This book is told from the perspectives of Tully and Rachel, the two daughters, and Heather, the young fiancee. All of them are trying to figure out who their father/future husband really is, and whether he is good or bad. Add in a whole bunch of personal issues in each of their lives, and this book felt more like an examination of family dynamics and how an individual's current situation impacts how they interact with others.
The book held my interest enough for me to keep reading, but then the ending raised more questions for me than it answered.
I'd add a long list of trigger warnings, because there are a lot that appear: rape, marital abuse (physical, verbal), gaslighting, murder, infidelity, excessive alcohol consumption, divorce, kleptomania, binge eating, financial ruin, miscarriage.

The Younger Wife is a drama about a dysfunctional family. It follows Tully and Rachel, two sisters in their 30s, whose father is divorcing their mother, who has dementia, to marry a woman their own age. This book kept my attention and was a fast read, but it was also a little boring. I would have liked more drama and for the true plot to reveal itself earlier. The ending was a little anti-climactic. Overall I wouldn’t recommend it.

This was an interesting book. I enjoyed the writing by the author but felt the plot was flat. The characters were blah to me, but I would read the author again.

Sally Hepworth definitely has a way of writing that sucks you and makes you want to keep going until you reach the ending - this book is just another example of how much I love her characters!

A wedding that is doomed to end in disaster featuring the husband, the ex-wife, the younger wife, and the two grown daughters. Everyone has a secret, and readers learn them all one at a time.

I particularly liked the relationship between the sisters in this one. Overall a very fun reading that kept me entertained the whole way through!

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review!

This might be my favorite Hepworth book yet! I think she keeps getting better and better. The reader definitely has an idea of what is happening as the plot unfolds (I think this was intentional), but I ended up surprised in the end. I don't want to give anything away, but I really want to discuss this ending with someone! I love the way Hepworth creates characters that highlight the existence of good and bad in everyone......I do think Hepworth could teach a class on character development. Hepworth is definitely an auto read author for me after her newest!

This was a suspenseful mystery that was easy to coast right through in one day. I appreciated the short chapters and just the overall writing style. I guessed one thing fairly early on which wasn’t a big deal for this one. There was a bit of what I considered to be a cliffhanger which I wasn’t really a fan of but overall I enjoyed this book. Anything else I want to add has the potential to spoil something so I’ll end it here.

I’ve been reading (and loving) Sally Hepworth’s novels for ages. I’m pretty sure I’ve read them all, actually. Her style of writing has certainly changed a lot over the years. I’d describe her earlier novels as contemporary fiction or even chick lit. However, her more recent novels lean towards the mystery, thriller, and suspense genres. With each new release, things get a little darker, heavier, and even a bit twistier. A lot of book reviewers call her the queen of domestic suspense, and I’d have to agree with that title. Her latest, The Younger Wife is centered around three women: two sisters, and their father’s new fiancé - aka, the younger wife. As the novel bounces from one woman’s perspective to another, the reader quickly learns more and more about their individual struggles and tragic pasts. This is a slow-burning mystery that airs out A LOT of dirty laundry! Just like always, Hepworth delivers another page-turner full of family drama, secrets, and crazy twists. Was this my absolute favorite novel from Sally Hepworth? No, but it was fun, intriguing, and very entertaining. It’s the perfect book to pick up if you’re in a reading slump, or if you need a good palate cleanser after an intense read. The Younger Wife releases on April 5th, and it gets 4/5 stars from me!

I thought this was going to be a thriller, but it was really a family drama with just a dash of mystery. I found the characters interesting and the plot held my attention. There weren’t many big twists, but the pacing was good enough that I read it in a day.

The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth is a very highly recommended novel of domestic suspense set in Melbourne, Australia.

Tully (Natalie) and Rachel are already concerned as they cope with their mother Pamela Aston's deterioration with early-onset Alzheimer’s and her move into a nursing home. When their father Stephen, a heart surgeon, announces that he is going to marry again to a much younger woman, Heather, after divorcing their mother, his daughters are aghast. Clearly she must be after his money. Tully and Rachel have several concerns, including the fact that Pam occasionally talks about how life with Stephen was awful, maybe even implying it was violent. The sisters both have several other personal issues they are grappling with as well. Heather is also beginning to doubt the wisdom of wedding plans with Stephen.

Opening with the wedding between Heather and Stephan where someone is gravely injured out of the sight of observers, the tension and questions immediately multiply right at the start. The narrative then jumps back in time and covers the events leading up to the fateful wedding. Information is provided through the point-of-view of Tully, Rachel, and Heather. All of these women have secrets they are hiding and are dealing with their own issues. These characters are all depicted as real people, with talents, fears, failings, secrets, and issues galore.

This novel is full of secrets, lies and deceit as the characters question the truthfulness of others and confront their own issues. Readers can carefully follow clues and carefully take note of what is real and what is implied in order to piece together what is truly happening. Hepworth does an exceptional job creating tension while telling this story. The pages will fly by while the drama increases and you know from the opening, that something bad is coming up quickly. Once you get there, all bets are off.

The writing is exceptional, the suspense is palpable, and I rushed to finish reading The Younger Wife. The ending has sparked some emotional reactions for some readers, but while it was unexpected, I really appreciated Hepworth's writing even more after it was done. 4.5 rounded up
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Macmillan Publishers via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Edelweiss, Google Books, and Amazon.

