Thank you St Martin's Press for the gifted copy of The Younger Wife.
I am usually a huge Sally Hepworth Fan, but this one fell a little flat for me. I am over the gaslighting of characters and the story line was just a little to far fetched for me.
I did appreciate the fat that Sally wrote about the water bottle and know how that was about her Aunt that made me smile because I love following Sally on Instagram.
The book was just not one for me.

This was my least favourite Sally Hepworth to date. A family drama with some psychological suspense and mystery. It was billed as a thriller and was not, in my view, anywhere close. A quick read, and a compelling enough story to keep reading and finish.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, St Martin’s Press, for access to the ARC of this novel.

Sally Hepworth does it again! This book was one I had been saving to enjoy closer to the US pub date, knowing I'd be interviewing Sally.
After LOVING both THE GOOD SISTER and THE MOTHER-IN-LAW, I am happy to say THE YOUNGER WIFE did not disappoint! I have an ARC copy of this book as well, so once immersed I incorporated the audiobook so that I could continue to follow this story as I drove to work, did my laundry, etc. I abandoned an audiobook I was already in the middle of temporarily- because as usual Hepworth's writing had me absolutely hooked.
I found myself equally interested in Tully, Rachel, and Heather (the younger wife.) It was twisty, humorous, and laid out in the way a thriller should be-- lots of little crumbs from the jump that make a reader's desire to know what happens an undeniable drive.
If I had any criticism of this totally enjoyable book, it would be that I could have used even a little more at the end-- maybe a prologue chapter in the voice of each character? I'd have loved to hear Tully and Rachel really dig through the newly unearthed childhood memories they share, in light of the revelations surrounding their father.

I typically zoom through any Hepworth book, but this was a slow burn for me. However, it’s typical for her— fault drama, secrets and twists and turns. I loved the ending! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Sally Hepworth has done it again, with a well-paced domestic thriller, full of intriguing, likeable, yet flawed characters, suspense, and mystery with a bit of romance thrown into the mix. The Younger Wife starts with a bang (actually a scream), and the tension never lets up. I liked The Good Sister, Hepworth's recent novel, and The Younger Wife is, IMHO, even better.

Sisters Rachel and Natalie Aston attend a lunch with their father and his new girlfriend, only to be told that Dad is marrying Heather, who is younger than either of his daughters. But wait... he is still married to their mother, who has recently been placed in a nursing facility, due to her rapidly progressing dementia. Both Rachel and Natalie have reservations about the relationship, as well as unresolved issues from their own lives, as does Heather. As the book progresses, we begin to wonder about whether their father has secrets, too, and when is it all going to implode.

The Younger Wife is compulsively readable, with surprising plot twists that kept me intrigued.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Netgalley and Sally Hepworth for the opportunity to read an e-galley of The Younger Wife. The opinions in this review are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the advanced e-copy of The Younger Wife. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I really enjoyed it! The story is told from 3 points of view. It’s fast paced and I feel like the ending can be opened to interpretation which I found interesting. The one question I kept asking myself while reading was why have I not read anything by Sally Hepworth before? A really good read that comes out on April 5.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I do love some family drama, and this is packed with that. Then you have a little sprinkle of a murder to balance it all out. What fun!

I love Sally's writing style and am always looking forward to her next book.

This page-turner kept me up till almost 5am and I finished it in one night. At one point, I was sure that it would be a 5⭐ read for me. So what happened?

I love the writing, which made the story flow well and easy to fly through. The characters are fantastic. Think book boyfriends are only for romance novels and that thrillers always have shitty spouses? Sally Hepworth proves otherwise!

I adored Sonny and Darcy (lmao his puns) as much as Wally from The Good Sister. Rachel was my absolute favourite and I liked Heather too. The dynamics between the three women were so interesting and it made me happy to see them bonding and having fun.

This book also explores a myriad of heavy themes such as various mental illnesses and sexual assault, which I thought was quite well-done on the author's part. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the topic of domestic abuse.

I appreciate what the author was trying to convey here about how domestic violence can be hard to recognise, the impact it has on survivors and loved ones, as well as how the subtle manipulation tactics can make you doubt yourself. Heck, even I as the reader was kept guessing and doubtful.

But it is precisely this doubting and grayness that I find harmful and counter-effective. Not only was the gaslighting in this book was extremely frustrating to read, I was also disappointed in the direction that the book chose to go in.

I'd been hoping for a emotionally rich story with well-developed characters, but unfortunately it ended up being a typical domestic thriller with your usual tired and overused tropes. This coming from Sally Hepworth makes it all the more disappointing.

