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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
The Mother-in-law was a wild ride, that both infuriated me and enticed me to finish. The MC got on my nerves and didn't have a backbone until the last 3-4 chapters, but I guess that is how the author wanted this domestic thriller to play out. I was was upset with the MC's fiance and best friend for not believing her stories though! I would drop the friend and fiance!
Narration of the audiobook was decent. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Narration of the audiobook was decent. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Domestic suspense thrillers is a genre that I really enjoy so I was excited to read this one. Oh wow this book had me completely and utterly gripped right from the very start. This is a completely addictive and twisted suspense thriller that will honestly have you on the edge of your seat the whole way through. This is a fast paced read with a fantastic storyline and excellent characters.
Dana meets Sam, and they rapidly fall for each other and get engaged. Dana moves in with him to better plan their upcoming wedding, but the problem is Sam, a 35-year-old successful business man, still lives with his parents, Evelyn and Harrold. Sam is perfect... but his family isn't. His mother is overly protective of him, and soon, accidents start to happen to Dana, all more dangerous than the previous one. Dana quickly realizes that Evelyn clearly doesn't want her to have her son...
Think, The Monster-In-Law (movie with Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda), but without the comedy.
This mystery/thriller is filled to the brim with suspense and lies. I was hooked from the first chapter and read it in one sitting. it was entertaining, full of twists and family drama that kept pulling me in. The premise was good, and the ending, satisfying. The only little negative thing I would have to say about it, is that Dana should stand up for herself more!
I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and Bookouture, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Think, The Monster-In-Law (movie with Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda), but without the comedy.
This mystery/thriller is filled to the brim with suspense and lies. I was hooked from the first chapter and read it in one sitting. it was entertaining, full of twists and family drama that kept pulling me in. The premise was good, and the ending, satisfying. The only little negative thing I would have to say about it, is that Dana should stand up for herself more!
I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and Bookouture, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
fast-paced
First of all, thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ARC. The fact that I received a copy of this book for free does not affect my review at all. The author wants to know my honest thoughts and opinion, so that's what I'll give her.
In The Mother-In-Law, we get to know Dana, a twenty-something bride to be. After only a few months of dating her boyfriend, Sam asks her to marry him and Dana feels as if she's never been happier. Sam is perfect and so will there life together be. When she starts getting to know his family however, she begins feeling less and less sure about that. Sam's mother, Evelyn, doesn't seem thrilled about the upcoming wedding and before long, accidents start happening around Dana. But surely it must all be a big coincidence. After all, no one, and certainly not her future mother-in-law, could possibly be hurting her on purpose, right?
Okay, wow, this was good. To be completely honest, I thought this book would be a little cliché and predictable but I am definitely pleasantly surprised. Some things that happened were a bit predictable, but this didn't actually bother me or stop me from enjoying the story. I did like the characters, despite some flaws, but those made sense at the end of the book (see spoilers for an example). King's writing style isn't mind-blowing, but it's definitely not bad either. The story was interesting, thrilling and very well worked out. I am looking forward to read more of Karen King's work in the future! If you want to know my thoughts a bit more in detail, you can go onto the next part, but be careful, there will be spoilers about the ending of the book!
I did think Sam was a bit of a mama's boy, but when we found out he knew she had been abused by Harold in the past, it completely made sense. I did really like the shift at the end of chapter 42. Up until that point, I had assumed it really was Evelyn doing all that stuff and trying to get Dana killed. I only started suspecting Harold when she mentioned she should've never trusted him. Whenever Dana mentioned that she shouldn't have stayed in the house etc previous to this chapter, I assumed that she was talking about Evelyn, but when I realised it was Harold, I also realised King had never out-right said it was Evelyn she should be scared off. She kept it very ambiguous as to not give the plot twist away, which is a detail that I think is brilliant. I did think it was a bit obvious that Ruby had some bigger part in the plot and it was very on the nose when the birthmark was mentioned, but that was a minor thing so it didn't really bother me too much.
In The Mother-In-Law, we get to know Dana, a twenty-something bride to be. After only a few months of dating her boyfriend, Sam asks her to marry him and Dana feels as if she's never been happier. Sam is perfect and so will there life together be. When she starts getting to know his family however, she begins feeling less and less sure about that. Sam's mother, Evelyn, doesn't seem thrilled about the upcoming wedding and before long, accidents start happening around Dana. But surely it must all be a big coincidence. After all, no one, and certainly not her future mother-in-law, could possibly be hurting her on purpose, right?
Okay, wow, this was good. To be completely honest, I thought this book would be a little cliché and predictable but I am definitely pleasantly surprised. Some things that happened were a bit predictable, but this didn't actually bother me or stop me from enjoying the story. I did like the characters, despite some flaws, but those made sense at the end of the book (see spoilers for an example). King's writing style isn't mind-blowing, but it's definitely not bad either. The story was interesting, thrilling and very well worked out. I am looking forward to read more of Karen King's work in the future! If you want to know my thoughts a bit more in detail, you can go onto the next part, but be careful, there will be spoilers about the ending of the book!
I did think Sam was a bit of a mama's boy, but when we found out he knew she had been abused by Harold in the past, it completely made sense. I did really like the shift at the end of chapter 42. Up until that point, I had assumed it really was Evelyn doing all that stuff and trying to get Dana killed. I only started suspecting Harold when she mentioned she should've never trusted him. Whenever Dana mentioned that she shouldn't have stayed in the house etc previous to this chapter, I assumed that she was talking about Evelyn, but when I realised it was Harold, I also realised King had never out-right said it was Evelyn she should be scared off. She kept it very ambiguous as to not give the plot twist away, which is a detail that I think is brilliant. I did think it was a bit obvious that Ruby had some bigger part in the plot and it was very on the nose when the birthmark was mentioned, but that was a minor thing so it didn't really bother me too much.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my copy of The Mother-in-Law.
Synopsis
We hava Dana who has not been that lucky in love or even in life for that matter. However, after falling in love with Sam it seems life has truly taken a good turn. Except she still can't catch a break and finds out that staying alive is not a piece of cake.
This book took me on it's on whirlwind romance at some points I could not put it down at others I just got tired of it. But once I was over that hump I could not put it down. I loved the twist and turns the story had and found myself gasping in disbelief during one of the twists. Also I loved that all the characters and their motives came to a nice bow at the end.
Synopsis
We hava Dana who has not been that lucky in love or even in life for that matter. However, after falling in love with Sam it seems life has truly taken a good turn. Except she still can't catch a break and finds out that staying alive is not a piece of cake.
This book took me on it's on whirlwind romance at some points I could not put it down at others I just got tired of it. But once I was over that hump I could not put it down. I loved the twist and turns the story had and found myself gasping in disbelief during one of the twists. Also I loved that all the characters and their motives came to a nice bow at the end.
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is my first Karen King book and I'm looking forward to more from her!
The Mother-in-Law was so well written that the entire book pissed me off, because c'mon girl!
RED FLAGS! RED FLAGS EVERYWHERE!🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩 The plot twist at the end wasn't a giant shock, but some of it was a bit surprising.
Below be spoilers!
•You've been dating a man for a couple months, he proposes and you accept. He has never lived on his own (only with his parents), you know very little about his parents, he will only meet you at your place and he has never had you meet his parents? Do WHAT now?
• Dude's mom suggests things or says how &/or where the engaged couple should do their wedding, the son agrees and forces the fiancée to agree instead of talking it over with his fiancée... "Thank you Mum. We appreciate it, don't we Dana?"....At least the guy's father (Harold) has a bit of sense and suggests for them to talk it over and make decisions.
• Tamara (Sam's childhood "friend"), Sam and his parents are planning the whole wedding without Dana and getting mad when she wants them to include her on her own wedding plans.
• Mom wants Dana to move in WITH them.... 😖 They find a home, it magically has a kitchen fire, Dana already put in her notice to vacate her flat... where does she gave left to stay but her fiancé's parents home?... or her friend Lynne's
• Dana has second guessed and ignored herself repeatedly, instead of following her instincts. Which is because of her awful aunt and uncle raising her with the phrase "children should be seen and not heard", ingraining in her to let herself be meek and not voice her opinions.