Three young women. Three types of trauma. Bound together as family. Tully and Rachel are sisters, and Heather is their Dad’s fiancé. Dad has always been wonderful-even to their mother, who is suffering advanced stages of dementia. So why was mom hoarding money? And saying those things about Dad? And why are memories popping up causing these three to question whether he is a nice guy or not?

This is a domestic mystery like only Sally Hepworth can write. I loved the messy, complicated characters. But the last chapter and epilogue left me confused and questioning all I had read. Read it and see what you think.

a family torn apart by money and secrets. Father wants to marry his new younger girlfriend, while he is attempting to divorce his wife who's mental capacity is not strong. Their daughters are trying to figure out how their mother ended up in her situation and what secrets their father is holding all while knowing his new girlfriend Heather is only in this for the money.

When his wife gets dementia, Stephen finds himself in love with another woman whom he wants to marry. This decision brings a lot of family drama to the forefront for him, his daughters, and his intended new wife. I love how this author does such a good job of providing so much character development while still leaving a lot in the shadows. This results in an imperfect story that keeps the suspense level high. And, as with all of Ms. Hepworth's books, not all is at it seems and the ending isn't all tied up in a little bow. I love that and this one does not disappoint.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2022 & while I enjoyed it… let me just say $&@#% UGH THE ENDING!!!

I have a love/hate relationship with it. On one end I liked how it definitely sparked up a lot of doubts & made me as a reader question everything I thought I knew up until the end. The ambiguity was genius but because of that it made it excruciatingly unsatisfying. You’ll have to read it yourself to see what I mean.

If you haven’t read Hepworth’s works before she has a gifted talent for twisted reveals & absolutely dominates in the genre of domestic family suspense & this book is no different. It was definitely a page turner & I definitely stayed up way past my bed time burning through these pages. This is my third novel from her & I look forward to reading the other three she’s written!

Side note: READ THE AUTHORS NOTE

Sally Hepworth knows how to write family/domestic thrillers! This book was a page turner that had me reading late into the night. I loved the multiple povs and the characters were flawed and real. This will be a book I will be thinking about for a while.

Expected publication is April 4, 2022

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital arc.

There is A LOT to unpack with this story. Basically it centers around the family of Stephen, a successful heart surgeon. Stephen’s wife Pam has been diagnosed with dementia and is in a facility . Their grown children are Rachel and Tully. Tully is married with two children and is a proud stay at home mom. Rachel is a successful baker. Pretty basic, hum drum cast of characters right? Now let me throw in the interior designer, Heather that redecorated Stephen and Pam’s home. She is younger than both Rachel and Tully and has become engaged to Stephen! He’s still married to poor Pam!!! Below the surface the entire cast of characters has serious issues. All of them are battling demons and have unhealthy coping mechanisms.

This was a slow burn that didn't feel like a slow burn. The story was told from multiple perspectives that gradually raise questions and doubts about this messed up family!! I really enjoyed the story and appreciated the writing style and I loved the ending! Many other reviews have spoken out about the ending, don’t let that scare you. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley #TheYoungerWife #SallyHepworth

I absolutely adored The Younger Wife. The characters were relatable, fun and quirky. I loved all the little mixed plot lines which were seamlessly written, as I never was lost, and I never forgot who was who in the story. I did not see the ending coming, and I found myself a little saddened about how it all ended. An effortless read meant to be enjoyed with a good cup of coffee in a cozy chair on a rainy day.

Audiobook/Book Review
The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth
@SallyHepworth
Pub date: April 5th
Domestic/Psychological thriller
4 stars

“𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘉𝘶𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘦”

Ah, this was completely bingeable and kept me up way past my bedtime! Another bonus is that I had the audiobook so I could listen, too, all while cleverly pretending to pay attention to other people. Win/Win in my book! That witty pun was completely intended!

Stephen Ashton is a prominent surgeon whose wife is suffering from early onset dementia and currently in a care home. When he meets Heather, a much younger woman, he falls in love and decides to marry her but ah, this is where the trouble starts. His two daughters, Tully and Rachel, both older than Heather, and each with their own set of problems, begin to notice odd things their mother says and some disturbing behaviors, leading to some grim discoveries both currently and in the past.

A bloody wedding combined with secrets and lies, and gaslighting galore made this a page turner but figuring out who’s lying and who’s doing the gaslighting? That is the real chef’s kiss!

Narration: Full cast narration with some of my favorites! Barrie Kreinik, Caroline Lee, Jessica Douglas Henry and Zoe Carides make this an entertaining and exciting read; each giving life to the characters and a joy to listen to!

My thanks to @MacMillan.Audio and @StMartinsPress for the gifted ALC and DRC!

Sally Hepworth is the queen of domestic drama with twists and turns that have you guessing what will happen next. The characters are well developed, though in a slow methodical way. You get glimpses into their past. And those views have you doubting if things are as they seem. From the first page, you are drawn in and an uninvited guest to the wedding sets up the story and the questions that will plague you to the end. I loved the three different points of view from Tully, Rachel, and Heather. Put this on your to-be-read list.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This was an okay book, it fell a little flat for me. I kept waiting for more to happen, something bigger to surprise me but it never occurred. I listened to the audio version and thought the narrators did an excellent job bringing the characters to life.

I really enjoyed The Younger Wife! The story explores the slow unraveling of the Aston family. The book begins with a dramatic opening, then keeps going with multiple perspectives throughout.

I think it's important to point out that I wouldn't categorize Hepworth's books as thrillers (as they're marketed). I consider them excellent suspenseful family dramas. If you're looking for a spooky thriller, you'll be disappointed.