After losing her own mother to cancer at a young age, Lucy yearned to have a close and loving relationship with her Mother-In-Law, but Diana has always kept her at arms length.

Diana and her husband Tom have very different views of what supporting their children looks like. While Tom prefers to bathe in the wealthy lifestyle, Diana is steadfast in her decision to withhold financial aid, forcing her children to work for the things they want in life, even if it meant they resented her for it.

Soon after Tom passes, Diana is found dead with a suicide note nearby. Only the police have found evidence of foul play and suddenly everyone has something to hide.

From the opening chapter, I was instantly invested in this domestic mystery. As we delve into the complicated family dynamics, we come to find a family plagued with resentment. They all have their own internal conflicts and motivations, fuelled by miscommunications and unspoken truths.

Told across dual timelines from the alternating perspective of Lucy and Diana, we are able to get a true sense of who Diana was under her guarded exterior and the life experiences which made her so. While some may not agree with Diana's choices, in the end, I found myself rooting for Diana and Lucy to overcome the complexities of the relationship and connect in the way Lucy had always yearned they would, if only they had the chance.

I'll admit, this was my first time reading Sally Hepworth and I am kicking myself that it took me this long! So much so, that before I was even a third of the way through the Mother-In-Law, I rushed out and bought 2 more of her books to add to my TBR.