As a big fan of Sally Hepworth I have really enjoyed her previous novels but must say I was ambivalent about this book. The usual aspects of her writing that draw me in were there…siblings, family drama, characters with complex backstories and an “incident” which sends us hurtling towards a conclusion. The problem for me was that this book had too much of these aspects and not enough reading space to flesh them out. There were too many character flaws, too many dramatic and serious issues and the conclusion left me underwhelmed. I did not feel compelled to keep reading until I got to the end.

I just finished The Younger Wife, and I know it will be a novel I will think about for months ahead. Tully and Rachel meet their father's new fiance, Heather, who is younger, beautiful, and charming. The problem.? Their father is already married to their mother, Pam, who is suffering from early-onset dementia. While trying to care for their mother and form a relationship with Heather, the family starts to uncover a hidden past of their father. Is their father who he says he is?

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this book.

Im a fan of sally hepworth buft this book didnt work for me. Sure the characters had their issues but the story was seriously was lackluster

I read alot of psychological thrillers and i guess i was expecting alot more thrills.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
All opinions are my own

This book is a domestic/family drama with a tiny bit of thriller feel to it. The thriller comes from the fact that at the beginning of the book, something bad happens and you spend the rest of the book trying to figure out what happened and who was involved. The book is told mostly from three POVs: Tully, Rachel, and Heather. Tully and Rachel are sisters and are Stephen's daughters. Heather is Stephen's fiancé, who happens to be as young as his daughters. The two sisters are struggling with accepting Heather into their family, while they also struggle with demons in their own lives.

There is a lot going on in this book (as you can see from my many trigger warnings below). I think it could have done with a little less going on. Maybe paring it down to two POVs. I always struggle with books with more than two points of view (a personal preference) and this book was a slow start for me.

What really hooked me into the story was Rachel's storyline. I wanted to hear more about her past, her struggles, and her blossoming relationship with Darcy. Darcy was very charming and funny and loved how he interacted with Rachel.

I thought the ending and big reveals of the book were anticlimactic. It left me feeling like there was too much build up or an ending that I pretty much expected.

Overall it was entertaining but a little on the underwhelming side.

⚠️: Alzheimer's, mention of a fatal car accident and death of a parent, domestic violence, alcoholism, sexual assault, anxiety depression, murder

The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth is told through the multiple viewpoints of distinctive characters. Tully and Rachel are both dealing with their own personal issues, including their mother’s dementia, when they learn their father is getting married to a woman their own age. What could go wrong in a family full of secrets?

This novel started with a bang, and I enjoyed the ride from start to finish. Hepworth is a master at crafting flawed, but intriguing and sympathetic characters. I love her ability to weave threads of suspicion and doubt throughout a story that makes you question of what you’ve read as the characters are also questioning what is happening.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

I absolutely have adored this author & all she's written in the past and this one was no exception. I absolutely loved each character and how perceptions to each one about the same situation can be completely different. This really through me for a spin and something I thought I knew but the ending just threw me for a loop! Another well done novel!

I enjoyed this book a lot. Each chapter alternated between three different characters, two sisters and their father’s new fiancé. There was something in each of them you could relate to, and they felt like real people with real problems. They were all flawed, and I immediately wanted to know more about them. The first mystery was also introduced early on to capture your interest. I didn’t see every twist coming, and I found myself wondering what I would do in a similar situation. I particularly like that the ending left things a little ambiguous.

It was also easy to read. The writing flowed well. I don’t know if this is a thing other people notice, but I do. I like writing that I can easily digest and let’s me keep up my normal reading speed.

My biggest complaint was all the jumping around between timelines. Sometimes it happened mid-chapter and was confusing. It was mainly jumping to some past event a character was remembering and then back to the current time with no transition.

I’m giving it 3,5 stars, better than average.

It's not the juicy thriller you're expecting, but it was a welcome change of pace in the genre.. focusing more on the mental trauma caused my abusive family relationships as the mystery slowly unfolds.

Sally Hepworth is a fantastic author of mystery/thriller novels. In "The Younger Wife:, sisters Tully and Rachel have grown up in what they considered a loving family, with a mom and day who had a healthy relationship and more money than they knew how to spend. However, as their mom develops dementia and their dad starts an affair with the young, attractive interior designer, the family dynamics begin to change. Both Tully and Natalie are dealing with their own internal issues (kleptomania, recovery from SA) while now having to welcome this young woman into their family. When their dad ends up dead at his marriage ceremony, guests are left wondering who did it.

I really enjoyed the first 3/4's of the book and was quickly sucked in to the storyline. However, I was confused by the ending and disappointed by all of the unreliable narrators. A day later, and I'm still not sure who to believe. I wish the ending would have been a bit more conclusive. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy to review!

An incredible domestic suspense novel from the perspective of three women, THE YOUNGER WIFE showcases Sally Hepworth's incredible writing. Tully, Rachel, and Heather all have something to hide, yet one common hidden reality unites them together. It's not often a book can make me feel like I'm a character in the story, but I really identified with what these three women felt. They doubted their intuition and felt guilty for having those thoughts, and as the reader I did, too. Sally wrapped me into this story in such a masterful way, and it's definitely one to read!

Sally Hepworth does it again with a plot twist-filled and heart-felt novel all in one. I enjoyed the multiple POVs and the message that this edge on your seat read provided.

The Younger Wife is the story of a dysfunctional family from Mum with dementia, Stephen, Heather, Rachel and Tully. They all face challenges as a family wedding is planned. The author does a great job of piecing each character’s dilemmas together. The plot twists and turns culminate in a surprise ending. If you love psychological thrillers and family drama, you will love this book!

