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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
brooklynjane'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
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death, Rape, and Death of parent
Minor: Murder
mags0914's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
*SPOILER*
Twists I thought were coming: something do so with the SA Rachel suffered. Something to do with the “abuse” Stephen was committing- that he wasn’t guilty or was even being framed OR it was worse that he was responsible for the abuse but it was much more sinister (like having an accomplice). Pam was pretending to have dementia so she could get away from Stephen but was very much so still lucid.
Was sooo disappointed as I felt like there was no twist and you never really found anything out for sure other than where/how the money in the water bottle came to be. With the change of ending this could’ve been a 5🌟 book.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Rape, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
theverycraftyvegan'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
5.0
The Younger Wife was gloriously written. I loved bouncing between the characters and slowly piecing together the puzzle along the way.
Your heart will go out to the women in this book.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Dementia, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Infidelity and Pandemic/Epidemic
cmbohn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Rape and Murder
anneclareivy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Sexual assault
Minor: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, and Violence
destiny929's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
maggielane12'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
5.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
greatexpectations77'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
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Mass/school shootings, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse and Medical content
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