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ggoldberg626's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Author: Sally Hepworth
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3.00
Pub Date: April 5, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Psychological • Dynamic • Lacking
📖 S Y N O P S I S
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?
💭 T H O U G H T S
I've been slowly making my way through Sally Hepworth's backlist over the past few years, and next up was The Younger Wife. I'll preface my review by saying I was way less interested in this one than some of her other books, and my gut ended up being on point.
What I like:
• the prologue. It created so much tension, intrigue and suspicion. I needed to find out how it would all play out.
• multiple perspectives. I thought this structure suited the storyline perfectly, giving glimpses into each woman's life.
• the heavier topics. This one takes on A LOT and Hepworth does so in a sensitive manner, which I appreciated.
What I didn't like:
• the characters. The fact that the women all come across as unreliable and each of the male characters comes across in a good light didn't work for me at all.
• the ending. Underwhelming and predictable. Also some loose ends.
Despite hooking my interest in the beginning and containing some serious topics, my attention quickly waned as the story progressed. By the end, it just felt like a meh and forgettable read. With that said, I look forward to continuing in exploration of Sally's books.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of family drama
• readers who like books that read like a soap opera
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Perhaps the very worst people still had some good in them. And perhaps the very best had some bad."
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Murder
quietcoastline's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Infertility, Excrement, and Pregnancy
thebookishmama's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The character development across the three points of view was really great and the little drops of mystery and secrets across multiple chapters made for an overall desire to want to keep reading to uncover the truth. I did have an issue with the overall light the women were painted in the end. But the novel as a whole was great. The short chapters made for a great pace and kept me wanting to just read one more chapter. I kept asking myself so many questions and trying to guess where it was going to go. Each character was so vastly different, but it was great to see how they could all intertwine. I’m still left questioning the truth at the end and keep changing my mind, but this took a twist I did not see coming! The overall theme this novel presents is one I haven’t seen often in a thriller, which made for a nice change. Tully and Rachel have never been close, but when their father announces he’s getting married to a women who is younger than both of them, while still being married to their mother, they find themselves closer than they’ve ever been. They still haven’t even begun to process the quick declining health of their mother to dementia. While they both continue to deal with their own secrets and troubles, they’re hesitant to get to know their soon-to-be stepmom. Rachel stumbles upon a secret big enough to uproot everything she’s even known to be true, but she isn’t even sure she can trust her own gut. She isn’t the only one hiding a big secret, but could there be something more sinister going on?
Graphic: Physical abuse and Gaslighting
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Dementia
Minor: Infertility and Miscarriage