Short Story Sunday: Uncharted Waters by Sally Hepworth
Uncharted Waters
Series: Getaway #1
Author: Sally Hepworth
Narrator: Candice Moll
Published: August 31, 2022
Audiobook: 1 hour 44 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Date Listened To: October 21, 2022
Jessica’s Rating: 1 star
Book Description:
“Speak your truth.” An icebreaker leads to unintended consequences for two strangers aboard a luxury yacht in this seductively twisty short story by the New York Times bestselling author of The Good Sister.
When Ella boards a sumptuous charter off the coast of Australia, she feels…dread. Her husband, Mac, the social butterfly who makes these wellness retreats so much easier to navigate, is stuck at work, leaving her exposed to the other passengers. Luckily, she forms an instant bond with the charismatic Chloe, a newly single woman salving a broken heart. But as the friendship grows, Ella discovers they share more than the need for an escape, and their devastating connection has the power to forever alter their lives.
Uncharted Waters by Sally Hepworth is part of Getaway, a collection of six stories about dream escapes that take unimaginable, even sinister, turns. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single sitting.
Jessica’s Review:
I wasn’t prepared for the direction this short story went in. It was unpleasant in several areas for me. The only reason I continued it was that I would not have been able to get something else in during my commute, and I really regret it. This short story is not typical of Hepworth’s novels that I have read and enjoyed in the past. It is described as a thriller but it is not: It is all about cheating on the part of both spouses. We have a FF (female/female) affair story here. This short story was not for me at all and if this had been my first experience with Hepworth I would not continue her full length novels. She was the whole reason I went for this short story in the series first and was very disappointed.
Book Review: The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
The Good Sister
Author: Sally Hepworth
Published: April 13, 2021
309 Pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: May 26- June 4, 2021
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
From the outside, everyone might think Fern and Rose are as close as twin sisters can be: Rose is the responsible one and Fern is the quirky one. But the sisters are devoted to one another and Rose has always been Fern’s protector from the time they were small.
Fern needed protecting because their mother was a true sociopath who hid her true nature from the world, and only Rose could see it. Fern always saw the good in everyone. Years ago, Fern did something very, very bad. And Rose has never told a soul. When Fern decides to help her sister achieve her heart’s desire of having a baby, Rose realizes with growing horror that Fern might make choices that can only have a terrible outcome. What Rose doesn’t realize is that Fern is growing more and more aware of the secrets Rose, herself, is keeping. And that their mother might have the last word after all.
Jessica’s Review:
This is the fourth novel I have read by Hepworth and I have enjoyed them all! The Good Sister. is not a thriller per se, but more of a domestic drama. We have dual narrators, both Fern and Rose (via her journal). The reader will have their opinions of both twin sisters– which can change throughout the novel– and of their mother. Fern is on the Autism spectrum, but functions relatively well on her own and works in a library(!) which is many readers dream job.
The sisters are twins and 28 years old who could not be more different from each other– including their appearance– but they take care of each other. They had a very difficult childhood, which the novel goes into. There is a little bit of a romance with one of the sisters and if you read thrillers like I do, you may figure out what is going on. But then what keeps you reading is the drama! I enjoyed the drama in this case and still had some surprises along the way.
If you like reading mysteries and enjoy drama dealing with family relationships (because who doesn’t have that!?!?) then you should read this book.
It looks like I have found another ‘go to’ author to read with Hepworth!
I received a copy to read and review from the publisher via NetGalley.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Release Day Review: The Mother-In-Law
Author: Sally Hepworth
Published: TODAY, April 23, 2019
352 Pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: April 11-20, 2019
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Someone once told me that you have two families in your life – the one you are born into and the one you choose. Yes, you may get to choose your partner, but you don’t choose your mother-in-law. The cackling mercenaries of fate determine it all.
From the moment Lucy met Diana, she was kept at arm’s length. Diana is exquisitely polite, but Lucy knows, even after marrying Oliver, that they’ll never have the closeness she’d been hoping for.
But who could fault Diana? She was a pillar of the community, an advocate for social justice, the matriarch of a loving family. Lucy had wanted so much to please her new mother-in-law.
That was ten years ago. Now, Diana has been found dead, leaving a suicide note. But the autopsy reveals evidence of suffocation. And everyone in the family is hiding something…
Jessica’s Review:
We are pulled into this novel of mystery from the first line as we know something has happened: I am folding laundry at my dining room table when the police car pulls up.
The Mother-In-Law does have the mystery of what happened to Diana, but it is more of a women’s contemporary fiction book. If you are looking for a psychological thriller, this is not it.
Both Diana and Lucy are our narrators and they go between the present and the past over a 10 year time period. Diana and Lucy never really had a chance to get to know and like each other. Their personalities just did not mesh. Diana is very guarded with ‘high walls’ that take effort to break down, and with good reasons. I actually liked Diana more than Lucy, as I understood Diana.
This book was a page turner with short chapters. As the novel progresses, it really began moving and the chapters became even shorter. The last quarter of the book really moves fast and I stayed up late to finish it. I had made my decision as to who the guilty party was but I was wrong! Everyone has their secrets in this novel and finding out all these secrets is part of the pull of the novel.
I am fortunate to get along with my mother-in-law, but not everyone has that. Do you get along with your mother-in-law? If you don’t would you want to kill yours? Did Lucy kill Diana? Did Diana kill herself or was it something else entirely?
The Mother-In-Law is recommended. I received a copy of The Mother-In-Law from St. Martin’s Press via a Goodreads giveaway.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK