This story theme has been done lots of times before so it wasn’t as thrilling as I had hoped. None of the characters are very nice so I didn’t get attached to any.

I've never read anything by this author before, but I have to say from the first page I was gripped! The lengths a mother & mother-in-law will go to in this book is nothing short of shocking. A real psychological twist. Although the ending left me a bit unsatisfied, it was so gripping the whole way through! I couldn't read fast enough and I constantly went back and forth with "who dun it". Seeing it also from the Mother's perspective in the chapters was a great addition!

I really enjoyed Always Remember. It is the third book I have read by Cathryn Grant and I have loved them all. I loved this story, found the characters interesting and it was a very quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for my ARC.

Always Remember isn’t much of a mystery. The reader always knows who the bad guy is and just waits for all to be revealed. Father in law dies a mysterious death and mother in law moves in to her sons house and tries to replace his wife. It was icky and, luckily, a quick read.

This was a quick read for me. I'm enjoying reading psychological thrillers recently.👍

This story revolves around a family who just recently lost one member, Frank. We have Wyatt and Kelly with their twins and their newly widowed grandma Louise. Everything seems normal from the outside but inside is filled with conflict mainly between Kelly and Louise.

The fight for dominance inside the house kept Wyatt stressed all the time. He can't choose between his wife and his mother or there would be hell to pay.

I like the fact that Kelly, Wyatt and Louise have their own POV. The three of them are sufficiently fleshed out on my opinion. I was very much into the story and quite interested with the mystery of Frank's death. I thought of all the possibilities but was unsure until the clues started to be revealed.

I like the writing and quite okay with the pacing of the story. I was honestly confused and uncomfortable with the 'plot twist'. I reread the synopsis trying to find out if I missed the clue that it will go in that direction.

The latter part is quite suspenseful with some too convenient things that happened. I'm not that satisfied with how things ended. But still a fast paced read.👍

*Thanks to the publisher for making this book available for review via Netgalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest thoughts and opinions of the book.*

Happy Pub Day to Cathryn Grant!

I have been into mystery thrillers lately and there are so many to choose from in Netgalley. Went for this one and wow, what a ride! I was just having a feel of it by reading the first chapter and I was hooked!

The story starts off with Kelly who found her father-in-law, Frank dead in her backyard sauna. This is told from three different POV of Kelly the wife, Wyatt the husband and Louise the mother in law. After Frank’s death, Louise planted herself in Kelly and Wyatt’s home and shows no signs of leaving. That would have been fine for Kelly until it seems as though Louise is slowly taking over all of Kelly’s role as a supportive wife to Wyatt and a loving mother to her twins. Kelly could feel that Louise is trying to edge her out but who would believe her? Louise is the perfect mother to Wyatt and loving grandmother to her grandkids. What is Louise trying to achieve? Was Frank’s death really an accident?

This is the typical mother-in-law from hell kind of story. This is the kind of plot where the reader already knows who the culprit is but just want to know how the plot plays out. Even then, what was so great about the story is the puzzle pieces that begins to fall into place gradually and the tension that keeps building up between all the characters. I was very repulsed by Louise as the plot thickens and I was just so irked by her actions which made me want to know her ending! And ugh..the emotional manipulation this woman can do, she could have won an Oscar with her skills!

I love that you get to see what each of them are really thinking which is thrilling, except for Wyatt! He frustrated me so much. Like come on, man up already! Thank god he redeemed himself in the last few chapters but still, I would have left his sorry ass if I was Kelly. I was a little disappointed by the ending. I felt it was anticlimactic after all the built up tension and I really question Wyatt and Kelly’s choices but then again, from their point of view, I can understand why they did what they did.

Thank you Netgalley and Inkubator Books for the arc!

Omg love love love!! I've read a few "demon mother in law" stories recently and they have for the most part been incredibly predicable or dull or just blatantly so so unrealistic but this is definitely one of the best takes on this theme that I've come across. I love how dark and twisty it is, the shifting perspectives keeps you a bit unbalanced as you see the true motivation behind everyone's actions but then it all just kicks off and takes you on this wild ride that leaves you genuinely rooting for the main character to come out on top. Whether she does or not though.... well you have to read it to find out

Excellent story! Totally engrossing!. Looking forward to reading more by this author! Could not put this down!

