Ohhhh this was a great book!

We meet heather, tally, and racheal.

Tally is a mum who has two boys and a husband living in Melbourne, Australia. Tally also like to steal. Racheal love to bake but it is her way of dealing with her trauma that happened when she was 16. Heather is tally and racheal soon to be step mom who is also younger then them both, thought out the book the girls grow close but things are starting to come out.
The girls question did they ever know there dad and heather questions the man she is marrying.

This book does have some disturbing things, but also talks about domestic violence and rape. While I am pissed about the ending I found it all around very good!

In my mind, Sally Hepworth is the reigning Queen of the messy family drama. She writes nuanced characters with depth and heart, and never fails to weave in a compelling mystery. Hepworth’s latest, THE YOUNGER WIFE, is certainly no exception.

Inspired by true events of a large sum of money found in a water bottle, the story follows sisters Rachel and Tully as they navigate their father’s upcoming marriage to a younger woman, their mother’s dementia, and a myriad of personal issues.

I’ve seen this book classified as a thriller; in my opinion, that categorization does the book a disservice as the storyline is firmly in the domestic suspense/family drama genre. With that being said, Sally tackles some serious issues but does so with a light touch and her characters are flawed yet endearing.

I loved the full cast narration that truly brought this story to life. Of course, I always love an Australian accent! This would make for a great spring break poolside listen.

A big thank you to Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth
Fiction. Light thriller or mystery. Potential domestic abuse triggers. Multiple POV’s.
Adult family generations centered around one man. His previous wife has Alzheimer’s. His fiancé is becoming friends with his adult daughters. The daughters lives are changing with the discovery of hidden money by their mother.

Interesting.
Tully has been stealing since she was a child. It’s not anything she needs or really wants but the feelings she gets. Add her husband losing their money and the children at the age where they argue everything, plus her getting remarried. Her stress level is high.
Rachel has her own issue from when she was in school. Her new delivery person throws an unexpected curve in her orderly life.
Fiancé Heather has secrets but more importantly her drinking seems to bother her future husband.
The story winds around these three with their daily lives, the interactions and finally dealing.

Each of the women brought out my empathy, my sorrow and my anger at what they experienced. But also my questions on why they reacted the way they did. I’m not walking in their shoes so can’t say I would have acted the same or differently but it was intriguing that all this drama is in one extended family.

🎧 the audiobook is narrated by Barrie Kreinik, Caroline Lee, Jessica Douglas-Henry, and Zoe Carides. Each of the women does the chapter and character specific role they follow from that POV. The voices of the 4 are relatively close in modulation and tone but accents are distinctly different although the nuance may be lost at higher speeds. I varied between 1.0 and 1.5 and found the best for conversational speed and clear separation of the narration to be at 1.2. The performances by all were wonderful. Being from the center of the U.S., I preferred one over the others, mostly because it was different, pleasant and a bit unique to my ear.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley both in ebook and audiobook formats.

This book started out so strongly I couldn’t put it down but about half way it lost me.
I am a fan of far fetched and out there but this was so unrealistic after creating somewhat likeable characters with quirks who stared to grow on me too it seemed like the last bit was written in a manner to use the word “gaslighting” and I didn’t like it. Very well written however not that great of a story.
Excellent narration though

Once their mother heads to the nursing home with an advanced case of early onset Alzheimers, sisters Tully and Rachel are shocked to find their father planning to marry a (much) younger woman — Heather. That is the basic premise of this family drama, but what starts as one kind of story rapidly turns into something else. Or does it? Rotating narration among the three girls, what emerges is gripping, surprising, and a little insidious. The chapters for each woman are narrated by a different reader, and they are all good (lovely Australian accents for those of us who like that kind of thing).

Good writing, lots of character depth, and plenty of slowly creeping plot twists.

Great for fans of Liane Moriarity

The Younger Wife is a family drama about a relationship between a doctor and a much younger woman. The engagement brings up past family drama and hidden secrets that lead to a startling conclusion. And let me not forget to mention that the doctor is currently still married to a woman that is suffering from dementia.

