This was a wonderfully crafted domestic suspense! I was captivated by this family and their relationships and misunderstandings, love and regret.

Told in the alternating viewpoints of Diana (mother in law) and Lucy (daughter in law) and switching between past and present, the author masterfully demonstrates just how easily words, assumptions and lack of true communication can be the downfall of a relationship.

This was a refreshing change from the usual trope. I could not put this book down, needing to see the story unravel!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for access to this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a good read. Alternating between past and present and mother and daughter in law, we see how two women's are intertwined and affected by both their experience, assumptions and inability to communicate. I loved the way the mystery was woven and the growth of the relationship as seen from both character's perspective. A really page Turner, I read it in one afternoon.

Thank you to NetGalley for sharing this book with me. I was so lucky to discover Sally Hepworth's books one day in a book store. Since then, I have enjoyed every single one that I have read, and The Mother-in-Law may be her best yet! The family dynamics in this book were so intricate and interesting. I had a very difficult time figuring out Diana, the mother-in-law. She was never quite what I expected. There were so many great twists throughout this book. I think this is going right to my favorites shelf!

If you are looking for a book with a sinister plot and an evilly, wicked mother-in-law, this is not the book for you. This book is much more about family dynamics. It’s about things unsaid and things miscommunicated or misconstrued. Diane is not evil or wicked. She comes across quite hard hearted at times, but really does want the best for her children. With a completely different take on “the mother-in-law story” Hepworth keeps the reader completely engaged from start to finish. Diane is a complex character, one that is completely unlikable one moment and one that you feel sorry for the next. Did she really kill herself or is it murder? Told in two perspectives both in past and present, Hepworth does a remarkable job of weaving everything together and creates a very satisfying read.

I zipped through this book in two sittings, with an awkward space in the middle where I snapped at people who unreasonably expected me to do momwork instead of curling up on the couch to finish this book. This is one of those rare stories that actually deserves to be called 'unputdownable'.

"The Mother-in-Law" is twisty and suspenseful, and even more than that, it's clever and sophisticated. A lesser author would have given us a mother-in-law to hate, and that's where I thought this was headed at first. Not so fast!! Sally Hepworth is far too talented and brilliant for a shortcut like that. There are no flimsy, easily exposed villains in this book, and considering it's about a murdered mother-in-law that's a fantastic feat.

There is no black and white in this book. It's all shades of deliciously mysterious grey, and that's what makes this story so addictive. A fascinating storyline combined with sharp prose and clever insight makes this one of my favorite reads in 2018!

A bit of a mystery mixed with family drama, secrets, and a great twist. I love everything Sally Hepworth writes, and this was no exception. Her characters are nuanced and flawed and totally realistic.

A remarkable book which has everything- humor, tragedy, suspense, love,hate , jealously, friendship and so much more!
It begins with the strained relations of a young wife and her mother-in-law. This allows for some humorous in-law scenes.
Things then become much more serious with a sudden death. It looks like suicide, but could be murder. No one is above suspicion!
Meanwhile, the characters are learning not to judge each others' actions and not to harbor drudges or resentments.
This novel is very well told with enough suspense to keep the pages turning and it kept me guessing until the very end.
Excellent and so well written!

Great book!!! 4.5 stars!

I had read the family next door and really enjoyed it, but this one was even better. The story line hooked you from the beginning and I found it very hard to put the book down to get anything else done. It was a fun ride with 2 great main characters and I loved reading the different point of views of the same situations.

This was a definite page turner with a good mystery mixed in!

Thanks to netgalley.com for the ARC.

Lucy, having lost her mother, rather wishes to have that sort of relationship with her mother-in-law, Diane. Her in-laws are extremely wealthy and Diane appears to have the poise and less effusive nature that their affluent crowd deems suitable. Her father-in-law however is the opposite, a larger than life man who is loved by everyone.

Diane thinks Lucy is fine and for Diane that is enough. Five years later Diane is found dead under suspicious circumstances, was it suicide? Why was the note in a drawer and not next to the body. Why did she claim to have cancer - was it all too much for her? Why were all her children disinherited?

The story is told alternating between Diane and Lucy and past and present. While this appears to be de rigueur now, it has become slightly tired. That being said it was at least only 2 characters and two timelines, there was not too much jumping around to distract from the story.

This novel is a mystery but just as interesting was the dynamic between Diane and Lucy and Diane and her other children. The difference between her meanings and their perceptions, the difference between her relationship to wealth and theirs. How do you raise privileged, affluent children not to become entitled adults? There is a fine balance between teaching the values of hard work and denying purely to discipline it seems. A very entertaining afternoon read!

Many thanks once again to #Netgalley and #StMartin'sPress for #TheMotherInLaw

I went into this book with an idea of what happened. Sally Hepworth took that assumption and blew it right out of the water. I thought this was going to be a standard evil mother-in-law story with a dash of suspense, but it was so much more.

I received an ARC of The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth from NetGalley to read and review. Going in I instantly thought this was going to be a story about some evil, vicious mother-In-law. Boy, I was wrong! I can honestly say that I didn’t totally hate her. Yes, I felt she was a little different, a little harsh at times, but I believe it was all due to the earlier life she had lived. I would consider it to be a domestic thriller that had a twist at the end that I definitely didn’t see coming. I was totally shocked and surprised at how it all played out. If you enjoy reading suspenseful thrillers, then you should give this book a try. I’m sure you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy of The Mother In Law by Sally Hepworth. I tried really hard to wait a few more months to read this but I just couldn’t wait. It got me out of my miserable book slump and the mom quotes were spot on so big points right there!

