I am fastly becoming a huge fan of Sally Hepworth! This is my third read from her and I have yet to be disappointed!! Put this in your "to be read" list now, better yet, just order it now! Another great read! Thank you to #NetGalley and #stmartinspress for another ARC opportunity!

One word. Wow. I don’t know how Sally Hepworth keeps writing these amazing stories. She has the readers believe one way and then spins it into something completely different, something you would never have guessed. Brilliant. I’m going to keep reading Sally Hepworth’s books.

Awesome new book by Sally Hepworth! The Younger Wife is a very strong entry into the domestic thriller arena and is as full of family secrets as it could be without bursting at the seams.

Ms. Hepworth does a masterful job of setting up a dysfunctional “family” who have convinced themselves that they are picture perfect. That is until the head of the family, Stephen, announces he’s marrying a young woman (about the same age as his own daughters). One problem, he’s still married to Tully and Rachel’s mother. Of course, he’s holding onto another secret of his own. Once the engagement is announced this family begins to crack at every weak point leading back to hidden issues and how each character tries to manage.

Talk about not letting the reader into the big reveal until the very end. Sally Hepworth had me holding my breath and my jaw drop could be heard across the room. I love a thriller that not just surprises, but stuns me. You’ve done it, Sally. Great job!

Thank you #NetGalley for a wonderful book and the chance to share my thoughts.

I liked this book - it was a quick read, a solid thriller that definitely kept you guessing, even after the ending. Some of it felt a bit incomplete or rushed, but overall, a good book. Perfect for a vacation or cold weekend.

Love everything Sally Hepworth writes and this was another smash! I loved the characters in this one, as always.

Excellent! Must read!! The story of a family grieving, dementia, divorce, and other life altering events. How they survived and ended up stronger in the end. The characters were every day people that you can associate with. I wanted to know what happened, I almost broke the cardinal rule to skip and read the end. I’m so glad I didn’t. I was shocked. Received as ARC.

This novel was a page-turner that I couldn’t put down. I loved reading about each character’s idiosyncrasies and getting to know each of them. I’ll admit, though, that the way this book ended did not satisfy, and thus didn’t receive a higher rating. It was excellent up until the last couple of pages!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this new domestic thriller.

Two daughters deal with their father's new nuptials, while their mother and and the woman he is still married to, lies in a bed a long term care facility with dementia. And the bride-to-be is about their age. High-jinks ensue.

Sally Hepworth's The Younger Wife is suspenseful tale full of twists, family secrets, betrayals, untrustworthy narrators, and possibly even a little bit of love. The story is clear, and well plotted with characters that are both interesting and come with their own sets of problems, hidden agendas and lies.

The book is a perfect beach read, or by the fire read, depending on the season, with enough suspense and plot to make the book hard to put down. The ending is a tad nebulous, but that is not a bad thing, and also adds to the fun. Probably the first big book of the season, and a very good one at that.

I feel that with every "thriller" I read lately, we are getting further and further away from what a thriller is. I wouldn't consider this book to be a thriller. While there were multiple, crazy storylines going on here, there was no suspense - no twists or turns - no excitement. Well, not really. The book starts with something that is a bit of a "whodunnit," but all of the other storylines overshadow it until closer to the end of the book when you think, "oh yeah - what's happening with that?" Rather than the implied gaslighting, I would have been so much more interested in the author throwing a crazy curveball in the end and making a nice twisty ending.

All in all, it was a quick read.

This review was also published on Goodreads.

Sally Hepworth is an author to look out for!!
She writes domestic stories beautifully and you feel truly immersed in the story.
I found myself thinking about this book often and wanting to continue to read it the second I finished!

I am excited to read more from Sally Hepworth in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book

I love Sally Hepworth and this book was no different! What happens when you have a wife in a nursing home for dementia, a new wife 1/2 your age, and 2 daughters suspicious about the new wife? A great story!

Very engrossing! As usual Sally Hepworth did not disappoint in her character building and family drama. I mean I was sucked in after a few chapters and I had to see it through!

Completely entertaining as all of Sally Hepworth’s books are. A man married to a wife with Alzheimer’s, but divorces her to marry a much younger woman. Meanwhile his two daughters begin to uncover parts of his history they knew nothing about. Many twists and turns and never saw coming moments.

