(This review contains spoilers.)
I'm not sure how I feel about this book. First off, I couldn't put it down! I was hooked from the beginning that actually started at the end and then went back to tell the story. I stayed up way too late reading the stories of this twisted family. So. Much. Drama. Mental illness, rape, dementia, abuse. I always like a book that the chapters vary between the character. In this case I like each of the characters equally so I wasn't hurrying through one chapter to get to the next. My only (and biggest) complaint was the ambiguous ending. Not sure I know what even actually happened, which I guess means that it's good that I'm still thinking about the story, but I would like to know what actually happened...

I was given an advance ARC by NetGalley. #netgalley

My thoughts on the book…
The summary of the book barely glazes over what the reader will find in the pages. The book deals with mental health issues, family drama, and has a lot of suspense. Three women: Heather, Rachel and Tully (Natalie) all have mental health issues they they struggle with throughout the book. Stephen, father of Rachel and Tully, lives a double life of sorts. To his friends and colleagues he’s an amazing man. To his soon to be wife, Heather, and daughters they see a much different side of him. The women doubt themselves throughout the book. As the reader I couldn’t decide if Stephen was really evil.
Pam, Stephen’s wife, is in a long term care facility due to dementia. Pam has a part throughout the book, but I feel like her character could have been fleshed out more. It felt like a lot of somethings were missing from the book.

Things I did not like at all: Covid is mentioned. I understand it’s with the times, but when I read a book I like to forget reality. Also, there’s a really awkward paragraph about being “woke” and “wokeness”. To me it was just weird, but I thought about it for awhile. For me it was like Hepworth was trying too hard.

Overall it was a decent book and I think others would like it as well.

Wow this book was a mind trip. I'm still not totally sure how I feel about it except that Sally Hepworth is brilliant and I will read anything she writes. Once again I'd still fall her style family drama as opposed to thriller.

I love that in the author's note she jokes that several of her books were duds. I'd love to compare notes on my reviews of her books verus her own, but I loved her humility.

Special thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this advanced copy. You definitely want to preorder your own.

Sally Hepworth strikes again with this suspenseful family drama! Her development of characters, unfolding drama, and surprising ending make this a must read.
Two sisters Tully and Rachel are each dealing with their own internal vices when they learn that their father is getting remarried - and not only is she younger, she’s also carrying a lot of baggage.
As the sisters come to grips with their mothers declining health and their fathers new girlfriend , they will rediscover and take comfort in their sisterly bond. Are they right to question their gut feelings and sanity? Loaded with surprises and questionable behaviors, and lots of drama…will these ladies come together in the end?

The Younger Wife is my fiftieth NetGalley review, and what an honor it was to get to read! The Younger Wife, releasing in April 2022, is a brilliant domestic thriller with a highly unusual twist -- a twist, I'd say, that I've never seen before in this genre! Tully and Rachel are aghast that their father is marrying a young woman younger than them while their beloved mother suffers from end-stage dementia. Heather and Stephen, the happy couple, seem to have it all. Heather is running away from a difficult childhood and is thrilled to be marrying charismatic doctor Stephen. Stephen is in turn thrilled to be marrying a beautiful, successful woman half his age as he struggles with his ex-wife's tragic diagnosis. Is the happy couple just a little TOO happy? Will their pasts come to haunt them in more ways than one?

I truly enjoyed this domestic read! The characters all had their own storylines, but they all intersected in the best ways. If I could have one complaint, it's that I'd actually liked to have seen a little MORE character development and a longer read. I finished this quick, fun thriller in just one afternoon! This is the perfect escapist read. While waiting for this release, I highly recommend Sally Hepworth's prior novel The Mother-in-Law -- you will find a similar writing style and similar twists.

Ms. Hepworth is one of my favorite writers in the domestic thriller genre, and this book is not to be missed! Add it to your spring must-reads now!

I’m not entirely sure what to say about this book, though I feel a little sad after finishing it.

Sally Hepworth is one of my instant one click authors- she’s incredible and the writing in this one is no different.

The story of The Younger Wife, however, isn’t up to her normal thrilling stories. I found the timeline a little bit difficult to follow- some chapters were before and some were after the wedding? The plethora of characters having their own POVs was important to the overall story, but also felt kind of messy.

Tully’s POV seems a bit unnecessary, and a lot that happens with her doesn’t directly affect the mail storyline; and seems more like filler than anything.


Since I’m reading an ARC, I hope it’ll be a little better come publication time- and honestly, I’ll absolutely buy the book and reread it, because I love Hepworth’s work that much!

I say take a chance on this one- and let me know what you think!

What a great book! Thank you NetGalley for The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth. I just finished it and I am so sad it’s over. Each character in the book was so quirky and weird with odd ways of dealing with the many stressors present in their lives. The ending was great and since I don’t want to give any spoilers, I’ll just say, that you question if Stephen really was a bad guy good at hiding it, or was he a good guy that everyone just thought was bad. I highly recommend reading this book! Loved it!

Sally Hepworth is one of my favorite authors so I was very excited to get an advanced copy of The Younger Wife. Told through the eyes of multiple characters, this novel tells the story of two daughters dealing with their mom having to be moved into a care home due to dementia while there father is marrying a girl who is younger than them. I loved how each character had a good story line and this book kept me guessing right up until the end.

