This was an awesome read. Probably spend just half a day to finish this. I’d reccommend this to those who would love a decent thriller that could keep them guessing through to the end. Really good.

Cheers to Netgalley for the copy!

This was such a welcome change to the thriller scene! I felt dodgey about Sam the whole time (not just the mom). Awesome surprise at the end!

Such a good story, very entertaining and suspenseful that I enjoyed it so much I read it in one night. I like how the story kept in line with the stereotype of mother-in- laws, but the relationship between this mother and son was so over the top, the things that the mother-in -law did was beyond normal. The son acted like such a zombie unable to believe his mom would do something so horrible and going along with whatever his mom suggested. I was more concerned for our heroine who chose this person to marry, who clearly has no boundaries with his mom and cannot set limits and continue to let her interfere so many times. I wish the story focused more on her prior attempts with prior relationships to understand the level of unhealthiness on the mom's part. The story had a very good twist and if you manage to get through halfway through all will be revealed. It tied the story nicely, but I didn't like the son for not being a stronger person and they could have developed his character more, in my eyes he was a dimwit. The other thing I pondered is with this twist whether the gene would pass on to the son and whether there would be a possible follow up story to this.

A great story by another new author to me and one I will definitely be looking out for in future.

Dana has met “the one” and Sam feels the same. After a whirlwind romance of only 2 months, he proposes and although fast, she agrees to marry him as they both feel they have found their soulmate. Sam still lives at home with his parents albeit in a huge country manor where he has a suite of rooms, so he has been saving money for a mortgage on a dream home. Dana and Sam decide to get married quickly and start looking for their forever home so they can move into it when they come back from honeymoon. However, when their brand-new house sale falls through Dana has little choice but to move in with Sam and his parents just before the wedding as she has already left her own little flat. Harold, Sam’s dad, is lovely and supportive but Evelyn, Sam’s mum, takes a disliking to Dana and enjoys making her feel uncomfortable. Throw into the mix a family friend, Tamara, who Evelyn feels is a much more suitable wife for Sam and delights in mentioning this numerous times to Dana and a big family secret that Dana overhears by accident. Suddenly mysterious accidents start to happen to Dana, and she wonders whether she will even make it up the aisle to marry Sam as someone seems to have it really in for her!

This was a very good book, and I enjoyed every minute of reading it. I found the storyline pretty addictive, and I did start getting annoyed when life got in the way of reading it- that’s the sign of a good book in my eyes. I liked the characters and particularly enjoyed the close friendship Dana had with Lynne, her best friend. I kept changing my mind over who I thought the baddie was, and I was so happy I did not get it right which was brilliant as I was definitely surprised when it came to light who had it in for Dana.

With twists and turns at almost every corner I would highly recommend it for fans of psychological thrillers, you won’t regret it. I can’t wait to read Karen King’s next book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Karen King and Bookouture for my advanced reading copy. Out now.

Loved this fast paced thriller. The writing style was engaging. I didnt know who had done it. I was connected to the characters. The characters were believable and relatable.

I enjoyed the heck out of this book, but I’m not sure the entire potential was met. First, it’s a great plot. The reader knows from the first chapter – Dana’s wedding – that it has been a long slog for the bride to get to that point. The author wisely makes it a whirlwind from their meeting to deciding to get married. It soon becomes apparent to both Dana and the reader that she is out of her league. When “accidents” start to happen, suspicion falls on just about every character. I will admit that I did not guess the full twist of the book. But when the pieces start to fall into place, some of them seemingly come out of nowhere. Even the most pivotal parts weren’t all built up. It almost felt like reading two separate books. It still kept me guessing, though. For more details, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. This review was written based on a digital copy of the book from Bookouture.

This book had so much potentional but ultimately, it missed the mark for me! I was really excited to read this one, but I just didn’t enjoy the execution. I couldn’t invest fully in Dana’s character. Plenty of other reviewers enjoy it, but it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Karen King, Bookcouture, and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for a fair and honest review!

it’s Dana’s wedding day, and she is eager to marry Sam, the love of her life. but when tragedy strikes just hours after her ceremony, readers are left to wonder if Dana makes it through her own wedding.

after this introduction, we are taken back to several months prior to the wedding, beginning when Dana meets Sam, and progressing through her meeting his family. though successful & established, Sam still lives with his parents, something Dana finds a little strange; and yet, she is convinced to move in with Sam following their engagement as they look for a place of their own.

upon moving into the family home, Dana is immediately struck by odd occurrences that seem coincidental, but become increasingly grim. as she continues to feel less welcome the longer she stays, she can’t help but wonder what extremes an overbearing parent would take to ensure that their son stays with them forever.

