This is a family drama that shows the rocky relationship between a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law. We dig into the book and Diana, the mother-in-law, has died. There was no love lost between Diana and Lucy, the daughter-in-law. It is entertaining and I more than once realized how grateful I was for the wonderful woman who is my mother-in-law. It seems like there were a lot of moving parts about what this book was going for and for that I rate it just ok.

Love her books, and this one is no exception! I was on the edge of my seat with each turning page. You will get pulled in from the very start! I felt like I could climb right into the book, as if I knew the characters on a personal level. Be prepared to lose sleep, because you won't want to tear yourself away from this one!
A must read!

There were a few times I thought I had the ending of this book figured out but they were all a big nope. I cannot even believe how Diana really died….crazy!

The characters in this story were so varied and enjoyable. I think Lucy & Ollie were my favourites. Diana seemed cold but her intrinsic motivation was well explained & made her understandable.

The layout for this book is so well done. It clearly points out at the beginning of each chapter whose point of view you’re reading and in what part of the timeline. This makes the story so much more smooth.

Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s press for the chance to read this book.

The book was good, but the reasoning and explanation didn't do it for me. I've preferred other books by this author more than this one.

This was my first Sally Hepworth book and it won’t be my last, it is so well written it pulled me in from page one and compelled me to keep reading to find out exactly what happened to Diana the mother, mother-in-law and grandmother, there are many twists and turns in this one and my feelings for the characters changed often throughout, I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Lucy is married to Ollie, Diana’s son and she loves him, when they married Lucy wanted so much to be close to her mother-in-law she wanted to be friends but found her a very hard person to get to know she seemed to show no warmth and was not open with her love for any of the family, but she worked tirelessly for her charity helping pregnant refugee woman and was a pillar of society, will she ever become friends with Diana?

Five years later Diana is found dead in her house with a suicide note not long after she told her family that she had cancer, but was that the truth did she commit suicide or was she murdered?
I loved the way the author took us through their lives with Lucy and Diana and past and present as we learn so much about the family their thoughts and the things they are going through this all evolves into a story that opens up so many black and bright spots in their lives. It is intricate story that brings out many characteristics in this family good and bad.

This is a story that I would highly recommend, it really had me thinking and changing my mind many times about this family, Lucy and Diana are strong characters add the other family members to the story and this one is a must read.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Oh my! I just finished this book and I must say that I didn’t see the ending coming. Not because it was a great mystery and I was completely fooled by all the clever red herrings, but because I almost gagged when I read the ending and realized what the author meant for readers to take away from the whole story. It was a weird sermonette about a horrible person she seemed to admire, but who I found obtuse, selfish and repugnant. I’m still incredulous at this ending. Only someone who has lived in luxury for most of their life, being entirely supported by their husband, would think it was brave and wonderful to be financially insecure. Was the point of the book to show how a heartless philosophy, rigidly adhered to, can destroy a family? If so, why the little “happy ending”?

Striking and engaging from page 1! I greatly enjoyed and am looking forward to Sally’s next book! Don’t miss this one!!

I enjoy thrillers that I don't see the end coming, and this one definitely got me! I was surprised by the twist!

This was my first book by Sally Hepworth, though I suspect it won't be my last. It took me a while to finish, which is not the fault of the author, but just because I've been a little distracted lately. The tone really reminded me of Liane Moriarty, though a less humorous. Though I guessed a few of the twists beforehand, it was still an engaging domestic mystery and I was definitely surprised by the ending. Recommended!

The Mother-in-Law is a twisted story about complicated relationships......especially between Daughter-in-Law and Mother-in-Law. A story of secrets, lies, heartbreak, and so many twists. My first read by this author......I'll be back for more.

I enjoyed this story, there were a lot of fun twists and turns! I am a huge fan of stories that are narrated from multiple points of view, and this book did that well. I have never read a book by this author before, and look forward to reading more!

When Lucy marries Ollie she knows that her Diana, her mother in law, is not her biggest fan. She wants so badly for Diana to like her and accept her into the family. Too bad it isn't that simple. Diana doesn't have the best reputation for being kind to those around her. When she shows up dead in her own home, it is hard to know if she has really committed suicide or if there was someone that wanted her dead and made it happen.

