Another page turner from Sally Hepworth. Four stars because it has been a while since I’ve read a book where I just wanted to keep reading. I loved the short chapters told from different viewpoints, the dysfunctional characters and the easy to follow plot. Kept me engaged so this was the perfect holiday read. If you’re into contemporary family drama (think Liane Moriarty’s earlier novels before they became way too big), then you’ll enjoy this book. ( )

I have been reading Advanced Reader Copies for years so I am prepared for some alterations prior to it being in its published form. I will often listen to the audio version when published to compare with usually only minor changes to people's names for example, addition or subtraction of sentences. This book had a very different ending from ARC copy and what went to print. This book was also first published in Australia and I understand that it also underwent the same transformations. To avoid spoilers I will just comment that verbal and physical abuse are addressed in this novel and the changes relate to how the story is resolved, if there is one.

It is narrated from different POV with addresses the women involved with Stephen Ashton, a heart surgeon, who is looking to remarry yet again at age 60 to Heather Wisher, a much younger woman at 34 years old who was hired as their interior designer. Meanwhile, Stephen is getting a divorce from Pamela whose health is declining due to Alzheimer's disease. It is difficult to write a spoiler free review given that both versions I've read lead down a confusing path. One version aimed to address some unresolved questions that weren't clear in the other version. It really felt like two different books in the end for me. Basically, all the women in the novel have encountered some sort of abuse whether revealed and discussed or ignored. There is a final twist in the end with the epilogue which occurs 3 years prior to the story which I don't think clarified the plot for me in anyway. ( )

Awesome as Always

Another novel by Sally Hepworth that I loved from start to finish MINUS one character!

Sally Hepworth’s newest book, The Younger Wife, is a domestic thriller that follows the dysfunctional Aston family. Stephen Aston is a 63-year-old heart surgeon who is engaged to 34-year-old interior designer Heather. The only problem is that Stephen is still married to Pam, who is in a nursing home and suffers from dementia. Stephen plans on divorcing Pam so he can marry Heather, although Stephen says that the divorce is on paper only, that Pam will always be a part of his family. Stephen’s two daughters, 37-year-old Tully and 35-year-old Rachel, are not too happy with this arrangement and as family secrets start to unravel, they are determined to find out who their father really is.

That synopsis sounds more sinister than the book really is. While this was not a heart thumping read, it was a great mystery with interesting and relatable characters. The story opens with Stephen and Heather’s wedding. The whole family is there including Pam. After the ceremony is over, they all go into the back of the church to sign the registry and it is there that someone is hurt. We do not know who is hurt, how bad or who did it. All we know is there was a scream and then the pastor comes out to ask if there is a doctor in the house and the pastor has blood on her. The story then goes back in time
Each of the three main characters are flawed and have secrets which makes this a page turner because you are invested in the development of the Daughters and even Heather and Pam.
Tully is married and has two small sons. Not only has her husband lost a substantial amount of money in an investment, but Tully is also a kleptomaniac. I had a lot of sympathy for her because she felt there was no one she could talk to while trying to be perfect for everyone.

Rachel was my favorite character. After an incident that happened when she was sixteen, Rachel has given up on men, that is until she hires a new delivery guy for her bakery business, named Darcy. Darcy is able to finally break down the walls that Rachel has put up.

Heather was a character I thought I was going to hate, but actually ended up liking. This is the third novel I have read by Sally Hepworth it will be getting a high rating just like the others. So, if you like domestic thrillers about dysfunctional families with lots of secrets, then Sally Hepworth’s The Younger Wife is the book for you. # I Am Totally Obsessed! ( )

I worried that I'd be disappointed at the ending because of a few other reviews I'd read. Thankfully, that didn't happen!
The daughters, Tully and Rachel, and the soon-to-be young bride to their father, Heather, are three women with big issues, but they are also women I'd want as friends. I loved their heart and vulnerability, and how they slowly deal with said "issues."
Even though you pretty much know things aren't going to turn out well at the wedding for someone in the family (it's the opening scene) you aren't sure who it is until near the end.
I liked the ending, it was fulfilling enough that I didn't rip the earbud from my ear (I listened to this on audiobook) and instead breathed a sigh of relief that I enjoyed the ending.
I read The Good Sister by this author and I really enjoyed both books!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this entertaining story. ( )

Stephen Aston seems like the perfect husband and father. He's a respected heart surgeon and he always knows just the right thing to say and do for his wife Pam and his daughters Tully and Rachel. When Pam descends into the fog of early dementia he remains devoted to her, even after he begins a romantic relationship with the interior decorator Pam hired before her memory went.

That alone is enough to raise some eyebrows in Ashton's Melbourne, Australia, circle. But Heather is also younger than either of Stephen's daughters, both of whom have some emotional issues that are interfering in their ability to process what's happening to their family. Things culminate at Stephen and Heather's wedding, to which Pam (freshly divorced by Stephen) is invited and who is on the spot when things go terribly wrong.

The book opens with the climactic scene at the wedding, although because the incident happens "off stage" in the sacristy no one in the chapel knows exactly what happened. The book shifts from that event, seen from the point of view of an unknown woman guest, to the events that led up to the fateful day. As the dark side of one character starts to emerge, the other characters vacillate between believing what they are seeing and doubting their interpretations of events. It was quite clear to me that the baddie was in fact bad, but I can't tell if it was a deliberate authorial choice to have the audience clued in before the characters. It didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story, but I'd love to know for sure.

I saw a blurb that referred to the genre this book belongs to as "domestic suspense" and that seems like a good descriptor. That's not necessarily a category I vibe with, but I did enjoy this book so maybe I like the genre more than I think. I'd read another book by Hepworth if I find one available at the library. ( )