.

*****

Stephen and Heather meet when the interior designer is hired to re-do Stephen and Pam's home. Heather, who grew up in a dysfunctional family, is struck by Stephen's kindness and solicitude to his wife Pam- who's already suffering from dementia. By the time Stephen places Pam in a nursing home Heather is in love with the older man, and the pair embark on a romantic relationship.

Stephen introduces his daughters Rachel and Tully to his new girlfriend, and announces that he and Heather plan to get married.....as soon as he divorces his wife Pam. This puts Rachel and Tully on the horns of a dilemma. They blanch at the idea of their mother being 'abandoned' but they want their father to be happy. So the sisters try to befriend Heather, and this - as well as pressures in their personal lives - exacerbate their personal struggles.

The story is told from the rotating points of view of Heather, Tully, and Rachel, each of whose secrets are slowly revealed.

Rachel is a professional baker who, though shapely and beautiful, hasn't had a relationship since she was sixteen. Moreover, Rachel is a stress-eater who gobbles food to ease her nerves, and will eat until she's sick to alleviate her anxiety.

Tully is a married mother of two small boys. She's also a compulsive thief. To relieve her almost constant tension, Tully has been stealing things - clothes, candles, jewelry, flashlights, knick-knacks, etc. - since she was a pre-teen. Moreover, Tully and her husband have serious financial problems and the once wealthy couple must downgrade their luxurious lifestyle. To add to their troubles, the couple's toddler son Miles is showing signs of kiddie angst.

Heather uses alcohol to cope with the stress in her life and - though she seems to truly love Stephen - part of the attraction was certainly Stephen's wealth and position in society. Unfortunately Heather's background didn't prepare her to fit in with the smart set, and she struggles to socialize with some of Stephen's friends.

As the story unfolds, suspicions arise that one of the characters is an accomplished deceiver who's been fooling people for a long time. The other protagonists try to determine the truth or falsehood of this conjecture, and - by the end - they discover the truth.

Though the premise of the story - older man marries younger woman - has been addressed many times in literature (and real life), the story has interesting twists. Fans of domestic dramas would probably enjoy the novel.

Thanks to Netgalley, Sally Hepworth, and St. Martin's Press for a copy of the book.

Stephen, a renowned surgeon, is getting married to his interior designer, Heather. But first, he divorces his wife, who has dementia and is living in a care facility. His daughters, Tully and Rachel, who are both older than Heather, are (not surprisingly) unhappy with his decision. Certainly, this is a recipe for family tensions as the story unfolds from the perspective of these three women.

There’s a lot going on in Sally Hepworth’s latest book. Both daughters are battling demons and Heather is guarding a family secret. Meanwhile, Stephen may or may not be the person everyone thinks he is. It has been tagged a mystery but, for me, it was more of a family drama with a mix of a psychological thriller.

The characters in The Younger Wife are varied and interesting, although their cluelessness was somewhat frustrating. The fact that Stephen chose to divorce his impaired wife in order to remarry is a little off-putting and right away the red flags were waving. But, the author keeps her readers guessing until nearly the very end.

The Younger Wife wasn’t one of my favorite books by Ms Hepworth, but it was an entertaining and easy read. I’m looking forward to her next endeavor

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

I'm a long-time fan of Sally Hepworth, my favorite of hers being The Mother-in-law, so I was very excited to get this book to review. Overall, I enjoyed the journey, and the unraveling of family secrets drew me in from the very beginning. I do have to say that the end left me feeling slightly less than thrilled, but when I try to think of another way that it could have ended, I'm at a loss.

We follow a family that looks perfect on the outside, but behind closed doors has a lot to struggle with. Mainly following the perspective of two grown daughters, each with emotional baggage of their own, the story revolves around their mother who is spiraling with dementia, and their father who has fallen in love with the much younger decorator who was hired to redo their house. As much as they'd like to dislike the new girlfriend, they are distracted by the fact that evidence keeps surfacing that their father is not who he seems. Packed full of narrators that might not be reliable, the reader really has to decide who to trust!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of The Younger Wife.

I've always enjoyed the fascinating family dynamics in Sally Hepworth books and The Younger Wife takes them to the next level. I don't think of her books as thrillers as some do.

I liked the different points of view and seeing the story unfold.

The title alone places suspicion on the new younger wife to be but is this a distraction, a red herring, or the real truth.

