I loved this story. Very fast paced and thrilling. Throughout the story I kept trying to guess what would happen next.
I was very pleased with all the characters and the individual role they played in the story.
I liked how the story started off with a shock, and I kept wondering how the story would lead up to that point.

Tully and Rachel Aston aren’t happy their father is remarrying. For one, his fiancée is their age, and another, their mother is still alive and still married to their father. Her dementia has gotten worse recently, though, so their father has put her in a secure care home.

There wouldn’t have been a divorce or second marriage at all if Heather Wisher hadn’t entered the picture, hired by Stephen and Pam Aston to redesign their home’s interior. But over the course of the year it took to do the work, Pam’s mental state declined and she moved, and Stephen grew close to the kind Heather.

The sisters don’t know why the young and beautiful Heather would marry their father; their first assumption is that she is a gold digger, after their successful doctor dad’s wealth. But she dresses immaculately in designer clothes and appears well-off herself.

Heather seems genuinely in love, though, as does their father, who is still visiting their mother and being loving and tender to her. They’re all going to be one happy, though unusual, family.

Cracks start appearing in the course of the year or so that transpires between the engagement announcement and the wedding (the story progresses in the past and “flashes forward” almost to the day of the wedding throughout). Has Stephen been hiding something from his own daughters for years? Is his gentle and loving exterior a mere front for darker impulses? Has Heather been up-front about her background and motives? It all comes to a horrific head right after Stephen and Heather say I do.

I’ve enjoyed Sally Hepworth’s The Mother-in-Law and The Good Sister, both thrillers centered on family. I liked particularly that they’re just rated moderate, rather than being high for lots of strong profanity and sexual content. This one definitely held my interest until the last revelation.

Stephen Aston is a heart surgeon in his 60s. His wife, Pam, has slowly been declining into Alzheimer’s over the last few years and has recently been placed in a nursing home. They have 2 adult daughters in their 30s. Rachel is a lovely woman, a little on the heavy side, who makes beautiful cakes for her customers. She is unmarried and shows no interest in doing so. Tully is married and the mother of two children that light up her life. However, she has some phobias and mental problems that plague her.

Stephen invites Rachel and Tully to lunch to introduce them to his fiancee, Heather, who is actually a few years younger than his daughters. He plans to marry her but divorce Pam first. His daughters are trying to support their father but feel that divorcing their mother instead of waiting for her to pass away is just wrong.

The story focuses on each of the characters and their personalities and problems. I especially liked Rachel because she truly seemed to be the most sane. It’s difficult to add anymore to this review because it would be giving the plot away. Suffice to say that it is a very compelling read that kept my attention right up to the last page. Sally Hepworth is a great author and I’m betting readers will enjoy this book.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Younger Wife
Sally Hempworth
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A kleptomaniac? One who can’t find love? An abuser? An ex wife? A current wife? And one soon to be wife? This book was awesome! The different issues with the characters sure kept me interested! If you’re looking for a book that you don’t want to put down until you know what happens this is a book for you!

Sally Hepworth is absolutely one of those authors that I immediately know I will be reading whatever she write does. I’ve loved all her books and her newest, the Younger Wife was the best yet!

Tully and Rachel’s dad is getting remarried… but he’s still married to their mom Pam, who is suffering from dementia. This was fascinating and still so sad, as she’s still alive, but not with it. Stephen is in love with the interior designer hired by Pam, when she was feeling better. Heather is 29 years younger than Stephen, and several years younger than both of his daughters.

I flew through this book since I needed to know what happens! Told by three different POVs, the two daughters and the new wife, I loved the perspective given from each character. They all have secrets from each other and it was interesting to see how each woman tried to keep them hidden. Just when this book zigged, it zagged waaaay left. There were several parts that I thought were going to be major events and they are red herrings. I love that because it really keeps you guessing. I also loved the Australia location. It was a fun change of pace and made me dream about life down under!

Thank you so much to @stmartinspress and @sallyhepworth for my advanced reader copy. This was such a fun and addictive read. The Younger Wife is on sale now!