This was not the juicy story I was expecting. It was a slower read for me, I can normally zoom trough a Hepworth book. However, this was very typical of her - drama, secrets and twists and turns you do not see coming. The ending left me wanting much more!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Being a huge Sally Hepworth fan, I was so happy to receive a complimentary copy for an honest review. It did not disappoint! I love how SH manages to weave such a complicated family drama from start to finish. I’ve also loved The Mother in Law and The Good Sister.

The narration team was perfect. Caroline Lee has always been a favorite of mine, but I also loved the narrator for Rachel.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an audio version of this wonderful book.

I’ve been reading (and loving) Sally Hepworth’s novels for ages. I’m pretty sure I’ve read them all, actually. Her style of writing has certainly changed a lot over the years. I’d describe her earlier novels as contemporary fiction or even chick lit. However, her more recent novels lean towards the mystery, thriller, and suspense genres. With each new release, things get a little darker, heavier, and even a bit twistier. A lot of book reviewers call her the queen of domestic suspense, and I’d have to agree with that title. Her latest, The Younger Wife is centered around three women: two sisters, and their father’s new fiancé - aka, the younger wife. As the novel bounces from one woman’s perspective to another, the reader quickly learns more and more about their individual struggles and tragic pasts. This is a slow-burning mystery that airs out A LOT of dirty laundry! Just like always, Hepworth delivers another page-turner full of family drama, secrets, and crazy twists. Was this my absolute favorite novel from Sally Hepworth? No, but it was fun, intriguing, and very entertaining. It’s the perfect book to pick up if you’re in a reading slump, or if you need a good palate cleanser after an intense read. The Younger Wife releases on April 5th, and it gets 4/5 stars from me!

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I enjoyed this one. Little bit of a slow burn at times but worth it! The narrators did great as well.

3.5 stars -- I did enjoy this audiobook for the most part. I found the beginning to drag a bit, but when the drama really started, I was hooked. I liked the family dynamic, along with Tully, Rachel, and Heather's growing friendships. I also enjoy a full cast audio, so that was a plus with this one. Although I would say this wasn't so much a thriller/mystery as it was a domestic drama. This was my first Sally Hepworth, but it definitely won't be my last!

This was a really good domestic thriller. The narration of the audiobook was great and while the storyline was disturbing at times, it kept me engaged. I needed to know what happened next. Family secrets and unreliable characters made this story binge worthy. I recommend checking this one out but make sure to check the trigger warnings.

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for providing a free advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

There is A LOT to unpack with this story. Basically it centers around the family of Stephen, a successful heart surgeon. Stephen’s wife Pam has been diagnosed with dementia and is in a facility . Their grown children are Rachel and Tully. Tully is married with two children and is a proud stay at home mom. Rachel is a successful baker. Pretty basic, hum drum cast of characters right? Now let me throw in the interior designer, Heather that redecorated Stephen and Pam’s home. She is younger than both Rachel and Tully and has become engaged to Stephen! He’s still married to poor Pam!!! Below the surface the entire cast of characters has serious issues. All of them are battling demons and have unhealthy coping mechanisms.

This was a slow burn that didn't feel like a slow burn. The story was told from multiple perspectives that gradually raise questions and doubts about this messed up family!! I really enjoyed the story and appreciated the writing style and I loved the ending! Many other reviews have spoken out about the ending, don’t let that scare you. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

The narration for the audio book was very good!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Audiobook/Book Review

The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth
@SallyHepworth
Pub date: April 5th
Domestic/Psychological thriller
4 stars

“𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘉𝘶𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘦”

Ah, this was completely bingeable and kept me up way past my bedtime! Another bonus is that I had the audiobook so I could listen, too, all while cleverly pretending to pay attention to other people. Win/Win in my book! That witty pun was completely intended!

