Th e Younger Wife will keep you on your toes and make you question everything. You’ll laugh at some of the character quirks, wonder at their motives, and feel happy when they achieve some sort of breakthrough. This is one of my favorites of Sally Hepworth’s novels!

Tully and Rachel have been through a lot throughout their lives, but they don’t share their individual struggles with each other. Until their middle-aged mom going into a care home due to her early onset dementia, and their dad, Stephen, decides to divorce her! To make matters worse, he’s falling in love with their interior designer, who is younger than the sisters. Both sisters are shocked, and work to cope in their own ways - through eating and petty theft.

While sorting through their mom’s belongings, they find a mysterious note with Tully’s name and an unfamiliar name, Fiona. Although their Stephen denies knowing this name, there‘s something strange about the look on his face and the pause before his denial.

In the meantime, the new fiancé, Heather, starts having terrible accidents, and she begins to suspect her husband to be is abusing her and lying about it. But she tends to drink and is never quite sure if she can trust her memory. Is Stephen using her drinking to as an excuse to hurt Heather and hide it? Or is Heather imagining his involvement in her accidents? And Rachel and Tully start to suspect things - their mom had a lot of accidents too, but never when she was alone. Is their father an abuser?

I loved the quirkiness and uncertainty of the characters throughout this novel. As a reader, this propelled me through the book. I laughed, I wondered, I worried, and I couldn’t stop reading!! Throughout the story, the point of view shifts between characters each chapter, and this helps the reader feel they have more of an omniscient view. However, the reader still can’t be sure whom to trust. Sally Hepworth has written a quirky thriller and domestic drama that I absolutely loved for its reality yet exaggerated character traits. If you enjoy family drama and mysteries with a little bit of a love triangle thrown in there, you won’t want to miss this one!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Sally Hepworth for the copy to review!

The Younger Wife is one of my favorite reads of 2022 so far! Honestly, for me Hepworth can't do wrong when it comes to me, and I cannot wait for the next read! A fast-paced page turner, that did NOT disappoint.

Rachel, Heather, and Tully were great characters, their differences in personalities and traits were admirable and I loved reading each POV. Sally respected multiple characteristics/issues and wrote each woman's struggle beautifully and in a way that they were all relatable. It's amazing how Sally was able to describe and bring to light how we all have personal struggles, and we all have secrets that we don't want expose, as well as the vulnerability of asking for help, and letting others know the secrets that pains us the most. If you love a good thriller, if you need a face paced read that keeps you turning pages, then this is the book for you!

This one felt more like a Liane Moriarty type women’s fiction/domestic thriller than a real thriller. In fact, most of the “thrill” felt more like a slow burn, and there wasn’t ever any real doubt who the potential bad people might be.

I enjoyed the character development — including the trio of narrators. The first person narration of the wedding itself kind of threw me off, especially since it started the book off and then didn’t return again until the midway point. I’d almost forgotten that narrator existed by the time she appeared again.

There were many serious topics covered here, which I felt like were generally well done although a little over the top at times. Like others, I felt like the ending may have cheapened the rest of the themes in the book. I almost felt like Hepworth did this because the “regular” ending would have been too obvious.

Strangely, I would have enjoyed this book more if it was pitched solely as women’s fiction rather than a thriller, because I did enjoy the themes, characters and the family dynamics, and almost forgot it was supposed to be a thriller until the “mystery” parts of the book appeared again. Once the book focused on that again I felt like the second half of the book was somewhat disjointed from the first.

This was my first book by Sally Hepworth, and I’d definitely read another one. Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sally Hepworth for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the fourth Hepworth book that I've read and definitely my favorite. It's a fast-paced read that opens at a wedding and is being narrated by an uninvited guest (whose identity is later revealed). From there, the story is told by alternating (and rather quirky) characters--each with their own secret. The (somewhat controversial) ending had me saying WTH? and will most certainly lead to some lively discussions at book clubs!

Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the ARC

Based on the title, I was expecting a typical divorced couple, mid-life crisis story. But Sally Hepworth is an expert at unexpected twists and complex characters resulting in a psychological thriller full of family drama.