"Putting on a good show was all dad cared about"

Stephen Aston, a successful surgeon, is getting married to a woman, Heather, who is younger than his daughters. Rachel and Tully, his daughters, are not very impressed with this. Plus, there is the fact that their father is still married to their mother, Pam, who is diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. Stephen did not win any brownie points with me.

When Rachel goes through her mother's belongings, she finds a hot water bottle. It brings back fond memories. She decides to use it as her mother did, but she can't, because it is filled with money. Why was their mother hiding money in a hot water bottle? Why has she been saying how horrible and sadistic their father is?

All have their own issues. All have their secrets.

The day of the wedding, many are shocked to see Pam there. The woman Stephen divorced to marry his much younger fiancée. What a wonderful man (insert gagging noises here). When there is a thud and the request for a doctor, guests know something has horribly wrong.

The book is told through Heather, Tully and Rachel's POV. The book goes back and forth between the wedding and days leading up to and before the wedding.

Another solid read by Hepworth. I thoroughly this family drama. I was lucky enough to have the book and the audiobook. I enjoyed the narrator and being able to have both to enjoy this work.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book and audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

*in the author's note Hepworth describes her inspiration for the writing of this novel.

And Sally Hepworth does it again! This is my third book by this author, and I have to tell you I love her character development and twisty, family drama that is always included in her plots. I loved this book, and I especially enjoyed the sisters, Tully and Rachel. I would highly recommend this book along with others such as The Mother-In-Law and The Good Sister.

I just finished The Younger Wife and wow, it hooked me. The ending? I'm still not really sure what I believe! It was a little slow to get into at first, but when it grabbed, I didn't want to put it down.


This book unravels everyone's secrets with a back and forth timeline between the wedding and months leading up to it through a series of highly unreliable narrators. The ball of yarn you're left holding at the end may not be the one you thought you'd end up with.

This domestic suspense should come with a ton of content warnings ⚠️ because there are a lot of dark issues and history being addressed. DM me if you want more details.

I received a complimentary copy of this title via NetGalley. Opinions are my own.

What a story! Prominent Cardiac Surgeon, Stephen Aston meets his daughters, Rachel and Natalie (Tully) for lunch so he can introduce them to his fiancé Heather Wisher, who happens to be younger than his daughters. Stephen's wife, Pam, is suffering from dementia and was recently placed in a nursing home. Stephen is setting the wheels in motion to divorce Pam. All the members of the Aston family, as well as the future Mrs. Aston, have some very complex issues they are dealing with which makes this an unputdownable book. I really enjoyed this story as told by multiple narrators.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this very interesting page-turner.

I put everything on pause to read to this. I love Sally Hepworth’s stories and this one is my favorite one! She makes fantastic twisty thrillers that keep me guessing till the end. I highly recommend for any thriller fan.

Sally Hepworth has created another thriller. I loved “The Good Sister”, so I was so excited to preview her new book, “The Younger Wife”, and she didn’t let me down.
At first glance, we want to consider Heather a gold digger; she’s supposed to be helping Dr. Stephen Aston and his wife decorate their home. When the wife’s mental health quickly declines, Heather is there to support the doctor, and before you can say do-si-do, the poor wife is in a home and Heather’s the new bride!
All of this is extremely difficult for the two daughters of the doctor, Tully, and Rachel, especially considering they’re almost the same age as Heather. Tully and Rachel both have vivid personalities, especially Tully, who can’t help but take small things she doesn’t even need from the shops…without paying first.
The more we get to know Heather, the more we realize her intentions are good. But something else is slowly becoming more obvious: the good doctor isn’t as calm and sweet-natured as he would like for everyone to believe.
As the wedding date grows closer and closer, Heather spends more time with Pam, the soon-to-be divorcee, and begins to get a feeling that there’s a lot being left unsaid. Pam is doing her best to communicate her concerns, given her limited and unreliable memory. As the clock ticks down to their special day, lots of bells and whistles are blaring, but does Heather have what it takes to stop the show?
Sincere thanks to St. Martin’s Press- Minotaur for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is April 5, 2022.

Sally Hepworth writes a good suspense novel. In The Younger Wife, the reader learns the story from the perspective of various characters, all women. The male character at the center of it all is depicted only through the perspectives of other female characters. So while it's not exactly a case of an unreliable narrator, there is certainly bias regarding the events of the story. Sisters Rachel and Tully have their own issues as does the younger wife, Heather. We see only bits and pieces of Pam, the older wife. Really interesting twist ending!

If you love books with family dysfunction then this is the book for you!!! Tully and Rachel are sisters and they are watching their father marry a woman younger than they are! Their mother Pam has dementia and is living in a nursing home. Tully and Rachel are determined to get to the bottom of all their family secrets and boy are there some doozies!!! I enjoyed this book and its crazy secrets! I enjoyed that it was told from multiple pov's as I feel you the reader get more of the story. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

This book isn’t just about the younger wife. It reaches into the entire family. Secrets are discovered and a mystery is solved. The importance of family, mental illness, Alzheimers, domestic abuse, rape, alcoholism and much more come to light. The author presents and handles all these topics well to give the reader a very engaging book

3.5 rounded up

Lately, I’ve read a few books that are really hard to review. And I’m going to add this to the growing list.

I thought this would be more of a domestic thriller, but it fell completely flat as a thriller and danced mightily around domestic. This was a story about a highly dysfunctional family.

It opens with a wedding ceremony. Stephen is marrying Heather, a girl who is 29 years younger than him. Stephen’s daughters Tully and Rachel are older than the bride but, after the initial shock, attempt to accept the marriage. Stephen’s ex-wife, the girls’ mother, who suffers from dementia, is also at the wedding. Caught your interest yet?

If not, try adding the fact that the narrator is an uninvited guest who is sitting at the back of the church. If that’s still not enough, tune in to see what happens as the bride and groom and wedding party step into a side room to sign papers.

Yes, it starts with a bang!

When that chapter ends we flashback to a year earlier. Various characters take different chapters from there forward. Occasionally it jumps back to the wedding.

It began to feel like an interesting character reveal as several of the women slowly disclose the baggage they are hauling around. Baggage that has been somewhat created due to history. Many times it is sad and yet full of drama as these reveals occur.

In time, a thought begins to seep into the daughters’ consciousness. One that might or might not be correct. However, they share it with their soon-to-be step-mother.

But by then each member is so emotionally distraught, that nothing can be completely proven.

My Concerns
Okay, I had no trouble being interested and turning pages, but in time I began to wonder where it was taking me. And then when I found out, I was left with my mouth hanging open. Perhaps not literally, but then again, who knows?

Final Thoughts
My rating in no way means this is a bad story. In fact, it just reflects my feelings that this will appeal to some and not others.

So, after reading a few reviews, if this sounds good, I wouldn’t hesitate to give it a try. As I said earlier, I never lost interest in it. It just didn’t win me over.

I received a digital ARC from NetGalley but I was free to express my opinion.

The Younger Wife starts off with a bang but doesn't allow us readers to see what exactly took place. We are then taken back in time and allowed to see how our flawed characters lead us up to why and what really took place in the opening pages.

This book is told in 3 POVs. Tully and Rachel are the daughters and Heather is the soon to be wife to their father Stephen. Heather's age is around the same as the daughters, hence the title. Sally Hepworth takes these women along with an unknown character and drives this story forward with those compelling and maybe unreliable narrators.

I am always in awe at how Hepworth can draw me in with characters that seem likable at first, but then have me questioning their actions about half way through. I didn't know who to believe and I didn't understand why these characters did the things they did. But slowly the past unravels itself and we learn about each character and what has led them to be who they are today. We question Stephen all throughout and I still don't even know about the ending. But that's what makes this story great. I'm left thinking about it and who I should believe.

This domestic suspense allows us to get to know the characters and their backgrounds so we could decide for ourselves if the outcome was warranted. The pacing was a slow build and the characters drove the story. There wasn't a lot of action, but it was always about planting seeds of doubt in the readers mind. The writing was exceptional and the character arcs helped build the narrative for the story.

The Younger Wife is a uniquely told story filled with messy and flawed characters and keeps you hooked until the end. And that ending will still leave you with questions. Hepworth doesn't wrap everything up with a pretty bow. That ribbon is left for you to decide.
Wonderful storytelling and another Sally Hepworth gem that I recommend.

Sisters Tully and Rachel are shocked when their dad announces he’s getting remarried to a woman half his age when he’s still married to their mother. Sally Hepworth is great at family drama and immediately hooks you in with this one. Told in alternating perspectives, we learn of secrets each character is hiding and troubling pasts they are still navigating.

I didn’t love the characters and wish we got more development from them since they each experienced their own traumas. I also was disappointed by the ending. Overall it’s a quick read, but didn’t love how it felt like it perpetuates unreliable/ delusional women stereotypes. Thanks St. Martin’s Press for my copy in exchange for an honest review.