Member Reviews

I love Sally Hepworth’s writing. I immediately feel intrigued when I start one of her books. “The Younger Wife” of course makes you think something is afoot with the “new” wife, the stereotypical “gold digger” woman and the man trying to reclaim his youth. This story was so much more involved then that, and I really enjoyed it. I didn’t like Tully at first, but then as the story went on I actually felt kind of connected to her with all her anxiety and issues. It was a story that kept me guessing, and I finished it quickly because it kept me hooked!

Was this review helpful?

Sally Hepworth does it again. She does a great job of blending family drama with thrills and suspense. I'm always on the edge of my seat. Rachel and Tully's dad has found a new wife. Their mother died, he also has a old ex wife.. but this wife is younger than his daughters. Clearly shes a gold digger. The daughters learn their father hasnt been the best husband.. abusive and mean. what could he be doing to this new wife?

Was this review helpful?

This year, Sally Hepworth has easily become one of my top 10 favorite authors, and now a definite auto-read author for me as well. I will read any last thing this woman writes, and now need to revisit some of her older novels to catch up!

I flew through this book once I got to about the quarter mark, as I just could not stop! It's told in alternating perspectives between the two adult daughters and their father's new wife...and wow, I have no idea how Hepworth does it, but almost every single chapter ends on a cliff-hanger. Not to mention, each one is super short, thus making this book impossible to put down. I held my breath so many times at the next shocking thing that would happen, and could not fully decide who to believe until the very, very end. I also found myself very protective of all three of these women, including the new wife, who I had assumed I was supposed to despise! I loved this book, and will continue thinking about it for weeks to come. If you haven't read a Sally Hepworth novel yet, now is the time to start!

Was this review helpful?

I really adored Sally Hepworth’s the good sister. It seems she has a theme of titles with family members. The mother in law was just okay. This however was my least favorite. It felt like it was building toward a big twist but then it just turned out that everyone who was suspicious was correct. I felt like it sort of manipulated the other characters mental Illnesses and challenges to try to trick you but there was really never any doubt as to what was really happening:

Was this review helpful?

I am not usually one to read suspense thrillers, but Sally Hepworth changes my mind again and again. Told from multiple points of view, this was a great story. So much drama, and twists!

Was this review helpful?

Another domestic drama by Sally Hepworth about a man divorcing his dementia-stricken wife and marrying another woman, who is the same age as his daughters. I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. While I like Sally Hepworth and her books, I really didn't like or relate to any of the characters. I enjoyed Sally's storytelling; I just didn't like how this one panned out in the end and wouldn't rate it as high as her other books.

Was this review helpful?

Another fantastic novel from this author. I highly enjoyed this one and would recommend it to all of my thriller enthusiast friends.

Was this review helpful?

3.5 stars. I didn't enjoy this one as much as previous works. I also had a really hard time separating Rachel from Heather for some weird reason. The names and characters just didn't stand out ok their own.

Was this review helpful?

This one was pretty good, blending family drama and dark suspense, but it can't compare to the twists of The Good Sister or The Mother-in-Law.

Was this review helpful?

I’m no stranger to Sally Hepworth and her writing. Along with a handful of her novels, I also follow her on Instagram. She is a delight. Normally her novels or propulsive and have you flipping the pages and reading just one more chapter. The Younger Wife was a miss for me. Sally Hepworth is an excellent sorry teller, but I think maybe this one just came out too quickly after The Good Sister.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as some of Hepworth's others. I actually read it back to back with her newest ARC and found it lacking in comparison to that one. But perhaps it was my fault for reading them that way! She is still one of my favorite authors though!

Was this review helpful?

“Perhaps the very worst people still had some good in them. And perhaps the very best had some bad.”

I had high hopes for this book, as I really loved The Good Sister, but this one fell short for me. It was a slow burn without much of a thrill…I kept waiting for a plot twist and reveal, but it was all sort of predictable. So it was more of a family drama versus a domestic thriller. There were many serious issues covered (gaslighting, abuse, sexual assault, anxiety, kleptomania) perhaps too many, and instead of going deep in any one, all were left at a surface level, which took away a level of seriousness. I wanted to go deeper. There was so much potential. It was just ok for me.