Not my favorite Sal, but still a fine way to pass the time. It felt like plodding through at a point, and it was almost like it was run through a grammar editor and not a content editor. That ending came out of absolutely nowhere LOL

Free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

A successful heart surgeon, divorces his dementia wife, and is set to marry a much younger women (who is approximately the same age as his adult daughters). The daughters are naturally upset and skeptical of their fathers new fiancée.

Sounds intriguing, right?

Well, I read this book in a weekend, and I can tell you, it’s one of those books that continues to occupy your mind.

•which daughter will make the new wife crumble first?!
•will someone die a very violent death? should I take bets one who will be the first?
•I wonder if we’ll know more about this new delivery guy. I honestly can’t tell if he’s seedy or just handsomely goofy.
•I am NOT going to bed until I find out more about this money!
•what about the ex-wife….ooh, the ex-wife?!?!

I have to admit though, this is not the story I was expecting. Family drama -yes. Sinister plots between the characters- yes??? but not how I was originally thinking.

Told from three alternating perspectives, we get a glimpse into the secrets and personal struggles of each person: kleptomania, bad investments, trauma, verbal and physical abuse.

Although most of the book was fantastic and page-turning, the ending didn’t quite end with the impact that I thought it would. Definitely worth the read though.
3.5 stars

While I didn't love this story, and didn't feel surprised or shocked by the events, it was a compelling narrative with interesting characters that kept me turning the pages. Hepworth is a skilled writer who slowly uncovers the mystery in her novel through her detailed characters and writing techniques. The Younger Wife leaves the reader guessing and wondering how the plot will resolve.

I love a good family drama that starts from something small and part of the authors real life. Sally Hepworth has definitely done it again!

Just like in "The Good Sister," I was sucked into the family life she shares within her pages. Reading late into the night, I tried to decipher what was real and what was perceived incorrectly by the people within her book. This is something Hepworth does masterfully. She draws from real life. We all have flaws. And this book includes the serious issues of alcoholism, kleptomania, abuse, addiction, dementia, gossipy neighbors and anxiety, all of which the author handles with sensitivity.

This book would be an excellent book club read as there are so many things to discuss! It's not a book that ends as you think it will.

"The Younger Wife" is told via multi-point of views from sisters Tully and Rachel, and their father's soon to be young bride, Heather. The sisters mother, Pam, is in a long term care facility with dementia. When Rachel discovers a hot water bottle filled with close to $100k in her mothers possessions, she starts to question her memories and childhood. Was Pam a clumsy person? Were her injuries caused by her own actions? Add in Heathers childhood experiences which color her viewpoint of life and we have a full cast of characters with huge character development and growth.

I especially enjoyed chapter one begins with the wedding and flashes back with each character to discover the shocking events at the end of day. What is real and what is not? You wont want to stop reading until you know!

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for providing me an ARC to read. It's a resounding yes, must read from me!

3 1/2 stars

This is the first book I’ve read by Sally Hepworth. I have to say I really enjoyed the psychological aspects and the way she set up this mystery. The book starts off with a wedding where someone is hurt or killed, we’re not sure in the beginning. The bride, groom, and immediate family along with the celebrant who is officiating disappear into the sacristy to sign the wedding registry. Suddenly, there is mass chaos as a doctor is called for and an ambulance rushes to the scene. From this point, the author cleverly takes us back and forth in time telling the story from the points of view of the two adult daughters and the bride with updates from the present day wedding fiasco.

The story revolves around a successful heart surgeon in his 60’s who divorced his wife with dementia in order to marry a beautiful young interior designer whom he met while she was redecorating their home. The adult 30-something daughters who are relatively the same age as the bride suspect she might be a gold digger, but after meeting her and spending more time with her, they begin to question their thoughts. As the pasts and various problems of all three women are teased out, it’s clear that Stephen Aston, heroic surgeon, doting fiancé, and loving father may not be who he appears to be. With plenty of family secrets and drama, this mystery kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next.

I downloaded this book quite awhile ago from NetGalley and since then the ending has changed at least twice. It’s hard to give this book a proper rating knowing this. Without giving too much away, these are drastic differences and in a way, I’m a little disappointed because there was a pretty good twist. Regardless, the end has enough of a twist that readers won’t be disappointed.

Know going in that this book deals with some pretty intense psychological issues including childhood trauma, abuse, rape, anxiety, food addiction, alcohol issues, and compulsive stealing. There is some swearing including a few uses of the “F” word. There’s also a brief sex scene with very little detail. It’s a pretty good mystery with lots of family drama and several twists and turns. I received an advanced copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.

