Definitely a nice change from the regular who done it mystery…. I really didn’t see some of the twists coming … Easy read that keep your interest up to the very end… I’m sure this book will get a lot of buzz.. will definitely recommend it.

THE DAUGHTER IN LAW by Shalini Boland
Format: audiobook
Listening length 7 hours 42 minutes
Narrator - KATIE VILLA

I listened to this audiobook in one sitting, and I loved it! The narrator, KATIE VILLA was excellent, her voice changes slipping easily from one character to the other. Listeners will be captivated with this plot., which for me, in parts was unbelievable but, hey, we listen to be entertained, don't we? All characters are hiding secrets of their own and I disliked all of them in equal measure. Great listen and would recommend this audiobook.

I give 4-star rating.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF LISTENING TO THIS AUDIOBOOK IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

The Daughter in Law by Shalini Boland was riveting! I may be partial, both because I am a fan of her writing and also have a tumultuous relationship with my MIL, but I don't think either of these are the reason - it really is good. I liked the slow reveal of everyone's back story and how everything was intertwined.

There were a couple things I knew, some things I thought I knew but was wrong, and some things that came out of left field. I love reading books that take you on a ride like this. I give this 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Katie Villa was great at narrating. Her voice was distinctive with all of the characters, so the book flowed well.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio for providing me with an ALC.

Shaking Boland once again has an edge of your seat thriller. She is a master!!! Everyone should read this book.

The book was well written and I really enjoyed listening to the audio book. The good writing style did not cover the foreseeability though, as I saw every plot twist coming and nothing really surprised me.

Caroline has traded the sunshine and warm beaches of Australia for the bleak midwinter of England when she marries Sebastian after a whirlwind courtship. They head back to the pub that Seb’s family own to spring the news of their marriage on his family. His mother, Lillian is less than pleased and she makes her feelings known. Caroline is lonely and unhappy, Seb’s family is not welcoming, other than his handsome brother, Felix, any way. and the pub’s barmaid has made it clear she’s out to sabotage Caroline’s efforts to fit in. Then Caroline gets wind of Seb’s ex, someone she’s never heard of. What secrets is Seb keeping and how far will his mother go to “protect” her son? And how far will Caroline go to achieve her own end game? Boland is becoming one of my favorite writer’s, her plot twists surprise me every time

The Daughter-in-Law by Shalini Boland
Narrated by Katie Villa

Englishman Seb Fletcher has an online romance with Caroline and then flies to Australia to meet her in person. He was already in love with her and after a whirlwind romance in person, Seb and Carolyn marry. Then it's back to his family owned pub, with his new wife in tow, to break the news to his family that he's a married man.

What an unpleasant reception Carolyn gets from family and pub staff. To make things worse, Seb and Carolyn are to live with his parents, over the pub. The parents who had no idea that Seb had married without telling them he even knew this woman. Things are uncomfortable and unfriendly and go downhill from there.

We get the POV of Carolyn, mother-in-law Lillian, Amy, and Meg. The story starts with a body and then we have the present and the past intermingle with the various POVs. Even when I suspected some of what was happening, it didn't matter. I wanted to know who did what and why. I wanted to know just what secrets people were keeping. I wanted to know what Amy and Meg had to do with Carolyn and Lillian. Some time periods are unclear at first and that made things interesting, too.

As we spend time with the Fletchers, it's hard to understand why Seb, his brother Felix, and their father Brian, put up with Lillian's brittle personality, snobbish high handed airs, and tendency to see trouble in every corner. And, why is daughter-in-law Carolyn willing to stick around for the grief that Lillian piles on her?

Katie Villa does an excellent job of narrating the story.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture/Bookouture Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest thriller by Shalini Boland - 4.5 stars rounded up because I couldn't stop listening and reading it. The audiobook was wonderfully narrated by Katie Villa, who seamlessly narrates both male and female voices - and there were quite a few characters in this book.

Seb had a brief online relationship with Caroline, flew to Australia to meet in person, then married her and returned home to England and his family pub. His parents greeted her with less than an enthusiastic welcome. Now the newlyweds are trying to get to know each other while living and working with his family. But everyone here is keeping secrets.

Go into this one as blind as possible - there are so many twists and turns right up until the last page. Shalini Boland is so good at creating tension and suspicion among her characters so you'll never see what's coming. Another fast-paced must read from this author!

A great read full of different twists. I didn't see that coming. An addictive book that is easy to read. I couldn't put it down! Good storyline and plot that moves at a reasonably fast pace, realistic characters and decent plot. Thank you to Netgalley , the author and publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Wow was I surprised! You just knew danger was lurking, but it came out of nowhere. What a twisty, suspenseful book with great characters. I thought the narrator was top notch, and I didn't hear ANY mistakes, which is so rare.

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of The Daughter-in-Law by Shalini Boland.

First off, great narration! I love an English accent, and she has the perfect voice and inflection for both characters.

Ooof, this is a doozy in a small package! Caroline is coming home to meet the family after a shotgun wedding to her new husband, who she has really only known for a few weeks! Understandably, her new mother-in-law Lily is surprised and immediately dubious of this new addition. What are her intentions? Is she going to fit into the family and family business? And what about the secret her new husband Seb is holding onto? Surely that will get in the way of their new lives.

