It’s difficult to comment on the storyline of this book without giving away too much. As some reviewers have said already, the plotline is far-fetched, but then most stories that deal with dark tormented souls and their behaviour often are. I found it hard to understand how Annie got away with her manipulation of Daisy, but then that’s what insidious character she is. Daisy also had a secret she didn’t want revealed – which turned out not to be much of one. There are many contradictions to Daisy too which I found frustrating, but I tried to put myself in her shoes to explain an intelligent young woman.
Readers need to be non-judgemental towards the behaviour of the characters and accept we don’t always behave similarly under certain pressures or this book could annoy, but it kept me reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC for my opinion.

Another Mother in law book that alternates between the Mother in law, daughter in law and some one named Grace. You are trying to figure out who the unreliable narrator is and who is Grace and what role does she have in the story. There are plenty of twists and turns all the way to the end. I have a hard time trying to rate this book, I don't feel that it was one of the best or worst books I have read just average. So I am giving it 2.5 stars .

The Daughter in Law is an exciting, suspenseful thriller by Nina Manning. Annie is a single mother who thinks no one is good enough for her Ben. Ben brings his new wife, Daisy, home to meet Annie and there’s instant tension. Annie misses Ben and will stop at nothing to reclaim her close relationship with her him, even if that means exposing the truths she found out about her daughter in law.

Does Daisy have something to hide from Ben and Annie? Is Annie too overprotective?

I really liked the pacing of this book. It was unpredictable, twisty and dark. You’ll find yourself second guessing everything you believe you know about the main characters. Manning challenges us to read between the lines and arrive at a riveting truth hidden beneath.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I was almost immediately sucked into this book. I really liked how I kept guessing all the way through - who really is the villain? The mother-in-law or the daughter-in-law? And who is this Grace who keeps popping up throughout the book? I would have read this book in one sitting if I'd had the time. This was a solid British thriller, 4 1/2 stars.

* Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was great. It had me hooked right from the first page. It was full of twists and I really enjoyed it.

I love psychological thrillers. Since I read so many in this genre, it is hard to find a story that surprises me completely. This book did it. It was well crafted and had many plot twists. I throughly enjoyed it. Thanks for the opportunity to read this awesome book. I am looking forward to this authors future work.

Another book where the mother is just so over the top- started badly and I couldnt get any further.

The internal dialogue grated on me

Very enjoyable read. It captured my attention and I was entertained all the way through. Thank you publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* After a whirlwind romance, Ben and Daisy find themselves married with a child on the way. Ben's mother, Annie, dotes on her only child and is less than impressed to have an interloper in the family home. Things start to go wrong and Daisy has to move in with her mother-in-law and Ben takes up a job opportunity a long way away. I found the book OK but a bit of a slow burn and I felt that I was slogging my way through to the end. The mother-in-law certainly gave off the creepy vibe, but I also got frustrated with Daisy's learned helplessness.

I read this book in one day and loved it!

It was so easy to read! The language and pace was perfect.

It was gripping and had a very interesting story line. It did touch on some topics which may need trigger warnings for some i.e. miscarriage, infertility, death and fire.

I did see the twist coming part way through the story but by no way to it’s full extent.

I felt very close to all the characters and was hooked from the beginning.

The ending was also very satisfying and I felt tied up all the lose ends perfectly!

I would recommend this book!

Wow this book was evil and delicious. I couldn't even believe the twists it had. Human psyche with its obsessions was explored in a wicked way. Nina Manning in her debut, had written a book which is too hot to handle.

2 women and a man in the middle was probably an equation every woman knew in her married life. Mother-in-Law Annie loved her son Ben a lot. Nobody was good enough for him, and certainly not his wife Daisy who was the odd woman out. Soon Ben left for a 3 month job in the music industry, Daisy's best friend died, her house burned down, and she had to come to stay with the dreaded and oh so weird mother-in-law.

Ms Manning's writing pulled me in. I read the book with a sense of growing horror, knowing trouble was soon brewing. This beach house with a fabulous view had been festering secrets. Manipulations and lies were the trademarks. Each character had a mask on. I rushed through the book to get to the real face beneath it.

My niggle too found its place. I knew where the story was heading. BUT, hold on!! I never saw THE LAST TWIST COMING. Whoosh!! My breath escaped in a sigh, and I couldn't believe what I was reading.

Didn't I say it was delicious? A teaser of a read became a complete book. One of my weekend midnight reads. Wow.

Oh man oh man!! This was a good one. I was sucked in from the get go.

