Lucy meets her mother-in-law, Diana when she and her husband Oliver are dating. She is cold and never warms up to accepting her into the family. Now Diana is dead, found with a suicide note. She was a pillar of the town and everyone thought she was wonderful. Now the police think murder and just about everyone is the book is on the suspect list. I've read several books by Sally Hepworth and she always puts out a good family saga. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Sally Hepworth for an ARC ebook copy to review. As always an honest review from me.

Like:
- Shows an in depth, true to life look at the mother in law relationship
- The mystery: introduced in the beginning, holds the story together throughout, and a satisfying ending if I do say so
- The family drama is so relatable
- Shows a caregiver and chronic/fatal illness relationship
- Not at all what I thought it would be, but so much better
- Multiple main characters, so there are at least one character (or more) that you can really relate to

Love:
- A wonderful exploration of people and their lives. No character was exactly what you thought they would be or what the other people thought they would be. Everyone has secrets - not necessarily in a bad way - but things they keep to themselves.
- Drew me into the story and I had to find out what revelation would occur next
- The writing - interesting and easy to follow but not too simplistic
- People are always more than you think

Dislike: —

Wish that:
- The caregiver and chronic illness relationship was shown more - great opportunity to explore this

Overall, a wonderful read about the human experience paired with a mystery that occurs throughout. The combination of these makes for an intriguing captivating read. I definitely recommend giving The Mother-In-Law a read!

This was my third Sally Hepworth book that I have read and I've forgotten how well she writes. Sally makes you a part of the book, you even start liking characters that are not really likeable but she makes you see their point of view. I would have liked to learn a bit more about Diana and how she turned out much colder than the Diana that we meet when she is pregnant for the first time. I enjoyed all the characters ( I loved Tom!!!) and especially how Lucy connected with Diana at the latter part of the book. It is true that most of us don't have a good relationship with our Mothers-in-law and this is book is told from both sides of the coin. Great writing by Sally Hepworth and really a book worth recommending to all my friends

I was surprised to find that I really loved this book. When I first started this book, I thought It would be a predictable read. But I was pleasantly surprised to find really well developed characters and twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. At times you hate each character, and then you all of a sudden love them. It’s a rollercoaster and you won’t regret reading It!!

Thank You Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this arc.
Lucy is getting married and is desperate for her mother in law to like or even love her as her own mother died when she was quite young.
After her marriage to Adrian it becomes clear she is not going to have that loving relationship. Actually her mother in law doesn't seem to have a loving relationship with any of her own children either.
This is a psychological thriller that I'm not going to say too much more about except it's well worth a read. Didn't see that ending coming!!

Secrets, silence, and suicide…. Or is it murder? Everyone is a suspect when money is the motive!
Nothing makes me turns pages quicker than drama between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. But things are NOT as they seem. You won’t be sure who you are rooting for until the very end.
AMAZING story by Sally Hepworth!! HUGE thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Hepworth for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a book you won’t want to miss. Make sure to pre-order your copy before its release date April 23!!

This book was interesting. I really liked how you got both Diana and Lucy perspective. I also like how you went back and forth between the past and the present. There were surprises that's for sure. This was well written. I believe everyone wishes they could go back and change somethings, in this book you see what should have been done a certain way but wasn't. This whole family dynamic was interesting to follow and see how everyone unraveled.



*I received a free copy of this book via the NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*

The Mother-in-Law is my first book to read by Sally Hepworth. I must say that I will be reading every book she writes. I loved this book. I couldn’t put it down and was sad to finish it. I loved the way the story unfolded and did not know how the story would end. Hepworth’s writing style kept me eagerly awaiting each development in the story.

Really enjoyed this! Part thriller, part examination into family relationships, the Mother-in-Law begins with a death and is from then on told from the alternating viewpoints of the daughter in law Lucy and her titular MIL. The story switches seamlessly between the past and present and I found both timelines equally compelling - how did the death happen? How did the family even get to this point? Sally Hepworth has captured family dynamics well - you really feel for Lucy as she tries to find her place in her new family. Great pacing and the end reveal is very well done. Recommended, thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I loved this book! The Mother-in-Law was not what I expected reading the description. I felt like it was going to be a tense, psychological story about a crazy Mother-in-Law, probably with a murder thrown in. While there is a mystery at the core, the story is really a study in relationships. The story is told from the parallel perceptions of of Lucy, a young mother, and Diana, her imposing Mother-in-Law. The story shifts from present to past to explain their fractured relationship.

