I have always enjoyed Sally Hepworth's novels, and The Younger Wife was no exception!

Meet the Aston family -- Steven Aston, his daughters Tully and Rachel, his soon-to-be-wife Heather ... and his first wife Pam, who he is still married to. Steven's wife Pam has dementia and is living in a care facility. Heather is the same age as Rachel and younger than Tully. Needless to say, Rachel and Tully don't take too kindly to Heather.

Told from the alternating points of view of Tully, Rachel and Heather, The Younger Wife unpacks the Aston family's house of cards. Every family member has their own secrets, which are unraveled as the book unfolds.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Younger Wife. Sally Hepworth does a fantastic job of crafting likable characters, even when they're supposed to be "unlikeable." I thought the plot (and ending) were both clever. A great domestic thriller for 2022!

A gold digger suspense story is a dime a dozen, so it’s rare to find a plot that veers off the typical “younger woman marries rich old dude for his money”. I was pleasantly surprised in reading THE YOUNGER WIFE because the plot managed to be unique enough that it seemed like I was reading this type of story for the first time.

I most enjoyed the narration of the future stepmother (Heather). Admittedly, I didn’t want to like her because I assumed that she had ulterior motives, which made her narration unreliable and fun.

The relationship between Heather and her future husband blurred the lines between reality and fiction, as certain scenes popped up that made you (and Heather) second guess whether it actually happened.

I am still processing this story hours after I finished reading. Stephen is getting remarried to a much younger woman. He is also still married to his wife with advanced dementia. His two daughters are struggling with the relationship and a whole host of their own secrets and issues. From the start the reader knows that something dramatic happens at Stephen and his new wife, Heather’s wedding but what and to whom is not clear. As we learn about each character, their backstory, and what they are grappling with today it becomes harder and harder to know which perspective to trust.

This story is fast-paced and the characters are well developed. I loved the two daughters most of all. They were very flawed and human so it was easy to root for them to overcome all they were dealing with in life. I won’t say more about the ending because I wouldn’t want to ruin it but I can’t get it out of my mind. Also, as someone who recently lost a parent to early onset dementia, I was worried that aspect of the story would be hard to read but the author handles it well. This is a great mystery/psychological suspense story, very fun to read.

Thank you to Sally Hepworth, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The successful, handsome, Dr. Stephen Aston is engaged newly engaged to Heather, who is young enough to be his daughter. Slight problem, he will have to get divorced from Pam, his wife who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and lives in a care facility. His daughters immediately think the same thing you probably are right now, Heather is after their father's money. As our story unfolds, the dangerous truth about the family is revealed, leading to someone dying after the wedding.

From chapter one, this book drags you in. The multiple perspective narration is awesome, I love it when you can get the story from many of the people involved. This book is a quick, juicy read that goes in a direction that you would never expect.

I really enjoyed this thriller and the touching on family dynamics and domestic abuse. The Younger Wife was captivating, suspenseful, and a slow-burn thriller that kept me turning the page. The ending definitely has mixed reactions, but I enjoyed reading this.

Oh my gosh! This book! It was fabulous, a not to be missed, can’t put it down, crazy ride and I loved every minute of it. I will never get this one out of my head, the characters were just so well written and so real to me. And the epitome of dysfunctional family - so glad they aren’t mine. Yowza!

I highly recommend this book to lovers of domestic suspense and really crazy family drama. This was such a fun read. I loved it

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book

I am a fan of Sally Hepworth and really enjoyed "The Mother in Law" and "The Good Sister" and was very happy when I was approved for an advanced copy of her latest "The Younger Wife." Having said that, I am struggling with my rating for this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed the whole book until the end. The ending was completely disappointing for me and I am a bit troubled with what it may have been implying. Had the ending not happened the way it did, this would have been an easy 4 or 5 stars from me.

I do love a good domestic drama and the seed of doubt that was planted about whether Stephen was an abusive husband kept me turning the pages. Overall, I enjoyed the story and suspense that I've come to love from Sally Hepworth's books,. but that ending... ?! I still look forward to see what Sally Hepworth comes up with next. and still consider myself a fan.

A big thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. Thank you.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sally Hepworth for an e-advance reader’s copy of this book!

Pub Date: April 5, 2022

This is the 3rd book I’ve read from Sally Hepworth and if you haven’t read any of her work yet, then you should know that she writes great slow burn domestic thrillers that have twisty endings. This one did not fall short. It starts with a dramatic fiasco of a wedding, somebody winding up dead and the unraveling turn of events.

When Rachel and Tully’s Father Stephen decides to marry Heather, a woman almost the same age as they are, they were were sure she was just after their Father’s money. They contest their marriage most especially since Stephen is still married to their Mother who has dementia. Rachel and Tully come across secrets both their family and Heather’s that complicate their lives altogether.

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫/5. Compared to her other books, the ending on this one didn’t quite make my jaw drop. It did however, leave me questioning everything I knew and doubt whether or not my understanding of the ending was in fact, correct. Which is a classic from the author. I did still enjoy this one, but was slow in the beginning. It also kept me guessing of the mysteries that lies ahead that kept me turning the page.

Read if you like:
Domestic thrillers
Slow burns
Twisty endings

⚠️Physical abuse, kleptomania, rape, dementia

This domestic thriller kept me intrigued, and I liked it until the ending took the turn it did. I believe that this is a subjective reaction, and reader response to the way the story ends will vary. I also think readers will be split on whether they think there is too much going on in the sense of so many serious and dark issues covered in the story. I found the story was revealed in an interesting way and I recommend it for readers who enjoy domestic thrillers.

This was one wild twist after another in a thrilling book! I absolutely love Sally Hepworth’s book and was so appreciative of the chance to read this book. Suspenseful and engaging—impossible to put down!

