While the book is set up as a bit of a whodunit mystery in the beginning, the real meat of it is in the relationships. Hepworth does a great job breadcrumbing throughout the story, telling just enough to propel it forward. Although much of the book pits Diana and Lucy against one another, I found myself sympathizing with and relating to both. The alternating viewpoints just serve to remind us that if we assume the worst in people, we’ll always find something to complain about.

This is my first book by this author-- attracted because I needed a sorbet after some delicious entrees, and she had been compared to Liliane Moriarty, who I usually turn to in such circumstances. But I was bored early on, got so tired of long passages about clothes (one of my major bugaboos) -- at least I could skim through those so it didn't take me long to read. The characters were cobbled together from other similar books, and I know I've said it before but I'll say it again -- no more of these twisty psychological domestic dramas. They can only cover so much territory and then start repeating themselves. They're fine for many readers, but not this one.

This was my first book by Sally Hepworth and it won’t be my last!!! I enjoyed this story very much!! It delved into family relationships in particular between a mother and her children, wife and husband, and the role of a mother-in-law. You definitely get attached to each of the characters and it had me guessing till the end!!! Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

First book of the year from @sallyhepworth and it’s a 5 star! I loved her previous book “the family next door” and was so excited to get an ARC from @netgalley. This one is multi-layered and complex, with an unforgettable cast of characters. A read-all-night and wake-up-early book to start off the year. For fans of Lisa Jewell and Liane Moriarty.

The Mother-in-Law draws you in from the beginning with the mystery of why exactly Diana is dead - did she commit suicide or was she murdered? The book goes back and forth from Diana and Lucy's perspectives from the past and present day. The author does a great job with the characters in this book and why they do the things they do. Diana is Lucy's mother-in-law and the dynamics of that relationship are at odds.

I really enjoyed this book - the characters, the story, and the mystery, up until the end and I was a little disappointed in the ending thoughts on why Diana died and the family fell apart.

This is the first book I read from this author and I thought it was great! I finished it in less than 24 hours. The story is told from two different perspectives- the mother in law and daughter in law. Both are relatable. It’s interesting to see how their relationship progresses throughout the book.
Lucy and her mother in law haven’t always gotten along. When Diana (mother in law) turns up dead, it looks like an apparent suicide but things aren’t always what they seem.

I received an ARC of The Mother In Law by Sally Hepworth from Netgalley. Thank you Netgalley. I LOVED this book. I finished it in a day…it totally kept my attention. It begs the question- are mothers in law awful people? Are they always against the daughter in law? Is no woman ever good enough for someone’s son? Are our sons really that special? No matter how much Lucy loved Ollie, she would never be good enough for Diana…or was she? When the police show up at Lucy and Ollie’s door to inform them that Diana is dead, it becomes clear that things are not always what they seem. Diana and Lucy had a strained relationship, but that may not be the only strained relationship in the family. I loved the way the story was told from alternating views, Diana’s view and Lucy’s view. This book was excellent, kept me interested the entire read, and I would recommend to anyone looking for a fun, face-paced read with several twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. Well done Sally Hepworth!!!

I can honestly say I really enjoyed this book. The writing was superb and the character development was amazing. It tells of family drama, love and loss and the stuff we should say while people are alive. Also a few twists and turns! Loved the alternating chapters of daughter-in-law and mother in law. Would definitely recommend. Thank you netgalley for letting me give an honest review of this book.

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

Lucy and Diana have struggled for ten years to navigate the complicated relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and now that Diana has been found dead under suspicious circumstances, family secrets abound in this wonderfully-written family story by Sally Hepworth.

Told in alternating narration and flashing back in time, Hepworth skillfully explores the challenging dynamic between the two main characters while creating a story that remains a mystery until the very end. While the title and cover scream thriller, this is more literary fiction with a mystery element, which I found to be absolute perfection. I absolutely loved how Hepworth set up the relationship between Lucy and Diana - the intentions, the responses, the actions, the resolution. Wow.

Bonus points to Hepworth because the book has an outcome I didn't foresee; this is much appreciated, as I feel the predictability of books in this genre has become a minor annoyance.

I can wholeheartedly recommend this book.

Wow. This twisty new page turner had me from the start! Such a great family drama thriller that will sneak up on you. Definitely gave me all the Other Woman vibes which I loved so much! This was my first by this author and now I’m hooked! This was a quick easy read for me and I like the multiple POV!

I could not put this book down! This was my first novel by Sally Hepworth but it certainly won’t be my last.

Lucy couldn’t wait to have a Mother-in-Law after losing her own mother. This would be the relationship she could cherish. Diana, however doesn’t live up to her expectations, keeping her at arms length, never letting her in.
When Diana is found dead, suicide is suspected, however the autopsy results say otherwise. And everyone seems to have secrets.

What a page turner this is! From the very first chapter, I found myself immersed in the story and I truly struggled to put it down. Told in alternating voices, in both past and present, the character development and depth is wonderful. Each chapter I found myself second guessing my previous judgments on Lucy & Diana. And it kept me guessing right to the end.

Read it! You won’t be disappointed. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this copy.

I've never been so wrong in my life. I truly thought that I had this one figured out. I mean, come on, it had to be Eamon! So imagine my shock when that ending came crashing around me! Looking back, I can see subtle signs but definitely not anything that I think could have ever given it away. It makes me wonder if Sally Hepworth, herself, didn't even know what the ending would be until she wrote it. It was amazingly done, pure and simple.

