Lucy is marrying into a very wealthy family. Exact opposite of her family. All she wants is to be accepted by her mother-in-law, Diana. Things don't always turn out like we would like them. Diana is cold, standoffish, unapproachable. Through the years Diana and Lucy have had disagreements, some major. One resulting in assault.
Now, Diana has been found dead. The investigation seems it murder. Who would murder Diana? She was always busy with her charity for Australian refugee woman, who had children or were pregnant. Someone had to have had animosity towards her. She is dead.
This story is exceptional. It unearths the puzzle of what makes mothers-in-laws tick. Their feelings for children, husbands and daughter-in-laws. It is about the dysfunctional relationships in families. It's also about love. Sometimes our past determines how we think and act. Especially how we treat out loved ones.
Very well written, captivating, thought provoking. Excellent!

Mother-in-Law is such a great psychological thriller. I loved the alternating point of views and loved the twist at the end. I thought I had guessed what had happened but then has I continued to read, I realized I was completely wrong, which to me makes this book so great. I couldn’t put this book down and stayed up to the wee hours of the morning reading because I had to find out the ending. This is the first Sally Hepworth book I have read but I will definitely be reading more of her books in the future.

I would like to thank NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for an electronic ARC of this book.

I appreciated how the format of the story highlighted the importance of family. I connected with Lucy, and liked how things came together in the end.

Once again I find myself in the minority regarding reviews for this book, it is well loved by many.

Truthfully I was hoping for a really good mystery but this is really more contemporary women’s fiction. Knowing that the main character is dead at the beginning definitely takes away some of the suspense in the novel.

Here’s what we know:
Lucy is the new daughter in law who has married Ollie, son of Diane and Tom Goodwin. Lucy had no idea that the family was wealthy until she entered their mansion of a home to meet them for the first time. I mean an indoor pool testifies to a fair amount of wealth.

Diane, as mother in law, is not what any young woman would want. I know because my mother in law and I never saw eye to eye on anything for 40 years (may she RIP). She was as cold to me when I met my husband as Diane was to Lucy and it never improved. There are sometimes just very different personalities that will never agree. However Diane does seem to go out of her way to make Lucy feel uncomfortable, incompetent and not worthy of their son. More about her later.

Their other child is a daughter, Nettie, who is married to Patrick, they have no children.. As the book continues, Ollie and Lucy have three children and Nettie is trying everything to get pregnant. Finally they have run out of money, after about 3 years of trying to get pregnant, for infertility treatments and she approaches Diane for a loan, she turns her down flat. Diane’s reasoning is that Nettie should find another way to earn the money or turn her life towards a different goal at this point. This does sound pretty heartless considering the loan wasn’t for something frivolous.

Later we find out why Diane has some of these feelings, she had quite a tough life as a young woman but I won’t reveal any spoilers here. It does help to explain some of her reasoning.

The book was page turning but I didn’t think that the characters were that well developed with the exception of Diane, we know almost nothing about Tom, their life together as a couple. He seems to be pretty much the indulgent husband who adores Diane and goes along with most of her wishes. He has been known, however, to slip the children money for things which Diane knows nothing about.

There are other sides to Diane. She treats refugees, particularly pregnant women, with extreme kindness and goes above and beyond the usual to see that they get care, clothes and food for the little ones, helping them find jobs, etc. She spends a lot of time in her charitable work. I felt with the title being “The Mother In Law” that there would be something more titillating, or out of the box behavior from Diane. Things in the book are really nothing that I would call exciting or mesmerizing.

When the murder occurs, at about 75% into the book, the action does pick up and I found myself unable to set it down until the end. We all want to know who did it, right?

Then there is another family tragedy and that adds to the tension. We are then shown what is going on 10 years later and it’s all just a little too perfect for me to believe. Not impossible, just not probable.

All in all it was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it as a light entertaining read.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.



Will post to Amazon upon publication.

Haven't read such a good book in many years. The book about relationships within the family is so captivating, and revealing that it astounds you. Tremendous insight into the fragility of daughters in law and new families.
An amazing book!

A great book!!! Loved it! and cant wait to read more by this author, couldnt pit it down, really enjoyed it!

When Lucy and Ollie became engaged she had high hopes of forming a perfect relationship with her future mother in law. Lucy had lost her own mother at the age of thirteen to cancer. After meeting her mother in law Diane they did not get along. Diane would make little remarks and for the next decade the relationship became quite tumultuous. So one evening while folding laundry and her kids running around two police men show up at her door to inform her and Ollie that Diane was dead and it looks like from an apparent suicide. Both shocked they find that so hard to believe. After an autopsy is done two homicide detectives inform them that this is no longer a suicide it’s a homicide! Even though Diane and Lucy didn’t have the best relationship she knows she didn’t murder Diane. But Diane had many people in her life that would. From Diane’s daughter Nettie who is desperate for a baby but Diane refuses to give her money for IVF, to Patrick netties husband who doesn’t really have a great job since he knows once Diane’s dead he will get in on Nettie’s inheritance, to Ollie Lucy’s own husband whose business is going under. Questions about Diane’s death are being investigated and it seems like everyone in the family has a secret to hide. If Lucy didn’t kill her and she has the biggest motive since they disliked eachother so much then who did kill Diane? This is told in two POV’s Lucy’s in the past and present and Diane’s all told in the past and what led up to her murder! I was truly invested in this book I just had to know who killed Diane and I absolutely loved how Lucy told her own story and what led to he dislike of Diane and how Diane told her own story! I give this four stars!