This is the fourth Sally Hepworth novel I have read! The characters were well rounded and realistic. The whole premise of the story was interesting and held my attention. About mid way to the ending, I felt myself losing interest. The ending fell completely flat for me and I didn't feel any real closure. While this story was not my favorite, I am eager to read the next novel Sally Hepworth writes.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this title*

Rachel and Tully Aston are attending their father Stephen’s wedding to Heather, a woman considerably younger, all while attending to their mother Pam, also a guest, who is suffering from severe dementia. The chapel has many guests, primarily friends of Stephen, a respected heart surgeon at the local hospital. Heather, an interior designer, has no friends or family in attendance. Tully is especially on edge, tasked with keeping Pam under control while simultaneously keeping her two young sons, who are in the wedding, on their best behavior. After the ceremony, the entire family goes along when the bride and groom sign the marriage certificate, and then something happened, a serious medical emergency that requires an ambulance, and the police arrive to begin questioning the guests.

Sally Hepworth takes the reader from a wedding to a crime scene in just a few pages, and I admit I was hooked. I liked Rachel and Tully and felt that addressing their individual traumas and coping mechanisms made the characters more realistic. The relationship between Heather, Rachel, and Tully could have been extremely awkward given that they’re all about the same age, yet as the story unfolds everyone learns some very uncomfortable truths and then must readjust in order to keep going.

I was fascinated by the dynamics in this family, particularly the daughters. Sally Hepworth does a great job entwining all the lives and keeping the reader guessing as to what is going on. I enjoyed getting into each person’s life and seeing how they overcame their struggles but the ending wasn’t what I was expecting; it didn’t match the rest of the story. Still, this was a quick read that kept my interest until the last few scenes.

Still married to his current wife, heart surgeon Stephen Aston falls for his younger interior designer, Heather. This is definitely a required ingredient if you are looking for a recipe for disaster or maybe even death.

It took me a brief moment to get use to the author’s rhythm with the varying timeline, and each being told from Tully, Rachel or Heather’s point of view. It’s a quick and entertaining read that tackles several real issues. Some being difficult subject matter such as domestic violence, sexual assault, kleptomania, binge eating and Alzheimer’s disease.

The author is skilled at building tension which lead me to take in each short chapter in a haste. The family drama lead the two sisters Tully and Rachel to become close, sharing their own personal and somewhat embarrassing secrets. Since both women seemed to have helpless moments where they would lose control both sisters made me question what could cause such dramatic personal traits? I liked both ladies and I easily empathize with them. I enjoyed seeing their growth as individuals and I guess family drama can either cause family to bond or grow apart. I’m glad to say that Tully and Rachel’s bond grew stronger.

It’s not all good for Rachel and Tully though. They are dealing with mixed emotions and feeling betrayed by what they thought was a perfect family. In addition to their feelings of guilt for their mom who has Alzheimer. The stress of this dysfunctional family is bringing about more kleptomania and binge eating episodes.

Their mother Pamela, who has Alzheimer’s disease has plenty to say against her soon to be ex-husband. Heather, the future young bride is dealing with her own memories of a childhood growing up with an abusive father and keeping a secret from her future husband that her dad is sentence to life in prison for murder. Stephen has questioned Heather does she have a problem with alcohol? As I mentioned earlier a recipe for disaster which makes for a suspenseful and entertaining read.

The ending caught me by surprise. The ending could be open to one’s own interpretation, but mostly it left me questioning did it have to end so brutal? On the other hand it was a clever ending that spoke volumes and gave light to the bonds that were built and where loyalties lie. I'm left wondering whether any of their viewpoints were reliable? Could one single voice cause this chain of events?

I rated the book 4 stars because it kept my attention, I couldn’t read it fast enough and the book also made me think. Our memory can be tricky. It can fail us, betray us even. Various influences can affect our perceptions, beliefs and memory. As we see, after Rachel went through her mother’s things, and found the hot water bottle filled with cash and her sister’s name on a piece of paper the theories began to fly and memories became vague and were being questioned.

I can’t complete the review without saying yes there were several odd parts that stuck out for me but it didn't take away from the story, in fact it made the story what it is. Stephen quickly divorced his wife, Pam, in order to marry their interior designer. The story behind who Fiona Arthur is. Stephen also invited Pam, his ex-wife to his wedding. Over all I enjoyed the book. It’s entertaining and one I would recommend.

The Younger Wife is a book about family, relationships and secrets. We start with a wedding and an anonymous onlooker. After the ceremony is complete and the family is back signing the official papers a scream is heard, an ambulance is called, but no one knows what happened or who was the injured party.

