* “Deliciously entertaining!” –People Magazine’s “People Pick” * Entertainment Weekly’s “MUST List” * O Magazine’s “15 Best Beach Books of the Year So Far” * Bustle “Best Book of April” * Refinery29 “Best Book of April” * Cosmopolitan “Best Book of April” * Woman’s Day’s “27 Fiction Books of 2019 to Add to Your Reading List ASAP” * BookBub’s “Biggest Books of April” * PopSugar’s “30 Must-Read … Day’s “27 Fiction Books of 2019 to Add to Your Reading List ASAP”
* BookBub’s “Biggest Books of April”
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A twisty, compelling new novel about one woman’s complicated relationship with her mother-in-law that ends in death…
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?
Fractured relationships and deep family secrets grow more compelling with every page in this twisty, captivating new novel from Sally Hepworth.
Praise for Sally Hepworth:
“With jaw-dropping discoveries, and realistic consequences, this novel is not to be missed. Perfect for lovers of Big Little Lies.” —Library Journal, starred review
“Hepworth deftly keeps the reader turning pages and looking for clues, all the while building multilayered characters and carefully doling out bits of their motivations.” —Booklist
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I got this one via a chirp audiobook deal and then it sat on my app for ages before I got around to it. I’m not sure why because once I started I didn’t want to put it down. It’s twisted and mysterious but also a real look at the damage we do to those we love the most and what it truly means to be family.
In my opinion this book was a slow starter, but about a fourth of the way in I found my self intrigued by the characters and how they interacted with each other. It was definitely a study in human nature and the feelings desperation produces. I would recommend this book to almost anyone, because of the shape-shifting genre it seems to be. It would fit almost any category and has a little of everything in it. So glad I kept reading!
I put off reading this book, then came across the audio version and decided to try it. I loved it! Not all the characters are loveable, but as Hepworth dives into their motivations–each character is seen in a different light. A great read involving human psychological makeup and how our experiences shape our behavior.
I so enjoyed this book, told basically from mother-in-law Diana and daughter-in-law Lucy’s viewpoints. As an added bonus, the story goes back and forth between both main characters’ pasts and presents. Sally Hepworth did not confuse at all by going back and forth, and the characters she has written here are unique. I found it easy to like and dislike the people in this book. Diana is definitely not who she was portrayed to be in the beginning of the book, and as the story moves along well, I understood why Diana was the woman she was, and I respected her immensely by the end of the book. But what a surprise at the end of the book! Whoa…… Excellent read!
It’s insane what family will do for money. Sadly, a family with multiple tragedies kept me racing to find which character is lying and shady. My heart broke for the losses. Definitely an excellent read.
First time I have read this author and I was not disappointed!
Family murder mystery that had no lack of suspects, and kept me in the edge of my seat! I was hooked from the beginning and kept engaged throughout the whole book. Loved the plot and the characters were true to life and had depth.
4 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher and author for an ARC of this book.The opinions expressed are my own.
Terrific novel!
The Mother-In-Law
By Sally Hepworth
Published by St. Martin’s Press
Not everyone develops the same relationships when they marry into another family and all of a sudden you now have a group of in-laws.
They are all important in each of their own ways but the one we never quit hearing about or hear references to, is the Mother-In-Law. Jokingly it’s made to be that no one gets along or likes their Mother-In-Law. Especially in this case when Lucy marries Ollie and becomes a part of his family; his Father Tom, Mother Diana, Sister Netty and her husband Patrick. There are some very weird dynamics I must say that Diane has with everyone and it is not at all nurturing , friendly or welcoming. I can see how people can come to dislike her or even hate her. I disliked her very much just as much as I was annoyed at other characters and suspicious of many.
I loved this intense thriller and would have finished it within a few hours if life didn’t get in the way. Sadly there are deaths, suicides and/or murders and loss that is so gut wrenching and deep. Told in past and present tense; alternating between Lucy and Diana, you hear everything as it develops and also as memories past.
There is so much character change and growth. You don’t know whether to like or hate someone. Trust or be suspicious or allow them to develop into a new character all together. You definitely don’t know what to expect. It was definitely a book I could not put down.
“A change is coming – of course we’re going to be on our toes for a while.”
.
This was a good read, however, I don’t think I would call it a true “Mystery”. I found it to be more on the lines of a psychological/family drama and it had a lot more depth to it then I was expecting. There were a lot of different storylines happening, I think in order to “throw the trail” on the whodunnit part, but I was still able to figure it out. This was an enjoyable and quick read and I think it would be a fun book club pick that could lead to discussions. I would recommend to someone who is looking for a palate cleanser in-between heavier reads.
This book was a fast and enjoyable read! Diana is not the mother-in-law Lucy wanted, but the one she got. Try as she might, she can not make a connection with the prickly Diana. But then Diana ends up dead and things are of course not as they seem! Told in dual timelines that converge in the solving of the mysterious death! It’s the perfect quick read!
It was fine.
It’s the kind of book you engage in while you’re reading it and then you set it down to go make toast and don’t think about it while you’re doing that and maybe don’t care if you ever pick it up again.
I think I was expecting more after all the hype.
This book definitely has a “wow” factor! So, so good! The Mother-In-Law takes the reader through some twists and turns. Just when you think you know the who, what, when, why, and how, author Sally Hepworth changes it all up, leaving the reader flabbergasted. I can’t wait to read more from this author!
didnt find this to be a psychological thriller so much as a family drama
Wow! This is a very insightful book about family relationships. Diana, the mother in-law, is now very rich but that was not always the case. She was a firm believer in making your own way thru life with no help from anyone. Her daughter was distraught trying to pay for fertility treatments she couldn’t afford, while her sons business was tanking. Her daughter in law always wanted a relationship with her as she lost her own mom early in life. Great read
Communication, communication, communication! This is SO important! I felt for the women in this book, it was hard not to! They both went through so many things, and could have learned so much from each other. My heart hurts knowing that it never got to happen.
The blurb is so misleading, it’s like book to movie. “That’s not how it happened!”
Anyways all I all I really enjoyed this touching, heart gripping story about not feeling like you are good enough.
A light, yet serious, summer read. Unpredictable, original, and fun. had me laughing, angry, and thinking over and over again.
Great book
The Mother-In-Law is a book about secrets. Diana, the mother-in-law, is seemingly perfect, a pillar of her community. When Lucy married her son she always felt she wasn’t the one Diana would have chosen for her son. Diana also refuses to help her own daughter financially. Unspoken tensions, anger,a cancer confession that isn’t true. Why did Diana lie? And was her death suicide, accidental, or something else? Everyone seems to have something to hide. This is a book that will keep you turning the pages. Definitely recommend!
Maybe the mother-in-law wasn’t so bad after all?
This is the first book I’ve read by Sally Hepworth and it definitely will not be the last. I really enjoyed the depth of the characters, the intrigue, the relationships. Even though the book went back and forth from one person to another and from past to present, it was easy enough to follow. Each chapter has a header to let you know who is “speaking” and what time period is involved.
The author does a wonderful job of bringing you into the story from page one and then developing the background so you understand how things have evolved to the present point. There is enough conflict among the characters to enhance the intrigue.
I really appreciate receiving an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author!