Megan wakes up in the hospital with vague memories of fighting over a steering wheel with her husband when their car went into the water. Her husband Rick dies but Megan survives. At his funeral, Megan meets Emily, Rick's sister who he hasn't seen in many years. Before too long, Emily who is pregnant, is living with Megan and after her money. But is everything what it seems?

I have enjoyed the previous novels of this author but this one falls a bit short for me. I liked the dual narratives from Megan and Emily and liked the relationship Megan had with her late mother's best friend who tried to look out for her. This was a quick read and didn't guess all of the twists that came about towards the end. I did find that all of the characters were very unlikable and I was wishing for one person to root for in the story. Megan was very cold and didn't appear to have any friends or interests besides her job. The author seemed to suggest perhaps Megan was on the spectrum since she did not like physical contact, had trouble with empathy and was obsessive in how her house was kept, but then it ended up differently. Emily was just awful and if would have been more impactful if she had different motives than what she was really after. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC for review.

Wow! Another great read by Joanne Ryan! Definitely worthy of 5 stars. This grabbed me from the get go and just never let go. Excellent storytelling. Deliciously dark and twisty.
Thank you NetGalley, Joanne Ryan and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an ARC of The Sister in Law.

This was a quick, easy read for me. I had a feeling that something wasn’t right, but didn’t see the full twist coming.

Some bits were more believable than others, the main character Meg seemed to take a lot at face value, but this made more sense as I got to the end of the book.

There were a couple of really unlikeable characters in this as well, which made it stand out a bit for me, as it is fairly unusual for me to find characters I don’t like.

Would recommend and a worthy 4 stars from me!

This book started really well , you were soon hooked into the plot . In fact I loved the book until the last quarter and then I found it a bit lacking . I wanted more insight into the characters . I did actually guess the ending but it was still disappointing how it came to an abrupt end . I think I would recommend the book as I love this author but it’s not her best in my opinion. 4 stars from me

Surprising ending. The only thing about this book that bothered me was telling the same thing from different people. Like repeating what was just written.
Other than that was a fairly good read.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early release of this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwoid Books for the ARC of this book.
This is the first book I have read by Joanne Ryan and I'll have to read some others to ascertain if this is her normal writing style.
I felt that we never really got to know any of the characters in depth and although the alternating POV of the characters helped somewhat it was just too repetitive.
I also felt that the ending was somewhat of a let down. It didn't really bring anything to an end totally just stopped.
I will investigate some of her other books but definitely won't return to this one.

I really enjoyed this read. I loved narratives that are told from different perspectives as I can really get to grips with everything the story encompasses. Really enjoyable

The Sister-in-Law is about Megan who's husband Rick dies in a horrible car crash. A stranger who is heavily pregnant shows up at his funeral claiming to be Rick's estranged sister. Megan feels that she has a responsibility to help her and she is soon moved and settled into Megan's life. We can feel that there is something not right from the start of this interaction but I had no idea how dark and deep the secrets were. I enjoyed reading from different POV and while things were repetitive I didn't mind because I enjoyed the narrative from each person's view of the event. While the characters weren't loveable I liked reading about them and discovering their deepest secrets slowly one by one as they were revealed. The plot is full of twists and turns and I enjoyed the narrative and hidden elements.

The publisher's blurb describes the story line well, so I won't repeat it here. You're looking at reviews because you're interested in the book but want to know if it's worth your time. I always check reviews myself, so I'll cut to the chase and give my thoughts.

What I liked:

The author did a good job of drawing me into the story and holding my interest. I appreciate that the story is told using the POVs of each of the main characters. As when looking at anything from multiple points of view, you know that the truth lies somewhere in the middle and trying to uncover the truth kept me turning pages. I also like the twists at the end.

What I didn't like:

I would've like to see more development and depth in the characters. Their thoughts and actions are pretty much one-note, and people are much more than that. As a result, the characters come across as simplistic and flat, more caricatures than realistic people.

The book also feels very repetitive in places, which detracted from my enjoyment.

Overall, this is an interesting read, but not one I'll remember for long.

My thanks to Boldwood Books for permitting me to access a DRC of the book via NetGalley. Publication is 1/27/25. All opinions stated in this review are my own and are freely given.

