A fast-paced mystery that I fell in love with! This book was fantastic and I definitely recommend so please when this book comes out you need to run to the bookstores immediately.

I had a hard time following along with this because it's written from multiple viewpoints. I think I would have preferred if we followed along from only one or two perspectives. I did not finish this one.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I thought The Younger Wife would be more of a thriller than a family drama. The author did hook me and I wanted to keep reading, but I thought there were a lot of themes jammed into one story. I do think the ending was odd and made the whole premise a bit unbelievable but I recognize that I do prefer a feel good story. Overall I did think it was an enjoyable read that hooked me.

The Younger Wife is not what I was expecting, but in a good way! 3.5 stars rounded up!

The book opens with a wedding and something catastrophic happening at that wedding. The reader doesn't know whose eyes are viewing things as they unfold.

Jumping back a few months, we meet prominent heart surgeon Stephen, who is introducing his new, younger woman, Heather, to his daughters Tully and Heather. This is complicated by the fact that he is still married to their mother, Pam, who is in a care home with dementia. From the title, the description, and the setup, I thought this would be a novel about a woman with an ulterior motive and the daughters that set out to prove to their father that she is not right for him.

As it turns out, what the story is really about is whether or not you really know someone. Told from alternating perspectives of Heather, Tully, and Rachel, we quickly come to see that everyone is hiding something, trying to put their best face forward, and things are not always as they seem. Everything leads up to the wedding with an unexpected conclusion. Throughout, hints are dropped but the ending leaves you with more questions than answers. The book was full steam ahead and I couldn't stop reading, then it just kind of fizzled for me and left me feeling like I had a lot of buildup for a lackluster conclusion. Still a good domestic suspense thriller that I would recommend. No spoilers, so can't say more than that!

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

The Younger Wife is not what I was expecting-- it's not really a 'thriller' insomuch as a domestic drama with an underlying tension provided by an additional, mysterious POV (at least for a time) that informs us of some sort of crime that has occurred at Heather and Stephen's wedding. We don't know what happened or who was the culprit, but really, that isn't the most important or interesting part of the book, it's just a catchy, page turning device. What is most engaging here are the women, who are all struggling in different ways, from alcoholism to kleptomania, to PTSD, and early-onset dementia. Even the supporting characters are well developed, dealing with their various issues. I really liked the upending of 'the younger wife' trope-- what starts out with the older adult daughters hating their father's new, younger bride-to-be, develops into an unexpected friendship, or at least acceptance-ship. There are a lot of refreshing reversals and sidesteps that take stereotypes and flip them, all of them adding up to a subtly (but undoubtedly) feminist story.
And then there's the ending. I feel a thousand ways about that ending. On one hand, I loved that it, again, subverted expectations in a way that directly played into the is-this-or-isn't-this-feminist literature of it all. It reeled it in, so that it no longer seemed like the 'men are evil' thing that was maybe going on, and was definitely a shocker. I praise the author for taking a risk, and it is successful from the standpoint of being a controversial, unexpected ending. But I'm ultimately not sure I liked the choice. Regardless of the ending, I enjoyed the book thoroughly.

Another great read from Sally Hepworth! I always enjoy her books. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I've tried to start this novel multiple times, but I have not been immersed in the story yet.

I do plan on giving it another go, stay tuned.

It's difficult to give a review of this book without spoilers, so I will do my best. It's a quick read with suspenseful moments but nothing too over the top (great beach read!). Each character visually came to life thanks to Hepworth's masterful storytelling and I found myself quite invested in their next steps. This is a novel of character cast as many malfunctioning adults and a classic case of 'that entire family needs therapy and lots of it'. Hidden secrets, abuse, relationships, and the lies we keep due to shame. Please note for trigger warnings, this novel explores topics that may be sensitive to some readers.

This was a fun book to read and I read it in one day because I couldn't put it down. The plot was fast-paced and the characters so believable. With all the doubts stirred up, you just have to know how it's going to end.

Sally Hepworth does it again. Keeping us up late into the night to find out what happens to the troubled sisters, Tully and Rachel, the younger wife Heather and Pamela the "old" but not only wife. The tale starts with a tragic wedding and then reveals the tangled path leading to that fateful day. Will certainly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of "The Younger Wife" in exchange for an honest review.

With dementia running in my family, this read definitely hit home in many ways. The characters were well developed and relatable, with flaws and secrets that were believable. The storyline was captivating from the beginning, and it played out really well.

I did not see the final twist coming at the end, but appreciated the hints along the way. Overall, this was a really fast-paced read for me that I would recommend to check out.

