Mixed Feelings: One fascinating character coupled with one who was lacking turned this into just an ok read for me.

The Mother-in-Law is a family drama that tracks the tumultuous relationship between a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law.

The book begins with the reader learning of the death of Diana, mother to Ollie and mother-in-law to Lucy. The narrative is divided into both Lucy and Diana's perspectives over the course of ten years.

Diana has been described as some as a hateful character. While she is not necessarily likable, I found her chapters to be fascinating! As cold as she was, her character was much more compelling than Lucy's, who fell rather flat for me. I wanted to know more about Diana--especially her past and her relationship with Tom. There are allusions to what shaped her, but I wanted the whole picture!

I am split between so many elements of this book: The characters, the narrative structure, the plot, etc. At times, I was completely enthralled, whereas during other times I was bored out of mind. I wanted more--I felt that the reader is only offered the surface of Diana and Lucy’s relationship. We dive in a little deeper towards the end, but it seems like in an effort to keep an element of surprise going throughout the novel, we lose what could have been a more complex reading of the relationship between these two women. I also thought that this book was trying to be too many things at once: Domestic drama, women’s fiction, psychological thriller all in one. Overall, while I loved some parts of The Mother-in-Law, it just didn’t work as a whole.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press.

If you enjoy a good family saga then you might want to read Sally Hepworth’s latest novel. This is my first time of reading a book by this author and I was not disappointed! “The Mother-in-Law” brings to life an incredible family account of greed and betrayal.

This book, set in Australia, has many of the components that make a really good story: from the mood and undercurrents to the very clever writing and the experience of deep family secrets and fractured relationships, not forgetting the feelings of hope, the fear, the utter desperation and failure.

“The Mother-in-Law” focuses on Lucy's fractious relationship with her husband's mother, Diana. Lucy has married Ollie, who is from a wealthy family, dominated by the matriarch.

From the very first chapter, I found myself immediately drawn in, following the grave news of Diana's death, the circumstances of which were being treated as suspicious by the police. Her death had the appearance of suicide due to the presence of a note, but then became a matter slightly more deceiving. Diana, inclined to be rather aloof, left behind her husband Tom, son Ollie and daughter Nettie, not to mention her impressive estate…

This story is told from dual perspectives - Lucy's and Diana's - in the present with flashbacks to the past. Sally Hepworth has drawn a great character in Lucy, the outsider, trying hard to please her mother-in-law, to be accepted into her husband’s family, only to repeatedly fall short of the mark.

Sally Hepworth has also done a brilliant job with her portrayal of Diana and this really complements the story for me. Diana was not simply a typical mother-in-law mischief-maker; she was a person with many attributes - mother, wife, friend, daughter and do-gooder. Some of her drive was quite understandable which made it difficult for me to completely scorn her. As past and present merged it became clear that nobody in the family really knew or understood each other.

One of my favourite aspects of this novel was the fluidity of Sally Hepworth’s writing. She managed to provide the details and twists of the plot without messing with the tone of the storyline. Each brilliantly executed chapter left me with a compelling need to read on.

For me, “The Mother-in-Law” was a tale of dramatic suspense but also one of deep reflection. At times, it made me dwell on my own family relationships and dynamics, especially those of the past. This novel definitely leaves you in a reflective mood, both during and after the story ended.

The book definitely has a strong mystery element, culminating in a thrilling and fulfilling ending. I really enjoyed it and I would certainly recommend it. This novel has left an impression on me and I will be reading more from Sally Hepworth. She has now become an author to watch out for!

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press and the author, Sally Hepworth, for my free ARC of The Mother-in-Law in exchange for an honest review.

