Sally Hepworth’s domestic suspense novel, The Younger Wife, begins with the wedding of Melbourne-based heart surgeon, Stephen Aston, a man in his 60s and Heather, a 30-something interior designer. It’s a big wedding, with Stephen’s two daughters, Tully and Rachel in attendance. The groom is old enough to be the bride’s father … well it’s an old story. But wait … there’s something really odd about this wedding. Stephen’s ex-wife, Pamela, is also a guest. Stephen insists that even though Pamela and he are divorced, she should attend as she’s still family. Pamela, by the way, is living in a care home with dementia. Backstory: Heather was hired for home renovations by Stephen and Pamela when they were still married. Shortly after Stephen met Heather, he put Pamela in a care home. A month after moving Pamela into the care home, he filed for divorce and announced his upcoming marriage to Heather. Alarm bells were going off in my head with this information. And I’m not the only one. Most of the guests feel uneasy about Pamela’s presence, and this unease is proved warranted when something goes horribly wrong. …


The novel segues to a restaurant dinner organized by Stephen. He invites his daughters Tully and Rachel and, there he introduces Heather as his fiancée. Tully and Heather are floored. They are still adjusting to the relocation of their mother to a nursing home, and they had no idea their dad was even dating. Tully’s first reaction to Heather is to assume she’s going to “destroy their lives.” Rachel plays a cooler hand, but both young women struggle to adjust to the news.

Under different circumstances, Rachel might have felt pleasure at this meeting. For example, if her father had started dating someone after mum died. A nice widow named Beryl, perhaps

The story moves from Stephen’s announcement up to the wedding. While both Rachel and Tully try to adjust to the news that they are shortly to have a young stepmum, both young women face other challenges in their lives. Rachel, who runs a bakery business from her home, discovers mysterious contents in her mother’s hot water bottle. Tully, who lives in one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in Melbourne, faces an uncertain future. Both sisters have ‘issues;’ Rachel, who doesn’t date, has never dated, tends to eat her feelings, and Tully has picked up a nasty little habit since she was 11. Rachel, unsettled by the news of the wedding combined with the contents of the water bottle, tries to ask her mother some questions, but it’s a roll of the dice when it comes to whether or not Pamela will recognize her children. As events roll on, Rachel and Tully begin to question every thing they know about their parents.

All the characters have secrets, and all of those secrets will be uncovered by the time the book ends. The story unfolds through the voices of an (initially) unnamed woman, Heather, Tully and Rachel. The Younger Wife is a page turner. I liked the relationship between the very different sisters. Yet while this story is highly readable, I had some issues with a couple of things. 1) Tully’s husband, Sonny, makes a MAJOR mistake (no spoilers) but Tully basically shrugs and that’s that. Of course, underneath Tully’s acceptance and nonchalance, it’s NOT ok, and this is evident by her later stressed out, self-destructive behaviour. Sonny is appalled by his wife’s behaviour, and Tully waits for the lightening to fall. But wait…. Sonny isn’t called to account for his actions.

2) Another issue I had was with the character of Heather. The choices she makes after one particular incident pushed credulity over the edge. Can’t say more than that without spoilers. One’s past makes one more vulnerable in certain situations and to certain relationships, I get that, and I agree, BUT when the evidence is irrefutable … c’mon. What sort of idiot accepts PILLS after YOU KNOW what the truth is? Heather’s behaviour makes her … well either NOT a credible character or not the sharpest tool in the toolbox (yes even taking her past into consideration.) Still, in spite of these flaws, I liked the way the author showed that the ideal family is sometimes rotten to the core. It takes being inside that family to know the truth.

review copy

I am soooo disappointed with this book. I absolutely ADORED Sally Hepworth's The Mother-in-Law so I wanted to pick this one up as soon as I could get my hands on it. Unfortunately, it fell extremely flat and lacked all the thrill and thorough character development that I loved and gravitated toward in The Mother-in-Law. This ultimately felt like a literary fiction novel with just a hint of mystery, which is a fine genre, it just isn't what I was expecting going into this novel.

