I think by now I’ve read all of Sally Hepworth’s novels and I will continue to do so because her books are all fantastic. The Younger Wife is her latest and not to be missed. She is an amazing author and this book just proves how talented she is. This is another book where I was reading as fast as possible, on the edge of my seat the whole time as the story unfolded.

It starts off at a wedding and there is a narrator telling us what happened although we don’t know who she is, we do know she wasn’t invited. Suddenly there is a horrible scream and there’s blood and someone is dead.

The book alternates POV and we go back in time to learn how we actually arrive at a wedding with a murder. Of course, things are not always as they seem.

THE HUSBAND
A heart surgeon at the top of his field, Stephen Aston is getting married again. But first he must divorce his current wife, even though she can no longer speak for herself.

THE DAUGHTERS
Tully and Rachel Aston look upon their father’s fiancée, Heather, as nothing but an interloper. Heather is younger than both of them. Clearly, she’s after their father’s money.

THE FORMER WIFE
With their mother in a precarious position, Tully and Rachel are determined to get to the
truth about their family’s secrets, the new wife closing in, and who their father really is.

THE YOUNGER WIFE
Heather has secrets of her own. Will getting to the truth unleash the most dangerous impulses
in all of them?

Don’t miss this book! It will be published on April 5.

4+stars
My first sitting with this novel held me captive through 50%, then I reluctantly set it down to sleep. Ms. Hepworth is fast becoming a fave. It does keep the reader deliciously engaged. It was a pleasure to get acquainted with the female characters, all unique and interesting ladies with both quirks and qualities.

This opens at a wedding, from the POV of as yet an unnamed character which one wonders about and is revealed later in the novel. The wedding is between a man, a doctor, and a much younger woman, Heather. His two daughters are older than his fiancé, which is a point of contention with his daughters. His ex-wife is invited to the wedding, 😯 along with her Alzheimer’s. We raise an eyebrow and think “say what?” …later on we see it’s relevant to the plot.

Read this and share later what you thought of the ending. It is surprising, and provokes a mixed reaction from this reader. Definitely recommend if you like puzzling plots and domestic mysteries.

My thanks to NetGalley and publishers at St.Martins Press for the complimentary e-ARC allowing me to post my honest and unbiased review. Loved it! Get your copy on release date: April 5, 2022..

What It's About: The much younger Heather will soon be the new wife of Dr. Stephen Aston. This does not sit well with his two grown-up daughters - Tully and Rachel - since he is still married to their mom who has been admitted to a dementia facility recently.

My thoughts: This book started with a bang where a tragedy happened on Stephen and Heather's wedding. We do not know what really happened on that day and that was where it had me hooked right from the beginning.

The story is told through three different POVs - Rachel, Tully, and Heather - that goes back to one year earlier. So here we get to know these characters, and I can tell you that there is not one likable one - just the way I liked it! They all have their own issues.

I really liked how the author kept the suspense throughout the book which kept me invested in the story. I wasn't 100% sure of what the dark secret was. It was vague although I had some ideas. So as far as suspense goes, it was well-done. I just had to keep reading.

I think the mystery element in this story was pretty good, even shocking but I wish that there was more explanation or depth in it. It felt like the subject matter was just glossed over. But please do not let my personal thoughts deter you from picking up this book!

Overall, it was an entertaining, good domestic suspense and I loved how addicting this book was! I finished this book in less than two sittings!

Pub Date: April 5th, 2022

***Thank you St. Martin's Press, author Sally Hepworth and NetGalley for this gifted ARC to read and review. All opinions expressed are my own.***

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for giving me the chance to read a digital ARC of this book. Stephen is a well known doctor, who has a wife, Pam, and two daughters, Rachel and Tully. On the surface it probably seems like he has the picture perfect life. But, his wife Pam was recently moved into an assisted living place for her dementia, his daughter Rachel hasn't ever been in a real relationship, and his daughter Tully, although married with two sons, is a kleptomaniac. Stephen has a new girlfriend, a much younger girlfriend, who was originally hired by Pam as an interior designer. Stephen and Heather fall in love, and now they are planning a wedding. On top of all of this, one day Rachel finds a hot water bottle with almost 100,000 dollars in it, and it also has a woman's name on a slip of paper,who turns out to be Stephen's first wife, whom his daughters knew nothing about. I am a fan of Sally Hepworth, and I typically find her books to have a great deal of suspense and tension that ultimately lead to a satisfying ending. This one left me scratching my head a little bit, and when I was done, I thought to myself, "That's it?" It definitely kept me intrigued, as each story switches between Heather, Rachel, and Tully's perspectives. We also have the events that lead up to the wedding, and we know that something happens at the wedding, but we don't know what. At the very end of the book, we get a couple of chapters in which we finally here from Pam herself and this mysterious first wife of Stephen's. I thought that Hepworth did a fantasic job of describing Tully's shoplifting compulsion. She also does a good job of setting up Stephen as an abusive narcissist, but I was left wondering did he really do what they all accused him of or not? Perhaps Hepworth wanted this to be up to the reader and chose to end it in this way. There are content warnings for domestic abuse and violence, miscarriage, and rape. So far, this one is probably my least favorite book of Hepworth's. It wasn't horrible, but it just fell kind of flat for me.

The Younger Wife drips with domestic suspense and manipulation tactics.

Thirty-somethings, Tully and Rachel feel floored when their father Stephen announces his intention of remarrying. He plans to divorce their mother, who has Alzheimer’s and marry his new fiancé, Heather, who just happens to be younger than his two daughters.

Rachel unearths a surprising discovery amongst her mother’s possessions that sets all three women on an odyssey of questioning what they thought they knew or didn’t know.

The prologue reveals that not everyone will get their happy ever after.

This domestic suspense has three main POVs and short, snappy chapters that make this a great book to binge read. It held my attention for its entirety, even with that open-ended epilogue. There were obvious Easter eggs hidden early on that quickly allow the reader to figure out what’s the actual crux of the issue. The thrill is in observing how everything pans out.

This novel was my first time reading Sally Hepworth, but it won’t be my last.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for an arc provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://booksandwheels.com

Hepworth is a best-selling author from Australia. Her previous books include "The Good Sister", "The Mother-in-Law" and "The Family Next Door". Like those, this new one is a psychological thriller. The story starts at the wedding of Stephen and the much younger Heather. The family present the Stephen's ex-wife Pam (who has dementia) and their two adult daughters (Rachel and Tully). When they go into the registry office to sign the papers something happens and an ambulance is called. The story then goes back in time to when the daughters first meet Heather. This is a family with secrets and they slowly become public and eventually lead to the event at the wedding. This is a good recommendation for fans of the genre who are okay wit open endings. I enjoyed the book and will be puzzling over the ending for a while.

This was my first Sally Hepworth novel and I devoured it in two days. I will now be trying to get to all of her backlist books as soon as I can.
The Aston family has drama and issues galore. (TW: alcoholism, kleptomania and overeating) . The way these issues are addressed and assisted with therapy are something I really appreciated. Though I felt there could have been a little more to the therapy aspect, what was said was handled well.
The book opens with a dramatic scene and then flashes back to scenes throughout the past year from multiple viewpoints. Without giving too much away, this was a huge page turner for me and I just wanted to keep flipping pages to see what really happened. While I can see some people feel as though the end is very up in the air, I didn’t think it was and appreciated it for what it was.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is my second Sally Hepworth book and it was just okay - I wanted to love it more than I actually did. I was let down by this book because of the hype and excitement..

A thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this one. Hepworth has become one of my go-to authors, particularly after she blew me away with The Good Sister, one of my favorite psychological thrillers last year. I appreciated the different women's viewpoints as well as the sensitive depiction of both domestic violence and its ramifications, including its connection to different forms of dementia due to brain trauma. The characters were well rounded, had a lot of issues, and were rather relateable. While I didn't find the ending as ambiguos as other reviews, I thought it was a good one and suited the story well. Look forward to Hepworth's next book.