I picked up “The Mother in Law” and thought I was about to dive into a psychological thriller, so it really wasn’t the direction I expected, but I really liked it! Even though the daughter in law and mother in law were so different, seeing both sides of their story, you could empathize with them both in their own way. The story was engaging and I found myself not wanting to put it down to see what happened next. I would be interested in reading more of Hepworth’s books in the future

Ah, mother-in-laws... So many jokes have been told about them, so many complaints have been said about them, so many stories are shared about them, but none are like Diana in The Mother-in-Law. She appeared to be like a “typical” mother-in-law, strict, overbearing, and critical. She had her annoying ways, tones, and looks, and had the tendency to drive Lucy crazy. But she, too, was shocked to find out that she was dead.

As we read through this novel full of twists and turns and alternate points of view, we get to see and know another side to Diana, and we can almost commiserate with her and feel for her. We start to understand why she acts the way she does and says what she says. Mother knows best after all, right? So who killed her? And why?

This book was full of twists and turns and was filled with compelling characters and intriguing family drama and intricacies. It was a great gripping read, one that you can’t wait to find out what happens next, and hopefully finally solve the puzzle with that last missing piece.

Really enjoyed this! It was different than I expected- much more tender than what you usually get with a thriller/mystery. Slow but steady character development. And I liked getting to see how the characters relationships with each other evolved. Great book.

The Mother-in-Law is told from two alternating viewpoints - that of Lucy and that of her mother-in-law, Diana. In addition, some chapters are sub-labeled as “The Present” and some are labeled as “The Past,” covering the past ten years. The story weaves back and forth in time and in POV resulting in a somewhat disjointed tale. Lucy tells of her challenging relationship with her mother-in-law while Diana details her disappointment with her children and their spouses.

We learn at the outset of Diana’s death (in the Present) and gradually the tale unfolds about what really happened both before and after her death. I found the ending to be somewhat contrived, especially Diana’s unexpected change in character. The story isn’t terrible, but it's not one that I would recommend to my friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for receipt of this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book is being put in the mystery/thriller genre, but while it does have an element of mystery, I would consider it more of a domestic drama. It was definitely more of a slow burn than a full blow edge-of-your-seat thriller. And it was also very good.

Talk about a study in perspective and miscommunication. Lucy and her mother-in-law, Diana, are a walking, talking example of how differing personalities and communication styles can drastically affect relationships between people when the parties involved aren't on the same page. I was addicted to their stories and how they tried to navigate the sometimes challenging daughter-in-law-mother-in-law relationship. It's particularly difficult with Diana because of her strong opinions and unyielding moral values, which can at times cause rifts throughout the entire family.

And when Diana is found dead, the question becomes... did Diana commit suicide or did somebody have motive to kill?

Sally Hepworth's writing was wonderfully executed, keeping my interest the entire time. I am usually a fan of books with relatively short chapters because I tend to be more inclined to keep reading when a chapter ends, flying right through the book from cover to cover. And this book was no exception. Flipping between time periods, past and present, can often be challenging to accomplish without causing confusion for the reader, but in this case was absolutely essential to the storytelling. I also enjoyed the "past of the past" timeline that took place even earlier in time and how that tied into the overall story.

Overall, I enjoyed this one very much and would recommend to those who typically enjoy domestic dramas with a pinch of mystery.

-I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Sally Hepworth, and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review.-

⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Mother in Law by Sally Hepworth tells the story of a suspected murder of a woman who was revered by strangers, her husband and children and tolerated by her son and daughter in law. The dual perspective story focusses on Diana, the matriarch and Lucy, the daughter in law. Diana has gained respect through her charitable endeavours and feels less concerned about her children’s partners’ feelings towards her. Lucy lost her own mother at an early age and wants a solid relationship with Diana as another mother figure for her but is far from successful at achieving this.

When Diana is found dead, what appears to be a suicide initially has the markings of murder. Who had the most to gain by Diana’s death? Who might have wanted Diana dead? Lucy had the most tumultuous and at one point violent relationship with Diana so is chief in suspect.

This story moves between the past and present giving history to the familial relationships leaving the reader changing their mind on who might have killed Diana.