I also do find myself agreeing somewhat with what other reviewers are saying regarding the ending. I don't know if I necessarily agree that it leans into the women always being overdramatic and hysterical ideology, but I do think the lack of overall conclusion and finality made the book far less enjoyable. I'm definitely still going to pick up Hepworth's The Good Sister because I've heard amazing things, but I am really disappointed by this. After The Mother-in-Law, I was ready to mark Sally Hepworth as a new favorite author, but I'll have to revisit after picking up her other works.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audio copy. All thoughts and opinions are, as always, my very own.

First off a special thank you to NetGalley and SMP for this advance listen on audiobook! I was so excited to dive into another Sally Hepworth book as I have enjoyed her stories in the past.

Fiction is sometimes a challenge for me via audiobook but I really enjoyed the reading, characters and more! I did have to rewind a few times but worth it. Great psychological thriller - another win for Sally Hepworth!

What you see on the outside is not necessarily how things are
How would you feel if your father announced he was marrying a much younger woman while your mother was still alive and married to your father? This is situation that Tully and Rachel find themselves in. Their mother has dementia and instead of their father being there he went and got younger woman.
Meet Heather the new step-mom to be. She comes from a background she is hiding and now suddenly she is questioning her own memories. Could this man be everything or is there something behind that facade?
Sally Hepworth tells this story from the perspective of Tully, Rachel and Heather. Sally gives each woman a very unique personalities and quirks. The narrators in this audio brought the words into living breathing people.
I really liked this book. It was very entertaining and made my drive to and from work enjoyable.

Any Sally Hepworth fan will enjoy this story. Much like her other books this story follows a family that has an unclear dynamic. This book has multiple POVs (Two sisters and their dad's new beau are the main ones) and it makes you wonder if they are viewing the circumstances with a bias lens based on their own anxieties or if these events are really happening.

The book starts out strong with us knowing someone is taken away from a wedding in an ambulance. We don't know what caused this, who is in the ambulance or the outcome of the wedding. This makes the story compelling because we are left watching tensions rise without knowing exactly who is going to snap and exactly what is going to be the outcome. The pacing of the book along with the different points of view keep the story moving along without getting boring.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story! The characters are enjoyable and the book keeps you guessing without feeling frustrated. I have already recommended this book to multiple people and I will keep doing so. Thank you Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this!

This was an ok read for me but a great listen… so many times the audiobook is what saves a book for me. I couldn’t listen to this as fast as I normally like to listen to audio because of the narrator’s accent so it moved slower than I like.

The Younger Wife is domestic thriller chock-full of family drama. This is my first book by Sally Hepworth. I’ve had The Good Sister on my TBR for a long time, so I was looking forward to finally getting around to read one of her books. We follow 4 POVs, which sounds like a lot, but I actually really enjoyed the different perspectives. The 4 POVs are two sisters, Natalie and Rachel, the younger wife, Heather, and another unknown POV.

We start off at a wedding where an incident has occurred and we are experiencing this from the POV of an unknown guest. We then alternate to our other POVs where we meet heart surgeon, Stephen, who is introducing his girlfriend to his daughters. She is much younger than their mother who their father is still married to and has dementia. She also used to be the couples interior designer. They soon learn he is planning to divorce their mother to marry his girlfriend. Lots of events start to unravel that make all of the women wonder if they really know Steven.

All the characters have their own secrets and issues. There is a lot of gaslighting as well. I enjoyed the family drama and the way the book was told. The ending wasn’t my favorite, but I still really enjoyed it overall.

I loved learning more about each character — some I hated and some I absolutely loved. I definitely had to go back several times to make sure I heard what I heard in this audiobook, because I didn’t want to miss anything concerning the characters.

This book is such a psychological thriller, I can definitely see this as a good book for a book club. The ending can be perceived in different ways and talking amongst friends would be a great idea!

Overall I gave this one 🕯🕯🕯🕯

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the audiobook advanced copy!