And a right rum tale this book is
Think ‘mum in law moves in’ but with intentions way way darker than the normal stories on this you might have read previously
It took a good 20% for me to settle into the story after a macabre ( but well written ) start and then it was full on as Louise ( mum in law ) plotted and carried out her plan, but she did it so subtlety and with such finesse, Kelly ( wife ) realises what is going on but her hubby Wyatt is such a wet blanket it takes him forever to ‘catch on’, at one point it’s make or break as to wether he is a man or a mouse, but doesn’t he get a shock when his Mum plays her hand ( we all did )
Psychological thriller lovers know the mum in law stories well by now but I assure you Lousie adds a whole new realm to things and what she tries to do is shocking
I enjoyed the writing and the horrifying realisation of what Louise was up to made even a long in the tooth reader shudder, she is literally very twisted

8/10
4 Stars

This book has left me slightly unsure.

During the first half of this book I was not a fan. Firstly, I found the start to be slightly confusing and slow-paced. This was, perhaps, not helped by the changing perspectives from Kelly, Wyatt and Louise which, although in some books can be very interesting and add a new depth, made it hard for me to pick a side. So, the fact that we could see the actions through both Kelly and Louise's eyes meant that I was unsure who was really in the wrong. When we would read Kelly's view I would agree and believe her that Louise was deliberately trying to sabotage their lives and split up their family. However, when we then switched over to Louise I also believed her. I agreed with her that Kelly was mentally unstable and slowly began to believe that Louise was, in fact, innocent of that which she was accused. Some readers may enjoy this aspect, as it really keeps you guessing and adds to the suspense, yet I found it hard to follow. Furthermore, this changing perspective also made it hard for me to connect with the characters and found that I did not really care for Kelly but instead found her irritating, over-the-top, and obsessive at times. The same could be said for Louise, I did not particularly like her but I also didn't hate her, yet. The only characters I found myself, right from the start, connecting with was Wyatt and the children. This was a shame because, apart from this, the plot, writing style and general content in the first half was actually very enjoyable, I was just put off by not knowing what exactly was going on.

However, having said all that, the book did manage to redeem itself towards the latter half of the novel. The fact that all the puzzle pieces slowly began to fall into place, really around the time that the family hired Jason, made it a lot easier to get invested in this book. Once I had worked out who actually was the villain of the story it was a much better book. I became instantly involved, willing for Kelly to find out all the secrets, annoyed when she didn't. I did like the intensity of the last half with all the plot twists and shock reveals; it felt like the story went from 0-100 rather quickly, wrapping it all up neatly with a huge, dramatic ending. Louise, in this last half, did become a very fleshed-out, well thought-out character who I grew to despise more and more throughout the book. Her actions were that of a mentally unstable, traumatised woman and I found myself shocked but also intrigued by her choices and the events leading from them. If only it had been like that from the start I would have really enjoyed this book! The overall plot, and the way in which it came to an end, was very interesting and a lot different from other murder mysteries. It focused more on the family drama and how the people surrounding us might not be who they think we are which was a very nice twist on the usual murder mystery stereotype.

I think this book would be rather hit and miss. It really depends what you look for in books of this genre and your own personal preference on writing styles. For me, this book is a 2.5 out of 5 stars, just because I am very on the fence about it and cannot say definitely whether I liked or disliked it as there were an equal amounts of pros and cons throughout.

2.5 Out of 5 Stars (3 for the sake of Goodreads)

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this!

I don't have words to te define what I felt after reading this book. I felt the anger, the betrayal, the sorrow, the hate. Oh, the hate! I wanted to strangle Louise for putting Kelly through hell. She was doing everything to make her as miserable as she was! And the ending was what we call poetic justice! It was an amazing book. I am giving this book 5/5 stars.

I loved this story. I picked it up yesterday planning on just reading a little bit before my husband was done with work, but I ended up spending the evening with this story as I could not put it down. This is the first book by this author that I have read and I cannot wait to read more!

