I received this ARC and read this in less than 24 hours! Very well written compelling thriller-mystery. I had guessed the twist but still liked the way it played out.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin”s Press for the ARC.

This is just as good as every other Sally Hepworth novel, and one I could hardly put down. I read it yesterday and had certain thoughts and points of view and thought my analysis was complete.

In the shower today, where we all do our best thinking, I looked at it from a different point of view. No spoilers, but entirely from Nettie”s point of view, and that hit me so hard because I went through the same process and procedures that she did. Yet, somehow, I hadn’t had that running through my head while reading this book.

It’s a complicated family, as most are, but in the end, I really enjoyed this. I always look forward to a new novel from Ms. Hepworth and can’t wait for her next one.

Solid 4 1/2 stars.

Reading The Mother-in-Law while preparing for my upcoming wedding may not have been the best choice at the time, but what a good book this was! Everyone should go purchase this when it is published on April 23!

The Mother-in-Law is told from two points of view, Lucy and her mother-in-law Diana. Lucy was thrilled about marrying Ollie, who wouldn't be excited about getting married?! She has high hopes to establish a special relationship with Diana, but unfortunately it isn't in the cards.

The book begins with the police showing up and Lucy and Ollie's house, announcing that Diana, Lucy's mother-in-law is dead, by suicide. Or was it? Nothing about Diana's death seems to add up, leading Lucy to question everything.

The Mother-in-Law is filled with shocking twists and turns. I couldn't wait to finish so I could piece together the mystery.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! My first by this author and certainly not my last. It begins with he death of Diana Goodwin, aka "The Mother-in-Law". A suicide note has been found near her body due to the cancer consuming her body. Small glitch, autopsy shows no cancer.
The story jumps back 10 years from the perspectives of Diana & Lucy, her daughter in law. Some really good twists and so many missed opportunities, but the part that really shines is the relationship between Diana and Lucy. All is definitely not what it seems.

I really enjoyed this book! I really enjoyed how it was written using the different character point-of-views and also how it went back and forth between the past and present.
It kept me guessing all the way to the end and the ending especially really surprised me. I definitely reccomend this book - you need to read this!

The Mother-In-Law was a fun and fast read, but ultimately it was really easy to figure out perpetrator of Diana’s death. I am glad that I read this one, but overall it felt like it was missing something.

Lucy first meets Diana when Ollie brings her home for family dinner. Unfortunately the meeting does not go off as Lucy expected and there were not initially warm and fuzzies. In fact she overheard Diana throwing around the word “fine.” As their relationship progresses the novel is told surrounding the same events, but from each Diana and Lucy’s perspectives.

While going through these stories it is clear that both Diana and Lucy have a mutual respect for each other. Unfortunately, this makes it feel as though a lot of the stories are useless with just brief nuggets that tie back to the actual plot.

Thank you to those tagged in exchange for my honest review.

I really loved this book! I went in not knowing what to expect, but I had a pretty bad run with thrillers like this last year and was skeptical. But this book changed my mind. I wasn't able to see the twist coming until right up at the very end so I was left wondering with the police who exactly had killed Diana, or if it had been a murder at all. I liked that it gave you the backstory of so many of the characters, letting you really see where each was coming from and I liked that Diana sees herself as helping and being such a good mother in law while Lucy can't stand her, but each is coming from their own past that slowly starts to make sense as you read. It was a good book with really good characters.

You can pick your partner, but you can’t choose your mother-in-law...

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth is a domestic thriller, but it isn’t your typical mother-in-law story. This book is told from two perspectives, Lucy, the daughter-in-law and Diana, the mother-in-law.

Lucy falls in love with Ollie and like most women really wants his mother to like her. Diana is not so interested in having a loving relationship with Lucy though. When Diana is found dead that’s when we get to learn more about her past and what made her the woman she was. The real question though is who killed her and why?

I really liked that this book told the story from both perspectives. You usually just get to read the daughter-in-law’s perspective about her evil mother-in-law, but this story gave us insight into why Diana behaved the way she did towards Lucy. It gave us more understanding as to why she seemed so standoffish even if that wasn’t always how she meant to be.

