Sally Hepworth strikes again with "The Younger Wife," a thought-provoking thriller sure to have readers glued to the novel and divided about the plot up to the very last page. I am not sure that I have ever read a thriller that had me so conflicted about who the "bad guy" was and so unsure of what the final resolution would be. Hepworth does an incredible job of crafting characters that are at times both sympathetic and loathsome, both completely believable and psychopathic liars.

We begin at the end with the wedding scene. Heather Wisher is marrying a man nearly thirty years her senior, Stephen Aston. The marriage is attended by hundreds of well-meaning friends, Stephen's two adult daughters, Natalie "Tully" and Rachel, and his ex-wife who suffers from early onset dementia, Pamela. What should be a happy day for the couple quickly devolves when they step into the sacristy to sign the register. An earsplitting scream is heard, an ambulance is called, and the guests (and the readers) are left to wonder how the day could have spun so quickly out of control.

We jump back to the months preceding the wedding and learn about the family dynamics, secrets, and drama from the points of view of Heather, Tully, and Natalie. Each woman has something to hide, each woman has trauma that could destroy the veneer of the family they try to protect, and each woman is desperate for her private life to remain private. Their three stories converge after a "gift" left behind by Pamela makes all three women question not only their roles in the family unit but also the motives and actions of the patriarch, Stephen. Is he the philanthropic good guy he plays at the office or is something much more sinister lurking behind his charismatic demeanor?

A fantastic follow-up to "The Good Sister," and a must-read for fans of Shari Lapena, Lisa Unger, and Jennifer McMahon, "The Younger Wife" is a book that should not be missed!

I love Sally's writing style. It keeps you guessing and re working what you think you know. The Good Sister is my favorite of hers, but this is a close second!

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sally Hepworth for free e-ARC in return of my honest review.

Sally Hepworth did it again. She wrote a thriller and left it a bit open-ended for the reader to choose - did it happen or was it imagined?

The husband is a well known, an accomplished heart surgeon, is getting married again. His first wife is at the clinic diagnosed with dementia, his grown daughters are sure about the new addition to the family, the younger wife has her own secrets.

Suspenseful, twisted, well written, engaging characters. The whole novel will not only make you ask if you can trust your husband, your closest ally, but can you trust yourself? Can you be sure of your experiences presented with different angle from another person? Too many questions, too little answers.

I enjoyed the book and looking forward to read more work by Sally Hepworth.

I really loved this book. I went back and forth between kindle and audiobook. The narrator's voices were hilarous. Tully's voice was my favorite. I could hear her while I was reading. I loved that every family member had a story and how they all tied together. And oh boy that ending was perfect.

I am a big fan of Sally Hepworth with her different POV, in-depth characters and surprising twists. In this book Heather is the titular Younger Wife. She is engaged to Stephen a brilliant heart surgeon. His daughters are not happy with the fact that she is younger than both of them and that their father is getting married while their mother who is suffering from Alzheimer's is still alive. The book is mostly from the POV of Heather and each of the sisters who are also going through their own traumas. The book was really good until the end, which was terrible. I am so disappointed.

I’m late to reading this book - it took me a long time to read because I couldn’t really get in to the story. I liked the detail of each characters history, but it passed over a lot of heavy topics. There was a lot going on with multiple POV and some unreliable narrators. There was a lot of build up for an ending I did not like.
**I see that there has been updates to newer copies but my review is based off the ARC that I read.

I read this before the changes were made. I was one of those that wasn’t entirely happy with the ending. I have not read it again just yet but I will sometime in the near future, so this review will have to be updated at that time. This book was super interesting to me. I don’t usually read mysteries or thriller often but after reading the description, I thought that this would be one that I liked. It was more of a family drama to me. I did like it, I kept wanting to find out more and more.

Sisters Tully and Rachel are shocked when they learn that their father is planning on divorcing their mom who's in a specialized facility for dementia in order to marry his young interior designer Heather. Memories from the past resurface and they all begin to question if they know who their father really is

3⭐️s
Would I recommend? Yes

Publication Date: April 5, 2022
By St. Martin’s Press

Who should read this? Fans of family dramas and multi-perspective mysteries

Quick take: Sally Hepworth does such a great job of writing characters that I can completely dislike yet still feel for and find things to understand about them. It makes these characters feel like real people with nuanced personalities and traits. She also does fantastic job of crafting a compelling mystery using the perspectives of multiple characters. It’s so fun to see the same events happening through different lenses and how the characters’ interpretations of the events are shaped by their personalities and individual experiences.

One very different aspect of this mystery is that we, the readers, don’t know what the actual crime is until the story progresses quite a bit (is someone injured? Or murdered?). So my major criticism of the story is that I felt unsure of how high the stakes were while things unfolded. I enjoyed this one overall and would recommend Sally Hepworth to everyone!!

