The Young Widows

by S.J. Short

The twisty psychological thriller perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty Meet the young widows. Together, they’ve shared their grief and emotional healing in the wake of losing their husbands. But whilst these meetings are the only places, they feel they can open up, all is not as it seems . . . The hot mess Kylie is done with commitment. Her trust in men died with her husband. Now she trawls bars looking for fun – no strings, no promises, no second night. That is until she meets a man who seems to want more, but is it a mistake to trust again? The new member Hannah’s grief is fresh and reminds the other widows how raw their pain once was, do they want to let that back into their lives? The wallflower Isabel is used to hiding in the shadows, her past still haunts her. Only her late husband knew what happened the night that ruined her life. Will she be able to keep her secrets buried? The fiancée Adriana is moving on. But as her wedding draws closer, she’s starting to question how well she truly knows her fiancé. Then she receives an anonymous note that Get out while you still can. Each woman is hiding something, but one is not who she says she is. In fact, she’s never even been married . . .

Genres: Thriller

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2024

About the author

S. J. Short is an Australian author residing in Canada.

After a decade writing the lighter side of fiction, she woke up one day with a need to go to the dark side. Her first thriller, The Young Widows, was plotted over a single dinner with her husband, who was nervous that after ten years of writing happily ever afters she suddenly wanted to write about murder.

Now she writes twisty, female-centric mysteries and can often be found pondering the perfect way to kill someone. She lives in Toronto with her husband, where she writes with a glorious view of Lake Ontario and her coffee machine at arm’s reach.

Reviews

[Jayme C (Brunetteslikebookstoo) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Young Widow’s Club began as an informal support group for women widowed in their twenties, but after meeting weekly for over three years, the women have become friends.

The members are:

Adriana, the only one who has dated since her loss, and now she that she is engaged, she’s been afraid to tell the others-until she receives an anonymous warning about her new fiancé.

Kylie, the “party girl” who is starting to realize that what is happening when she gets black out” drunk may be worse than she thought.

Isabel, permanently scarred from an incident in her past, which she has yet share with the others.

And, newcomer, Hannah, who has suffered a more recent loss, and has just joined the group.

ONE member of the group has an ulterior motive for joining, and she ISN’T really a young widow at all…

The story unfolds mostly the rotating POV’s of the original members, with occasional insight from both Hannah, and an anonymous “WATCHER”.

I was attracted to this story because it had an original premise, but as an avid reader of thrillers, I found much of it a bit predictable. It may work better for those who only read the genre on occasion and those who don’t mind suspending disbelief.

If you are looking for something different, it was, for the most part, still an enjoyable popcorn read! 🍿

Available February 1, 2024

Thank You to Avon Books for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulous psychological thriller, four woman, all became widows in their twenties form a group and find themselves meeting once a week to share their grief and they become friends, close friends but is there more to this group than meets the eye, all are very different and from different backgrounds, is there a link, are there secrets?

Isabel haunted by her past when she lost her husband she is not sure that she can keep the secrets about her past for much longer.

Kylie, lost the husband she loved but a diary sees her lose trust in men and she spends her nights looking for fun but what will she find or what will find her?

Hannah she is new to the group and her grief is still new, will this open up wounds in the other widows?

Adriana is moving on but the closer she gets to her wedding the more she worries about her future with Grant, especially when she gets an anonymous email telling her to beware and get out while she can.

This is a twisty story all woman have secrets and are hiding something big but are they linked in some way, if so what could it be. They really do become great friend and show support and when all is reveled wow.

This was a great read that had me turning the pages and guessing till the end and what an explosive end, all woman are wonderful characters and I felt for them all, I do highly recommend this one and look forward to many more stories from S J Short.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my digital copy to read and review.

[Jayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book begins with a splash.

A man is pushed from a hotel balcony and drowns in a swimming pool.

Who did this and why?

What connection do four young Melbourne widows from the same "Young Widows" support group, have with the man who was pushed off the balcony?

The book was well-plotted and fast-paced with strong characterizations.

I listened to the audiobook read by Vivien Carter.

Since the book unfolded from the four POVs of the young widows, I would have enjoyed the book much, much, much more had there been four different narrators.