The Mother-In-Law was character driven suspenseful domestic noir, a twisted family drama. It was story about dysfunctional family, money greed, obsession, loss, life struggle, and a complicated mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship.

Characters-

Ollie– Lucy’s husband, Diana’s son. He was a good son and husband. I could easily see my husband in him. Always taking his mother’s side, arguing with Lucy for her overreaction when actually it was his mother’s fault… and so on. But he messed things so much at some point. I understood it was tough for him to provide for his family but I didn’t like how he expected inheritance and money from family.

Nettie– The sister-in-law, Diana’s daughter. She was nice character at the beginning, and a great aunt but her baby obsession ruined everything and every relationship. I could feel her sadness and sorrow, how much she might have suffered but only if she could let it be like Patrick.

Patrick– Nettie’s husband. He didn’t care for his in-laws, nor did I for him! But I liked his role in the book and he played it perfectly.

Tom– The father-in-law, Diana’s husband. He was polar opposite of Diana. Like Diana said, nothing went wrong when it comes to father-in-law. He was perfect person, pillar of the family who kept this family together. I loved him for his support to Diana when she needed most and how he raised his and Diana’s children.

Lucy– the daughter-in-law. She was really nice. She supported her husband, kids, in-laws in all conditions. I could relate to Lucy and I could understand her actions and reactions without efforts. From the very beginning we could see why she was so desperate to impress Diana and wished to gain her love and respect. Yup, those early chapters raised devil horns on Diana’s head easily. It was natural to side with her as Diana didn’t try to mend their relationship. I also agreed with Lucy’s thought about Diana’s approach towards Ollie and Nettie’s problems. What I loved most about Lucy was, after all that happened, she never stopped caring and oddly she liked Diana’s some of characteristics when she really give it a thought.

Diana– The Mother-in-law. She was perfect wife, perfect employer, best with refugee women and best grandmother but she couldn’t be the best mother and mother-in-law. She was woman of few words, no-nonsense, noninterfering type. She was good human and I could feel for her when I read her past.

When it came to Lucy, I think Diana was judgmental and underestimated her. That’s where all went wrong between them. I feel things would have different if she could be the way she was with Ghezela. But later in the book I could see why she couldn’t and I really loved her and Tom at that moment. I could see how their little family was all they lived for.

When money and children came into one picture, her only motto was ‘help yourself’ which was both good and horrible for her family and ultimately made them hate her. Honestly how could she fail to see what it was doing to her children! And using all those money for refugee women but not helping her own kids, I understood that she saw her kids more capable but if I had that much money I would have helped Ollie and Nettie and even have seen what was coming earlier. Anyway it was her story not mine.

And the way she developed near the end of the book was fabulous. But alas, it was too late and I so wished I could change what happened to her.

what i liked-

Writing was just awesome. It was so interesting and gripping that I wish to read all books by this author. Book had perfect beginning. It started with police arriving at door step of Lucy sharing the bad news about Diana which takes reader 10 years back to the beginning of Lucy and Dian’s rocky relationship and how it developed over the time.

Book was told in dual narrative by Diana and Lucy. Diana’s POV represented her full life story starting from a decade ago telling about her relationship with Lucy as well as with all family members. It also depicted her perspective towards life, morals and way of upbringing. Lucy’s POV was both in past, which painted a clear picture of Goodwin family, and present that told where the investigation was going, whether it was suicide or murder, and who might be responsible for Diana’s death.

Characters made this book so intriguing and addictive. They all were flawed. They all had problems, problems they could solve if they have open to each other, shared feelings, and have dealt it wisely. All family members were not really close with each other and they all were hiding something especially after Diana’s death. What was they hiding? Did someone from family pushed Diana to take her life or had a reason to harm her? if so, what was the motive? Suspense was strong. As I read more, I suspected all family member for Diana’s death and it wasn’t revealed until last few chapters.

There were so many things in the Book that stopped me to brood over while reading– Diana’s life before marriage, how it made her what she was now, her resolve to administer the same learning in her kid’s life and I could see what she was doing wrong; how Lucy yearned for love of mother, her many attempts to gain Diana’s love; Nettie’s baby obsession; Ollie’s carelessness and weakness and yet being a good husband and son; Ollie, Nettie and Patrick’s greed.

Diana and Lucy’s relationship was heart of the book. It was complicated, twisted, tense, but both tried to fit at best. There were so many ‘ifs’ came in my mind while reading about them and their relationship with other member of the family. ‘Only if’ Diana has said that or did that. ‘only if’ Lucy has been herself without trying so hard to impress, ‘only if’ they talked to each other freely, and so on.

I was so surprised and awed by brilliance of climax and the end. I loved last chapter and words from Diana’s letter. Story was tragic but I’m satisfied with book. It turned out much better than I expected.

