By: Sally Hepworth
ISBN: 9781250229618
Publisher: St Martin's Press
Publication Date: 04/05/2022
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 5 Stars ++ (ARC)
Sally Hepworth, the newest breakout star of domestic suspense delivers her next twisty novel about family secrets and lies in The Younger Wife.
Stephen Aston is getting married again. The only problem is, he's still married to his first wife, even though she is in a care facility for dementia. But he'll take care of that easily, by divorcing her--even if his adult daughters protest.
Tully and Rachel Aston look upon Heather as nothing but an interloper. Heather is the same age as Rachel and even younger than Tully. Clearly she's a gold digger and after their father's money. Heather has secrets that she's keeping close, and reasons of her own for wanting to marry Stephen.
With their mother unable to speak for herself, Tully and Rachel are determined to get to the truth about their family's secrets, the new wife closing in, and who their father really is. But will getting to the truth unleash the most dangerous impulses...in all of them?
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Praise
'Smart, suspenseful, brimming with secrets. This is Sally Hepworth at her unputdownable best.'
- Kate Morton, New York Times Bestselling Author
'Completely compulsive. Sally Hepworth delivers with this stay-up-late one-more-chapter gem.'
- Jane Harper, New York Times Bestselling Author
"A warped tale [that] boasts Jane Harper’s multilayered characters and Liane Moriarty’s wealthy suburban world saturated with lies and deceit. With each domestic thriller, best-selling Hepworth shines brighter and draws in more readers."
--Booklist
"[An] appealing domestic suspense novel from bestseller Hepworth [with a] fast-moving plot. This often funny and affecting outing should win Hepworth new fans."
--Publisher's Weekly
My Review
The witty and talented bestselling author Sally Hepworth always has some tricks up her sleeve, and THE YOUNGER WIFE has plenty of juicy secrets and surprises!
Set in Melbourne, Australia, meet the Aston family.
Stephen, the father, is a successful cardiac surgeon. Pamela, his wife has early-onset Alzheimers, and he is about to move her to a nursing home to get on with his life, and the younger new wife, Heather he is about to marry. Of course, he can get a divorce from his current wife since she is not of sound mind.
Heather is the family's interior designer. She comes from a poor background and made her way into the family and especially the catch, Stephen. She will soon have all the status she needs and deserves. She will be the new younger wife and younger than Stephen's two grown daughters.
Next, we meet the two adult daughters. Now, these sisters have plenty of problems they keep hidden from one another and the world.
Rachel is a voluptuous plus-size woman single and never married and has not dated since her teens. She is beautiful and successful and owns a bakery and makes the hottest bridal cakes. She also has an eating disorder and even eats her designer client's wedding cakes and then purges. There is some past trauma that comes out later in the book.
Tully, the other sister is very thin, married, and has two young children. She is always anxious and she has a problem with stealing. Yes, stealing things from friends' homes and high-end designer stores. She really does not need them she just likes the high. She has issues. Plus her husband is also hiding some secrets.
OK, so when the father has brunch with Heather and the adult daughters to announce he is marrying Heather and divorcing their mom, needless to say, it does not go well.
Heather also has a bad drinking problem. The three women decide to have an outing to themselves and a lot of themselves start pouring out. Maybe this woman is not so bad.
It is the day of the wedding, and as we get close to the big day, things do not seem right. Rachel suspects her dad may be abusive. Since her mom has this horrible disease and now Heather seems to be falling a lot. Then they discover their dad has been married before. This is the nameless guest at the wedding watching it all go downhill. Is Stephen not the person he appears to be or are the daughters paranoid?
The wedding ends with someone murdered. You must read the book to learn all the fun details. Also, there is a little unexpected romance between Rachel and her hot new delivery guy.
The best of all is the Hot Water Bottle! Who knew a hot water bottle full of cash could be so wickedly funny. A huge fan of the author, and have read every book. What I enjoy about her novels is each one is something you do not expect and quite unique.
She combines domestic suspense with humor for a rip-roaring good time and is always highly entertaining!
A special thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for an ARC digital copy and Goodreads for a print giveaway copy!
Reading Experience:
I was grabbed from the first page and loved the Author's Note and inspiration for the novel. That mysterious water bottle full of cash. We miss you Aunty Gwen and hope you are enjoying heaven— and keeping everyone on their toes. Please feel free to send me a money-filled hot water bottle at any time. Greatly appreciated!
This was my Valentine's weekend read and it was the BEST! A must-read! When nothing is as it appears with Sally's unique winning signature style, she always keeps you guessing! I think her family needs their own TV show, but Sally will need a stand-in because she must have time to write because I always look forward to her next exciting adventure. Every book she writes— lands on my top list of the year. Love her humor. A Must-read and top books of 2022!
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Pub Date: April 5, 2022
Sally Hepworth Books
About the Author
Sally Hepworth is the New York Times bestselling author of six novels, most recently The Good Sister (2021), which was an instant bestseller. Her novel, Mother In Law (2019) has been optioned for a TV series by Hollywood actress and producer, Amy Poehler.
Drawing on the good, the bad and the downright odd of human behaviour, Sally writes incisively about family, relationships and identity. Her domestic thriller novels are laced with quirky humour, sass and a darkly charming tone.
Sally's novels are available worldwide in English and have been translated into 20 languages.
Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and three children. Website