Imagine how it might feel when your father plans to remarry someone younger than yourself! And decides this while still married to your mother!

This fast paced thriller allowed me to see all perspectives of this situation by alternating which character was narrating with each chapter. I genuinely cared for several of the characters and the author's talented writing had me sharing in their emotions and hardships.

This story had me turning pages quickly and guessing until the very end! This was my first read by Sally Hepworth but it won't be my last.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

I'm a huge Sally Hepworth fan and I know when I read one of her books I will be immersed in a plot that I immediately get hooked into in. This book did not disappoint! I could not put it down!

What sets this book apart is a story line with characters that are vulnerable, transparent, dysfunctional, and ones we can relate to in many ways - good, bad and ugly! This story line is so multifaceted! It's a story about sister-sister relationships, husband-wife, adult parents, divorce, step-parent, and more! From the moment I began reading, this book took so many detours that kept me on my edge of my seat. There were so many 'no ways'! Just when I thought I "figured it out', I realize I didn't! I did not want this book to end!

For those of you who like suspenseful story lines that deal with family, relationships, hidden secrets this book is for you! DEFINITELY ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I'VE READ IN A VERY LONG TIME!

“The Younger Wife” by Sally Hepworth is about a family that from day one has a lot going on. You have the successful father who has a new younger girlfriend (turned fiancée) while still married to his wife who has advanced dementia. His two grown daughters both have deep rooted problems mostly stemming from their past. Then in steps a mysterious water bottle filled with cash and a note with a stranger’s name on it. What unravels next is the cumulation of different minds focused on one thing - but is it the right thing or have they got it all wrong?

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from Net Galley and this is my honest opinion.

This is a amazing story that kept me on the edge of my seat. Rachel and Tully's father is getting remarried to a woman who is even younger than them. Sad thing is, their mother is still alive and suffering from dementia.

I enjoyed that the story was told by the sisters and their new "Mother's" point of view. There are a lot of trigger warnings though for this book such as rape, eating disorders, abuse, anxity etc.

As with any of Sally's books, there always is a secret and in this book, Heather carries that secret. Her past is something that she's not exactly proud of and she tries to hide it.

Great read

I love Sally Hepworth! I have adored every book she has written. I don’t even need to read the summary to know I want to read all that Hepworth writes! She develops such unique and real characters. This book was a wild ride where my mind flipped back and forth with what was going on.

I highly recommend giving, The Younger Wife, a read.

Big thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for inviting me to read, The Younger Wife in exchange for my honest review.

Altizmers, abuse, kleptomania. Bankruptcy, so much going on it was hard to put the book down..there was so much to resolve. Loved it

Sally Hepworth has done it again with her new domestic thriller. The characters were very well developed. The ending wrapped it up very nicely. Thank you NetGalley.

I'm not even sure I will be able to do this book justice with a few words.

Last night I opened this saying to myself "Lisa, you're very tired, you should try to go to sleep early. Read a couple of pages, so you're anxious to get up in the morning and if it's amazing, you'll read on the treadmill tomorrow."

Well, a couple of hours later and I finished it and it is EXTRAORDINARY. First of all, you're sucked in my the third page. Sorry. If you've got something to do, you're going to have to put it off, there's no getting out of a one session read here.

Second, I'm not sure if it's me, but I think Sally Hepworth is getting better with each book. I've loved her since The Secrets of Midwives, but maybe she's getting more confidence? Maybe it's covid, and we're all thinking "well, we are living in pandemic times, let's just throw it all out there and see who likes what?". I do not know her formula, or how, but I could not put this book down.

The characters. Oh my. No one does a family driven story like Sally Hepworth. Rachel, she is EVERYTHING. Tully? You think you aren't going to like her, but then you love her. Heather? Absolutely no idea what to think of her but in the end she is just a part of the family and always has been.

This is a must read. Just go, pre-order it now, get it into your little paws. You're going to love it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. All opinion are my own.

3.5 stars rounded up!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Younger Wife. The characters were all flawed but likable. The writing style made this messy drama so much fun to dive into! The varying perspectives between all the women flowed seamlessly.

My issue lies in it being labeled as a thriller. This is not a thriller. This is a dark family drama. I kept waiting for some crazy plot twist that never happened. BUT! The ending was a great shock which has left me feeling both unsettled and wanting more.

Also I would have loved some more back story on Heather. She went through so much which seemed to be glossed over a lot. I think it would have been interesting to give a closer look at her background under the guise of it being Pam and Stephen’s relationship.

Overall- a twisted story with a dark ending.