★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

"You shouldn't play around with people..."

What a delightful tension-filled twisted thriller THE YOUNGER WOMAN is! And definitely not what I expected at all. The author has cleverly constructed a complex plot that will have even seasoned readers like me fooled with each turn of the page, leaving us more stunned than Nick with Lottie's anniversary surprise.

Forty-somethings Nick and Lottie are off to Fairview, his parent's holiday cottage (which is anything but a cottage, I might add), to celebrate their tenth anniversary and Nick's birthday the following day. After several years of failed IVF attempts and their desperation to have a child, nothing has worked and Lottie's biological clock is ticking. But now Lottie has a big surprise for Nick...however, she is in for an even bigger surprise of her own.

Filled with excitement at Lottie's news, Nick braves the lashing rain and heads to the village for some champers. But an hour later and he still hasn't returned and Lottie is getting worried. Even more so when the storm cuts the lights in the cottage and she must use her mobile phone's flashlight (with its failing battery) to brave the cellar and its feisty inhabitants of the rodent kind in search of the fuse box (and hoping it is just a tripped switch). Of course she clocks a bottle of champagne on the shelf down there, but Nick claimed not to have known where the key to the cellar was. Yet Lottie found it on his own key fob. Strange? Or had he forgotten about it?

When she tries to retrieve the bottle, she unintentionally discovers the body of a young woman. A woman with red hair, like her own. Like Nick's new PA. Surely not?

Lottie's head is filled with questions. All those text messages; all those late nights "at the office"; his moodiness and snappiness; the lies she has uncovered and questioned him about...all of this and more. How did she get here? Why is she here? Did Nick meet her here? Were they having an affair?

But nothing will prepare Lottie for the answers when they are eventually revealed. Skeletons buried so deep, uncovering the lies and deception as the secrets of the past begin to resurface. And at the end of it all...what does it mean for Nick, Lottie and the baby they so desperately wanted?

With a handful of characters, a cleverly woven plot and a twisted tale that will keep you guessing who to believe and who not to, THE YOUNGER WOMAN is a psychological thriller that will have you second guessing everything. Even the characters all seem a little untrustworthy. One in particular is just deviously nasty. But the story as a whole is just really well-plotted and by the end you will be left pondering what exactly you've just read. Because it will make you second guess how you perceived everything. Not confusing, when really you think about it, just complex and very cleverly done.

THE YOUNGER WOMAN was nothing like I expected and I enjoyed every minute of it! Figuring out the twists and reveals never spoils the story for me, but when you get one that comes along and still has the ability to surprise and shock you, then you know you have a winner! I love the complexity of the story and its subplots that when I look back at it and see just how cleverly the author has woven the tale, I am just so impressed I'm speechless.

Overall, a thoroughly twisted tale and an enjoyable psychological thriller with plenty of tension and an abundance of secrets that are so cleverly hidden not even the seasoned reader will pick them!

I would like to thank #MandyByatt, #Netgalley and #AvonBooks for an ARC of #TheYoungerWoman in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

I was intrigued from the start with this book and days after finishing it I was still thinking about it! It dew me in hook, line and sinker. I was convinced I knew where the story was going and how it would end.

Tense, claustrophobic at times and gripping.

This is a true thriller, with an excellent pace, generously written characters and an ending that fits perfectly but makes you want more.

Perfect

This is a fast paced read with lots of twists among the many characters. Twists right until the very end, with an ending I did not see coming. Fab story and one I would definitely recommend.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC

he Younger Woman is a book I’ve been excited about since it was announced. I adored this authors debut and became a converted fan.

Lottie and Nick are having problems with their marriage- we find this out very quickly. I have to admit, I was instantly hooked by the beginning of this gem. I couldn’t wait to really get stuck in.

This is definitely a page turner. I love how the events have unfolded piece by piece for the reader to put together.

Byatt definitely kept my attention with this one. All is definitely not what it seems on first look. This is a gem to read and I’ve loved it from the beginning.

This was a surprising little netgalley find! I was super into it and finished it in a day. The characters were vibrant and kept my attention as well as the plot

This is an explosive book that will make you question everything that you read and believe. It is fast paced and shocking right till the end. One of the best psychological thrillers that I have read recently. You won't be disappointed.

