A family, or not a family, one wonders sometimes. Diana, the mother in law, becomes pregnant at an early age, and is sent away to have her baby, her parents insisting she give it up. Her parents disown her. She decides to keep her son Oliver (Ollie), and for several years struggles financially, having to use initiative and hard work to support her son. She marries Tom and her financial problems become a thing of the past. They have one daughter together.

Not wanting to be idle she sets up a foundation to support immigrants, by trying to find them better jobs. Many of these immigrants are well educated and experienced professional people who are working in their new country (Australia) for minimum wages and struggling to support their families. (We often hear about this in our newspapers, don’t we? or maybe you have had the same experience.). The foundation becomes an integral part of the story.

Ollie marries Lucy, whose own mother died when she was young and she is desperate to get close to Diane, her new mother in law. She soon discovers it is not to be. The daughter marries Peter, who is money hungry and knows there is money around. Lucy has 3 children, Diane’s daughter struggles to get pregnant, then loses the babies; she becomes obsessed with having a child.

The family dynamics make this story unique, the chapters go back and fore from past to present, with Lucy and Diane. Diane believes there are no handouts, if you want something, earn it! She is adamant about this which creates tensions with the family throughout the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this thought provoking book, it may make some of you think about your relationship with your mother in law, or maybe you are one, and will think about how you support......or not support your in-laws. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this page turner. The multiply POV’s and timelines helped develop the characters at a perfect speed. 5 stars!

<i>The Mother-in-Law</i> is one of the most exciting thrillers that I've read in a while. The novel starts with the death of Diana, the matriarch of a flawed family. Although the death appears to initially be a suicide, police quickly realize there's more to her death and her relationship with her family than it initially seems. The novel is told between the past and present with alternating views between Diana and her daughter-in-law Lucy, who desperately wants her Diana to be the mother she never got to have.

Many of the reviews that I've seen so far have placed Diana in the role of the stereotypical mother-in-law character, however I really liked her character. She's a flawed woman with a deeply traumatic past. She loves her children, but her own background and her own mistakes causes both her and the people she loves a lot of heartache. I really enjoyed her character because she seemed so human and broken.

I really enjoyed the story because we see all of the characters at their best and at their worst. I would have given the book five stars because it was a very exciting read but there were quite a few loose ends that I wish the author had either chopped entirely or wrapped up. Otherwise, the story is a fun read, and I'm excited to read more by Hepworth in the future.

Thank you St Martin's Press and NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a first by Sally Hepworth and won't be a last.

I loved the dynamics between all of the characters. Lucy and Diana's relationship took a nice turn. I couldn't quite grasp why Diana was the way that she was and why they didn't all "just talk" to each other.

I'm glad that the refugees had nothing to do with it. I thought it was going in that direction and was pleasantly surprised.

Wow, had never read Sally Hepworth before but am definitely a fan now. Excellent domestic mystery about an Australian family and the relationship between a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law,
Diane, the mother-in-law dies under suspicious circumstances and the story is about all the different personalities in her family and how Diane’s death came to be. You will be rooting for the two main
characters. Gave me some insight into being a mother-in-law to three.

Anyone with a mother in law is going to enjoy this read. It will make you laugh, but will also leave you pretty freaked out and hoping nothing like this happens for you. Even if you don't have a mother in law, if you enjoy the psychological thriller genre, this is worth the read.

LOVED this book. Once I started I was totally sucked in. Did not have the ending figured out at all. Was a great book.

This was a story that kept me guessing from the very beginning. You know it is a good storyline if you can pin the murder on any one of the characters throughout the story. I honestly wasn't sure until the very end who did it.

This is a story told from different POV from different times in the storyline. Almost every chapter left me with a little bit of a pause and made me question if I knew who did it.

Communication between the characters could have easily changed the trajectory of the circumstances and the relationships between the characters. I found it heartbreaking at times at how close characters were from revealing their true thoughts and or emotions and they didn't. These familia relationships were so close to happening but never got to that point. It was an interesting look at the different relationships between family members and made me wonder how often things are misinterpreted.

I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

This book had me from the title. I mean who doesn't want to read a thriller about a mother-in-law?

Once again, Sally Hepworth did not disappoint. I was so invested in Lucy's relationship with her mother-in-law and toward the end Diana's relationship with everyone.

I throughly enjoyed this read, and think you will too. It is well written, has great characters and the story progesses quickly.

#themotherinlaw #sallyhepworth #netgalley

Really enjoyed this book. A little suspense to keep you wanting to keep reading. I thought the character development was good. Didn't necessarily agree with the mother in law's philosophy on life, but it was a good theory and worked for the story line.

I have heard of Sally Hepworth but never read one of her books. The Mother-In-Law sounded like a book I would enjoy. I was right. A very well paced and smart family thriller. I loved that every character was a suspect and it kept you guessing til the end. Well done. I will be reading more book by Ms. Hepworth!
Thank you Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book. This is my honest review.

5 full stars for The Mother-In-Law!!

Synopsis: Lucy is surprised to find two police officers at her door. They’ve come to inform her that her mother-in-law, Diana, passed. However, her death isn’t clean cut. There’s suspicion that what appears to be a suicide might actually be homicide. And as the investigation proceeds, the “who-done-it” motive unravel.