This book was fantastic! Sally Hepworth is phenomenal when it comes to weaving a story and creating characters that you love and hate all at the same time! I couldn't put this one down and am already anticipating her next book!

Anyone with in-laws know these kinds of relationships can be fraught with drama. Even in the best relationships, there can be conflict. Lucy finds this out after she marries Ollie and gets to know his icy mother. When the mother is found dead of an apparent suicide (or is it?), the mystery deepens.

I guessed some of the twists that showed up but I was impressed by how well Hepworth was able to tie up all of the many loose ends present towards the last third of the book. The resolution of the mystery was very satisfying. I did think this book was a tad too long - there were a couple of past events described that weren't really necessary for the plot.

Overall, this was an entertaining mystery with some interesting characters.

While I am fortunate to have a mother in law that I like (and I think likes me) we have all heard the horrible MIL stories right? Sally Hepworth takes this common theme to a whole new level. This was the first Hepworth book I’ve read and then I went on a Hepworth binge, not sorry.

The Mother-in-Law opens with a knock on the door telling Lucy and her husband that Diana, Lucy’s MIL was found dead. The family was surprised but also not shocked because Diana had cancer…except the autopsy showed no signs of cancer but then a found suicide note was found that said she was tired of living with the cancer and had decided to end her life, yet there were signs of poison and evidence of suffocation. From there readers are moved between 2 timelines, one of the future and one of past where we learn the secrets and truths of what seemed like a perfect family.

Diana was a socialite and leader of a non-profit that helped refugee women and mothers. Diana appeared to be living a grand life with a grand house and perfect children, but looks can be deceiving. When Lucy came into the family Diana kept her far enough way that they couldn’t bond and far enough away that Lucy couldn’t really get to know Diana as a person. But as Diana’s life starts to change and she starts to get older and she needs to make some tough choices she finds Lucy to be an ally.

As readers are taken through a who-dun-it plot we are let in on all the secrets this family has and how each member is desperate to fix their mistakes or make a life they thought they deserved, and sometimes at a cost. I did figure it out before we are let in on the ultimate secret of how Diana died but Sally Hepworth is a writer that leads you right to the answer then takes a different turn and it happens from pulling info we already learned but may have over looked back to the surface for the AHA moment.

This was a great mystery, thriller that wasn’t too cozy or too over the top. I love when a mystery is believable mystery and this hit that note for me. I also love when there’s a back ground character that actually plays a significant role but is somewhat overlooked. Tom, Diana’s husband was that for me. I loved his character and I knew that at some point he as going to show us something but I didn’t expect it to be the true character of Diana in the way they loved each other.

I give The Mother-in-Law 4 stars. Character and plot development were on point, the time frame was great and the way background info was shared was also great.

Thank you Netgalley, Sally Hepworth, and St Martin’s Press for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was expecting a suspense novel, and got a domestic relationship novel instead. Because of this, this book was just ok for me. It highlighted the importance of communication in relationships and the presumptions we make. I did like the characters and the writing style.

Wow wow wow. I was drawn to The Mother-in-Law by the title alone, I have an unfavorable relationship with my own MIL and was curious to see how this MIL character would transpire on paper. ANd omg I was shocked! The shock just kept on coming. I'm so glad I read this one and it certainly opened my eyes.

I really enjoyed this book and thought that it was well-written. My interest was kept throughout the entire novel and I am thankful for the opportunity to read the book. I look forward to reading more books by Sally Hepworth.

Lucy has never been close to her mother-in-law, Diana. Diana is found dead under suspicious circumstances, with a suicide note but no trace of poison in her autopsy. Who wanted Diana dead?

While this wasn’t what I expected, that wasn’t a bad thing. I really enjoyed this domestic suspense novel and would recommend it.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book although part of it was predictable. I thought the characters were well developed and very easy to identify with. I liked the past and present different narratives. Also the different points of view were very interesting and made you understand the characters so much better.

This book is fantastic. I absolutely love Sally Hepworth and her books do a great job of focusing on a focal character. I like how she can take one character and create various layers to a whole story.