The Mother-in-Law held my attention well for the entire extent of the book. I appreciated that even the not-so-liked characters ended up pulling at your heart strings. Overall an entertaining read!!

I started reading The Mother in law expecting a light read. It turned out to be an incredible mystery with lots of twists and insights into the very perplexing mother in law, daughter in law relationship. I read the book in a day and a half - not able to put it down. I have read all of Sally Hepworth books. I’ve enjoyed all of them, but this book is my favorite.!

I didn’t know what to expect when I first started reading this book. It surprised me in a good way! It’s very easy to read, and I loved the twists at the end. I wasn’t expecting any of it at all!
This book is told from 2 different points of view- the mother-in-law, Diana, and daughter-in-law, Lucy.
Lucy is so excited to marry Ollie and become apart of his family. Lucy has lost her own mother, so she wants nothing more than to have a strong relationship with her mother-in-law and be close like she’s always dreamed. The only thing is Diana is a little bit more difficult than she would realize.
When Diana is found dead in her home, no one knows if it’s suicide or murder. Were things between Lucy and Diana worse than they seemed?
5 stars for this one! I couldn’t put it down.

When Lucy meets Ollie's family she has hopes of a relationship with his mother. Lucy lost her mother at a young age. She wanted to impress Diana and she wanted Diana to like her. The first meeting doesn't go as expected. Lucy feels like Diana doesn't like her. As time goes by there are many conflicts between Lucy and Diana.

The story alternates between Lucy and Diana. It also goes between the present and past.

When Diana is found dead and a suicide note is found in a drawer the family thinks it's a suicide but after the autopsy it looks like someone wanted Diana dead. Of course, everyone knows about the complicated relationship between mother in law and daughter in law. Diana is also very wealthy. Did her daughter in law want her out of the picture? Did someone kill her in order inherit money? Did someone kill her out of anger?

This is my second book by Sally Hepworth. I found it very enjoyable and look forward to reading more from this author.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this book. Would it be another thriller? A murder-mystery? But, no, it was neither of these things and I was pleasantly surprised to find this was a well-written, character-driven family drama. It was about relationships we form at birth and other relationships we form and cope with out of necessity. Or not, as the case may be.

I love stories where the characters are real and quickly engage me. This book was told from the alternating perspective of Diana, the matriarch of the Goodwin family and mother-in-law, and Lucy, who marries Diana;s son, Ollie. Diana is quite a tough woman, a difficult nut to crack, who it appears cares more for the people she helps through her charity than for her own children. But appearances can be deceiving. And so can the characters you first meet in this story. And this is the beauty of reading a great book. The characters reveal themselves over the course of the story. I couldn't stop thinking about them after I finished the book. I couldn't stop thinking about the dynamics of the Goodwin family--their relationships with one another, their lives in Australia, the love and the hate and everything in between that makes up the dynamics of a family.

The reader has to pay attention because the book alternates between the narrators and the past and present. It's definitely not hard to follow and this is just a great read. I will be reading more of Sally Hepworth's books and I am happy I found a new author to enjoy! Thank you to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mother-in-law relationships can be tricky. Did this one lead to murder? 💊💊
Diana, the matriarch of the Goodwin family, is found dead with a suicide note next to her. But the autopsy reveals she was suffocated to death and now everyone is a suspect. With inheritance money on the line and a slew of complex family relationships, the police have their hands full trying to solve this case.
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This intricate look at relationships was incredibly well written. This is fabulously told in the perspectives of Diane and her daughter-in-law Lucy. Relationships can be tricky and this behind-the-scenes take on it reveals the intricacies of what makes people tick. This domestic suspense was complex, twisty, and addicting. For me, this was a solid 4.5/5 stars. Thank you @stmartinspress for this advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book. I wouldn’t call it a true thriller in my eyes. There was always sense of trying to find out who did it but not a lot of suspense in it. I have previously enjoyed Sally Hepworth books but I found the change in POV’s and the change in past and present to be too much. I would have enjoyed more background in the beginning and the present at the end. Overall it was a good book.

