Unputdownable domestic suspense! This was such a fast-pace book, you just want to keep reading. Before I even realized, I finished 80% of the book in a day, it was that great! There were several unexpected twists and turns that make you just keep turning the pages. This was my second book that I have read by Sally Hepworth and each of her book keep getting better and better!

I loved the character development and for the most part all of the characters were very relatable. The story was giving in multiple POV from Rachel, Tully, and Heather. Rachel and Tully were the daughter of Stephen, who was going to marry Heather. Heather is as young as Tully and Rachel. Stephen is a wealth doctor, who is still married to Pam. While Pam is stricken with dementia, Stephen is moving on to a younger, “newer” model and that does not sit well with his daughters. Sometimes things aren’t as they seem. If you like dark secrets, edge of your seat suspense, and gaslighting this is the book for you! I highly recommend this AMAZING book!

***** Many thanks to St. Martins Press, Sally Hepworth, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC. It has been provided to me in turn for my honest opinion.

The novel begins with an unnamed narrator at the wedding of Stephen Aston and a woman about half his age. I couldn't put The Younger Wife down...the first few pages led me right into the middle of a mystery full of question marks. What happened to whom?

Each chapter is a POV from all the female characters, not the males. Heather is the fiance of a much older doctor, Stephen. Rachel and Tully are his grown daughters, and Pamela, his wife, lives in a facility because of her advanced Alzheimer's Disease.

Stephen, the patriarch (in every sense of the word), is a well-known surgeon who has been a stalwart citizen of his community with a perfect family. Pamela was always the perfect hostess, and their two daughters made them proud. Rachel is known for her beauty and delicious baking, a business she runs from her home. The question about this beautiful woman is why she never goes out on a date, has not had a boyfriend since she was a teenager, and couldn't care less about that aspect of adult life.

Tully is married with two children to Tonny, a successful lawyer. The family lives a good life, but Tully is known to have some neurotic tendencies, and her son, Miles, is beginning to show signs that he is like his mother. Tully is furious with her father's decision to marry Heather, a very young interior designer who came into their lives via a contract to re-design Stephen's home. Heather is pleasant enough, but her POV chapters reveal some exciting stuff. We don't have any narration from Pamela. She is in a nursing facility and holds many mysteries that make this book suspenseful.

I recommend this book as a galloping read for people who like to figure out secrets, ones we all would rather hide. Thank you to NG, Sally Hepworth, and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

I have to say Sally Hepworth's books never seems to disappoint. Stephen Aston is a well respected heart surgeon. He has invited his two daughters-Rachel and Tully to meet his new girlfriend for lunch. Only problem is he is still married and his new girlfriend is young enough to be his daughter! He announces at lunch that he wants to marry Heather. This goes over like a lead balloon to his daughters as his wife is has Alzheimers.

Heather has had a terrible childhood and now feels like her life is all she ever dreamed it could be. She feels like she finally has a family.

Rachel and Tully are two sisters who couldn't be more opposite. I love how they finally share the truth with each other and bond. Their mother starts saying crazy things and now they aren't sure what is true and what is lie?

The wedding goes from happy to disaster in mere moments when the truth comes out. Remember actions speak louder than words.

Thank you #Netgalley for my copy and this is my honest review.

Civility, Family Secrets, Outward Perceptions, Inner Turmoil and Abuse each fight for the leading role in this psychological thriller by Sally Hepworth.

Told (mostly) by three very different women, all with their own neuroses, The Younger Wife centers around Stephen Aston, a 60+ successful doctor, whom is about to get married to a woman that is younger than his youngest daughter. Starting with the wedding scene, we immediately know something crazy is about to happen but don’t know what exactly, or whodunit. The story unfolds around the women in Stephen’s life – his two daughters, his soon to be wife, and his prior wife who is in a nursing home with dementia.

Of course, not everything is how it seems at first glance, and those we love may have the biggest secrets of all. I was slowly sucked into this novel and then couldn’t stop reading until I knew how it ended. This book is less about marrying a younger woman and more about how relationships develop and the family intricacies. As the cover states that: She Changes Everything,” I’m not sure this is how I perceived it – I don’t think the younger wife changes everything, but brings about old family secrets and discussions that must happen. The last chapter may not have the punch that some readers are hoping for, but it shows the power of females sticking together (reminded me a tad of the ending of Big Little Lies) and that not everything needs to be over the top in fiction.

Hepworth is able to flawlessly weave through the intricate and delicate world of domestic abuse and mental illness with ease; she creates hard situations showing how women can be weighed down at first by their own burdens but then can be brave, courageous and – with strength and help from others – can begin on a new, self-created path.

This was my first read of Hepworth, and I will be going back to read her other novels. I absolutely loved her writing style, her quirky prose, the character development, and the need to bring some tough issues to the forefront. I have to say that I have never heard of a hot water bottle before in my life – so google for the win! I would definitely recommend this novel and author to all my friends; 4.8 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book! All opinions are my own!