Annie is the type of character that you just know deep down there is something seriously wrong with her. I had it figured out about half way through and then there were 3 more twists and turns that i didn't see coming. Beautifully done!

Nina Manning can write, she can write a character so well that you hate them with everything in you. She writes feelings and emotions so clearly that you can feel them. She is brilliant and I will follow her anywhere.

I was given this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Very enjoyable, hard to put down. I thought I knew were the story was going but was completely surprised.

I think the words "I could see it coming" applied to this book. So whilst it wasn't a twist a minute type book it was still enjoyable. Told from alternating perspectives of the two main female characters we gain an insight into love, obsession and the lengths people would go for the ones they love.

After reading the other woman last year by Sandie Jones that I absolutely whole heartedly enjoyed I was constantly on the lookout to find another read that had family dynamics as the story baseline and one that would be as gripping and as enjoyable as the other woman- I finally FOUND IT in the daughter law by Nina Manning.

WOW! I devoured this book in three days, I could not put it down it had me absolutely addicted, being a mum myself I can empathise with Annie when she doesn’t immediately take to her son bens new girlfriend daisy, feeling something is not quite right Annie is determined to find out who daisy really is and what does she want with annie’s son Ben?

I’d highly recommend this book, it’s a rare that a good domestic thriller comes around and this was an absolute treat that I truly enjoyed.

Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts and review.

I LOVED this book. The author (of whom I have not read a novel before but will certainly do so again in the future on the basis of this novel!) really understands how to build suspense and make you care but also remain suspicious. Great characters, structure and gripping plot. Thank you!

Loved it! Being a Mother-in-law myself... It caught my attention and held it through all the twists and turns of the story line. My first book by this author and I loved it. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advance copy.

This is a great psychological thriller that kept me captivated till I finished the book.
There were many twists and turns.
The ending was a huge surprise
A great book

The Daughter in Law is a story about single mother and her son Ben. Annie loves that it has been the two of them for so long. Annie is not to happy to find out her son doesn’t just have a girlfriend, he has a wife. Annie feels replaced and jealous of Daisy place in Bens life.
Annie will not stop until she gets Daisy and Ben separated. Annie longs to have thing back to the way they use to be. Annie discovers Daisy has a past and plans to use it to break them up. Will Daisy tell Ben about her past before Annie does? Will Ben leave Daisy? What will happen with now that Daisy is pregnant?

I was given an advanced copy to read for honest review. The story and plot were good. But the book took a bit before I was really into reading it. Overall it did not disappoint.

Wow! This is such a fantastic psychological thriller that it is hard to believe it is the author's debut. THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW had me glued to each page and devouring every word that I could not put down until I finished! So full of twists it will leave your mind reeling and your head spinning!

When I first read the premise for the book, I thought it would be something like Kim Slater's "Liar". I was wrong. This was so much more and then-some!

The story begins with Annie who lives in an isolated seaside cottage she inherited from her drunken father many years ago. As a single mother, she thought it was the perfect place to raise her son Ben and always kept him close, loving their life together. It had always been just the two of them - Annie and Ben. They needed no one else.

Until Ben met Daisy.

After a whirlwind affair and discovering she was pregnant, Ben and Daisy married in a quiet ceremony within months of meeting. He adores her and she is utterly in love with him and together they complete each other. They share a flat with Daisy's best friend Eve and are incredibly happy. Life is good within their little bubble...what could possibly go wrong?
Enter Annie, stage door left.

As it had always been just the two of them, Annie seemingly struggles with the concept of Ben finding love beyond his mother. She doesn't believe they need anyone else but each other. The fact that they married in secret without telling anyone - especially Annie - doesn't help nor thrill her one bit. So when Ben brings Daisy to his childhood home to meet his mother, it is not a warm or welcome meeting.

It begins with just little things that Daisy thinks she imagines them. The dismissive look. The accusatory glance. The smile that doesn't reach the eyes. Her hand pressed against the scalding hot teapot. The refusal to acknowledge her pregnancy. And the constant chill in the air of what should be a cosy home. Daisy doesn't know what it is but it's clear that Annie doesn't welcome her. Her appearance is an obvious intrusion into what Annie perceives as her's and Ben's lives. The image she had envisioned of a warm and fluffy woman from the photo Ben had shown her of his mother was merely just wishful thinking. Annie does not want her here.

Ben is caught in the middle of his mother and his wife. A musician whose work comes in fits and spurts, Annie makes it abundantly clear that they would struggle to rely on Ben's income. Daisy is confused - is she proud of her son or not?

