I enjoy reading thrillers, and since I had read books by this particular author before, I was pretty eager to read this book. When I read the blurb for The Younger Wife, I knew that I wanted to read it. But then I read the book, and while I liked it, I was very disappointed by the last half of the book.

The Younger Wife has a straightforward plotline with three characters: Heather, Tully, and Rachel. Heather is marrying Stephen, a well-known heart surgeon who is recently divorced from Pam, suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s. But something isn’t quite right with Heather’s relationship with Stephen, and the closer to the wedding date, the more apprehensive she becomes. When Rachel discovers a note, along with almost a hundred thousand dollars, stuffed into a hot water bottle, she realizes that the father she knew is a stranger. He could be responsible for her mother’s sudden decline.

Meanwhile, Tully is dealing with her demons. Everything will come crashing together at the wedding. And when it does, will the question be answered? Or will everything stay the same?

The author did an excellent job of amping up the psychological thriller angle of the book. The way she wrote Heather and Stephen’s scenes (all while Heather was tipsy) made me wonder if Heather was clumsy or if Stephen was behind everything. It wasn’t until Heather got seriously hurt and then announced her pregnancy and what happened after that, that I started believing Heather.

Speaking of Heather, I did start not liking or trusting her. It was how she met Stephen and how fast she fell for him. Of course, she was hiding something, and I was irritated that the author kept dragging it out. I did figure it out about halfway through the book, but I was still surprised when she told Stephen. And I did do an eye-roll with his response. But, by the end of the book, my opinion of her changed, and I liked her.

I liked Rachel, and I pitied her when the author revealed her past trauma. But I did kind of eye-roll with how fast Heather figured it out with the revealed clues. I wasn’t even thinking that when Heather asked Rachel. I also felt terrible that she couldn’t ask Stephen questions about several key things. I also felt horrible that her trauma had such a terrific hold on her, manifesting in an eating disorder.

I was not too fond of Tully. I feel bad saying this because she was such a hot mess for the entire book. But she was awful. If she had even been likable, I might have had a smidgen more sympathy for her. Honestly, I wasn’t surprised when she hit rock bottom towards the end of the book. I wish the author had done it sooner because Tully, after her arrest, was more likable and more relatable. She was still a hot mess, but she was getting help, and by the end of the book, she seemed so much more relaxed.

The wedding storyline and the aftermath were well written. The author kept me guessing what happened until almost the end of the book. I was completely surprised at who killed Stephen and what drove that person to do it. I did not expect that person to do anything.

As I mentioned above, I loved the book until the last half. Then I felt that the author did a 180 and tried to play mind games with the readers. I was not impressed with what she did and how she played everything off. I read those chapters, plus the letter written, with a wide-open mouth. I couldn’t believe what I was reading compared to the evidence given in the first half of the book.

I do want to warn you that several scenes might trigger someone. There are scenes of rape (not graphic), domestic abuse, miscarriage, eating disorders, kleptomania, nursing home abuse, alcoholism, and child abuse. If you think that any of these might trigger you, I strongly suggest not reading The Younger Wife.

I would recommend The Younger Wife to anyone over 21. There are several triggers, which are detailed in the paragraph above. There is also mild violence, language, and very mild sexual scenes.

I have mixed feelings about The Younger Wife. It's well written and draws you into the lives of the women involved. I enjoyed the deep dive into their lives. However, I was uncomfortable with how these women are presented. For the most part, the women are struggling with major issues while the men in their lives are presented as in control yet they have their own significant flaws. While intentional, it didn't sit well with me especially considering the serious subject matter involved. On the positive side, I did like the growth in the women and their relationships with each other.

The juxtaposition of deception versus confusion is used very effectively, and it kept me reading to find out what was really happening. This picture perfect family has some big secrets that provide many twists and turns.

Overall, the portrayal of women diminished my enjoyment of this book, but I'm still looking forward to seeing what Sally Hepworth does next. Hepworth's books always leave you with something to think about!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital copy of this book.

The Younger Wife – Hepworth
Sally Hepworth’s THE YOUNGER WIFE will tie you up in knots and every minute of it was a delight! Told from multiple points of view with several timeline jumps, this domestic thriller continues to establish Hepworth’s place at the top of readers’ TBR lists.
Every twist will have you questioning what you think you know about the story and the characters. Hepworth does a skilled job of creating characters that are flawed with lives that are perfectly dysfunctional they could be anyone you know. Then there is the ending. It will cause discussion and dissection for anyone who reads it, leaving the reader to ponder. Read and enjoy the ride!
Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the book. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#TheYoungerWife #SallyHepworth #StMartinsPress

Hepworth does it again. A suspense I could not put down.
This was just the book I needed to kick off summer. A family filled with loads of drama and heartache.
This will be a great beach read.

