Member Reviews
Although this is being tagged as a thriller, it is so much more than that. Part of the novel takes place during a wedding. This part is being narrated by an unknown person, who is slowly revealed throughout the book. We know from the beginning that something goes completely awry at the wedding, and the rest of the story concentrates on the circumstances and characters leading up to this point. There is much to dissect in this one, issues of sexual assault, kleptomania, relationship abuse, and dementia are among the main topics. I loved the way the characters were fleshed out, and the fact that the happenings at the wedding are in the back of your mind as you explore each person and their motives in regard to each other. I changed my mind a few times over whether I thought any of these people were truly reliable narrators. I've heard some backlash over the ambiguous ending, but I really liked it! There was enough information given that I was satisfied with the resolution of the major plot points, and enough to make me think what happened was the way it should have been (that'll make sense once you read it). I thought it was fun that I went in with one attitude, and that changed as I got to know each character. This is a thriller type book, so I'm being rather vague as required by this genre, so as to not give away spoilers.
This book packs a lot of different topics into it's pages. The characters are the focal point, with the undercurrent of what happened at the wedding always prevalent throughout. Definitely worth the read, especially if you like a bit more substance from your thrillers.
I have enjoyed the other books I’ve read by Sally Hepworth and The Younger Wife can be added to that list. In fact, this is my favorite. Great characters surround a wild story. Rachel and Tully have to contend with their mother’s dementia and their father’s decision to divorce her and marry a much younger woman. They both also have some mind boggling problems of their own. The story is fast paced. Short chapters have you rushing forward to find out what happens next. I loved it and absolutely loved the ending!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fantastic book!
The plot was really great, characters were likable and I loved the twist at the end because it was executed well, and I liked that it wasn’t a exactly a huge bombshell, but still made the whole story.
The Younger Wife follows sisters Tully and Rachel as their lives intertwine with their own struggles, their dementia ridden mother, and their father and his new, much younger love interest. The girls grapple with accepting the fact that their new stepmother is not much older than either of them.
The Younger Wife was my first time reading something by Sally Hepworth and it will not be the last. This one had my attention from the very first chapter when chaos ensues.
While the meat of the story centers around Steven Aston, his soon-to-be much younger wife, and his two daughters, there are so many different additional stories happening. There could be some triggering parts in the book for some including domestic violence, mental illness, sexual assault/rape, and while some aspects are not main plotlines, they are personal stories of the characters. There is one character that I wish there was more story with (I can't say who, because it's a bit of spoiler) but her story didn't feel complete or like there were still holes there.
I feel like this is one of those books that is hard to describe without giving away the book. I will admit - I didn't guess the ending, which I frequently do in books like this.
Either way, The Younger Wife is a thriller to add to your spring list. It will keep you on the edge of your seat.
4/5 stars
Thank you St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Another great hit from Sally Hepworth! I love domestic suspense and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next while reading. I love that the prologue explained the end "murder mystery" from the get-go... it was a race to the end to figure out exactly who was the culprit!
I really enjoyed this novel from Sally Hepworth. It's very character-driven and I feel like each of the mains could have carried their own story - but that being said, it wasn't too overloaded or hard to follow. Finished this one in two days - great suspense, I needed to find out what was the truth. Love the twist at the end as well.
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the advance copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review! I have LOVED literally everything I have read by Sally Hepworth! The Younger Wife was another great addition to her list! The family was WILD! I loved hearing from Heather and Rachel the most! The ending wasn't black and white and I find that really interesting!
3.5 stars rounded down. This book was on its way to being a 4.5 star read, but the ending was disappointing. It left me with a lot of questions and a bad taste in my mouth. A great family drama, with a tad bit of thriller. I’ve enjoyed Sally Hepworth’s other books, so I’ll keep reading her books.
The book had an interesting beginning and the author's writing style was good. It did have suspense and at times became somewhat intense . I enjoyed the multiple points of view. However, The ending was not satisfying, however. I wanted more closure. I would like to read other books by this author. Trigger warnings: rape, eating disorders, anxiety, verbal abuse, and domestic violence.
A clever domestic thriller. Hepworth always nails it for me. I’d read anything she writes. The Mother-In-Law is my favorite of hers but this is a close second.
I am a huge Sally Hepworth fan. She has such a talent for writing character driven suspense. I loved The Good Sister and The Mother in Law- such great, anxiety filled suspense novels.
After Tully and Rachel have to put their mother in a care facility with Dementia, they are shocked to hear that their father is moving on so fast, and with a much younger woman. We open the story with the wedding day- something bad has happened, someone is hurt..what happened??
This story is told through three alternating perspectives; Tully, Rachel, and the new younger wife, Heather. We slowly learn about this family's dynamics and what brought us to the wedding day. I really loved the slow character development of these characters- it brought so much to this story. Both Tully and Rachel have some really dark secrets that are disrupting their lives. We see them begin to lean on each other and work towards healing.