I enjoyed reading this book but wasn’t so engaged that I couldn’t put it down. I have to be honest that it is difficult to review a thriller without comparing it to other thrillers I’ve read in the past. I am left wondering if I would have rated it higher had I not read a few really exciting thrillers of recent. I will note that my review is lower than many I’ve seen so I encourage the reader of this to seek the book out and give it a go. Please, however, do not read all the book descriptions the publishers have put out as it gives so much of the story away unfortunately.

What a great story! Absolutely loved it!! The dual narrative made for a great storytelling device in that it provided so much intrigue - who did what!? The characters were so unlikeable that you couldn't help but hold them all suspect. I enjoyed trying to figure out what happened. Such a great read!!

The story is focused on the mother-in-law, Diana, as we know from the start that she has been found dead. What isn't clear is: did Diana do the deed herself or is someone else at fault? The story alternates between the present and the past, so we have some sections from Diana's perspective and others from the perspective of Lucy, the daughter-in-law. Both of these women don't really get along but it turns out that they really don't understand one another and they cannot communicate well at all. However, there is a cast of characters who may be involved, including Ollie and Nettie (Diana's children) and Patrick (Nettie's husband, who seems to very much enjoy the trappings of Diana's rich life, shared with her husband, Tom). The story went in a direction that I hadn't expected, so it did keep me guessing until the end, but I'd say that the mystery was less interesting than the relationship between Diana and Lucy.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

I was super excited to read The Mother In Law after one of Hepworth’s books was one of my favourite reads from summer. I did enjoy the book but, it is billed as a thriller which I find a bit misleading. It is a family drama with a mystery but it is in no way anything that had me on the edge of my seat nor dark at any time.

Sally’s writing is so similar to Moriarty’s and with the same Australian settings, it makes for great reading. It’s slick, engaging and fun to read.

The thing with me was I was either fully engrossed in the book or totally and utterly bored. I wish we’d got to learn more about Diana and Tom’s relationship but that’s just a minor detail. It did keep me guessing but I didn’t blow me away.

It was well written, albeit at time a drag but still something light and easy to read. I’ve read such a high calibre of books, particularly mystery/thrillers, as of late so I’m a harsh critic right now but this was just good, nothing spectacular

I enjoyed this book about complicated family relationships, especially those between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law. It's a suspense book, yes, but it's also about human nature. Hard to put down - I read it in one day!

I liked the idea behind The Mother-in-Law and I found it to be well executed.
While not as dark and haunting as one would expect it to be because of the genre it belongs to, it was still an engaging and mysterious whodunit story throughout.
I really enjoyed the writing, it was light and easy to consume. The characters were very well developed, and even though at times it felt a bit disruptive, I did enjoy the two story-line structure, that gave a great look into Diana as a character. While it didn't absolve her from her actions, it gave me an understanding of her state of mind. I thought the mystery around her death was interesting, it sure had me guessing what happened until the end.
It's overall a great read, with minor hiccups here and there, and if you want a quick and light mystery/thriller, this book is definitely for you.

What a great book.. Loved the past and present. Easy to follow and keep me interested. Would recommend as a great read.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an early release of this book

The Mother-in-Law is a family drama that focuses on the evolving, complicated relationships in one family that are brimming with secrets, misunderstandings and omissions. The story is compounded when the mother-in-law is found dead, adding a twisty murder 'whodunnit' that readers can sink their teeth into.

The story is told in two different time frames using the POVs of Lucy and her mother-in-law, Diana. These two women have a complicated, often territorial relationship that is fraught with misunderstandings. It's through these two points of view, that readers witness their often differing perspectives, the assumptions they make and how the omission of their true feelings lock them, as well as others in their extended family, in persistent emotional conflicts.

Readers will be able to sympathize with many of the issues and feelings raised and some may connect with the ever-present tension of family members fighting for emotional territory. The characters, which include several extended family members, are a well-rounded bunch and you may be surprised at which characters you sympathize with.

