The Younger Wife
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4.1 • 607 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Good Sister and The Mother-in-Law with new novel Darling Girls out now.
The moment she laid eyes on Heather Wisher, Tully knew this woman was going to destroy their lives.
Tully and Rachel are murderous when they discover their father has a new girlfriend. The fact that Heather is half his age isn't even the most shocking part. Stephen is still married to their mother, who is in a care facility with end-stage Alzheimer's disease.
Heather knows she has an uphill battle to win Tully and Rachel over, while carrying the burden of the secrets of her past. But, as it turns out, they are all hiding something.
The announcement of Stephen and Heather's engagement threatens to set off a family implosion, with old wounds and dark secrets finally being forced to the surface.
A garage full of stolen goods. An old hot-water bottle, stuffed with cash. A blood-soaked wedding. And that's only the beginning . . .
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ABIA GENERAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022
LONGLISTED FOR THE AUSTRALIAN BOOK DESIGN AWARDS 2022 BEST DESIGNED COMMERCIAL FICTION COVER
PRAISE FOR THE YOUNGER WIFE
'Smart, suspenseful, brimming with secrets. This is Sally Hepworth at her unputdownable best.' - Kate Morton
'At once familiar, wonderfully unpredictable and riveting. My kind of story.' - Rosalie Ham
'Completely compulsive. Sally Hepworth delivers with this stay-up-late one-more-chapter gem.' - Jane Harper
'Totally absorbing, brilliantly written and thoroughly enjoyable. An addictive, unputdownable read.' - Herald Sun
'Thrilling family drama' - Who Weekly
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
A husband’s long history of deception finally earns an explosive reaction in The Younger Wife—and on his wedding day no less. Australian author Sally Hepworth (The Good Sister) delivers a domestic thriller that grabs hold right from its startling opening scene. As the daughters of respected doctor Stephen Aston begin picking apart family secrets, they start to question their dad, who has just remarried after committing their mother to a care facility for dementia. As a mysterious figure from their father’s past sheds light on his true character, competing perceptions and time jumps make for a suspenseful pageturner. Expect twists every bit as sharp and satisfying as the alternating narrators are unreliable.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this appealing domestic suspense novel from bestseller Hepworth (The Good Sister), Pamela Aston's two adult daughters, Tully and Rachel, are already reeling at the swiftness of the Melbourne, Australia, homemaker's deterioration with early-onset Alzheimer's when their cardiac surgeon father, Stephen, blindsides them with another bombshell—his plan to divorce Pam, who's soon moved to a nursing home, and marry interior designer Heather Wisher, who's younger than either sister. Further shocks await Rachel, a gorgeous plus-size baker who by her own account eats her feelings, as well as Tully, the always anxious mother of two little boys, as they try to figure out how seriously to take Pam's occasional utterances suggesting that life with Stephen may have had a darker side. Meanwhile, the surprisingly sympathetic Heather starts to question her wedding plans—and possibly her sanity—now that she's living with Stephen full-time. The toxic secrets each woman has been hiding, a surprise romance, and the small fortune Rachel discovers in her mother's hot water bottle nicely complicate the fast-moving plot. This often funny and affecting outing should win Hepworth new fans.
Customer Reviews
Easy read
An easy read - likeable characters and good plot
Great book, believable, provocative and interesting
The best so far for me as a new reader of Sally Hepworth’s books. Better than The Good Sister, which was also enjoyable. Sally has a tendency to have the male hero or partner of the lead female characters always be successful / wealthy (or they turn out to be, like in The Good Sister, where the man who she thinks is homeless living out of his van turns out to be a successful serial entrepreneur, yeah right). This reinforces the notion that a good man is both kind and wealthy if he is a good catch. I find that part a little triggering.
Anyway, really enjoying her work overall and found this book one I’d recommend widely. A must read for sure. Kept me up many nights determined to finish it.
Couldn’t put the book down
5/5 stars! Loved it. The suspense, characters and their relationships… very well written. Will be reading more by this author.