WOW! This was the first book I have read of this authors and it will not be my last! Holy conflicts!
I actually thought this was a thriller, and it was but it was much more. The story was told in differing perspectives, which is one of my favorite styles.

In this book we meet Lucy and her mother in law Diana. I experienced a myriad of feeling reading this extremely well crafted book. One minute I was mad and the next I was literally crying.

The writing is stellar. I cannot wait to pick up my next Sally Hepworth novel.

For the first half of the book I just hated Diana for her inability or apparent unwillingness to give her children the support they needed. Then, gradually, I began to see the other side of the story and started thinking about my own parents and parents-in-law, our numerous quibbles as well as happy moments nobody can take away from me.
'Everyone, no matter how old they are wants their mother's approval. And everyone, no matter who they are, wants their mother-in-law's....' Every mother needs to know her children can survive on their own when she is gone. Every mother-in-law finds it impossible to reach a perfect balance in her relationship with her daughter-in-law.
I loved Sally Hepsworth's style: her catchy metaphors and her attention to detail. The mystery element of the story was utterly gripping, I just kept reading compulsively, even though by the end of the book it was clear that there were so many possible culprits with so many motivations, that it was impossible to guess and it probably didn't matter. What mattered was how and why you end up being so misunderstood.

'The casual eye doesn't see everything..'.
This book made me think about my own relationships and the endless potential for miscommunication and misinterpretation of other people's intentions.
Strongly recommended.
Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

The book opens with the police arriving at the home of Ollie and Lucy Goodwin to inform them that Diana Goodwin, Ollie’s mother, is dead of an apparent suicide. As the story develops, we find that the autopsy doesn’t really support a suicide and the breast cancer that Diana told her family she had is nonexistent.. The police begin to investigate Diana’s death as a homicide. The remainder of the book flashes back and forth between Diana’s past and Lucy’s past and present, helping us to understand both women and how their relationship as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has evolved. This was a very interesting look into relationships within the Goodwin family. The author did a good job of keeping the reader guessing who might have murdered Diana. Everyone in the family could have killed her and all are potential suspects. Well worth reading!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an honest review. I have to say this book wasn't at all how I expected it to be. It was a very good mystery book, and it did keep you guessing theoughout the book who the culprit was. The more you read the more confused you get as to whom it could be as it could be almost anyone . The ending was surprising as it was not only a twist , but had a meaningful message as well which I found so enspiring. Thank you St. Martin Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. It was a good read . I highly recommend it.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I expected a fairly straightforward mystery/thriller - and this was not that at all. The author tells the story of a mother-in-law / daugher-in-law relationship, with all the attendant expectations, hopes and disappointments, and weaving in the back story of both characters, which gives insight into what shaped them, and what drives them to think and act as they do. I liked how the story was told, chapter by chapter, from the two different POVs, and the time hops kept me on my toes and engaged with the development of the story.

To be honest, I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. I found the first half a bit slower going, but once I was into it, I zipped through it because I wanted to know what happened. The twist was perhaps not all that surprising, but the home truths the author packaged into the story were an unexpected bonus.

Gripping and tightly written, this book had me re-considering my own mother-in-law relationship, and forced me to look at it in a new light.

Really enjoyed this book! Was expecting a thriller but also really liked the take away message at the end. Thought the character development was excellent and enjoyed the evolution of the relationship between Lucy and Diana! This is a must read.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an advanced read in exchange for an honest review!

This book. Wow. It took me on such a wild, deep look into one families money drama and struggles. I absolutely love the writing style of this author and I plan on reading everything else that I can from her. This book left me wanting more in all the right ways. I didn’t want it to end. I became so invested in the family that I wanted to see them all out. The ending was perfect and I couldn’t have planned it out better. I took notes as I read this book, and at 50% of the way I had an idea of “who done it” and I was completely wrong. The twist was totally unexpected. This was an amazing 5 star read. The best of the year for me so far!

Lucy, who lost her own mother as a child, craves the attention and acceptance of her mother-in-law, Diana. Unfortunately, Diana thinks Lucy is just "fine." This story begins with Diana's death and alternates chapters between Lucy's narration (past and present) and Diana. Diana's death appears to be a suicide, but something is not quite right. The story that follows is an exploration in family dynamics, infertility struggles, and loss. I was interested in what exactly happened to Diana but a little let down by the ending. I founding myself thinking "oh. that's it?" But, it is a well written story and the characters are well-developed and interesting. I think I was just craving a bigger twist.

The Mother In Law by Sally Hepworth really took me by surprise. This is the first book by the author that I have read and was expecting more of a chick lit vibe. I really enjoyed this story set in Melbourne. Will have Sally on my radar from now on. I read this book in 2 days and was immediately invested in the story of this family and their secrets.