Many times it was difficult to discern who was who and who was saying what.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four women, united in grief as young widows, have formed a support group. The story therefore switches between the different members however, it is soon clear that something is clearly amiss. At first I struggled to keep track of the different identities of the women, but I liked that the writer only focused on three of the characters more, making it easier to follow.

Unfortunately for me, I guessed the outcome of the story before I had reached the halfway point. I did find this lessened the impact of the story as I was impatient to know if my theories were correct. Yet, credit to short, there were plenty of unexpected developments towards the end of the novel, making it the more exciting and twisting narratives that I look for in a thriller.

I enjoyed trying to solve the puzzle behind the different characters. As more is revealed about their previous relationships, it starts readers questioning motives behind current behaviours. Indeed, the juxtaposition established between Kylie and Adriana is striking; where one has completely lost her way, the other is looking forwards and preparing for her next marriage. I found this contrast added a bit more depth to the story, especially as this then feeds into the overall plot development.

This was an easy book to sit back and watch the events unfold. Once you have distinguished between the different women, I enjoyed following their actions and trying to understand what ultimately, beyond being a widow, connected them together. The addition of the mysterious ‘Watcher’ added another element to the story and I enjoyed how the writer utilised them in the end.

For fans of thrillers and twisting narratives, this should go down well. Whilst the plot was obvious in its progression, it was fun to see events play out and the grieving widows finally move on with their lives.

With thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a very entertaining read about four women who have been widowed by their husbands and are trying to deal with life after these major events. They form a group together and meet regularly to support each other. But each of these women have secrets, secrets that they do not even divulge to each other as they do not know how they will then be received.

Kylie has a drinking problem and also a problem of sleeping with too many men and then blacking out and not remembering what has happened to her. Adriana is about to marry for the second time but is she doing it for all the right reasons? Isabel was raped and suffered terrible injuries, she has scarring to one side of her face and also psychological scars. Hannah befriends Isabel so is brought into the group but she also has secrets she is hiding and has revenge on her mind .

The girls catch up regularly and do try to support each other but when so many secrets are being hidden it is hard to support people you do not really know. I read this in the early hours one night when I could not sleep and it did pass the time until I had to get up for work . The story does draw you in and soon you are wrapped up in their stories and what they are all hiding and how is this going to resolve. I really did enjoy it and it was something different than the normal crime books that are my favourite genre. I will look for other books by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions are my own.

[linda hole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable at times, but still a good popcorn thriller. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically an entertaining knock-off of Big Little Lies

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS!!! ☝️ This is the thriller I've been waiting for all year. I was trying to fit all the pieces together, and while I had them in front of me, I wasn't seeing how they fit. That reveal left me stunned ... Because you know, but you didn't realize it until you know.

Stefanie, you nailed it.

[Morgan Schulman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grieving but guilty…. Sometimes a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do! I devoured this book in a judgment-free evening!

[Tracy Fenton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are you looking for an entertaining, twisty and compelling thriller? Well in that case I would definitely recommend The Young Widows by SJ Short.

This book is exactly what I personally enjoy in a standalone story. A great cast of colourful and memorable characters and quite a few guilty secrets and lies to ensure not everyone is who they seem to be.

Set in Australia, The Young Widows centres around a group of 4 strangers who met initially through an online support group for Young Widows . All of them widowed before they were 30, they now meet in real life on a weekly basis and have become friends.

Each character narrates her own story which enables the reader to learn more about their personal grief and coping mechanisms.

When one of the group becomes engaged and then receives a warning about her husband-to-be, she begins to doubt everything she thought she knew and everyone she thought she trusted.

Slowly, the reader finds out more about these women and it becomes clear that it’s not just grief that binds them together, they all carry dark secrets about their past and the past appears to be catching up.

The Young Widows is a gripping, fast paced, page turner and fans of twisty psychological thrillers should enjoy this as much as I did.

[Honestmamreader]

Four women, all with one thing in common. They are all young widows. But, is it really just grief that brings these women together? Or is there something else that we don't know about.