We back up to learn more from the husband, his new wife, the old wife and his daughters. Each daughter has secrets of her own that they are living with. The new, younger, wife has secrets. The husband has secrets. The old wife has secrets shrouded in her dementia. How will the secrets unravel and what role will each person play in the events of the wedding day mystery.

I switched back and forth between the audio and the ebook in reading this one. At the end, however, their endings were different from one another. The ebook ending was, in my opinion, terrible. The audiobook ending, in my opinion, was far superior.

The book will keep you turning pages and wondering what is the truth. It was also frustrating at times to me to read these characters and wonder how they could be so obtuse to some of the others secrets. If you like wondering who is trustworthy and who might be unreliable throughout your reads then this one is for you!

I give the ebook ending version 3.0 stars

I absolutely loved The Good Sister - compelling and sweet characters, family drama, and many twists and turns! Unfortunately, I didn't feel the same for The Younger Wife. :( From the start, I had major ick about Stephen and it got progressively worse as the book went on. Didn't like him, didn't understand the pairing between him and Heather, actually liked Heather, and was not a fan of Tully. I suppose that was the point!

The different points of views kept the story going but was satisfied that these female characters let men gaslight and manipulate them throughout the entire novel! I really wish the female characters teamed up together against Stephen or stood up to him more! I think Heather and Rachel would have made a great team. Ultimately, I was just unsatisfied with all the female characters and really was hoping for more resolution. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Wow! What a read! This book was GREAT!! There were a few times when following got a bit confusing but all of the storylines were woven into a mysterious view of family, secrets, and connections. Once I started reading, I was hooked and wanted to know more which led to reading the book in one day. I will definitely recommend this book and think it will make a great gift for the reader on your list. Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth was such an intriguing domestic thriller.

Rachel and Tully are shocked to learn that their father is marrying a woman half his age...while still married to his wife. Granted, his wife lives in a home and has advanced dementia. But Stephen and Heather appear to be in love.

Heather is getting the life she always wanted. Loving husband, big family, home on the beach. Everything is as it should be. But whenever Heather drinks, she notices that she is blacking out and waking up with injuries. Stephen always explains how she got them, but Heather is worried something else is happening.

Rachel is the younger daughter, with a successful baking career. So what if she has a trauma hidden away by many cakes and calories? She is fine. She is trying to be supportive of her dad's new relationship, when she find a hot water bottle of almost a hundred grand stashed away by her mother. She can't ask her mother what it means, and Rachel wonders if her mother was saving this money secretly for a reason.

Tully is the oldest, and very neurotic. She can't fathom how her father is moving on so quickly, and when she is anxious, her kleptomania gets worse. Tully is facing financial problems of her own, while trying to entertain this new relationship.

Everyone's worlds collide at the wedding. Tragedy strikes and someone is hurt.

I was very invested in this book and the characters. I liked the twist ending, but also wanted more detail. I felt like aspects of each daughter's life didn't come full circle and I was left with unanswered questions. But as usual, Sally Hepworth's writing is wonderful and pulls you in. Her family dynamics are always so interesting and she paints the picture so well.

Source: DRC via NetGalley (St. Martin’s Press)
Pub. Date: April 5, 2022
Synopsis: Goodreads

Why did I choose to read this book?

I read Hepworth’s The Good Sister and was blown away by her writing, so when The Younger Wife started showing up on those “most anticipated” lists, I put in a request. I haven’t read any of Hepworth’s work prior to The Good Sister though, so I may do that just to see if this has always been her style.

What is this book about?

At its heart, this book is about trauma, abuse, and survival. Every single main character in this book (all female other than the dad, Stephen) has been abused or is exhibiting behaviors that would indicate some kind of trauma in their past. Heather, Stephen’s new fiancee, is introduced as a child of domestic abuse right from the get go, but she hasn’t revealed this to Stephen. Stephen’s wife (ex-wife) Pam is in a nursing home with early-onset dementia. Tully (one of Stephen’s daughters) is a kleptomaniac, and Rachel (his other daughter) is a compulsive eater (but thankfully not bulimic, she’s described as gorgeous with amazing curves and never, not once, does any other character imply that she needs to lose weight or eat less).

At the basic plot level, this book is about how Stephen’s family copes with his current wife Pam’s mental decline and his new fiancee happening at the same time, with the extra spice of old man dates woman younger than his children tossed in for good measure. You’ll eventually learn all their secrets, and get to the true source of all their dysfunctions. You will be surprised along the way, and you won’t be disappointed by how things shake out.