What a great and engaging book from a new author to me. There is little to add to the reviews of others but the cat and mouse between two women and one dead husband kept me guessing with lots of twists and engaging characters. I whizzed through reading it and will be looking for more books by the author. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

The Sister-In-Law is a book about the psychological twistedness of a cat-and-mouse game between two women after one woman's husband is killed in a wreck on a cold rainy night.
Joanne Ryan has written this book in such a way that I felt personally involved. While the ending was nothing like I imagined.
Brilliantly written and I'd love to see this in a movie.

Joanne Ryan is a new author to me and I was pleasantly surprised and impressed when I read The Sister in Law. This is an extremely fast paced read going back and forth between the two main characters. It is a well written psychological thriller and I highly recommend this book.

Megan is devastated when her husband, Rick, dies in a car crash. She is not sure how she will manage to get through the funeral without falling apart, but, Elaine, a close friend of Megans deceased mother is on hand to help her through it. After the funeral, she sees a very pregnant young woman at the wake, who she does not know. The woman approaches Megan and explains she is Ricks estranged younger sister, Emily. Megan knew Rick did have a sister who he had not seen in years, but he had not spoken much about his family to Megan.
Megan and Emily begin to get closer, but Elaine has her doubts about Emily. Megan brushes aside Elaines warnings that Emily is not all she seems, and soon Emily has moved in with Megan.
I really enjoyed the way this book was written, each character giving their perspective of the situation. Some of it was a little repetitive, but was a great read, and the ending was unexpected. I had not read any of the books by this author before, but will look out for them now. Highly recommended.

another addictive read from this Author. Megan wakes up in a hospital bed she has been in a car crash her husband does not survive. Elaine her mum's friend and husband help her with everything. it's the day of the funeral Megan is just about managing a woman approach says she her husband's sister Emily is heavily pregnant. Megan feels sorry for her and asked her to move in this story is so good lies deceit greed so recommend.

This was a decent read that got better as it continued. The story centers on Megan and Emily and is told in alternating POVs. Megan has lost her husband Rick in a car accident and Emily shows up at the funeral, claiming to be Rick’s sister. The two end up getting to know each other better in the subsequent months but they both have secrets they are hiding.

The dynamic between the characters is interesting because it’s clear something is off but the author slowly draws the reader in to what each is thinking. I did feel that the narrative was a tad repetitive, as often the same incident is described by both characters. I was wary in the first part of the book as to why the characters did some of the things they did, but I really liked the second half of the book where things became more clear. There were some good twists in the book, most of which I did figure out, but some that were surprises. The end was ok for me- I didn’t expect it to go that way, which I appreciated, but I didn’t totally love it.

Overall, I ended up enjoying this book and thought it was a unique take on a common storyline. Despite being a little repetitive, it was an interesting and fast-paced story. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Meghan is mourning the drowning death of her husband Rick when his estranged sister, Emily, whom Meghan has never met, surfaces at his funeral. She is pregnant and running from her abusive partner so Meghan invites her to move into her home while she gets her life together, but Emily isn't telling Meghan the truth.

3.5 stars.

This was a quick read that was a little better than ok. There were some shocking moments for sure, and I appreciated those, but I didn't love how things played out. Nobody really figured much out, the characters just told us what they had perpetrated. I also felt that the structure where points of view alternated between Meghan and Emily caused a lot of repetition. I felt like some of the chapters were just a rehash of the previous chapter from the opposite perspective. On the fence about reading more from this author.

Compulsive reading, I could not put this novel down. Twist throughout. Joanne Ryan really knows how to set the scene and how to build an excellent plot line that keeps you totally engrossed.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book.

I really enjoyed this read. I love the way you are reading from the perspectives of the two main characters Megan and Emily. A lot of twists and turns. The ending I was not expecting.

WOW what a story!! I have never been blown away by so many twists and turns before. It was certainly a page-turner and i managed to devour it within 24 hours. Great characters, amazing writing, thoroughly enjoyable. Will definitely be searching for more books by this author.

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy to read in exchange for my open and honest review. As always, my reviews will also be posted on Amazon, Goodreads and Waterstones and interaction on Facebook and instagram where possible.

I really enjoyed this read. I loved narratives that are told from different perspectives as i can really get to grips with everything the story encompasses. Really enjoyable