As Caroline tries desperately to understand why Lily is so slow to warm up to her, she begins to uncover more and more about this family that she's married into. It turns out that Sebastian was married before, for twelve years! Why would he keep that info from her? And what other secrets does he have?

This is only seven hours long, but packs a hearty punch for being so petite. The story develops quickly and coherently, and doesn't waste any of your time getting directly to the heart of the story. If you need an upbeat story for a road trip, or vacation, this is it!

I always look forward to a book by this author as I know I am going to get a well plotted, hard to put down page turner, and this one was no different!

When Seb returns home from Australia with a new wife in tow, his family are understandably shocked. While Seb's dad and brother seem to warm to Caroline quite quickly, his mum Lillian is not as quick to defrost and the ladies embark on an awkward relationship from the start.

With a strange family dynamic and Caroline uncovering secrets, this story unravels quite slowly at first, but soon takes off with revelations and shocks, in classic Boland style, right to the last pages!

This book had a great ending, but the build up was so slow that it lost me by the time it got there.

4.5⭐ rounded up for the audiobook.

Featuring ~ multiple 3rd person POV, whirlwind marriage, secrets, betrayal, family drama, family owned pub, infidelity references, domestic thriller

Caroline is the daughter~in~law
Lilian is the mother~in~law
Amy and Michelle are sisters

I, myself, have been a delightful DIL for many years, but I'm not sure if my loveliness would last long if we had to live in the same quarters together. You can just feel the tension between the MIL and DIL from the moment they were introduced. There were a bunch of twistaroos I didn't see coming and the ending was excellent ~ whoop whoop. Although it took a bit for the Amy and Michelle connection to come out in the story I was quite pleased with their involvement in the plot and how it all played out.

My 4th Shalini book and favorite by far.

Katie Villa is our narrator for 7 hours and 42 minutes, easy to follow at 2x. While I do not have any complaints with her narrating skills, I wouldn't have minded at least 2 narrators for two different aged women.

This was yet another delightful listen and story. I just loved the way I never knew in what direction it would go and I just had to listen to find out, althoughthe majorityof the storyhad been workedout. . The narration really worked. I did have a couple of niggles re one major plot device but otherwise it wouldn't have worked.

I was given an advance copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is my own.

I finished this well written psychological thriller audio-book by Shalini Boland in less than 24 hours because I could not turn it off!
From the initial scene of someone digging a grave to the surprising ending Boland's novel had me fighting to sit still. My emotions were all over the place as Caroline, Seb's new bride with a surprise introduction to her in-laws (these types of intros never make anyone happy), has to deal with prickly Lillian and welcoming Brian as well as learning that she will have to live in an apartment over the family-owned pub with her unfriendly in-laws. I genuinely felt for Caroline through most of the book but oh, after numerous twists and turns, Shalini has a surprise for us!

Narration by Katie Villa was excellent, easy voice, great intonations. Definitely added to the enjoyment of the audiobook.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of The Daughter-in-Law when it is released on November 4th. You will not be disappointed!

My thanks to #NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the pleasure of listening to this ARC. This opinion is my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC
Lovers, family & secrets... sounds like fun or maybe a mess! I read this in one day and thought i would have known the ending.... did i think wrong!!
I loved how the ending surprised me to the point i had to rethink what heck just happend.
The narrator did a splendid job.

I have hit a snag with some of Shalini's recent books, but this one is way better than I expected. This one just starts and keeps running. The plot is amazing and the characters (although a little confusing at one point) are well developed and works nicely into the little twists along the way. That mother in law was the worst in how she treated Caroline. I would expect Seb to stand up for his new wife. It brought that little suspense factor to the surface. The ending was good and shocking, just how we like it.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

A couple of disclaimers: my go-to genre is always domestic thrillers and I LOVE this author, Shalini Boland. I have never been disappointed by her books. The final disclaimer is I am stingy with the stars, so to easily call this a 5 star means a lot (to me).

I listened to the audio book and applaud the choice of Katie Villa as narrator. She did an excellent job with both sexes and the accents.

The Daughter-in-Law was a fast listen. I was so invested I consumed the 7 1/2 hour book in a day. Without spoilers, this is the story of a man, Seb, who secretly had an online relationship with a women, Caroline, visited her in Australia and brought her back to England, to the family home and business, as a wife. And there the fun begins. Newlyweds living and working in the same space as his entire family.

Truly, I never saw any of the twists and turns coming and that is the joy of a Boland book.

Happily can recommend this one, and especially happy to say as an audiobook it was a great adventure.

Boland has become one of my go-to authors for Psychological Thrillers. She always draws me in and keeps me guessing until the end.

Seb brings his new wife home to meet his parents after a whirlwind vacation and unexpected romance. His parents are not thrilled he married Caroline. What can this girl have in common with their son? Lilian wanted Seb to warn his parents before they came home! She wishes he would have done this, as things get awkward really quick.

Lilian does not trust her daughter-in-law and Caroline feels like she is not wanted. Kept me up late to find out happened in this cat and mouse game which wrapped up in a shocking conclusion!

Thanks NetGalley, Bookouture Audio for this advanced copy. Cannot wait for what’s net with Boland.


Available November 4, 2022