When Lucy first meets her soon-to-be mother-in-law Diana, she knows right away that Diana is not who she wants her son to marry. Diana is crass, rude, and sometime just plain nasty. Lucy's fiancee and then husband Ollie tells her not to worry about it, that his mother likes her just fine. But this family is full of lies and deceit. Diana refuses to help her children financially, even though they ask every chance they get. She spends more time with the refugees she helps than her own family. And she still seems to hate Lucy for no reason. The Mother-in-Law was so good and such a fast read, that I took it with me everywhere I went and finished it in a day! I cannot wait to read more by Sally Hepworth! Thank you NetGalley!

I was expecting more of a thriller, but this book was a slow burn soft suspense--and I loved it! The domestic drama was built up really well and the missed opportunities for understanding between a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law were numerous and interesting. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who doesn't mind a book without a lot of action but that still brings the suspense.

Actual Star Rating - 4.5

Sally Hepworth is QUICKLY becoming one of my all time favorite authors. This book? SO FREAKING GOOD. I honestly didnt know who to love or hate the entire time. I thought it was remarkable and brilliant. And besides, its fun to read books about other people's mother in laws to make me feel better about my own :)

Her mother-in-law kept her at an arm’s length. She is cold to Lucy, when Lucy only wants a mother. Her own mother died when she was very young. But then the MIL ends up dead and everything Lucy thought about her turns out to be wrong.

This would be an awesome book for a book club. I received an ARC from NetGalley and wish that my friends were reading it too. This is a quick read, but it stays with you. How far would you go to be part of a family? How long would you put up with a woman who obviously doesn’t want you to be with your son? I think almost every woman who is in a long-term relationship has wondered this.

I really enjoyed this book and the dynamic between mother- and daughter-in-law. Told from both Diana's (the mother) and Lucy's (the daughter) perspective, we get to see their relationship evolve (and devolve) knowing all the while that Diana was likely murdered. But why? And if not the obvious choice of Lucy, then who? Hepworth does a great job of keeping the reader guessing until the very end.

First time I have read this author and I was not disappointed!
Family murder mystery that had no lack of suspects, and kept me in the edge of my seat! I was hooked from the beginning and kept engaged throughout the whole book. Loved the plot and the characters were true to life and had depth.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher and author for an ARC of this book.The opinions expressed are my own.

I enjoyed this book, I had a mother in law who didn't like me (ex mother in law now) and at first you think she's really unfeeling and cold but you get to understand both points of view, I really liked this.

Oh wow! I love this book, it was the first I’ve read by this author, and I will definitely be checking out more. I love when a book jumps from past to present and has different perspectives, so this had everything I wanted!

Another great domestic suspense from Sally Hepworth! A compelling story about the relationship between mother and daughter-in-law, I found the book to be intriguing from start to finish.

It’s been awhile since I’ve sat down and read a thriller in a day! The tension is stable, slowly building towards the reveal, instead of twisting all over the place. I appreciated that this was more than a thriller: it’s a book about families and how we love them. Thoughtful and suspenseful. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this novel! It kept me on the edge of my seat and wanting more! I will definitely be reading other novels from this author! Definite five stars!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

After reading the blurb about not being able to pick your in-laws, and that everyone in the family was hiding something, I was expecting an edge of my seat thriller. It wasn't quite edge of my seat, but it was a good story. It had a mystery, who killed Diana? but the main part of the story was about this somewhat dysfunctional family. I enjoyed learning about them, their problems, their foibles and their secrets. The secrets started way back when Diana was a young woman and that secret molded her into the woman she was in the story. I didn't like her at first, but I grew to respect her a lot. I felt bad for Lucy. She just wanted to be part of a family, but it was like butting her head against a wall, even her husband was keeping secrets. This was definitely a character driven novel, with wonderful secondary characters as well as the main ones of Diana and Lucy. The Mother-in-Law is definitely a thought-provoking read. I found this to be quite a unique story, touching on so many issues. Refugees, unwed mothers, infertility, alcoholism, keeping up with the Joneses, and honesty are all a big part of this story, specifically how it molds a person. I was surprised by a few things with a well-done twist at the end, but I was quite happy with how it all came together and with the solution to the mystery of who killed Diana.

Set in Australia, the Mother-In-Law is told from 2 points of view: that of Lucy Goodwin, the daughter-in-law, and Diana Goodwin, the mother in law.

At the start, two visiting police officers come to tell Lucy and her husband, Ollie, that Diana is dead. We are led to believe suspicious circumstances surround Diana's reported suicide. The setup requires the reader to suspect that the dread Lucy feels is a precursor to the possibility she may have murdered Diana.

