Sally Hepworth has become a must-read author for me ever since I read The Mother-in-Law several years ago. I am slowly making my way through all of her backlist titles, but when I see a new one pop up, I can’t resist reading it right away! So, when I saw The Younger Wife available on Net Galley, I requested it and was thrilled to be approved to read the ARC of her newest novel and it did not disappoint!
The Younger Wife is a jam-packed full of family drama! The story centers around the Aston family in which each member of this family has so many issues to be explored.
Tully and Rachel Aston are sisters whose father is getting married to a woman their age while their mother is in a care facility for dementia. These sisters are trying to accept this marriage out of love for their father and dealing with crisis in their own lives.
Tully is a highly anxious person who just found out that she and her husband are about to lose their home and very comfortable lifestyle because of a bad investment. She is also a parent of two sons who feels like she is constantly failing them and their needs. AND she has a long kept, shameful secret.
Rachel runs a very successful cake/bakery business. She is obsessed with cooking, baking and eating. She also is single and hasn’t dated anyone since she was a teenager. There is a reason for this that Heather has kept hidden for years and is finally ready to move forward.
Heather is engaged to be married to Tully and Rachel’s father even though she sometimes has doubts about their relationship. Of course, she has a dark past that she also wants to keep hidden.
This novel starts out with a scene from the wedding that ends in chaos as told by an unknown narrator, whose identity is later revealed.
We are able to read the point of view of each of the characters I mentioned above throughout the book. I loved the nuance that this added to the story. Some of them started out as very unlikeable, but ended up being more relatable as their story was told. The reader comes to realize that we all have “stuff” that we are carrying around.
This family drama/physiological thriller kept me compulsively reading until the end! And, oh my gosh…the ending!!!
I typically prefer endings that wrap everything up in a nice little bow. This book does not do that. It leaves you guessing and questioning yourself and the characters. Yet, somehow Sally Hepworth was able to accomplish this ending without turning me off from the book as a whole. My only explanation for that is pure genius and absolute incredible writing skills!
Content Warning
This novel deals with several very serious topics that include rape eating disorders, anxiety, kleptomania, verbal abuse and physical domestic violence.
Rating
Other Information
Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this early!
Publication Date: April 5, 2022
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers | Women’s Fiction
Length: 352 pages (hardcover)
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