How does Sally Hepworth do it? She gets better with each book. I have a waiting list at my library for this book and it's so long that I have already pre-ordered more than one copy.

I received The Younger Wife as an ARC through Netgalley. Sally Hepworth has done it again with her new novel. The Younger wife starts with the wedding of Stephen to his new wife Heather and his two daughters Rachel and Tully. Then Stephen's ex-wife, Pam, who is suffering from dementia runs up the alter wielding a candlestick. Talk about an opener! We then flashback to a year before the wedding of a very awkward lunch of Stephen, Heather, Rachel and Tully. The rest of the story unfolds in flashbacks and flashforwards.

Rachel and Tully believe that their father and mother had a a very loving marriage with no signs of abuse, even though their mother, Pam, did seem to hurt herself a lot. Now as Stephen is getting ready to divorce Pam because of her dementia and gets ready to marry Heather, everything the girls thought they knew gets called into question.

The Younger Wife hooks you in within the first few chapters and won't let you go until the end. I finished it in two days.

There is a lot of family drama in this story. It starts off with someone watching Stephen and Heather's wedding when something awful happens. Then it goes back in time one year from the POV of Heather, and Stephen's two daughters, Tully and Rachel. Stephen announces to his daughters that he is marrying Heather, who is around their age, although he is not yet divorced from his current wife, Pamela, Tully and Rachel's mother, who has dementia. Thus, the family drama ensues.

Tully and Rachel both have some extreme personal issues which helps you understand and sympathize with the characters. Heather also has parts of her past that she doesn't want to reveal to her new family. It's one of the stories where everything is not how it seems. There are a lot twists that keep you guessing, especially as we get glimpses of what exactly happened at the wedding.

This was a psychological thriller that pulls you into the family drama. I felt like it was left a little open ended at the conclusion, but overall it was a satisfying read.

Sally Hepworth is an exceptional writer, and THE YOUNGER WIFE has a healthy balance of intriguing characters and reel-you-in plot. We learn that appearances aren't what they seem, and that everyone in the Aston family has issues.

I was expecting more twists and a shocking ending, but that's not what THE YOUNGER WIFE gives. Instead the reader is presented with the "twist" in the beginning and given clues throughout the book to help figure out whodunit. I thought it was very obvious and therefore wasn't excited or shocked by the ending.

I liked her last book, THE GOOD SISTER, more that THE YOUNGER WIFE, but I haven't read her other works to compare it to those.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 4/5/22.

I think that maybe I’m the villain in this book? I’m not quite sure what happened. I was so captivated and thrilled throughout the entire book. I love the writing and how every chapter is from a different point of view. I kept guessing and rethinking everything and I really liked where it was going. The ending shocked me honestly. Rachel went through such trauma I just hated how there was such question in the end. There is good character development and interesting twists and turns. But open ending was a bit of a let down. I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

4.5 Stars!

The book begins with the mystery and then flashes back one year. The reader learns all about the dysfunctional Aston family through several points of view, including Tully, Rachel, and Heather. It was agonizing (in the best way) waiting to find out what really happened at the beginning of the book.

I was left wondering, what made all these people turn out the way they did? Tully and Rachel seemed to grow up in a loving home, so why didn’t they ever share what happened to them or what they were going through? I was also left questioning what was real and whose stories to believe.

The ending may not have been completely shocking, but it still left me reeling. I don’t really want to say anything else because I don’t want to inadvertently give anything away, but I was completely satisfied with the ending.

Note: reading some other reviews, there seems to be some debate on the ending. Some don’t think it was resolved, or feel there were multiple ways to interpret the ending. I don’t feel that way at all. You know what happened. You know who did it and why. I also think the ending makes it clear if the action was justified or not.

I can’t wait for the next book by Sally Hepworth.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

Sally Hepworth never disappoints! If you are looking for psychological thriller with plenty of family drama this is the book for you.

Tully and Rachael are two sisters who are very different, both with their own issues. They are protective of their mom has dementia and lives in an assisted living facility. Their father, Stephen introduces the girls to his future bride Heather, expecting a new happy family dynamic.. don’t expect it to play out that simply.

The Things We Keep is one of my favourite books and The Younger Wife has become another favourite.

I love Sally Hepworth’s book - how she sets forth a storyline and then bit by bit fills in the background information so that the reader gets to know the characters. This one left me wanting more however as I felt the characters had much more to tell and were not fully developed. I wanted to more more about Heather’s life especially and details about the family as the children grew.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC of The Younger Wife.

Sisters Tully and Rachel are surprised when their father announces his engagement to new girlfriend, Heather. Not only is Heather younger than Tully and Rachel, but their father is still married to their mother, who has been recently placed in an assisted living facility due to her advanced Alzheimer's.

The story begins with the wedding of Heather and Stephen, Tully and Rachel's father, but quickly jumps back to the previous year. The story continues to alternate times as characters, motives, and backgrounds are revealed. It kept me on the edge of my seat and hooked. I read the book in two sittings. I did take a star off, only because I didn't feel like ending was as great as the build up. It was a little ambiguous and not very satisfying. Still, a great novel by a great author.

