The witty and talented bestselling author Sally Hepworth always has some tricks up her sleeve, and THE YOUNGER WIFE has plenty of juicy secrets and surprises!

Set in Melbourne, Australia, meet the Aston family.

Stephen, the father, is a successful cardiac surgeon. Pamela, his wife has early-onset Alzheimers, and he is about to move her to a nursing home to get on with his life, and the younger new wife, Heather he is about to marry. Of course, he can get a divorce from his current wife since she is not of sound mind.

Heather is the family's interior designer. She comes from a poor background and made her way into the family and especially the catch, Stephen. She will soon have all the status she needs and deserves. She will be the new younger wife and younger than Stephen's two grown daughters.

Next, we meet the two adult daughters. Now, these sisters have plenty of problems they keep hidden from one another and the world.

Rachel is a voluptuous plus-size woman single and never married and has not dated since her teens. She is beautiful and successful and owns a bakery and makes the hottest bridal cakes. She also has an eating disorder and even eats her designer client's wedding cakes and then purges. There is some past trauma that comes out later in the book.

Tully, the other sister is very thin, married, and has two young children. She is always anxious and she has a problem with stealing. Yes, stealing things from friends' homes and high-end designer stores. She really does not need them she just likes the high. She has issues. Plus her husband is also hiding some secrets.

OK, so when the father has brunch with Heather and the adult daughters to announce he is marrying Heather and divorcing their mom, needless to say, it does not go well.

Heather also has a bad drinking problem. The three women decide to have an outing to themselves and a lot of themselves start pouring out. Maybe this woman is not so bad.

It is the day of the wedding, and as we get close to the big day, things do not seem right. Rachel suspects her dad may be abusive. Since her mom has this horrible disease and now Heather seems to be falling a lot. Then they discover their dad has been married before. This is the nameless guest at the wedding watching it all go downhill. Is Stephen not the person he appears to be or are the daughters paranoid?

The wedding ends with someone murdered. You must read the book to learn all the fun details. Also, there is a little unexpected romance between Rachel and her hot new delivery guy.

The best of all is the Hot Water Bottle! Who knew a hot water bottle full of cash could be so wickedly funny. A huge fan of the author, and have read every book. What I enjoy about her novels is each one is something you do not expect and quite unique.

She combines domestic suspense with humor for a rip-roaring good time and is always highly entertaining!

A special thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for an ARC digital copy and Goodreads for a print giveaway copy!

Reading Experience:
I was grabbed from the first page and loved the Author's Note and inspiration for the novel. That mysterious water bottle full of cash. We miss you Aunty Gwen and hope you are enjoying heaven— and keeping everyone on their toes. Please feel free to send me a money-filled hot water bottle at any time. Greatly appreciated!

This was my Valentine's weekend read and it was the BEST! A must-read! When nothing is as it appears with Sally's unique winning signature style, she always keeps you guessing! I think her family needs their own TV show, but Sally will need a stand-in because she must have time to write because I always look forward to her next exciting adventure. Every book she writes— lands on my top list of the year. Love her humor. A Must-read and top books of 2022!

Blog Review Posted @ www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
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Pub Date: April 5, 2022

Sisters Tully and Rachel are shocked when their dad, Stephen announces he is marrying his girlfriend, Heather. Their first concern is her age. Heather is the same age as his daughters. Not to mention, he’s still married to their mother, Pam, who has been living in a home due to her advanced case of dementia. He requests a divorce quietly and is granted one, so wedding preparations begin. At the wedding, a horribly tragedy occurs. What led to it and was it planned?

The wedding tragedy is discussed in the first chapter of the book, then the following chapters alternate between present and past and the four points of view as the wedding is planned and the aftermath of the tragedy is revealed. The Younger Wife is quite the domestic thriller, keeping me on the end of my seat while reading with several unexpected twists and an ending that still left me wondering! Highly recommend!