What a story! The Younger Wife, by Sally Hepworth, takes the reader on a journey of the family of a heart physician in Australia. He has two daughters, a wife with dementia, and a fiancee that is the age of his daughters. All of the characters have issues, The fiancee is from an alcoholic and abusive family, her father is in prison from the consequences of his abuse, One daughter is the victim of a horrific crime, the other is insecure and mentally ill, struggling with a multitude of issues. The doctor himself has watched his wife slip into a demented state and now finds himself entangled and in love with another much younger woman. Then there is Fiona. Who is she and what secret does she harbor?
Sally Hepworth takes the readers on a journey thru all of the problems in this family. Each problem has its own unique twist and turn and they all come together in the end in an unexpected finish. Each of the female characters is rich, likable, and endearing with compelling men by their side. Stephen, the father, and the physician harbors an inner mystery and the reader is unsure of what really lies in his head. The book is entertaining and thrilling taking the reader on a roller coaster ride into the innermost secrets of a typical family. I thoroughly enjoyed the read. Thanks to #NetGalley#TheYoungerWife for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: April 5, 2022
Sally Hepworth delivers one heck of a domestic suspense novel with her new work, “The Younger Wife”. Full of family secrets that come to a head at one memorable wedding, “Wife” pulled me in right from the start!
Rachel and Natalie (Tully)’s father Stephen is getting married again, to a woman named Heather who is more than half his junior. But what really throws the women for a loop is that Stephen is technically still married to their mother, Pam. Although she suffers from dementia and is in a long-term care home, the two have never officially divorced. As Stephen and Heather plan their wedding, Rachel and Tully begin to uncover some deep-rooted secrets from their father’s past that leave them questioning their own past, present and future.
Hepworth brought all the emotional connections to these characters, and I adored each and every one! Rachel and Tully, both recovering from traumas that have forever changed their lives, have reconnected once again over their father’s upcoming nuptials, and their sibling relationship is enviable and lovable. As secrets are revealed, Rachel and Tully turn to each other with nothing but love and support, regardless of the consequences, making these sisters a true delight! Even Heather and Stephen have their charming moments, convincing me that Hepworth cannot write a bad character.
The story is told from the alternating perspectives of Tully and Rachel, mostly from the time period leading up to the wedding (although some chapters have snippets of the weddings’ catastrophe sprinkled through it). Each chapter is easily labeled, adding to “Wife’s” addictively creative flow. Hepworth puts just enough twists and turns throughout the plot to leave you guessing!
Although the ending didn’t quite deliver the punch I wanted, everything else about this novel hit home for me. I loved the vulnerability of the characters, the intense slow-burn of a plot, and the creative way Hepworth delivered each and every page-turning plot twist! Hepworth is in a league of her own with “The Younger Wife” and fans of this genre will add yet another favourite author to their list.

Stephen, a well-respected doctor is engaged to Heather. He also has two daughters, Tully and Rachel. Stephen has a wife, Pam, who resides in a care facility due to dementia.

This story moves back and forth between present day and the past. Both of Stephen’s daughter has issues, one handles stress by shoplifting, while the the other uses food to soothe her anxiety. Heather deals with her past trauma with alcohol. As the story unfolds secrets about the three women’s past are slowly revealed. Pam, Stephens wife resides in a care facility due to dementia.There so many secrets, so much deception it is difficult to to know who is telling the truth.

Things come to a head at Stephen and Heather’s wedding
when the family, including Pam is gathered for the ceremony. In the end all pieces of the story come together for a surprising ending.

I was so caught up in the lives of the characters. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the surprising conclusion.

I loved this book. I felt the characters were interesting and relatable. This book will keep you up late. It will keep you turning pages to find out what happens next.

This type of mystery novel is what I am really craving for. Will leave you really packed with questions on your head. Are you ready to delve in this?

This wasn’t at all what I expected, but I’m not mad about it? I really enjoyed the characters (especially Rachel) and loved the dynamic between the sisters. I read this so quickly and found myself wanting to know more and more about this family. And what can I say about the ending? I don’t even know what to think! All around a really fun ride.

3 stars for this domestic drama that started off strong but ultimately faltered with a disappointing and unresolved ending.

Sally Hepworth does a great job creating deep and interesting, if at times unlikeable, characters and I enjoyed that we got narration from three of them. I would have rated this higher if not for the problematic ending and the message it conveys regarding domestic abuse.

I've really enjoyed Hepworth's previous two novels, so I definitely still plan on reading her next one.

What an unexpected surprise I found in this story. After a couple of ARC's that I just couldn't get into I went into this book with not a whole lot of optimism and after the first chapter I still wasn't convinced. And then, wham! It hit me right around the third chapter and this book took off for me in a big way. I appreciate that the author made me have to work a bit to keep my eye on the ball by casting neurotic characters who each had their own character flaws/compulsion, secondary characters (hello Darcy) who seem suspicious only because they are too good to be true, to those where suspicion is cast on them even though they seem to be squeaky clean. I was never quite sure which direction to look. I am not one to want to ruin an ending but I have to ask. Is it possible that the author may have intentionally engaged in a bit of brilliant gaslighting of her own in that final chapter?