This is a look at family dynamics. It is an emotional and compelling read. There is strong characterisation. It’s a very moving story

I can't say I particularly loved either of our leading ladies, but I could admire how they knew what they wanted, And they had such a rivalry that was hard to comprehend.

In fact the whole book in some respects gave me vibes of Monster in Law, the Jane Fonda film, but in this instance the monster is more likely to be Edie.

What is amazing is how many secrets both Hope and Edie are both hiding, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for Paul, who is rather innocent in all of this and is just trying to be a good father to his two children, and is often stuck between his mother Hope, and wife Edie.

It is though an honest look at motherhood from Edie's point of view, and although not necessarily a popular viewpoint, I feel it is one that some women will connect to, even if they may not wish to be as honest and admit it.

Some of Hope's secret I had sort of guessed, but not the circumstances leading towards it. Whereas Edie, well at no point was I completely sure which way she would go with her big decision.

There are interesting family dynamics at play, and even when I wasn't reading this, the story was on my mind. An enjoyable story.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

The book starts with Hope going off on holiday with her only son Paul and his wife Edie and their two children. Initially I thought that Hope was a doddery old lady as she had a stumble and was unable to help with the childcare while on holiday but it later came out that she's anything but an infirm old lady.

Edie is a successful barrister but the reality of having two children is a hard cross to bear for her and she finds herself unfulfilled. Both hope and Edie have secrets that will have an impact on everyone and life gets very complicated.
I really warmed to Hope’s character but I’m not sure if she was meant to be the villain of the piece – she has so much patience with Edie and I don’t think I would have done in the circumstances. Edie came across as a spoilt brat!!
This book is crammed full of moral dilemmas and I often found myself thinking “what would I do in that situation.”

I was late to the Fanny Blake party and this is the first book of hers that I have wrote however it was so wonderful it won't be the last - I've already started Googling her back catalogue.

Where do I begin? Not only is the cover gorgeous but the start and end of the book took me to sunnier, warmer times. I haven’t read many of Fanny Blake’s books but the ones I have read have been simply gorgeous and this is no exception. I adore the way she describes the surroundings as the book begins we are in Paxos and the villa sounds picture perfect. Instantly whisking me away from cold London. I instantly warmed to Hope and Paul but was unsure on Edie. Don’t get me wrong I love a headstrong and independent woman but from early on I found her to be a bit of a bitch. That thought process didn’t change too much throughout although at times I did feel for her.

I fully understand that families don’t always see eye to eye and Hope and Edie have a strained relationship at best, but for Paul they have to try. What I loved about this story was that if the two women had been closer they would have realised that they shared so many similarities and they could have shared a shoulder on both their woes.

This is a story of families, relationships, head strong women and just how the times have changed but have they?. Ultimately both women have secrets that could destroy Paul. Fanny Blake has written a story that will take you away from your own troubles into sunnier times, picturesque gardens and with wine and food that will wet your appetite. There are a number of twists and turns that will have you reeling for a number of characters and hating on a few more. A gorgeous story, thought provoking and full of light at the end of that tunnel, it’s a novel I won’t forget.

Fanny Blake's The Daughter-in-Law tells the compelling story of two women, Hope and Edie, connected by their mutual love for Hope's son Paul. Through their very different experiences and expectations, readers are taken on an emotionally charged journey as the pair grapple with their ever-shifting dynamic. Blake expertly paints a picture of two women struggling with the different expectations, assumptions, and misconceptions that surround their unique relationship as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. It is a story full of complex relationships and inner turmoil, making for an intense, but rewarding read. The Daughter-in-Law is a brilliant exploration of how two women navigate love and respect for one another in the face of their own doubts and secrets.

From the very first page of this book, I was stunned, mesmerised. Written with a ferocious passion that'll knock the wind out of you!
I’m so sad it's over. I could have read another sixty chapters . . . A fantastic read!

