This is my 3rd novel of Hepworth for me. The story presents an illusion of a perfect family that clearly is not. Definite definition of dysfunction to say the least. Having a parent myself personally that is dating a much younger woman, I found it hard to believe the daughters of the story were so quick to accept their father's young romantic interest. Story was easy to follow and not much in the way of twists for me. I still enjoyed to see where her story was going to take me. Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. #TheYoungerWife

What an excellent read! The book does flip back and forth between current events and the life leading up to it. And, I guarantee you will be surprised at some of the twists and turns that are revealed.

This is the first Sally Hepworth book I've read and it did not disappoint. There was a lot of dysfunction here...and I kind of loved it. The characters were flawed, but likable. No spoilers here, but I need some of my Goodreads friends to read this when it comes out so we can discuss this ending.

*Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. I loved it!

Publication Date 4/5/2022
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

The Younger Wife follows a family as the father divorces the mother (who has advanced Dementia) and remarries a much younger woman (younger than his two daughters). The story is told through 3 different points of view: Tully, the oldest sister, Rachael, the younger sister, and Heather, the new wife. I absolutely loved this book. Much like her other novels, Sally Hepworth gives us little bits of information about each character throughout the book so you never really know who to believe or what is going on until the very end. This book definitely kept me guessing and was just so much fun to read. I would have liked to dive into Heather's background a little more and spend some more time discussing her reasons for wanting to marry Stephen. I feel like that part was kind of glossed over and rushed, and the ending fell a little flat for me. All of that said, I had a great time reading this book. I am a big fan of Sally Hepworth's other novels and this one definitely did not disappoint.

I loved this book! It starts off with a shocking unknown death at a wedding and travels back in time to recount the months leading up to it, from different characters' perspectives, weaving in family drama and leading you to second guess everything you've thought along the way.

I really appreciated the character development as we got a detailed peek into what brought each of the characters to their present state and the relationships between them seemed authentic and realistic.

The ending is fantastic, and will have you wrestling with your mind!

CW: This book discusses domestic assault and rape.

I very much enjoyed this book until the ending. It did give me a lot to think about though. It was quite a twist to the family dynamics.

I will forever read Sally Hepworth's books because she has a way of keeping you on the edge of your seat.

In the beginning, I wasn't sure where this book was going. It starts at the wedding of Stephen and Heather. Stephen is significantly older than Heather, who is just a couple years younger than his two daughters, Tully and Rachel. Stephen and Heather get married and then someone gets hurt as Stephen and Heather sign their marriage license.

Than the book starts changing POV"S while you learn about how Stephen and Heather started dating, while Stephen was still married to his wife with Alzheimer's. As Stephen and Heather being their relationship and plan their wedding, Heather starts wondering things about her soon to be husband and what her future with him might turn in to.

As Stephen and Heather face their own issues, Tully gets in trouble for shoplifting and struggles with curing her addiction to it. Rachel find a large amount of money hidden in her mother's hot water bottle and goes off on a search as to why her mother had so much cash hidden.

Then at the end, you learn who killed who and are left shook.

I love how Sally Hepworth continues to leave you on the edge of your seat as you turn the pages of her books. I knew very little about this title going in, other than what I'd seen on Sally's instagram and I'll continue to read whatever she decides to publish.

Thank you to Netgalley for gifting me this e-book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the electronic advanced copy of Sally Hepworth's new book, The Younger Wife. This story is all about family - the good, the bad and the ugly. A family that sticks together to support each other. A family who can believe things that may or may not be true. I really enjoy her books as I did this this one. The ending definitely has a twist I wasn't expecting. It will make your brain think about it for a while. Look forward to the future publishing date of April 5, 2022.

Thanks to @netgalley and @St Martin’s for this ARC! Out 4/5/2022

So much family drama and I love my domestic thrillers! The story is told through multiple perspectives of two sisters and their dad’s future wife who is younger than them. Basically everyone has problems they are hiding and they all come to a head at the same time. The first half of the book we got to know the characters and their problems and the drama really took off in the second half. The ending seemed less conclusive than her other books but still a great ride and gave you lots to think about along the way. The Good Sister is still my favorite Sally Hepworth book but this one is still a great read for her fans!

Another great domestic thriller from Sally Hepworth! This book touches on a lot of issues - sexual assault, domestic violence, mental health and dementia. They are all handled very well. The book is well written and the characters are strong and interesting. The end was a little frustrating but would make for a great book club discussion. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

I have really liked Sally Hepworth’s writing. It keeps you on your toes, keeps you guessing on what can be trusted and who to trust. This book was no different. It took me a little to get into it but the last few chapters I couldn’t put it down. I was still scratching my head at the end so it definitely wasn’t my favorite of hers but still a good read!

4.5/5

I love Sally Hepworth's writing and to date, my favorite of hers has been The Mother-in-Law. It is still my favorite but my god if The Younger Wife isn't a very close second! I was so sure I knew how it was going to end (I didn't), but the biggest thing for me was the characters. The book is told from the viewpoints of Heather, Rachel, and Tully (AKA Natalie), and I read it very slowly and deliberately because I loved them all so much. The book is also interspersed with 'the wedding' and this was such a great way to keep the reader wondering what happened. There were times the story even brought tears to my eyes thanks to what each female character is dealing with, and I loved the mix of drama, suspense, and touching moments.

