How cliche - middle aged father of two divorces his incapacitated wife and decides to marry a woman the same age as his daughters. The daughters resent the younger woman and family drama ensues.

Cliche - yes.

Riveting story and writing that makes this a great read - YES.

Family drama and secrets abound for the daughters to unravel.

The second Mrs. - what is her reason for marrying a much older man, is he really her dream man?

What is the deal with Dad? Can he be trusted, is he so desperate to not be alone he will overlook the second Mrs's contribution to the explosive family dynamics?

Sally Hepworth never fails to engage me.This was a true page turner for me a book I could not put down.Two sisters their father marrying a younger woman their mother ill with dementia.The story so involving so well written will be recommending.#netgalley#st.Martinsbooks

What I liked most about this book was that it wasn't the typical *family with secrets* trope. Yes they all had secrets, and they all held on to them for way too long. But when they finally decided to spill the beans, they spilled the whole pot and told everyone. And they got therapy! Now that's a twist.
I read the book in an afternoon, partly because I couldn't put it down and partly because it was kinda short. And I really enjoyed it.

As always, I adored this Sally Hepworth novel!

The book opens at the wedding of Stephen Aston and Heather Wisher. Surrounding the couple at the alter are Stephen’s daughter’s Tully and Rachel, and unexpectedly Stephen’s ex-wife Pam. Strangely, Pam is holding a candlestick. A commotion of some kind proceeds in the back room where they sign the marriage license, and suddenly the celebrant appears, bloody and calling for help.

Stephen Aston- a heart surgeon; he is marrying Heather
Heather Wisher- younger than Rachel and Tully and about to be their stepmother
Rachel- a baker, who eats away the deep, unnamed, pain she experienced at 16.
Tully- a mother of two with husband Sonny. Tully is neurotic and going through a lot of life changes and is a kleptomaniac.
Pam- Stephen’s ex wife. She is in a care home with dementia.

Something I love about Hepworth’s novels is her stories are often the blend of some really intense soap opera, a love story, and a horrifying domestic suspense.

A lot of people said they didn’t like the ambiguous end to this novel, but it absolutely has a purpose which is called gaslighting. Gaslighting is the attempt to make someone doubt their own reality by making them believe something they experienced or saw didn’t happen. The end is representative to the journey of the victims; even after resolution, there is no closure.

Thank you to Sally Hepworth for writing this great piece of fiction, and to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Yet another Sally Hepworth book that I could not put down! There were so many twists and turns in this one, and I actually did not see some of them coming.

The back story was so engaging and interesting, and the mystery so intriguing, that I read the whole thing in a single day. I will say there were maybe one too many twists, but it was such an enjoyable read and I'm still thinking about the ending!

OMG, this book got me in the guts and never let go.

Who died at the wedding in the prologue? Was it one of the damaged but sympathetic daughters? Was it the bride? The ex-wife? Or was one of them the killer?

I couldn't put it down until I found out and dang...so worth the wait.

I have loved her previous books, and this one is just as good if not better! What a page turner! I could not put it down! Rachel and Tully are not happy when their dad announces his engagement, let alone to a much younger woman, especially since he's still married to their who's in a nursing home riddled with dementia. On the outside, things seem like bed of roses, but this family has secrets coming out of the woodwork. This is a must read!!

I have read many other Sally Hepworth books and have really loved all of them. Sadly, her latest book fell a bit short for me. While I liked the characters (especially Tully), it seemed to drag for me and I found myself skipping ahead to the ending. Just not for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this advanced copy.

Sally Hepworth is always a go to author for me and The Younger Wife did not disappoint.

How would you feel if your mother was in a nursing home with dementia and your father was about to marry a woman, younger than you? I found this domestic suspense more character driven than plot driven. I’m not sure how an ending can be anticlimactic but also make me feel so strange and uncomfortable but it did, which is a good thing!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I highly recommend this book. This is my second book by Sally Hepworth and I am now a fan of her writing.
So Your at a wedding of a surgeon named Stephan who is marrying a women that is the same age as his two daughters and you find out his is still married to a wife that is in a nursing home with dementia. But that just the beginning secrets start to unfold and your realizing how much this family is in turmoil.
I read this book in two days it holds your attention so much so you want to find out what’s going to happen next. So set aside some time when you can be alone and read this book.

The younger wife is an enjoyable domestics thriller with a cast of loveable, and seriously flawed, strong female characters.

Sisters Rachel and Tully try to navigate the stresses of their mother’s quickly declining health and their father, Stephen’s, decision to marry the much younger, Heather. As Hepworth weaves her narrative we find out that each character has a secret or two that is about to come to light. Will this perfect family grow stronger in the face of adversity, or will the truth prove fatal?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down. My only gripe is that the “twist” at the end was unnecessary and did a disservice to the strong female characters Hepworth worked so hard to build up. The book should have ended about 3 chapters sooner. It would’ve been a 5 star read for me if it had.