I've wanted to read a Fanny Blake novel for a long time, having first heard of her as books editor of Woman & Home, so swiftly made a start on this, her latest novel.

At first though , I really wasn't sure, I felt it was going to become predictable- but I hadn't allowed for the author's years of experience as a publisher as well as writer.

She uses her experience to draw you in, so that you care about the well drawn, faulty and credible characters, until you become addicted!

It is very much a family drama, and if, like me, you enjoy Joanna Trollope & Erica James novels, consider giving Fanny Blake a try.

Well, this is certainly a book which is full of secrets and dilemmas! You can’t help wondering what you would do if you were in the same positions as the various characters.

After just the first few pages I was firmly on Hope’s side. Edie, her daughter-in-law, and Paul, her son, just seemed to take advantage of her and assume she’d help out with her grandchildren whenever they wanted, even though she was a busy and successful business owner herself. It was really interesting reading this as someone without grandchildren but probably not that far off Hope’s age. I expect if I’d read it when I was a young mother, I might have sided more with Edie and felt that Hope was far too interfering!

We soon find out about a secret Edie is keeping and that made me dislike her even more! Through her though, we do see the demands of motherhood and how women can be expected to be able to do it all. I did have some sympathy with Edie around the hard work and tiredness that comes with looking after two little ones, trying to keep them busy and happy while also trying to keep a house tidy and combining this with a high-flying career. “What was the point? Another half hour and they’d be all over the floor again.”

Edie isn’t the only one with secrets though but I most definitely had more sympathy for the secrets which Hope was keeping. I could entirely understand why she had kept those secrets and how she still wasn’t sure what the right thing to do was or the effect it would have on her life and that of her family. I really felt for Paul actually, oblivious for most of the book as to the secrets both the most important women in his life were keeping from him.

The Daughter-in-Law is a compelling family drama which will certainly have you questioning the rights and wrongs of each situation. The often complex relationships between grown-up children and their parents and in-laws are fascinating to read about. Plenty of secrets, quandaries and emotions make for a very satisfying read.

Hope is a professional chef, divorced, single and lives alone with her cat, so her family are very important to her. Her son Paul is a carpenter and married to Edie, who is a barrister and they have two daughters – Betty (22 months old) and Hazel (6 months old). At the start of the novel, the five of them have just arrived in Greece where they are staying in a villa for a ten-day holiday.
Back in London, Edie discusses the holiday with her friend Ana and explains how Hope makes her feel like an inadequate mother. Edie is career-minded, whereas Hope is more of a natural mother and therefore has a knack of knowing how to deal with her granddaughters too.
Hope has a difficult relationship with her daughter-in-law and feels she is treading on eggshells all the time, never knowing if she is going to upset her in some way. She feels used like a babysitter rather than valued as a grandma.
When we meet Mary – Edie’s mother – we can see where some of Edie’s faults and coldness come from. Even so, I found Edie quite unlikeable and I was definitely on Hope’s side from the start of this novel. I’m a grandma myself though, so I guess it’s natural I would be sympathetic to Hope.
Hope’s business partner is her friend Vita, who she confides in about the difficult relationship she has with her daughter-in-law. I like how we get to see Hope talking to Vita, and Edie chatting to Ana, so we can see how they feel about the issues when away from each other. I felt this really helped “flesh out” the characters, as we see them in different situations.
Although Hope and Edie seem worlds apart in many respects, they are the same in one. They are both keeping big secrets. Secrets they don’t want their family to find out…
I enjoyed following the family dynamics and especially exploring Hope’s past. It is interesting watching the two women and how they both approach things so differently. I found the book a real page-turner after a while. Although it isn’t a fast-paced thriller usually associated with the phrase “page-turner”, I was so invested in the characters that I wanted to keep reading and find out what was going to happen.
This is the first of Fanny Blake’s books I have read, but it won’t be the last, because I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I don’t know how I let it happen but it’s been four years since I last read a book by Fanny Blake and I can’t fathom why because this new book, The Daughter -in-Law, was a great read, a real page turner that I devoured in great big chunks when time allowed. Fanny has a unique writing flair that draws you in from the very beginning and keeps you entranced until the very end. I couldn’t be further removed from the situations the main characters Edie and Hope find themselves in but it’s testament to the terrifically strong writing and the brilliant, well presented and observed viewpoints of all that I found myself thoroughly engrossed in the story from the first word until the last.