Lucy lost her mother when she was young and is yearning for that female role model in her life. When she meets her mother in law Diana she soon realised that she is not going to have the relationship that she dreamed of. Diana is not the easiest of women to bond with but as we learn more about her life and what she has been through you start to understand why. Early on in the book we find out that Diana is dead in what appears to be a suicide. The more the police look into it the more they start to think that maybe it was murder. But who would want to kill her? She is a pillar of the community with her charity work and loved dearly by her family. Jumping between the ow and the past secrets are unearthed and the family really isn't as it seemed.

This is a book that you will just want to keep reading. It has everything - love, family, death and relationships. I highly recommend this great Aussie book. Thanks to St Martins Press and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

From the first page I was hooked. I really like the author's writing style. This is a very entertaining mystery I can't wait to finish. This is my first book from this author but I have a feeling it won't be my last. More to come as I continue reading. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I don't believe in forcing myself to read/finish a book I'm not enjoying or connecting with. There are plenty of books that will grab me and not let go until i finish them with no effort from my part. This is one of those books. What a lovely story between Lucy and Diana although a bit sad sometimes. There was not one boring or out of place word in this book. Enjoyed it from beginning to end. I look forward to reading more books from this author.

I picked this book up thinking it would be a typical mystery/thriller, but it was so much more than that. I'm not married, but the relationship Lucy dreams of having with her mother-in-law is exactly the kind I dream of having with my own mother-in-law someday: warm, loving, mutually respectful. Her relationship with her mother, Diana, is not quite what she bargained for. And when she receives the news that her mother-in-law is dead -- an apparent suicide that turns into a homicide investigation -- she's left to reckon with her memory of a complicated woman and the family she left behind.

I loved the point driven home in this novel -- that we so often notice the differences between ourselves and others instead of paying attention to the similarities. It's a beautiful notion and something I'll carry with me after reading.

A twisty compelling tale is how this is introduced. Everyone in this family is hiding something! Communication is the key, but not in this super rich family. This is not my usual book but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The final message I think is appreciate the people around you, and let them know! I would highly recommend this story. I could not pick the ending which left me satisfied as a reader. I will look for more by this author

In The Mother-in-Law, Sally Hepworth does an excellent job of building suspense. She does an even better job of prompting the reader to examine relationships from multiple perspectives. I caught myself stopping to reflect on my relationship with my own mother-in-law several times as I was reading. The novel is thought-provoking and satisfying, with a few red herrings to keep readers on their toes. As with most titles I've read under the Women's Fiction umbrella, I found the focus on babies and--particularly-- childbirth to be a bit much (although the adult female-child relationship is a central piece of the storyline), and I had to power myself through those parts of the book. This is not a criticism, but a note to other readers who may weary of it as I did that it's worth it to keep reading because Hepworth truly does weave a very good story. Her characters are believable and interesting. I found it especially impressive that the characters were painted not as heroes, victims, or villains, but as people with their own perspectives worthy of consideration.

There are two sides to every story. Well, that is the absolute truth with the Mother-in-Law. The story alternates between Lucy and her mother-in-law, Diane, who has been found dead. What seems like an apparent suicide turns out to be more complicated. It has some moments of excitement and there were moments where events that happened surprised me, but I found the pace of the book to be slow.

A great book I could not put down! I have read many books dealing with the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship, and I thought I knew what this book would be like. There was shock, drama, and characters that I could easily relate to. I enjoyed how the book was told from different point of views and alternated from the past to the present. There were characters I thought I would hate and then found myself loving them. I thought I could see the path this book was taking, but there were twists and turns I did not see coming!
I highly recommend as a quick and engaging read!

I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. The premise interested me, but at the same time, there was a bit of an eye roll with the stereotypical "new wife doesn't get along with her new mother-in-law" story. But this book had so much more than that. The book traded perspectives and timeframe, but never got confusing.

I really enjoyed this story, and instantly wanted to read more from this author.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Mother-in-Law is unlike anything I’ve read before. The story is told both in the present and from the past, and from different points of view, interweaving the necessary details effortlessly and entertainingly. The characters, those with real substance to the story, are easily likeable. The plot is never quite predicatable, leaving the story an entertaining, but not heavy-handed mystery. I would recommend to anyone looking for a quick and amusing read.

This book epitomized the old adage “there’s your side, my side and the truth.” Alternating between past and present, and mother-in-law Diana’s truth and daughter-in-law Lucy’s truth, Hepworth perfectly delivered a story that kept me on the edge of my seat. It was totally unputdownable. I couldn’t wait to see what each new page would reveal. If you’re looking for a thriller that isn’t over the top and fairly realistic, absolutely grab this excellent read!

Sally Hepworth hits another home run! Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story in a not so serious way. In laws can be trouble in real life so was interested to see how this story played out! Really, the author made her nicer than some authors do in their stories but it kept me entertained. I have read from this author before and given her 5 stars before just like this time. Good talent she has, as I do not throw at 5 stars often (do not believe me go look at my goodreads list) I am thrilled that I was approved this book to read in advance. Best of luck to the author and the publishers when the book is released to the public!