The story unfolds through alternating chapters told by Diana (the mother-in-law) and Lucy (the daughter-in-law married to Diana's son, Ollie), and from the present and the past. Towards the end, Nettie, Diana's daughter, is heard from as well as loose ends are tied up. This was my first book by Ms. Hepworth and has inspired me to check out some of her earlier titles.

The book kept my interest during a series of long flights with its unique storyline and interesting characters. Diana turns out to be more complex than I originally expected although I don't think all the threads of her story were fully developed.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the introduction to Sally Hepworth and the opportunity to read The Mother-In-Law!

From the Title, there is an immediate assumption that there is conflict and the mother-in law is the villain. In a delightful twist, I found myself liking both characters. The author was able to effectively switch time frames and characters in an easy to follow method. There is conflict, of course but the reader is able to see both sides. I found myself reading way beyond bedtime because I was just so interested in the story line. It takes great talent to lay out personalities and values so different and let the reader make her own conclusion or identify with both characters. This is a must read next spring! Completely enjoyable
Netgalley #sallyhepworth

What a twisting, compelling, insightful and addictive novel The Mother-In-Law turned out to be! Full of pockets of grey, nothing is as it seems and no one is truly good or bad. By telling the story from the perspectives of both the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law, Sally very much shows us that there is always two sides to every story.

‘If you ask me, everyone is a little too interested in their children’s happiness. Ask anyone what they wish for their kids and they’ll all say they want them to be happy. Happy! Not empathetic contributing members of society. Not humble, wise and tolerant. Not strong in the face of adversity or grateful in the face of misfortune. I, on the other hand, have always wanted hardship for my kids. Real, honest hardship. Challenges big enough to make them empathetic and wise. Take the pregnant refugee girls I deal with every day. They’ve been through unimaginable hardships, and here they are working hard, contributing and grateful. What more could you want for your kids?’

With clever wit and a plausible plot, Sally walks us through a myriad of family dynamics that were entirely relatable. There is a high level of suspense sustained throughout, not only with regards to how Diana died, but also about the secrets various family members were harbouring and the past grievances that were yet to be revealed. The chapters are delivered in short bursts, solidifying this novel as a real ‘page-turner’. Highly recommended!

‘It occurs to me that only a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law can have an all-out war without anyone so much as raising their voice. The funny thing is, if any of the menfolk were here, they wouldn’t have a clue that anything other than a pleasant conversation was going on. If Ollie were here, he’d probably comment on “what a nice afternoon that was with Mum.” In that way, menfolk are really quite simple, bless them.’


Thanks is extended to St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for providing me with a copy of The Mother-In-Law for review.

Review posted to my blog on 28/01/2019 in line with Australian release.

A little slow at times but still a very good book. Some of the characters are very hard to like but redeem themselves at the end of the book. There are a couple of possibilities as to who might be the killer , if you think you know who did it, I can pretty much guarantee that you don't ! I did like the book very much but I did not love it. And I am still not sure why.

This book opens with the death of the mother in law of the primary narrator, Lucy . Although it appears to be a suicide, the police almost immediately are able to see it was actually a murder. Although I was able to figure out the "mystery" of the murderer relatively quickly, I still found this novel to be incredibly engrossing. I would qualify it much more as a family drama than as a mystery or thriller, so if you're looking for that, you'd be better served to look elsewhere.
The author did an amazing job of not losing her audience, even though chapters alternated between past and present, as well as alternating between narrators (the aforementioned Lucy, and the titular mother in law). Hepworth also made great use of cliffhangers, and I found myself racing through chapters on several occasions so I could read the outcome of the previous chapter's cliffhanger. I felt this book had the perfect amount of characters, which is something I haven't been able to say about many of the books I have read in recent months. There were just enough to keep you entertained and not so many you lose sight of their part in the plot.as strange as that sounds, that small point made this book THAT much more readable and enjoyable.
All in all, I was really impressed with this book, and with the author. I absolutely believe it will appeal to a wide audience, and will be an easy sell.

What a compelling story. I think most women can relate to the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship. That relationship is hard enough, without the sweet expectations that are quickly proven wrong. I love that in the end that relationship comes full circle. This book is full of twists and turns and I cannot fathom my family going through all the trials at once. It was a great book that caught my attention quickly, was riveting, and hard to put down. I highly recommend this book!

Overall this is a good read, not read this author before but I will probably read more.

In my opinion it wasn't a gripping page turner, a bit slow in parts but a different sort of read for me. I am not sure I would recommend this to my friends but this is only my opinion. I liked it but didn't love it.

Sally Hepworth rocks, and she has raised the bar with her newest. The Mother-in-Law kept me glued to the page from word one. Differing points of view written brilliantly. I love this book!

I received an ARC of this ebook from Netgalley. This isn't my first ARC of a Sally Hepworth novel. I absolutely requested it because I know will really enjoy the book. I love the depth in Sally Hepworth's books. The characters are well developed and the stories draw me in. I don't want to put the book down or have the story end. That is the case with this novel. I came to care for all of the characters and I really didn't want anyone to be guilty of murder. But as always I felt good about the ending and was not let down.

The Mother In Law was a twist and turn book. Lucy the daughter in law and Ollie the son to Diana and her husband and family. Lucy wants to be close to her mother in law but can’t seem to whatever she seems to do. Lucy has 3 small children with Ollie. Nettie is Diana’s daughter and she has a husband. Suspenseful page turning novel.

It's rare that two points of view are so successfully and diametrically opposed as they are in Hepworth's well-done domestic thriller.