I will let you know now that this book will not end how you think it will end. You will be confused and possibly even upset about the ending. You will go back and re-read the last few chapters to see if you missed something. If you are like me, you will curse out loud that you wish you were part of a book club so you could discuss it with someone. That being said, I am not sure how I feel about the ending. I think that is exactly how author, Sally Hepworth, wanted it to be.

This story is told from multiple different perspectives. The first perspective we are introduced to is a complete mystery and remains so until about 3/4 of the book. The other perspectives are via the two daughters and the younger (almost) wife.

I like the different perspectives because it did help round out the characters and give the full view of each of their lives. All three have very deep, unresolved issues from their past they are dealing with. All three's unresolved pasts stir together and create complete and utter dysfunction in all lives involved.

I do want to let readers know that this may have triggers for some- rape, domestic abuse, mental abuse, alcoholism, eating disorders, and kleptomania are all topics in this novel.

This was not my first Sally Hepworth book. "The Good Sister" I read and reviewed last year and gave 5 stars! Hepworth is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. She knows how to build diverse and complete characters that make the story unique. She is great at setting the scenes and creating the atmosphere needed for the twists and turns in the storyline.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for allowing me a digital copy to read and give my honest review. It was a 4 star read for me!

"The Younger Wife" is available for purchase today, March 5, 2022 here in the U.S. so get your copy now!

Happy Reading!

I do love me some good family drama and for the most part Sally handed it to me with a perfectly placed bow attached. Overall, a solid 4* from me (self-proclaimed, self-certified thriller/suspense snob).

What I liked:
-Fast pace
-Multiple narrators
-Short chapters
-Flowing dialogue/easy to read
-Dynamic characters
-RELATABLE characters, flawed but still genuine
-weaving storyline
-Drama...from every which way

I won't disclose too much of what I disliked- mainly because there wasn't much I didn't enjoy (as I'm now reflecting back on reading this), but also because it can be considered spoiler-esque. I will say that there are things I wish were settled a bit more- that in my opinion there were some loose ends to be tied in.

Most readers I think will really enjoy the plot and all the tense, terse and questionable events and interactions.
See below for TWs (I do consider most TWs spoilers or potential spoilers, so please read at your own risk...but know that this genre is typically known for things that could be triggering to some)














TWs: domestic abuse, miscarriage, rape

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

• domestic suspense
• character driven
• loved the multiple POV

I'm always here for a dysfunctional family! Like many others, I wasn't a huge fan of the ending which may or may not be a little controversial... if you've read this, please DM me. But overall that didn't take away from my enjoyment of this family drama. Be sure to read the Acknowledgements which gives you the backstory on one of the plot devices. This was my first Hepworth and I have a feeling I need to go read her backlist like right now. 😂

🗣️ Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the opportunity to read and review this book via eARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

While I would call this a mystery over a thriller, that is often true for Sally Hepworth books. I find her books unique for the genre, often much more character driven, and I found this to be true for The Younger Wife as well. Perhaps unmemorable in the long run, but I highly recommend this for an airplane/beach read.

I like books with unlikeable characters. Definitely the case of unreliable narrator and you keep trying to guess who did what. I enjoyed it.

Thank you net galley for an advanced digital copy of THE YOUNGER WIFE by Sally Hepworth. This is a psychological thriller involving a neurological issue, Alzheimer's disease as well as several psychological issues- compulsive eating, compulsive shoplifting and alcohol abuse as a way of coping with past trauma and current stressors. Alzheimer's is becoming a hot topic these days, while compulsive shoplifting and compulsive eating are still not really delved into. This book gives a good understanding of how stressors and trauma work on causing different compulsions and how those compulsions can affect someone's life while telling a good story and keeping me interested.

Wow ok I loved this. I don't even want to say anything in my review because I don't want to spoil one moment of it. But I loved the characters and watching their evolution in this book. I love how the story was perfectly pieced together. I love the tone and the feeling the author creates. I could have read this in one sitting. That's all I'm going to say to keep it all a surprise.