The Young Widows is told from the points of view of each of the women. This way we get to learn about each of them separately, but also how they interact with each other. There were times that I was getting confused about the different backstories, but that is purely because of my reading habits and homelife going on around.

Reading from different points of view is my preferred reading style, put to one side my confusion I really enjoyed the way this was written. And, thrown in was an unexpected point of view. A mysterious person that kept me guessing and trying to piece the connections together.

The theme of grief flows through the narrative, but we soon learn that the women all deal with their grief in differing ways. There is also a clear theme of something else in this story but you will have to read to realise what, because it would be a spoiler for me to reveal.

I really enjoyed how the women's stories progress and how the interaction is between them.

"We weren’t only young widows, we were misfit widows, too. We needed each other."

[Susnunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three women who became widows in their 20’s find each other online and forge a friendship and support group for each other. Each one had a different type of marriage and all have secrets they have not shared. As Adriana prepares to get remarried she is slow to tell them or introduce them and she starts to get messages that her new fiancé is dangerous. The past comes back to haunt them as the secrets unfold and the many twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat to see what was happening and if their sisterhood of shared grief would withstand the secrets.

Thank you to Avon Books for the ARC! #NetGalley

[Farah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four young widows form a support group to assist each other throughout the loss in their lives. But what are they all hiding? 

Where are all my thriller fans at? I am so surprised this book has not been hyped up more. With multiple POVs and short chapters, it was great to get inside each of the widows' heads. They all had something to hide and it was only a matter of time before all their secrets would come to surface. The last few chapters were so amazing, I was whipping through the book at record speed! Loved the ending. I'm really impressed with SJ Short's first thriller and cannot wait to read more by her.

[Linda Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Set in Melbourne, it is the story of 4 young widows who met online in a support group and have now become good friends. The book starts with a man being pushed from a hotel balcony and being drowned in a swimming pool. But how did we get to this situation? That is what the story is about. I really liked the characters and the plot is fast paced and twisty! I recommend this as a cracking good read!
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.

[Lisa Konet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was well-written and even humorous, at times. It also had a huge level of being predictable but at least this book had a good plot and characters. Readable but not memorable.

Recommended. Some will like this and others will not.

THanks to Netgalley, SJ Short and Avon Books UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available Feb 1, 2024

[Heather Flaherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to #NetGalley and #AvonBooksUK for the book #ThrYoungWidows by #AJShort. This book is amazing. It is told by multiple POVs and each character had a reason for….. You will have to read to find out but, Mind blown. Highly recommend.

[Colette Lamberth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a bit of a page turner and with more twists than I anticipated. It actually took me three attempts to read it and I did consider giving up but I’m glad I persevered. I think it was the switching POVs that put me off initially as I was mixing up who was who but I did settle in to it. Everyone has secrets and none more so than the characters in this book. Secrets, lies and a plot twist that made me exclaim out loud, what’s not to love?

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me gripped from the opening. A man's death told in great detail. But who is he and what has he done.?
We are then introduced to a group of women. The young widows. Each has their own tale to tell. the story of their lives and the husbands they lost. Each one trying to piece there lives back together and to move on. At first look the women are all so different but as the story unfolds you realise they have more in common than you could ever have imagined.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an ARC

[Crystal Reaume · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful binge read

[Esme Merrily · Rating 3 out of 5]

6,5 almost 7.

Infuriating! Depressing! Rage-inducing!
But then...
The sisterhood! The satisfaction! The revenge!
A truly cathartic experience.

Trigger warning: sexual violence and abuse.

[Sarah Neeson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weaving together layer upon layer of secrets The Young Widows is cleverly written and keeps you hooked to find out who is hiding what. The only thing which keeps this from being a 5 star read for me is that the middle section has some areas that become quite repetitive, facts and views are repeated in several chapters by the same character and then there will also be crossover of those facts in other chapters from other characters' perspectives. This slowed up the read and I really wanted it to get back to what was unfolding. The last third of the book is really worth getting to though. I would recommend.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kylie, Adriana, Hannah and Isabel are bonded together by their grief over losing their husbands. Together they form The Young Widows Group. Each member has things going on in their lives and secrets buried. Just what are they hiding?

