Pam's dementia has gotten to the stage where her husband Stephen, a revered heart surgeon, is unable to care for her. Their grown children Rachel and Tully are managing the seismic changes, just. Then Stephen announces he will marry Heather, a woman closer to his daughters' age than his , after divorcing his still-living wife. The wedding does not go off without a hitch. Hepworth deftly peels back the layers of the story, building suspense and tension to the final reveal. Great for fans of psychological suspense.

This was not your typical older guy divorces his wife to marry a much younger woman. Secrets have a way of coming out in unexpected ways. Rachel and Tully love their mother and are shocked to hear not long after putting her in a nursing home that their dad is going to marry Heather, a woman younger than them. Each girl from their vantage point see the events that are happening. When the money is found in an unexpected location Rachel begins to wonder what was going on in her parents marriage. Will Stephen and Heather get married? Will Rachel figure out where the money came from?

This was a suspenseful story that kept me reading until the end. Thank you Netgalley for complimentary copy.

The Younger Wife had me changing my mind over and over about character's intentions and true wishes...which is why it was a fun read. Family dynamics with divorce and remarriage are complicated enough, but when the new wife is younger, the original wife has dementia and there's a lot going on with two sisters and their father--this one will keep you reading. I had not read anything to Sally Hepworth, but am definitely now a fan. #netgalley

Absolutely did not see that coming! Ok, so, when I first saw this title I did a little eye-roll thinking it wasn't a read for me . . . then I happened to notice that the author was Sally Hepworth, who wrote The Good Sister (loved it, gave it 5 stars) and thought I should at least give it a chance.

Do not start this book with any preconceived ideas of what it might be, because I did and I was completely wrong. This story was so entertaining, from the first page to the last, don't try to figure it all out and just enjoy the ride. I laughed myself to tears because Sally made the effort to remind me that sometimes life can be so wildly mercurial and shockingly ironic.

The next book she writes, no need for me to read the blurb or even see the title . . . I'm totally in!

As a side note: I have seen this book advertised as a thriller . . . I think the domestic suspense or cozy mystery genres would be a much better fit. I worry that placing this story in the hands of a hard-core thriller reader may result in unmet expectations and a disappointing rating. In the correct reader's hands, this book will receive the appreciation it deserves.

I'd like to thank the author, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy of The Younger Wife for an honest review. 5 stars.

I couldn’t put this one down! Rachel and Tully are shocked when their father gets engaged to his much younger interior designer. But no narrator is reliable as we wait to learn who was killed in the opening scene of the book-and who did it.

I always enjoy Sally' Hepworth's writing. She writes family relationships so well. The mystery that weaves through the Younger Wife is an interesting one. It's an old story trope: an older man finds a younger woman to marry, and his grown daughters are understandably upset by it. But that's where the trope ends and the book heads in some unique directions.

I gave this 3.5 stars simply because I don't quite agree with how Hepworth handled the twist. I was concerned by the ending and how it approached gaslighting. But overall it was a good story that kept me reading past my bedtime.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I will preface this by saying that I love Sally Hepworth as an author and person (ok, I don't know her personally but she seems really cool) but The Younger Wife wasn't a fave of mine. I was expecting a dark domestic thriller but it was just a bunch of family drama. Yes, it was entertaining but I was really hoping The Younger Wife included a younger wife that was a homewrecking, conniving bitch, lol!

The Younger Wife revolves around the Aston family. Stephen Aston is a prominent heart surgeon who is getting remarried to a woman that is younger than his two adult daughters. However, he is currently married to his first wife who suffers from dementia and is in a care facility. The daughters, Tully and Rachel, aren't keen on their father marrying the younger woman (Heather Wisher) as they think that she is a gold digger.

It appears that everyone in the family, including Heather, are harboring secrets. Stephen's marriage to Heather makes them all come to light. It first starts off with their mother accusing Stephen of abusing her, so that places a seed in the daughters' heads that perhaps their mom has dementia because their father hurt her. Their mom always used to always fall and justify it by saying that she was clumsy - maybe she hit her head too many times?

One of the daughters also finds their mom's hot water bottle filled with close to $100k in it. That discovery further fuels their theory of their dad abusing their mother as they think she was trying to save up to leave their father prior to her dementia setting in. Of course, the daughters can't ask their mother about the money because of her dementia. Once Heather hears this theory, she starts questioning if she really knows Stephen and if he has been abusing her, too?

So many secrets! The secrets break apart the family but it's what brings them together as well. The ending was kind of abrupt and seemed a bit silly. I remember reading the epilogue and being like, "really? that's it?" It could have been executed wayyyy better. What I liked about the book was that Hepworth brought up mental health and the importance of therapy. I also liked that the hot water bottle story was inspired by true life events. I loved that Hepworth named one of the characters after someone who won her Instagram contest to have a book character named after yourself. I mean, how cool is that?

Overall, I did enjoy the book but it was definitely not a favorite of her's. If you're looking for a book on family drama, then you might enjoy this book - but I definitely wouldn't call it a thriller.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Sally Hepworth for providing an eARC of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Sisters Rachel and Tully navigate their father's new relationship with a woman their own age, while coming to terms with their mother's dementia diagnosis. We're introduced to the family on the day of their father's wedding... someone has been hurt, but who and why? Red flags seem to suggest not is all it seems with the family, and the sisters have their own secrets/issues to deal with as well. Sally Hepworth has written another clever domestic suspense book. This page turner will appeal to fans of Liane Moriarty and Lisa Jewell.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

Reviewing this novel is tricky. First and foremost, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was completely taken in by a set of interesting characters. The tone of the book was not what I was expecting. Given the title, I expected there to be some degree of creepiness, but there was little to none of that. The story involved some dark subjects: marital and parental abuse, rape, kleptomania, dementia. Yet the tone of the book was mainly upbeat and positive, not dark. I can usually compare a book to another, but I found this to be quite unique.