• Shady shit keeps happening.. shit going missing..
• Why would you marry someone that you know next to nothing about??
• Sam never believes anything Dana says that has actually happened. Lynn doesn't seem to believe her either.
• Sam's Mom and Tamara seem manipulative.
• Sam's mom (Evelyn) and "friend" (Tamara) keep making Dana feel insignificant, crazy (second guessing herself), look like a liar, clumsy, and stupid. IE: Nudging her to make her drop stuff, planting personal effects in her items, making it look like she does other things herself, breaking her own items and acting as if she did it, giving her things they know she can't have (Severe allergies).
• Sam's dad seems almost eerily chill during spots. Let's his wife say and do rude things and doesn't say anything to them a lot of the time... Then sometimes he tells Evelyn to let Dana and Sam decide things.
• Evelyn & Harold...Secrets....
The Mother-in-Law was so well written that the entire book pissed me off, because c'mon girl!
RED FLAGS! RED FLAGS EVERYWHERE!🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩 The plot twist at the end wasn't a giant shock, but some of it was a bit surprising.
Below be spoilers!
• Dude's mom suggests things or says how &/or where the engaged couple should do their wedding, the son agrees and forces the fiancée to agree instead of talking it over with his fiancée... "Thank you Mum. We appreciate it, don't we Dana?"....At least the guy's father (Harold) has a bit of sense and suggests for them to talk it over and make decisions.
• Tamara (Sam's childhood "friend"), Sam and his parents are planning the whole wedding without Dana and getting mad when she wants them to include her on her own wedding plans.
• Mom wants Dana to move in WITH them.... 😖 They find a home, it magically has a kitchen fire, Dana already put in her notice to vacate her flat... where does she gave left to stay but her fiancé's parents home?... or her friend Lynne's
• Dana has second guessed and ignored herself repeatedly, instead of following her instincts. Which is because of her awful aunt and uncle raising her with the phrase "children should be seen and not heard", ingraining in her to let herself be meek and not voice her opinions.
• Shady shit keeps happening.. shit going missing..
• Why would you marry someone that you know next to nothing about??
• Sam never believes anything Dana says that has actually happened. Lynn doesn't seem to believe her either.
• Sam's Mom and Tamara seem manipulative.
• Sam's mom (Evelyn) and "friend" (Tamara) keep making Dana feel insignificant, crazy (second guessing herself), look like a liar, clumsy, and stupid. IE: Nudging her to make her drop stuff, planting personal effects in her items, making it look like she does other things herself, breaking her own items and acting as if she did it, giving her things they know she can't have (Severe allergies).
• Sam's dad seems almost eerily chill during spots. Let's his wife say and do rude things and doesn't say anything to them a lot of the time... Then sometimes he tells Evelyn to let Dana and Sam decide things.
• Evelyn & Harold...Secrets....
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Blood, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Karen King's novel The Mother-in-Law is lies, deceit, shocking mystery, and fascinating suspense neatly placed into a beautiful book cover.
Synopsis:
Sam and Dana meet, fall in love, and get engaged. Their plans to buy their first home fail due to an unexpected glitch. Sam's parents let them live with them until they find a permanent home and are married. Sam's mother Evelyn overprotects Sam, her only child, and consistently overrides Dana's boundaries. Dana puts up with Evelyn's intrusions until sudden unplanned accidents befall Dana which point to Evelyn's sinister plan to get rid of her. What lengths will a jealous mother resort to in order not to share her son's attention with another woman?
The Mother-in-Law hooked me from the first chapter. It kept me motivated and I finished the book in one day. Domestic thrillers are my favorite and this one had outstanding head-scratching turns. Some may argue that the plot had a few tiny holes, but it did not interfere with my enjoyment of Karen King's work. I liked the novel and look forward to reading more from Karen King.
(4.25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫)
The Mother-in-Law is available on July 29th.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for allowing me to review this exciting book. Your kindness is appreciated.