Stephen Aston is a husband, a father, a renowned heart surgeon and a groom. In order to marry again, he must first obtain a divorce from his current wife but she is suffering from early dementia and not considered “of sound mind”. Stephen’s adult daughters, Tully and Rachel, are skeptical of his fiancée, who is younger than them and clearly after their father’s money. Their loyalties are torn as they try to welcome fiancée, Heather, to the family while dealing with the gradual decline of their mother’s health.

Each of the characters in this novel are revealed layer by layer and no one is as predictable as they seem at the start. This family is consumed by deceitfulness and secrets with an outcome you won’t expect.
Everyone has something to hide. Once again, Sally Hepworth delivers a thrilling tale that has you questioning family loyalties.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review this novel before its release.

I could not get into the story or characters for some reason. It just wasn’t a fit for me. The writing style felt different from her other books I’ve read somehow. Maybe I just needed to be in a different mood for this. I do like that the author includes a variety of diverse characters with a focus on mental health.

What a totally dysfunctional yet captivating group of characters. Bad habits and buried secrets abound and methodically exposed. A twisty, suspenseful, brilliantly written story. My fifth Sally Hepworth story and still at the top of her game.

The novel opens with the wedding of Stephen and the titular younger wife, Heather, seen through the eyes of an unnamed guest. His grown daughters Rachel and Natalie (Tully) are bridesmaids, and his newly-exed wife Pamela, is also a guest, though seemingly confused that she's the bride, since she suffers from dementia, She follows as the wedding party goes into another room to sign the marriage certificate - and there is soon a thump, the officiant reappears spattered in blood, and asks if there is a doctor in the house. Since Stephen is himself a doctor, this is a grim indication of what's transpired.

We then go back in time to the first lunch meeting between Heather, Stephen, Tully and Rachel - they are predictably wary of this woman their same age whom their father has taken up with so soon after moving their mother into a nursing home. Heather is desperate to make a good impression, hiding her true past of poverty, alcoholism, and abuse, upholding the posh reinvention of herself. From alternating points of view, we also learn more of Tully, whose husband has lost all their savings in a bad investment, so more important than ever that she hides her stealing habit - and her sister Rachel who owns a baking business, and has just taken on a sexy new delivery employee, who seems like a catch. Too bad her general rule is she "doesn't date. Period." due to an incident in her past that she's never spoken of to anyone.

For those who have read Hepworth's previous works, the cadence will seem familiar - short chapters with alternating points of view and time periods make for a swift read, despite the author's tackling of much more serious subject matter than in previous novels - domestic/psychological abuse, sexual assault, mental illness, etc. She does so with a delicate hand, so somehow doesn't make it feel like too much.

Without spoiling, the ending seemed to be going in a predictable direction, though with an unexpected twist that I found highly problematic from both a plot and characterization point of view. I'm not sure if it was supposed to leave questions remaining, make the reader doubt their assumptions, or leave open for interpretation, though all of these options felt a bit sloppy, leaving too many inconsistencies in the story to be satisfying. 3.5 stars, rounded down for the ending, which may be a matter of preference.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I asked to read the book because I thought hey that cover is legit cool. Well the book was even more awesome than the cover. It's my first time reading anything by Hepworth and sure as frankendoodle won't be my last!

Love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. Sally Hepworth has once again written a tightly woven psychological thriller. The book opens with Stephen introducing his adult daughters, Natalie (Tully) and Rachel, to his new fiance, Heather. The problem is that he is still married to their mom, who is in a care facility for those with dementia. The POC shifts throughout the book between Heather, Tully, Rachel, and a few others, and we find out early on that something has happened at the wedding ceremony. The story moves around in time as we get the details of family drama, secrets, and each character owning their own story. One of my favorite characters is Darcy - but you'll have to read to find out more! I liked the character development, the pacing, the plot, and the reveal. Solid 4 star read for me!

I devoured this book in half a day! I can’t remember the last time I did something like that. It was so much fun to read and reminded me of a Liane Moriarty (my favorite) book with personable characters that are a joy to get to know. My only complaint is that I didn’t really understand the “message” after the truth is revealed at the end… what is the reader supposed to take away? But regardless I will recommend it as a fun read.

As a fan of Sally Hepworth's previous work, I was very excited to read The Younger Wife. This book does not disappoint in its character development and whodunit plot line. I enjoyed the multiple points of view and had a hard time putting this book down. In the end, I felt I still had some unanswered questions, but I think that you are meant to leave off feeling like that, so you can relate to the uncertainty of the characters themselves.

