Five years ago Lucy meets her husband’s mother Diana – from the start Diana has kept Lucy at arm's length. Though Diana was really polite, and properly friendly, but Lucy knew that she was not what Diana envisioned. Diana was happily married to Tom, and lived in wedded bliss for decades. Lucy wanted so much to please her new mother-in-law.

Now, Diana has been found dead, a suicide note near her body. Diana claims that she no longer wanted to live because of a battle with cancer – but then autopsy reveals no cancer, instead they have found traces of poison and as well as suffocation!! Who wanted Diana dead and why did she change her will at the last minute – announcing that both her adult children and spouses are dininherited!

I enjoyed reading this suspense novel by Sally Hepworth, thanks to netgalley for the ARC
Look forward to reading more books by the author!

I enjoyed The Mother-in-law by Sally Hepworth. This was a well developed family drama that kept me engaged. Although, I did figure out who the culprit was, that did not distract from my appreciation for the storyline.

THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK!
I won't lie, this book stuck with me for a while haunting my subconscious mind. There's something about my in-laws that have always made me a little uneasy (not necessarily in a bad way) so this book just heightened that feeling.
Fans of psychological suspense and mystery will devour this book. I recommend especially for fans of Paula Hawkins and Ruth Ware, two of my favorites. This book will have you entranced until the very last chapter.

This is the first book from this author, I've read..It had a great story line and interesting character..I didn't know what to expect when I started the book but I was pleasantly surprised.
I love reading new author's, to me it's like getting a surprise Christmas gift.
I have recommended this book to a lot of my book reading friend's even recommended It to my book club for discussion.
I have this book 5 stars because of the writing and character development.I think anyone reading this book should go in blind for the whole reading effect.
When reading this book, relax and just enjoy the ride.

Going into this book, I thought it would be a domestic-noir-type thriller. But I was pleasantly surprised that it isn’t — it’s even better. Let me lay it out for you. A quick book summary of sorts. A summary of discovery, if you will.

- Chapter one: At the beginning of the novel, we learn (from Lucy’s point-of-view) that Lucy’s mother-in-law Diana has died, apparently by suicide. Or was it murder? (You can see why I thought it was a thriller, right?)
- Chapter two: Still Lucy’s point-of-view, but now we move to 10 years ago, when Lucy first meets Diana. Lucy and Ollie are dating, and she is so excited to meet his mother. She lost her mother when she was 13 years old, and cannot wait to one day have a wonderful mother-in-law to bond and share with. By the end of the chapter, we realize Diana is not what Lucy had in mind. At all. Lucy remains hopeful, but as the reader, we all know that Diana is going to be a mother-in-law from hell.
- Chapter three: Back to the present with Lucy. OK, so this is going to tell Lucy’s story, bouncing from the past to the present to paint the picture up through Diana’s death. Slow build up with Lucy of the past and Lucy of the present. You know there are going to be some twists and turns in this tale. I love it.
- Chapter four: Ms. Hepworth is BRILLIANT. This chapter turns to Diana’s voice, in the past (obviously, she’s dead in the present). The day after meeting Lucy, we get to find out about the same evening from Diana’s point-of-view. Diana’s! And really she is not the cold mother-in-law that we all expected. She’s human.

And from here on out, I realized that no – this is not a thriller.

Sure, there is that little snag about the mystery of who killed Diana. And there are plenty of twists and turns. But I got caught up in the tale of the relationship between these two women — how it began, the missteps, mistakes, and misunderstandings that grew and piled on top of one another throughout the years, the respect they sometimes found for each other, and ultimately where their relationship ended up before that fateful day of Diana’s death. We also explore the relationship of these two women and the roles they take on with their own spouses and children.

I love the way Ms. Hepworth wrote The Mother-in-Law. It makes you remember that there are two sides to every story. The suspense of what happened to Diana did build as the chapters flew by, but truly these two women and their story were at the heart of everything wonderful about this book. I highly, highly recommend it.

