I have always been a fan of author Sally Hepworth so I was excited to read her newest book The Younger Wife. I went into the book thinking I know what this will be about, some younger girl trying to marry the rich man. Lying and trying to be someone she’s not, and causing chaos amongst the family. Well some of that is true, but not all of it is true for the younger wife. I think that’s what I like about Sally’s books, they are more mystery with twist and turns that steer you one way then quickly turn you another. There is a lot of family drama and plenty of secrets, but they are all of so good. If you looking for a book that will keep you on your toes I definitely recommend The Younger Wife.

Thank You to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Stephen's wife is placed in a Long Term Care facility due to the onset of dementia and now that he has meet someone new, he wants to remarry. The only problem is that first he needs to divorce his wife. HIs two daughters, Tully and Rachel, are not happy about this, especially since this new women is younger than they are.
Heather is hiding from a past she would rather forget, except it may affect how she perceives this new relationship.
Tully and Rachel's mother is making strange comments about her life with their father and the girls are determined to discover just what is hidden in their parent's past.

I definitely enjoyed this book better than The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth. This book left me with the feeling that actions that took place, might have been made on the character's wrong interpretation of past events and maybe justice wasn't served after all. The ending will have you thinking about this book long after that last page is turned.

To me, this was a family drama with a slow burning mystery. I am a thriller fan and this was not a thriller at all. Why it was marketed as one, I do not understand that at all. I did like the first half but then after that it lost its fizzle.

This wasn't my favorite Sally Hepworth book. I still don't know how I feel about the ending. It wasn't surprising as much as it was disappointing.

Sally Hepworth’s latest novel is a domestic suspense story about the tangled vines of family secrets. Heart surgeon Stephen Aston is getting married again, but his daughters Tully and Rachel are determined to get to the truth about their family’s secrets – and who their father really is. With their mother in a precarious position, the sisters want to know about Heather, Stephen’s new wife and younger than both of them. As they all close in on the truth, dangerous secrets are revealed that could have explosive consequences.
The Younger Wife is a clever, suspenseful story about family dynamics and the power of secrets. It will keep you glued to the pages until the very end.

I’ve loved all of Sally Hepworth’s novels I read. Up until this one. I just didn’t connect with any of the characters, but will admit I was surprised by the twist. I am not a fan of a May December romance and my Mom has the start of dementia, so that was part of it.

Even though this wasn’t my favorite, I will still jump on board for her next novel based on her track record. And definitely read other reviews, because many loved this one.

I enjoyed this book by one of my favorite authors! I love how Sally Hepworth creates characters that draw you into the story. This one kept me guessing, and I have recommended to friends because I want to talk to people about the ending! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy.

The Younger Wife is for readers of suspense and family drama. It is like a who done it with more background stories of the characters involved. I found myself vested in the novel immediately.

I really enjoyed this read by Sally Hepworth. I have to admit this is my least favorite compared to her other books. I loved the family drama and how each character tries to keep it together but is crumbling. This book is 100% more a family drama then a thriller. My biggest criticism is the epilogue. I feel after reading that I am completely doubting the whole book.

Oh no say it isn't so, 3 stars for a Sally Hepworth? Many loved this one, but for me it was just a lukewarm read. I enjoyed the journey with the family dynamics even if the characters were a bit flat. I was really waiting for that ending to bring Sally's trademark shock and it never came. I did hear that the final copy had a different ending so I went looking for it. The new ending was much more satisfying.

As always, Sally Hepworth delivers an incredible story. A true page-turner, this book kept me up late as I wanted to know what happened next. Each of the narrating women is written so well and helps the story move forward even as we hear their backstory. A stunning book that makes you question every time someone made you question yourself.

Sally Hepworth does it again with the The Younger Wife. In this novel we learn about the Aston Family and all their secrets.

Tully is the youngest daughter who is married with 2 little boys, but for some reason she can't control the bubbling feeling in her body. Her shameful secret is kept from everyone, including her husband.

Rachel is the oldest daughter, who love to bake, cook and eat. Her family finds it odd that she hasn't been on a date in almost 20 years, but no one seems to care enough to ask.

Pam, is the mother to Tully and Rachel and Stephen's (their father) soon to be ex-wife. She is suffering from Dementia and has been placed in a care facility. The problem is when Rachel visits her, she doesn't have anything nice to say about Stephen.

Stephen is seeking a divorce from Pam, because he is about to marry Heather, who is the same age as his daughters.

Heather, the soon to be new wife, has her own dark past and secrets.

What happens at the wedding? All the family secrets and betrayal come to a head at the wedding. Sally Hepworth does a fantastic job of weaving Heather, Rachel, Tully and Stephen's perspective to what the truth really is. She left me wanting to turn the page and desperately wanting to find out the next piece to the puzzle.

I will be honest, I did not love the ending of the book. While I felt the story was resolved, I found it a bit disappointing. However, that didn't affect my rating of the book.

This book is great in a sense that I really like how it's structured, written to show different point of views from the main characters. This way of writing gives me, in my opinion an inside story about the characters. A story within a story, I would say.

The characters are not as engaging as I would have liked but I like the little surprise characters who appear in this story.

