Scan barcode
kelwhaley's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
3.0
okevamae's review against another edition
3.0
Stephen, a heart surgeon in his sixties, is thrilled to be marrying Heather, an interior designer thirty years his junior. His two daughters, Tully (full-time mom and part-time kleptomaniac) and Rachel (a baker struggling with trauma from her past) are less than thrilled that their father is marrying a woman younger than they are, in no small part because their dad is still technically married to their mother, Pamela, an Alzheimer’s patient.
The time setting switches back and forth between the wedding day (at which something has gone horribly wrong) and one year earlier, when Rachel and Tully first heard the news of their father’s engagement. Point of view in the past rotates between Tully, Rachel, and Heather, and the wedding day is narrated by a character whose identity, and her relevance to the story, is slowly revealed over the course of the book. As the past and the wedding day draw closer together, dark secrets are slowly revealed, leading to a startling conclusion.
One of my biggest problems with this book is that I don’t care for the way the cliché of a fat girl eating her feelings was handled in this book. I think it’s possible to explore an overweight character’s food issues without devolving into cliché, but this book did not accomplish it. Speaking as a plus size woman myself, perhaps my food issues differ from Rachel’s, but this seems a lot more like a skinny person’s idea of what a fat person’s struggle looks like. That being said, I did like Rachel a lot, and her relationship with Darcy, and the way that he dealt with learning about not only her trauma but her coping mechanism.
My other big problem was the epilogue. We think we have the answer to the big question, but then the epilogue comes in and, depending on how you read it, either brings back all of our doubts or completely subverts what we thought we knew, confirming the opposite. If the circumstances were a little different, I’d probably be okay with that kind of twist ending. But not with this book. I don’t have a problem with unreliable narrators, but I didn’t care for the light that they were all painted in by the epilogue.
I’m going three stars for this one – It would have been four, but the epilogue was less of a cool twist and more of a profound annoyance.
Representation: characters with mental illness (anxiety, kleptomania, eating disorder, substance abuse disorder, PTSD)
CW: alcoholism, eating disorder, rape, domestic violence, gaslighting, domestic abuse
I received an advance copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The time setting switches back and forth between the wedding day (at which something has gone horribly wrong) and one year earlier, when Rachel and Tully first heard the news of their father’s engagement. Point of view in the past rotates between Tully, Rachel, and Heather, and the wedding day is narrated by a character whose identity, and her relevance to the story, is slowly revealed over the course of the book. As the past and the wedding day draw closer together, dark secrets are slowly revealed, leading to a startling conclusion.
One of my biggest problems with this book is that I don’t care for the way the cliché of a fat girl eating her feelings was handled in this book. I think it’s possible to explore an overweight character’s food issues without devolving into cliché, but this book did not accomplish it.
Spoiler
Especially when she eats the wedding cake she worked so hard on – that paying customers commissioned! She takes such pride in her work, plus it’s her livelihood. I don’t buy that. Maybe the urge to eat is supposed to be stronger because it’s linked to PTSD? Or something? But surely she’s got other indulgent foods around that won’t sink her business if she eats them. I don’t know, I just don’t find that particular scene realistic whatsoever.My other big problem was the epilogue. We think we have the answer to the big question, but then the epilogue comes in and, depending on how you read it, either brings back all of our doubts or completely subverts what we thought we knew, confirming the opposite. If the circumstances were a little different, I’d probably be okay with that kind of twist ending. But not with this book.
Spoiler
As another reviewer said, revealing that Stephen was in fact not an abuser (if that’s even what it reveals? Who knows, with Pam’s memory issues?) paints all of the other women in the book as hysterical, insane overreactors, which is a trope I despise.I’m going three stars for this one – It would have been four, but the epilogue was less of a cool twist and more of a profound annoyance.
Representation: characters with mental illness (anxiety, kleptomania, eating disorder, substance abuse disorder, PTSD)
CW: alcoholism, eating disorder, rape, domestic violence, gaslighting, domestic abuse
I received an advance copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
tone611's review against another edition
3.0
I was hoping for more out of this book. The beginning was fantastic. The end, it just fizzled out. Not a thriller, but a mystery.
laurareane's review against another edition
2.0
Entertaining. But no depth. Trigger warning for some
jansbookcorner's review against another edition
4.0
This one sucked me in. I enjoyed all three viewpoints and trying to determine if they were reliable. I like the way Sally Hepworth tells a story. She peels it back a little at a time where you are not quite sure where you are headed. I do wish after reading early reviews that I knew what the original ending was.
krystibarrak's review against another edition
3.0
Stephen Aston finds himself falling in love with a younger woman as he currently watches his current wife wither away. So he decides to marry Heather (the younger wife), but first he just has to divorce his current wife. Rachel and Tully see Heather as nothing but a gold digger but as Rachel digs further into the past, could there be more to the story? Including with her own parents? Stunted by her mother’s condition, Rachel stops at nothing to find the truth. Will it tear apart their family along the way though?
The Younger Wife was just okay to me. It started off really great and I thought I was going to love it. There was some good plot twists through about the halfway point that really keeps you reading. After the halfway point though.. everything is pretty much figured out despite Hepworth trying to convince you otherwise with *possible* unreliable narrator. Which isn’t my favorite tactic in a thriller book. Overall a very good premise with a dive into family dynamics and family secrets, the ending just fell a little flat. 3/5⭐️ from me. This might be more your jam though but I personally think Hepworth has written better!
The Younger Wife was just okay to me. It started off really great and I thought I was going to love it. There was some good plot twists through about the halfway point that really keeps you reading. After the halfway point though.. everything is pretty much figured out despite Hepworth trying to convince you otherwise with *possible* unreliable narrator. Which isn’t my favorite tactic in a thriller book. Overall a very good premise with a dive into family dynamics and family secrets, the ending just fell a little flat. 3/5⭐️ from me. This might be more your jam though but I personally think Hepworth has written better!
abbeyd_12's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
bert_inater's review against another edition
3.0
I was halfway through the book and realized I didn’t know where it was heading. It lacked some depth but I did like the story line.
graciecat_mom's review against another edition
2.0
Ok, so it seems like I'm an outlier on this one.
What was this that I just read? Granted it saved me from a string of DNFs. I kept thinking, this is so bad, if it doesn't pick up in another chapter, I'll ding it. But I didn't. One chapter led to the next and the next, and it never got better.
So disappointed, as I have really enjoyed Hepworth's writing in the past. Hopefully her next book will be better.
What was this that I just read? Granted it saved me from a string of DNFs. I kept thinking, this is so bad, if it doesn't pick up in another chapter, I'll ding it. But I didn't. One chapter led to the next and the next, and it never got better.
So disappointed, as I have really enjoyed Hepworth's writing in the past. Hopefully her next book will be better.
lucyclaire's review
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
4.5