I went back and forth between reading and listening to this book. Sally Hepworth did such a great job with providing a window into the minds of her characters. This book kept me guessing on who done it, as well as who it was done to, until the very end. Sally is definitely an auto-read/listen for me from now on!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

The opening scene is a wedding which is narrated by an unknown party. The wedding is between Stephen Aston and his much younger fiance, Heather. The main cast of the wedding party is the bride and groom, the groom's recently ex wife Pam who has dementia and keeps wandering the church, carrying a candlestick, Stephen's daughters, Rachel and Tully, who look unhappy and who wouldn't be, Heather is only a few years younger than them. After the wedding the party goes to the back of the church to sign the marriage certificate and the wedding guests hear a blood curdling scream. The guests try to sort out what has occurred and many guesses are made. The story then goes back in time to come forward until we find out what really happened at the church.

I really wanted to love this book, I liked it, but just barely. The ending was such a let down that it ruined the rest of the book for me, there are so many ways it could have ended. This author usually writes a great thriller, I found this book not as good as the others. It was an okay read but nothing earthshattering. I would definitely check out more books by this author based on her other works.

Oh Sally Hepworth!! Why? Why? This book is one hot mess. Now whether it's a good, delicious hot mess of a psychological thriller for you or a bad hot mess of a jumbled story painting blame on the victim is up to the reader's interpretation. (And no judgement here in how you interpret this book). Obviously reviews are mixed. And for me, I'm middle of the road for this one.

First let me say, Sally Hepworth is a very gifted writer and I have loved her previous books. This one started out strong for me, a great opening, good storyline and then bam - I feel like I hit a brick wall. It's not just a story of does he or doesn't he, it turns into how dimwitted and messed up are these women. And they are the victims! So in the end, I wasn't pleased with how the women were portrayed in this novel.

Overall, it was an okay story. Not thrilled with how some of the characters were portrayed and the ending left me not full filled as a reader. So, middle of the road. While I probably won't recommend this particular book, I would recommend this author.

My thanks to Sally Hepworth, St. Martin's Press and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoy Sally Hepworth's books. and her latest didn't disappoint. The Younger Wife had me hooked from page 1 and I didn't predict the ending. 5 stars!

I have to say that I think this is my favorite Sally Hepworth that I have read so far. I love reading any kind of story including something medical so the doctor aspect for me was an added bonus. There were a lot of characters in this and you got to learn about each of them and the struggles they were going through. I really enjoyed that aspect of this book as character development so often is lacking in many books. You didn't experience that in this story. You got to see their stories and how they all weave around the one main story of the thriller.

This is a page turner that will keep you up into the night feverishly turning the pages to get to the conclusion. I really enjoy Sally Hepworth as a writer and will continue to read her books.

The reason I really wanted to read this was because I really enjoy Sally Hepworth books. I have read a handful so far and was excited when this one came out also! Thank you NetGalley and Sally Hepworth for the advanced copy.

I like family dramas and this one was exactly that! I really like the author explores each character's personality and they seem like they could be real people. They aren't perfect, have flaws, and they have their own story within the bigger story.

This one starts with a wedding that turns sour. Well more than sour, but disasterous. I love how we know what happened but don't know who or why.

I liked the ending, though I know many had mixed feelings. I like that about an author tho. Makes you think!

Twisty and and lots of little dramas within a drama - so very enjoyable!

Another great thriller from Sally Hepworth. It was a slow burn for the first bit and then it all kept twisting and kept you guessing who met their demise at the wedding.

This book follows the lives of Rachel, Tully, Stephen, Heather and Pam, all dealing with their own issues in life but all intertwined without realizing it. The story opens at the wedding of Stephen and Heather leading to the ultimate unknown. Then the book backtracks to retell all the events leading up to the wedding. Told in multiple perspectives, the book starts off slow, but about half way in becomes faster paced, more interesting, and I could not put it down. While I thought I had nailed out what happened, the ending does leave you with a surprise you did not see coming.

This was not a thriller that it was supposedly marketed as, I would consider this more of a family drama than anything else with SOME mystery to it.
There were a lot of heavy topics talked about such as: rape, eating disorders, anxiety, kleptomania, verbal abuse, and domestic violence which I feel were all somewhat glossed over.
I didn't care for any of the characters and the ending wasn't neatly done as much as I like endings to be.

I finished this book about a month ago and have puzzled on how to write a review since. Typically Sally Hepworth is an Insta-buy for me, but this book was a bit different. I know she rewrote the ending which was smart as it was too open-ended. However there were a lot of emotionally impactful storylines that didn’t quite hit like they should have. They don’t seem to have been handled appropriately imo. For instance a sexual assault survivor who had gone through many traumatic years trying to heal herself with food is healed by the love of a man? Hmm. And a kleptomaniac character who does seek therapy but we never know the root of her issues. Just a lot of odd things. Otherwise I enjoyed the book! The mystery kept me interested!