The Daughter-in-Law provides the reader with astute observations of the dynamics of one family where emotions run high and guarded secrets are about to be exposed. I’m sure many women reading this book will be nodding along at certain situations and comments/statements that are made throughout the story or else they’ll find themselves saying god I feel the exact same way about my mother-in-law or vice versa.

The story opens as Hope finds herself on holiday with her son Paul, his wife Edie and their two very young children Betty and Hazel. From the outset tensions are high between mother and daughter-in-law with of course Paul oblivious or pretending to not notice the deep sense of unease between the two women. Hope has tried everything ever since Paul and Edie got together but the distance between them widens instead of narrows and the more she tries the worse the relationship gets. I thought only for her two beloved grandchildren Hope would have just stopped making an effort altogether and I wouldn’t have blamed her one bit. After all, if you keep trying over and over and then time and time again you come against a brick wall and get no positive response, really how long can you keep going for?

The group return from holiday and we follow them over the course of several months where things are about to take a dramatic turn. From the outset, I couldn’t really see what Hope had done wrong and thought Edie just took an instant dislike to her but the further the story develops I found that Edie had so many of her own issues and insecurities despite her high powered job and the persona that she portrayed that maybe she was in fact jealous of the fact that Hope was strong, steadfast and had everything together. But Hope too hides her own secrets and as she continues to try and build bridges are they structures tentatively in place about to come crashing down around her.

Well, what can I say about Edie she really got me riled up as I am sure the same will be felt by many readers. She is an extremely divisive character and the more you read the chapters from her viewpoint you find yourself turning against her a bit. Why, because she doesn’t conform to the norm of what society views a mother to be, in how they are supposed to act, feel and care for their children and their families. I thought Hope could see through Edie and that didn’t help the fact they really became as if they were on opposing sides in a war and not at all on the same wavelength. If Edie had been more honest and open instead of being so all consumed in her own personal issues and her own desires maybe the women could have found some common ground and Edie would have realised that Hope was human too and she could have perhaps helped her work though her feelings. I did feel sympathy and empathy for both women for what they were going through individually and as a family unit but as they are both hiding a lifetime of secrets so no one will be hurt will it just all ultimately cause more damage than the good they had intended?

Edie is intimidating and determined but I found her to be foolish and just pure careless in her actions. Her work as a barrister fulfils her whereas motherhood and marriage do not and this becomes painfully apparent the further the story unfolds and you find yourself wanting to give her a good shake. Yet at the same time the way she feels and why she feels that way is presented in such a clear and concise way that at times you can’t find a way to argue with what she is saying. I’m grateful to Fanny Blake for not coming down on one women’s side or the other and even with the ending I felt the same way. It was satisfying but still you were left with that little niggling feeling could things have been different or maybe it’s the selfish part in me as a reader that wanted things to be simple and clear cut whereas life really isn’t always that way.

Edie feels as if Hope views her as an inadequate mother when in reality all Hope wants to do is help in any small way she can. The two little girls mean so much to her but Edie views her intentions as being interfering and meddling where Hope is not wanted. I think Edie’s own insecurities and feelings of guilt, loneliness and helplessness only fuelled the fire in her hatred of Hope. I reluctantly use the word hatred for it is very strong but that’s how her demeanour, her words and actions came across several times.