When I first read the synopsis I just skimmed it and thought that there was a friend or something who was trying to replace the wife as a new wife and mother. Then I started the book and realized it was the husband's mom...which is a lot more interesting. If anyone has a horrible mother-in-law then this might hit home for you. This story is told from three points of view - Kelly, the wife, Wyatt, the husband/son, and Louise, the mother. When it first starts you see Kelly's POV and she thinks Louise does not like her and she has a strained relationship with Louise. Then you get to Louise's POV and she wants to have a good relationship with Kelly, but Kelly is always so cold towards her. It is very much which one is the more accurate one? People can have different interpretations of different events, but is the mom out to get Kelly? Or is Kelly just taking offense to things that Louise is doing to honestly try and help? Oh, it was good. The cracks start showing eventually and I loved it. I loved watching it all play out. I know plenty of people who have similar strained relationships with their mother-in-law and it was great.

Now I haven't mentioned Wyatt here and...well I HATED him. Every time I got to his POV I was just like f this dude!! He was constantly taking his mom's side over his wife's. Constantly believing his mom over his wife. Constantly thinking that his wife was being irrational and has issues that his mother had told him she had...when she doesn't. When you are in a relationship, when you are married with children, you should have your partners back. They should come first. You should believe them or if they are having issues try and make things better for them. The mom was pretty great with the emotional manipulation, but still, the son should be there for his wife. And he wasn't. He was always there for his mom first and I hated him for that. If that were me and my relationship honestly we probably never would have gotten married, but if it did get to this point there would be serious issues between us.

The way things played out was great. The ending was...okay I want to say a few words about the ending so ***SPOILERS ***ahead!! Do not read if you don't want to be spoiled!!!


***SPOILERS!!!***

The ending was not what I would have wanted in this situation. Wyatt is still not completely on Kelly's side, still not seeing his mother clearly until she takes things way too far. And then confesses to everything that she actually did. Which...It is easy to say oh, sorry I didn't believe you, but now I do after everything is resolved. After the person confesses. I know he was starting to come around because the mom was starting to go too far, but I wanted Kelly to be a bit...to stand up for herself more. I mean her husband thought she was making things up and being irrational and wouldn't talk about things that would be uncomfortable for him to acknowledge. So...she deserves better. I would have actually been okay with Wyatt completely out of the picture at the end, whether that be poisoned or divorced. But this also felt more true-to-life ending as I know plenty of women who will put up with way too much from the men in their lives. As far as the mom? I still don't get why they didn't just call the cops and be done with it. Let her die but why would they think that Wyatt killed her? It makes no sense. Oh well. It wasn't terrible, I still really enjoyed it, I just would have enjoyed a different ending more.

Now on to read more books by this author! Hopefully they will be just as captivating as this one.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

2.5 Stars

Kelly's father-in-law, Frank is staying in her home, while recuperating from surgery, when he dies in their sauna. Was it an accident due to his recent bypass surgery or is something more sinister at play? Wyatt is Kelly's husband and they have twin three old boys, Wyatt's mom, Louise, is also staying with them when this "accident" occurs.

The book is told from the three main characters point of view and I hated them all. Louise was an out and out manipulative bitch and mother-in-law from hell, Wyatt had no backbone when it came to his mother and I found Kelly took on too much without putting her foot down to her mom-in-law.

What I found really interesting about this story is that it shows how different people interpret the same situation. It is impressive how the author wrote the different perceptions of each character. I did like the book but for some reason it didn't wow me, I think it was just too predictable and outlandish.

