The Mother-in-Love is a riveting read that kept me hanging on to each and every word! This is one of those books that no matter how much you want to put it down you simply can't! I was so engrossed in the story that even when someone tried to talk to me, I barely heard a word.

Readers, this is a must read! I absolutely recommend it.

Interesting story of family dynamics and murder. Different communication styles create distrust and dislike through generations. This one is worth your time

Police arrive at the door of Ollie and Lucy Goodwin's house. Ollie's mom had passed away. The story continues with a back and forth from Past to Present - sometimes only a page of one or the other. Ollie's mom is the focal point of the book. She (Diane) is complex. Although her life had been hard as a young woman, she sees that her family now has it too easy - they do not deserve any "handouts". Her love for her son, Ollie and daughter, Nettie is fierce. However, her love for refugee charity hails high on Diane's list, as well..

Lucy and Ollie are very much family-oriented . They have 3 young children that are dearly loved. Yet, Lucy has a difficult time communicating with/loving her mother-in-law. (Even after reading the book it is difficult to characterize Diane: the mother-in-law) Diane's daughter, Nettie, is married to Patrick (who is a philanderer). All Nettie cares about and thinks about is having a baby. This obsession has become an issue with the family.

Diane's husband, Tom, was truly the "love of her life" - a year after he passes away from ALS, Diane is forlorn. Desperate enough to end it all and contemplate suicide. She even enlists an unknowing (?) Lucy to help her place orders on the computer. (Assisted suicide in Australia can get one up to 25 years in prison).

So, why is there a question about how Diane dies? The police certainly have their ideas. This is brought out nicely as the plot unfolds. A thriller, it is. I must admit that I stayed up late (as do many avid readers!) to finish this brilliant read. I am sure you will, too!

Many Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an awesome advance read!!!!!

Good domestic drama about the Goodwin family. Family matriarch, Diana, is dead, but who killed her? There are ample suspects including the victim herself. That is the mystery part. The drama part is learning about their pasts and present relationships culminating in an innovative end. Sally Hepworth can write!

The Mother-in-Law is the first book I’ve read by Sally Hepworth. I was very intrigued by this books’ synopsis. The Mother-in-Law is told through alternating viewpoints of Lucy, the daughter-in-law, and Diana, the mother-in-law. At the very beginning of the book, we learn that Diana has died, and the rest of the book goes between the past and present till the truth about Diana’s death is revealed. Family struggles and secrets are interspersed throughout the journey that kept my attention from start to finish. Overall, I enjoyed this book and found it to be an engaging read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book and provide an honest review.

Everybody in Diane's life has reason to want her dead, including Diane herself.

There seems to be an influx of cliché evil mother-in-law stories right now but this one really stands out from the crowd.

Diana, mother-in-law to Lucy, is found dead in her home of what initially appears to be a suicide. What ensues is a clever whodunnit with an array of characters, each one fleshed out perfectly, all so relatable that at times I could imagine myself sitting down to dinner with them.

With the number of suspects combined with alternating chapters from the POV of Lucy and Diane, jumping from the past to the present, one would think that the story would be difficult to follow. Somehow Sally Hempworth, through her easy breezy writing style, is able to pull it off flawlessly.


I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! It was told from alternating points of view and the end was definitely a plot twist. I loved the struggle between the daughter in law and the mother in law. It seems everyone has some sort of issues.
I would highly recommend this book to others.

What a fantastic book!!! I’m sure most wives can relate to some, if not all, the characters in this book. I could not put this down. By the middle of the book the mother in law is a real person with real feelings. By the end you can relate to the the mother in law.

A very enjoyable family drama with a whodunit ending that leaves you guessing until the very end because of the multiple points of view being represented. Highly recommend!