Extended family can be complicated, often messy and sometimes filled with different battles being fought behind the scenes. With The Mother-in-Law, Hepworth provides readers with a thought-provoking, multi-layered and character-driven story that will provide substantial fodder for book clubs - especially those that include readers from different generations.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher, St Martin's Press, for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Nasty, cold, charitable and giving Diana Goodwin is dead. Swiftly it becomes apparent that she was murdered and that someone close to her did it. The question is who--and this is where Hepworth's book is so brilliant, leaping over the hurdles of unreliable narrators and typical psychological suspense into the hearts and lives of people doing the best that they can with what they have. Hepworth weaves a world of privilege and struggle, of heartbreak over the inability to have a child and of business failure, of those you help and those who help you. Nothing is predictable, but everything is perfectly logical. Lucy Goodwin, the daughter-in-law with an extremely rocky relationship with Diana, is smart, likable, and wise in the midst of the chaos of young children and strained relations. This story grabbed me by the throat from the first page and never let go all the way to the end.

In any other family Lucy would have been a very welcomed daughter in law. She was loving, warm and wanted to be part of the family. She was a good caring wife and mother and I thought that was the main criterion for a mother in law! I was wrong. Diana was cool and collected and she kept Lucy at arms length. She did not dislike her but she was never welcoming either.



Diana and Lucy got on fairly well. You knew where you stood with Diana who had iron clad principles and beliefs. One was that despite being endowed with a lot of money, she was not going to hand out any either to her son or to her daughter, however dire the circumstances were. She had a tough beginning herself and believed that you worked to overcome that. Nothing could shake her from that belief.

When Diana was found dead with a suicide note by her side, the family believed she had cancer and that may have caused her to take her own life. When that fact was disputed with no oncological records at all and when a vial of a drug found to cause slow, painless death was found the unraveling begins.

Unfortunately at the time of Diana's death both her children were in dire need of funds. The son because his partner had run the business down to the ground, they were in debt and everything had to go. Nettie the daughter desperate to have a child, an obssession if you can call it that, failed IVF treatments behind her, now forty and knowing she had to have one more round. Detectives had a good case for suspicion when they ruled out suicide.

In typical Hepworth fashion the story unwinds slowly but surely. You never know who could be the one but you knew it was close to home.

Fascinating read and a real page turner.

Sally Hepworth is very good a taking a family unit that seems perfect from the outside and slowly showing us the cracks and bruises that exist in reality. In The Mother in law, you meet a family that by all accounts has everything going for them. Then you slowly learn that the Mother in this family has secrets that she hid very well. What kind of secrets? Well, the book starts with her murder. The author has built the back stories and the characters so you know them and can predict what will happen next. It's not quite that easy. This is a true page turner that will keep your reading just to see if the daughter in law really killed her MIL.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this thought provoking book

mother in laws...they can be the bain of your lives or they are a godsend...depends on your viewpoint...

nobody knows what anyone has gone through in their lives even your children, so reading this book i found it fascinating...i could see both sides...maybe the method was wrong but the ideas behind it sound...

diana is the mother in law...she is found dead with a note hidden away, was she murdered or did she commit suicide

this is the story that is split with past and present chapters with each character, though that sounds confusing it actually makes a lot of sense...and it built for a very interesting story, one that kept me glued right to the end

i can see this author being on my added watch list after reading this book

This is my first book by Sally Hepworth, but it will not be my last.

This book tells the story of Lucy, who has a distant and somewhat cold mother in law, Diana, who dies unexpectedly.

I do not want to give any spoilers, but I really enjoyed this book. I love the way the author was able to create two distinct voices in Lucy and Diana, and the contrast between situations told from the two perspectives. I was ready to hate Diana, then found myself sympathizing and even empathizing with her when it was her turn to tell the story.

I ended up really admiring both characters and the author's ability to really create fully drawn, realistic characters.

I cannot wait to read another book by this author.