The sisters' characters were much relatable to what sisters should be in the real world and I really liked that. Tully's story is new for me and it gave me another glimpse of her condition and an understanding of it.

Kudos to Sally Hepworth for yet another compulsively addictive domestic suspense novel. So cleverly written, this one is packed with compelling characters, a gripping plot dysfunctional relationships, family drama and secrets. Lots and lots of secrets. Told from multiple POVs with unreliable narrators, I found this well written story to be mostly believable. I was immediately drawn in and couldn’t put it down until I finished it.

I loved how this book was structured. The prologue beings with a wedding, an unknown narrator describing the event itself, when something terrible happens, but we as the reader are left in the dark as to what happened to whom, as the narrator doesn’t know. The story then rewinds back in time to the year or so that lead up to the wedding. It’s during this time that we get to meet the characters, and as we listen to each perspective, we are forced to navigate through Hepworth’s trademark plot twists and turns, where seeds of doubt are planted making it difficult for the reader to decide what is real or not. This character driven domestic drama packed with the crazy types of twists and turns that I’ve come to love from Hepworth’s writing. We have sisters Tully and Rachel who are struggling with their mothers dementia diagnosis, (along with their own mental health issues) when their father announces that he plans to divorce their mother so that he can marry Heather, a woman who is young enough to be their sister. What a hot mess these characters are! And while Hepworth loosely explores some pretty tough topics (alcohol abuse, domestic abuse, rape, mental health issues, gaslighting), she does so with empathy and tact.

Hepworth has fast become a favorite author of mine. I highly recommend this to those who enjoy domestic or psychological suspense thrillers (e.g. B. A. Paris, Alice Feeney, Sandy Jones, Lisa Jewel) or those looking for a fantastic bookclub selection that would lead to great discussion.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I read and LOVED two of Sally Hepworth’s previous books—The Good Sister and The Mother-in-Law—so I was excited to pick up The Younger Wife! Her writing is both strong and engaging, with well-developed characters and well-paced plot development. I was eagerly devouring this latest work until about 80% when I started to get a sneaking suspicion regarding the ending.

SUMMARY: The adult daughters of an older surgeon are unhappy to learn that their father is engaged to a young decorator—despite the fact that their mother, who suffers dementia, is still alive and otherwise healthy.

I loved diving into the backstories of the surgeon’s daughters, Tully and Rachel, and the respective traumas that shaped their personalities. Their journeys—as well as the one experienced by the surgeon’s young fiance—were a pleasure to read, and I couldn’t wait to learn more.

However, the ending fell completely flat for me. It reminded me of Verity by Colleen Hoover, if, after reading it, you also absolutely did not care. The ending may as well have been: But then she woke up, and it had all been a dream. Not. Here. For. It.

I have listened to Sally’s audiobooks and they have grown on me. This was just as good as The wife upstairs. The mayor plot twist/reveal I did not see it coming at all and that is always, always a plus! Loved the unreliable characters POV that kept me guessing what was going on and I just loved that.

I love Sally Hepworth books so I was shocked when I saw this book getting less than less-than-stellar reviews. People were straight shooting vitriol about it! So maybe because of that, I went in with uber low expectations and because of that, I wasn't disappointed. I was actually enthralled by the whole story. I do feel like the end fell a teensy bit flat for me but I definitely wouldn't say it was a bad book. It was a solid 3 star domestic thriller (maybe not thriller...that seems too intense a word for what this was...mystery? Suspense?). Whatever ya call it, I liked it.

I have loved every novel I’ve read by Sally Hepworth. This one is no exception. The story and characters are well-written and fun to read. I thought this a a great read!

I love this author and she did not disappoint with this book. A creepy, thriller that had me turning the pages into late night. Sally Hepworth is just a guarantee winner with her plots and the style of writing. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This is my second Sally Hepworth read and once again I found myself glued to the story and wanting to know what was going to happen next. This book is a domestic mystery I would say as it revolves around our trying to decipher exactly what's going on within the Aston family.

When the book opens we are at the wedding of Stephen Aston and his much, much younger bride Heather. Younger in fact than his two grown daughters Tully and Rachel. And we know from the start that something goes terribly wrong.

We flip back in time and get POVs from Tully, Rachel and Heather. Not only are they not exactly jazzed about their father marrying a younger woman, but he's also yet to divorce their mom, who is suffering from early-onset Alzheimers.

We follow the three women as we unravel what's going on in this story and would say we are often lead to draw our own conclusions. I think Sally Hepworth does a tremendous job of weaving in some weightier topics and handles them with grace and respect. She also adds in some good humor and I do adore some of the one-liners that come out of the women's mouths.

This book is definitely pure enjoyment and also a great story of sisters, the complications of family, questioning what you know (or what you think you know) and seeing your parents for who they are.

To note, the ARC has a different ending from the final US publication (my understanding is the ARC mirrors the original Australian publication). I don't know how I feel about the different endings but to go into that would spoil so suffice to say I found the US ending more satisfying. The original ending made me a little mad, but I otherwise enjoyed the book and will continue to pick up more Sally Hepworth in my future!