This one is a roller coaster of a read! The Younger Wife begins at the end…at the wedding of Stephen, an older doctor, to his younger bride Heather. In attendance at the wedding are Stephen’s two adult daughters, Tully and Rachel, and also his ex-wife Pam, who suffers from dementia. The book is written from the perspectives of Tully, Rachel and Heather. Through their narratives, we can see Heather and Stephen’s relationship progress, and also the demons that plague each character throughout the book. At the root of the story lies many deep issues, which include several triggers. Domestic violence, rape, kleptomania, just to name a few. All 3 women are struggling with demons from the past and learning to move on from them. Rachel and Tully are trying to juggle their father’s relationship with a much younger woman with the fact that their own mother is tucked away in a nursing home with dementia. I love how the author weaves the story through different eyes so we can see it from 3 different views.
I found it hard to connect with Tully in the beginning, as the issue she deals with isn’t something normally spoken about openly on social media or among social circles. I thought Heather and Rachel were much more relatable. Most of the book was intriguing and I wanted to keep reading to see how everything resolved. But the ending fell a little flat for me. I like endings where all loose ends are tied up, but this just made me more confused.
I love Sally Hepworth and look forward to her books, and this one kept me coming back to find out what happened next. Just wish the ending were a little more definitive.
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in advance!

This book was so good! So much family drama all in one book! I love getting to read the different points of views and seeing how each character’s lives play out. I have read several Sally Hepworth books and have loved them all! This one is definitely one that I would recommend!

I am so thankful that I was provided this advance read copy through NetGalley!

I could not read this fast enough! Really enjoyed this. I just love how Hepworth's characters are always so well developed. All of these characters had a bunch of stuff going on in their own lives, but not too much where it was hard to keep up. I will be recommending this book to anyone that asks.

Soooo good. I love how the suspense built up. The characters were so well done. Loved this book, and couldn’t put it down.

After reading The Mother-in-Law and The Good Sister, I knew that Hepworth’s latest would be entertaining. The Younger Wife’s short chapters and alternating points of view make for a very quick and easy read, perfect for vacation.

Categorized as mystery/thriller/suspense, The Younger Wife read more like a family drama with a bit of suspense. The story revolves around a father of grown children remarrying a younger woman who is close in age to his grown daughters. The story also takes a look at the daughters’ personal lives and the long-term effects of trauma.

The Younger Wife is a quick and entertaining page-turner for lovers of domestic suspense and family drama.

The trigger warnings may deter some readers from sensitive topics, as they are key components of the story.
Trigger Warnings include dementia, sexual assault, domestic abuse

This is my third Sally Hepworth novel and I’m quickly realizing she’s becoming a must-read author. The Younger Wife was captivating from the very beginning. I loved the subtle clues offered throughout the story but I truly appreciated the larger message of the story. Highly recommend this book and think we’ll be seeing on every beach and at every pool this summer!

The Younger Wife
by: Sally Hepworth
Genre: Mystery and Thrillers, Women's Fiction
St. Martin's Press

This book rolls like a breathtaking roller coaster ride, rapidly twisting through family secrets, drama, and dysfunction. Hepworth's story kept me intrigued and anxious throughout, taking me first to a wedding like no other in the prologue. Not only is the heart surgeon groom Stephen marrying Heather, who is about half his age, but guests are shocked when blood is shed.

Hepworth then quickly introduces the family members and the drama escalates that surrounds them, both present and past. Heart surgeon Stephen's daughter's Tully and Rachel both have major issues, and their mother Pam has dementia. Heather's past is quite complex. The flaws and challenges faced by these characters are not just quirky, but deep, life altering, and serious.

This is a plot that would be difficult to wrap up with a pretty bow.
So many perplexing, complicated, and tangled behaviors and actions are presented, for not only readers to understand but also the characters. The inclines, descents, and curves made me think, ponder, and wonder. It will certainly get readers talking.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the advance reader's copy and opportunity to provide my unbiased review.

The Younger Wife is a story that starts with a mystery. The book opens at the wedding of the younger bride and older groom where something tragic occurs. Readers and the narrator do not know what the tragedy is, who was the victim, and if it was intentional until the end of the book.

I enjoyed the format that Sally Hepworth chose for The Younger Wife. The mystery was established right away, pulling me into the story and becoming quickly invested. The book then flashes back to months before and sets up everything that leads to the wedding, as told from the perspectives of the women in the future groom’s life. I found that Hepworth did an excellent job with the multiple POV narration. Each narrator had a distinct voice and personality. This made The Younger Wife more enjoyable and easy to read.

The characters were well-developed, especially those that narrated portions of the story. I found myself empathizing with them, their various backgrounds, and their current problems. While some readers may not like all of the characters, none will turn anyone off the story.