Looking forward to reading more from Hepworth

Thank you to netgalley and St. Martin’s press for the free digital copy in exchange for a fair review

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. Sally Hepworth is a favorite of mine, and I really enjoy her quirky and well-developed characters. The Good Sister was one is my favorite novels of 2021. Perhaps because I read that one just a few months ago, The Younger Wife didn’t resonate as strongly for me. I loved the intelligent, capable women in the novel - Rachel, Tully, and even Pam. The undercurrent of mystery kept me reading and wanting to know the truth. Without giving too much away, the violence and lack of total resolution disappointed me. I also felt that some of the plot points were loosely borrowed and then modified from Hepworth’s previous book. Although this wasn’t my favorite novel, it was still fun to read and I remain an eternal fan of the author’s.

This review was also posted on goodreads.

Wow!!! What a read!!! Dr. Stephen Aston is getting married again to Heather Wisher, who is around the same age as his daughters, while he is still married to his first wife, Pam, who is in a nursing home with dementia. As the wedding is over, the celebrant comes out covered in.blood. Whose blood is it? That is the question.

Story then is told from the perspectives of his daughters, Rachel and Tully, and Heather, his new wife that will reveal hidden issues and draw the story together to reveal the identity of the victim. Highly recommend.

THE YOUNGER WIFE is billed as a suspense novel. I see it more as a character driven expose of family dynamics. The plot line is fairly standard. Rich father, Steven, marries beautiful wife, Heather, who is younger than his two jealous adult daughters. Unfortunately, he has to divorce his wife, who is suffering with Alzheimer’s. This action paints him as an unfeeling, selfish man.
A murder is revealed, immediately. The reader must analyze each family member to find out “ whodunnit .” Who knew that one family could have so many secrets? Each character is dysfunctional in her/his own way. Their extreme problems take precedence over the storyline.
I really wanted to find someone to root for. This is a quick, engrossing read. I have read several of Sally Hepworth’s novels, and have enjoyed them.

3.5 stars

I flew through this book, partially because it’s not very long and partially because you can’t stop reading. That said I do not think this book is as good as the last two by Hepworth. In this instance I think a longer book would have been better. I really wanted to know more about the characters but for reasons that you will understand if you read the book, it was probably not really possible as giving away too much about them would have ruined the twist at the end. And once again there is a surprise at the end which leaves you rather floored in this instance and very, very uncomfortable. I think some people will continue to have questions about what the truth is. What is most obvious is the realization that we often know very little about other people and our judgments may be entirely wrong.

I still recommend the book as Hepworth is a good storyteller and this is a very quick read that is great for a dreary weekend. It lacked the depth of her last two books and I felt the characters were not entirely realistic. Note that this book includes the issues of domestic abuse, rape, anxiety disorder and gaslighting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. There were several typos in the book FYI.

This was another fabulous thriller by Hepworth that kept me guessing! Everyone in this story had their own issues, making it a challenge to figure out who was to blame for the family’s troubles.
When a well-liked doctor/father decides to marry to a much younger woman, the family is beside themselves, especially since his current wife is still alive! So fun!
I highly recommend this one!
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review this advanced reader copy. My opinions are my own.

I really wanted to love this book. I had just finished The Good Sister and loved it so when I saw this available to review, I jumped on it quickly. However, with all the time you spend getting connected to Tully, Rachel, and Heather, everything just fell short. The “twist” was honestly just really disappointing and left me going wtf… but not in a good way.

It’s not terrible but this one just wasn’t for me.

This book was excellent. I had read ‘The Mother-in-Law’ by Sally in the past, and really enjoyed that book. This book was just as good, if not better. I love this authors style of mystery, it really keeps you guessing and trying to figure out what happened… right up to the very last page. The book is detailed without being too much. The plot was interesting, and this was a book I didn’t want to put down until it was finished. Well worth the read.

Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book.

A sizzling domestic thriller that will have you guessing who the victim really is? Is Stephen the abuser his family and new younger wife Heather thinks he might be? Can Tully and Rachel rely on their mother’s revelations about their father when she is in nursing care with dementia? Heather the younger wife also has her doubts about her new husband. As Rachel and Tully dig deeper to find out more about their mother and father’s past they find things that make them question everything. An enjoyable, juicy read that in the end had me shocked.

Sally Hepworth is hands down one of my favorite authors, I will definitely read anything she writes, no matter what it is.

This book is definitely different for her I think. I was totally sucked into the story and these characters. Told from 3 pov, Heather, Rachel and Tully. Each are holding on to some past secret that’s shaped them into who they are. Each girl is someone we can all relate to which makes them so likable. I wanted more from Rachel and Darcy and less from Tully.

The ending left me feeling confused, I had to read it a few times and then still I kinda said what?

Totally a fast paced domestic thriller from page one!

Thanks to St.Martins Press and NetGalley for my advanced ebook copy.