This is only my second Sally Hepworth novel and maybe expectations were too high based on how much I loved The Good Sister. Still trying to figure out why, but this one fell flat for me.

It had much of what I enjoyed in the previous mentioned novel, fast paced, twisty plot and unreliable narrators. This novel had a lot of the 'rich people behaving badly' theme and I have discovered that isn't something I enjoy in my novels. If that's catnip for you as a reader, pick this one up.

Without spoilers, I'm going to guess the ending is tripping up a bunch of readers. I wasn't a fan. I don't need everything tied up in a neat bow and I don't need to like the characters. This one just felt like a non-ending. Like a 'we have arrived at the appropriate page count and it's time to wrap it up' ending.

This one didn't work for me, but I am absolutely going to keep reading Hepworth's novels simply on the strength of the Good Sister.

The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth was a fun domestic suspense! I read this one a few months ago and enjoyed it.

I read The Good Sister by this author last year and loved Hepworth’s flair for character and story development. In both that book and The Younger Wife, the plot twists are subtle but the story changes enough to have me second-guessing each character.

I really like how Hepworth writes each character with enough detail that I feel like I fully know them. Having multiple POVs, and characters with multiple issues going on, keeps me turning pages. Or in this case, keeps me listening, since I did most of it on audio.

I’m excited for The Soulmate!

This was my first novel by Sally Hepworth and it definitely will not be my last. I was intrigued from the very beginning. The book starts out on the day of the wedding and things quickly take a turn for the worst and then rewind to how it all began. The book is told in alternating POVs of Tully, Rachel, and Heather. With each chapter new details are revealed and each one is more twisted than the last. In addition to the main plot line, each of the women have additional things going on in their own lives that have an effect on the story. Each woman is dealing with things from the past that are affecting their present lives and it really added depth to their characters. This book definitely kept me guessing on how it was going to end and when the final twist was revealed I will admit that I was shocked! Overall I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more from Sally Hepworth in the future.

I love Sally Hepworth’s books and this one was no different. It draws you in with the story of a family. The matriarch has dementia and her husband, an affluent doctor has moved on and is engaged to their interior designer. Both of the daughters have issues of their own and you will find yourself cheering for them. The characters are likeable and well-developed. Spoiler: If you like a firm, solid ending- this might not be the book for you. It is what kept it from being a 5 star for me. I read that this book actually has alternate endings in the ARC, Australia and the US.

This book was such a quick read for me! I was absolutely not expecting the ending and it left me mind blown!

Sally Hepworth does it again! I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a thriller!

I am a big Sally Hepworth fan. I enjoyed this one a lot! I'm not sure if I liked this one or The Good Sister better. I love that her stories are always full of drama and suspense. There's always something going on in the family's past that comes back to cause the events of the present. There are twists and turns and all kinds of things that lead me to guess incorrectly as to what's going on. I can't wait to read more Sally Hepworth books in the future!

I can't get enough of Sally Hepworth. Her sense of humor, writing style, storylines. She's perfect. I loved the character Tully, she's a hot mess. This story follows two sisters, one is a kleptomaniac, and the other is a hot mess with secrets of her own. Their mother has Alzheimer's and is living in an Assisted Living facility. Their father is marrying a woman with her crazy past not to mention she is "The Younger Wife", much younger. A little twist here, the mother and father are still married and the daughters are a bit pissed that Dad is getting married. Of course chaos insues as it always does in Sally's novels and its fun, sad, and thoroughly enjoyable.

I love Sally Hepworth and I was so excited about this book. I did enjoy it but I think there were some parts that dragged.

It took me a while to get into it but once I did was pretty hooked. I will definitely be on the look out for more by this author!

The first thriller I've read in a while that was worth reading in one sitting. What a ride! I couldn't put it down! 4.5 stars. Definitely an auto-buy author for me.

R E V I E W
The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫/5

Lately, my reading time has concentrated on Tolkien's Middle Earth works, but the past two weekends I've carved out some time to read other books and write some long overdue reviews.

Today was beautiful, so I spent the afternoon reading the last half of The Younger Wife! I've enjoyed Hepworth's previous work, and this did not disappoint. What a great read! One that is still making me think... "I wonder..." Highly recommended if you enjoy psychological thrillers.

There are some tough subjects covered, SA, DV, dementia. I found many of the passages on dementia poignant and true to my experience of walking this road with my mother.

I received a digital review copy from #netgalley, but all opinions are my own.

#bookreview #reviewcopy #ebook #ebookreader #readerofinstagram #thrillerbook #readoutside

I knew I could always count on Sally Hepworth to deliver a novel worth reading and alas, she has done it again! I really loved this book and have already recommended it to several people.

Wow, wow, and wow. An unputdownable domestic thriller that had my heart racing and my blood pumping. A+++

Sally Hepworth can do no wrong. Every book just gets a little bit better than the last. For me, this was a top notch read! I was hooked from the first page. Definitely an auto buy Author!

Went into this one without knowing much about the plot. It was kind of wild! I love those stories where you just don’t know who is telling the truth. Who is gaslighting who? Is the narrator gaslighting ME? That’s what this book brought to me and I loved it. I’m anxious to see what Ms Hepworth does next.

My first book by this author, I honestly didn’t think I would like it and then I was 100 pages in, I was hooked so quickly. I was constantly trying to figure out who was telling the truth and who was lying, everyone had issues and it was amazing how they kept them hidden for so long. Loved the ending, questions were answered but it was still shocking! Definetly a great story!! Sally really knows how to tell a story! Thank you to the author and Netgalley for this ARC #THEYOUNGERWIFE

The first thriller I've read in so long.

Everyone has issues, trust me, but not as much as the Aston Family.

I won't say much, but what I'll say is this — if you want a story filled with scandals, twists, and turns, crazy slow burn — then this is for you!

This was my first read by Sally Hepworth and it was worth every minute!! Twists and turns make this a great fast paced pageturner begging for questions!! You'll want to pick this up asap!!

Decent read. More dysfunctional family drama than thriller, but still a good read. Told from differing viewpoints you get to know the family and see some of the drama that draws you into trying to figure out what happened at the wedding.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley, Sally Hepworth and St. Martin’s Press for this edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
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From my blog: Always With a Book

I have really come to enjoy Sally Hepworth’s books. She writes domestic suspense/family drama like no one else. Her books are always such readable, binge-worthy type reads and I find that once I start them, I have such a hard time putting them down and this one was no exception.

I loved the way this one was structured. The suspense of knowing that something happened at the wedding and you aren’t exactly sure what and who is involved and then how it goes back to fill in who the players are and leads up to the big day just keeps you on edge. The story is told from the alternating POV’s of all the women and we quickly come to find out that they are all dealing with their own issues, some of which they have kept hidden from the others for various reasons. I loved how the author is able to tease them out in such a way that feels nature to the storyline, even having them overlap in some cases. Nothing is done here in a vacuum and I have to say that while this is a primarily a mystery novel, I did love the tender moments that were woven in.

I found myself rooting for these characters in the worst way and to me, that’s always a sign of a good book. I love when I become emotionally invested. The ending definitely took me a bit by surprise and I know it has caused a bit of a stir but sometimes that happens – we don’t always all agree on how we think a book should end. This, I think, makes it the perfect bookclub book – there is so much to unpack within this book.