I have seen quite a few reviews for The Younger Wife already. People seem to either really enjoy it or have a big issue with the ending. I think it is important to note that the ending of the ARC is actually different from the published book. Although I was okay with the ARC ending, I can see some being unsatisfied and dislike the potential ambiguity. I thought the ending was thought provoking and interesting. However, I am very curious to read how the ending has changed.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Younger Wife and recommend it. I think it will be very popular, particularly since the ending has been altered. I am looking forward to reading more of Hepworth’s work.

This is the third book by Sally Hepworth I’ve read and reviewed early. I look forward to seeing what adventure she will take me on every year.
I really liked this book! For me it was very propulsive and page turning. It had family drama and a mystery element and I needed to know what was going to happen! I only had one issue with this book that kept me from giving it 5 stars. I did not like the ending. It left me with a lot of questions and I felt like it left too much open to interpretation. Not liking the ending doesn’t always lower a score for me, but in this case I felt like we should have had these answers.

Thank you #netgalley and #stmartins for a copy of #theyoungerwife in exchange for my honest review.

#FirstLine ~ Prologue: I always cry at weddings.

I love all of Hepworth's books. This one is no exception. I loved that there is a significant incident that Hidden secrets, family drama, trauma, illness and love were all themes contained in the awesome story and they were so beautifully woven together! I was lucky enough to listen and read the book. I loved being able to read at times and listen at others. I was flying to/from vacation and this was the perfect book to listen to while zoning out everyone else on the plane. You will be pulled into the story and enjoy learning about the various characters individual stories as well as how those stories intersect with others! It is a sheer delight! A must read!!!

Wow. I was thoroughly engrossed by The Younger Wife. The story is told from multiple POVs - a mysterious guest at a wedding, the wife, and the two daughters - Rachel and Tully. The POVs allow you to get a closer glimpse into their intricate lives, learn more about the burdens and secrets they carry, and get an overall picture of the events leading up to the eventual conclusion. The character development is beautifully done. I could fully relate to Rachel and her neurosis regarding men and I felt sympathy for Tully for her plight. While I suppose I should have hated Heather and her predicament - I felt sorry for her and wanted to be her friend and give her a hug.

The ending left me holding sour grapes. After coming to an eventual conclusion that Stephen is an abusive husband from multiple sources and theories, the ending had me feeling frustrated and upset. As a domestic abuse survivor who was also gaslight, I can only imagine how triggering this could be for someone else reading this and having their thoughts dismissed. I liked that Heather stayed strong in her conviction but the daughters still remained doubtful and the conclusion as to why Pam was putting away money just about broke me. I have heard rumors there is an alternate ending so I'm eager to see if the book redeems itself.

A very fascinating read told by the two daughters and the younger wife that will become the stepmother to the daughters that are older than the new wife—that is, after Dad divorces their mother who has Alzheimer’s Disease. Add about any phobia or societal problem and that is addressed by the various members of this family. While I found it hard to have real empathy for any of the characters, it was also a mesmerizing read. Book clubs will have a great time with this book and it is quite certain to have very definite opinions from their members. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC; this is my honest review.

The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth. Pub Date: April 5, 2022. Rating: 🌟🌟🌟. This was a tough one for me to rate because my expectations were high, but after reading the book it wasn’t what I expected it to be. I usually love this author’s work, but this one felt flat and not like her usual writing. She definitely added the family drama that she is known to write about, but I felt the plot was driven by multiple variations of trauma the characters experienced/were experiencing. Loved the background she added in acknowledgments of the idea for the water bottle though! I will still read this author’s books, but this one wasn’t a favorite. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworm #igreads #theyoungerwife #stmartinspress #netgalley @netgalley @stmartinspress

Hmmm I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand I have loved Sally Hepworth's last few books but this one is a weird one. It doesn't leave you with a conclusion of who did what or who was this way. It gave clues to make you think one way but then you second guess yourself. All in all I enjoyed this book as it was intriguing and kept me on the edge of my seat.

Yet another intriguing read from Sally Hepworth! I enjoyed following the backstories of daughters, Tully and Rachel, along with their father, Stephen, and soon-to-be stepmother, Heather. Add in their mother, Pamela, suffering from Alzheimer's, and there are twists that I didn't see coming. It was incredibly hard to put down, and I highly recommend!