Sally Hepworth is a new author to me and I must say she has a fan! This book was fast paced and grabbed my attention from the first page! Very well written and easy to read! A dysfunctional family with their own secrets that come out on the pages of this book! I'm still wondering about Stephen and what kind of person he really was. I highly recommend reading this book!

I am still thinking about this novel even though I finished it days ago. Well written and thought provoking. Kept me guessing…and wondering.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693338

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy! I could not put it down, finished within 24hrs!

We follow sisters, Tully and Rachel, and their soon to be stepmother, Heather (who is younger than them). We learn about each of their secrets and how they are scared to share their past with each other, even though they are family. The sisters are obviously weary of their soon to be step mother and her motives of joining the family. When the sisters reach their breaking point, for their own reasons, they share their secrets with each other and their bond becomes even stronger. During this time they learn more about their mother, who is unfortunately struggling with dementia, and their doctor father. While they investigate the past, Heather is coming to similar conclusions about her soon to be husband but doesn't know what to believe. This book is filled with secrets, money, and makes you question who to trust up until the very end.

Sally Hepworth does it again!! So well written and a pleasure to read. But don’t be fooled when you think you have it figured out! Twists and turns until the very end! Great storyline and amazing characters!
Highly recommend!
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read and review The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth. Sisters, Tully and Rachel are about to participate in their father's wedding. Problem being, Heather, their step-mother to be, is their age. As the wedding unfolds, both Tully, Rachel and Heather must resolve many issues that they have been harboring over the years and figure out how they can move on. This book will be a good beach read for anyone that enjoys stories that involve family dynamics and the ability to seek out the answers as to why.

I loved this book. I loved the characters, the pacing, the drama, the backstory, and the constant suspense as I wondered if the dad was guilty or if the author just wanted the reader to believe he was. If you want to know, then you must read the book! It will not disappoint!

The insertion of the first person POV sprinkled through gave off a real thriller vibe and added to the mystery.

🌟A stash of hidden money
🌟Family secrets
🌟Childhood trauma
This one has it all!

Families can be messy. None more so than these. I appreciate that Rachel and Tully — and Miles! — gain peace at the end and have supportive partners and how well Pam was written; it was a quite realistic depiction of dementia. I do wish she’d been given the same dignity when it came to the events in the sacristy. The characters were generally well fleshed out enough that I will explore more by the author.

OMG. Y’all. Sally Hepworth makes me so happy each time she writes a new book. I devour them in a day!! They’re so excellent. The characters are always top notch, she makes them feel so alive. The endings are always a thrill and ones I never see coming!! This one was such an amazing book, y’all have to read it right now.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a chance to read and review an ARC of this book. Publication date 4/5/2022. I needed to take some time to think about my reaction to this book before reviewing.
I am not a fan of domestic drama (hated Gone Girl) but I found Sally Hepworth's The Mother-In -Law through recommendations from work friends and I loved it. I next read The Good Sister and loved it even more. I find the writing and plot development captivating in her work.
This book caught me in at once with the opening. JUST WOW!! We learned someone has been injured/killed at a wedding but no spoilers.
I particularly enjoyed the alternating points of view chapters. Great way to get to know the backstories of each and bond to them. Also interesting to see what each did and did not know about the others and how this pushed the plot. The suspense was great. I found myself rooting for all the young women. I could hardly turn the pages fast enough.
What kept this from 5 star rating was the ending. It wasn't just that it was not a traditional satisfying happy ending , it was just a letdown. After such a dramatic story..... and then .
Overall I did enjoy this book tremendously and would recommend to other readers. I think that the author wrote beautifully and surely fulfilled her goal for a story, no judgement that it just didn't jive with mine.

Sally Hepworth is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and The Younger Wife did not disappoint. Such a fast read and her books always have a twist I’m trying to figure out till the very end! I fell in love with the characters in this book. Not sure if Rachel’s baking obsession or Tullys anxiety was more relatable, haha! Although this twist is enough to break your heart, you won’t want to put it down! And I also love that she named a character in the book after a real person after she won a contest on her Instagram page!! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of Sally Hepworth’s newest thriller. I truly enjoyed this one. The story starts out with a wedding that ends in tragedy. But we don’t know who was hurt, what happened, or how. Rewind a few months and we are introduced to the Aston family. Stephen is about to get engaged to a much much younger woman named Heather. In fact, she’s younger than his two daughters Tully and Rachel. The chapters goes back and forth between the three women and we learn that Tully and Rachel’s mom is suffering from Dementia. And she left a ton of money hidden away with Tully’s name as well as a mystery woman- Fiona. There are hints that Stephen may not have be the most wonderful husband to Pam. Could their dad be an abuser? Even if they’d never seen their mom abused, never hurt themselves by Stephen. Is Heather in danger? There is a bit of gaslighting that I normally hate but it all came together perfectly for this novel. I loved it and can’t wait for Sally’s next novel to come out!

Another excellent, twisted tale from Sally Hepworth! I always love her quirky and intricate characters and how she spins a story. Each chapter is a different POV, which I love.
Family drama, secrets, sisters and so much more. I couldn't put it down and can't wait to tell everyone about. Plus, it has a gorgeous cover.

Thank you to St. MARTINS PRESS ~partner~ for my e-ARC. All thoughts are my own.