A story of family interfaces and a bit of a mystery. I thought the writing quality was good. I especially enjoyed the main character's wry sense of humor. That being said, the ending left me a little flat. Sometimes I wonder if reading as many books as I do leaves me a bit jaded when it comes to the end of a "whodunit." Just my take. Others may enjoy this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review.

This was the first book by Sally Hepworth that I've read so I wasn't sure what to expect. I started it at bedtime thinking I'd try a chapter out and get a feel for it... Three hours later I'm reading the last chapter with tears down my face.

I don't have a mother in law because my husband's mother died of breast cancer before I knew my husband. I was nervous I wouldn't be able to relate to the characters but it was actually very emotionally relevant in so many ways.

The characters in this book are so tragically real and flawed and relatable. Told from a variety of viewpoints, the reader can't help but feel betrayed and heartbroken but so hopeful for reconciliation as they slowly begin to understand each one. Most importantly, this book made me want to reach out and restore broken relationships, to build better future relationships. A book that causes the reader to see themselves through another's eyes, to want to take the steps to be better wholer person after reading it will always deserve five stars. This is a great book for mothers and daughters, for women who know mother's and daughters and daughters in law.

The shock at hearing from the two police officers who’d arrived at Lucy and Ollie’s door that Diana, Ollie’s mother and Lucy’s mother-in-law was dead, was immense. It looked like suicide – but there would be an autopsy. Then there were questions – and secrets deeply entrenched…

Lucy knew she didn’t match up to her mother-in-law’s standards; she certainly wasn’t who she would have chosen for her beloved son. But she also knew Diana loved her grandchildren. Lucy and Ollie’s three loved their Dido and Papa, it was just Lucy who didn’t get along with Diana. Ollie’s sister Nettie’s husband Patrick didn’t get along with her either – Diana was aloof and did everything she could to have her children stand on their own two feet. While Tom would slip Ollie and Nettie money occasionally, Diana refused all financial help. And it wasn’t like she couldn’t afford it.

The Mother-in-Law by Aussie author Sally Hepworth is an intense, gritty psychological thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed. Told by Diana and Lucy, and in the “past” and “present day”, it melded well and felt seamless. Plenty of twists, lots of red herrings and the trauma of relationships fed this book well. Highly recommended.

With thanks to Pan Macmillan AU and NetGalley for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

LOVED this book. Sally Hepworth is one of my very favorite authors and this book did not disappoint. Follows the complicated relationship between a wife and a mother in law and how that relationship twists and turns. It's wonderfully written, the characters are well developed, and the story keeps you wanting more. Highly recommend!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.
At first glance, I was drawn to the cover and title; however, it was the story that ultimately kept my attention. Once again, Sally Hepworth has created complex characters where there is more than meets the eye. There seems to be an influx of cliché 'fill-in-the-blank family member' narratives right now but this one stood out to me. Hepworth dives deeper into certain human complexities (such as, how one's past positively/negatively shapes their future) and familial relationships. I recommend to anyone that has enjoyed Hepworth in the past or someone that enjoys a page-turning thriller.

I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it in a heartbeat. Lucy has always wanted a mother figure since she lost hers however her mother in law has no desire to play that role. In fact despite both their best intentions they never get along. And now, Diana the mother in law, has died under questionable circumstances. The story unravels at a steady pace showing us both sides of the coin. I thought i would hate Diana but I absolutely loved her. She was my favourite character of the whole lot even if she was a little too serious.
Love, betrayal and whodunnit are the plot lines here. How much help should we give our adult children? This is a question that comes up again and again. Although I think Diana went overboard with it, it did make for some pondering.
Please read this. Highly recommended.
4.5 stars
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this wonderful read.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Lucy is a wife and mother who has never had the best relationship with her mother-in-law, Diana. Diana is cold to Lucy, never seeming to share with her the warmth she often gives other family members. At times their relationship can even become verbally combative. When Diana is found dead in the family home, there is a question as to whether her death is murder or suicide. As the investigation unfolds, we are able to see into the family dynamics that helped shape Lucy and Diana's interactions.

Sally Hepworth is a new author for me, but I hope to be reading more of her work. "The Mother-in-Law" is a fabulous novel that seamlessly weaves mystery and family drama.. Highly recommended!

Absolutely loved this book! Couldn't put it down until it was finished. Will definitely be recommending to customers at my work!

I really liked this book. I read most of it one day and finished the next, which I normally don't do. I like to spread a good book out, but this one was just too good to do that. I found myself thinking about it while doing other things, and that's always a sign of a good book. I liked the characters and especially the relationship between Lucy and Diana and how it evolved. I have read one of Sally Hepworth's books, The Family Next Door, and I have already put all her others on my list. I have another new author whose books I cannot miss!

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's for an early release of The Mother-in-Law, FANTASTIC!!!! I have read Sally Hepworth's books and I was anticipating this one, I was not disappointed. I could NOT put it down, All in All it was a wonderful portrayal of what you think you know, really isn't. The ending was really good. Thank you for writing a Great book Sally Hepworth.

This was an absolutely perfectly written book that drew me into the story from the beginning! It is told from the viewpoints of Diana, the mother-in=law, and Lucy, the daughter-in-law. Since the novel is told from the time of the current and the past, the reader needs to pay attention to the title of each chapter which tells you when the action takes place. It is the story of a dysfunctional family into which a young motherless girl, Lucy, marries. She really loves Ollie and wants to have a great future with him, but the problem seems to be Diana who doesn’t seem to like Lucy at all. From the time Diana meets Lucy, Diana seems to be withdrawn from her, hiding her feelings behind her aristocratic demeanor and speech. The family relationships also include Nettie, Ollie’s sister, and her overbearing husband Patrick. The only character that seemed likable was Lucy, but I did applaud Diana for her work with charities. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and its portrayal of a broken family and the results that affect all of them forever. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys psychological suspense. I can’t really characterize it as a thriller, but definitely a suspense! This was the second book that I have read by this author, and she certainly does not disappoint her readers!