It was ok. I honestly don’t really have much more to say than that. I know a lot of people had an issue with the ending in the ARC, but I had the audiobook version which apparently had the updated ending. I looked up how the ARC ended and I’m definitely glad she decided to change it or this would have gotten a much lower rating. I can’t say this was a terrible book, but I feel like she threw in a lot of problems where they didn’t need to be them just for the sake of having them in the book. I really enjoyed Sally Hepworth’s previous books so I will continue reading what ever she comes out with, this one just missed the mark.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

The Younger Wife is a page turning domestic thriller that will leave you wondering what on earth you just read. This story opens with a strange wedding where the groom's very recently divorced wife (who has been suffering from dementia) is suspiciously on the scene when one of the newly married couple is killed. Only the close knit family including the groom, the bride, ex wife, daughters know what happened when screams could be heard in the front of the church far away from the prying eyes of the wedding guests. We are then introduced to each of the main characters: Stephen, the groom who is a well loved doctor, Pam who is his recently divorced wife who is suffering from dementia, Heather who is the new wife and also younger than both daughters, and Stephen and Pam's daughters Tully (who is a wife and mother at her wits end and a bit of a kleptomaniac) and Rachel who is a baker who hasn't had a relationship since she was a teenager. Everyone of these character has either a dark past or secrets they'd rather not have uncovered and one of them isn't leaving the wedding alive.

I had a great time reading this fast paced thriller that I devoured in just one day because I was incapable of taking a break because I had to know what crazy twist Sally Hepworth was going to throw next. Some of the characters I found took longer for me to like than others but as the read further they grew on me. With the help of the author's amazing writing I as questioning what was really happening and if the several narrators we're really reliable. The ending of the book had me stunned and questioning what they ended up doing after the wedding. I wish I didn't have so many questions at the end of the book because I love to carefully wrap up a mystery but the open ended conclusion was still satisfying. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook because the narrators' voices were just so perfect for the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan for the audiobook copy of this book with me in exchange for an honest review.

Ready for a great psychological family drama? The Younger Wife is the one!

I am shocked to say that this is my first Sally Hepworth novel! That being said, The Younger Wife will not be my last and I am excited to read her previous work.

I enjoyed the three different points of views (Tully, Rachel and Heather). I enjoyed this novel because I got to really learn more about the past and the challenges of each of the sisters and the “younger wife”. Their struggles seemed real - and thus relatable.

I LOVED the different audio narrators. All four of them did an amazing job, and their voices kept me engaged throughout the story.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for my Audio Copy of The Younger Wife. Much appreciated.

It was interesting enough to keep me reading but nothing to write home about unfortunately. I did enjoy it though.

***4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account***

The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth hooked me from the start as adult daughters Tully and Rachel watch their father Stephen marry Heather who is younger than them. Up front is their mother Pam who suffers from dementia and who Stephen divorced to marry Heather. When they go in a room to sign papers someone is left bleeding unconscious on the floor.

Who is dying? Who is the attacker? Would you believe by the end these are not the two first questions I needed answered?! This author has created a family with more issues than People magazine. Tully is a kleptomaniac, Rachel has an eating disorder, Heather is becoming an alcoholic. The one thing they all have in common in their relationships is Stephen...interesting.

A professional cast of narrators Barrie Kreinik, Zoe Carides, Caroline Lee, and Jessica Douglas- Henry enhance this soap opera of a family drama.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Younger Wife
Sally Hepworth
St. Martin’s Press
April 5, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Younger Wife opens with a wedding between an older man and a younger woman. The man’s daughters-Rachel andTully-are there as is his ex-wife Pam who has dementia. Awkward: Especially when the Ex approaches the altar as the vows begin. The bride hands her the bouquet and she sits down for a bit. But as the newlyweds kiss, she is back at the altar with a candlestick in her hands. The whole family retreats to a small room to sign the register and the next thing we know, the celebrant comes out to face the crowd with blood on her clothes and asks if there’s a doctor in the house. Intriguing, no? Yes!

This is a story about domestic families and how secrets shape lives. The Aston’s are a upper-middle class family that seem to have everything going for them. Steven is an accomplished heart surgeon loved by everyone and adored by his wife, Pam. But, Pam suffers from dementia and Dad has fallen for Heather, a woman who is younger than the daughters, Rachel and Tully. Is Heather a gold-digger? What is Dad thinking? He was still married to Mom when he announced their engagement to the shocked daughters! How can he think this is okay?!

There is plenty of drama and personal crises in The Younger Wife with all three women ending up in therapy (even a three-year-old goes to therapy) for suppressing family issues. All the men seem perfect. That’s a problem for this reader.