In the audiobook…I did very much enjoy having three narrators for the three different POVs…I wish more books took this approach. I’m glad I listened to it bc I understand the ARC had a different ending and from what I’ve read, I’m glad it was changed.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

I never quite knew what to expect when reading Sally Hepworth’s The Younger Wife. That’s the thing with suspense/thrillers … you can’t trust your eyes and ears to interpret events correctly. Are you really seeing things as they are or is the author pulling the wool over your eyes?

Hepworth’s The Younger Wife, which I come to after reading and loving The Good Sister, is one such book that conjures up questions of perception and interpretation. It is a domestic drama involving two adult daughters, Tully and Rachel; their mother, who is suffering from dementia; and their father Stephen, who is marrying Heather, a woman younger than his own kids. Each of the women in this novel is harboring secrets of her own, and these subplots come together to build a story around the main event - Stephen’s wedding to Heather and the subsequent tragedy that is eluded to in the prologue.

The Younger Wife is a murky sort of novel that wades through a variety of tense situations that can be interpreted in multiple ways. Readers who need all plot points spelled out for them may take issue with the way Hepworth chose to write The Younger Wife, leaving readers to make their own judgments about the novel’s story and characters. With that being said, it is difficult to discuss this novel without giving much away. It truly reads as a domestic drama, letting readers into the garden variety scandals and problems of this particular family, while hinting at something more sinister lurking underneath.

I personally did not enjoy The Younger Wife as much as I did The Good Sister, perhaps because I like my plots to have more direction and not leave me with more questions than answers by the end. While I enjoyed this novel, I almost did not see the point as I finished, beyond highlighting domestic troubles within one family. I wish that Hepworth would have chosen a point to more precisely drive home instead of leaving so much open to reader interpretation.

Was this review helpful?

I love Sally Hepworth’s novels, she knows how to write family/domestic suspense. With that being said, this one has to be my least favorite books I’ve read by Sally so far. This one started out strong for me and was a page turner. I loved the storyline and everything was so good right until the very ending. Then I felt a huge letdown, there was so much more potential for this ending and it just fell short for me. It was a total bummer.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this one the same way I have enjoyed Sally’s previous books! Its weird, suspenseful and crazy. The story of 5 people - the husband, two daughters, the wives. Like I said, its crazy but also compelling to read. The ending was different from what I was expecting but regardless it was a good one. Can always trust Sally for an entertaining story!

Thank you SMP via Netgalley for the e-arc.

Was this review helpful?

Sally Hepworth did not disappoint with this one! I love how she can write suspenseful books that aren’t scary. They pull me right in and I can’t stop reading until I finished the book. I woke up early one morning, started reading, and skipped my daily workout because I couldn’t put the book down.

Was this review helpful?

I always enjoy Sally Hepworth’s novels.
The story line I felt was made interesting by Stephen’s wife still being alive. I hated Stephen from that point on.
I enjoyed the relationship between the sisters and how that grew with sharing of secrets.
I even liked Heather.
I did not like the ending where it’s brought into question that Stephen abused any of them. It left me feeling icky. But I have heard that the ending has been changed and I just requested a copy from the library to find out.
All in all I couldn’t put it down and enjoyed it!

Was this review helpful?

As far as Sally Hepworth is concerned, I was excited for an ARC to her most recent book. I had not realized until reading reviews after I finished that the published version has some major changes. Although this is always noted as a possibility at the beginning of all ARCs, I have never really come across huge discrepancies that could affect my reviews before. I do no feel completely comfortable completing a full review for that reason. This will not stop me from reading future Sally Hepworth books, however. I did read this one cover to cover and maybe connected a little to well to the themes for potential manipulation and gaslighting...

Was this review helpful?

Hated the ending of the arc. Didn't do justice to the rest of the story leading up to it. However, I have read that this was changed for the actual published version so I will up my rating for that.
This is a great story with great characters. I enjoyed learning about all of them and watching them learn about the mystery leading up to the wedding and explore all their individual faults. The relationship between Rachel and Tully was great. I loved that the sisters were close and supportive of each other. I loved that each chapter was a different point of view of the women.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc.

Was this review helpful?

Sally Hepworth is a favorite author so I will read anything she writes. I enjoyed the multiple perspectives and always love a good mystery. The story is character driven. Definitely one I would recommend. Looking forward to more from this author.

Was this review helpful?