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Sally Hepworth

The Mother-in-Law Kindle Edition

by Sally Hepworth (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Good Sister and The Family Next Door with new novel The Younger Wife out now.

"Hepworth turns up the tension in her latest Australian-set domestic suspense novel. A masterful depiction... makes this a winner for fans of Liane Moriarty and Megan Abbott" Booklist (starred review)

Everyone in this family is hiding something.

You may get to choose your partner, but you don't get to choose your mother-in-law.

From the moment Lucy met Diana, she was kept at arm's length. Even after marrying Oliver, Lucy knew they'd never be close.

But who could fault Diana? A pillar of the community, an advocate for social justice, the matriarch of a loving family.

That was ten years ago. Now, Diana has been found dead. There is a suicide note, but the autopsy reveals foul play. And everyone in this family is hiding something . . .

A thrilling page-turner about that trickiest of relationships.

PRAISE FOR THE MOTHER-IN-LAW

"Readers will race to the end of this clever novel to find the truth." Publishers Weekly

"We devoured it in just one sitting. Bet you will too!" Women's Day

"The Mother-in-Law is indeed twisty and suspenseful, but even more than that, it's clever and nuanced." Kelly Rimmer, bestselling author of Me Without You

"Absolutely stunning. The Mother-in-Law has so many layers - I'll be thinking about it for a long time." Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of The Weight Without Silence

'Will keep you guessing until the very end' - Us Weekly

'Deliciously entertaining, packed with wit and suspense and also delivers sharp insights about family dynamics and love' - People Magazine

PRAISE FOR SALLY HEPWORTH

"Sally Hepworth writes compelling, compassionate novels with characters you come to know and love. She is one of my favourite Australian writers." Liane Moriarty, bestselling author of The Husband's Secret, Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers

"Hepworth's novels are perfect for lovers of Big Little Lies." Library journal (starred review)

Print length

324 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Macmillan Australia
Publication date

29 January 2019
File size

1014 KB
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Review

Praise for The Mother-in-Law:

One of:
People Magazine's People Pick
PopSugar's 30 Must-Read Books of 2019
Bustle's Best Books of April
Refinery29's Best Books of April 2019
Oprah Magazine's 15 Best Beach Reads of the Year So Far

A deliciously entertaining novel about one woman's complicated relationship with her mother-in-law that ends in death. This one is perfect for fans of Big Little Lies. --Good Morning America

"Sally Hepworth writes characters you love." --Liane Moriarty, bestselling author of Big Little Lies

"Deliciously entertaining, packed with wit and suspense, and also delivers sharp insights about family dynamics and love." --People magazine

A masterful depiction of how much is said in the silences...a winner for fans of Liane Moriarty and Megan Abbott. --Booklist, starred review

A mesmerizing domestic mystery. --Kirkus

This one will keep you guessing until the very end. --Us Weekly

Hepworth's short, punchy chapters keep the pages quickly turning while effortlessly deepening her characters. Readers will race to the end of this clever novel to find the truth. --Publishers Weekly

Behold: the book that'll make your subway ride an actual enjoyable experience! This suspenseful thriller is impossible to put down. --Cosmo

"We devoured it in just one sitting. Bet you will too!" --Woman's Day

At last, sticky in-law tension gets the chilly thriller treatment. In Hepworth's anticipated new page-turner, one woman's complex relationship with her mother-in-law ends in death. --Entertainment Weekly

Get ready for the kind of Gone Girl-level twists you may have fantasized about during awkward holiday gatherings. --Refinery29

A delightfully twisty domestic suspense novel...fans of Big Little Lies and Then She Was Gone will love the startling end. --Shelf Awareness

The Mother-in-Law is indeed twisty and suspenseful, but even more than that, it's clever and nuanced. --Kelly Rimmer, USA Today bestselling author of Me Without You

Absolutely stunning. The Mother-in-Law has so many layers - I'll be thinking about it for a long time. --Heather Gudenkauf, NYT bestselling author

--This text refers to the hardcover edition.

About the Author

Sally Hepworth has lived around the world, spending extended periods in Singapore, the United Kingdom and Canada. She is the author of The Secrets of Midwives, The Things We Keep, The Mother's Promise, The Family Next Door and The Mother-in-Law. Sally now lives in Melbourne with her husband, three children, and one adorable dog. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07J5NHL9S
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Macmillan Australia (29 January 2019)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1014 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 324 pages

Best Sellers Rank: 1,146 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 86 in Family Life Fiction (Books)
- 142 in Contemporary Fiction (Kindle Store)
- 210 in Mysteries (Books)

Customer Reviews:
13,483 ratings

About the author

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Sally Hepworth

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Sally Hepworth is the bestselling author of The Secrets of Midwives (2015), The Things We Keep (2016) The Mother's Promise (2017), The Family Next Door (2018), The Mother In Law (April 2019), The Good Sister (April 2021) and The Younger Wife (April 2022). Hollywood actress and producer, Amy Poehler, has optioned The Mother In Law for a TV series.

Sally's books have been labelled “enchanting” by The Herald Sun, “smart and engaging” by Publisher’s Weekly, and New York Times bestselling authors Liane Moriarty and Emily Giffin have praised Sally’s novels as “women’s fiction at its finest” and “totally absorbing”. Sally's novels are available worldwide in English and have been translated into 10+ languages.

Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and three children.

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3 star		12%
2 star		2%
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Top reviews from Australia

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Well written family drama

Reviewed in Australia on 22 February 2019

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Lucy’s mother died when she was thirteen, so when she marries Ollie Goodwin she’s hoping to develop a warm relationship with her mother in law Diana. Diana proves a pretty prickly customer, however, and by the time three children have arrived things are not good between them. One source of contention is money. Diana and cheerful husband Tom are wealthy and while Tom is happy to help out, Diana is firmly of the opinion that Ollie and his sister Nettie should rely on their own resources. This becomes a problem when Ollie wants to start a business and Nettie wants help with IVF.

The book is written in then and now sequences and through flashbacks we understand where Lucy and Diana are coming from. Diana didn’t have an easy time as a young woman and had to toughen up quickly. As is always the case, nature and nurture form character that in turn affects future generations. One excellent aspect of the novel is that the relationship between Lucy and Diana evolves after reaching a low point, becoming nurturing and even affectionate. The family faces various dramas but the big one comes with Diana’s death. It looks like euthanasia but is it? Certain things don’t add up and the police become involved.

The novel starts OK and improves as it goes along. I have a problem when a character says “I have done xyz” when people would normally say “I’ve ...”. While we’re being picky, I don’t think a woman of Diana’s vintage would say “There’s two pieces of advice ...”. She would say “There’re ...” or write it out in full: “There are ...”. Plural nouns need plural verbs. Yes I know “There’s” is used all the time now but not so much by older folk who learnt grammar. Good story though: well-plotted with well-realised characters who evoke an emotional response.

2 people found this helpful

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Cas22

Intelligent and insightful read

Reviewed in Australia on 10 November 2021

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Oh, thank goodness, I have finally read a book where I was swept along by the story, where I could relate to the characters, where the dialogue and dilemmas were authentic and where the events were largely believable. This was an intelligent and insightful story about family dynamics that kept me engaged right to the end. I’ll be reading more from this author.

One person found this helpful

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Jo Kelly

What a page-turner!!

Reviewed in Australia on 12 June 2021

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I have fallen in love with Sally's books. This is the second book Ive read and finished it in 2 days. I love how she explores relationships and brings such interesting perspective on how we all interact with different family members. I love the unexpected twists and how what a daughter-in-law sees is so different to what a mother-in-law sees. Im in love with this author and so incredibly happy I found her.
Sally keep writing!! Im on a mission to read all of your books 🥰

One person found this helpful

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carol cosham

so relatable

Reviewed in Australia on 7 February 2019

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I've read all of Sally's books and like the previous ones, it was a joy to read. Firstly, being set in Victoria where I grew up, I could easily identify with the locations and the culture of the settings in which the story takes place. But more importantly, despite my relationship with my Mother-in-law always being pretty good, I know from my own experience, that it could occasionaly be a little tense, but that she always, always wanted her son and I only ever to be happy....and for that I am so grateful. Thank you Sally, for reminding me of that!

2 people found this helpful

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nharris

MUST READ

Reviewed in Australia on 19 March 2020

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This book has stayed with me, and haunted me since I read it.
It really shows how we never really know someone's intentions, and how we judge (and MISJUDGE) people far too easily.
It has honestly given me a different outlook, and I spoke with my husband, and children about it, along with my usual book loving friends!!
I believe it is being made into a tv series/show, and I am so interested to see the interpretation.
I cannot recommend this book enough!!!

One person found this helpful

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a good read

Reviewed in Australia on 18 November 2020

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The story does jump back and forth in time so you have to pay attention.
It's probably a typical mother-in-law story which is a bit sad really as mine was a nice lady.
Well worth a read though.

One person found this helpful

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Steve

Mother in laws!

Reviewed in Australia on 25 October 2021

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A great look at families and the role of the mother- in-law . Excellent story telling about a well go do family & the dysfunction of having too much money. I didn’t pick who committed the murder, it kept me guessing till the end.

Reviewed in Australia on 5 February 2019

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Sally has once again produced a ripper read, a page turner that kept me guessing until the end.

I loved the story but even more, I loved how relatable this one was. The kids especially, behave exactly like me and the family interactions are the same too (IPad, NOW!). The Brighton and Sorrento houses are all too familiar(sadly not in my family).

Finally, I enjoyed seeing the mother in law relationship from both perspectives. As always, insightful and heartwarming.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Book lover

Just don't get it....

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 May 2019

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I read a lot of books, I enjoy a lot of books. When I am stuck for 'where to go next' I often look at 'bestseller' lists or Richard & Judy Book Club......but I can't tell you how much I actually hated this book. I did actually finish it, in the hope that it would redeem itself, but it didn't. Not very nice characters/so many cliches/the whole past/present scenario very tiresome now. What is the opposite of 'life affirming' or 'I can really relate to that'...or even 'that was well written'....I hate giving negative reviews, but I really couldn't recommend this..sorry.

68 people found this helpful

Rachel D

Well written but disappointing.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 May 2019

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This story is set in Australia and features a middle class rich family, headed by Tom and Diana Goodwin. They have 2 children, Ollie who is married to Lucy , and Nettie whose husband is Patrick. Diana runs a charity for pregnant refugees/immigrants. She is cold and distant with her family and more engaged with her charity’s work.
When Diana is found dead, the family comes under suspicion.
The author writes well but the story is too long and has a lot of unnecessary detail. It is more of a family story than a crime thriller. It is easy to guess who the perpetrator is and the ending is low key. I would probably buy another book by the author.

44 people found this helpful

Nicky Hudson

A really good read - give it a go

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 May 2019

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No spoilers and no details, but I loved this novel. I felt empathy for all of the characters. It’s a really good story- recommended

39 people found this helpful

KittyG26

Pretty silly

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 June 2019

Verified Purchase

The author has obviously had some serious mother in law problems. Apparently they’re all pretty awful, but Lucy’s (the mother in law of the title) is one of the worst. The priggish Diana lives in a house big enough for 10 families but considers Lucy frivolous for wanting to buy an expensive wedding dress. Di’s philosophy is that you must never help a relative, as this might make the person weak and dependent. But it’s OK to help refugees. I did wonder, therefore, why she didn’t invite a few refugee families to live in her enormous mansion.

To further ram home what a horrible person Diana is, the author has her turning off her grandson’s baby monitor (didn’t want to make the baby weak and dependent) and being so neglectful when babysitting that her granddaughter ends up with a fractured skull. In the hospital Lucy attacks Diana, knocking her the floor so that she suffers a concussion. Later, one of the nurses tells Lucy that the staff consider her a “hero” for this action! Honestly, could you imagine any sensible person talking like this? Nurses must hate their mothers in law too.

It’s all pretty silly, with ridiculous cardboard cutout characters and a denouement that is beyond belief. A waste of time, in my view.

Just for the record, I adored my mother in law. She’s dead now, but was one of the kindest, nicest people I ever met. Just saying.

20 people found this helpful

Ms. T. L. Brown

Good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 May 2019

Verified Purchase

Only towards the end did I start to realise who did it. Great writing on the complexities of relationships that we marry into. Was also good to read it from both sides as having this option meant I did not hate the mother in law as a person. Without her side of it one automatically would.

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