I had an advanced readers copy so I did find some issues with grammatical errors which I assume will be fixed before it’s published. I also wish they would put an actual date/time rather than past/present to understand the timeline better.

I really liked this book and look forward to reading more books by Sally Hepworth. I definitely recommend it for fans of domestic thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I adored this book. I really enjoy Hepworth’s writing style and the voice she gives her characters. An engaging read that I would definitely recommend. This story of relationships within a family is very relatable & keeps you engaged.

I like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book.much of it was unexpected but so wonderful! I a truly thankful to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review it, to St. Martin’s Press for publishing it and also to thank Sally Hepworth for writing such a different yet delightful book. The characters were all so vivid including the children, the story line absolutely believable and the ending just right. I could go on but my best words would have to be Read This!

This book has perfect timing. With the whole college scandal going on, the whole concept of what parents owe their children or how much help they should provide is especially apt.

Losing her mother to cancer when she’s a teenager, Lucy envisions becoming bosom buddies with her mother-in-law. That’s before she meets Diana, who has a frosty nature and is not the buddy sort.

I know many will see Diana as the cold, uncaring MIL, but I actually sympathized with her. Yes, some of the things she did were wrong, but overall, I appreciated her. She’s just a very practical woman, especially when it comes to money.

Hepworth does a wonderful job of pointing out how different families have different standards regarding money. In fact, not just families, but spouses. As Tom says, “it’s about support...whether to give it or not.” But It's also a question of whether you’re doing your kids a favor by giving them everything on a silver platter. I’ve seen way too many trust fund babies grow up without a lick of ambition.

I also loved how she points out, again and again, the way we let moments get away from us. The chance to say thank you...i love you...let me help.

This isn’t a fast paced book. Hepworth takes her time setting up the scenario. I liked this approach and found it a relaxing break after so many roller coaster ride mysteries. The book alternates between the past and the present, between Diana and Lucy. And I also have to give Hepworth credit for a thought provoking book. I did a lot of highlighting with this book, something I hardly ever do with a mystery.

And i must have changed my mind ten times over the course of the book as to the who in the whodunit. As it was, I never did figure it out before the big reveal.

My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

I just adored this book, The Mother-In-Law, since having a mother-in-law and recently becoming a mother-in-law, I was totally curious along with my being a fan of Sally Hepworth. The story is wonderfully suspenseful as it is interesting learning to love (or not) the characters. This story is told mostly through the daughter-in-law (Lucy) and the mother-in-law (Diane), along with the rest of the small family. I was thoroughly entertained, amused, and surprised. It does have a bit of the “Agatha Christie” romp to it. Give it a go, you’ll be happy you did, whether there is a mother-in-law in your life or not! 4.5 ⭐️ Thank you #NetGalley #TheMotherInLaw #SallyHepworth #StMartinsPress

Another thriller/mystery that earns 4 stars! This was a quick and entertaining novel that I would recommend adding to your TBR list. I loved how there would be a crazy story from Lucy’s point of view, followed by Diane’s point of view and rationale for her actions. The two points of view throughout the story, alternating past and present as well, provided an interesting story-line. I enjoyed this thriller since it had the appropriate amount of twists coupled with intense family drama. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! Publish date 4/23/19. Review will be posted tomorrow on my Instagram as well @readingnookreviews

3.5 Stars

“How many people does it take to kill a rich old lady? I only wish I knew.”

When the police show up at Ollie and Lucy’s house to inform them Ollie’s mother Diana has been found dead of an apparent suicide, everyone appears to be shocked. But that’s nothing compared to their reactions when it’s discovered there were no traces of the poison which was found next to her in her bloodstream and, in fact, it appears she may have been smothered instead. The remainder of the book rotates in timehops from 10-years in the past to the present where the reader learns all about the Goodwin family dynamics, how relationships evolved and what made Diana the person she was.

The Mother-In-Law is receiving its Stars purely for the readability factor. This was 100% a Lifetime Murder Mystery type of selection so if that’s not your cuppa, well . . . . sorry, but not really.