This book kept me guessing the entire book. Every character had issues that made you think. It was a very interesting family dynamic. I honestly couldn’t figure out what was going to happen. Tully with her kleptomaniac ways and Rachel with her issues from something that happened as a teen, Heather the fiancé of their dads and all her crazy baggage and then their mom with her dementia. This family had some crazy wild issues. It was entertaining, engrossing and kept me guessing. A really good read!

Sally Hepworth is a master and I will ready anything she writes. This story was engaging and kept me interested throughout the entire book (I found myself reading on my kindle as I made tea or dinner which is not normal for me). I loved following all three women and getting a deeper perspective from each. Sally's novels are so smart and entertaining - the perfect mixture!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of Sally Hepworth's "The Younger Wife" in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel and Tully have been dealing with a lot; each carrying personal traumas, their mother, Pam, is in advanced stages of dementia and their father, Stephen who recently divorced their mother, is set to marry, Heather, a woman their age. Deep dark secrets that each family member has been keeping begin to surface as they prepare for the upcoming nuptials, each one unfolding to reveal they are not who the other presumed them to be. On that fateful day as the wedding party, Pam included, gathers in a small room to officially sign the marriage documents someone is bludgeoned and eventually carted out via stretcher...but who is it and why?

***Possible spoilers***

This is a family thriller told from the perspectives of Rachel, Tully, Heather and a mysterious wedding guest. I really enjoyed the family drama and the layers pulled back between the characters. I really enjoyed the suspense between Heather and Stephen whether she was delusional and overreacting or was he gaslighting her, as a reader we move back and forth trying to put the pieces together. I think that this storyline could have become a book just within itself. I liked that the three women became friends as that was not what I was expecting given the title and setup. The ending was somewhat anticlimactic but overall still delivered a good family suspense. I had read The Good Sister by Hempworth and really enjoy the family dynamics that she creates. I look forward to more of her works in the future.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Sally Hepworth for the review copy of The Younger Wife in exchange for my honest review.

Stephen Aston is planning to get re-married to Heather, who happens to be the same age as his daughter, Rachel, and even younger than his other daughter, Tully. The only problem? Stephen is still technically married to his first wife, though she is currently living in a memory care facility due to her dementia. Rachel and Tully are immediately suspicious of Heather's intentions, and have particular objections to her being so close to their age. They become determined to uncover the truth about Heather's motives for marrying their father, while also trying to unearth their family's secrets.

Comin at ya with another unpopular opinion, as this one is quite well-loved among early reviewers. I think this book suffered from two problems: 1. A synopsis indicating there will be much more drama and contentiousness than there actually is, and 2. Being mismarketed as a thriller. This, in my opinion, is a family drama with a hint of mystery.

Although I did not ultimately read the book I thought I was getting into, it was still well-written with interesting characters and I was curious to get to the heart of the mystery. I found myself sympathetic to characters in the end that I definitely felt no love for in the beginning.

Likely due to my aggressively Type A personality, I very much like my book endings to be resolved and wrapped up in a nice little bow, and I did not get that with this book. There was far too much ambiguity for my liking, and it felt like it took a lot away from the first 98% of the book.

Sally Hepworth is ultimately a great author and I am certain I will be beyond excited when her next book is announced.

The Younger Wife is out in the United States on April 5, 2022!

Thank you for this ARC!
I do enjoy a book with multiple POVs, which you get with The Younger Wife. All three narrators are interesting, complex and relatable. This book does deal with difficult subject matter, but it did so with love and care. Overall, this was a solid thriller and if that's what you like to read, you will enjoy this book!

This was my first Sally Hepworth & I regret so much I didn’t read her books sooner! I read this book in about a day & it was enjoyable every step of the way. I like how the reader is posited to automatically dislike “the younger wife” but she ended up being one of my favorite characters. The chapters were superrr short & there was a very good balance of intrigue, humor, & character development to keep the plot moving too

I can say for certain that I’m definitely a Sally Hepworth fan now. She reminds me of Laine Moriarty, but shorter. Sometimes I feel Moriarty’s books can be longer than they need to be (ahem Apple Never Falls) so for me Hepworth is like a more concise Moriarty. So if you’re a fan of Liane Moriarty than this book will not disappoint.

I have read 2 previous books by this author and loved them both. This one, not so much. It was an OK read though. I really liked Rachel’s story, that was the best one. Tully’s and Heather’s were a bit farfetched. There was a little mystery that came out in the most opportune times, and I loved the wedding scene. Pam also brought in a different angle.
The love and growth between the two sisters was done well. I just didn’t feel this story had been given the depth that The Mother-in-Law and The Good Sister did. I will continue to read this author; she is worth it.
I personally thank the publisher for the privilege to be offered this ARC from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my unbiased review – This one comes in with 4 stars.