This story isn't what I thought it would be - in a good way! The book follows a family - told through the perspective of Lucy and her mother-in-law Diana, alternating between the two and also alternating between the past and present. The past follows Lucy's relationship with Diana's son Ollie and the present focuses on the investigation into the death of Diana as they try to determine if it was murder or suicide, and if it was murder - who did it?

I read this book in a day because I just had to figure out what happened and the story kept me hooked enough that I didn't want to put it down.

I went in thinking this was going to be more of a suspense/thriller and it was not, however, I did enjoy the book overall. This was more of a contemporary fiction with some mystery.

I feel like the character development made it easy to connect with them and I was hooked on the story line. The story is told between alternating characters and the past and present which keeps you turning the page to find out more.

I chose to give the book 3 stars because I was expecting more of a thriller but still thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for my copy!

The Mother-in-Law was an engrossing look at family! I enjoyed the way that the relationships were portrayed and the way that the scenes were presented. Lucy is married to Ollie. They have three young children. While Lucy adores Ollie’s father Tom, she struggles constantly with his mother Diana. Diana is just slightly past being friendly and loving. So, their days and interactions are always interesting, especially with Lucy and Ollie’s young children around. Add to the mix Ollie’s sister Nettie and her husband and their life, and everything really is interesting. But then one day Diana is found dead and it appears to be a suicide, but then so much more will be revealed to shock everyone and leave the family hanging on more. I really enjoyed the characters and their stories. The inter-workings of this extended family and their interactions are wonderful as author Sally Hepworth delves into all of their relationships.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC of The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth.

When Lucy and Oliver get married, Lucy is nothing but anxious to get into her mother-in-law Diana's good graces. Fantasizing about having a strong bond, Lucy is quickly disappointed when Diana starts off their relationship keeping Lucy at a distance. She is slightly cold and not near as eager to form a strong bond with Lucy as Lucy is. Their relationship hardens quickly, and while Lucy and Diana are able to work together, there isn't much love.

But then the family is rocked when Diana turns up, mysteriously and unexpectedly dead. While it looks like a suicide, evidence tells a different story. Lucy, having a need to understand her elusive mother-in-law, begins to talk to others, and dig deep in an effort to learn the truth. Did Diana actually kill herself, or was it something much more sinister?

I slurped this up like a milk shake on a hot summer day. A great, easy read for the summer. The writing was great, characters well developed, and it had me on the edge of my seat every step of the way.

I did not think I would like the book once I started reading but the more I read more I wanted to know what was going to happen. All the characters had interesting stories and you’d never guess the ending. Thank you for such an entertaining read.

When I first learned that Sally Hepworth's latest novel was going to be a thriller, I honestly wasn't sure how I felt. If you've been following my reviews here at AAR for any length of time, I'm sure you've figured out that twisty thrillers are some of my very favorite things to read, but even so, I was hesitant to pick up a copy of The Mother-In-Law. There’s something so special about Sally Hepworth’s women’s fiction titles, and it took me quite some time to wrap my head around the fact she was writing something a little different. Fortunately for me, as soon as I started reading, I was instantly hooked, and upon finishing, I can assure you that Ms. Hepworth's thriller is as fabulous as everything else she's written to date.

Lucy and Oliver have been married for ten years. Lucy is a stay-at-home wife and mother to their three children, while Ollie is the co-owner of a struggling recruitment firm. Their finances are a little tight these days, but it's nothing too catastrophic, and Lucy is content with the life she's living. It's nothing glamorous, but that's just fine by her.

We first meet Lucy as she's folding laundry - and two police officers show up at her door. From the moment she sees them, Lucy knows something is terribly wrong, but she can't imagine what it might be. Then she learns that her mother-in-law has been found dead, the victim of an apparent suicide. Lucy and Diana were never close, but Lucy is badly shaken by the news just the same. Diana was always been a strong, forceful woman, and Lucy can't imagine her taking her own life.

It seems the police also have questions about Diana's suicide. The presence of a suicide note as well as an empty medicine bottle all corroborate the idea that Diana was the one to end her life, but something isn't sitting right with the detectives in charge of the case and so, they continue to ask questions. When the autopsy results reveal signs of suffocation, the investigation is handed over to the homicide squad.

Diana was the kind of woman everyone seemed to adore. She devoted her life to helping refugees lead successful lives in Australia, and the charity she ran is known and loved throughout the country. So who would want her dead? Everyone close to Diana has been keeping secrets, and as the murder investigation heats up, Lucy becomes convinced that a member of her own family is responsible for Diana's death.

The story moves back and forth in time between the present-day murder investigation and the early days of Lucy's marriage, painting a picture of a complex family on the verge of implosion. At first, everyone seems happy and successful, but as the story progresses, the reader learns some disturbing truths about those closest to Diana.