Synopsis:
Sam and Dana meet, fall in love, and get engaged. Their plans to buy their first home fail due to an unexpected glitch. Sam's parents let them live with them until they find a permanent home and are married. Sam's mother Evelyn overprotects Sam, her only child, and consistently overrides Dana's boundaries. Dana puts up with Evelyn's intrusions until sudden unplanned accidents befall Dana which point to Evelyn's sinister plan to get rid of her. What lengths will a jealous mother resort to in order not to share her son's attention with another woman?
The Mother-in-Law hooked me from the first chapter. It kept me motivated and I finished the book in one day. Domestic thrillers are my favorite and this one had outstanding head-scratching turns. Some may argue that the plot had a few tiny holes, but it did not interfere with my enjoyment of Karen King's work. I liked the novel and look forward to reading more from Karen King.
(4.25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫)
The Mother-in-Law is available on July 29th.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for allowing me to review this exciting book. Your kindness is appreciated.
I’m always down to read a psychological thriller, and this one didn’t disappoint! Dana and Sam fell madly in love with each other from the moment they met. A few months into dating they decide to get married and buy a house together. However, when the sale on their house falls through Dana has to move in with Sam who currently lives with his parents. Leading up to the wedding Dana gets involved in too many accidents and starts to wonder if Sam’s mom is trying to get rid of her.
Some may guess the ending, but I had no idea what would happen! As gripping as this book was, there were a few things that I disliked about it. We don’t really get to understand the depth of Sam and Dana’s relationship. There were so many times that I cringed because Dana was letting herself be walked on by Sam and his family. Since we don’t really have much depth with Sam and Dana’s relationship it’s hard to imagine someone actually putting up with the all the drama Sam’s family brought. Towards the end of the book I wasn’t even rooting for Dana anymore because it just seemed ridiculous for her to even stay with Sam after everything that happened.
That being said, it was a quick read and the last half of the book I couldn’t put it down!
Thanks to the author, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!
Some may guess the ending, but I had no idea what would happen! As gripping as this book was, there were a few things that I disliked about it. We don’t really get to understand the depth of Sam and Dana’s relationship. There were so many times that I cringed because Dana was letting herself be walked on by Sam and his family. Since we don’t really have much depth with Sam and Dana’s relationship it’s hard to imagine someone actually putting up with the all the drama Sam’s family brought. Towards the end of the book I wasn’t even rooting for Dana anymore because it just seemed ridiculous for her to even stay with Sam after everything that happened.
That being said, it was a quick read and the last half of the book I couldn’t put it down!
Thanks to the author, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!
*received an arc courtesy of netgalley*
The one thing that stood out for me while reading this was King's writing - it was very simple and elegant (no use of unnecessary flowery language etc) and it was quite descriptive and visual, which was a treat because I was able to imagine every single thing in my mind, just like a movie.
With regards to the characters, I do wish they had been a bit more fleshed out. Dana was an interesting character, if at times a bit meek and blind to red flags. Surprisingly, the character that annoyed me the most was not the titular mother-in-law but Sam, the groom. He seemed like such a pushover, and devoid of any thoughts of his own.
The storyline was interesting, but a bit predictable. I saw the twist at the ending coming but I felt it was the right ending and tied things up neatly.
All in all, this was a fun read! I'd recommend picking it up when you're in a slump.
The one thing that stood out for me while reading this was King's writing - it was very simple and elegant (no use of unnecessary flowery language etc) and it was quite descriptive and visual, which was a treat because I was able to imagine every single thing in my mind, just like a movie.
With regards to the characters, I do wish they had been a bit more fleshed out. Dana was an interesting character, if at times a bit meek and blind to red flags. Surprisingly, the character that annoyed me the most was not the titular mother-in-law but Sam, the groom. He seemed like such a pushover, and devoid of any thoughts of his own.
The storyline was interesting, but a bit predictable. I saw the twist at the ending coming but I felt it was the right ending and tied things up neatly.
All in all, this was a fun read! I'd recommend picking it up when you're in a slump.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse