The Younger Wife kept me interested throughout, however, I am not really sure that I enjoyed it. The book focuses on two sisters, Rachel and Tully, their father Stephen and his young fiancée, Heather, and their mum, who is in an assisted living facility with dementia.

The family dynamics are odd to be sure, but that is only the beginning. The sisters each have big secrets and we learn that Heather does as well. While I was invested in learning what was really going on with these characters, i found the whole scenario slightly unbelievable and to beat it all, I really didn’t like the characters or the storyline.

Then there is the ending….I’m all for a twist but I just did not love the ending.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for access to this ARC.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me a digital copy of the latest book by a favorite, Sally Hepworth - 4.5 stars rounded up! The audiobook was expertly narrated by Barrie Kreinik; Caroline Lee; Jessica Douglas-Henry; Zoe Carides - they added much to the enjoyment of this book!

Ahh...the younger wife. Steven Aston has just announced to his grown daughters, Rachel and Tully, that he is engaged to much younger Heather. While that may be a lot to absorb, Steven is still married to their mother, Pam, who has dementia and is in a nursing home. Needless to say, the daughters aren't totally welcoming. And everyone has secrets.

Told in varying viewpoints, from the wedding date and in the past, we learn all those secrets. I loved these characters (most of them at least!) and I couldn't put this book down until I figured out all the twists. I've read some reviews that questioned the ending, but to me things were clear enough and I liked it. I love books that have you questioning everyone's motives behind their actions and behaviors. There's also some good life lessons in here as well - the harm that held secrets do to ourselves and relationships and believing in ourselves. I enjoyed the afterword as well, with the author's story of the book's beginnings.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another one of the author's books that did not disappoint.

Tully and Rachel's mother is slowly losing her life to dementia. In the process, their father decides to divorce their mother, only to find the younger wife, that the title is based on.

Throughout the story, there a red flags about their father - a secret from the past also unfolds, further adding to the concern.

When tragedy strikes, all of the secrets come to the surface. Who is at fault? What is the truth?

You'll have to read to find out! Recommend for someone looking for a quick, suspenseful read.

Wait... What?
Hmmm...
I can see why the reviews on this are all over the place.
The characters all have a messy character flaw that makes you wonder about their reliability.
The plot of this book was so juicy. The opening was jaw dropping - with a 60 yr old man marrying a 30 year old woman in front of his family and friends and even his ex wife of 30 years who now has Alzheimer's so he divorced her!
It was told from 3 different perspectives, but with so much side drama thrown in (think eating disorders, kleptomania, abuse, sexual abuse, alcohol abuse, anxiety, financial loss, social status, arrests, the list goes on).
For me it was a page turner, right up to the end. But then -?? I wasn't a fan.
You will have to read to yourself to decide.

I'm a big fan of Sally Hepworth's tension-filled domestic thrillers, but this one fell short for me. I think this story and the characters will work for many readers, but I had a hard time connecting to the characters and their stories and actions, and I didn't love how it was all wrapped up (or not) in the end. I think it was purposefully ambiguous, and I feel that does a huge disservice to the female characters (which ones vary, depending on how the ending is interpreted). One part that I really thought was interesting, however, was the story that was the basis for the novel is told in the author's note at the end. I do look forward to reading what Sally Hepworth writes next. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance digital copy!

3. 5
The Younger Wife is a domestic drama that centers around Stephen, his 2 daughters, his ex wife and his about to be wife new, younger wife. For me, the theme of women being lied to, gaslighted and treated like they are crazy is just tired and it doesn't hold my attention. With that said, it is a well written domestic saga that has some twists and turns. It also has one of the best boyfriend characters I have seen in a while - Darcy is a breath of fresh air and I would love to see a followup on him at some point. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Matin's Press for an early release copy in exchange for my honest opinion. The Younger Wife will be released on 4/5/22.

Absolutely riveting and compulsively readable, The Younger Wife is a fantastic domestic suspense. This book perfectly marries a multi-perspective narrative with an ever-moving sense of anticipation about what will come next, making this a quick and delightful read. I love this book because it starts out as a story about man dating a much younger woman, but then turns into a story about gaslighting, about the selves that we hide from others, about grief and healing, and about how we reconcile ourselves with our upbringing. A perfect suspense that leaves you questioning everything you thought you knew. Five stars!

I received an ARC of THE YOUNGER WIFE by Sally Hepworth to be published April 5, 2022. This novel is a suspenseful family drama with many twists. Tully and Rachel face the odd predicament of accepting their father’s fiancée, Heather, a woman years younger than they are. The family has suffered the lose of their matriarch, who now resides in a care facility, due to dementia. Their father wants to remarry, but must first divorce his current wife. Heather sees her fiancé’s family as perfect. Beautiful, successful daughters of a doctor who have always enjoyed the good life. But appearances are deceiving. A hot water bottle stuffed with a small fortune and several secrets threaten the happiness of the sisters and their soon to be stepmother. Shocking and exciting, this novel will have you guessing until the end.