Dude. This was an edge of your seat, fantastic thriller!! Not many thrillers catch me off guard, it this sure did! I can’t believe the way this story played out. It was amazing and I’m so glad I read it!

This book is AMAZING. This story is so different from any other I've ever read. It isn't every day one finds a book that breaks down the intense and confusing connection between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Sally Hepworth did this with such tact and intellect while simultaneously giving the reader a phenomenal story. This story is both thrilling and heart-gripping. I loved Lucy from the start. As a wife also eager for the respect and affection from her mother-in-law, I fully understood Lucy's character. She had a deep passion for her family and for that family to be whole, which included the acceptance of her mother-in-law, Diana. I thought Diana was extremely admirable. From the way she carried herself and Ollie through her younger years to how she mothered and "grandmothered" her family. Although hard to understand her ways at times, Diana always cared and thought of her family first. I never saw the ending coming. Mrs. Hepworth's writing truly had me questioning and analyzing each character to figure out what had happened to beloved Diana. WONDERFUL, wonderful read. Thank you for the ARC! I will buy my personal copy when it releases.

3..75 stars

Lucy lost her own mom when she was just 13 years old, so, she was always hoping that when she married, her “Mother In Law” would fill the void.

But, how often does THAT really happen?

Diana is “stand-offish” from their first meeting, even though she admits to her friends that she thinks Lucy, her new daughter-in-law, is “fine.” .

It doesn’t matter how hard Lucy tries, Diana is not really warm towards anybody except her husband Tom, and the refugee women she chooses to help through her charity. Generous toward them, but refusing to use her money to help her own children, claiming this will make them stronger.

Beginning with a scene where the police arrive at the door to inform Diana’s son Ollie and his wife, Lucy that his mother has been found dead of an apparent suicide, the story then unfolds through the perspectives of both Lucy, and her mother-in-law, past and present.

But, was it a suicide? And, why was her will changed at the eleventh hour, disinheriting both of her children, their spouses and her grandchildren?

I enjoyed “The Family Next Door”, Ms. Hepworth’s previous novel, more so than I did this one. As a woman, without children, I was a bit bored with the chapters narrated by Lucy, in the present tense, as their were endless descriptions of pregnancy and child rearing.

Diana’s chapters showed a softer side of her which conflicted with the hard stance she took against helping her own children and it was hard to reconcile her actions toward them, or to understand why.

In case you were curious, the author assures us in her dedication that she has never thought about murdering her own mother-in-law, Anne, although on the odd occasion, she has had those thoughts about her father-in law, Peter...😉

I would like to thank Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Sally Hepworth for the ARC I received in exchange for a candid review!

This title will be available on April, 23rd, 2019 and is recommended for readers who enjoy domestic suspense novels, and perhaps for those who are less than fond of their own mother-in-law!!

Would recommend to book clubs or other reading groups. Characters were interesting with varying points of view. Tone matched plot points.

I loved the character development in this book almost as much as I loved all the unseen twists and turns!

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. What really happened to Lucy's mother-in-law? Who killed her? I really liked how the story was told from the perspective of different people in the present and past, however, I thought it was kind of choppy in places where a paragraph would end in critical spots that you wait to see what happens and the next paragraph is talking about something else entirely. I thought it was less a thriller and I was really disappointed in the ending.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of The Mother-in-law in exchange for an honest review.

I have read Sally Hepworth books in the past and have really enjoyed them so when I saw that there was a new one coming out I couldn't wait to read it! The Mother-in-Law did not disappoint. I enjoyed the author's style of sharing the relationship of Lucy and her mother-in-law Diana from their individual points of view. I also liked how we were able to learn their back story to better understand the characters and how their experiences brought them to present day. The beginning of the book starts with Lucy and her husband Ollie being informed that Ollie's mother was found dead in her home. It is an apparent suicide based on a letter that was found in Diana's desk drawer and her having told her family she was diagnosed with cancer. The book proceeds to go back in time to explore Lucy and Diana's relationship, as well as the entire family who may have had motives to see Diana out of the picture. The ending was quite unexpected. I don't want to give it away so you must read it to find out. I totally enjoyed this book and can't wait for the author's next one.

An interesting approach to the mother-in-law / daughter-in-law relationship. This wasn’t the “thriller” that I was expecting it to be - but rather a glimpse of “two sides to every story”.

Briefly, Diana (MIL) and Lucy (DIL) are caught in a dynamic where neither understands the actions and motives of the other. When Diana is found dead, the family is now stuck figuring out why she committed suicide...or why she was murdered....

Overall, I liked this book, but found “The Other Woman” to be more suspenseful. These characters were likable and realistic...maybe a little needy (Lucy) and cold (Diana). The writing style was easy to follow and very readable.

It was an easy read completed in a few days. This was much more about building up the storyline than than it was about the finish. Since I typically like a lot of suspense, this fell a bit short for me.

*I read this ARC (thanks to NetGalley and Sally Hepworth) in exchange for an open and honest review. Mother-in-Law is in stores 4.23.19!

Sally Hepworth did an excellent job taking a psychological thriller plot and adding character depth that will keep the reader interested. I found myself getting invested in the family dynamics, and finished the novel in less than 48 hours. I found myself really enjoying the back and forth between the past and present day. This provided me the opportunity to better understand the decision making of the characters. I was satisfied with the ending of the novel, and look forward to this author's next book!