Thank you to the publisher, the author and Netgalley for this ARC.

Wow wow wow. I absolutely loved this family drama, not so much a thriller. The writing! The characters! The plot! I fell so in love with Diana. What a strong, misunderstood woman. Told in alternating narration, Diana's got me to the core. The way she responded, the way she rationalized things, made me scream for Lucy to just try to understand. But the dynamic between Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law was so touching. I absolutely could not put this one down. I recommend it with all my heart.

I really loved this book. It was so much more than I expected, which was your typical 'evil mother-in-law' story. It's definitely not that. They way the other author writes from both Lucy and DIana's point of view is intriguing. You often see the same scenario, but in different perspectives that do more to explain Diana then to really add anything to Lucy's character. I enjoyed all of the interactions between the different family members with their constantly shifting dynamics. There are plenty of Aha! moments throughout, with a little bit of mystery to figure out and I kept turning page after page to see what would happen next. I definitely recommend this story and I can't wait to read more from this author.

So much depth in this story! I expected a fresh spin on the ol’ Mother-in-Law story (with ice in the veins, an immature sense of competition, dirty tricks, relationship warfare and Mean Girls behavior) but am SO happy the author chose instead to create a quiet sense of tension that energizes the mystery here. She’s painted characters to love AND hate, which is quite an achievement. I couldn’t put this one down and actually woke up VERY early while reading to continue on. I’ll definitely pick up more of this author’s additional titles. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy for review. This is a great one.

Families can be complicated; add in money and unrealized dreams and it can get ugly! This is a domestic thriller about a family, a dead mother/mother-in-law, and the events leading up to her death. It’s not an edge of your seat thriller, but it was thoughtful and kept me guessing till the end. I especially like how the characters grew and changed throughout the story. I’d recommend this one if you want a mystery with developed characters and family relationships.

This ended up being a pretty decent read. Although I'll be honest, for the first half or so of this book, I was a little bored by it. The tension between Lucy and Diana wasn't so terrible (I mean, it was pretty tame as far as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts go). I honestly wasn't a fan of Diana's, until right before her death--- her flashbacks did little to make me like her or understand her actions. However, she became more likable as her and Lucy's relationship improved.

The latter half of the book really where the story really came together. The mystery of Diana's death exposed the conflicts between everyone, and the ending sufficiently tied together all the loose ends of the storyline.

I did end up enjoying this book, and I feel like many people will love it, but I really wanted more in-law drama with a book about the relationship between a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law.

Well, well, well, isn't this just an interesting take on a very complicated relationship between daughter in law and mother in law?

I had a hard time putting this book down and it sure did not turn out the way I thought it would.

My thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for this advanced readers copy.

3.5

The Mother-in-Law had me happily engaged, but then the end got kind of weird. At the beginning of the book, Diana is found dead. Diana is Lucy’s mother-in-law. The story goes back and forth in time, and back and forth between Diana and Lucy’s points of view. Their relationship is fraught from the beginning. Diana and her husband Tom are very wealthy, but Diana is determined that her children should succeed on their own, without the help of her children. She comes across as judgemental. Lucy is married to Diana’s son Ollie, and she finds Diana hard to take. Hepworth does a good job of giving both Diana and Lucy personalities and back stories that are somewhat more complex than they first appear. It’s hard to like Diana, but she isn’t unidimensional. But, to me, the resolution didn’t really fit with the build up. I won’t say anything to avoid spoilers, and plenty of readers have loved this book — although some have really disliked it — so you’ll have to judge for yourself. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

On the whole I enjoyed this book but it’s a pet peeve of mine that so many books now are labeled as suspense when they are not. I hate false advertising. It’s setting up readers to be annoyed. We find out right away what the description already told you. The mother-in-law is dead and the question is how and then quickly who but the conclusion is not told in the matter of a suspense novel or really the meaning of the novel. This is a novel about family and the complicated relationships therein.

This novel is told in a way that constantly jumps around between the last and the present. At first it’s mostly told by Lucy, the daughter-in-law, with time jumps between the present, where Diane the mother-in-law is dead, and the past where the women first meet. The past when we visit it moves forward chronologically as Lucy becomes a mother and highlights the relationship mostly between the somen and the family as a whole. Eventually Diane gets her own chapters, also with time jumps between past and present and also her long ago past as a young woman. I generally hate flashbacks and alternating POVs but it works well here. As a reader you are in the dark about the big picture as the information slowly unfolds.

I think the biggest mistake was making us care about the narrators. It’s makes the inevitable difficult. As the reader we know how it will end and that fate is sad. Again it’s not suspenseful but it is well written. It is a very well written sad family play. Honestly that’s not my favorite type of book, I started reading because I like suspense, so it is a credit to the author that I liked it. In many ways I liked her last novel, The Family Next Door, more because it was more suspenseful and intriguing but as a writer she has really improved. This novel was more concise and I enjoyed the tighter writing that moved the story forward. Despite a lot of time jumps the novel was paced very well. I read it quickly in about two sittings because it was so well done. Again it’s not action packed but very well written and never slow.

I do recommend this book if it sounds interesting. Just be aware that it won’t unfold like a who done it or be very suspenseful. It is an excellent paced well written family drama however.

The Mother-In-Law explores the family dynamics between mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws, but also mothers and sons, mothers and daughters, and spouses.

The story is told in alternating viewpoints and timelines: the past and present by both Diana (the mother-in-law) and Lucy (her daughter-in-law). It deep dives into the intricacies of their interactions, and also shows how two people can often interpret the same conversation or decision in different ways.

I found the relationship between Lucy and Diana to be very interesting as they grew to understand and trust each other over time. I also liked the evolution of Diana’s character as more of her backstory was revealed. She initially seemed very cold and detached, but learning what she had been through in her past made her much more relatable and likeable to both Lucy, and the reader.

While I feel like this novel was predominantly about the dynamics of the family, there was also a potential murder mystery element. I would have liked to see this explored a little more, as I didn’t feel like there was as much suspense and build up towards the reveal as I normally crave.
I enjoyed this one overall! I’m a little torn on my score between a 3 (I liked it) and a 4 (I really liked it), so I think I would rate it as a 3.5.

The Mother-in-Law surprised me. In a great way. The twists and turns were definitely not what I was expecting. I really came to love Lucy, Ollie and even Diana. Families are complicated. This family was more complicated than most. My biggest learning moment- never assume you know why a person is behaving a certain way. I loved that the story was told from multiple perspectives so you could piece together real motives. A great read!

Loved this Australian domestic suspense novel! Told in alternating point of views between Anna, the daughter-in-law and Diana, the mother-in-law, it makes you realize how misunderstandings can breed a life of their own. The characters were well developed, likable or not, and the story sucked the reader in quickly. Easily my favorite book by this author. Kept me reading late into the night and on the edge of my seat.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC. Definitely recommend!

Goodreads: Claire Shield
Amazon: Cfrances (didn’t allow reviews because it hasn’t been released yet)

My only other comment is I wish there was a little more about how Diana and Tom jumped to the elite very rich. I think there was a comment about Tom being in the right place, right time - but I also though there was reference to the money being Diana’s. I was expecting something more around this... and maybe more about how Diana and Tom fell in love. The love they had was so well developed and awe-inspiring.

Wow this was a real page-turning-edge-of-your-seat-novel that I just couldn’t put down! You knew something big was afoot but you couldn’t put your finger on it (well I couldn’t anyway)... until it all unfolded, rather sadly, at the end of the book.

The title says it all, it’s about Diana, who quite frankly I found cold and heartless and couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t take to her loving daughter in law Lucy. The book starts with the fact Diana has died, and obviously, we are instantly thinking that Lucy has something to hide. It turns out everyone has something to hide - and everyone - including Diana, has a story to tell. Once we start to learn about her life, her struggles, and her capability to be loving and caring, it becomes apparent that the barriers she put up can be broken down.
The book flips between Diana’s past and present story and Lucy’s past, from meeting Ollie to how her mother in law came to have apparently committed suicide.
I liked Lucy a lot, and felt sorry for her at times. In fact I liked Ollie, her husband and the whole family, especially the Father in law who is so endearing, I think most people have someone in their life he reminds them of. Ollie’s sister is clearly disturbed, and her bumbling bordering on alcoholic husband isn’t helping things, but just how deep her issues lie remains to be seen.