Thankful to have received this book as an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This book started out so strong. Stephen is marrying a new, younger woman at the same time he is divorcing his wife with dementia. The story is told from the new wife and two daughters. Each of them has their own problems, each of them has their own secrets. The story was building and building towards figuring out what happened from the first chapter and then it just ended. I don’t know what I’m supposed to think happened. It fell so flat. Anxious to hear what others think that Hepworth was trying to do with the ending.

'To gaslight: manipulate (someone) by psychological means into questioning their own sanity.'

Stephen Aston is a well-respected Australian heart surgeon in his 60s. He has just had to admit Pamela, his wife of 30-odd years, into nursing care for her worsening dementia. He invites his two adult daughters, Natalie (Tully) and Heather to lunch to meet his new girlfriend, Heather, who has been the Aston's interior designer. It's shocking enough that she's a couple of years younger than his two daughters, but then he announces that they are engaged and he expects them all to celebrate with a bottle of champagne. What? What about mum?! Can't he wait for nature to take its course? Well no...his intention is to divorce Pamela and move on.

The story is told through the three young women's point of view in alternating chapters with occasional tidbits from a fourth woman describing shocking developments at the couple's actual wedding. The reader comes to see that each of these young women is damaged in some serious way.

Pamela makes some startling comments about Stephen and their life together--is she finally speaking the truth or is this just the result of her dementia? Each woman begins then to have their own doubts and suspicions about Stephen. Is he a kind, loving man or has he been manipulating them all along?

Although I'm giving this story 4 stars, I have some caveats. There are several serious issues here that are handled quite lightly in the plot, which may make the reader uncomfortable. And there's an ambiguous ending which can feel very unsatisfying, if not disturbing. So reader, be forewarned.

I received an arc of this new novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thanks to them for the opportunity.

The Younger Wife was a page turning thriller for me. I found myself wanting to know what happened next, and particularly liked the style of writing utilized where the narrator consistently changes for different points of view. About halfway through I really was into this book full of people with secrets and problems, and anxious to know what the conclusion was. I didn't like that the climax to the book was open ended, which was the only reason it got 3 starts from me instead of 4.

Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy to review. I enjoyed the narrators of the audiobook. Something about the story felt very familiar. I couldn’t really get into it. I’m not sure why. I don’t like that the end didn’t completely resolve one question.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars. This was my first Sally Hepworth book, but it won’t be the last. Stephen is a successful doctor, who is looking forward to marrying Heather. A couple problems stand in the way. Heather is younger than both of his daughters, Tully and Rachel, and neither seems happy to welcome a new stepmom. Also, Stephen is still married to his wife, Pam. Pam has dementia and has been placed in an assisted living home. The story follows 3 POVs- Heather, Tully, and Rachel. Each has their own problems and trauma that they are working through. The book starts with the wedding of Stephen and Heather, but someone is injured and an ambulance is called. The book periodically checks in on the wedding scene, but ultimately you don’t find out who was hurt or how until the end. I thought the ending tied things up pretty well. My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

It's hit or miss with me and this author. I really loved her last book, The Good Sister. I listened to it and I think that helped me enjoy it more. The narrator was wonderful. When I saw she was one of the narrators in this book, I really wanted to listen! All the narrators were women--sisters Tully and Rachel and Heather, their father's younger wife. All of the narrators were good and they helped me to enjoy it as much as I did. It kept my interest, but I can't say it will stick with me long term.

Tully and Rachel's father, Stephen, is about to get married again to a woman younger than they are. It begins at their wedding. A shocking incident occurs, but we don't know who or what exactly. It was an intriguing start to the story, but unfortunately got extremely slow thereafter. We go back one year earlier to when the sisters meet Heather.

