3.5 stars!!!

After losing her husband Rick in a car accident, Megan meets his estranged pregnant sister, Emily, at the funeral. Emily moves in with Megan, bringing comfort but also raising questions about trust.

This was my initial experience with this author, and I found the ending to be quite enjoyable as the story unfolded. However, it did take some time to reach that satisfying conclusion. The book had a slow burn for me, which made it a bit challenging to fully engage with.

The characters in the book were not easy to connect with. One character came across as too cold, while the other was portrayed as naive and somewhat annoying. The pace of the book was inconsistent, with moments of intensity followed by slower sections. Despite this, the ending was strong and unexpected.

If you appreciate a story with an unexpected twist and a moderate pace, this book may be a good fit for you. While I personally did not connect with the story, I would still recommend giving it a chance, as reviews on this book are mixed.

Thank you, Boldwood Books for the ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this book! It's a twisty story of a love triangle that takes down more victims than anticipated. So many unexpected turns of events. Great book!

I really enjoyed this book, it had a good pace and was easy to read.

I didn’t see the twist at the end coming and through the whole book I just wanted to punch the SIL in her face!! Sorry, not sorry!

I will definitely be looking out for more books by this author!

The Sister-in-Law by Joanne Ryan is a gripping psychological thriller that explores themes of loss, trust, and the unsettling dynamics that can arise within families. When Megan loses her beloved husband, Rick, in a tragic car accident, she is overwhelmed by grief and feels as though her own life has ended. The quiet emptiness of their home, once filled with love and laughter, becomes a constant reminder of the life she no longer has.

At Rick’s funeral, Megan is taken aback when she sees a woman she doesn’t recognise—a heavily pregnant young woman with a sweet, familiar-looking face. This woman introduces herself as Emily, Rick’s estranged sister. Emily explains that she has been searching for Rick for years, but, overcome with emotion, she realises it’s too late now to reconnect with him.

Megan, feeling sympathy for the sister-in-law she never knew, begins to take Emily in. Emily soon moves into the spare room of Megan’s house, filling the empty space in ways that are both comforting and unsettling. However, as Megan grows closer to Emily, she begins to question whether she can truly trust this stranger, even if she is family.

Ryan’s writing builds tension throughout, creating a taut atmosphere where every interaction feels loaded with potential danger. The plot progresses at a quick pace, with each twist drawing readers deeper into the mystery. The book keeps you on edge as it questions the nature of trust and how well we really know the people closest to us. The Sister-in-Law is a well-crafted thriller that is impossible to put down, with its suspenseful narrative and unexpected revelations making it a thoroughly engaging read.

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Such a clever storyline! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters are very well written and it's a real page turner with a good ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest feedback. This book was an adventure. The ending absolutely shocked me! Perfect for fans of authors Colleen Hoover and Frieda McFadden. Definitely a page turner for me!!! Looking forward to read other books by this author. I added a few to my wish list already! Highly recommend for a quick thriller read!

Wow what a read this turned out to be. Huge thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this as an arc and here is my review,. Megan losing her husband finds herself in a situation and out of grief and loneliness allows things to occur that ordinarily she may have questioned further! This book kept me on my toes throughout and really made me think and when I thought I had it I didn’t,
Loved Megan’s character I really got into her psyche and felt such empathy for her. This is a must for anyones TBR just excellent.

Lots of twists and secrets in this book with none of the characters as they originally seemed. A really great read that I didnt want to put down

When Megan loses her husband in a road traffic accident, she is distraught. At the funeral a woman approaches Megan claiming to be his sister Emily, Megan knew they hadn't spoken for years, but Rick said he wanted to reconnect. Emily is pregnant and is about to be homeless so Megan asks her to move in till she is back on her feet. BUTis emily all she claims to be?
It was a great read, only i did find that chapters were repeated when Megan and emily explained things. . I didn't see the end coming. Really enjoyed it

Well that was rather good! Started a bit in the slow side but soon cracked up the pace. I was Team Megan from the start and maybe I'm an awful human being but it would have been so much fun if the plan had come off completely. keith was vile and so was Emily so I was cheering at the end but then ... I felt a bit disappointed. maybe we have to have those endings because that's what's supposed to happen... but that's a bit boring.
A good read though and I did enjoy it. If you found it in the library at the hotel to read by the pool you might well get sunburnt

"The Sister-in-Law" by Joanne Ryan is an engrossing psychological thriller that explores the complexities of family dynamics and the secrets that can lurk beneath the surface. The narrative revolves around the protagonist, who finds herself entangled in a web of deceit and betrayal after her sister-in-law suddenly goes missing.

Ryans writing is sharp and immersive, drawing readers into a suspenseful atmosphere filled with unexpected twists and turns. The characters are well-developed, each with their own motivations and hidden agendas, making it difficult to discern who can be trusted.

As the plot unfolds, the tension builds, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the final revelation. "The Sister-in-Law" is a compelling read that will resonate with anyone who enjoys a gripping mystery filled with emotional complexity.

Overall, this book is a fantastic addition to the genre, showcasing Ryan's talent for crafting a captivating tale that lingers long after the last page is turned. LOVED IT! Will definitely be reading more from this Author!

Superb writing from this author, a very eye catching cover, this book will go far, 5 stars. Blindingly excellent ... This book should come with a disclaimer as once you start reading you aren’t going to want to walk away.

Think Lifetime story on steroids. I really enjoyed the plot of this book. Not too many characters to keep track off. Finished the ARC in 2 sittings, so it kept me wanting more.
I felt the ending was a little rushed with all the explanations, however it did tie up nicely. The ending was NOT what I expected. Definitely worth the read.

What a novel. Tense and gripping and with some great twists, it certainly kept me in my toes. The plot builds with pace and with each turn of the page, you are even more immersed. Great characters that you love to hate, I couldn’t put it down. Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and the author for the chance to review.

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.