What is notable about the story?

I loved that Hepworth approaches trauma and coping mechanisms as normal. Sometimes you don’t get over or get past the trauma, you can only manage its effects. Some coping mechanisms are harmful and others are just tools, and the characters in this story definitely help you explore when to ask for help, and when to just keep swimming.

Another aspect of Hepworth’s writing that I also found lovely in The Good Sister is her presentation of people that we might be extra judgmental about as normal people in society that deserve our time, support, and sympathy. The setting of the story recognizes the COVID pandemic and its effects on individuals and small businesses, so certain B-level characters who might appear as “lazy unemployed people who should get a job!” are just trying to get through the trauma of that too by doing the best they can. At every level, this story asks us to see other people through the lens of their trauma, in an effort to both understand and support them. Simply beautiful concepts.

Was anything not so great?

In terms of writing or story progression, there was nothing wrong with this book. I picked it up and didn’t want to stop reading. There are a LOT of trauma triggers in here though, and so while this is not a criticism, I want to let you know that there is a WHOLE lot going on in this book relative to domestic abuse, gaslighting, and abuse and so if you’re significantly triggered by that due to your own experiences, tread lightly and don’t worry if you have to put the book down for a bit.

What’s the verdict?

I think I’m going 4/4.5 stars on this one. It wasn’t as good as The Good Sister but it was still really good! If you like messy families who just want to do better but don’t know how, thrillers where the bad guy could be anyone, and revenge on behalf of women wronged, then you need to go and get this book.

From the disastrous wedding scene opener to the controversial, ambiguous ending, The Younger Wife is a propulsive, character driven story that delves deeply into the psychological mindset of three highly unreliable narrators who second guess themselves every step of the way. Easily manipulated, all three women suffer from self-doubt over what is reality and what is a hallucinatory dream making it nigh on impossible for readers to know who and what to believe. The end result is a hard to put down domestic thriller overladen with dark family drama.

The Younger Wife opens in the present with a tense, confusing, disaster-in-the-making wedding in a jam packed standing room only setting. This scene is narrated by an unknown guest who's observations presage the unfortunate events to come and introduce the main players to readers in a chaotic setting that later becomes a disorderly crime scene. However, most of the story takes place in the past as it occured through the eyes of neurotic sisters Tully and Rachel and their absurdly young, soon to be mother-in-law Heather. Readers learn early on that these three women each harbor dark secrets that led to compulsive disorders in their youth that continue to plague their present lives and roles as daughters, sisters, wives and/or mothers. As the story unfolds, readers learn just how damaged and self-destructive each character is as well as who may be using their own weaknesses against them.

Before the wedding: When handsome sixty-something heart surgeon Stephen Aston announces his engagement to the very beautiful, half-his-age Heather, his daughters Rachel and Tully are flabbergasted. First, the bride-to-be is younger than they are so what are her motives in marrying an old man? and second, their mother, Steven's wife Pam, is still very much alive although living in a nursing home while being treated for dementia. The sisters are even more distressed to learn their father will divorce their mother Pam in order to marry Heather. In moments of coherency, remarks made by their mother make the sisters question what kind of man their father really is. Some scenes between Stephen and Heather will have readers asking themselves the same thing. Doubt and mistrust between all characters is established early and sets a malicious undertone that drives the pace at an ever increasing rate. Short scenes from the wedding are interspersed throughout the story bringing readers out of the past to reinforce what's happening in the present at the calamity of a wedding before transporting them back to the past. Throughout it all, truths about these highly dysfunctional characters emerge piece by piece as they each run around putting out fires while trying to keep their skeletons in the closet.

After the wedding: Oh yes . . . we finally get to the ambiguous ending - the culmination of all the chaos, confusion and misdirection. It seems it's become a bit controversial among arc reviewers. So much so that apparently a paragraph has been added to the Epilogue that may or may not clarify some things. I read an early arc which features an open-ended, ambiguous ending that calls on readers to form their own conclusion. While these endings are frustrating to many, I think if the right foundation's been laid, it can be entertaining for a few threads to be left dangling with a half-tied bow forcing readers to sort through the convoluted chaos and form their own opinion. Sally Hepworth is quite an expert in writing complex, character driven stories that are substantial in family drama and light on suspense. She's also quite brilliant at leaving readers with a questionable ending. I highly recommend The Younger Wife to fans of domestic suspense and family drama.