I really enjoyed this book, but it wasn’t my favorite of hepworth’s books. It had interesting character development and let me guessing, but I found the ending disappointing. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

What a wild ride! Sally Hepworth is so skilled at guiding to believe one thing and it turning out to be something entirely different! Hard to not give away any thing .. so I'll just include the description below:

Stephen Aston is getting married again. The only problem is, he's still married to his first wife, even though she is in a care facility for dementia. But he'll take care of that easily, by divorcing her--even if his adult daughters protest.

Tully and Rachel Aston look upon Heather as nothing but an interloper. Heather is the same age as Rachel and even younger than Tully. Clearly she's a golddigger and after their father's money. Heather has secrets that she's keeping close, and reasons of her own for wanting to marry Stephen.

With their mother unable to speak for herself, Tully and Rachel are determined to get to the truth about their family's secrets, the new wife closing in, and who their father really is. But will getting to the truth unleash the most dangerous impulses...in all of them?

I enjoyed the story. The characters were well developed as was the plot. I loved the twists and turns and didn’t want to put the book down.

Not a favourite. I barely got through 20% of this before I gave up on it. I skimmed through the remaining 80% to get the jist of the book.

This book is complicated. On the one side, it's a super fast read. The three women in the story are interesting and layered and three-dimensional. They make the book a fast-read and they have distinct voices and they are well-done.

The men, however, are too perfect. There's nothing wrong with them. They are not complex or interesting.

And there are some major issues in this book that are glossed over. Some are dealt with in some detail (the one Tully has) and some are absolutely not given enough room (Rachel's) and space to be dealt with the respect they deserve. It makes them feel like token issues.

And then there's the ending. I don't mind a twist. I don't mind unexpected or even unclear endings. I do mind endings that (maybe) unintentionally play into stereotypes that are really not helpful. Let's not do that.

so fast read, complex/interesting women. but then so much not great, too. Love Hepworth and will keep reading her. Just didn't love this one.

with gratitude to St. Martin's Press and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Sally Hepworth rarely disappoints, and she certainly does not do so in her latest novel, The Younger Wife.

From the investment made into each main character & narrator (Rachel, Tully, Heather, and Fiona), to the twists of plot and developing connections between seemingly opposites; this book is a real gem!!

I absolutely love the contrast in characters and the fact that even I, as only the reader, started to question what I KNEW vs. what was SAID….

Quick pace, with easy to relate to characters make this one a great little mystery! Well done, yet again!

I thought the plot was decent and overall liked the story. I think Sally Hepworth does a great job with character development but in this case I would have liked a bit more depth and conclusions to their problems. The ending was just okay.

Thank you so much to the author, Sally Hepworth, the publishing company, NetGalley, and NetGalley for an Early read for my honest review. I absolutely love getting early reads for authors that are my favorite!

I've read many books by Sally Hepworth, and this psychological thriller truly does not disappoint. The father is hiding a lot of narcissistic behaviors, that by the end of the book there can be some severe hatred for that father.

I loved how at the beginning of the book there were some major issues between the sisters, and by the end the issues were all out in the open and the potential for true sibling love came through the pages.

If you need a book at the top of your TBR stack, grab this one. You will want more from this author, and I can't wait for the next one. Thank you again for the read!! 5 stars for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. If you like family drama this one is for you. The writing and the story was good, but I was not looking for a family drama right now. Readers of Hepworth will enjoy this one.

Was looking to be a 4 or 5 star novel, but then the ending happened.

It's not a new subject - older father is engaged to a younger woman who is the around the same age as his daughter, but Sally Hepworth was able to make things interesting and have you question if their intensions are really true.

I was loving the novel, but then the ending happened. Not a big fan of inconclusions.

Thank you to Netgallery and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The story is told from a few different point of views. Some I enjoyed, some irritated me. Many twisty turns that kept me captivated. I enjoyed the journey, but the end left me with questions that I wish were answered. It felt like I missed something in the book that I was supposed to know.

