The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth [Book Review]

The first book I read by Sally Hepworth was The Good Sister, and I loved it so much, I knew I had to grab The Younger Wife when it showed up on Netgalley. 

I was NOT disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of The Younger Wife, in return for an honest review.

“Once is a fluke, Twice is a choice, and Three times is a pattern.”

I love this quote, for several reasons. One, because Sally Hepworth has proven once again, that she is worth my time to read her books. I found her book, The Good Sister, on Netgalley as a fluke. When I loved it, and saw that Netgalley had another one of her books available, I definitely chose to read it. 

And, let me tell ya, I’m looking forward to finding the pattern in the newest addition to my “auto-buy” authors.

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Synopsis

Tully and Rachel have met someone who could be a really good friend. She’s their age, they get along great, and she really seems to be trying to fit in with them.

The problem is, Heather is their father’s new girlfriend. What’s more, he’s proposed.

Rachel and Tully don’t have a problem with Heather, but they have a problem with their father proposing to another woman, when he’s still married to their mother. Sure, she’s in a home for people with dementia, but still…

Stephen has thought it all through, however, because he plans to divorce Pam, and marry Heather. He will still care for Pam, because obviously she won’t remember that they’re no longer married.

When Rachel finds money belonging to her mother, she starts on a journey to find out the truth about her family. Secrets abound, and some of them could destroy the happiness of the entire family.

Characters

Tully is probably my favorite character, even though I relate more to Rachel. Both sisters fight anxiety on  a regular basis, but neither knows about the other’s struggles. Tully, when she gets anxious, steals things. She’s been like that since she was 11, and no one knows. She hides what she steals, then either donates the items, or throws them away. She doesn’t steal because she needs the items, she does it for a sort of endorphin release.

Rachel eats her feelings. Something happened to her in her younger years, and she never dates. Instead, she runs a baking company, catering parties, weddings, and the like. She almost always has baked goods in her fridge, and they don’t seem to last long.

I didn’t like Stephen. Tully and Rachel’s dad seems like a bit of a manipulative jerk. I really wanted Heather to figure out that he was a jerk, and leave him. Heather was your typical “living outside her means” type, but she didn’t seem like she was deliberately malicious. I never felt like she was a threat to Rachel or Tully.

Setting

My favorite part of the book’s setting was, interestingly enough, when Tully was shoplifting. The stores were given such description that I felt like I was looking through Tully’s eyes as she went through a kleptomaniac episode. I also loved the descriptions of Rachel’s house. I wanted badly to join Rachel while she baked, because her home reads like it would be super warm and inviting.

Writing Style

Sally’s writing style is probably one of my favorite parts of her books. She has a wonderful knack for telling you a story, and getting you attached to characters, making you hate others, then BAM….

Suddenly, everything is different, and you don’t know what to think anymore.

The Younger Wife in this case is no different. I spent much of the book thinking I knew what was going on, but I got more and more confused as the story went on, then thought I knew what happened again….

You get the idea. If you love books that confuse you all to heck, before giving you even the tinest bit of closure, you’ll love any of Sally’s books. Especially The Younger Wife. She has made it onto my “auto-buy” list, and that is no small feat.

Genre

I’m not entirely sure what genre I would put Sally’s books into. The Younger Wife fits into several different ones. Probably the closest would be “Literary Thriller.” It reads like literary fiction, but has plenty of intrigue. I’m excited to be able to share this book with you, and encourage you to put The Younger Wife on your wishlist. It comes out on April 5, 2022.

Do you want to read The Younger Wife? If you do, I highly encourage you to do so. Let me know in the comments what you think is the best part of my review, and if you’re planning on buying this book when it releases.

Until Next Time, Friends!