Lottie and Nick are starting their journey into family life after failed ivf so when an idyllic weekend away is planned what could do wrong? Maybe the disappearance of a female body in the cellar will throw a spanner in the works!
Oh I loved this book! Perfectly twisty and really gripping! Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Younger Woman was a tensely written psychological thriller that I read in a day.
Lottie and Nick are at his parents holiday home, they are celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary. They have struggled to have a child going through many rounds of IVF, all being unsuccessful but Lottie has found out that she is pregnant naturally and tells Nick who is overjoyed and runs out to get champagne. Nick is gone over an hour and the fuses trip, Lottie heads to the cellar and once she’s sorted the fuses making everywhere light again she spies a bottle of champagne, she grabs it but on doing so sees there is a dead body under some sheeting, the body looks just like her! What is she doing there and has she been murdered and if so who by?
This was a great read, the characters play their parts well and the twists were good, I was less up the garden path very well in this book. I have read books before by Mandy Byatt and this one was just as good in making me question everything I’d been reading.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

The Younger Woman by Mandy Byatt was brilliant explosive psychological thriller from start to finish with a brilliant ending! WoW didn't see that coming. Superb! All the characters were excellent I love a great villain.

This book would be great as a holiday read.....But, once you start you wont want to put it down.

I highly recommend this book I loved it.

A stunning read. So cleverly written. I did not get close to guessing the end. A gripping story with great twists.

With a body appearing almost immediately, I settled in for what I was sure was going to be a thrill ride, and I wasn't disappointed. While the story did slow down somewhat for some backstory, it was necessary and didn't detract from the flow.

While I struggled to separate some points of view at times, I realize it was done for a purpose, and when I caught on, I was good to go! Tons of red herrings filled this nasty twisted tale. I wanted a little more from the ending, but overall, a satisfying read. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for my review copy. THE YOUNGER WOMAN is out now!

I'm not going to give a very in depth review to preserve the plot of this book. Let me just say that I frequently figure out books and the way I think they're going. An author can rarely surprise me anymore. So, kudos to Mandy Byatt because you managed to pull one over on me in the best way.

Go into this one blind and even when you're frustrated with the characters....and trust me, you will be because at times, they're unforgivably awful, keep reading. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Lottie and Nick have been married for some years now and have been met with numerous unsuccessful IVF treatments. As she is now 45, she knows time is running out.

Nick’s birthday is coming up and she and his parents have planned a surprise birthday party for him at his parents’ holiday cottage. It’s also Lottie and Nick’s 10th anniversary so they head to the cottage a day before everyone is to arrive to celebrate their special day. Lottie’s big surprise for Nick is that she is finally pregnant. He is ecstatic. Even with a storm raging outside, he is determined to set off to get a bottle of champagne to celebrate. Lottie is alone at the cottage when the electricity goes out. As much as she hates the basement, she heads down to check the fusebox. When the lights come back on, she finds a dead woman under a tarp on the floor. She is shocked and wonders if Nick has been having an affair and could he have killed the woman.

I so wanted to like this book and felt that surely it had promise. The characters didn’t grab my sympathy for or real interest in them. The way the story is told is purposely twisted to make the reader think that timeline is different from what it truly is. In addition, the flurry at the end of the book to try and tie up all the ends was downright confusing. Those were my big gripes about this book. I’ve not read this author before so I have nothing to compare this one to. I’m sorry, but I didn’t really care for this one.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book has a gripping start and a great plot. However somewhere around the middle the story begins to fall a bit flat and veers into the confusing. Luckily the last few chapters really ramp up the action and thrills again, which lead to a good ending.

A family drama with a beautiful couple who are beginning their 40’s trying to start their own family. Sadly there are issues and this leads to suspicion and guilt. In the counter story, we hear from a younger woman, who plots in a devious way to ensnare the husband and lure him away from his wife with the prospect of giving him his own child.

Clever and a good read, although there were, I felt, a few too many characters which became confusing in the mid section.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, very clever story telling - I really didn't see the twist coming and it it keeps you puzzling right till the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read The Younger Woman.

The Younger Woman was amazing. It was an intense thriller with so many twists and turns that I could not put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for my ARC.

The Younger Woman by Mandy Byatt is a good, twisty, edge of your seat read. Love when a story finally comes together after taking you on a rollercoaster ride! Great suspense, twist and turns and original storyline.

This is an amazing twisty novel, I was completely hooked! Secrets after secrets unfold in this superbly written thriller!
Lottie is convinced her husband is having an affair, and so does everything to find out what is happening. Then she finds out she is pregnant, whilst also discovering a dead body, and those around her having disturbing past secrets.
It is very cleverly written so that the reader does not realise what is going on. All the characters' stories interconnect into a dramatic conclusion. Wonderful!
Perfect for every reader, Mandy Byatt is the next great author to follow!

It started out strong, with a body early on, but then slowed down a bit while describing the backstory. This novel was presented from various POVs which were not clearly delineated as I read through the chapters. I had to discern who was presenting their case which was obviously meant to be mysterious. The characters were varied and I particularly wanted to hate the younger woman, a despicable person. By the end of the book, it was clear there was much more to the backstory than had originally been told and it seemed many of the character’s pasts were coming out of the woodwork so to speak which made the end a thrilling ride