Review: Holy crap! This is not your classic mother-in-law story whatsoever. It’s full of deception, greed, callousness, rage, and guilt. The dysfunction that comes out of this family seems to anchor on who Diana was as a person and mother, and yet her very purpose in life was to equip her children (and others) to lead non-dysfunctional, self-fulfilling lives. It’s a really interesting satire that plays out.

I loved the dual perspective approach that Sally Hepworth took. The story was told from both Lucy and Diana’s points-of-view through past and present events. It built a very strong foundation for the tension and relationships within the book.

And speaking of relationships, man-oh-man Hepworth’s character development is on point! I had deep visceral feelings toward Diana - hate, disappointment, and even empathy/understanding.

The twists were appropriate. And I say that because there wasn’t anything “shocking” in this story that seemed farfetched. This story read so realistically that that’s what made it impactful.

I would highly recommend this book. It was gripping, clever, well-paced, and tight!

Loved this book. Interesting and believable characters. Everyone has a mother in law story. This was a great one!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
This is the 2nd book that I have read by this author and I enjoyed both books.
This was an intense and twisty psychological thriller that kept me interested the entire time.
I highly recommend this book and if you haven’t read one of her other books, The Family Next Door, I also highly recommend that book.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in one go. It’s a thriller that points out that we never really know people like we think we do. I enjoyed The whodunnit part and trying to figure out the mystery.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc.

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth was everything that I hoped it would be! Right from the start it seems that Lucy was not the wife that Diana envisioned for her only son. Her seemingly cold heart towards her family is not what people would expect of Diana. She is a well respected volunteer in her community and seeks out people that she knows can use her help. Her own family is treated far differently. Mother in laws can be tricky like that! Things take a drastic turn when Diana winds up dead. It looks like a suicide but why was the suicide note hidden in a draw? Sometimes things aren't what they seem. This book had me hooked right from the start and the further I got into it, the more I wanted to keep on reading. The chapters are told from the points of view of Diana, Lucy, and Nettie (the sister in law) and each chapter is told from a different point in time. I love books that give you clues by letting you in on the past! Don't think that you have everything figured out because the plot twists and turns in ways that you wouldn't believe! Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Publishing for the ARC of this book! Once again Sally Hepworth had he hooked! #Netgalley #MacMillanPubishing #SallyHepworth

This book! It kept me on my toes and i couldn’t put it down! This it made me question everyone and everything. A great thriller and a great read for me! This author is amazing in everything she writes and looking forward to more! 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4 stars and would definitely recommend!!

I have been a fan of Sally Hepworth's writing ever since I read The Secrets of Midwives. Her stories are sometimes sad and sometimes uplifting, full of heart each time. The Mother-in-Law follows in Sally's touching style.

I liked that this novel was told in different perspectives, going back and forth in time. We got to see both Lucy and Diana's sides of the story. At first, I was worried that Diana would be unlikable, but I actually liked her after hearing her thoughts and seeing what she went through when she was younger. The time shifts allow readers to fit pieces of a puzzle together to get the full picture of what is happening. Originally I was expecting a psychological thriller, since it involved suspicions of murder. However, it is more of a domestic drama.

Overall, it was an interesting and thoughtful story and it makes me glad that I have a good relationship with my mother-in-law. I look forward to many more books by Sally Hepworth!

Check out my movie casting suggestions. (I didn't just limit it to Australia since most end up being set in the US anyway.)
Lucy: Anna Faris
Ollie: Mark Blucas
Diana: Wendie Malick
Nettie: Samantha Mathis
Patrick: Dominic West
Eamon: Will Arnett

Having lost her mother at a tender age, Lucy Goodwin was looking forward to finding a surrogate in her mother-in-law but realized at their first encounter that wasn’t going to be a reality. Diana Goodwin was a complicated woman with strong convictions about life and service. Though her husband, Tom, provided balance to her somewhat aloof nature, Diana still was the driving force in the family, expecting her two children to stand on their own and not look to their affluent parents as a safety net. Her love for her family was understood but not because you could see or feel it.

The story opens with news of Diana’s death, not clear whether it’s suicide or something else. We get two narratives, Lucy’s and Diana’s, transitioning between past and the present, using backstories and histories to provide context for current events. Lucy’s husband, Ollie, was Diana’s oldest child and he seemed to be nothing like her but very comfortable in his own skin. Her daughter, Nettie, appeared to be the stronger of the two with the more vibrant career but a weak partner for a husband. But always at the center of every important milestone was Diana who most often controlled their destinies.

I vacillated between liking and understanding Diana to strongly disliking her and wanting her to be better. The story was skillfully written as my emotional turmoil was due to the small reveals and insights sprinkled liberally throughout. The personalities of the entire family were nuanced, differing from their veneers at times and not always clear what was real versus facade and what lay deeply beneath. I was always off balance but completely absorbed into these people's lives, needing more and getting it. There’s nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, predictable about any of them until you reach the end when you just know exactly who they are and their natures. And, the ending was true to each of them. I found this book to be utterly fascinating with brilliant characterizations. It’s clever without trying to be. I don’t reread books but this is one I just might pick up again.

I liked this book - there are just enough twists and red herrings to make you second guess what actually happened.