I appreciate the copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for this honest review.

I’m a fan of Sally Hepworth so I knew I would enjoy The Younger Wife. It kept me guessing the whole time and was so twisty.

I enjoy thrillers where you know something bad happened but you don’t know the specifics. The author then slowly gives you information so you try to figure it all out. Then, when it all comes together, wow! The Younger Wife was just that. Thriller fans will enjoy this one!

I loved this one! Loved the alternating chapters with the POVs of the three woman characters, as well as the occasional flash-forwards to the wedding day. Read this one in about a day and half. Wasn't in love with the ending but still really enjoyed the experience of reading it.

I enjoy the way Sally Hepworth writes, the way she’s able to pull me into her characters lives is an all consuming interest. I did have a few things figured out but with the way it was all worked out, I actually wasn’t disappointed. It was a very very good ending and a wonderful plot.

Stephen Aston is once again getting married. To a woman who is younger than his daughters, Rachel and Tully, are, and, after he divorces his first wife, of course.

This book starts out with a thud and a scream at Stephen and Heather's wedding, and keeps you guessing about who the victim and who the assailant are, the whole time!! Alternating POV's between Heather, Rachel, and Tully, as well as past and present, make for a deliciously dysfunctional family drama.. but, the ending!! Not a popular ending, and I can surely see why.

I am not a huge family drama fan, but she does indeed write them well! This one is well worth it!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press!!

Stephen Aston is a top heart surgeon and he’s about to get married, but to do so he has to divorce his current wife Pam, who is suffering from dementia, to marry the much younger Heather. Stephen and Pam’s daughters Tully and Rachel have to come to terms with what is happening to their family…and it’s going to take some effort on their parts. Heather’s younger than both of them and they presume she’s after their father’s money. Heather has secrets of her own…and perhaps Stephen does, too.

The novel follows the build up to Stephen and Heather’s wedding day, and the tragedy that overshadows the event.

Ms. Hepworth does a great job of revealing the family secrets one by one, letting the reader get to know each character and their motivations. The story is told through the POVs of Heather, Tully, Rachel and a wedding guest makes a few appearances with her perspective as well.

The Younger Wife is a good book to put on your summer reading list if you’re a fan of the domestic suspense genre.

Ehh. This one has some good reviews but I just don’t see the allure. It doesn’t stand out as being different from others in the genre. It’s very predictable.The ending really didn’t provide closure like I wanted.
TW: sexual assault, abuse, manipulation/gaslighting

The Younger Wife was an absolute thriller. I was surprised by the twists and turns numerous times and will be back for more from Sally Hepworth.

Pub: April 5th, 2022 by St. Martin's Press

Thank you to my friends @stmartinspress for the gifted copy to read and review 🤍

If you need a book to add to your summer reading list, look no further than The Younger Wife!

I’ve loved every Sally Hepworth book I’ve read and regularly them recommend to friends because they’re the perfect mix of domestic drama and mystery.

In The Younger Wife, we’re introduced to the Ashton family. Stephen, the patriarch of the family, is set to marry the much younger Heather. Except there’s one little issue- he’s still married to his first wife who suffers from dementia. His daughters, Tully and Rachel, are not impressed. This sets the stage for a rich and engrossing family drama.

The book is primarily told through three perspectives: Rachel, Tully & Heather. I love this narrative style as you really get to know each character’s POV. Heather was my favourite, though she definitely wasn’t at the beginning! Her backstory and the hidden layers that are slowly revealed drew me in and made me feel like I was on this journey with her.

At the heart of what makes this a winning book is Hepworth’s writing. The characters and issues they face are real and relatable. She’s not afraid to address real world issues like mental health, domestic abuse and disordered eating. This is done in a way that’s intelligent and obviously well research. It’s part of a character’s journey and not used for shock value.

Hepworth also listens to her readers and actually changed the epilogue in the original arc to reflect feedback. How cool is that! ?

10/10 recommend this book and Hepworth’s backlist. And make sure to follow her on social as she’s absolutely hilarious !

Thanks to St Martin's Press, NetGalley & Sally Hepworth for this ARC.

Really enjoyed this mystery, family drama book. Kept me intrigued and entertained till the end.
Hope to see more by her soon.

#NetGalley #TheYoungerWife #SallyHepworth #StMartinsPress #ARC #Goodreads

The Young Wife is the third book I have ready by Sally and it was very disappointing. When it comes to dysfunctional families, Sally is usually amazing. My problem with the book is one of the main characters was physically abused it came out as if she was delusional when it was clear as day. It is as if women are incapable to see when partners as abusive even when the partner does extremely kind things. There are more things I did not enjoy about this story but I will end my review here.

Thank you, St. Martin and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this book and want to continue to pick up more by this author. Pacing was a little slow but I think it can be overlooked.