This was one of those books that I just couldn't put down. I always enjoy Sally Hepworth's writing but this was especially addicting. It's part psychological thriller, part mystery and also a terrific family drama. It has the relationship conflicts and murder/suicide mystery along with the everyday life of this family that kept me drawn in. Hepworth does an amazing job with portraying motherhood so accurately and vividly. I also loved the evolving relationship Lucy has with her mother-in-law, Diana. Seeing the layers pulled back from this family was fascinating and while the ending did seem a little far-fetched, it was a page turner through and through. I also loved the last section that shared about the family 10 years later, which really helped tie up the book in such an enjoyable way. Thank you St Martin's Press and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a fast-paced and interesting read. While it is titled Mother In Law, it could just as easily be titled Family Ties or The Goodwins! To be fair, the story does start with Lucy and Diana but as you move along every single family member is actively involved in it. I wouldn’t call it a thriller, it is more like a domestic mystery but is an enjoyable as a thriller.
Ms. Hepworth has presented the story from both the sides, she gives us a view in to what the Diana is doing and thinking and at the same time how it is being perceived by the others. This is not something that many authors have done while writing such books and this gives the reader a very unique perspective. It helps you get a balanced view of everything that is going on and makes it much harder to pick sides. It also makes it hard to figure out what happened to Diana and while you can keep guessing who did it and why, it is difficult to be certain till the author chooses to reveal it. Each person has strong motives and peeling away the layers in this case is an enjoyable experience as a reader. I liked how the reader knows why things are a certain way but the characters probably don’t. The characters are well developed, very real and relatable.
But then this book was written by Ms Hepworth so right when you think you finally know everything, there is sudden shocking twist. Something completely unexpected near the end of the book that makes you jaw drop and say “What??!!”
I throughly enjoyed reading this book, the 10yrs later part was great and gave some good closure. Would I have liked to see Patrick’s fate taking a different turn, sure but then that’s fate, unpredictable as ever.
The book is like a jigsaw puzzle, just you pick each piece of a puzzle and examine it, here you pick each character and their story and examine it. What’s wonderful is how it all comes together and gets neatly tied up in the end. Finishing this book gives you the same satisfaction you would get when you complete a puzzle.
I have only 2 complaints about this book:
One, which was a little annoying was the way the story moves from one incidence to another in the Past chapters. This slowed be down because I had to re-read to try and figure it out. I understand the chapter is titled as past but there is no demarcation between say the wedding day to a dinner that’s happening at a time when Lucy is 8 weeks pregnant. Or when Diana is meeting Nettie and suddenly recalling a meeting with Lucy. The writing seems a little disjointed in places and that causes some confusion to the reader. I think a simple double spacing or dotted line or a few words to indicate a flashback could make it easier to read.
And second, I do feel like the whole lack of communication angle is done to death (our not intended). I mean this book is set in recent times so really there is no reason why something can’t be texted! For instance, Diana forgetting to explain the significance of the grapes/chicken she gets for Lucy, Lucy forgetting to say thank you to Diana for taking her kids. I mean, seriously people, if you can’t discuss these things then at least pick up the phone and type a few words!

Thank you St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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I have loved all of Kelly's books,but this one just might be my favorite! So many twists and turns. I hated for the book to end! Keep 'em coming,Sally!! # netgalley #themotherinlaw

Thank you St Martin's Press and NetGalley.

Lucy and her mother-in-law, Diana, have a complicated relationship. Now, Diana has been found dead with a suicide note. The autopsy comes back and it's clear that someone wanted Diana dead.

At first, this book reads like a thriller. There definitely is a whodunit? type feel during some parts. However, the highlights of this book involve the relationship between Diana, her children, and her daughter-in-law. She is a complicated person, and there are layers and layers under her appearance that explain why. This is where Sally Hepworth shines as an author. The whodunit? part is a little bit predictable, but keep reading for Diana's story. Strong read.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in two days! I thought the writing style was amazing and I loved that it was told from the Mother-in-Laws perspective too! I went in thinking I knew what was going to happen and I was very surprised! If you enjoy a fast paced story that leaves you wanting to know what’s next - then this book is for you!

I gave this book 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 stars it’s the second book I’ve read by Sally Hepworth and I now want to read them all!

Thank you to St. Martins’s Press, NetGalley and Sally Hepworth for the free advanced digital copy!

How have I never heard of Sally Hepworth before?
The Mother - in - Law was awesome!
Hooked from the first page, and didn’t let up until that last....I finished this book in one day it was that good!
This book was so well written...the story flowed perfectly....I’m going to check out her other books...literally right now!
Buy this book....you will be so glad to did!

Sally Hepworth certainly knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat. This book is perfect for the beach, a lazy afternoon or a long flight. Its a good mystery that keeps you turning the pages, wondering what will happen and sorry to see it end.

24 hour read! I could not put this book down! The story of a mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship, with the intrigue of a murder and told by alternating from past to present! Both MIL and DIL are flawed characters which makes their relationship with each other that much more real. The supporting cast of characters helped to portray the complicated family dynamics as well! The only reason I will not be giving this book a 5 star review is in disappointment in the conclusion. I found it far fetched and not as plausible as other endings could have been.

The Mother -in-Law drew me in from the opening pages.A family inside their home enjoying a normal evening. When suddenly the woman of the house notices a police car outside a feeling of doom she waits a few minutes before alerting anyone.When the reason for the policeman’s arrival the tragedy he shares.We are drawn in to this families history relationship especially that of the Mother-in-law & daughter-in-law.
A tense thriller a true page turner another well written compuksive read by Sally Hepworth.Thanks to #netgalley #st.Martins,

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

This was better than average women’s fiction. I really enjoyed it and I felt like I saw part of myself in all of the female characters, even if it got a little melodramatic and trope-ish at the end. You’ll enjoy spending time with these women
3.5 rounded up

I started this thinking that it would be similar to a few I have read recently about a dysfunctional relationship with a mother in law that wasn't necessarily as it may seem , this book was brilliant . To start you think that Lucy's mother in law is cold ,unfeeling and unpleasant but as the story is told from both Lucy's and Diana's point of view you hear from them both in the past and the present you see how a lot of the animosity is just plain misunderstanding . I really warmed to both women and I found myself very emotional at parts of the book , especially towards the end . One of the best I've read in a long while , absolutely 5 stars , would award more if I could . Thank you