This is my third book by the author. Grant is very much a midlist thriller writer and seems comfortable there. She’s got her formula and she plies it decently. The main there of this book, like author’s others before it, is people overstaying their welcome or people unwelcome to begin with who just won’t leave.
This time it’s a mother-in-law. Mind you, having a mother-in-law over for a semipermanent stay is an idea as permanently enshrined in the pantheon of terrible ideas as homemade fireworks, drunk dialing and electing reality tv show personalities with zero political experience to the highest offices in the country. I mean, who’d do that, right?
And yet, for Kelly and her family, that is the grim reality. The in-laws came for a temporary stay, father-in-law promptly croaked in the sauna, and mother-in-law, Louise, decided that the best place for her to be was right by her only son’s side, inching ever closer.
So the entire novel is essentially a battle of will between Kelly and Louise with the peacemaking/oblivious son/spouse character trapped in the middle. There isn’t really any mystery here to unravel, it’s more of a character driven thriller, made quite frustrating at times by the sheer idiocy of the players, trapped by their own good manners or some such silly notions. Depending on your own mother-in-law, it can be relatably infuriating. It also gets quite creepily Oedipal at times. But really, it’s a very straightforward story with nothing much to it and not a lot of twists genre fans usually crave.
Overall, nothing special, profoundly forgettable despite the title. Very much on par with the author’s other work, kind of mindless, but very readable and goes by very quickly. Thanks Netgalley.

Firstly, I just want to say that I’m glad Louse isn’t my mother-in-law! Oh my, Cathryn Grant has done an excellent job of creating such a despicable and manipulating character.

Written from the point of view of the main characters, I was able to immerse myself in the storyline as it was played out through the thoughts of each. The pace of the writing was perfect, with just the right amount of intrigue and suspense building up to a heart stopping climax.

This was an excellent read and one that I highly recommend.

Many thanks to Cathryn Grant, Inkubator Books and NetGalley for the review copy.

Compelling Domestic Noir…
Seemingly peaceful lives are shattered by a death in the family. This, however, was no natural death. One member of this family has, it appears, an ulterior motive. Compelling domestic noir which starts with a hook and so continues a mounting tale of tension, lies and often disturbing, dark deeds. Immersive reading.

Oh my gosh! This book was so fraught with mental health issues it’s enough to make your head spin. Louise, Wyatt’s mother, was not only mentally unstable, she was a master manipulator with seemingly no idea how to stay within her own boundaries. She was such a powerful influence she had her son believing everything she said and did to the point that he took her word over his wife’s, bringing their marriage to the brink. It took a powerful, repulsive incident between Wyatt and Louise to make him see the reality of what his life was becoming.

It’s very difficult to review this book without revealing too much. It’s equally difficult to assign a star review or report a positive feeling about something with such a vivid resolution. Suffice it to say, it kept me turning the pages.

Thank you NetGalley.

A gripping psychological thriller that kept me guessing the whole way through. A really enjoyable read

From the first chapter, where we read how Frank dies in the sauna, I was hooked. Although it was not an easy death, I got the feeling Frank was quite happy at the time of his death. Being where he loved to be, drinking his favourite drink, feeling great again after weeks of recovering – which meant eating healthy food he didn’t particularly liked, and absolutely not allowed to drink alcohol. Ok, we know he was murdered but at least it wasn’t a bad dead – for him.
Enter Louise, Franks’ grieving widow, and his son Wyatt and daughter in law Kelly. Until now, a quite happy couple, with a good job for Wyatt and two lovely children to take care of for Kelly. Suddenly their world has changed because Louise apparently decides to stay with them indefinitely. Something Wyatt doesn’t mind but Kelly is growing more and more unhappy with. She is right; Louise seems to take over their lives, and although she presents herself as the ideal mother in law, Kelly fears for what Louise is doing to her marriage. She is right, of course, and that is what this book is all about.
Tension grows between Wyatt and Kelly when Louise starts smothering them with love and attention, without seemingly no idea what this is doing to the couple. But of course she knows exactly what she’s doing and it is only because Kelly refuses to play along, Louise doesn’t get what she wants. And what she wants is something even Wyatt couldn’t envisage.
Not the most original of plots, but very good characterization makes this book a page turner. The ending was a bit unexpected and I’m not sure I found it very convincing, but I really enjoyed this book.
Thanks to Netgalley for this review copy.

I always enjoy reading the domestic thrillers of Cathryn Grant. With only a cast of four characters (not including toddler twins) we don’t have too many suspects for the death of Frank, wife to Louise, father to Wyatt and father-in-law to Kelly married to Wyatt. All three living characters speak in their respective POV’s but the story belongs to Kelly who challenges Wyatt and Louise about what really happened to Frank. While it held my attention, I was absorbed in the first half, plus I loved Kelly but I really I was expecting another major twist before the ending. And that ending? Really?