There is so much going on in this book that you actually have to take a step back to realise just how much it covered. There’s the obvious family issues, love and loss, but also illness, infertility, unfaithfulness, charity and so much more. It’s so wonderfully written, you can’t fail to enjoy this whodunnit, thrilling and mysterious novel.

This book started off pretty strong for me but by the end, I was a little disappointed. I think it was because there were certain storylines that I just wanted more of and didn’t get. I think it is overall a great read and was one I was really interested in.

This book was not at all what I expected! I really thought that I had the ending all figured out and it really surprised me! I loved that the story was told from different perspectives and that you got to hear both sides of things. I really loved this book and will be recommending to everyone I know!

This was a book a lot about a family’s relationship with each other and a little bit of a “who done it” thrown into the mix. Chapters alternated from past to present and back again, from the viewpoint of different characters. This served to keep the book going and allowed you clues to what was happening. I was given an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Honestly, I enjoyed this book.

Hepworth has penned an intriguing book. There is much tension between Lucy and her mother-in-law Diane. Each chapter flips back and forth between the women and the past and present. Diane tums up dead but was it really a suicide? Questions are raised and just when you think you know what happened, the author puts a bend in the story and leads you down a different path. It has a satisfactory end.

Wow. This book was a pleasant surprise! I had not read anything by this author before and really did not know what to expect. It’s a difficult book to place in a genre. It’s a suspenseful read, but ultimately as much a family drama as a suspense novel. I found myself really identifying with Diana and Lucy both and enjoyed seeing Lucy’s mature through the course of the novel.

This book effectively shows that you can’t ever truly know and understand a loved one without knowing their history. A highly enjoyable read. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

There are not many books that have me enjoying every single moment, but this is one of them. It was so hard having to put this book down and do my housework or go to sleep but I had to force myself to. I was hooked from the beginning and did not want it to end.

Sally has written a page turning story, that you  are not going to put down so free up your time and don't start it just before bed.

The Mother-in-Law is indeed suspenseful, thought-provoking, perceptive look into the relationships of a family. The story was told from both Lucy and Diana’s points-of-view through past and present events. This book will keep you guessing throughout and then questioning yourself as more is revealed.

I do not want to ruin this story for you as you are going to want to enjoy every minute of it for yourself. Sally has created some exceptional characters and the plot is executed to perfection!!! It is not all black and white....

I will definitely recommend this one!!! It is a top read of 2019!!!

"It's not my job to give them what they would accept. It's my job to give them what they deserve."

Sally Hepworth is one of my VERY favourite authors. I’ve read The Secrets of Midwives and The Things we Keep, both of which I loved. The Secrets of Midwives is the one book that I constantly recommend to friends when they ask me for a well-written, interesting and happy book. I enjoy immensely how Hepworth takes some heavy subjects and crafts some wonderful stories around them.
This story is told from both Lucy’s (the daughter-in-law) and Diana’s (the mother-in-law) POVs and it alternates between the past and the present.
I loved how Hepworth develops the relationship between the daughter and mother-in-law. To be honest, I was so intrigued by their relationship that the mystery took second place for me. As a motherless mother of three myself, I expected to like Lucy more than Diana but by the end of the book, Diana became my favourite person and I loved to read her chapters. I found her such a fascinating and strong character and I would have loved to meet her in real life. I think that if they had more time, they would have a wonderful and extremely close relationship.
The only thing that I found a little bit hard to believe is the choice of the murderer of Diana. I found the personality turnaround of the murderer too hard to believe. I think that the book needed some more chapters on that particular character as to make the ending more believable.
The Mother-In-Law is a very thought provoking book. Although it is characterised as a domestic suspense book, it is also about family, infertility, immigration, the complexities of raising responsible children, our relationship with money. Once again, Sally Hepworth has established herself as one of my favourite authors.

Lucy, who lost her mother at a very young age, tries to find one in her Mother-in-Law Diana. But Diana has her own past with struggles and sacrifices. Diana is not the mother-in-law what Lucy expected. They have their own ups and downs over the course of years and It charms the reader to know these two individuals.

As a reader I expected a tale of jealousy, revenge and murder. But Sally Hepworth has presented something more interesting than that. A twisty domestic relatable tale. I loved each and every character. Short chapters alternating between Lucy and Diana and I loved them both. A admirable character development and a real page turner!!


Happy Reading!!!