Overall, it was thought-provoking, suspenseful, complex, complicated and twisted family drama with addictive writing and plot. I highly recommend this book.

Fantastic! I kept hearing wonderful things about this book and I’m so glad I was able to get an advance copy. I excpected more of a thriller but I was pleasantly surprised that the thriller aspect took a backseat to the family dynamics and relationships. The characters were all flawed, but not enough for me to be actively rooting against them. This kept me guessing until the end and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute!

Thank You Net Galley, St Martin's Press and Sally Hepworth for a chance to review this book.

The title of the book itself is juicy, Like how the author very wisely points out that you may choose your partner but you don't actually choose anybody else in the family especially your mother-in-law. That relationship is the most delicate that needs to be handled with kitten touch from both sides if at all you are looking forward to keeping the relationships in the family. Lucy and Ollie are married with 3 children,Diana and Tom are the in-laws and then there's the sister-in-law Nettie and her husband, Patrick. Diana has had no support from her parents and instead of learning something positive from it, she makes it her life's mission to be cold and unloving to her own children so that they learn to do things independently and fight for what they want. However she has no problems in showing her care for total strangers which gives the reader a glimpse of the actual person she's underneath.
I loved this family drama with a bit of mystery that's added to it making it spicier and the whole relationship between Diana and Lucy that was so delicious to read.

Wow! Great mystery/thriller. It sucked me in right away and the hidden twists of the "mother-in-law" were great. Loved the development of the characters and the way the book was sectioned into "past" and "present". Definitely recommend.

I love being surprised by a book. The Mother-in-Law surprised me by being good at telling deep truths about family relationships. We tend to think our family is different, not like the ones we read about or see on television. In all honesty, most of us are searching for the feelings of love and acceptance. When others are not what we expect, our feelings can overwhelm us with thoughts and actions that come without warning.

The character development is quite good in this story told by Lucy and Diana. The relationships are complex and feel real. This is a story that hints about what is to come rather than laying it out there for all to see. I like having think about what may happen and The Mother-in-Law gave me a lot to think about.

Did Diana commit suicide, or was she murdered? At first, it seems obvious but as the book goes on, you realize there is a lot more to the story than it appears at first glance.

This is a fabulous story about family, as well as a (potential?) mystery. Diana is an unlikeable character at the beginning, but as the story moves on, more about her internal world becomes known.

This was a solid five-star read for me. Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the ARC! .
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You guys. This book was SO FREAKING GOOD. It’s exactly what I want in a suspense novel, and I was absorbed from the very beginning. The characters felt realistically flawed while still being likable. The ending was surprising but didn’t feel out of the blue and I highly recommend that you buy this book as soon as it’s published in April! 4.5/5⭐️’s

I enjoyed this book, but did not love it. When a book really grabs my attention , I struggle to put the book down. This one took me about a week to complete as I was not totally pulled into the story from the very first page. Once You get past the first part of the book, then it starts to grab your attention. Usually I can predict the thrillers but the twist at the end I did not see coming. This was the first book by this author and although I struggled a little bit with this one, it will not be my last read from this author. Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

This was a solid domestic suspense. I appreciated how it showed each character's take on the same events and kept me guessing up until the end. It wasn't perfect, but an enjoyable read. My first book from this author, but not my last! Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I'm a sucker for books that have multiple points of view. This book makes you think about how your raising your kids and the relationships you have with your close family members. I loved the ending for Lucy and Ollie. Just wish Diana had figured things out sooner. #thankyounetgalley

This story based around a mother in law and her children and children in law is poignant and touching in unexpected ways.
When Lucys mother in law Diana turns up dead everyone is confused and as the investigation unfolds the confusion only grows deeper.
While Lucy, like many women, did not have the best relationship with Diana the questioning develops, was she involved? What secrets did Diana hold that could have led to her death?
I truly enjoyed this novel and was sad yet satisfied in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sally Hepworth and St. Martin’s Press for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

From the moment Lucy met her mother-in-law Diana, she realized that her dreams of a close relationship with her was never going to happen. Lucy wants to please her mother in law but it’s hard when Diana is such a pillar of community and advocate of social justice. Now ten years later, Diana has been found dead with a suicide note, but the autopsy showed she died of suffocation. Everyone in the family is hiding something, but who would murder Diana?

This was my first novel by Hepworth and I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I have always heard great things. I wasn’t disappointed at all! I loved the characters in this novel, even the ones that were hard to like. I loved how Lucy wanted to have a mother and daughter relationship with her mother-in-law, but Diana has other plans. I also loved the way that Diana was handling the family even though it is a bit hard to understand at first, but as you get to know her, it is much easier to understand. I loved how the chapters went back and forth from past to present and let us see what was going on in their lives to see how they ended up where they are today. I really loved the pace of this novel and the twist in the end that I didn’t see coming until much further into the novel. I will definitely be picking up more novels by Hepworth!

Out April 23rd!

A very compelling story. I got the novel, thinking that it was a mystery/thriller. While there was a mystery, the central theme of the book was familial relationships between women. I think that all women will be able to see aspects of their relationships with their mothers or mothers-in-law while reading this story.