Heather is trying to be the perfect wife in an impossible situation. While hired as the interior designer for the Aston's she quickly realizes Mrs. Aston is suffering from dementia. Stephen seems like a loving and doting husband and Heather quickly falls in love with him. The two biggest problems they face however are the fact that Mrs. Aston is still alive and that she's younger than both of his daughters. While navigating the family drama associated with all of this, it's quickly evident that mot just Heather has secrets of her own. While they Aston's look like the perfect family on the outside, on the inside they all have secrets of their own.

This book has been a member of Mensa from elementary school, graduated college at 16, and then became a gas station attendant. This book is a doctor who made a last minute decision to throw it all away and settle for far less. While none of these decisions are wrong, it is shocking to see a fast successful rise to success with an immediate deviation at the end. That is this very book in a nutshell. The first 90% is good. Really good. It sucks you in and you stay up far too late reading it. The problem is the ending seems quick, not interesting at all, and leaves you with more questions than answers. This book had all the potential to be a five star read and just fell all the way off at the end unfortunately. Still four stars because the vast majority is great! Just be prepared to be a bit let down at the end. Expected publication date is April 5, 2022.

🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Sally Hepworth, and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

All I can say is wow. This is a great thriller. At first I was a little confused what direction this book was going to go in but it did not disappoint. The initial POV and the wedding is a little hard to conceptualize at first but then you realize something bad has happened and you speculate was it the bride? The groom? A guest? But then the story moves on to give you some background on the characters. The groom is a man who’s been previously married and is courting a younger woman, a woman younger than his adult daughter. He has a wife who is still alive but suffers from dementia. All characters make him out to be a hero. A great guy but is that truly the case? Why does his previous wife have dementia when that doesn’t run in the family? Why does his bride to be suspect him of gaslighting her when she confronts his darker side? Why do his daughters now question all the interactions between him and their mother? Then you find out he was married before that and the woman hates him, says he’s hurt her. Then all confirmation seems to slide into place. But then you read the epilogue and you wonder if every conclusion you thought you came to was terribly wrong and now a person is dead.

A fun easy read! The twist at the end was good but I wish it seemed more believable. The characters were well thought out and I enjoyed watching them grow throughout the book. I was left with questions about one daughter but overall, I thought the book was well-written.

This book was intriguing and kept me on my toes until the last chapter. The suspense was entertaining and I was asking myself "did he>" or "didn't he?" the whole time. Great read!

The sisters, ex wife and new wife all have their problems but none hide them as well as the husband/father. A surprising ending but takes a bit too long to get there. Tully didn’t elicit empathy from me until her confession to her husband. That really made understanding her problem as a true mental health not bored housewife problem
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this arc

The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth is her newest book coming out next Spring. Like her others, this is a family drama/ mystery that will captivate you from page one.

Brief Synopsis: Stephen Aston is the patriarch of a family with two lovely daughters and a wife who unfortunately has dementia. He meets a new younger woman named Heather he wishes to wed and despite his daughter's protests, he decides to marry her. Heather is the same age as Stephens daughters and the girls get the vibe that shes hiding dark secrets about her past.

Tully and Rachel have secrets of their own that they are hiding from the family and each other. Will the family sort out the drama before the big wedding or will everything come crashing down at the same time exposing one particular family member's biggest kept secret.

Overall Thoughts: I liked this one from the beginning but as the story went on, I began to wonder if it was going to end with a BANG like some of her other ones. I felt like the ending fell flat for me on this one and I was left wanting more from this story. There are still some parts where it felt like the story was incomplete. I thought the book was written well and had likeable characters but it lacked an impactful ending. I liked the three perspectives chosen for this book and I liked the fact that the chapters were short and sweet. I did prefer her other book The Good Sister more than this one as I felt the ending was more satisfying. Overall rating for this one is: 👰👰👰.5

This one releases in the Spring of 2022. Thank you to Netgalley, Sally hepworth and St Martin's Press for this advanced copy.

4 stars

Stephen Aston divorces his wife (who has dementia) so that he can marry Heather, a woman younger than his two grown-up daughters. Tully and Rachel, the daughters, have a lot of feelings about Heather and their father's relationship, but they are also both dealing with their own issues. Yet, they are still determined to figure out Heather's motives, uncover family secrets, and discover who their father really is.

This is my second Sally Hepworth book, and both that I've read are alike in that they are very hard to put down. I enjoyed the way that the characters who served as our 3 main POVs were fleshed out, as well as the respective story arcs of said characters.

I will say, I didn't necessary find this to be particularly thrilling, but based on the two works of Hepworth's that I've read, she tends to write more character-driven stories instead of more classic, action-filled mysteries/thrillers. The Younger Wife brilliantly examines the practice of gaslighting women, mental health issues, and how relationships may look very different behind closed doors. It is not without its mysteries, but they develop along with the story's characters.

Overall, a solid read that I'd recommend to most any reader, but especially those people who enjoy more lowkey mysteries, domestic thrillers, or character-driven novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest opinions. The Younger Wife will be released on 04/05/22!

I have heard a lot of buzz about the author Sally Hepworth from colleagues at work, who enjoy her writing. So, I was excited to receive an advanced copy of her new book. And, this book did not disappoint!

This story is quite the psychological thriller filled with family secrets, drama, and mystery. It brings to life how one thing can set a series of events in motion that make people ponder what is real, especially when there is a “gaslighter” involved. This story brings to light how a person can present as a loving, caring person, yet have an uglier personality behind closed doors.

The characters are well-developed with each having their own backstory that weaves beautifully into the main storyline. The gaslighting is so well written and with the slight twist to the ending, the story leaves you wondering what really was going on in that family. Was there really abuse?

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.