The Mother-in-Law by Karen King


Dana cannot believe how lucky she is to have found Sam; they love each other so much. Sam is so kind and considerate and when they have been dating for only a few months Sam asks Dana to marry him, Dana thinks she cannot be any happier. But Dana doesn’t think Sam’s parents, Evelyn and Harold like her very much.

As the wedding planning gets taken over by Evelyn, Dana does not want to make trouble and agrees to all of Evelyn’s suggestions but then Dana could not help over hearing Evelyn’s comments to her neighbour that Dana is “such a meek, compliant little mouse” but if Dana does not agree and things are done Dana’s way her future mother-in-law says “What Dana wants, Dana gets” so she cannot win.

When the dream house Dana and Sam want to buy falls thru Dana has to move in with Sam, who lives with his parent, Dana starts having accidents, cutting her hand on a broken mirror that happened to just magically break in her hand bag, getting electrocuted by a kettle that was working fine the day before, falling down the stairs. Dana is starting to suspect these are not just accidents but maybe someone is trying to stop her marring Sam not caring if they kill her in the process.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Dana meets Sam, and they rapidly fall for each other and get engaged. Dana moves in with him to better plan their upcoming wedding, but the problem is Sam, a 35-year-old successful business man, still lives with his parents, Evelyn and Harrold. Sam is perfect... but his family isn't. His mother is overly protective of him, and soon, accidents start to happen to Dana, all more dangerous than the previous one. Dana quickly realizes that Evelyn clearly doesn't want her to have her son...
Think, The Monster-In-Law (movie with Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda), but without the comedy.
This mystery/thriller is filled to the brim with suspense and lies. I was hooked from the first chapter and read it in one sitting. it was entertaining, full of twists and family drama that kept pulling me in. The premise was good, and the ending, satisfying. The only little negative thing I would have to say about it, is that Dana should stand up for herself more!
I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and Bookouture, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I have enjoyed this author's previous thrillers but this one was the best! The tension starts building up right from the start and it gets harder and harder to know who is telling the truth, and who is being not only difficult but potentially dangerous too. Poor Dana just wants to be with Sam and marry him, but someone is out to break them up. The number of mishaps and accidents that happen to her is just too high to be coincidental, or is she just being paranoid? When she is accused of theft and even Sam finds it hard to believe her, maybe Dana should just leave... Twists and turns and lots of heart stopping moments lead to a satisfying and surprising ending.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!

I’d be running the hell out of there if she was my MIL. I felt suffocated and anxious for Dana. Girl should’ve ran for the hills. Sam isn’t worth it. I don’t want to blame her, really, but the red flags were everywhere and as bright as the cover. And I get why he was a very big Mama’s Boy but he was so oblivious to the creepy things happening to her ... especially given the secrets that he knew the whole time.

This book was pretty twisty and creepy and I had fun making my own theories. I was excited to see how things would play out. Those last 3 chapters had my eyes glued to the screen because were so suspenseful.

The Mother in Law by Karen King is the story of Dana and Sam, a newly engaged couple. Everything seems to be going great for the two until unexpected accidents start to happen. Could someone be doing this on purpose? I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this well-written, suspenseful book that kept me guessing until the end. I just couldn’t put it down!

Wow there were crazy things going on in this book! I loved the very creative ways someone seemed to be sabataging Dana's wedding. I guessed early on what was happening but I enjoyed the way it played out. The only reason I didn't give it 4 stars was because I felt like Dana should have run a mile early on! I'm not sure anyone would put up with as much as she did and I started to get a bit annoyed with her character

This was so juicy I finished it in one night!

The Mother-in-Law follows a couple named Sam and Dana, who after a whirlwind romance of 4 months, are engaged to be married! We find out early on that Dana has a serious nut allergy, which is terrible because she ends up moving in with her future in-laws and they're a bunch of nuts! Sorry, I had to.

Anyway, Sam is in his 30's and still living at home which isn't super odd for wealthy families, but Dana doesn't wanna shack up with them, at least not for long.

But they can't seem to get out of there! "Accidents" keep happening right as they're about to leave. I feel battered and bruised just from reading this! Is someone hurting Dana or is she just paranoid? She's suffered from paranoia before. She isn't high society but anyone would be lucky to have Dana in their family so why does she feel so unwelcome?

The walls have ears around here and you might turn a corner and find out something you werent supposed to and you know the old saying: if they tell you, they have to kill you.

This was great with some really whacky twists that kept giving right up to the end. The only negative is that I didn't feel much chemistry between any of the characters but I'm here for a good time, not a long time, and I wouldn't have wanted it to be longer as it was a nice and quick read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

I really enjoyed this. I really felt for Dana the whole time. I was convinced it was the mom being horrible but it wasn’t! I also thought Sam had something up his sleeve but he didn’t. No ending for Tamara. I wish she’d been called out. Great twists.

2.5 rounded to 3

The Mother-in-Law by Karen King takes a psychological twist on the typical toxic mother-in-law trope. Dana and Sam quickly get engaged after whirlwind romance and have to move in with Sam’s parents due unforeseen circumstances. But as the wedding gets closer, unusual accidents start happening to Dana that push her and Sam’s relationship to its limits.

The characters in The Mother-in-Law were extremely frustrating. Everyone was toxic in their own ways which made it hard to root for anyone lol But I love the suspense of psychological thrillers, so the need to know the truth is what pushed me to keep reading and I did read through this book pretty quickly. The first half or so of the book was a slow burn as the author was building the foundation for what was to come. But as soon as things started picking up I flew through this book. So the pacing was definitely satisfying.

