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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was twisty in a way I needed! An intense story with likeable characters and the plot twist!!! Great. Didn’t see that one coming. Loved Diana’s backstory to give insight into her strange character, and the relationship between mother and daughter in law was something new to read about for me.
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a book that once I finished it, I felt like okay, what was the point of that. It held my interest straight off the bat, but just got weird from there.
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Okay I loved The Good Sister and honestly I love Sally Hepworth’s writing but this one took too long to get good. The twist was worth it in the end though.
Very good book. Covered the complicated relationships between spouses, siblings, and in-laws. Not a typical “in-law” book.
“I worked hard for everything I ever cared about. And nothing I ever cared about cost a single cent.”
I read this book in less than two and a half hours, which should show how compelling it is. A murder mystery that also doubles as a lesson on gratitude and privilege: what's not to love? As a bonus, it's set in Melbourne, and written by an Australian.
The Mother-in-Law starts with Lucy learning of her mother-in-law's death, which seems to be a suicide. Still, the police need to investigate it as a homicide- protocols and whatnot. During the investigation, it's revealed that the details surrounding her death don't exactly fall in line with a typical suicide. Suddenly, each family member is being scrutinized for any potential motives. Lucy had always had issues with Diana- could it have driven her to murder? Could it have been a financial thing with another family member..?
This book follows multiple POVs and often jumps between the past and present. It was really interesting to see how different characters interpreted the same event so I'm happy the author chose to write it that way, but feel free to skip this one if that's not your thing.
I read this book in less than two and a half hours, which should show how compelling it is. A murder mystery that also doubles as a lesson on gratitude and privilege: what's not to love? As a bonus, it's set in Melbourne, and written by an Australian.
The Mother-in-Law starts with Lucy learning of her mother-in-law's death, which seems to be a suicide. Still, the police need to investigate it as a homicide- protocols and whatnot. During the investigation, it's revealed that the details surrounding her death don't exactly fall in line with a typical suicide. Suddenly, each family member is being scrutinized for any potential motives. Lucy had always had issues with Diana- could it have driven her to murder? Could it have been a financial thing with another family member..?
Spoiler
While some reviews label Diana as cold, I didn't see her that way, even at the beginning. She was a hard-working woman who advocated for refugees, and she loved her children, even if she didn't give them what they wanted. I actually found myself siding with Diana most of the time- her actions were generally more than justified. Also, while we're at it, Nessie was a brat. Was it awful that she couldn't conceive children and that she experienced so much heartache and loss? Abso-heckin-lutely, but was she entitled to money that wasn't hers? NO! And to be so upset that her sister-in-law wouldn't suddenly give up her body for nine months and endure the extreme discomfort of pregnancy and pain of childbirth... I wasn't surprised she was the murderer.This book follows multiple POVs and often jumps between the past and present. It was really interesting to see how different characters interpreted the same event so I'm happy the author chose to write it that way, but feel free to skip this one if that's not your thing.
Now that I'm finished the book, I'm having a bit of a hard time deciding how I feel about it. I did like it.
But, it's a strange animal. The Mother-In-Law reads like the majority of suspense thrillers out there: alternating narratives, present & past timelines, and short chapters. And a mystery at the core of it.
Which did make it totally a suspense thriller. Until the wrap up, which made it more of a domestic mystery. Now, this is okay by me. I'm not a big thriller guy anymore...I prefer a slower burn with more interpersonal dynamics afoot. So for a lot of this book, the family drama throughout was working really well for me.
Except for one thing. And I know I'm going to sound like a broken record, but I have picked this hill to die on so you will just have to click back if you've had enough of it from me.
I am supremely sick and tired of present tense narratives. Unfortunately for me, it seems 90% of new novels coming out are plagued with this affliction so if I want to read the latest hypes, I'm stuck with enduring it.
Present tense is bad enough in one narrative stream, but the author ups the torment one step further to have both the present time, and past time BOTH written as present tense narratives.
Drove. Me. Nuts. And then this sentence happened:
I'm glad to see her issues with us haven't extended to our children. Say what you want about Nettie, she was a devoted aunt.
This was from the PRESENT day narrative, with a PAST tense sentence thrown in. It was like a kick in the head.
I am also loathe to use italics for that quote, because for a lot of the novel, there were italicized words (sometimes several) on every page to emphasize their meaning. It was at a ridiculous level early on, but thankfully she seemed to get into the stride of narrative because they got to be less and less as it went on. Thankfully.
So after all that griping, why the four stars?
Well, it was a darn good story, that's why. And I love family drama (vicariously, of course!) and the dynamics within this family is the type of thing that glues me to the pages.
I tore through the novel very quickly and that's always a great sign, not to mention this is despite the nigglings of torment about style. That's saying a lot, coming from someone as easily put off as I am.
But, it's a strange animal. The Mother-In-Law reads like the majority of suspense thrillers out there: alternating narratives, present & past timelines, and short chapters. And a mystery at the core of it.
Which did make it totally a suspense thriller. Until the wrap up, which made it more of a domestic mystery. Now, this is okay by me. I'm not a big thriller guy anymore...I prefer a slower burn with more interpersonal dynamics afoot. So for a lot of this book, the family drama throughout was working really well for me.
Except for one thing. And I know I'm going to sound like a broken record, but I have picked this hill to die on so you will just have to click back if you've had enough of it from me.
I am supremely sick and tired of present tense narratives. Unfortunately for me, it seems 90% of new novels coming out are plagued with this affliction so if I want to read the latest hypes, I'm stuck with enduring it.
Present tense is bad enough in one narrative stream, but the author ups the torment one step further to have both the present time, and past time BOTH written as present tense narratives.
Drove. Me. Nuts. And then this sentence happened:
I'm glad to see her issues with us haven't extended to our children. Say what you want about Nettie, she was a devoted aunt.
This was from the PRESENT day narrative, with a PAST tense sentence thrown in. It was like a kick in the head.
I am also loathe to use italics for that quote, because for a lot of the novel, there were italicized words (sometimes several) on every page to emphasize their meaning. It was at a ridiculous level early on, but thankfully she seemed to get into the stride of narrative because they got to be less and less as it went on. Thankfully.
So after all that griping, why the four stars?
Well, it was a darn good story, that's why. And I love family drama (vicariously, of course!) and the dynamics within this family is the type of thing that glues me to the pages.
I tore through the novel very quickly and that's always a great sign, not to mention this is despite the nigglings of torment about style. That's saying a lot, coming from someone as easily put off as I am.