If someone had asked me a week ago if I thought a hot water bottle would ever feature prominently in a compelling family drama/mystery, I’d probably have looked at them and said, “You mean those funny-looking pink rubbery things that my grandma used?” Well, that day has come and you’ll just have to read this to figure out where that silly-looking thing comes into play!

Stephen Aston is a well-respected heart surgeon in an unorthodox family situation. He’s just divorced his wife, Pam, who has advanced dementia, in order to marry their one-time interior designer, Heather, who’s younger than both of his daughters, Tully (Natalie) and Rachel. It’s a bizarre situation, but that’s how this family rolls and everyone seems willing to make it work. Think that’s weird? Stephen also invited Pam to his wedding. What?!

When the book opens with said wedding and something unexpected happens - the reader isn’t privy to what happened or who it involves until much later in the book, the story goes back to the months preceding the wedding, delving deeper into Rachel, Tully and Heather’s lives, and more indirectly, Stephen’s. ALL of these characters are complicated and fascinating in their own ways, and Hepworth is SO good at creating personalities and backstories that draw you in. I loved Rachel’s strength, Tully’s “quirks” and Heather’s vulnerability. Dysfunction abounds, but c’mon … that’s kinda what makes people more interesting, right?

Now, here’s the tricky part. I love when a book can fool me, and this one kept me guessing until the end, so kudos to Hepworth for that. What I have mixed feelings about, though, is the ending, which seems to be a sticking point for many readers, though I’ve heard she rewrote it, or at least parts of it, for the published version. As for this version, readers are interpreting it very differently, which is going to affect how they feel about events. In my interpretation, I didn’t like where it left certain characters and thought it was a little cruel after everything they’d been through. Did it ruin it? Absolutely not! It’s great domestic suspense and for the most part I loved it. I’ll be eager to see the published version to see how it affects my feelings!

★★★★ ½ (rounded down to 4)

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and author Sally Hepworth for this ARC. I’ve given my opinions freely and honestly. It’s now available.

UPDATE: I've just read the re-worked published ending, and I'm so pleased that it resolves the issue I had with it previously. It's a far more satisfying and realistic one, so thank you to Sally Hepworth for that!

I always look forward to Sally Hepworth's domestic thrillers! This story follows the points of view of Tully, Rachel, and Heather, and it seems everyone is hiding something. The book opens in the middle of the action at a wedding, then recounts the events leading up to it. As different issues came to light, I was able to put the pieces together quickly, though I was still surprised at the seemingly abrupt ending.
CW: dementia, abuse

I really wanted to like this one, but it was a bit slow for me. I ended up not finishing it. I definitely want to try her other books in the future.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for gifting me a copy of this book.

Sally Hepworth is the queen of multiple POV stories that are like an onion. Peeling away layers of the truth until you get the full story. The Younger Wife felt like that. Told from three women’s POV, all of which play a large role in Stephen Aston’s life. His two daughters, Tully and Rachel and his new, younger fiancé/wife Heather. They are all piecing together little bits about Stephen from his past as well as the person he is now. At first nothing lines up with what they think, but once they start to notice things, it is hard to tell what is true and what isn’t.

I had both the eARC and physical ARC of The Younger Wife, thank you St Martin’s Press. I heard they had different endings, so I went from finishing one to immediately reading the ending of the other. After finishing both, it almost feels a little like a choose your own adventure. I am not sure which ending I like more.

2 stars.

Family drama with WAY too much going on.

It pains me to rate a book by this author so low as I usually adore her books. However, this was a complete miss for me. I had no sense of connection or investment in any part of this storyline. I knew from the very start I wasn’t connecting with the characters but I pushed ahead thinking it would turn around and I just needed to give it time. Unfortunately the novel progressively got worse as I read on and I should have DNF’d.

The prologue was unique and interesting but had a soap opera feel to it which is a feeling that stayed with me until the end of the book. The characters and dialogue came across as forced, cheesy and unrealistic which kept me distanced. I was not bought into anything that happened.

There were far too many major themes going on in these characters lives with none of them being fully explored or fleshed out. Several of the characters had major lifelong issues that came out within the pages of this story and it was all very cliche and predictable.

I’m definitely the outlier as many have loved this so please check out other reviews before deciding on this. Thank you to the publisher for my review copy!

Sally Hepworth’s books never fail to bring well formed characters and interesting drama. I really enjoyed reading The Younger Wife. I loved how each character had such a distinct storyline, but how they all tied together so neatly. I was really invested in finding out what was going to happen with Tully, Rachel, Heather, and Pam. This is a great book to buddy read due to the themes throughout and all of the grey areas that arise.