I spent most of my time suspicious of the entire cast. Everyone had secrets. Overall the ending was a bit anticlimactic for me but I still enjoyed the ride.
I am a big fan of this author. Unfortunately, this latest book failed to hit the mark for me. Difficult to get in to, unlikeable characters, the overdone "women are crazy" trope and an ambiguous ending left me disappointed overall. Thank you so much for the e-book copy for review. I was excited to be one of 100 people to grab a copy when it was available as a read now.
I struggled with the authors last book but have absolutely loved many of her others so I went into this one with some very slight hesitation. I say slight because that description basically has all of my favorite things in a thriller so I was actually fairly confident that I would enjoy this one and I was right! It was just pure enjoyable entertainment for me, messy family dynamics never get old and these people has plenty of mess. You get to hear from sisters Tully and Rachel and also from the new wife, Heather and each of them were interesting. I enjoyed Rachel the most, she was very likable and while I didn’t necessarily like Heather or Tully all that much they were pretty damn intriguing to read about. Most of what ended up happening were things I saw coming, there’s nothing super surprising going on but the author has a style that is still compelling. And the ending really kinda made me go WHAT?? But it definitely won’t be for everyone, it’s gonna be polarizing for sure. I mostly liked it I think? I didn’t hate it that’s for sure, it’s one that will stay with you.
I don’t know if I would call this a thriller. Definitely a well written domestic drama but there was nothing thrilling about this.
I enjoyed reading this book but was disappointed about the missing thriller aspect. I don’t generally enjoying reading family drama. I’ve got enough in my own life.
Book was well written. Not as good as her last book but that book was incredible.
Told from 3 different view points, plus a before/after concept that had me sucked in from the beginning.
But the ending!!! Still deciding if this was something I liked or disliked!
When your father announces his engagement to a woman younger than both you and your sister, you're going to have questions-especially if he's still married to your mother who is battling dementia. Tully and Rachel, sisters both in their mid 30s, have slowly come to accept that their father has began a relationship with someone else while their mom is in now in a memory care facility. Both battling their own demons, things escalate when not only does their father introduce them to his new girlfriend-he announces their engagement. While their mom has moments of lucidness, they cannot be sure if what she is saying is truthful or a symptom of her disease. Determined to protect their mother, Tully and Rachel begin looking into family secrets and Heather-convinced she's after money. When they discover that their father may not be who the man they've always thought him to be they are close to discovering Heather's secrets-all setting up for an explosive conclusion.
While The Younger Wife is not exactly a thriller it is absolutely full of suspense and psychological mystery. Sally Hepworth divides time between different narrators and perspectives. Tully and Rachel each have their own secret struggles and unique voices while Heather is somewhat of an unreliable narrator-all which serves to keep the reader guessing until the last page. This book is not to be missed.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.
I read this book in one sitting. I started and I just found myself wanting to know more. The Younger Wife tells the story of a family coping with their mother experiencing early onset dementia and their father planning to remarry to a much younger woman, Heather. Sisters, Tully and Rachel try their best to dislike Heather, but at her core, she seems kind and like she truly loves their dad. When Rachel finds her mom's hot water bottle, secrets begin to spill out. As doubt starts to cloud their minds, Heather, Tully, and Rachel wonder whether Stephen is the man they think he is.
Doubt can be a dangerous thing and trust is fragile. Does the mind play tricks on us? Do we see what we want to see or do we see what's really there? This book has you searching for clues along the way in the dual timeline from the perspectives of the three women. The ending left me feeling shaken and uncertain about everything I read. Quick, suspenseful, and a family drama through and through.
I hate to say it, but ... the ending of this book ruined the whole book for me. Until then the story was gripping and kept me reading. The characters weren't as compelling as the story. Stephen was supposed to be impressive but I thought he was a self-centered jerk. Moreover, why is he supposed to be perfect but the women have a huge history of issues? This one isn't a favorite and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
What I love best about Sally's novels is her unique character development. So many of us have neurosis, emotional problems or serious stressors and we survive the best way we know which, sadly, is not always healthy.
Her characters are created with every day struggles and coping mechanisms which is refreshing, realistic and interesting.
This story is told in multi POV and I enjoyed them all. The plot was fast moving though I did figure out the ending.
This book is told from multiple viewpoints, which is becoming a favorite type of book for me. Stephen and Heather (his much younger partner) are getting married, and his daughters have their own personal traumas they are going through - along with their father divorcing their mother who is still alive, but ailing with dementia.
I was definitely hooked in the prologue and figured out pretty quickly that Fiona was the mysterious guest. I also suspected Stephen was abusing early on in the book.
Overall I was intrigued, and I liked the back and forth timeline. The characters were all pretty unlikeable except for Darcy, and I agree with other reviewers that the men are painted perfectly while the women are basically hot messes. Ultimately, the book was a quick domestic drama read. I did not like the ending of this book - so it brought down the star rating for me.
I received an ARC of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.