Hepworth is an accomplished writer and she earns four stars from me. I should mention that I listened to the audio version. The narration is by Rachel, Tully, and the younger wife, Heather. All the voices were good except for Tully’s. It was downright annoying.

There are plenty of triggers in this book: Rape, eating disorder, abuse, and addiction. But somehow, Hepworth makes it work.

I enjoyed the book, but was disappointed at the very end. The very last twist ruined the satisfaction of finally figuring out the truth! You have to read it (or listen to it) to judge for yourself. I still recommend this book and give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

i think this is my second sally hepworth, and i really want to read more from her. i am definitely biased when it comes to australian authors/books, certain australian things will bring me so much joy that i can't help but love the book a little extra for that. i didn't love love love this one as much as the good sister, but it was still a great read and couldn't wait to see how it all played out. i found all the characters well written and the whole idea fascinating, really appreciated the whole doubt thing that i can't go too into without spoiling.
the only issue i had was this - i had the ebook and audio from netgalley (narrator was fabulous, love her!) and the ebook and audio were different. i deleted the book when finished and when i told my friend the differences, she was curious and i tried to redownload but obviously it had been changed. which is fine, but frustrating because i do think the things taken out of the ebook really added to the story. that being said, i now doubt myself that they were even different? did i make that up? (i just checked other reviews, i did not make it up, phew).

This was fantastic. Finished it in one sitting and it reminded me of why I love thrillers. The prologue started with a bang and the different POVS just kept you so intrigued and guessing the plot until the very end. Lots of TW so check those but I thoroughly enjoyed this

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 3/5⭐️⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝: I always really love Sally’s use of multiple perspectives to weave a story together. She’ll never leaving you hanging for one crucial TWIST that could make or break the book for you. Instead she is masterful at delivering a family drama that will leave you engaged throughout the entire book, and you will find yourself wanting to finish it all in a single sitting.
⁣⁣⁣
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞: This book will certainly be polarizing because of how the female characters were portrayed. All of the women seemed to have a history of trauma (emotional abuse, sexual assault) and each suffered from a variety of issues as a result of those traumas (memory loss, kleptomania, lack of impulse control, mental illness, binge eating, alcoholism). Each woman had been so gaslit over time that she constantly questioned everything going on around her; but the open ending left the reader to question the characters as well. I don’t doubt that it was intentional, to highlight that most women in similar situations are largely overlooked; but it still left me feeling icky about my own doubts in them.

What an interesting book Sally Hepworth has given us! She sets us up from the beginning to be a bit off balance - with a wedding that's already a bit "quirky" (the groom's first wife, who's suffering from dementia, is a guest) before something mysterious happens to someone right after the ceremony is completed. We're told this by an uninvited guest at the wedding. From there, the story is told from the viewpoints of three women, the two adult daughters of the groom and the new bride, with occasional updates on the wedding from the 4th narrator. At the outset all three women seem to be living pretty successful lives, but we come to realize they're dealing with emotional damage from events that are revealed over the course of the book, and their viewpoints are all influenced by those events. So how reliable are they as narrators? We aren't sure - and as the book progresses neither are they. It's hard to say a lot without giving much away, so I won't say more. I've seen a lot of discussion about the ending - we're still left just a bit off balance. I feel like I know what happened, but am I right?
I combined reading and listening on this one, and enjoyed both. The narration was well done on the audiobook.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a digital copy for an unbiased review.

This is a story about a not so wicked step mother.

I was with this book until the end, and then it completely lost me; however, I’ve heard the epilogue is changing? So I may revisit this review in the future. I do think if the end is changed, this would be an effective thriller with some chilling elements and a compelling cast.

Spoilers:

as it stands it felt like it perpetuates the “all in your head” narrative abusers promote to continue victimizing the people in their lives.

Sally Hepworth is the queen of complex characters. She writes unique characters that practically jump off the page. The Younger Wife is no exception. Each character is equally damaged and trying to make it by. I’d definitely consider this a domestic thriller that is easy to fly through. While the plot wasn’t terribly complicated the reader’s connection to the characters leaves you rooting for each person until the end. Thanks to the author and publisher for this ARC.