Lucy is our main narrator, but we're also able to get to know Diana quite well through a series of flashbacks from her point of view. I don't always love stories that jump around in time since it can be hard to keep the sequence of events straight in my mind, but Ms. Hepworth managed to lay things out in a way that made total sense. By allowing me to see certain events through Diana's eyes, she enabled me to care about her as a person in her own right rather than simply as the victim of a terrible crime, and I'm not sure this would have been possible had the story been told in a more linear fashion.

In much of today's fiction, we're introduced to families who have everything they could ever want, but still can't claim to be happy. The Mother-In-Law tells a similar story, but Ms. Hepworth manages to tell this familiar tale in a way that feels completely fresh. Each family member is dealing with unique challenges, some of which we don't fully understand until closer to the end of the novel, and it is these challenges and frailties that made this book come alive for me. The characters feel like people I might actually encounter on the street, and I loved that feeling of authenticity.

The Mother-In-Law is more than just another novel of domestic suspense. It's the portrait of a family in crisis, a group of people who don't always have the necessary tools to deal with their problems in a healthy way. It proves that Sally Hepworth is an author capable of writing in multiple genres while still holding on to the compassion and wisdom I have come to expect from her. It's a book I won't soon forget, and one I'm happy to recommend to both established fans of the author as well as to those who are discovering her work for the first time.

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A family drama that will leave you guessing until the very end! I loved the book. The characters were well developed with flaws. If you are into twisty psychological thrillers, than this book is for you! Highly recommend it!

4.5 stars...rounded up!

I could have written more, but in the end, there's really only two pieces of wisdom worth leaving behind. I worked hard for everything I ever cared about. And nothing I ever cared about cost a single cent.


Lucy is married to Ollie and Lucy has the typical mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship that you hear about...or maybe she has it worse? Diana is constantly taking jabs at Lucy and making comments about her parenting and home making skills. This drives Lucy nuts and she cannot figure out how in the world to please Diana. Luckily, she's not the only child-in-law, her brother-in-law feels the same way. But what family doesn't have their issues?

One day Ollie gets a phone call that Diana is dead and they found a suicide note in her desk drawer. Why in the world would Diana want to kill herself? She had plenty of money, a nice place to live and wonderful kids/grandchildren. The police think that someone has set her up and all of the kids are now wondering which one of them did it. What was the motive? Inheritance? Guilt? Anger? The only person who knows is the one that did it....

This story was very relatable to me (not the suicide/death part) but the mother-in-law part. To get real personal - I do not have a relationship with my MIL and at this point neither does my husband (so more extreme then Lucy and Ollie). Lucy tries so hard with her MIL and tries to get her to like her but its nothing but criticism from Diana. She can't dress right, she can't talk right, etc. I can definitely relate to this sadly. Imagine one of the people you are hoping will accept you for the last ten years just criticize you to your core. Think the worst things you already think about yourself and imagine your MIL calling you 2 days before Christmas and telling you that's how she thinks of you. That happened to me. As bad as Diana was at times to her kids/spouses at least there were some times when she cared.

This story was told from two perspectives - the past and the present. I think the author did a great job linking the two together and making the story work. I wouldn't say this is a blow your socks off who-dun-it, but there definitely was a suspense aspect to this book. I almost felt like I was a distant relative watching the family go through everything and let me tell you they go through A LOT in this book. I also loved how satisfied I felt at the end. I really felt like Hepworth made the story come full circle in the 340 pages. I like that better than making my own extension of what happened or trying to imagine it once I close the book.

I really enjoyed Sally's THE FAMILY NEXT DOOR last year and I enjoyed this one as well! This came out about a month ago so go pick it up - it is definitely a good summer read!!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for my finished copy of this book!

Lucy has always wanted to be loved by her mother-in-law, but has never been able to reach that point with Diana, and now it is too late. Diana is dead, having left a suicide note behind, blaming her death on the cancer it now turns out she never had. When the police suspect it's a homicide, Lucy and the rest of their family must look back on Diana's life and her death to find the truth.

I could not put this book down. This year is already full of great family-driven psychological thrillers and suspense, and this book adds to that.

The characters are really well-developed. Hepworth does a great job of playing around with the idea of trope characters that, in her hands, subvert expectations, upping the suspense and surprises.

Plus, the ending left me completely surprised. I really loved how what I thought I knew wasn't true at all-I always appreciate a book that can truly have a conclusion I don't see coming.

There really wasn't anything not to like about this book. It more than met my expectations based on all the raving I had been hearing about it.

I would definitely recommend this book. This is a gripping, quick, highly suspenseful and surprising story.

Book Review: The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

Family secrets, domestic drama & a dead mother-in-law make up this tense & suspenseful novel from Sally Hepworth.

Domestic Drama Done Right

I'm a big fan of the family drama, layers of secrets & lies coming to the surface. I mean, hello? I'm a Liane Moriarty fangirl and that is what she does best. Luckily, I had LOADS of Liane vibes reading The Mother-in-Law from Sally Hepworth. Honestly, I'm not clenching my jaw in deep suspense. The Mother-in-Law isn't that type of book. I did; however, quickly turn the pages to find out each new secret.