Personally, I loooooooooooooooooooove family dramas. And surprisingly, parts of me really ended up kind of loving parts of Dianna as well. Probably because it was like looking in a mirror. Maybe not 100%, but I’m definitely not of the touchy-feely variety, not extroverted, keep things close to the vest, etc., etc., etc. which often translates to cold or bitchy to others. And hell, let’s face it, sometimes I’m just cold and bitchy. Life’s too short to pretend you like people that you don’t.

That’s not to say I didn’t have some problems with this story. While Diana’s reasoning behind her decisions when it came to offering a hand up were eventually explained, I didn’t buy it. Yes, as a parent you want to raise children who will eventually not live in your basement and become contributing members of society, but she had already done that. Offering a pittance when asked that would remove PMI (that’s mortgage insurance for you youngsters - and lemme tell you it’s a rip-off) due being able to drop a full 20% down payment on a house purchase is not going to result in a son/daughter-in-law who are dregs on society. There were other moments that pinged my hinky meter as well, but I don't want to get spoilery. I'm also still rounding up rather than down because I was totally invested in this and read it cover-to-cover without hardly taking a breath so there's no reason to get super nitpicky. My enjoyment level never waned.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

A mother-in-law who didn't like you from the second she met you.

A mother-in-law who had a secret from her youth.

A mother-in-law who loved her charity more than she loved her kids, and told them they just can't have things given to them.

A mother-in-law who disinherited her children a few days before her death but had her reasons.

A mother-in-law who was found dead with a suicide note but with circumstances that didn't point to suicide.

And...a mother-in-law who actually wasn't that bad after all was said and done.

But....could a family member be involved in her death? Would you think a family member would do that to their mother/mother-in-law?

THE MOTHER-IN-LAW moved along quickly with the short chapters revealing all present and past family situations and giving information about how Diana treated her children and their spouses and how she felt about her charity.

The book is filled with secretive characters that keep you from actually knowing what they are thinking or planning to do or even if they are telling the truth.

THE MOTHER-IN-LAW is an all-around good domestic suspense with a few twists that pop up and that might have you looking at some of your family members in a different light.

It will also keep you guessing if a family member did kill Diana or if she committed suicide.

Ms. Hepworth has written another book with family at the heart of it as always as well as other things to ponder. 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy has a pretty normal life. She's happily married to Ollie, has 3 kids and is a stay-at-home mom. Her only real problem is her mother-in-law, Diana. Diana has always been "frosty" to Lucy despite Lucy's efforts to get along. It's a bit of an issue at family get-togethers, but it's one Lucy has learned to live with. Until the day the police show up at Lucy's door with bad news.

The book alternates between Lucy's point of view and Diana's, and between the past and the present. We learn how and why Diana treats Lucy the way she does and the consequences of their relationship.

This book ended up being more serious than I expected, but it was still a quick read and I really enjoyed it. It's very well written with great character development.

Thanks to Net Galley for providing me an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This kept me guessing (and invested) until the end. Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty (Hepworth is also Australian) and family drama with a bit of suspense.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. Money, greed, and murder. There was a good amount of mystery and each time I thought I had figured it out there was a twist that sent me in another direction. I will definitely be reading more by this author. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was right up my alley - I love a good novel full of tension and this one did not dissapoint. It actually took me by surprise - I thought I knew what the story was going to be like and it threw me for a loop in the depth and twist and turns that it took. I could barely putting this down, finishing it quickly as I devoured each chapter. I promptly added this author to my favorites list and went in search of other books by her. I highly recommend this book!

Secrets, lies, money and greed can create deadly consequences.

The Mother-in-Law is a brilliant book that tells the story of Lucy and her Mother-in-Law, Diana’s, complex, strained and at times tense (on the verge of hateful) relationship. When Diana is found dead, the wickedness escapes into the pages and weaves a tale that leaves you entranced. Was it suicide or was it murder?

An amazing, twisted, sordid read that gets my 5 star approval! The Mother-in-Law is a must read for 2019.❤️