the premise of this book seemed chilling & promising, but its execution fell super flat for me. the beginning of the story had me hooked right away, and then I became increasingly bored & irritated with the repetition of events. seriously, how many times can someone “almost die”? it became so unrealistic after a while, and the main character didn’t do much to help herself. she remained so naive throughout, and never defended herself or set any boundaries. obviously some of this was necessary to push the scenes towards the author’s intended direction, but I just found it all to be so ridiculous. I don’t roll my eyes much at books, but I unfortunately just couldn’t handle the absurdity of it all. i had my suspicions about the twist at the end, and the way it all resolved saved this book a liiiiiittle for me, but I probably would’ve DNF’ed this had I not chosen to read it during a flight w/ a 5 hour layover lol. but according to Goodreads, some people found this book to be super thrilling, sooooo to each their own I suppose 🤷🏼‍♀️ (sorry if you loved this one lol, I hate writing negative reviews but this was just was notttttt for me)

thank you to @netgalley & @bookouture for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This book was not what I was expecting! Don’t let the title fool ya!

I liked The Mother-In-Law because it kept me guessing throughout the book. I made so many he did it, she did it predictions that I was dizzy!

I felt so bad for Dana after all the chaotic circumstances continue with her and Sam’s family. I would have felt I was going crazy after all of the bad things that keep happening to her. I’m happy that she was a strong woman and continued to stand up for herself and what was happening to her.

Overall I liked the twists to this book and I enjoyed the ending as well!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Karen King for this digital copy!

This book had so much potentional but ultimately, it missed the mark for me! I'm not sure why I didn't gel with it as I was intrigued by the story. It was an enjoyable enough read but at times it did feel like a chore.

The plot takes its time to unfold and when the drama really starts to kick off, you're at the halfway point, which isn't ideal! The suspense is there in parts and I was curious to see how it was all going to turn out but if I'm honest, I wasn't very invested by the final few chapters. It's a shame really as I had high hopes going into it. This just wasn't a book for me but I'd still recommend for anyone after a suspenseful read, or a quick thriller!

* Please research any trigger warnings before reading *

Unfortunately, I have been locked out of my netgalley account for a few months and was not able to see which books I had on my list or even know to check if they downloaded properly, in order to properly read and review. I do apologize and am doing a 3 for neutral. Will update once I’m able to obtain a copy and read!

I love the bad mother-in-law trope and this one did not disappoint! This was hard to put down, loved the twist and turns!

This was the first book I have read by this author and won’t be my last. This was a fast paced domestic thriller that I read in one sitting. I was hooked from the very first page and eager to know how the story progressed. This would make a fabulous tv drama

This book kept me on my toes throughout as had lots of twists and turns and oh my gosh moments. The characters were engaging and very well written and really makes you think what would you have done when faced with Evelyn as a future mother in law.

Am definitely going to look out for more from this author.

This is a clever thriller with a great title to attract readers! Does the Mother-In-Law hold responsibility for all of the things happening to the bride and future Daughter-In-Law? Who else could it be? This is a nice read with enough thrills to keep you engaged. I just LOVE the title due to the fact that they often do get a bad reputation so it fits nicely here.

A very gripping read. It was so dark, and I loved those perfectly placed twists! It was such a bingeable read, a book that you could not put down!

I enjoyed this book. Althought it was a bit confusing keepnig the characters together toward the end. Very good read and kept my attention. Just goes to show, that sometimes when we zero in on a person as the one that is doing things, we are way off base. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

The Mother-in-Law by Karen King.
Today is my wedding day. And I don’t know if I’ll make it out alive…
As I put my beautiful white wedding dress on, I try not to ignore my fears. I look in the mirror and feel more beautiful than I ever have before. I know marrying Sam is the right choice. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I reach for my bright yellow roses, and I force myself to be as cheerful and sunny as those flowers. I won’t dwell on everything that’s happened recently – ever since we agreed to stay with his parents for the weeks ahead of the wedding. Glancing down at my sparkling engagement ring, I pretend to myself I can forget about the ‘accidents’ I keep having, that I can’t believe are coincidental. Or about his mother’s barbed comments, and the dark looks she gives me. And, just for today, while I walk down the aisle towards the man of my dreams, while I say ‘I do’, I’ll try to put the secret I know about the family I am marrying into right out of my mind. Even though that’s one secret that – if I was my soon-to-be mother-in-law – I might just kill to keep…
A brilliant read. Wow. Didn't expect that. 5*.

Well. To be honest I had low expectations going in but this was worse than I could've predicted. Unfortunately it doesn't have any redeeming qualities. The characters are unrelatable and unlikeable, the plot is just a series of ‘accidents’ without any real build-up or relevance and the writing is reminiscent of far-fetched fan fiction.

Does what it says on the tin. Not particularly original but will appeal to readers who know what they want from this trope.

3.90 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-arc. This was a good story dont get me wrong but without giving away any spoilers I felt like the resolution was rushed. Like the author wanted to get everything tied up in 2 pages when we were 200 pages in. I did like that even though it was a little dark they kept it light but overall I did enjoy this book