My obsession with Sally Hepworth began through her novel The Family Next Door. I was so intrigued by the plot that I raced through it. I thought surely, Sally can't continue this kind of genius work? Well, folks, she can. The Mother-in-law was compulsively readable. So fascinating that I found myself setting it up while I washed dishes, reading it while I brushed my teeth. A family drama surrounding deep but complex relationships. The family matriarch has died from an apparent suicide. But it may not be as apparent as previously considered. It is written in alternating perspectives which enriches the plot and pulls the reader in. Sally creates characters so deceptively charming, so warm but mysterious. They could easily be your sister, cousin, mother-in-law. I read many domestic suspense novels and I truly believe Sally Hepworth is in a class all her own. I HIGHLY recommend.

*Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* I can't tell you how excited I was to get my hands on Sally Hepworth's latest offering, 'The Mother-in-Law'. I had high expectations for this book and it did not disappoint. Not at all. I devoured this book, reading voraciously to find out the next twist in the tale. Like Hepworth's equally addictive 'The Family Next Door', MIL is set in my hometown, Melbourne and a number of the scenes take place just a few suburbs away from where I live. This just added to the appeal of the novel. The story starts with the death of the protagonist, Lucy's MIL, the rather intimidating Diana. What has happened? How has she died? Why has she died? Was it suicide, natural causes... or does someone have metaphorical blood on their hands? Hepworth has such a talent for creating characters that are so true-to-life. The book is not out for a few months, but once it hits the shelves, I highly recommend scooping it up.

*Thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own*

This is my first Sally Hepworth book and I can't wait to pick up another one! It took me a few chapters to get into the flow of character and time changes but once I did I could not put the book down.

The Mother-in-Law is a story of secrets, lines crossed, and twists and turns throughout the story. I won't say much because I do not want to spoil the story. I enjoyed the uniqueness of the storyline and the quick short chapters that kept me intrigued.

I was so excited to receive a review copy of "The Mother-in-Law" from NetGalley! This was my first Sally Hepworth novel, and I absolutely loved it, and can't wait to read her others.

The first few chapters, I was prepared for a standard murder mystery...the "Mother-in-Law," Diana, is found dead, with a suicide note. However, the police begin investigating the possibility of a homicide.

The book alternates between the point of view of Diana and Lucy, the daughter-in-law. Their relationship is not a close one, as Diana keeps her guard up, even with her own children.

I found Hepworth's writing style fun, witty and punchy - but also endearing and full of emotion. Her style reminded me somewhat of Liane Moriarty, but perhaps even more enjoyable!

About halfway through, I had a theory of who may have killed Diana, and a possible motive. However, by 3/4 through, my theory was challenged, and couldn't believe all of the twists! I had so many questions about who Diana really was and what was going on with her daughter, Nettie, and Nettie's husband Patrick. Everyone felt like a suspect at some point!

I loved the telling of Diana and Lucy's relationship, although some of the conversations were completely cringeworthy. If my MiL said some of the things to me that Diana did, I would be horrified and hurt! Diana comes across as controlling, emotionally guarded, and serious, but we learn about a difficult past that helps explain her stony exterior.

My initial expectation of a lighthearted, thrilling read was surpassed by a novel rich with complexity. Hepworth covered so many tough topics is a real way, which I just loved. One of my favorite interwoven themes was one of feminism - there are discussions of women being paid less than men for the same work, and the unrealistic expectations around women's roles as mothers and providers. I highly recommend "The Mother-in-Law" for a gripping read!

What a well written surprise of a book! This book is tightly written from beginning to end. The characters have clear motives and some of them definitely surprised me! This is one I'll think about for a long time. 4 of 5 stars simply because I'd never read this one again.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this one! Highly recommended!

love this book, characters were well developed. The plot had many twist and turns. Great read., cannot wait for the next book..

Overall, this is a good read. The beginning really sucked me in and kept me guessing. At about the 80-90% mark however, I started losing steam. It started to feel like the characters were more written to trick you than actually deeply characterized and I was frustrated with some of their decisions. My biggest frustrations were things that seemed to be brought up for no reason, we spend a lot of time on flashbacks and memories that don't fit that seamlessly into the bigger picture. A lot of characters were introduced and then just kind of faded away with no further mention.

I would recommend it though, it's a fun read and interesting overall. A bit of a different side to the mother-in-law/daughter-in-law tension.

The Mother In Law by Sally Hepworth was a phenomenal read. Y'all, this one had so many twists and turns, but they happened in an emotional and completely unexpected way. This book focuses on the relationship between a mother in law and her daughter in law. The relationship is explored in alternating chapters told from both of their perspectives. The added dimension is it's told in both the past and present. The present involves the death of the mother in law that may be a suicide, however the story quickly reveals that the story is far more complex than this. It was so captivating to learn the secrets that these women (and others in the family) had from each other, as well as the lies that were being told. Having the varied perspectives and timing in chapters made a story that kept me reading. There were lots of feels as multiple perspectives of how things went down were revealed. This one doesn't come out until April of 2019 (another book I received thanks to NetGalley), and when it does, y'all are going to need to check this one out.

From the dedication page, I got a smile and it continued quite a bit of the way into the book. Told in alternating chapters by members of the family. we get to know the parents Tom and Diana, their children Ollie and Nettie and their spouses Lucy and Patrick, along with Ollie's children.

Diana seems like a cold fish and not the sort of family member one would choose if choosing a mother or mother in law was an option..

Somewhere in the second half of the book, I lost interest. Yes, I wanted to know more about what happened, but found myself skimming more and more as it just didn't thrill me.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.