Five stars! As anticipated, the novel is a fast-paced roller coaster ride. Sally Hepworth has such a talent for writing suspenseful novels and though I always try, I’m never able to figure out the twist. I love that!

Sadly, Stephen Aston’s wife is struggling with worsening Alzheimer’s. Her family is devastated that she is grappling with this incurable disease. Stephen however has a lot of life left to live and though he never intended for it to happen, he falls madly in love with their much younger interior designer. Stephen is a smooth charismatic guy and has a penchant for getting those around him to support him no matter the endeavor. He divorces his loving, ailing wife all so he can marry Heather who just so happens to be the age of his daughters, Tully & Rachel, neither of whom are thrilled. Heather clearly has an agenda, and no doubt sees dollar signs when she looks at her much older though distinguished man. She certainly has secrets of her own.

Peculiar things keep happening in the Aston household. Tully & Rachel are determined to find out what is going on as well as uncover Heather’s past. It’s quite a wild ride.

I received an advance digital review copy of this book all opinions are my own.

Umm-What to say? I loved this story, I loved the viewpoints of the 3 ladies and how they were woven together. Wow!

However I did not like the epilogue and the questions it planted about the ending.

Wow! Just finished this book. I feel like I’ve been in a whirlwind. Sally Hepworth has done it again. Domestic thriller at its best. The opening scenes are at a wedding and not just any wedding. The groom is marrying a much younger woman. His wife is in attendance. His recently divorced wife is there but she has Alzheimer’s and doesn’t understand what is happening. After the ceremony the couple, children and exwife enter the sanctuary to sign the wedding certificate and a scream is heard. And the story starts. We meet the grooms daughters Tully and Rachel who are dealing with their own issues. I can’t say enough about the suspense in this book. I couldn’t stop reading until the nerve wracking unbelievable endings. It leaves you questioning WHAT HAVE I JUST READ? Loved it.

4/5

Loved this book. I didn’t want the story to end but there was an explosive conclusion that I’m still thinking about. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book and give an honest review.

This domestic suspense lived up to my expectations and then some. It wasn't all about the younger wife, but she was certainly the catalyst to the implosion of this family. Every character has issues that are brought into the limelight as they adjust to the father's new girlfriend and soon-to-be-wife while he is still married to the first wife.
Two sisters, Tully and Rachel, both struggle in their own ways to adjust both to their mother's declining health due to Alzheimer's disease and to their father's abrupt introduction to the new love of his life. As Heather (the future younger wife) tries to engage with her future in-laws, the whole family spins out of control that culminates with the wedding not to be missed.
Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy.

Is it too early to say this is one of my favorites of 2022?? The characters were so developed and I felt like each page was filled with a new, interesting tidbit that helped the story flow. I laughed, I stressed, I felt all sorts of emotions throughout this book.
This book discusses a serious topic of domestic violence, so be cognizant of that prior to starting.
All in all, this book is a major win for me!
Thanks NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC!

Slow-moving for well beyond 50%.
The rest of it, though, was a white-knuckle ride of twists and turns. And that ending....WHOA.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Such a great book! Sally Hapworth does it again. This book kept me wanting to keep reading and I would definitely recommend it!

Huge thanks to Netgalley and @stmartinspress for my copy of The Younger Wife.

This is my first Sally Hepworth book and it won’t be my last. She kept my attention the whole time. I kept turning the pages because I couldn’t wait to figure out what happened.

The ending is going to blow your mind. It will make you think about the whole book. I thought about it for several days.

Unfortunately, the ending wasn’t for me, but it did make me rethink things. Isn’t that what a thriller is supposed to do?

SALLY!!!!! She can do no wrong, honestly. Another great domestic thriller and I'm excited to see her get all the (well-deserved) buzz for this one again.

Thank you, NetGalley, for my advanced copy of this book. Seeing Sally Hepworth had a new book coming made my day. Being able to read it early made it even better. This is yet another great book by this author. She writes a story that keeps you guessing and NEEDING to know until the very end. Just when I’d think it was one way, something would happen to change my mind. I cannot say enough about this book. Likable and realistic characters with a bit of mystery mixed in. I can’t wait for my next Sally Hepworth read!