Initially, I felt she wanted to have her cake and eat it too. To maintain the high flying career as a barrister and to have a family life but then the more we delve deeper in to the heart and mind of Edie you realise she can’t juggle both and that one seems to be inching ahead of the other. She is a risk taker and the constant sense of the danger of discovery regarding her secret is apparent with every turn of the page and to be honest I wanted her little mystery to come to the fore so that lies and deceit might fuel some rage in Paul and equally Hope. To me Paul seemed very passive and at total odds to Edie. I wondered what common ground they had found in the first place that brought them together?

The entire book was very well plotted and I loved that each chapter went back and forth between each of the two women and as new characters are introduced around the mid-way point an entirely different can of worms is opened up in addition to the trials and tribulations already ongoing. This added even more drama with plenty of shocks and revelations forthcoming and a really surprising epiphany that I didn’t see coming which deeply affected the family dynamics even further. So much so that it had me turning the pages even quicker than I had been so eager was I to get to the conclusion to see how things would turn out. Given all that occurred I questioned whether any form of happiness, acceptance or contentment could be found?

The Daughter-in-Law was a fantastic read which I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s full of raw emotions, family secrets and drama which all make for a very compelling read which I believe would be ideal for a book club as Edie is certainly a very divisive character who will inspire much debate. In fact, the themes, arguments and problems here will all arouse many questions which do not have a definitive answer. I think that’s why I enjoyed the book so much apart from the fact the writing was brilliant and straight to the point but also the fact that as a reader your opinion as to whose side you are on sways back and forth several times over and even by the end I still didn’t come down firmly on one woman’s side over the other. You are constantly asking yourself what would you do and to be honest I still don’t have a solid answer. As we gain such a real sense of the characters inner feelings I think I identified and empathised with both Hope and Edie and that’s why I also found it so difficult to choose between them. I’m not sure was I even meant to by the end given such a well rounded and balanced stance was given. No doubt about it this book will provoke much discussion and I certainly won’t be leaving it as long to read anything by this wonderfully talented author in the future. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this excellent family drama.

Another great story from Fanny Blake. Full of family secrets and twists and unexpected turns. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book

I’m endlessly fascinated by the complexities of family relationships – add to that a few layers of long-standing and well-guarded secrets, coupled with the strongest writing and a fine touch with the emotional content, and this book was one I thoroughly enjoyed.

The difficult relationship between Edie and her mother-in-law Hope is evident from the book’s opening pages – a family holiday where tensions soon escalate following a minor accident and when it becomes clear that they have very different expectations. Hope has a close relationship with her son Paul, and loves being grandmother to their two children – but her relationship with Edie is always an edgy one, when every conversation has her treading carefully to avoid giving offence, and there seems little she can do to repair it. And perhaps it suits Edie to keep her at arm’s length – she’s hardly a hands-on mother, can’t wait to return to the freedom of her high-flying career as a barrister… Hope might be useful as an occasional babysitter, but Edie often finds fault there too. And we soon learn that Edie has secrets of her own, and difficult choices to make – and it perhaps becomes rather difficult to see her as a particularly sympathetic character.

Hope herself has a full life – she’s divorced and lives alone (with a comfortable relationship – at a distance – with her ex-husband), is a private chef and runs a busy catering business called Booking the Cooks with her close friend Vita, enjoys the challenge of cold water swimming, and has a real warmth of personality that makes her difficult relationship with Edie all the more incomprehensible. But that’s where the book’s secrets come into play – Hope’s suspicions grow that Edie may be hiding something that could tear her marriage and their young family apart. But Edie’s not the only one – an unexpected letter means that Hope has to confront her past, to share her own hidden secrets, with repercussions that might be even more far-reaching.

The relationship issues in this book are deliciously complicated – and while more inclined to sympathise more with one of the women than the other, I really liked the way the author handled the fall-out. I became particularly invested in their dilemmas and the paths they negotiated – and found the emotional twists and turns particularly authentic and engaging. It’s one of those books where you constantly ask yourself “what would I do?” – while being thankful that you don’t have the same degree of messiness to handle.