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This author fails to disappoint. I loved this book, so much different layers of many plot lines tied beautifully together. Another great read by Hepworth.

I literally love everything Sally Hepworth writes. You know you have those few authors that you can’t wait until they release a new book? Sally Hepworth is one of those authors for me. She writes another stunning book about a man, Stephen Aston, who marries a new wife while still being married to his first wife who is in a dementia facility. The twists and turns in this book are spectacular. I was guessing until the very end. LOVED it! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for and arc.

Heather is marrying Stephan who has two daughters Heather's age. Each of their story is told throughout the book. Rachel and Heather believe Stephan is abusive. All three have their own issues to deal with. There's enough twists and turns to keep you wanting more.

It is set in Australia but has little Australian dialect making it an easy read. If you didn't know better, you would think it was set in America.

Gosh I loved this book! I love all of Sally Hepworth's novels and this one did not disappoint. Great characters you can root for, a twist that is expected and loved in Hepworth's novels, and characters and are dealing with their own personal traumas. I love how Hepworth combines a great mystery and deep characters. Can't wait for the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy of this book.. I loved the multiple alternating points of view in the chapters. Hepworth does a great job keeping the reader turning pages by finishing each chapter with a bit of a cliff hanger. I was, however, a bit disappointed in the ending. I thought there’d be a shocking twist or conclusion, but no such luck. I very much enjoyed the story and will recommend this book to library patrons, I just wish the ending was more fulfilling. 4 stars.

The End.

Let’s start there. Sally Hepworth’s latest novel wraps itself up with an untidy little bow that book clubs will delight in unraveling. Some readers will want to throw their e-readers across the room after finishing. Others will scratch their heads and think, “huh?” And then some will flip back through the pages to see if they misread entire passages. All will come together for a spirited debate about interpretations.

If you haven’t read Sally Hepworth before, she excels at writing page-turning “women’s fiction” with just the right mix of characterization and suspense. In The Younger Wife, two thirty-something daughters learn that their 60-something father, Stephen, is engaged to a woman their age. But wait, there’s more! First he must divorce their mother, who is very much still alive but suffering from advanced dementia.

(Can you imagine? If my mom was still alive, in a care home, and my dad divorced her to marry some chick my age… we would have words.)

So the adult daughters, Rachel and Tully, are supposed to play nice with the future younger wife, even though they’re both struggling with their own personal issues. In fact, all three women have very prominent addiction storylines:

Rachel = food

Tully = shoplifting

Heather = alcohol

But it’s Stephen’s tendency’s we should be worrying about… or should we? Dun dun DUN!!!

Clearly yours truly is addicted to books, and The Younger Wife gave me one of those reading highs where you can’t turn the pages fast enough and always want to get back to the story when you have to set it aside for annoying life maintenance issues. Though I found the presentation of some of the addictions to be a bit too heavy handed, and I personally didn’t love The End, I want more of what Sally Hepworth is selling. Gimme gimme gimme.

This is my second book by hepworth all I can say is Wow. What i page turner. I love her character development. It leaves you wanting more. This is definitely 5 star book

Well heckballs!! I haven't been properly surprised and scandalized by how a story turns out at the end in loooooong time, and this one certainly did that. I completely didn't see it coming and did, in fact, have my mouth hanging wide open for a bit.

The dysfunction is strong with these people. We have Tully (Natalie) who has a pretty upstanding life - but she's a closet kleptomaniac. Then there is her sister, Rachel, who also seems to have a pretty good life, but she's hiding a secret or two and she deals with it all by eating her feelings. Sprinkle in a new much younger new to be bride, Heather, who is marrying Tully and Rachel's father. She portrays herself as fitting into the high society circles, but has a few secrets that she is hiding about where she actually came from. We also have the cliched older father, marrying said new younger wife, along with a soon to be ex-wife he is still married to, but who is suffering from Alzheimer's and is in a care facility - and they all seem to want to include her as part of their blended family. Oh yeah - and there may or may not be a former wife who no one seems to know anything about. Add in some possible abuse and suspected gaslighting, and it's pure craziness and it's scandalous. And I absolutely loooooved it!