Ten years prior, Lucy is introduced to the parents of her boyfriend, soon-to-be-husband, Oliver, aka Ollie; and to his sister, Nettie, and Nettie's husband, Patrick. Lucy hopes to become friends with Diana, however, finds her mother-in-law cold and remote. Her father-in-law, Tom, however, is warm and loving towards his children and towards Lucy. As evidence of the coldness between Lucy and Diana, the author points to Diana asking Lucy to return her expensive necklace that she'd loaned her as something borrowed at Lucy's wedding. This raised the tension, but eventually didn't feel like such a mean thing for Diana to have done.

When we hear from Diana's point of view, she comes across as likable and trying her best. Nevertheless, the special relationship she and Lucy both desire is elusive. As "an advocate for social justice who helped female refugees assimilate to their new country," Diana is very warm to those worse off than her. She wants her children to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, without her intervention. That they often don't, instead relying on her, brings her to despair.

I think the author depicted Diana's motives well, leaving the reader to agree or disagree with them. Diana chose to help her family financially on her terms. After all, she and Tom built up their wealth without anyone's support. She wanted her children to be self-independent and succeed on their own merits. In the background, Nettie can't have children and has multiple money issues.

Even though Diana's husband, Tom, couldn't sway her actions, he was in the few who understood and truly loved his wife. A complementary couple, they shared a deep love. Tom is outwardly warm, while Diana, seemingly cold, was compassionate towards refugee women, whose disempowered status she wanted to improve. This built appreciation for Diana's complex character.

I recommend this psychological drama, with a bit of mystery thrown in. My thanks to Net Galley, St. Martin's Press, and Sally Hepworth for an ARC of this novel in return for an honest review.

This book is well written and interesting. Not my typical genre, but it keep me intrigued. I have read other books by this author and did enjoy them more, but that is simply personal preference. Would recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.

A Terrific Psychological Mystery!

The book surrounds the complicated relationship between Diana (mother in-law) and Lucy who is married to Diana's son Ollie. In the opening scene Diana has just been discovered to have taken her own life and the family is shocked because Diana was a fighter and not the type of woman to feel sorry for herself even though she was suffering from (Supposed) breast cancer. Immediately the police start questioning the family about their relationships with Diana because appearances can be receiving and it seems that it may not have been a suicide at all but cold blooded murder and someone among the family and friends may know much more than they are willing to reveal because Diana was a very wealthy woman and everyone knew that a great deal of money would be inherited someday upon the death of the family matriarch. (So they thought). Little did anyone know that Diana had plans of her own while she was living out the rest of her life.

This was a deliciously good and fast moving psychological mystery not a thriller as was originally listed. Diana appeared to be cold and indifferent in her relationships with her children and their spouses but their was another side to Diana that no one knew about or understood. Lack of communication is key through the entire story bringing in so many misunderstandings that sometimes I wanted to just scream at them and say "Listen, don't walk away like that ask more questions". The family dynamics within this book were maddening and heartbreaking at times. This books had stellar writing and great storytelling and I am definitely looking forward to more books written by Sally Hepworth.

I want to thank the publisher " St. Martin's Press" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and any opinions expressed are mine alone!

I highly recommend this book and have given a rating of 4 Complicated And Misunderstood ❇✴❇✴ Stars!!

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I have really enjoyed all of Sally’s books- but the last couple have been some of my faves. With the domestic drama angle she’s going for lately- I’m LOVING her books.

What I liked:

The cover. Well, actually both of the covers. The ARC was different and a bit darker and maybe even better. But this one is also good.

I loved how the story was told- hearing from both Diana and Lucy and seeing both of their viewpoints really added something.

The secrets. SO many. So good.




Bottom line: For me, this book was so enjoyable. Truly a great story with memorable characters. Put this on your MUST read list!

I have enjoyed all of Sally Hepworth's books, and this was no exception. It was interesting to read about Lucy's relationship with her mother-in-law and the investigation into her death. I thought it all tied together really nicely, too.

This is very intriguing tale of family, murder and deception. Lucy wanted to please her mother in law, she tried her very best, but nothing she did ever truly brought her into the fold. And then her mother in law was found dead, with a suicide note explaining why, but it didn't add up. Her recent changes to her will also made no sense. And so the intrigue began. This was a really good read. Ollie, Diana and Lucy were really well written, plausible characters. No stone was left unturned, every story line was adequately dealt with and finished to perfection. It was a great story which dealt very well with the complexities of families and the relationships that exist within. I highly recommend this latest instalment from Sally Hepworth. It'll keep you reading late into the night.