Thank you Netgalley and Saint Martin’s Publishing Group for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stephen is a successful surgeon who has been happily married to Pam for quite some time. They have two adult daughters, Tully and Rachel. Unfortunately, Pam has advanced dementia. Stephen falls in love with their interior designer, Heather, who is slightly younger than his daughters. This story is told from Tully’s, Rachel’s, Heather’s, and a mystery guest’s POV.

What I liked:
The characters-they were well developed
The women-there was a lot of bonding and flaws
Tully and Sonny’s relationship-they had struggles but had a lot of growth and showed that a loving relationship doesn’t have to be perfect to be good.
Involved fathers
Darcy-hello healthy male who can be supportive and helpful without being a white knight and respecting boundaries.
Childhood anxiety-validated and realistically shows how it may present and how difficult it can be for parents.

What I didn’t love:
The ambiguity regarding what abuse is and the reliability of victims. I get what the author was doing storytelling wise but the last couple chapters were a slap in the face to victims of gaslighting.

Overall, I liked the pacing, the short chapters, the character development, and characters seeking help for mental health issues. I would definitely read another book by this author.

Trigger warnings: domestic abuse, gaslighting, rape (told through flashback)

A captivating, slow burn and an ending that will likely make your jaw drop!

Told in three POV's - Tully & Rachel, sisters and their soon to be step-mother Heather who is about to marry the girl's father Stephen. Heather is younger than the sisters and she came into the picture while Tully & Rachel's mother was still very much in the picture...but facing quickly progressing dementia. To say this is awkward for everyone, save for an optimistic Stephen, is an understatement. Not one of the characters is living a perfect life, their families are riddled with secrets and lies. We quickly find out that not everyone will escape Stephen and Heather's wedding unscathed.

Hepworth worth books always end up being a binge read for me. Her writing always has me captivated by the story from page one and has me needing answers before I can even dare put the book down - The Younger Wife is no different. Lots of twists and revelations that kept me flipping through the pages. And that ending......this story is definitely not tied up with a neat and tidy bow!

THE YOUNGER WIFE by Sally Hepworth is a twisty domestic suspense novel that kept me flipping the pages right up to shocking ending. It’s loaded with family drama, hidden secrets and unreliable narrators that left me always wondering who and what I could believe. Sixty-year-old Stephen Aston is a successful cardiac surgeon who is planning to marry Heather, a much younger woman. The one catch is that he is still married to his wife, Pam, who is suffering from advance dementia in a nursing home. Stephen and Pam’s daughters, Tully and Rachel, are appalled that their father is going to divorce their mother and marry a woman younger than they are. Heather has her own secrets, but tries to navigate this tricky family situation as carefully as possible. The story begins at Stephen and Heather’s wedding. After they have exchanged vows and gone off to sign their papers, a scream rings out and eventually someone is taken away in an ambulance. The guests (and the reader) have no idea what has happened or to whom. Soon we are taken back to the year before the wedding and we learn the backstories of the bride and Rachel and Tully from their three points of view. All three women are dealing with some pretty heavy issues of their own and the trauma they have dealt with could clearly cloud their memories and perceptions. The ending is dramatic and cleverly leaves the interpretation up to the reader. I enjoyed THE YOUNGER WIFE and think it will be a big hit with Sally Hepworth fans. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy.

Sally Hepworth is one of those authors that just never seems to disappoint. She does a fantastic job of roping the reader in from the start, and carrying them through the twists and turns. I recently finished The Younger Wife, a family story about 2 sisters, Tully and Rachel, their mother, their father, and their father's new, younger fiancé. They are surprised one day when they are told that their father, Dr. Stephen Aston, is marrying his (decades younger) interior designer, Heather Wisher. Ironically, she was hired to decorate the home that he and his wife shared prior to a rapid decline in her brain health. The story starts at the day of the wedding, where you read that something serious happens, without the details of what exactly it is. Throughout the book, there are flashforwards to the wedding day that reveal more and more until the very end, when you find out what exactly happened. While the ending was a little shocking, I also found the rest of the book to be engaging, entertaining, and difficult to put down. The characters are so well developed and incredibly relatable. As you read, you learn of all the individual flaws of the characters, and how they contribute to the climactic ending. The story is told in alternating perspectives and the author does a phenomenal job switching back and forth between perspectives without losing the reader in the shuffle. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a family drama mystery. Huge thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Sally Hepworth for the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy.

