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stephaniealysse's review
- 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
destiny929's review
- 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: Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Dementia, Alcoholism, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death of parent, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Murder, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Chronic illness, and Domestic abuse
anne3016's review
1.0
Graphic: Physical abuse and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Dementia, Mental illness, Grief, and Forced institutionalization
annes_reading_journey's review
1.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Dementia
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, and Mental illness
kelly_e's review
- 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: Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Dementia, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Eating disorder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Addiction, Infertility, Pregnancy, Rape, Miscarriage, Violence, and Abortion
Minor: Murder
melissa_b_67's review
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Bullying, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Dementia, Alcohol, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Mental illness, Body shaming, and Death of parent
emardesen'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
3.75
Graphic: Physical abuse, Gaslighting, and Mental illness
Moderate: Dementia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Murder, and Terminal illness
pookiee's review
- 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
brownie points for being set in Australia (I like reading about faraway countries) and mentioning COVID (never stops feeling crazy)
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Physical abuse, and Dementia
Moderate: Rape, Miscarriage, and Death of parent
Minor: Body shaming, Pedophilia, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Vomit
the eating disorder is binge eating disordersamw0327's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Physical abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Gaslighting
samiredden's review
- 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: Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Rape, Dementia, and Mental illness
Moderate: Miscarriage