Thank you to @netgalley and @sallyhepworth for this gifted digital copy of The Mother-In-Law in exchange for an honest review.
Who doesn’t have issues with their mother-in-law? Well, thankfully, I really don’t—mine is actually pretty great. You get to choose your partner for life, and it’s really just luck if the mother-in-law that comes with the package is good or not. I lucked out.
For Lucy, she had dreams of a perfect relationship with her mother-in-law, Diana, especially after losing her own mother at a young age. Unfortunately, Diana has kept Lucy at a distance for many years, not allowing their relationship to deepen and blossom into what Lucy wishes it could be. Lucy did everything to please Diana. Now, ten years later—Diana is dead. And everyone in the family is carrying secrets. What happened to Diana?
This was my first novel by Sally Hepworth, and I loved it! I read 1/4 of the book in one sitting, and honestly could have read the whole thing at once if real life responsibilities didn’t pull me away (side eye at my laundry and job). I will definitely be reading more by Ms. Hepworth! 4⭐️

This book had me hooked!! I was sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened next. Can't wait to read more from this author.

Overall, I did finish the book in one setting, so take that for what you will. The writing was dynamic and engaging, I was totally drawn to both Lucy and Diana, and really enjoyed the intertwined past and present stories.

However (and I haven't decided if this is a specific critique of this book or the thriller genre and its reliance on tropes in general, or a little both), it felt like the book threw in some emotionally charged topics (pro-choice, cultural expectations for women as mothers, plight of refugees) and did so chunkily. It reeks of white saviorism and...come on....a baby crazed killer. An entertaining enough read and by no means a work of art.

3/5 Stars. I wish this had more plot twists than it did. I enjoyed the book but the ending was lacking.

I have read several other books from this author and enjoyed them. That being said this was not one of my favorites. This book was a domestic suspense novel and was about a woman's complicated relationship with her mother- in -law that ends in a murder. I was unable to connect with many characters in this book as I found them all quite shallow. The novel did keep me reading and the ending was a surprise!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! The author did a great job of keeping me confused about who was the actual victim and who was the bad guy.

This isn't the best thriller around but it isn't the worst. It sits right in the middle, which is okay.

For all of my book loving friends and followers here is your next must read! This book pulls you in from page 1 and you won’t be able to put it down. The suspense is there until the very last page. Also, who doesn’t love a good book about mother-in-law’s? Highly recommend adding this immediately to your TBR list!

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

This book hooked me in from the first chapter! As with the best mysteries/thrillers, this story brings you to places you don't expect to go (content-wise). Edgy, intriguing, and deep, this title is a hit for fans of plot twists!

A wonderful tale of domestic suspense by the talented Sally Hepworth. Lucy has high hopes for a terrific relationship with Diana, her mother-in-law, but things don't turn out as planned. The dynamic between them is fraught with tension and it comes to a peak when Diana is found dead. Is it a suicide? Was Diana really who she claimed to be? There are several suspects who could have killed Diana--it seems her relationships were tangle and complex. A great read!

Without giving too much away, I will say that the story, wrought with tension from the very fist page, is told through the alternating points of view (as well as timelines) of Lucy, the daughter-in-law, and Diana, her mother-in-law.

Sally Hepworth creates an entertaining mystery, which at its heart is really a compulsive and thoroughly engaging family drama, examining the intricacies of family dynamics and the expectations, complications and realities of family relationships. I found it to be relatable, as both a mother and daughter-in-law, and while this was my first book by Sally Hepworth, it will definitely not be my last.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.

This was a great thriller because you really thought you knew what was happening, but things were not as they seemed. I could not put this book down!

Lucy marries Ollie and inherits Diana as a mother in law. She does everything she can to try and get along with her, but Diana never seems to warm to her. Lucy gives up on trying to get along with her mother in law. Then police show up at her door and tell her that Diana has been found dead with a suicide note. It is suspected that Diana was murdered. Lucy is suspected of the crime and the reader begins to learn more about their complex history.

This book was not at all what I expected. It was outstanding. I have never read a domestic thriller that involves so many people and also I had no idea what the twist would be at the end. It is all about what we think in our head and don’t say out loud and how it effects those we love. Loved it.

This book definitely has a "wow" factor! So, so good! The Mother-In-Law takes the reader through some twists and turns. Just when you think you know the who, what, when, why, and how, author Sally Hepworth changes it all up, leaving the reader flabbergasted. I can't wait to read more from this author!