This novel starts out with a startling mystery right from page one and then goes back to events prior to that. Every character is hiding something and the story weaves everything together so beautifully that it kept me wanting to know more.

This book had me staying up late just so I could read one more chapter, and then another, and another. It was so engaging I couldn't put it down!

The opening is narrated by a wedding guest commenting on the groom, Stephen Aston, with his two grandsons as his best men, and his two adult daughters, Rachel and Tully, as the bridesmaids. Stephen is in his early 60's, and marrying Heather Wisher, twenty-nine years younger than Stephen and a few years younger than his adult daughters. Also, in attendance is Pamela, a recent ex-wife with Alzheimer's.

It's not a very conventional wedding and the wedding party not very conventional either! Following the ceremony, the wedding party goes into the sacristy to sign the register. A scream erupts!

The story then fast forwards to a year earlier, alternating between Rachel, Tully and Heather. Rachel is the younger of the two daughters, and has kept a secret since she was sixteen. She makes her living as a baker and eats her feelings as a way to cope. Tully is a mother of two young boys, living in an influential neighborhood without a care in the world. Tully, also hides a secret, something she's done since she was a child. Heather is an interior designer and worked hard to get where she is in life. She tells everyone that her parents died in a car accident and is haunted by her past.

Three women with more in common than they think will each face their past. A water bottle will become a catalyst to a missing piece of the puzzle.

I found all the characters to be well developed and intriguing. The story kept pulling me along to learn more about each one. I enjoyed seeing Rachel closing a chapter in her book to start a new one and Tully for trying to be strong to overcome her biggest obstacle. I wanted to shake Heather for not seeing what was right in front of her and what felt like she was responding to her heart not her head. A terrific domestic thriller!

I received an ARC from NetGalley via St. Martin's Press and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.

So I’m just gonna start off by saying that the ending of this book was so terrible. I saw so many other reviews that said the same thing, but I didn’t believe them because Sally Hepworth can do no wrong in my eyes.

I won’t go into specifics because of spoilers…but yeah. In my opinion, the ending almost ruined the rest of the book for me.

I still gave this one four stars because Sally Hepworth’s writing is wonderful and I still enjoyed reading it. The dual POV was amazing and I was equally invested in all of the characters (probably because they were all extremely damaged and I loved it).

I think I was most invested in Heather’s story (she’s the younger wife). I have a lot of unanswered questions about her and I would love some sort of followup story. But I also loved reading about the daughters, Rachel and Tully, and the issues that they faced individually as well. Oh, and Darcy was perfection and is my new book boyfriend. (Make no mistake, Rhys from the ACOTAR series has not been replaced. He is my book husband. Darcy is just a side dish.)

ANYWAY.

I would definitely still recommend this book, but just go into it knowing that the ending will probably make you very, very mad. That is all.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC! A review is posted on my Goodreads and my Bookstagram account (link is attached).

In my mind, Sally Hepworth is the reigning Queen of the messy family drama. She writes nuanced characters with depth and heart, and never fails to weave in a compelling mystery. Hepworth’s latest, THE YOUNGER WIFE, is certainly no exception.

Inspired by true events of a large sum of money found in a water bottle, the story follows sisters Rachel and Tully as they navigate their father’s upcoming marriage to a younger woman, their mother’s dementia, and a myriad of personal issues.

I’ve seen this book classified as a thriller; in my opinion, that categorization does the book a disservice as the storyline is firmly in the domestic suspense/family drama genre. With that being said, Sally tackles some serious issues but does so with a light touch and her characters are flawed yet endearing. This would make a perfect spring break poolside read!

RATING: 4/5

A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for physical an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sally Hepworth has an interesting writing style. Her books are classified as Domestic Suspense/Thriller. But, for the most part, the suspense is very very subtle. It’s almost passive-aggressive. If you're not paying attention, you might not even notice.

The Younger Wife is about 3 women. Rachel and Tully are adult sisters (in their 30s). Their mother has dementia and has moved into a care home. Their father is about to marry Heather, who is actually younger than Rachel and Tully. Then, there is a mysterious character who appears several times throughout the book, obviously for a purpose. But, it takes a long time for that character's purpose to be revealed.

The story contains the compulsory element: SECRETS. Every one of the above women has one. The secrets leak out, very slowly. There is an undercurrent flowing right from the beginning of the book. You know things will come to a head but you don't know what these things are or when they will happen.

Other timely issues are touched on: abuse, drinking, kleptomania. There is a lot to keep the reader's attention.

The ending was a surprise, sort of. I have read other reviews; some were happy with it, some weren't. My wishy-washy opinion is that I think it was a good ending. Each reader will have to make up their their own mind.

This was a great book to escape these troubled times. Sally Hepworth has not disappointed me yet! And, I loved the cover!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an Advance Readers Copy.

A thriller! Alright, let’s dive in. The first thing that threw me off about this one was the pandemic mention. Covid is brought up a couple times in this book and I’m still trying to figure out how I feel about that coming up in books already? I feel like it’s weird because the pandemic is still happening? It always takes me out of the fictional book world when it pops up.