Tully, Rachel and Heather have their issues. We learn in depth about what they are through their narrative in the book. While each were interesting enough, I wasn't wowed by any of it. Heather's was the most interesting to me. Tully just frustrated me with her issues and her husband. I felt her reaction to her husband's shocking admission was lacking. Like other reviewers have stated, it seemed all the women had issues or were unreliable while the men came off as perfect. The unreliable narrator trope is getting somewhat tiring.

I am not sure how I feel about the ending. It's open-ended, leaving the reader to question things. I prefer my endings to be more resolved and not leave a bad taste. Also, this is more domestic drama than thriller or suspense.

Thank you to Macmillian Audio, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my advanced listening and reader copies.

Guys, I’ve said it before and I’ll probably say it again, I LOVE Sally Hepworth and I’m so glad I’ve still got some backlist to get into.

I did not love THE YOUNGER WIFE. Now, I was hooked and I devoured it in just a few days… but the ending… ugh, the ending. I don’t know how to get into it without spoilers, so I’ll just say that while I think I get what she was trying to do — and honestly, my first reaction was wide-eyed excitement — upon further reflection, I’m not okay with how it ended. Hepworth was playing fast and loose with some really serious topics and I think the ending was irresponsible.

Now, I read an eArc of the story and I heard a rumor that the actual complete version makes some adjustments. Perhaps I’ll try to get a hold of a copy to see, but as I read it… oof.

Will I read Sally Hepworth again? For sure. But I’m a little disappointed in this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free review copy of this book.

Reading Between the Wines book review #23/135 for 2022:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: The Younger Wife
Author: Sally Hepworth
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers | Women's Fiction
RELEASES on April 5, 2022!!!

Sipping thoughts: I love Sally Hepworth’s books. This time last year, I was writing a review on The Good Sister which was in my top 5 books of 2021. The Younger Wife fell a little bit short for me at the end. I loved every part of it right up to the end. I think it would have been a 4 star for me. I loved the short chapters and multiple POV’s. It read more like a family drama/mystery than a thriller. Even with my dislike of the ending I think the rest of the book kept my interest and had me wanting to read past my bedtime. I cannot wait for the next Hepworth release.

Cheers and thank you to @StMartinsPress and @NetGalley for an advanced copy of @TheYoungerWife.

#TheYoungerWife #SallyHepworth #StMartinsPress #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #WomensFiction

This is an enjoyable read.There we're as many things that I loved about this book as there were things that I didn't love.

The beginning truly had me hooked. I was so intrigued by the initial events, all I wanted was to read more and find out what happened. However, I feel like I was let down a little. I did really love the multiple
POVs. Each of the three women through which the story was told made me appreciate the suspense and build/up throughout.

However, I felt slightly let down. I really did not love the ending of this book. As great of a job as Hepworth does discussing triggering
topics, I just hated the ending.

Whoa still not sure what to believe and I finished the book a couple hours ago!

I loved the way the story changed pov’s every chapter and went from the wedding to months prior and worked it’s way to meet. All the characters had some issue or flaw which made most of them more likable.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC.

This was so great. I became a fan of Sally Hepworth after reading The Good Sister a few months ago, and I"m happy to say that although I enjoyed that one, I thought this book was even better. I loved the multiple points of view; they were well done and and I was never confused with who was who. My favorite thing was how Sally Hepworth was able to make three characters who were each dealing with some pretty heavy emotional stuff without making the story feel bogged down with TOO much going on. I won't go into specifics because I don't want to spoil anything, but I part of why I love her books is because she does such a good job writing characters that have (in my opinion) lesser known mental health struggles, and I just think she both does a great job writing them with both accuracy and empathy. I also love how in her books it isn't exactly obvious at first that something is wrong...it creeps up slowly, and all of a sudden, you're feeling a certain way and the characters are feeling a certain way but you don't even know when it happened. It's great.

Anyway, high praise for this book and I'd definitely recommend. It was a quick read that I didn't want to put down and thoroughly enjoyed. Can't wait to read what else Sally Hepworth puts out!