I love Shalini Boland, but this wasn't my favorite of hers. Not so much a mystery till the very end as much as a story of a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law who argue over petty stuff. The writing is good and the narrator did a fabulous job, but I prefer more of a murder mystery than a family drama, so this one wasn't quite what I was looking for. Still a fan of the author's writing however and will definitely check out her next one.

The Daughter-in-Law was a good read by Shalini Boland. Seb Fletcher has an online romance with Caroline and they decide to marry. They then go back to his family owned pub and tell his family that he is married. Her new mother-in-law makes it clear from the beginning that she is not welcome. Lilian's gaze follows her everywhere and thats when accidents start hapening. Although Caroline knows that Lilian is behind them, her mother in law accuses her of terrible things. Seb and his family have secrets, but they would never guess that Caroline has some of her own. I enjoyed reading this book and cant wait to read more by the author.

When Caroline leaves her home in Australia with her new husband Seb Fletcher, she receives a welcoming that is anything but from his family. Caroline and Seb met online and after he visited her the pair got married. His family are shocked at how quick the marriage took place. Now living in a small village in the UK with Seb, and in his family’s home above their pub, Caroline immediately feels hedged in.

Caroline’s new mother-in-law Lillian all but hates Caroline on site. It is not just because Seb married her so quickly. No, there is an undercurrent going on, a secret that Seb and possibly others in the family are hiding.

This intriguing story has not only Caroline’s point of view, but also that of Lillian’s. More than that, this newest book by Shalini Boland has a very brief prologue of sorts that sets the groundwork for what proves to be quite a sinister story. With a small cast - Seb, his family and a couple of coworkers - it is more than clear that at least one of them has something to hide. What is more, the story occasionally segues to the past and this is when certain facets of the secret begins to be untangled.

With tension that hits hard from the very start and never lets up, this psychological thriller is sure to grab any reader’s attention, especially with the twists and the utterly shocking ending. I loved how surprising this book turned out to be, which made this one of Shalini Boland’s best.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

#shaliniboland does it again with #thedaughterinlaw narrated beautifully by #katievilla the integration of a marriage from an online romance does not go smoothly and not everything is as it seems. Many thanks to #netgalley and #bookoutureaudio for gifting me an #arc in exchange for an honest review

A good thriller with lots of twists and turns. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

Too many books about daughter-in-laws,
Too little time.

This Daughter-in-Law book's premise was compelling:
Your new husband has a shocking secret. Would your mother-in-law kill to protect it?

This was a NetGalley audio selection and, as result, I was highly motivated to finish the book.

Yet, I was unable to do so.

Although I was intrigued by the book's premise, the book was slow-paced and too much "same old, same old."

I have enjoyed author Shalini Boland's earlier books but this book simply did not resonate with me.

Katie Villa narrated the audiobook and she did a superb job with the narration.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars

I absolutely cannot stop listening to this audiobook. Now I definitely want to own a copy of the paper back. I love books by this author and highly recommend her books. I love her writing style. If you like thrillers, definitely check this one out.

Seb Fletcher's wife left him for another man several years earlier. He is finally able to move on and meets a young woman from Australia online. He flies to meet Carolyn in Australia and after a whirlwind romance, they marry and head to England where Seb's family owns and operates a pub. What Carolyn didn't know was that they would be living with Seb's family above the pub. Carolyn gets a very cold reception form Lillian, Seb's mother, and the pub employees. It seems that she is being sabotaged left, right and centre and Seb and his brother Felix don't really stand up for her very much either. Will this marriage last? Will Carolyn ever be welcomed into Seb's family? Will we find out who the body was that was at the beginning of the story?

The Daughter-in-Law is told from various POVs: Carolyn, Lillian (mother-in-law), and sisters, Amy and Meg. There was a past and present storyline and I was curious how it was all going to fit together and how all the narrators fit together. I felt terrible for Carolyn. Having no one on her side, no one to make her feel welcome and being blamed for things that were not her fault would have made me jump on the next plane back to Australia. Lillian was a piece of work. She ruled the roost and I surprised that her husband and two sons put up with her, as well as why Seb's first wife left. As the story continues and the mystery is revealed, I was shocked. I was not expecting the twists that came and revealed all including how all the characters are tied together and the final reveals. Another wonderful thriller by Shalini Boland. I did a read/listen with this book and enjoyed the narration by Katie Villa. I recommend this book if you enjoy thrillers and mysteries in either format.

I have read other books by this author and whilst this wasn't my favourite overall, it was a good solid mystery. Some interesting twists and mini cliff hangers as you read. I didn;t particularly root for any character but would reccommend the read.

This one wasn't a great fit for me. I just could not get into it. The main issue was that none of the characters were likeable to me. The mystery was good and the story was well written. The narrator did a fabulous job. I will probably skip this authors next book though.

How does Ms. Boland keep knocking her books out of the park? Another grand slam! I get so excited when she comes out with a new book.

I really enjoy a story told from multiple POV's. This was just that with twist and turns alone the way. The characters were well written and pacing was good. The story pulled me in from the beginning and kept me turning the page. Overall this was a good read.

Told from multiple points of view this fast paced story is well written and flows well, the characters were not very likeable but that is probably how it’s intended!

Positively outstanding! I loved the story and the twists that came over and over! I was flabbergasted!!! And then the last scene! Wow!!!!
Boland never disappoints!
Narration is phenomenal!

A couple get married in Australia and return to the husband's family pub in England. But it's not a warm welcome from the mother-in-law. She also encounters hostility from other people working in the pub and her sister-in-law. The only one who seems to accept her is her father-in-law. But she soon hears secrets about her new husband and both had their own reasons for the rushed wedding. Lots of twists and turns, a good page turner. I listened to the audio of this book which was well narrated.

Your new husband has a shocking secret. Would your mother-in-law kill to protect it?

From the moment I meet my new mother-in-law in her beautiful country house, she makes it clear I’m not welcome. Lilian Fletcher hates me for marrying her precious boy on a golden beach far away from her.

Another belter from Shalini Boland! Fast paced, twists aplenty, unexpected ending, everything I have come to expect from this author and she never lets me down. Looking forward to what she writes next!

I struggled with this book ! It was an extremely slow start and really didn’t get going until 70% ! The ending was ok but just not much of a storyline and lost my attention several times. The narrator was good and probably due to that I kept on listening.

I listened to this story and the narrator did a wonderful job!

I really like stories by this author, always enjoy them. It did have a really slow build up but the characters were interesting so I didn’t mind. I waffled back and forth on which ones I liked, who the villain was. I didn’t see the major plot twist which was great fun! Looking back I should have as I’ve seen similar plot twists (🤷‍♀️). But I didn’t! The conclusion fit and satisfied. Overall, it was fun and I look forward to the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for a review.

When Seb returns from a vacation in Australia with a new wife his family as well as his friends are kind of surprised! Most of all Seb's mother, Caroline's new mother-in-law does not seem to like her at all! But why??
And how many secrets can one family hide? Not only from the new family member but also from each other??
Shalini Boland really knows how to write twisted family stories with perfect endings!!
The story is narrated by Katie Villa. She is so nice to listen to!

Thanks #NetGalley #Bookouture Audio for providing me with this audiobook