A fast moving entertaining novel from Sally Hepworth. Not a thriller, more of a domestic mystery or a lite women's literature with questions.

The setting is the wedding of Stephen Aston. Stephen is marrying a (much) younger wife, younger than the newly divorced wife that is present in the church! His adult daughters and grandchildren are present. Is it a happy occasion? By the end of the first chapter, the wedding ends abruptly and an ambulance is called. What transpired?

I truly enjoyed the characterization. Each member of the B family was interesting, complex and engaging. Learning more about their trial and tribulations kept the book moving and outshone the actual mystery in my opinion. This book could have been a great study of family relationships.

The ending is somewhat ambiguous and I am not sure how I feel about it. I don't think it actually matches the tone of the rest of the book.

Overall, very enjoyable. I am personally tired of the frail wife who cannot stand up to others. This book instead offered plenty of good and evil in each character. Recommended for those who enjoy a good beach read or slow mystery. Thank you to @NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a fair review #TheYoungerWife #NetGalley

If you're looking for a suspenseful book that draws you in, this is it. Stephen surprises his daughters Tully & Rachel with the news that he is getting married again. The big surprise behind this news is that his new wife, Heather, is the same age or younger than his daughters, AND he is still married to their mother who is suffering from dementia. The girls try to get to know Heather while being skeptical of her true intentions. As the story unwinds, it becomes clear that there are several secrets within the family, and each person may have something that they are trying to hide. This was a welcomed page-turner for me.

Sally Hepburn does it again with this great book. I was immediately drawn into the characters in the story. I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next and I really really loved this book.

Sally Hepworth does it again!

I read this book in one sitting - it’s THAT good. Whilst I would have liked Rachel’s story to be a bit more fleshed out, this book kept me engaged and wanting to keep reading until the very last page. It’s mysterious, exciting and got a great ending. I absolutely adored it.

Sally Hepworth did it again! It's fun. It's fast-paced and it's a good family story that will take you on a bizarre journey with some serious issues.

Who has a dad that is planning to get married to a woman that happens to be a little younger than his two daughters? And he still is married to a wife with dementia. Does this even happen in the real world? The story begins at the wedding with a loud scream and someone being rushed out on a stretcher.

The father, Stephen, is a successful heart surgeon who is in love with Heather, an interior designer. His daughter, Tully, with her family lives in a wealthy neighborhood. The other daughter, Rachel, is single and has a thriving bakery business. They are close and visit with their mother, Pam in the nursing home often.

It sounds normal,...right? Well, every character has something going on in their life. At one point, Rachel said, "I'm baking my feelings" after she took more than a few bites out of a couple's wedding cake just before it was to be delivered.

I learned a few things and enjoyed a book that was easy to read with a family that I felt like I knew. It made me pause when a psychologist said, "We are all products of what we experienced as children." The ending was perfect and after I put the book down, the characters were still moving around in my head.

My thanks to Sally Hepworth, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with the expected release date of April 5, 2022.

Sally Hempworth is the queen of domestic suspense books, and I really enjoyed this one! Two sisters, Tully and Rachel, have to grapple with their father falling in love with a women, Heather, who is their age, all while their mother is suffering from dementia and unable to speak for herself. Secrets are revealed when Heather comes into their lives causing increased anxiety around the family and drama to erupt on the day of the wedding. It ends with some ambiguity that I will leave you shocked.

This is the 2nd novel that I have read by Sally Hepworth and I am officially hooked! This book grabbed me right from the start and I could NOT put it down! The suspense kept me engaged throughout and every chapter left me wanting more and desperately needing to know everything!!! Let's just say that I was very disappointed when I had to pause my reading to do "adult" things, but I was still able to finish within 24 hours!

Her writing style is easy to read and I love how it is not filled with fluff or wordy, unnecessary descriptions that leave you bored and your mind a wandering. She just tells you only what you need to know. Her characters are always portrayed as being "human" and relatable, which makes for a very convincing and believable story. I was personally drawn to Pamela's character. My aunt has been struggling with short-term memory loss for the past few years, which is now starting to develop more to dementia. She still recognizes me, but has recently forgotten my name. It's disheartening. I felt that the author portrayed the symptoms and struggles of this disease quite perfectly.

If I have learned anything from Hepworth's books, it's that no one is quite who they seem to be. You can never really no someone else. And communication is VERY important. Oh, and that I highly recommend this book!!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me access to read a digital ARC of this book. Loved it!!

Fun and well-paced psych thriller! I couldn’t put it down, and could almost feel the 5 stars being earned, but alas, the end fizzled out a bit for me. Lots of intriguing build-up with a bit of an ambiguous ending left me wanting just a little more from this story. The Family Next Door is still my favorite from this talented author!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader’s copy of this book.

Sally Helpworth never disappoints! I couldn’t wait to read this book and it lives up to the hype! Could not put this book down and finished in less than 24 hours! Without spoiling too much - everyone (and no one) is suspect with guessed until the final page. Hepworth has a unique plot story in this novel and some flawed characters that lend to the intrigue. I would definitely buy this book for a friend and can’t wait until Sally Hepworth releases her next book! Thank you for the advance copy!