THE VERDICT

I am Really Into This book. I ate up the family drama with a spoon. Sally really shines as she brings everything together towards the end. The Mother-in-Law is a great read. The story has me thinking about my own family secrets.

Special thanks to Sally Hepworth, St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for providing our free copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

Oh my goodness, The Mother-in-Law is a ride and a half. Just when I thought I totally disliked Diana, I found myself empathizing with her and really liking her. Then bam! I mean really! Just when I liked the woman, she was gone.

This is such a twisted story of family members keeping secrets from each other, desperation, love and loss that I never wanted it to end.

I enjoyed the characters and felt for them in different ways. This book was pretty true to life in that when one person says something is fine, another gets their feelings hurt thinking fine isn't good enough. Or someone wants to help and the help is mistaken for someone thinking they don't know how to handle things. It's so easy to see how some of the misunderstandings in this book came about.

If you like family drama and a good solid whodunit, this is the book for you. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC. My thoughts in this review are my own and freely given.

I didn't really care for this . Seemed to go on and on for too long.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

This was a such a fun thriller! As someone who is about to get married, this was a great book based on the tension that can happen between a daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law. The character development was excellent and it felt like the characters actually head depth. I loved reading the story and guessing where it was going. I was definitely caught off by the ending, and was glad it kept me on my toes. Though, I did think the ending was a little rushed and I would have liked a few extra chapters - I definitely could have kept reading. Overall, a great read. I highly enjoyed it.

I loved this book. I thought it might be kind of a cliched sociopathic mother-in-law from hell book, but although Lucy and Diana had some problematic aspects to their relationship, the story was actually richly layered and nuanced. The transitions among the many time periods were handled deftly, with the story of Diana's youth as fascinating and compelling as those that took place in the more recent past or in the present. The characters were for the most part likable, or at least the reader could understand and sympathize with what made them who they were. I've become quite a fan or Sally Hepworth books and I think this is one of her best. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. I have heard a lot about this book and it's on a lot of "to read" lists, so I was excited to dig in. To be honest, it takes a lot for a thriller to enthrall me, but I immediately was hooked by this one. The characters seemed more human and nuanced than other books of this genre. I enjoyed how the author peeled back the layers of Lucie and Diana's relationship. My suspicions about the big reveal changed over and over again throughout the book, as I suppose they should have. I never was really convinced of the ending until I read it myself. Always the mark of a good thriller. Overall I definitely recommend for fans of this genre.

The Mother-in-law was perhaps my favorite book that Sally Hepworth has written. I was completely invested in Lucy the daughter-in-law and Diana the mother-in-law in both past and present. Diana was a tough nut to crack. She was a complex character with a complicated past, which allowed the reader to understand her actions better. It helped soften her rough exterior.

Just as I was thinking that the plot better move forward so I could learn the "who" of the who done it- a viable plot twist started. The twist made sense and led to a satisfying ending.

St. Martin's Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Mother-In-Law. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

When Lucy became serious about Ollie, she had high hopes about his mother Diana. Wanting a mother figure in her life so desperately, Lucy was devastated when Diana did not give her the time of day. As nothing changed after marriage, Lucy nevertheless gave the relationship her best shot. After circumstances dramatically change the lives of everyone in the family, will Lucy finally gain some well needed perspective?

I am not really a fan of the multiple perspective format, but it works well in The Mother-In-Law. As the plot floats back and forth between the present and the past, readers are able to get a clear picture of the relationships and their development. Lucy's struggles as an outsider to Diana's inner circle are felt strongly and readers cannot help but be able to relate to the young woman. Although I had an inkling as the direction the plot was going, I did like how the author tied the loose ends together in a very realistic way. Author Sally Hepworth has great skill in crafting believable characters who are involved in situations for which readers will be able to identify. I definitely recommend The Mother-In-Law to readers who like authors such as Jodi Picoult and Diane Chamberlain.

This book was good. I probably would not adopt this book as a class book or part of a curriculum. I would recommend that they check it out at a library and read on their own. I enjoyed the book on my own. It was very suspenseful and I thought the way it was written (Lucy and Diana - past and present) made it interesting. Knowing how Diana & Lucy were as teenagers made the story more interesting. I would recommend reading this book if you like "who done it" books.

When Lucy marries Oliver she is not prepared for the contempt that she feels radiating from Diana, her mother in law. Diana is held in great regard by everyone else but she and Lucy can't get on. When Diana is found dead there is a suicide note with her but this is soon discounted and a murder enquiry is underway..... but who would want Diana dead!

A great suspenseful story with plenty of twists and turns, working well being told by both Diana and Lucy so that get both viewpoints and a history and the secrets soon start to be revealed.

I loved this novel. I finished reading it several days ago and I am still thinking about the characters and their various dilemmas. What an intriguing plot!! I can usually figure out the ending for many novels but I had no idea how this one would end. You will love reading this novel . Caution: Be ready because you will not want to put it down!! I received this novel from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.