The Younger Wife: A Novel

Sally Hepworth

Apr 2022 · Sold by St. Martin's Press

About this ebook

From the author of The Good Sister, the breakout New York Times bestseller and “stunningly clever thriller” (People), comes Sally Hepworth’s next novel of domestic suspense about the tangled vines of family secrets.

"Smart, suspenseful, brimming with secrets. This is Sally Hepworth at her unputdownable best."––Kate Morton, New York Times Bestselling Author

THE HUSBAND
A heart surgeon at the top of his field, Stephen Aston is getting married again. But first he must divorce his current wife, even though she can no longer speak for herself.

THE DAUGHTERS
Tully and Rachel Aston look upon their father’s fiancée, Heather, as nothing but an interloper. Heather is younger than both of them. Clearly, she’s after their father’s money.

THE FORMER WIFE
With their mother in a precarious position, 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.

THE YOUNGER WIFE
Heather has secrets of her own. Will getting to the truth unleash the most dangerous impulses
in all of them?

More Praise for The Younger Wife:

"[An] appealing domestic suspense novel from bestseller Hepworth [with a] fast-moving plot. This often funny and affecting outing should win Hepworth new fans."––Publishers Weekly

"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

Ratings and reviews

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.

The Younger Wife by a new to me author Sally Hepworth. I gave the book a try because it had a intriguing storyline. But it was only an okay book for me not a top read. I'm glad I read it and will try other books by author.

I went into this book expecting one thing and was pleasantly surprised when this story went a completely different direction. The women were well developed and easy to connect with. Even as they had things that made them less desirable, I still cared about what was going to happen to each of them and who among them was going to end up either dead or the one to make someone dead. This is definitely a character driven story with a thin layer of menace running through it. I found myself caught up in the lives of each of these women when suddenly something would be casually hinted at that sent me spinning with contemplation. I picked and prodded at these characters, guessing as to what had happened, why it might have happened, and who might have done it, before I’d switch to someone else as the villain. I loved every minute of it. This was unlike other psychological thrillers I’ve read. It had such a fresh feel to the writing and the creation of the story never felt heavy handed. Overall an enjoyable read that I could not put down!

About the author

Sally Hepworth has lived around the world, spending extended periods in Singapore, the United Kingdom and Canada. She is the author of The Secrets of Midwives, The Things We Keep, The Mother's Promise, The Family Next Door and The Mother-in-Law. Sally now lives in Melbourne with her husband, three children, and one adorable dog.