Stephen Ashton is a prominent surgeon whose wife is suffering from early onset dementia and currently in a care home. When he meets Heather, a much younger woman, he falls in love and decides to marry her but ah, this is where the trouble starts. His two daughters, Tully and Rachel, both older than Heather, and each with their own set of problems, begin to notice odd things their mother says and some disturbing behaviors, leading to some grim discoveries both currently and in the past.

A bloody wedding combined with secrets and lies, and gaslighting galore made this a page turner but figuring out who’s lying and who’s doing the gaslighting? That is the real chef’s kiss!

Narration: Full cast narration with some of my favorites! Barrie Kreinik, Caroline Lee, Jessica Douglas Henry and Zoe Carides make this an entertaining and exciting read, each giving life to the characters and a joy to listen to!

My thanks to @MacMillan.Audio and @StMartinsPress for the gifted ALC and DRC!

Sally Hepworth is the queen of domestic drama with twists and turns that have you guessing what will happen next. The characters are well developed, though in a slow methodical way. You get glimpses into their past. And those views have you doubting if things are as they seem. From the first page, you are drawn in and an uninvited guest to the wedding sets up the story and the questions that will plague you to the end. I loved the three different points of view from Tully, Rachel, and Heather. Put this on your to-be-read list.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This was an okay book, it fell a little flat for me. I kept waiting for more to happen, something bigger to surprise me but it never occurred. I listened to the audio version and thought the narrators did an excellent job bringing the characters to life.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net galley for providing a free audio ARC of this title for my honest review.

This is the 3rd book by this author that I've read, and I think I"m done with the author. I read and really enjoyed The Mother In Law, but the last two have been misses for me. This title got a lot of high reviews so I thought I'd try again, but wow, what a miss for me!
The audio narration is a bit confused for me, with 3-4 different narrators. The story line does follow different characters, and usually I enjoy this option, but it just didn't work for me this time.
But my biggest complaint about the book is the characters - I hated every single one. Every one. This wasn't the engaging domestic thriller I expected from the early reviews, it was a mess. And very uncomfortable.

The Younger Wife is a solidly middle-of-the-road novel, and sometimes we need those! It's not one I'll rave about, or even actively recommend, but I'll cheerfully listen to patrons' opinions of it and give it a positive review if asked. The narrator for this audiobook is *perfect* in my opinion, and I was content to go along for the ride--I just wasn't wowed by the story at all.

’m a huge fan of Sally Hepworth’s family dramas, especially on audio (the narrators are always fantastic), so I was excited for The Younger Wife.

However, this one fell flat for me and was pretty “meh”. I did like the multiple POV and the multiple narrators in the audiobook (although they sounded like robots on @netgalley—can we PLEASE get that fixed?!). And the first 85% of the book was intriguing.

The ending just did not work. I thought it was ridiculous. And I agree with many Goodreads reviews about it being hurtful to individuals who have experienced some of the content warnings (will list in comments).

I don’t know. I love Sally Hepworth novels, just not this one. Hoping for good things with the next one!

Thank you NetGalley and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted audiobook!

Sally Hepworth has certainly found her niche in domestic thrillers. I enjoyed this book for it’s familial issues intertwined with so many real world, yet taboo subjects, like addiction, domestic abuse, mental health, sexual assault etc. I found Tully, Rachel, and Heather relatable and likeable. Massive praise for not making Heather the cliché “other woman” villain but instead allowing Tully and Rachel to accept her and respect her. Hepworth’s writing was as always clever and thought-provoking. My only issue with the story was the epilogue that introduced some ambiguity. I honestly was left feeling gaslighted by a book that was some what about gaslighting. I questioned whether Stephen was an abuser or not but then had to remind myself that he had abused Heather and therefore, no matter what the situation was between he and Pam, he was an abuser. I’m not sure what Hepworth was angling at with this ending, but I’d love to hear her thoughts and reasoning.

Excellent cast of narrators for The Younger Wife. Sally Hepworth’s writing style always translates well to the audio format and I almost prefer listening over reading her books.

Loved the narrators. They did a great job with the voices and I could understand them well despite the accent. The book at the end fell flat for me . I was hoping for more info.