A review by amandasbookreview
The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth

emotional mysterious tense slow-paced
  • 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

 
Thank you, NetGalley, Sally Hepworth, and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book. It was released on April 5th, 2022!

“It was amazing how she could suddently breathe when surrounded by butter, sugar, and eggs. The methodical nature of baking provided an equilibrium of sorts, an opportunity to process her feelings. And lately, she had a lot of feelings.”

THE YOUNGER WIFE
Boy, do I love a good Sally Hepworth novel. I have read, The Mother-in-Law, The Mother’s Promise, The Good Sister, and now The Younger Wife! The book begins with a wedding and an unknown narrator. The groom is older, the bride a bit younger, the ex-wife is present and has dementia, and the groom’s adult daughters are not happy about their father marrying a woman their age. What could go wrong? Then, the scream. Someone is hurt. But who?– and more importantly, who is the perpetrator? Then novel flashes back to Tully and Rachel meeting their father’s new girlfriend, Heather. She has secrets of her own, but not as many as her new boyfriend, Stephen. His daughters are nice but not exactly accepting of her. Both daughters have severe anxiety. Tully can’t help but shoplift and with all the stress, it is getting out of control. Rachel has been through some traumatic events and stress eats when her world spins out of control. Everyone’s secrets start coming out but only ones are darker and more dangerous…

One thing that Sally Hepworth just excels at is characters. Her books are always filled with dynamic and complex characters. And the wit!! There could be a serious scene and one character will drop the wittiest comment and while I should be concerned, instead I am laughing. —which is totally ok! And I think I need to talk about Darcy and the unlimited cake-related puns he used. When I say unlimited, I mean they just kept coming and now I plan to use them at my earliest convenience! Darcy is definitely my favorite character in this whole book. So I suggest a spin-off about him and Rachel. Pretty please?!

So there is one thing that people don’t fully grasp when it comes to Sally Hepworth novels. They can have moments of suspense, but mostly, revolve around family drama. A lot of the scenarios are really realistic as well as the character’s reactions to those scenarios. In this book, there are several trigger warnings: rape, domestic abuse, gaslighting, eating disorder, OCD, and anxiety. While this is a slow-burn storyline, it is worth it for the amazing characters. I got to admit, the ending wasn’t the strongest, but it makes for some good book discussions. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

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