The setting for this deeply moving family drama is Melbourne, Australia. Family is messy. This upper middle class dysfunctional family's story has a wedding, a murder, a divorce, financial ruin, a criminal, a stress eater, an abuser and an imposter. They all have secrets and I raced through the pages to learn the outcome.
Dr. Stephen Aston, a heart surgeon in his sixties, is marrying thirtyish Heather. His current wife,  Pamela, has just been placed into a care facility. She has early onset Alzheimer’s and Stephen will be divorcing her. He has not been forthcoming about his past.
The chapters alternate quite smoothly between three main characters: Tully (Natalie), Rachel and Heather. Tully and Rachel are Stephen's grown daughters. Tully is married to Sonny,a criminal barrister, with two young children. She's the picture perfect wife and mother, but is hiding some dark issues. Meanwhile, Sonny is struggling with investments and their fairy tale  life is on the brink of collapse.
Rachel doesn't have a significant other and doesn't date. She's an excellent baker and eats her feelings. She has secrets of her own.
Pamela, the soon to be ex-wife, fades in and out of reality. Some of the things she tells her daughters about Stephen and their marriage are quite troubling, but are they true? Then there's the hidden hot water bottle she can't explain. More secrets.
Newly engaged Heather Wisher is just trying to fit into this new dynamic. Her past is built on lies and deceit. She tends to drink a bit too much and soon she begins to doubt Stephen.
What a twisty plot with very interesting, realistic and family-next-door characters. The plot kept me engaged and there were many relevant issues addressed. The mystery was woven throughout and I was completely wrong in my conclusions.
This is an author I have not read before, but look forward to her future work. A strong 4.5 Stars!

“The Younger Wife” is the latest domestic suspense thriller from Sally Hepworth. If you’re looking for a story about family dysfunctional that keeps you guessing until the final page, you will not be disappointed in this novel.

Stephen is about to marry Heather—even though he is still married to his first wife, Pamela, who is languishing away in a care facility. Stephen’s daughters, Tully and Rachel, are bitter about their dad’s desertion of their mom. But, each woman has her own secrets to hide.

The novel shifts between Heather, Tully and Rachel’s point of views so the reader is left unsure of whose narration—if any—she can trust. Hepworth is skilled at building tension, and I warn you that there will be many times where the reader feels as if the floor is shifting under her. “The Younger Wife” will have you hooked from its opening chapter.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press, the author and NetGalley for this intriguing book.

Rachel and Tully are not happy that her father is about to remarry a much younger woman. Their mother has dementia and is living in a care facility. Rachel and Tully have some problems of their own they are dealing with. Lots of suspense! I could not put this one down.

This story was well written and the characters were well developed. When introduced to the characters the family did have some odd characteristics and as it unfolded there were a lot of unexpected twists and turns. It addressed the issues of modern families.

I love all of Sally Hepworth's work and this most recent novel did not disappoint! So well written and the characters feel real! Loved the twists thrown in and how engaging the story was. Would definitely recommend to friends!

Am sorry I waiting this long to finish this book.
Stephen Aston is getting married again. He is still married to wife #1, fand she has dementia. He will divorce her.

His daughters not happy. They think Heather is a golddigger and after their father's money. Heather has secrets why she needs to merry Stephen.
His daughters Tully and Rachel are determined to get to the truth family's secrets, the new wife closing in, and will find out who their father really is.
Very interesting read

This was my first Sally Hepworth book. I really liked the premise of the story. I felt there was a lot of potential. But I am not a big fan of the female relationships in the book especially since they were marked as crazy and hysterical. Aside from that, a good book. Quite entertaining!

I had a hard time reading this one. Not because I am personally affected by the subject matter, but because throughout the book I felt that such a heavy subject as domestic abuse would be treated as lightly as almost like a game. The chapters were titled and alternated amongst the main characters and supposedly told from their POV. This did not work as it was all written from third person except for Fiona and none of the characters had a different voice to them. All the characters felt flat and uninteresting. There was an implication that there was a conclusion and that everyone had solved their problems, however, that was just as superficial and flat.

This book was a well written book, I will say that I personally did not enjoy the story as the characters felt very out of touch for me and in some ways unbelievable. I am specifically referencing Tully when stating characters felt unbelievable. In all the book did have great technical aspects I just personally did not enjoy it as I felt that it didn’t capture my attention well and felt like a forced finish.