I also absolutley loved Lucy's character. Although I could see the alternate perspectives between Lucy and her mother-in-law, I felt for Lucy. She just wanted that approval and could never seem to get it until the end, when it was violently ripped away from her. But at the same time, I slowly fell in love with Diana, as did Lucy. She may come across as overbearing, controlling and cold-hearted, but it was because she cared, she just truly didn't know how to express it or even show it to those she loved. And that suicide letter? Priceless. That may even be a quote I'll remember for the rest of my life. This was an excellent book. So many of hers are on my TBR, but I'm going to make it a priority to read them sooner rather than later now that I've read this one.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.

All I can say is that this book truly gives a whole new perspective of not getting along with your mother in law. And never being good enough for the mommas boy.
She was always fighting to be better than "fine". That one small word was a death sentence. You can't ever climb higher than that. The mother in law has already titled her and she is forever labeled.
No matter how hard she tries, she will never be good enough. So was she really sad to hear that her mother in law was dead or worse that she committed suicide? Will she be able to hide her relief?
I get along with my mother in law. I love her immensely but my first one, omg!!! She was Satan's mistress I swear!! She was the poster child for evil mil...

When Lucy married Ollie she was hoping for a loving and caring relationship with her mother in law Diana, especially as her own mother died many years before. But while Diana was giving and caring with the refugee families she helped, her own family missed out.
Just after she announced to her family that she had advanced cancer, she was found dead...was it suicide or murder?

Told in alternating chapters between Lucy and Diana, they where also titled as past and present and for me I found this very effective, especially to gaining an insight to why Diana was as she was. While I didn’t agree with why or the way she did many things, you got an understanding of the way her mind worked.

This was a complex family drama and I loved it.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

This is the first book I’ve ever read by Sally Hepworth and I’m glad I read it!

Lucy and Diana haven’t always had the best daughter-in-law/mother-in-law relationship. When Diana turns up dead with a bottle of poison near her and it is found out that she didn’t have cancer like everyone thought, you have to wonder if it was really suicide or if she was murdered.

I loved the way this book kept me guessing the whole time and I also loved the complexity and back story of Diana’s character. This was a really great and quick read!

Thank you #netgalley and #stmartinspress for my advanced copy!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Mother-In-Law. As someone that does not necessarily get along with her mother-in-law the title and description of this book was intriguing. Lucy lost her mother at a young age and when she is meeting her soon to be mother-in=law she thinks that maybe she will have a relationship with her that she lost. Boy is she mistaken. Diana Goodwin appears to be a cold and distant mother to her kids and very unwilling to have a real relationship with her new daughter-in-law. This story is told back and forth in time. I love the fact that you get bits and pieces of each person's story as the book goes along. While I don't usually guess the ending of suspense books I never really saw the ending. This book is about family dynamics, our past and how that shape each of us, and how money can rule our lives. This is a great book! #themotherinlaw

I have now read all of Sally Hepworth's published novels. I love her. I love the way she writes and how she makes her characters come alive for you. This book was hard to put down. I loved the back and forth of Lucy and Diana. This book could have been written to make the mother-in-law a villain but because we saw her voice we were able to see and relate to her too.

I think that the best part of this book, aside from the whole mystery, is that you see how hard it is to merge families. You see Lucy trying to get Diana's approval and you see Diana trying to show Lucy care and respect, but both failing. It is so easy to see your own hurt and disappointment when dealing with an in-law. It was refreshing to see oh wait she is trying and maybe it was a misunderstanding.

I LOVED how much Diana loved Tom and vise versa. I love how Hepworth mirrored that relationship with Lucy and Ollie. It was nice to see how they support each other in their decisions.

Nettie was a heartbreaking character. I know that fertility is not an easy topic to discuss or write and I think Hepworth did it beautifully. I can't imagine how much it must have hurt Nettie to see her brother's family grow while she couldn't produce her own family. I love how devoted she was to her nephew and nieces. She was in some ways an ally for Lucy.

I love how the story ended. I loved to see what happened with Lucy and Ollie. I truly think that Diana would have been proud of both of them.


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. Thank you to both for allowing me to read this wonderful book.

A well-written, truly compelling page-turner with some real depth. All of the key characters in The Mother-In-Law are complex, with very believable flaws. The relationships between characters are beautifully drawn, particularly that between Claire and her Mother-in-law. Through alternating POV and retellings of the same events, Sally Hepworth paints a picture of two women who might have had a wonderful relationship, had they not completely misunderstood each other's intentions. It's very relatable, very believable and provides a perfect background to the central mystery of the book - who killed the Mother-in-law? A great read.

From the first day Lucy meets her future mother-in-law, Diana, it was clear that she wasn't the wife Diana had envisioned for her perfect son. And now 5 years later, Diana is dead, her suicide note saying she couldn't handle her cancer anymore. But the autopsy shows no traces of cancer, and instead traces of poison and suffocation. 

This book is so fun, twisty and suspenseful. This was my first Sally Hepworth, but it will most definitely not be my last!

Such a great book told from 2 points of view (the mother in law Diana and the daughter in law Lucy ). I could not put this book down and am eagerly awaiting Ms. Hepworth's next novel. This book was graciously provided via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.