The characters are Stephen and Pam Aston, a doctor and his wife suffering from dementia. Add in their two daughters: Tully (the kleptomaniac, married with two daughters) and Rachel (a beautiful single woman who has not dated since being in her teens twenty years before). The younger wife is Heather, an interior designer who came to meet Stephen and Pam while working on their home renovation.

This is fast-moving with plenty of action and little mysteries. But it is a character-driven story. The reader wants to find out if and how each character is able to handle and conquer their challenges.

My only criticism of the book is how it ends. The ending is vague and ambiguous. But not so disappointing that it affects my very high praise for this book.

Thank you to #Netgalley and #StMartinsPress for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Just…..wow!!! This is my first book by Sally Hepworth but it definitely won’t be my last! The book had me hooked from the beginning. The writing is great. The chapters aren’t long, the characters are intriguing, and it had me questioning everything through the entire book. The ending wasn’t rushed and when I finished it, I laid my iPad down and had no words. I can’t wait to read another one of her books! My new favorite author!!
Review also posted to Barnes and Noble and Goodreads

The story captivated me and kept me wanting more from page 1, making this overall a quick and enjoyable read! I enjoyed that the story jumped around to all the different character’s perspectives throughout the book because it added an element of mystery as I was constantly changing my mind about different events depending on how each character viewed it. My only complaint, and my reason for taking a star off my rating, is that the ending didn’t give me that “thriller feel” I expected to get. It fell a little flat for me and ended up leaving me feeling a bit sad rather than surprised at the twist.

Sally Hepworth does it again! She brings readers an unputdownable domestic thriller with all the trimmings! The opening of the novel is what had me hooked and I couldn't stop reading until the very end! It's no wonder that I keep coming back for more! I highly recommend this one!

I a m a really big fan of Sally Hepworth. She writes incredible domestic suspense stories in a way that engages you with characters that are so fully drawn out, that even when they are unlikeable, will keep you wanting more. The Younger Wife, Hepworth’s latest book (which is due out in April) was a great book, which had me turning the pages to see what was going to happen next.

The story is told primarily from the point of view of three characters: Heather (the titular younger wife) who is marrying Stephen Aston (right after he divorces his wife, who has dementia), and Tully and Rachel, Stephen’s two adult daughters. All of the characters have their own issues, which Hepworth unpacks beautifully. The story starts off with the wedding, followed by a closed door scream, and then backs up to the time leading up to the wedding. So you are left wondering, what happened and to whom.

This book had me hooked from the beginning and constantly guessing and second guessing what happened. The ending wasn’t perfect, but it did answer most of my questions.

The Mother-In-Law is still my favorite Sally Hepworth book, but I definitely enjoyed the Younger Wife and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a whodunit and a good family suspense book.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

A huge thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for an earc in exchange for an honest review.

#bookstagram #sistergram #theyoungerwife #sallyhepworth #stmartinspress #netgalley #bookreviews #bookish #bookstagrammer #booklover #instagramreads #readersofinstagram

I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley. This did not effect my review.

Got to 21%. I am not finding the characters engaging and I'm not getting into the story. I probably shouldn't have started this book as the disease of dementia is close to my heart and I'm not finding the descriptions of this to be all that accurate in this book. This makes it hard to read this book for enjoyment. Moving on.

The joys of reading a book about a man who’s actually marrying someone much younger then him while having another wife...who he hasn’t even divorced. This was great. I had a lot of fun and everything I was looking for in a fantasy book. I did get a little eager to read when I was looking for domestic thrillers and this satisfied the need that I had and again, this is a 5 out of 5 star read!

Ambiguous endings aren't my favorite, but I get why the author left it the way she did. I enjoyed the story and the different issues each person had and how they were making progress.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC. While this book kept my interest I didn't really enjoy it. I would describe it as a family drama - and this family certainly had drama. There were way too many dysfunctional characters - the three main characters suffered from eating disorders, kleptomania and alcoholism. That's not to mention that there are also storylines regarding dementia, rape and abuse. It was just too much.

This was my second Sally Hepworth book. I enjoy her fast-paced writing style. and think she does a great job of character development. I liked The Good Sister much better. I will definitely read more of her books.

This is a good book! Sally Hepworth does psychological family drama the best. Everyone has an issue in this family. Very messed up! You are hooked in at the very beginning wondering who did it!

Sisters Tully and Rachel love their parents, Stephen and Pam. Stephen is a very respected, well liked doctor. Pam has dementia. Dad is getting married to a younger woman named Heather. The more you read, more secrets are uncovered from each of these characters until you get to the explosive and surprising ending where everything connects in a stunning way. This is an awesome book but it does not surprise me. Sally Hepworth wrote another masterpiece. Thank you NetGalley, publisher and author, for allowing me to read a free copy of this awesome book in exchange for my review.

I am starting to LOVE Sally Hepworth. This is my 2nd book I've read of hers and I devoured it. It had so many of my fave elements: domestic suspense, fast-paced, family drama, likeable characters, alternating perspectives, SHORT chapters (which is a personable preference for me), I seriously enjoyed this one!

CW/TW- Miscarriage