This story is told with two POVs with alternating time lines between past and present. Lucy, the daughter in law, and Diana, the mother in law, are our two main voices.

Lucy was very excited to marry into Ollie’s family but quickly learned that Diana was not very welcoming. It seemed to Lucy that Diana always kept her at an arms length. Their relationship was polite but strained.

Diana and her husband, Tom, are extremely wealthy. She believes her children, Ollie and Nettie, should work hard for what they want. When both Ollie and Nettie come to her with money problems she denies them right away.

Right in the first chapter we know Diana was found dead with a suicide note. The rest of the story tells us what lead this family up to this point. To me, this wasn’t your typical evil mother in law story. While reading The Mother In Law I felt like I was suppose be on either Lucy’s side or Diane’s side but I was on both!

Family drama, money, lies, tired moms, and a little bit of mystery yessss 🙌🏼 5 stars ⭐️

Not what I expected, which only made me love this book SO much MORE!
An incredibly well written story high-lighting the relationship between a mother and her daughter-in-law, but also touches on the lives and aspects of the whole family. The novel starts with Lucy and Ollie (her husband, Diane's son) being told that Diane has been found dead in her home and it appears to have been suicide, but murder cannot be ruled out. The narrative switches between Diane (mother-in-law) and Lucy (daughter-in-law), and between the past and the present which adds so many layers and depth not just to the story, but to the characters as well, which I loved! I felt invested in Diane and finding out what happened to her, and in Lucy with her relationship with Diane. I found myself loving both characters and disliking both characters at different times throughout the novel, which is an incredibly difficult thing for an author to do! The story unfolded beautifully and had me captivated the entire time. I will absolutely be recommending this one to friends and family. Can't wait for its release!!

You always hear about the complicated relationships between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law. This book takes a look at one such relationship and how its dynamics affect the rest of the family.

Lucy is looking forward to meeting her future mother-in-law and, thinking of the things she missed out on with her own mother passing away when Lucy was a child, looking forward to the relationship she hopes they will have. However, Ollie's mother, Diana, is not the warm and fuzzy person she was expecting and things between them are strained from the very beginning, especially after Lucy overhears Diana referring to her as "just fine" (fine??? ugh).

Flash forward five years to present day; Ollie and Lucy are happily married with three children of their own. They receive shocking news from the police one night; Diana has been found dead in her home from an apparent suicide. Over the next week, they come together with Ollie's sister, Nettie, and her husband Patrick, to plan the funeral and attend the reading of the will. Meanwhile, the police keep questioning all four of them because it seems that Diana's death wasn't actually a suicide...

I loved this book! Alternating between past and present and between Lucy and Diana's points of view, it gives an interesting look at the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, as well as parent and child, in-laws in general, husband and wife, and friends and colleagues.. Maybe things aren't as bad as they seem? Or maybe they're worse than you thought? There is a bit of mystery, especially surrounding Diana's death, but this isn't a thriller. It's more of a slow build with some fantastic character development. I would absolutely recommend this - 5 stars from me!

I received a ARC of #The Mother-In-Law from #NetGalley, #St. Martin's Press

Dianne the mother in law of Lucy is found dead in what is thought to be a suicide. Evidence found points to murder rather than suicide. The story is told from multiple points of view, which I enjoyed. This story will keep you guessing until the end.

I read this novel hoping to get a new take one a familiar theme. Most times you're disappointed. But this twisted thriller hooked me and dragged me through to the end. I was pleasantly surprised. Solid, all the way through.

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I would like to thank the publisher, author and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review..
This was a fabulous read that is going on my top 10 list for the year. I’m so glad I started it on a holiday as I could not put it down. A domestic thriller that traces the contentious history of a woman and her mother in law that just happens to end in murder. The story is set in Australia and does an excellent job of portraying the complex dynamics and hidden secrets of family.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Net Galley and St.Martin's Press.

An interesting story and a good mystery. From the start, we know the mother-in-law is dead, so suspense is not expected.

I will start by saying that I gave an amazing relationship with my mother-in-law—she couldn’t be more loving, supportive and kind and I am thankful for her every single day. Having said that, there is something fascinating about the relationship between a woman and her mother-in-law. It starts when the women are mature people, set in their ways. The boundaries of the relationship are ill defined and nebulous, so easy to step over by accident or on purpose, bruising feelings irrevocably.

I’ve been a fan of Sally Hepworth since I read her beautiful book, The Things We Keep, and with her newest release she has finally achieved that high bar again. This Mother-In-Law is a completely different book, more domestic suspense than women’s fiction, but equally enjoyable. I devoured it in two days, fiendishly turning the pages to figure out what happened to Diana, which or her family members was involved in her death and why. This is a book for anyone who loves a twisty turny suspense novel, who loves well developed characters and believable motivations. I loved every minute and I can’t wait for her next book.

The Mother-in-Law was a quick, enjoyable read. I wouldn’t consider it a thriller really. There wasn’t much tension or intrigue. Just a lot of extra details about what the children were up to, or tattling on each other for too much screen time. I did enjoy the differing perceptions between Lucy & Diana of some of their interactions. I felt there were a lot of unnecessary and distracting details in this book.