Then Ben gets offered a huge gig in Scotland to record an album with a band - but it means leaving Daisy for several months. He is excited at the prospect and Daisy encourages him to take it as it would mean experience for him and money for them and the baby. While he doesn't need to leave until after Christmas, he hopes to be back before the baby is born.

When the flat they share with Eve erupts in a gas explosion, killing her best friend and destroying all their belongings, Ben and Daisy have no choice but to move in with Annie. But grieving the loss of Eve, Daisy is uncomfortable in Annie's house, as Annie obviously doesn't welcome her presence. Still she tries to make the best of it for Ben's sake and soon wonders if this could be a good opportunity for the women to bond.

But Annie has other ideas. She recognises Daisy's face from somewhere and has racked her brain from the moment she met her. Until it came to her. Searching the internet for information, she finds what she needs and prints it out to confront Ben with the truth about his wife.

Ben then confronts Daisy. They have words and Ben storms out the house and disappears to Scotland for this big job he had lined up. Daisy regrets their row and messages Ben constantly her apologies but receives no response. And as the days roll into weeks and months with still no word from Ben, Daisy must resign herself that he may not return.

Tortured with grief at the loss of her best friend Eve and now with the absence of her husband, Daisy spirals into a deep depression and finds that Annie is all she has now and that she must rely on her mother-in-law to care for her. Still she questions why Ben doesn't respond and after weeks of silence from him Daisy finds herself complying with Annie, believing that she probably knows best. But does she really?

From the beginning we know that something about Annie is off. Although the bond between a mother and child is strong, Annie's obsession with Ben and their "secret party of two" is not normal. Does she truly want what's best for her grandchild? Or are her motives more sinister? But then is Daisy all that she appears to be? What is her terrible secret that she feels she is unworthy of motherhood? What does Annie know about her that drove Ben away in anger? And why is Ben different? Why does he have memories that don't correlate with the upbringing he's had? And why does Annie insist that he loves his mum while Ben appears indifferent, reluctant to talk about her? So many questions as we turn the pages at a brisk pace in search of the answers.

Annie and Daisy tell their stories in alternate chapters in the first person, bringing a personal perspective to the plot. Their thoughts draw us into the abyss of their confused minds with their equally complicated narratives. And then there is Grace, who shares her own remarkable story. Who is she? And where does she fit in?

With each chapter the story unfolds delivering new revelations so shocking that make THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW a compelling and intriguing read you cannot put down. The characters are complex, emotionally damaged in their own ways, but entirely believable. It is easy to feel empathy for Daisy in her predicament from which she cannot escape. She is grieving and she is missing her husband, added to that her hormones are playing havoc with her emotions making her easy prey for the mother-in-law from hell.

But almost from the start we know Annie is someone we just love to hate. She is a master manipulator determined to get her own way, with an overpowering dominance and a warped idea of love. The way she totally justifies her actions in her narrative just made me devour her chapters even quicker. The woman is a sociopath. She cannot feel love, only a misplaced sense of love, nor is she remorseful for anything she does or has done.

But mark my words, be prepared for Annie to get under your skin and stay there long after you have finished the book. She told us herself - "When I feel unhinged, who knows what I'm capable of?!"

THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW is twisted with a capital T. Clever, but oh so twisted! The psychological rollercoaster ride we are taken on is fast-paced and thrilling as the story progresses, keeping us guessing who is hiding the biggest secret?

With a Hitchcockian tension that is palpable from the start, THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW is filled with suspense so compelling that part of you will want to savour the sheer brilliance of such a twisted tale while the other wants to race to the finish just to escape Annie, who will both terrify you and infuriate you.

As the penultimate climax builds so does the tension unfolding to a dramatic conclusion that will keep readers glued to the very last page. My only complaint is that the ending felt a little rushed which could be due to the building tension throughout the entire book. Still, I had hoped for more karma at the end.

While there was plenty of confusion throughout, I did piece some of the puzzle together quite early but that never deters from my enjoyment of a good story. I had my suspicions and at other times I was completely baffled. A brilliant thriller, THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW - which should really be called THE MOTHER-IN-LAW - was creepy, sinister and completely twisted. The more disturbed, the more delicious!

I cannot believe this is Nina Manning's debut. She excels in this genre so brilliantly and is an author to watch out for. I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

Highly, highly recommended, deserving of more than the 5 stars I can only give.

I would like to thank #NinaManning, #NetGalley and #BoldwoodBooks for an ARC of #TheDaugherInLaw in exchange for an honest review.