Also I don’t really think it contributed anything to the story and could have easily been removed and this could have just been a fictional world where it didn’t exist.

This was a psychological thriller. I feel like it ended up being more focused on the daughters and their trauma and experiences, the young fiancé, and the ex wife than Stephen. Stephen ties them all together, there’s the mystery of trying to figure out what he had going on, but I felt like the ending was sort of eh? There’s no solid for sure confirmed conclusion. It was a big build up and a sort of blah ending. This book would benefit from a Netflix budget, ominous music, and a creepily too nice older actor playing Stephen to really amp up the tension.

Also one comment about Tully’s husband. HE lost all their money in a bad investment yet everything was always her fault and he was always getting angry at her? Like she had a lot she needed help with mentally, but sir lost all their money and was constantly coming after her for things and it took him a BIT to be like oh maybe I should help you through this after she told him what was going on with her.

Overall though, this one was alright. All the characters are dealing with a LOT, and you get to experience the story from each POV. You’re left questioning a lot, but it’s a quick read for a rainy day.

This one comes out April 5!

Content warnings: sexual assault, rape, physical abuse

I have been eagerly awaiting it as I finished up the entire backlog! Another compelling read and glimpse into family drama, secrets and generational trauma. I felt like you really got to know Tully and Rachel as the tension grew towards the end of the book. There are definitely some trigger warnings to consider prior to reading. Overall, I really enjoyed and couldn't put it down.

The patriarch of the Aston family is remarrying a woman who is closer in age to his grown daughters than she is to him. Heather ,the fiancé , met Stephen while redecorating the house he and his wife(at the time) lived. Pam, mom the their children, Rachel and Tully, suffers from dementia and is moved to a facility to be cared for around the clock. At this point he has fallen in love with Heather ,divorces Pam and proposes.
Family dynamics are pretty messy. Rachel ,a skilled baker, has an eating disorder which manifested after an incident that happened to her when she was sixteen. Tully, has anxiety issues with materialize in kleptomania . The sisters dive deep into their respective coping mechanisms when they learn of the pending nuptials of their dad and Heather. To top things off Rachel hasn't dated since sixteen and she is constantly pressured to find someone. Tully finds out that her husband took a chance on a stock which didn't pan out in their favor. Their life of luxury soon comes to an end.
I considered this an easy read which is good and bad. I like a challenge and I felt as if this plot was fairly predictable, so not a real mental challenge.
I did love chapter 53 ! In this chapter Tully and her husband Sonny take the long overdue time to sit down and talk about any old or new secrets they may be keeping. The scene in my mind was one of forgiveness and grace. Really sweet way to have these characters reset and start to work as a team again.
Not a person favorite but not a flop!

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The 24th book in the Ian Rutledge series, takes place in 1921. Rutledge, as always is accompanied by the specter of his friend, Hamish, who died in WWI. Hamish serves as Rutledge’s sounding board and conscience. Although Rutledge wasn’t aware of why he had these horrid memories of WWI, today we can see that he suffered from PSTD. Rutledge is called to a small coastal town where a WWI airfield was located. He’s there because a friend of higher-ups in Scotland Yard, Lady Benton, says she saw a murder committed by a dead man. No body was discovered, but as Rutledge wades into the investigation, he discovers there’s murder involved by not done by a dead man. Although there are many different threads spreading out in the story, Todd (the pen name for a mother-son writing team) pulls them all together. Along with all the dead-end leads, Rutledge follows before solving the case, readers learn that his attraction to Kate Gordon continues to grow, as hinted at in previous books. At the end of the book, readers discover that he is being promoted to Chief Inspector, despite the animosity of his boss Markham. In the beginning of the book, readers are told of the death of the co-author’s mother and although the book’s ending indicates more to come, one wonders if the direction of the books might change.

No author writes family drama better than Sally Hepworth. I began reading with one idea about what the book would entail and boy was I wrong. Hepworth tackles some large issues in her story but in such an imaginative creative way. I was certain I had a solid grasp on all the characters, but then the author would throw a new wrench in the narrative.
I was left at the end wondering well, was he or wasn’t he?
If you’re remotely curious about what I mean, then read the book.

The Younger Wife begins at the end with the screams from the Chapel. Stephen has just married the younger wife, while his daughters and former wife have witnessed his nuptials. This twisty family thriller unravels what happens behind closed doors leading up to this point.

The story alternates between three women's perspectives. They each detail secrets that manifest themselves to this moment where the reader is left to wonder who is NOT exiting the church alive.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the advance reader copy.

told from multiple points of view, we are taken through the story of Tully and Rachel meeting their father’s new fiancé Heather. throughout this story, Rachel and Tully discover some secrets of their family’s past which shakes their world.

this was a great story line!! I really enjoyed the multiple POV use in this book and I was happy with the twists! each character has their own deep secret which comes out during their search for the truth about their family. although it was lull at times, it was overall very well written and kept you questioning everyone.

3.5/5