The author has previously written romance novels but has had a change in genre and this is her first thriller. She has definitely done a great job! The story managed to be fresh and unique and the story had me gripped. The book started very strongly and I raced through the action packed ending. My only issue is that it dipped slightly in the middle and it took me a while to get each characters story firmly placed in my mind. Saying this, the characters were all very well written… I found myself warming to some more than others. I found it very clever how the story came together and there were plenty of twists… some I did not expect! I really enjoyed trying to work out what the secrets were and how it was going to end. Overall, a very accomplished book that I will recommend and I am eagerly anticipating the author’s next thriller! 4.5 stars rounded down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

[Soozee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meet the four young widows, who seek comfort and support from each other. Kylie is hurt and her solace is to drink, which is rapidly becoming out of control as she has evenings out that she cannot properly remember. Isabel hides her pain, having already been scarred both physically and mentally by a rape and attack when she was younger. Adriana is glamorous and is preparing to marry again, after meeting an old friend of her husband's at his funeral and being swept off her feet. Hannah is the new member, newly widowed and very unsure of herself.

However, all four are keeping secrets that will lead to an exciting climax as the strands interweave and their secrets are revealed. Its a real rollercoaster and although the pace slows in the middle, its well worth sticking on to the end as the reader is swept away by all the reveals.

A great read. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet the widows, Kylie, Izzy, Adriana and Hannah. The women meet once a week for their own widow support group. Each of the women have their own secrets and problems. Kylie drinks too much and it's getting out of control. Adriana is getting married again but she hasn't introduced her fiancé to the group. Izzy is suffering from a traumatic past, and Hannah is still working out her place in the group.

We visit each of the ladies's live in turn, and despite being four main characters, the story flows really well. It's a very easy read and you really get to know the characters well. I didn't see the twist coming, but it was very well written and woven together.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Note: I received an advanced copy of this book from Avon Books UK via NetGalley.

Together, they've found solace amid their shared grief, supporting each other through the loss of their husbands. Yet, within these meetings, where they feel safe to reveal their inner struggles, lies a tangled web of secrets waiting to unravel.

Kylie, embracing her free-spirited approach, shuns commitment after the loss of her husband. Her nights are spent seeking fleeting moments of joy in bars, steering clear of attachments. However, a man who seems to seek more may challenge her resolution. Will she risk trusting once more, or is it a perilous mistake? Isabel, accustomed to blending into the background, carries the weight of her haunting past. Only her late husband knew the truth of the night that forever altered her life. Can she safeguard her buried secrets from the prying eyes of her companions? Adriana, moving forward from her loss, prepares for her impending wedding. Yet, a cryptic message arrives, unsettling her certainty about her fiancé. As doubts loom, she realizes she might not know him as well as she thought. Joining the group as a new member, Hannah's raw grief serves as a poignant reminder of the other widows' own profound pain. It raises the question: do they dare invite that intensity back into their lives?

Each woman harbors hidden chapters, concealing parts of themselves. Among them is an imposter, someone who has never experienced the bond of marriage. Their intertwined lives are teetering on the edge of revelation, poised to unravel into unforeseen truths.

While initially drawn in by the promise of an original premise, I found myself navigating familiar terrain as the plot unfolded. As an avid consumer of thrillers, the story's trajectory felt somewhat foreseeable, and the twists, though present, lacked the element of surprise I crave in the genre. Nevertheless, the brisk pace of the narrative makes it a quick read, offering a snapshot into the concealed lives of these intriguing characters. Despite its predictability, the book maintains a certain allure, providing an engaging escape for readers seeking a lighter venture into the world of psychological suspense.

[Louise Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet the young widows. Together they've shared their grief and emotional healing in the wake of losing their husbands. But while these meetings are the only places they feel they can open up, all is not what it seems.

The hot mess Kylie is done with commitment. Her trust in men died with her husband. Now she trawls bars looking for fun - no strings, no promises, no second night. That is, until she meets a man who seems to want more, but is it a mistake to trust again?

The new member, Hannah's grief is fresh and reminds the other widows how raw their pain once was.

