Quick Synopsis

Someone is hurt at a wedding between a 60-something heart surgeon and his new 30-something bride. Was it an accident or purposeful?

Publisher’s Synopsis

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?

Book Review

The Younger Wife is a story that starts with a mystery. The book opens at the wedding of the younger bride and older groom where something tragic occurs. Readers and the narrator do not know what the tragedy is, who was the victim, and if it was intentional until the end of the book.

I enjoyed the format that Sally Hepworth chose for The Younger Wife. The mystery was established right away, pulling me into the story and becoming quickly invested. The book then flashes back to months before and sets up everything that leads to the wedding, as told from the perspectives of the women in the future groom’s life. I found that Hepworth did an excellent job with the multiple POV narration. Each narrator had a distinct voice and personality. This made The Younger Wife more enjoyable and easy to read.

The characters were well-developed, especially those that narrated portions of the story. I found myself empathizing with them, their various backgrounds, and their current problems. While some readers may not like all of the characters, none will turn anyone off the story.

I have seen quite a few reviews for The Younger Wife already. People seem to either really enjoy it or have a big issue with the ending. I think it is important to note that the ending of the ARC is actually different from the published book. Although I was okay with the ARC ending, I can see some being unsatisfied and dislike the potential ambiguity. I thought the ending was thought provoking and interesting. However, I am very curious to read how the ending has changed.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Younger Wife and recommend it. I think it will be very popular, particularly since the ending has been altered. I am looking forward to reading more of Hepworth’s work.

Rating

Overall Rating

Writing

Plot

Character development