I love Sally Hepworth's books so read this in one sitting! Stephen is getting remarried--even though technically he's still married to his wife who's in care home with dementia. And of course Heather is younger--just about the same age as Stephen's two adult daughters. We see a very dysfunctional family here and we're not really sure where that comes from until secrets long buried are unearthed. Daughter Tully has a penchant for stealing insignificant things and Rachel "bakes away her feelings." It's a truly heartfelt story of a family in turmoil and I cared about all of the characters no matter how quirky they were. Another win for Hepworth!

Juicy tale of a picture perfect family gone off the rails, THE YOUNGER WIFE will leave readers wondering if there is a mystery hidden within the tale of moderate dysfunction or not. Author Sally Hepworth almost writes a mild comedy of manners with a hint of sarcasm on the edges, except something seems to creep in on the edges that suggests there might be a bit amiss. Truth be told, once I started reading, I found I could not stop. I was hooked. Each chapter has a different character’s point of view and each is almost equally interesting. This will be a good beach read for 2022 when it is released. I enjoyed every bit of it.

I haven't read Sally Hepworth before but several friends are big fans so I was excited to get a copy of this. I'm so torn on how to feel about this. In the end, something really horrible happens, and I can't quite get a read on where it was supposed to land. There's gaslighting but I don't know who was doing it. She definitely does not wrap things up in a nice bow or give complete endings. In fact, I'm more unsettled now and I guess that's the mark of a good domestic thriller.

Wow! What a great read...I could not put it down and read it in about 48 hours. Thanks for a wild ride, Sally Hepworth. This book will resonate with fans of books like Pretty Little Liars and Gone Girl. Thoroughly enjoyable!

Having read The Mother-in-Law and The Good Sister by Sally Hepburn, I was excited to try The Younger Wife. The premise immediately caught my attention. It was fast-paced, and I was eager to explore all the character relationships and what happened at the end. However, I was disappointed at the conclusion because we are still left questioning who the father was and what role his wives played in orchestrating the drama that unfolded.

The Younger Wife is a mystery/thriller centered around the women of the Aston family: daughters Rachel and Tully, new young stepmother Heather, and (in a peripheral role) mother Pamela. Much of the story involves each of these women’s relationship with Stephen Aston, the patriarch of the family, but it also delves into personal traumas and issues for each woman. This was an enjoyable read that kept me entertained throughout. I finished it in one sitting and simply can’t stop thinking about the twist ending!

I was able to read an early review copy. The story sucked me right in and kept me turning pages until after midnight. Several twists and an ending I didn’t see coming. #theyoungerwife #netgalley

The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth is a psychological thriller. Stephen is marrying much younger Heather, while his ex wife suffers from dementia. We also meet married with kids, Tully, and beautiful Rachel, Stephen’s daughters.

I liked the beginning of the book and it ducked me in quickly. However the book lost me along the way. There was so much gas lightning and mystery that never quite came together for me.

I liked the the daughters back stories the most but I probably would have liked those explored more than just more confusing, “wait dud that really happen” drama.

Overall just felt pretty meh about it.

2.5 stars rounded to 3.

Thanks #netGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I’m not completely sure how I feel about the ending but I think I like it. Not everyone can pull off ambiguity. And the reader experiences the confusion and anxiousness the characters have, too.

Overall, this is a fast paced book, which I enjoyed. I was instantly pulled in. I don’t think it’s a very gripping *thriller,* though. The stakes don't seem very high. More like it’s a good mystery, which is perfectly fine.

Couldn't put this novel down and read it in one day. Two sisters have to navigate their father falling in love with a younger woman while their mother
languishes in a dementia ward. Drama ensues at the wedding and the deceitfuless and the confusion that permeates the family dynamics comes to an unfortunate tipping point. Loved it!

𝒯𝐻𝐸 𝒴𝒪𝒰𝒩𝒢𝐸𝑅 𝒲𝐼𝐹𝐸
𝒷𝓎 𝒮𝒜𝐿𝐿𝒴𝐻𝐸𝒫𝒲𝒪𝑅𝒯𝐻
𝑅𝑒𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑒 𝒹𝒶𝒻𝑒 04/05/2022

This book centers around the wedding of Stephen and Heather. Heather is the same age as his children Tully, the shoplifting, fake life till you make it, flat broke and neurotic daughter, and Rachel who’s never been married, a gifted baker, lonely, and a tiny more stable daughter.
Heather “the younger wife” comes from nothing but has worked (and weaseled her way) up the interior designing ladder. Life hasn’t been good to her, but it will be once she’s married. Did I mention Stephen was married to Rachel and Tully’s mom when they met. she has severe dementia and lives in a private nursing home. He divorces her and sets forth with getting married to heather. The book is told in Tully, Rachel’s, and heathers POV.
This book is a come to Jesus moment for a lot of the characters. I love sally Hepworths books, she has a fan for life with me. This may be my favorite so far …. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 S̤̈T̤̈Ä̤R̤̈S̤̈

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