Book Review – The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the moment Lucy met Diana, she was kept at arm’s length. Diana is exquisitely polite, but Lucy knows, even after marrying Oliver, that they’ll never have the closeness she’d been hoping for.

But who could fault Diana? She was a pillar of the community, an advocate for social justice, the matriarch of a loving family. Lucy had wanted so much to please her new mother-in-law.

That was ten years ago. Now, Diana has been found dead, leaving a suicide note. But the autopsy reveals evidence of suffocation. And everyone in the family is hiding something.

My Opinion:

Lucy lost her mother at a very young age. Growing up without a mom has been very difficult for her and when she meets the love of her life Oliver, she sees an opportunity to fill that hole in her life. Upon meeting Oliver’s mother Diana, Lucy has high hopes she can forge the kind of mother-and-daughter relationship she has longed for. Unfortunately that will be easier said than done!

I must admit that this book was not the book I was expecting. I thought it would be a really intense story about a mean and nasty mother-in-law. So if that is what you are looking for, you should look somewhere else. That being said I really enjoyed this book! It explores the complexity of relationships within a family. It is about misunderstandings, honesty, acceptance, and communication. Yes, there is also mystery, intrigue, and death, but underneath all of that it is about love and family.

The character development was fabulous! Some of the characters were more likable than others, but I found them all utterly fascinating! I was most drawn to Lucy. While my heart went out to her, I also kept hoping she would open her eyes and see things more clearly.  Diana was also a very interesting character. She comes across as cold and uncaring, but there is a whole lot more to her than meets the eye.

This is my second Sally Hepworth book, the first being – The Things We Keep. I am definitely looking forward to more from this terrific author in the future!

*Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Sally Hepworth for the opportunity to read and review this book for my honest opinion.

Book Details:

My Rating: 4/5
Genre: Mystery
Series: None
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: 4/23/2019
Pages: 352 (eBook)

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