There is a death, and a mystery surrounding it but, I felt that it took a backseat to the relationship between the two women. Diana is a difficult woman and complicates this by not communicating with Lucy. She somehow never explains the backstory which would have helped Lucy understand her better.. For her part, Lucy feels criticized at every turn.

The book is very well written and engaging. I highly recommend it. .

5 out of 5 stars

First off I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy in exchange of an honest review.

To be honest when I first started reading this I was not sure how I was going to like this because I was expecting this to be more of a psychological thriller but this is more of a family drama, mystery. I needn't worry though as I was hooked almost immediately.

The story is told through the POV of Mother-In-Law Diana and Daughter-In-Law Lucy. Told in past and present Lucy and Diana lure you in with their story. You find yourself understanding each woman more and more as the story goes on and your heart breaks as the women's relationship is pulled apart because of misunderstanding. I did not agree with most of Diana's choices but I understood why she made many of them.

As I said this is definitely more of a family drama with a mystery thrown in. I do think you will be able to figure out the guilty party pretty quickly but then again I don't think it matters. The story is really all about the two women.

The character development in this book is incredibly well done. I loved how the author, Sally Hepworth, used the characters thoughts as well as past and present actions to show how one-sided and sometimes completely wrong a person’s perceptions of another can be. An example is that you may think someone is behaving in a very rude fashion, but if you knew that they just were given some horrible news, your anger might instantly turn to feelings of compassion.

Moreover, Hepworth adds some intrigue with the mysterious circumstances surrounding the mother-in-law, Diana’s death. Was it suicide or murder? And if it was murder, who was desperate enough to commit such an act?

This is definitely one of the best books I have read so far this year. It is definitely worth 5 stars. I am also thrilled to say Sally Hepworth wrote this amazing book without throwing in profanity or sex scenes.

This was the first book that I have read by:Sally Hepworth and I look forward to reading more!! The Mother-in-Law is not your normal edge of your seat thriller - it is a family drama that surrounds a mysterious death.

We have dual POV's - Lucy and her mother-in-law, Diana. I think the dual perspectives made for an interesting storyline because the reader would see a situation from Lucy's eyes and think Diana is batshit crazy. The reader would then see the rationale behind her actions in Diana's chapter. This lead me to feel bad for Diana because there were numerous times when she had a reasonable explanation for her actions but she did not tell Lucy the reasoning. There were times that I was on Lucy's side and then times when I was on Diana's which was rather interesting to me. Normally I can pick one side or the other.

I enjoyed the set up of this book - during the first chapter Diana is found dead in her home with a suicide note in her desk drawer. The remaining chapters tell the build up until this point in time. I could not put it down! I wanted to know the outcome as quickly as possible.

If you enjoy family drama filled with lies and a pinch of mystery then this one is for you!

It took me a little time to warm up to this novel, but after the first few chapters, I noticed it was hard to abandon it, I cared about the characters and the story. The information is slowly, gradually portioned, at just the right time and pace, and I was hooked!

This story was a wonderful portrayal of Diana (the mother-in-law in the title) and I loved the way it was told from her and Lucy's (daughter-in-law) altering points of view. No event was really retold, but from little remarks and self-analyzing thoughts it was possible to learn the motivations behind both of their acts (which the other many times completely misunderstood), and every little thing got a subtle explanation, without the two-sided storytelling ever getting forced. It was perfectly crafted! The only thing I should say here on the possibly negative side is that the two women's writing style didn't differ a bit - and I prefer when I can instantly tell who's talking in case I'm reading several POVs. Luckily it's not confusing at all, all chapters start with the name of the narrator, and honestly, the two think so differently than it's all obvious when you see what they're saying. Still, it would've been nice to see a little difference in the style. But really, this is just a minor detail, and it in no way took away from my enjoyment of the book.