I've enjoyed the Sally Hepworth books I've read in the past, so was so excited to read her new one early! The Younger Wife was a fast paced, unpredictable story that I read in a day because I couldn't put it down! I loved the different points of view throughout the story, although I wish we got more Rachel and less Tully (by far my least favorite character!). It's a bit of a slow burn with secrets scattered throughout, giving us more background on everything that's going on, but I still sped through it. I would have rated this higher if not for the last ~10%, which was definitely unexpected but left me a little disappointed. It looks like readers are pretty split on it, so I'm glad I'm not in the minority! Overall, I would highly recommend and can't wait to read whatever Sally Hepworth comes out with next. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this great book!

I was so excited to read this book because I LOVED The Good Sister, the first book I read by Sally Hepworth, but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations though I still enjoyed reading it.

I probably would have rated it higher if not for the ending.

I loved the different relationships between characters and the dynamics in this family. There was space for each character to breathe and grow, particularly the sister relationship between Tully and Rachel. But I liked Heather’s chapters too, and how she got fleshed out, though I felt a bit more disconnect from her.

The mystery was good too—it flips between our three narrators in the present and an unknown narrator in the future (I really enjoyed that reveal). My problem was with the ending. I had a good idea of where it was going, and then the last two chapters, everything is suddenly in doubt—or is it? I’m still not sure what I’m supposed to get from that last chapter because the most apparent conclusion and what it says about women is not one I like.

So I’m not really sure what to think of this one. I enjoyed most of it, and I like her writing style, but the ending left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

I enjoy books by Sally Hepworth very much, but this one just missed the mark for me. While certain scenarios were dragged out to near boredom, others were rushed and left me without answers. The ending was just as rushed and unsatisfying

Sally Hepworth is one of my favorite authors and I thoroughly enjoyed The Younger Wife. Her characters are great, they are fleshed out, relatable, and beautifully flawed. She can tell a great story! This was a one sitting read for me, it pulled me and never let go! Five stars all dang day long! Thank you for the opportunity to read and review another great book NetGalley!

I am new at reviews…but I found the book had a few different story lines going on with their own arcs and drama which I actually didn’t love, (klepto sister, baking/relationship adverse sister, sick mom, trauma new wife) it took me some time to be like okay what is important here, and it felt like not a lot honestly. I was left being a bit like “what” when it ended, but not in an omg I want to re-read (eg what the silent patient did for me).

I always enjoy Sally Hepworth's novels. They are very readable page-turners and this one is no exception. I appreciated the three different POVs and learning something new from each woman.

I was not a big fan of the ambiguous ending. I think it could be a trigger for some individuals that may have certain experiences relatable to this story. Otherwise, it was good!

Tully and Rachel are shocked when their father, Stephen, decides to remarry. The issue isn't only that his future bride, Heather, is younger than them, it's also that their mother is still his wife! Stephen divorces her but promises to keep his former wife under his care as her dementia progresses. Tully and Rachel are sure that there is something more to the story and they grow suspicious of their own father and of Heather, who seems to have secrets of her own.

This is the third book by Sally Hepworth that I've read and I have loved all three! This one was so addicting that I couldn't stop thinking about it when I wasn't reading. Hepworth is a master at making you question every single character as well as your own judgement. Though I won't give anything away, I have to stress that I absolutely LOVED the ending to this one! I can't recommend this one enough!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

This has a masterful plot structure.
I was fully engaged and the characters were interesting.
The problem was, while there were a few turns, there was no real twist.
It just peters out at the end.
I gave it 3-stars because the writing is excellent.

I feel like I am in the minority for this book but it was just okay for me. I enjoyed the read and the characters it just was missing something. Normally, I love domestic thrillers so I had such high hopes for this book.

We start with the prologue when something terrible happens at the wedding of Stephen and Heather. The story opens up and develops the backstory when Stephen's two adult daughters meet Heather for the first time.

I liked that each character had their own struggle, it helped to humanize them but I actually found it a bit distracting at points. Tully chapters were my least favorite, I wanted to skip them to get back to the main plot.

This book is way more of a domestic drama than a thriller, so if you're looking for classic thriller pacing this isn't the one for you. It was a lot of build-up for a big letdown.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.