Sometimes, no matter what you do, that person is impenetrable. But we don't always know the real reason for the distance.

Carrying secrets for long times can make them bigger or worse than they need to be. When it call comes out, it can be shocking.

Interesting story and pretty fun read. Mothers in law can be a good reason to not get married-

I was unsure of what to think of this novel as I started reading it, but I really enjoyed Ms. Hepworth's writing. Diana, a woman of considerate wealth, seems to be cold when it comes to her children and their spouses. The reader is quickly able to realize that Diana in fact, just seems to have a communication issue. Lucy, her daughter-in-law (Married to Ollie) does not have a good relationship with her and the reader is able to see the backstory of their relationship from both points of view (Lucy & Diana's). The reader wonders what really happened to Diana who is found dead in her house, with the police wondering if it was murder or suicide.

I very much enjoyed reading this novel and will definitely recommend it to others.

Review of advance reader eBook

Lucy Goodwin and her mother-in-law, Diana, have a complicated relationship. Lucy, who lost her own mother when she was only thirteen years old, hoped for a close relationship with her husband’s mother. But Diana is distant, and despite Lucy’s efforts, she can’t seem to break through the woman’s reserved attitude.

And then Diana is dead, reportedly at her own hand. But the autopsy reveals something much more sinister.

The unpredictable narrative spins out its story in chapters alternating between the points of view of Lucy and Diana, between past and present. Well-defined characters populate this tale; the narrative reveals the complications inherent in family relationships and the dynamics of parents and children, husbands and wives.
The plot twists and turns in unexpected ways, keeping readers engaged in this unputdownable tale.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this digital galley from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley
#TheMotherInLaw #NetGalley

Not what I expected but still a very good read. This books reads a bit slow but it also takes to deep into a relationship that never works. Throughout the book you are constantly wanting to know how it all ends. It's a good suspense novel. The characters are ok, not as memorable you would think.

This was my first Sally Hepworth title, and I'm excited to read more! This is a fast-paced thriller that keeps you guessing -- you think you have everything figured out, only to discover that you were entirely wrong. It's the perfect beach read, full of compelling characters and a twisty narrative that ends all too soon.

Family drama plus a death? Sounds like my kind of book! This well-written book is a wonderful combination of both family dynamics and mystery. This is the first book by Sally Hepworth that I have read but I am now looking forward to reading other book written by her!

If you have been married, you know you are also inheriting your loved ones family. And with mother-in-laws it can feel like navigating a minefield. And this is what happens when Lucy marries Ollie and gains Diana.

Lucy lost her own mother long ago and has hopes that she and Diana will be close. Unfortunately Diana is not that type of mother-in-law. She keeps them all at a distance while running her own charity for refugees and young pregnant girls and being very hands on. 

And when Diana is found dead, Lucy is scared. Lucy and Diana have secrets.  Diana had a lot of secrets with a lot of people. So who had the strongest motive to kill her? 

I loved this story. I loved Diana. This family could have been so different if it weren't for all of the secrets. Everyone was assuming and no one was asking questions. 

I suspected everyone! They all wanted something from Diana that she had no intention of giving them and for one of them that will be the spark that ends Diana's life.

Always a solid writer, this one was very well done!

Netgalley/ April 23rd 2019 by St. Martin's Press

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.
What a great read this is! I loved every moment of it.
It's told alternatively by Lucy, mother of three and married to Ollie, and Ollie's mother Diana in the past and present. Lucy tries hard to be accepted by Diana, but doesn't seem to have much luck. Tom, her father-in-law, is a loving, easygoing father and grandfather, but Diana is distant and difficult to get along with. When she dies, her apparent suicide is deemed murder by the police and so the mystery starts. When her will is read, the family is in shock.
Diana was a enigmatic character, but I loved her and felt much empathy for her. I liked Lucy too, she tries so hard, but my sympathies lay with Diana.
Her difficult past shaped her character in such a way that she seemed hard, but she did what she thought was for the best, hoping to create strong and independent children who could stand on their own feet.
I couldn't put this book down and highly recommend it, it's great!