The wallflower, Isabel is used to hiding in the shadows, her past still haunts her.

The fiancée, Adriana is moving on. But as her wedding draws closer, she's starting to question how well she truly knows her fiancé.

One member of the young widows group isn't a young widow. They've never even been married. But which one is it?

Set in Melbourne, four young widows who met online at a support group have now become friends. The story starts with a man's death. The story is told from the widow's perspectives, but we also get the occasional input from Hannah - the new member, and an anonymous voice, the watcher. The women all have secrets. The story flows well, but it's a bit predictable. At first glance, the women all seem different, but the further you read, they have more in common than you first realised. A quick and easy book to read.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #AvonBooksUK and the author #SJShort for my ARC of #TheYoungWidows in exchange for an honest review.

[Krys · Rating 3 out of 5]

Right off the bat I'm going to say that this one was hard to follow at times. Not because there were four women at the center of things. No, it was because each chapter was told from a DIFFERENT point of view of either one of the four, or the character called "the watcher". Added to that, the characters, in my opinion, so closely resembled each other that I sometimes had trouble remembering who was who and what their story was.

However, even with that, I found the book to be paced well enough that I was never bored while reading it. In fact, I spent much of the book trying to figure out which woman was the one who had never been married before as the secrets they carried were all (mostly) spelled out for the reader (if never spoken aloud to the others).

The depths of those secrets though? Came together in a way that I had never thought possible. And even when I thought I had one part of the story figured out, there was still another twist waiting in the wings that I had not seen coming.

That being said, I would definitely read more from this author in the future as I am curious to see where they take their stories after everything they achieved with this one.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading this author for a long time. I have enjoyed her Rom Coms, and her cozy mysteries. This is her first thriller and I loved it. Going in, I did not know If I would like her going to the dark side, but, I truly did. I do tend to read dark books though, so that helped. This story is told through multiple points of view, and having read many books structured this way I did not have an issue following the plot.

The story starts out with a murder. We do not know who or why and thus begins the story. We meet the Young Widows - a group of grieving young women who have lost their husbands and have formed a support group. Adrianna, Kylie, Isabel, and the youngest and newest member Hannah - all take turns telling their stories. I liked that the women showed support for each other no matter how challenging their situations were. We learn how they lost their husbands and got together.

What follows is a giant maze that circles round and round. The story was well plotted and the ending was a doozy. I truly did not see that coming! I hope Stef continues writing in this vein, because I could not put this book down.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for the opportunity to receive this ARC

[Teresa Nikolic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adriana, Kylie, Isabel and Hannah are four young women who've been drawn together because they've all lost their husbands. They form The Young Widows group and meet regularly to support each other and soon become firm friends, but they each have their own secrets and when these secrets are revealed it's clear that they have more in common than they first thought...

The story of The Young Widows, set in Melbourne, is told in alternate chapters by the four main characters, with the occasional interactions from an unknown person, with each of them having a reason for being where they are today. This one started as a slow burner and I wasn't sure about it at first as it didn't immediately grab me, but I decided to persevere with it and, as the story progressed and the secrets began to unfold, I became invested in these four women and intrigued as to what their ultimate goal could be, one thing I was certain of and that was I didn't trust any of them, the question was, could they trust each other? This is an intriguing read with a great premise and a very satisfactory ending. It's a first for me by this author and I look forward to reading more of her work.

I'd like to thank Avon Books for inviting me to read this book, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

[Angela Mellor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Young Widows is a book that the more you read the more you can’t put it down.
This book I set in Australia and centres around four young women, all under thirty and all widows. They have found each other through grief and set up their little support group to help each other when they needed it, they meet up for coffees and keep each other going. All very different characters and all bonded by grief. One of the women takes the big leap of getting engaged but this leads to her receiving an anonymous letter asking if she really knows her husband to be? Things start to click into place and before you know it grief isn’t all the women are bonded by.
This was a really good read, I enjoyed the book and liked all the women characters. The storyline was decent with it starting off as a slow burner and increasing in pace and tenseness the more the book moved on. I liked how everything tied together nicely at the end with lots of twists and turns along the way to make you keep thinking.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.