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books_in_badgerland's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.5
audiobook review
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)
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)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Dementia
Minor: Sexual assault
stephaniealysse's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Mental illness, and Dementia
Moderate: Rape, Eating disorder, and Alcoholism
stungbythewood's review against another edition
medium-paced
- 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 honestly donāt know how I feel about this book. It was an entertaining read, but thatās the only opinion I walk away with after finishing it.
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.
A lot of it just feels unrealistic? Iām aware that the brain can repress memories that are traumatic in an attempt to protect itself, but it seems like the recollections both Rachel and Tully have in regards to their fatherās abuse are just for plot convenience and not due to an actual recalling of a traumatizing event in their lives.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Rape, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, and Alcoholism
heatherv's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Dementia, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death of parent and Alcoholism
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Rape, and Grief
destiny929's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
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 against another edition
1.0
This book was good., however it ended up being a 1 star. As it dealt with domestic violence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Dementia, Mental illness, Grief, and Forced institutionalization
annes_reading_journey's review against another edition
1.0
This book was good, however it ended up being a 1 star. As it dealt with a lot of domestic violence and that the guy doing it would re-vert what happened so it didn't look like his fault
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Dementia
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, and Mental illness
ronnieb's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- 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
2.5
Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dementia
This was a 2.5 that I am rounding up to a 3. I do not have much to say that is not a spoiler so brief non-spoiler thoughts: I think this book is fine and is quick enough of a read but there are not many special or shocking moments.
I had a big issue with this book and it surrounded the character of Rachel. We find out that Rachel was the victim of a sexual assault in her past. The way the book seems to handle her moving past this is she finally sees a hot guy and he āfixesā her. The is slightly more nuisance going on admittedly but it just left such a bad taste in my mouth at the way the whole storyline plays out.
I also thought the final reveals of the book were just so underwhelming and this was just very baseline. There is nothing wrong with that and I have read many books that end similarly but I think those were just more fun than this. A fix I thought would have been more fun was to have our 3 main leads come together and set up Stephen in some sort of way. While that would be a bit āsoapyā and OTT I think it would have led to a much more fun ending than the abrupt one we got.
I also thought the POV of Tully was useless for the main narrative of this novel. It felt very much like its own B story that never really plays into the main narrative outside of our main characters sharing their trauma or flaws and coming together because of it.
This was a 2.5 that I am rounding up to a 3. I do not have much to say that is not a spoiler so brief non-spoiler thoughts: I think this book is fine and is quick enough of a read but there are not many special or shocking moments.
I had a big issue with this book and it surrounded the character of Rachel. We find out that Rachel was the victim of a sexual assault in her past. The way the book seems to handle her moving past this is she finally sees a hot guy and he āfixesā her. The is slightly more nuisance going on admittedly but it just left such a bad taste in my mouth at the way the whole storyline plays out.
I also thought the final reveals of the book were just so underwhelming and this was just very baseline. There is nothing wrong with that and I have read many books that end similarly but I think those were just more fun than this. A fix I thought would have been more fun was to have our 3 main leads come together and set up Stephen in some sort of way. While that would be a bit āsoapyā and OTT I think it would have led to a much more fun ending than the abrupt one we got.
I also thought the POV of Tully was useless for the main narrative of this novel. It felt very much like its own B story that never really plays into the main narrative outside of our main characters sharing their trauma or flaws and coming together because of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Death of parent and Dementia
Minor: Rape
jengua1's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, and Addiction
laura_vee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, and Eating disorder
Minor: Miscarriage