The Younger Wife, by Sally Hepworth, is an intriguing domestic thriller with twists and turns throughout. The story centers around the marriage of a mature, well-loved, and respected doctor to a woman younger than his two daughters. Families are complicated, and this one more so than most. The story is told from the points of view of the two daughters and the young wife, each having many secrets and issues to reveal. Hepworth asks us to consider what if everything we thought we knew about someone we loved is suddenly uncertain? Shadowed by a dark and foreboding light? What do we really know?

Sally Hepworth is a masterful writer. Her characters are intriguing and her plotting and pace impeccable. I've enjoyed every novel of hers I have read. When I read the last page of this book, I felt a bit disappointed and, honestly, somewhat manipulated. Nonetheless, I can't get the book off my mind as I grapple with the question of how do we know what is true???

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read a digital ARC. It was a pleasure.

If there was ever a dysfunctional family, this is definitely one. Overall, it was an interesting read, I didn't really like any of the characters in the storyline but sometimes that happens. This book is filled with family secrets from start to finish. I would recommend this book to others.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press, the opinions I expressed here are my own and I am under no obligation to leave a favorable review.

𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦!

I’m a big fan of Hepworth’s books and this one was everything I was hoping for.
Unique, clever, twisty, funny, dark and simply fantastic. Flawed characters, a messy plot and impossible to put down.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for this gifted copy.

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦, 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢, 𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

This was the first time I read this author, and I am a HUGE fan! Excellent plot and well-developed characters...and the ending....holy cow! This should be read by everyone!

First off, I loved the opening scene. It sets the mood for the whole book, as you desperately want to figure out what is going on!

The book was divided mostly in to 3 characters, Rachel and Tully who are the daughters and Heather who is the new younger wife. Rachel’s was my favourite storyline to follow and I wish the book featured more of her. I feel like that was the one character that kept me reading the book.

I have seen quite a few reviews where readers have disliked the ending and I can absolutely understand why. It was’t my favourite ending either as I hate when an ending is left up to interpretation. It also felt a little bit rushed with a whole bunch of information squished together.

I generally liked the book for the most part and didn’t want to put it down! Sally Hepworth definitely has a way of writing where you can’t stop telling yourself, ‘Okay…one more chapter…’
I’m hesitant between 3.5 or 4 stars for this book. I would say it was a 4 star book for me until I got to the ending.

Thank you very much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGallery for an advanced copy in exchange for a review.

This is a psychological thriller with Family Drama mixed in. I have to say I was living for the first part of this book. The first part pulled me into, and it made me want to keep reading. I loved getting to know these characters. I hate to say that I really did not enjoy the ending and the last half of this book. At the end I knew what this book was trying to do, but I just did not think the ending was done how I want for a thriller. I think if this a women's fiction with a mystery I would be ok with the ending to this book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (St. Martin's Press) or author (Sally Hepworth)via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

This started out strong, but ultimately fell a little flat for me. I’ve seen some good things about Sally Hepworth’s previous books, so I was excited to find her newest novel The Younger Wife on NetGalley. This is told from three points of view plus an additional unknown narrator throughout the book.

While I didn’t find the daughters Rachel or Tully particularly likeable, I did enjoy seeing Rachel overcome some of her demons, and Tully come to terms with her issues. At first I thought I would dislike Heather, but ultimately I did enjoy her character and her development in the end!

I wish we would have gotten more from Fiona Arthur and her past relationship with Stephen, as well as more from Pam before her diagnosis.

All in all, this is a good, albeit a little drawn out family drama, but it kept me guessing at the who did it until the very end.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Sally Hepworth for an advanced digital copy via NetGalley in exchange for review.