The ARC seems to have created quite the controversy over the ending, and that was really all I was hesitant about after I finished. Thanks to one person in my buddy read reaching out to Hepworth, I now know exactly what she was trying to convey to the reader, and it put all of my hesitations to rest. Luckily, I have heard the finished copy corrects this issue, and hopefully, that will make the resolution less polarizing to readers. The Younger Wife is definitely on the slower side which would usually bother me, but for some reason, it completely worked for me with this storyline. I thrived on getting to know each character individually and was just so engrossed with each one of their stories. Hepworth really knows how to write domestic suspense and I am thrilled with the way The Younger Wife turned out!

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Enjoyed the story, but I’m not a huge fan of soft mysteries and prefer more psychological suspense or police procedural books. That being said, the characters were well developed and you had to keep turning the pages to find out who the killer was.

Two sisters with some serious issues of their own are about to become stepdaughers to a woman younger than they are, at the same time that their dad is still married to their mom who has dementia. Do you see a recipe for some ridiculousness here?

The two sisters, of course, are opposites to make for even more issues than they already have. They love their parents and are not happy with their successful physician father for wanting to divorce their mother in order to marry his young honey who used to be their home decorator. He feels entitled to do so as the mother has dementia and wouldn't know anyway. Of course he sprung this on them at the luncheon where he first introduced his daughters to the future stepmom. Great timing on his part, not to mention not even picking up the tab for the $600 meal.

One daughter overspends the family budget and steals to relieve the pressure of anxiety, while the other bakes and eats to relieve her issues. Does anyone here sound healthy? Actually, the new wife to be sounds healthy mentally except for that little alcohol issue and the fact that her mother was abused by her father.

Hmmm... I can say I finished the book, but didn't like any characters except the poor mother who was put in a memory home so the father could play. Oh, and Darcy; I'd like a visual on Darcy.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

I’ve read two other Sally Hepworth books and loved both. With that said, The Younger Wife is my least favorite of the ones I’ve read. The book started out at a quick pace but the middle dragged and the pace never really picked up. I also thought the end was a huge letdown. There was so much potential of what could have happened at that wedding.
Despite this not being my favorite, I’ll still read Sally Hepworth books in the future as she knows how to write domestic suspense/thriller books. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This one really surprised me: I did not expect even half of what happened. Fantastic writing! I feel like I was also “gas-lit” into believing whatever Sally Hepworth said happened. A seemingly perfect family holds secrets, which only surface after the sudden appearance of a much younger wife/“step-mother”. She and a large amount of unexplained cash (in a hot water bottle no less!) become catalysts for the tension and chaos that ensue. Great book!

This is my 1st Sally Hepworth book and it won’t be my last. I’m a fan of short chapters and this one had just that. Each chapter was about one characters point of view, which I also really enjoyed. This book kept me wanting to know more with each turn of the page.

Enjoyed the character development of each of the three women (Heather, Tully, and Rachel). In the Authors note I was intrigued to hear about how the story came to fruition and really makes you question that sometimes things might not be how they seem.

I do feel that it overall left me wondering a few things, that I’d love to discuss with whoever has read it! Definitely recommend this read in 2022!

Sally Hepworth is a master at the unexpected, This was the third book that I’ve read by this author and though I’ve loved each, she still crafted a story that is unpredictable and twisty. The story is about a family struggling with the current state of their lives. The mother, Pam, is suffering from rapidly progressing dementia. Both sisters, Tully and Rachel, have their own significant mental issues and now their doting father, Stephen is divorcing Pam to marry the interior designer hired to remodel their home. Oh, and the fiancé, Heather, is younger than both daughters. Wow! Events are progressing toward the wedding but suspicion is raised about Stephen’s true nature. Pam has made seriously harsh statements about how he treated her, mysterious money was found and Heather has a couple incidents the cause of which she is not entirely clear. What is happening within this family? Do they know each other at all? Why don’t they tell each other about anything of substance? Will they find a new road together or completely diverge? You will be guessing throughout. Loved this book!

This book was interesting. I found myself wondering how it would turn out. The family dynamic was something else. When I finished the book, I want to read it again, to see what I might have missed. My take away from this book is that when you are dealing with something don't keep it a secret. Tell someone and you will find some people to help you. I do have to say there are several heavy topics in this book. The major tiggers include abuse, rape and miscarriage.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book started with an explosive beginning, slowed down in the middle and then rushed to an ending that was surprisingly ambiguous. None of the characters was particularly likable nor were the narrators reliable since they were dealing with mental issues. The novel, however, was well-written with a slower pace than what I’m accustomed to, but it also dealt with some serious topics that could be triggers for readers. The topics included rape, eating disorders and domestic violence. There were three narrators: Heather, the new bride of Stephen Ashton; Rachel, the younger daughter of Stephen who resents that Heather is her age; and Tully, the older daughter of Stephen who has severe financial issues in her life. Although the beginning got my attention right away, I found some of the plot to be slow and plodding. The book is character driven, a study of domestic drama combined with a mystery/whodunit. I enjoyed the mystery part and some of the domestic drama, but at some points, I was asking myself what other issue the characters would have to deal with. Once I invested myself in the lives of the characters, I was absorbed in their story and wanted to find out what actually happened at the wedding that was at the beginning of the story. The ending was disappointing to me since I thought it would truly conclude the book, but it was more open-ended, leaving the reader to ponder what the conclusion would be. The topics themselves were well worth reading about, especially in such an entertaining soap opera kind of tale and the characters, although flawed, were well-developed and evoked sympathy throughout my reading.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”