There were a few plot lines that I felt took away from the book. I can’t say much without spoiling but I felt they were unnecessary and inorganic and only thrown in to force the ending to go a certain way. And while this is a psychological thriller, I felt that the scenarios/accidents were almost a little too unrealistic. Especially towards the end when it started to feel like a soap opera - as in it was so dramatic but I just couldn’t look away lol so that was also weirdly satisfying in a way.

I wouldn’t say this is a ~must~ read psychological novel for everyone. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers and are looking for a new one then go for it!

thank you so much to @netgalley & @bookouture for the ARC! look for The Mother-in-Law coming out 7.29.2022 :)

Wow what a great, thrilling read this is I loved everything about this psychological family drama, just my sort of book.

The storyline was excellent, so well written with good characters that each had their own story to tell and I was hooked from the beginning until the fantastic ending which was so well thought out and I never guessed anything, such a great ending to a great book.

I will definitely read more from this author and thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC which I have no doubt in recommending.

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to review. I have to say this book was ok I read with ease and intrigue and continued to the end and happy I did as it did end with a twist - unfortunately I did not feel gripped but it was an easy read.

Popcorn thriller lovers, this is your book! I don’t know why I expected something amazing, because the whole mother-in-law trope is pretty overdone, but I was definitely not blown away by this book.

As these things usually go, Dana has met the man of her dreams, Sam. He’s perfect, he says all the right things, he has money but isn’t pretentious, and he loves her back. After a whirlwind romance, they decide to get married.

Then comes Evelyn, the evil mother-in-law. Overbearing, a little unstable, a lot intrusive, Evelyn is pretty much the mom that wives dread. Still, Sam is so great … anyone who raised him has to be a good person, right?

This has the stereotypical tension, a few twists (most not necessary, just added in for the sake of surprise) and the requisite dramatic ending. This was decent, and entertaining, but that’s about it. A perfect beach read, I give this three stars for being fine, but formulaic.

(Thank you to Bookouture, Karen King, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

I really wanted to like this one, but after struggling to remain engaged I finally had to accept that this book wasn’t for me. It certainly had good twists and can best be understood looking backwards, but there were too many things that got me frustrated and I felt that the narrative was bogged down with plot clichés, making it stale and unoriginal.

I was gifted this advance copy by Karen King, Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Fabulous just hated the mother in law . Good twist at the end. All the characters very believable. Manipulation at its best

This isn't your ordinary thriller, this a roller coaster ride without a safety harness! So many characters you love to hate, I wanted to give them all a piece of my mind lol! People do drastic things to keep their secrets under wraps and Dana was in the middle of a big one that would endanger her life. I loved the fast pacing of this book and enjoyed the deliciously twisted plot.

Loved this book! You think you know this story but you don’t which makes for the best kind of mystery and suspense novel. Characters you love to hate, rags to riches, your typical story about a difficult mother in law? Maybe!

Look forward to reading more from this author!

It was love at first sight for Dana and Sam. And Dana could not believe how wonderful it was to be in love and to receive a marriage proposal after only four months of dating.

Sam was a successful accountant and from a well to do family. Sam was Dana’s dream come true — her knight in shining armor that would save her from her financial predicament.

But, her future mother-in-law, Evelyn, had different ideas. Evelyn was gracious and welcoming. But soon, Dana began to feel as thought something sinister lay behind Evelyn’s smile and thoughtfulness.

The Mother-In-Law is an engaging psychological thriller that will have the reader hooked from the get-go.

Because the plot is character driven, the players in the novel are well developed. Author, King has managed to capture the essence of each individual’s personality. And with just a handful of characters, it was easy to get a feel of who I liked and disliked.

The plot has a number of twists that made this novel a real page turner. However, some parts of the narrative were somewhat illogical. That being said, it is still an excellent novel if read for pure enjoyment.

Overall, The Mother-In-Law is a must read for fans of psychological suspense. Four stars.

I received a digital ARC from Bookouture through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

This was actually an gripping psychological thriller that will keep you hooked from the beginning till the end.

Dana is getting married to Sam after a whirlwind of romance. So when Sam introduces Dana to his posh parents, Evelyn and Harold, Dana however seemed to have gotten a cold feet with Sam's mother Evelyn as apparently she preferred Tamara to be Sam's wife rather than Dana. Then odd things start happening to Dana after Sam and Dana moved into their parents' house which involved Dana getting into accidents. Is her future mother-in-law really out to stop the wedding?

We all know that most women do not really get along with their mother-in-law--I am not married but then I do know what it really feels like when your boyfriend's mother doesn't really approve of his son's choice in women. That was the case of Dana as well as Dana tried hard to please Evelyn but accidents happen that made Dana look clumsy and unreliable. The writing was really good and the author managed to grip the reader into the story. The story was fast paced as well with some twists and turns, making the reader feel suspicious of Evelyn. However, the ending to me was predicatable and bit lame, which lowered my rating to four stars. Otherwise, the thriller was really good and worth four stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

This is a really decent domestic thriller. It’s easy to read and engaging.
There were plenty of twists and turns throughout the book that kept me guessing.
I’d recommend to anyone who likes this author or genre of book.

The Mother-in-Law was engaging and easy to read. Although it was somewhat repetitive at times, there were many plot twists and turns that kept it interesting. There was a lot of family drama and I did feel that the characters could have been described with more depth. Overall, I would recommend this book to others, especially those who like reading psychological suspense and family relationships.