📖REVIEW🔊
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The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth 📚
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Sure, there’s a mystery of what happened to Diana, Lucy’s Mother-in-Law, woven into this story. Did she kill herself? Did someone murder her? Don’t worry, no spoilers here. We find out Diana is dead in the first pages of the book. When the mystery was revealed at the end, I felt satisfied. I really didn’t see it coming, so very good twist, but that isn’t the best part of this story for me.


Sally Hepworth really brought all of her characters to life. I found myself really drawn in by this family’s dynamics. Each person expressed love and frustration differently. Every family member was hiding something and dealt with the grip of those secrets on their lives in very contrasting ways.


This family’s trials and tribulations are what really stood out for me in this book, and speaks volumes to the power of this author’s writing. Bringing characters to life is a challenge for every writer. Although thrillers/suspense type novels are my go-to, many times the characters are lackluster, just an ends to a mean for that awesome twist we wait for at that end. This story doesn’t just have that. It felt way bigger. I highly recommend this book. It gave me all the feels!

Make sure you check this book out. It will be released April 23, 2019. Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the opportunity to read and review this gem!!!


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I finished this book in a day! This was such a twisty and thought provoking book and I appreciate all aspects of the characters. To be able to see and understand things for what they really are is important and this book makes you aware of that! I loved it! Thank you!

The Mother-In-Law was the first book that I have read by Sally Hepworth, and I am definitely looking forward to reading more by her after finishing this one! We all know the stereotype of the mother-in-law: that they are difficult to deal with and not known for making things easy, especially for those who marry their children. That definitely seems to be the experience of Lucy, who from the time she met her husband, Ollie's mother, has felt that Diana has never liked her. Diana does not present as the warmest of mothers, and despite her wealth, is known for not being willing to help their children out, instead making them struggle and work through their financial difficulties all on their own. One night, the police show up at Lucy and Ollie's house to inform them that Diana has been found dead of an apparent suicide. However, as their investigation continues, things do not add up, and it appears that they may be looking at a homicide. Lucy has had a stressful relationship, including a physical altercation; Ollie's business is going broke and he needs the money; Ollie's sister, Nettie, has been trying for years for a baby, and the alternative treatments for her to get pregnant or try to start a family of her own are astoundingly expensive; and Patrick, Nettie's husband, has never gotten along with Diana as well, and is losing his wife to her obsession with starting a family. Told from alternating points of view, both past and present, between Lucy and Diana, we see what made Diana the person she became, and the evolving relationship she has with her daughter-in-law, coming to rest on the similarities between them, rather than their differences. Amazing story, and wonderful writing, have made this one of my favorite books this year!

Thank you to St Martins Press, and NetGalley, for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

What a book !! I finished this book in only two days because I had to find out what happened. It is well written and captivating and it kept me hooked in from beginning to end. The story is told from multiple viewpoints and goes back and forth between past and present. The mother in law, Diana, is dead of an apparent suicide. The police are investigating to ensure it's not a homicide. It seems that each family member has secrets to hide and reasons to want Diana dead. The Mother-in-Law was an enjoyable book and highly recommended to fans of mystery/thriller books. I was fortunate to receive this novel from Netgalley as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.

The Mother-in-Law is part mystery, part family drama novel. Diana, the mother-in-law, has surprised her children and their spouses by committing suicide- or has she? While a note was left behind, other signs point to a struggle and perhaps more to the story than meets the eye. Told in alternating viewpoints from Diana (via the past) and Lucy (the daughter-in-law), this novel highlights how miscommunications within a family can snowball into something larger.

I enjoyed that this book was different from the usual thriller. While I was often trying to determine what happened to Diana, I was equally invested in the family relations and their struggles. This is a good choice for anyone who likes a book with some family drama, but also enjoys a suspense read.