While Hope and Edie always draw the eye, and are central to the story, I also very much enjoyed the supporting cast. Hope’s son Paul, blissfully unaware much of the time of the impending tsunami, is particularly down-to-earth and likeable – and I enjoyed the women’s friendships, single go-getter Ana perhaps not being the best sounding board for Edie, Hope’s with Vita rather firmer and warmer but perhaps still not quite close enough to be party to her every secret. All the characters – yes, even Edie – are relatable and very real, and throughout the book the reader is drawn into the heart of its various relationships, feeling what the characters feel and sharing their often painful decision-making.

I really loved this book – a family drama with a real difference, emotionally engaging, a compelling story so well told, and very highly recommended.

(Review copied to Amazon UK, but link not yet available)

Another excellent book from Fanny Blake. Telling the story of a family with lots of twists and turns.

This is my first novel by Fanny Blake - and it certainly won't be my last!

Edie is a barrister; currently on maternity leave with her second child and she struggles through each day with her baby and her toddler, trying and failing to find the satisfaction she gets from her career. Hope, her mother-in-law loves her grandchildren and is a willing helper, but is wary of overstepping - she and Edie don't have the easiest of relationships. The reality is that both women have secrets - and live in dread of discovery.

What a read! Grabbing my attention from the very first, I had great sympathy with both women (and thank my lucky stars for a good relationship with both my children's partners). This is a superbly crafted story with terrific, well-developed characters which, although it covers some 'issues' is so beautifully written that the reader becomes involved with the story. Several twists and turns - more than one of which made me gasp out loud - make this is such an amazing read and one I'm very happy to thoroughly recommend and give five glowing stars.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

Paul and Edie are married with two daughters, but motherhood does not fulfil Edie, and she can't wait to get back to work as a barrister.
Hope is Paul's mother, divorced from his father Martin. She has her own life but loves to help out with her grandchildren.
Hope and Edie don't really get along. Edie feels that Hope is always interfering.
Both have a big secret that they are trying to hide.
I really couldn't warm to Edie. I thought she was a very selfish woman who put her needs above everything and everyone. Edie also didn't know when to keep her mouth shut. There were many times I wanted to shout at her to keep her nose out.
I felt sorry for Hope as all she wanted was to help Edie.
This is another cracking read by Blake. Family drama at its best.
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster UK for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I was hooked right from page one with this brilliant novel full of family secrets and their repercussions. It’s a great read and I totally recommend it.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Interesting story line pitching the empathetic mother in law Hope against the less likeable daughter in law Edi.It was a slow reveal of secrets from both parties which formed the bulk of the story Well written with a less than predictable reveal towards the end

A thought provoking story of family secrets and modern life,
Edie is married to Paul and has 2 children and is a barrister who when returns to work starts a affair with another barrister.
Hope is Paul's mum who runs her own baking company and tries to help to look after her grandchildren but often gets on the wrong side of Edie who feels she is not made for motherhood.
Hope has her own secret which re emerges and causes great concern and shock.
They both try to keep Paul from finding out their secret.
This is a great story of a relationship between Mother and daughter in law and is well written.
Would highly recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley & Simon and Schuster UK for a advanced copy.

I've read a few Fanny Blake novels and The Daughter in Law is definitely my favourite. It's a hugely gripping and compelling novel about relationship dynamics and family secrets that I was completely drawn into and raced through over the course of 24 hours.
Hope is close to her only son Paul and adores her two granddaughters but has a challenging relationship with her daughter in law Edie. The novel is told from both Hope and Edie's perspectives, I had mixed emotions about them both and I really questioned what I'd do in their shoes. This is a compellingly told, well plotted novel with realistic characters that I loved and would highly recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
4.5 stars

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review. This is a thought provoking story - so many secrets and inter linked lives. Well written and I’m happy to recommend it.