Enjoyable, fast-paced read with well developed and nuanced characters. It feels like fairly light reading for the most part, but does dive into some heavier subjects. Sally Hepworth has become a must-read author for me - I flew through it and had a hard time putting it down! Thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for an ARC edition of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I generally like Sally Hepworth books and this one was somewhat entertaining, although the subject matter was a little tough. We get characters who are suffering from dementia, victims of sexual assault, have a compulsion to steal, and physically and mentally abuse others. That is a lot for one book!
Stephen is marrying the interior designer who remodeled his home just as his wife was moved into a facility for dementia patients. We get to know his two adult daughters and learn everyone’s secrets.
I don’t know that I’d call this a thriller as I would a family drama because, believe me, there was plenty of it!! It wasn’t a bad book, but I wish I would have been a trigger warning.

I found this to be a very good domestic thriller type of book, the author certainly kept me guessing on who was the 'bad' person. Heather is getting married to Stephen, she's just shy of 30 and Stephen is in his 60's with a wife who has advanced dementia. They met when Heather was contracted to redo the interior of Stephen's house, his wife initially was involved in the process, but part way through her dementia got worse and she was placed in an assisted living home. Heather and Stephen grew close after that and announced to his two daughters, Tully and Rachel they were getting married. The story unfolds from the point of view of the three women, Tully, Rachel and Heather. Tully and Rachel are not happy that their father is marrying a much younger woman and divorcing his wife, but they gamely agree to be bridesmaids. Heather had a very troubled childhood, her mother was abused regularly by her father and Heather was traumatized by witnessing the abuse. Tully has two young boys, one who seems to change his personality daily, somedays willing to do things, other days mute and fighting every action Tully wants him to do. This causes anxiety for Tully and she relieves it by stealing miscellaneous items from stores, items she doesn't need and can easily afford. Rachel is a single woman, never having had a serious relationship in her adult years, she runs a bakery business that caters to weddings, birthdays and other life events. Although an attractive woman, Rachel has eating issues, whenever she gets stressed, she gorges on anything at had, including a wedding cake she was supposed to deliver. There are a number of other issues thrown into the mix, Stephen's soon to be ex wife makes disturbing statements, Tully is arrested for theft, Rachel hires a delivery person who is a gorgeous male and finds herself being attracted to him. I found the book to be very entertaining and thought the end wrapped all the issues neatly. Thank you to #Netgalley and #St Martin's Press for the ARC.

I really enjoy everything this author writes. The ending was totally unexpected. I was unsure what to think of Stephen and still unclear.

I love Sally Hepworth’s writing. I always love her character development. She really makes you understand the characters’ feelings and motives, and she successfully did that yet again in The Younger Wife. This was a page tuner that I was flying through. I had to know what was really going on! What happened at the wedding in the opening scene?! Sadly, I was disappointed by the ending and I imagine that will be the opinion of many readers. Not so much that I wouldn’t recommend other people read it but it would have been a 5 star read with more resolution. But even having said that, I’ll admit I’m still thinking about it and wondering what was really what days after finishing. And again, Sally Hepworth is amazing and her books are always worth reading.

The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth was a such a fun thriller. Lots of families have problems, but this family has a lot of them. I loved reading about these characters, although I didn't love all of them I felt that they were all an important part of the story. It almost felt as though you didn't know who to trust and that also made the story all that much better. If you are looking for a good thriller to read make sure to grab this one.

Another thoroughly engaging, intriguing read by Sally Hepworth. I enjoyed that the story was told from different viewpoints so you got a wider appreciation for all the tricks and turns of this clever tale of a man who divorces his wife who's suffering from dementia in order to marry a much younger woman much to the dismay of his two grown daughters. The way the author navigates the relationship between the three women is so clever and had me wondering time and time again who was being truthful. I'm looking forward to the author's next book already,.

Obsessed. Page turner. So good.

I started this yesterday morning and couldn’t put it down all day. The character development was incredible, the story line was unique, and I loved the twisted ending!

It is really hard to rate a book like this. I like the cover. The colors are pretty. But it doesn't have much to do with the story. Not that that's a big deal. Then we have the title, The Younger Wife. Sounds intriguing and although simple hints at something thrilling. The Younger Wife is not a thriller though. Nor is it just about the "younger wife". It is a domestic suspense/family drama. If you like books like that or go in expecting that then you are likely to enjoy this.

Despite a promising opener the book was slow to get into at first. We spend a lot of time with two sisters, Tully and Rachel, and Heather, the new wife to be. Each of these women have issues they have been dealing with for most of their life. There was a lot of trauma that was never dealt with and is still going on for them. It was hard to read about at times.

As the sisters and Heather get to know each other better it gets harder and easier to see what is going to happen. The reader and characters see the truth of things. Or do they? There is a lot with characters questioning themselves. The suspense is seeing how it will all play out.

I grew to like most of the characters and felt empathy for what they were going through. I wanted to see the ending I expected. It would have been a good ending.. But then there is a twist at the end. I cannot agree with this twist. It should never have been thrown in. The things it means or potentially means for the characters is wrong. It sends a bad message. It's too much and it changes my opinion of the book. Everything before the twist was pretty good. But the ending is upsetting.

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read.

Thank you so much for this ebook ARC!

Review: Wow, this book was a wild ride! I really loved it and it’s probably one of my new favorite thrillers. Right from the start it hooked me and I couldn’t put it down. It was a real page turner and I just wanted to see what was going to happen next. All the twists and turns were crazy and I could never predict where it was going to go. I thought it was cool how this book incorporated themes of family and marriage and how messy they can be. I was shocked by the ending and completely blown away by it. I thought it was a very satisfying end and wrapped the book together nicely. Overall this was an incredible thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed!