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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: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Violence, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Miscarriage, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Eating disorder, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
Minor: Rape and Murder
books_in_badgerland's review against another edition
3.5
My newfound love and backlist consumption of Sally Hepworth's books led me to The Younger Wife. I'm thoroughly enjoying her family dramas with mysterious elements. I feel like they can be recommended to readers of a lot of genres. The topics are tough but important and likely relatable to many readers.
This book may be a good fit if you enjoy:
- complex family dynamics
- wondering who to trust
- books about women overcoming obstacles
I enjoyed The Younger Wife, but I'm not obsessed like I was with Darling Girls and The Mother-In-Law. š It's natural as we catch up on author's work that we will connect more with some than others.
I always appreciate a full cast audiobook and plan to binge all of Hepworth's books on audio as I catch up. The narrators have been top notch! The stories are relatively straightforward, so I think they work well with this format. If you're looking to try mysteries on audio, her books could be a good place to start!
Rating: I liked it! (3.5)
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Dementia
Minor: Sexual assault
jilliancarrizosa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Sexual assault
alliereads_'s review against another edition
1.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Rape
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: Sexual assault and Domestic abuse
Minor: Alcoholism, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Eating disorder
stephaniealysse'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
4.0
Graphic: Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Mental illness, and Dementia
Moderate: Rape, Eating disorder, and Alcoholism
hsteel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Rape, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, and Domestic abuse
stungbythewood's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I have mixed feelings about the whole thing and am left feeling unsatisfied.
I had some difficulty trying to describe what problems I had exactly with the characters when another reviewer had done so perfectly and itās that these characters are characterized by their vices and thatās itā¦
Iāve found that this in particular made it difficult for me to like two out of the three very prominent female cast in this book. I felt like those struggles is all that those characters really were, besides being loving family members to Stephen. They donāt really feel like full fleshed out people, just tropes and stereotypes.
I also think Heather making up that fake story in an attempt to confront Rachel about her rape was wildly inappropriate,
and quite frankly, none of Heatherās damn business no matter how well seeming she tried to come off.
I also donāt appreciate how Rachelās assault gets kind of glosses over toward the end of the book. Where Tully has resources available and itās mentioned that her and her son are seeing specialists to help with their issues, Rachel gets with Darcy and suddenly everything is bright and shiny again.
I donāt want to say that it isnāt possible but :/ it feels very unrealistic for Rachel to have ignored this trauma for over fifteen years then suddenly sheās dating Darcy and things are okay.
What was the point of Fiona Arthur? Her character felt very under utilized as well.
Some positives, this book kept me engrossed, I finished it in two days which is a quick read for me, and I liked how most of the chapters were short. I find that longer chapters tend to feel more laborious to read.
At the end of it all, I have more questions than answers and am left with more confusion than clarity. Iāve heard some positive things about her other books in other reviews so Iām willing to give those a shot.
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Rape, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, and Alcoholism
edhyndman'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
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Murder, and Domestic abuse
caitlinosullivan4's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What I really want to know is, why didnāt Heather have marks on her neck when he choked her!? Does he know some special doctor way to do it that doesnāt bruise? Surely not. This is the part that is lingering and making me question the whole thing.
But then againā¦ surely Sally wouldnāt write a whole novel about how the āgood blokeā is wrongly accused and really is a good bloke all along?
Iām so intrigued to hear others thoughts.
Moderate: Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Violence, Sexual violence, and Rape