Now, though I didn't agree with Diana's decisions most of the time, I understood where she came from. This book is all about showing her personality and motivations (among others', but I felt like hers were the center), and it does it beautifully, subtly. I started out thinking she's too strict, too... sticking to her principles. Then I got to learn more about her, and then Lucy got to learn about her more, and I started to more and more understand Diana, always a half step ahead of Lucy, but along with her. At the end of the day, I think Diana's tragedy was that she communicated terribly bad, leaving people no way to understand her motives, to get to really know her, or to openly talk and debate about things. Which was at first infuriating, but then I realized that these little misunderstandings, forgotten thank-you-s, ignored explanations are things that happen to all of us. Some less, some more, but everyone's affected. Too many times the problem is the lack of communication, and the lack of willingness to listen to the other and understand their motives, even if we don't agree with them. Expectations, unfortunately, are almost always higher than the willingness to accept and understand. On all sides.

For me the ending wasn't a surprise at all, but I feel like the point of this story wasn't really all about that. The journey there was the most important. After the 'big reveal' it was wrapped up bit abruptly, but I'll let that slide, because I enjoyed the book so much along the way.

I'm torn on this book, therefore I'm giving it a solid, middle-of-the-road 3 star review.

Diana's chapters kept me enthralled. She was cold and odd, and maybe that's what drew me in, but there was just something about her - you want to know why she is this way.

I was not a fan of Lucy's chapters, who I thought was rather boring, even with the backstory of her parents... I did feel bad for Lucy, losing her mother at a young age, but she wasn't written as interesting as Diana.

Overall, this was a good read, just not fantastic for me. Domestic thrillers seem to go either way for me, this one was right down the middle - neither great or really bad.

Great read. I finished it in one afternoon. With all the stories about girls going missing or on a train or in the window, this was a breath of fresh, albeit dead, air. All Lucy wants is to be liked by her mother-in-law. Once her mother-in-law turns up dead, everyone starts pointing fingers. I really enjoyed seeing the story from differing points of view. It kept my attention, and I did not want to put the book down.

Thanks, Netgalley, for the ARC.

From the moment Lucy met her husband’s mother, she knew she wasn’t the wife Diana had envisioned for her perfect son. Exquisitely polite, friendly, and always generous, Diana nonetheless kept Lucy at arm’s length despite her desperate attempts to win her over. And as a pillar in the community, an advocate for female refugees, and a woman happily married for decades, no one had a bad word to say about Diana…except Lucy.
That was five years ago.
Now, Diana is dead, a suicide note found near her body claiming that she longer wanted to live because of the cancer wreaking havoc inside her body. But the autopsy finds no cancer. It does find traces of poison, and evidence of suffocation.
Who could possibly want Diana dead? Why was her will changed at the eleventh hour to disinherit both of her children, and their spouses? And what does it mean that Lucy isn’t exactly sad she’s gone?

This definitely has a twist you wouldn’t see coming, a laid back mystery novel.

Absolutely loved! Quick, fast-paced chapters with concise, captivating writing made this one a stand-out for me. Domestic drama at its best. Would highly recommend.

Such a great book. I loved the suspense of the book and I loved the different characters. I think anyone who has a mother-in law can relate somewhat to this book. I love my mother-in law but there are times where she gets a little too much. I loved all of the twists and turns in the book and never saw parts of it coming. This was a fun read for me and I hope that others will enjoy it as well. I typically get confused when books switch between past and present, however I thought the author did a great job at guiding the reader as to whether they were in the past of one character or the present of another character. Thank you so much for this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

This was a really solid domestic mystery/thriller! It definitely went in a completely different direction that I thought it was going to, and that made my reading experience all the more interesting/enjoyable.

I really enjoyed the dual perspective as well as he time jumps throughout. I thought it was the ideal way to tell this story. The charaacters were also very interesting and they kept me guessing until the last few pages. I look forward to checking out more of Sally Hepworth’s works in the future!!