Member Reviews
OMG. What a book. This story drew me in from the very first sentence. First of all, I like stories where each of the main characters has their voice and their piece of story to tell. Here I found it and in a master form. In short, this book talks about family and relationships, their ties and connections. Here is a young couple, Charlotte and Ethan, looking to save money for their home. To do this, they decide to live in Ethan's family home with his mother, Anna. However, it soon turns out that both women cannot exist together in one space. What fascinated me the most and terrified me was the author's excellent knowledge of human behaviour. It was truly fascinating.
This book took me a little longer to read. I didn't "grab" me right away. I was curious on how and what Ethan's mom was going to do next, which is what kept me reading. Section 3 was when it really turned around for me. The suspense of what was going to happen next.. I read the last chapters like a horror movie...saying what are you doing, don't give up your hand, stop talking....
This book opens with the wedding of Charlotte and Ethan. In what should be their most magical day, Charlotte begins to see a different side of her new mother in law. Anna, the mother in law, is not so happy about the newly weds. It turns out, she will do anything to keep this marriage from working! Twist and turns lead to a shocking ending.
Love the cover. Right from the start you know this is gonna be a monster in law from hell.
Told from the 3 main characters points of view with 3 parts to the story. Good writing and 1 typo. All characters are well written .It took me a while to fully get into ethan's character as there were times when i felt he was just unrealistic but it was very true to life. I like the way that the past was drip fed. I did gueese the twist early on.
The tension was good. There were tines when i felt the plot was going a different way. The story was relatively short and part 1 seemed a little slow. The final twist was good but the story seemed to be over a lot quicker it was a dramatic finish which i wasnt expected. I didn't want the story to end.
This us a good solid 4 stars. Highly recommended novel worth sticking with . Really enjoyed this.
Thank you net gallery and bookshosocial for my arc.
I could not get very far in this book. I understood going into it that there would be some disconnect between main characters, but in the first couple chapters, it was almost painful and obvious the set-up was. I wondered why I would side with the daughter in law, when she was acting so poorly in so many situations. The book was a little over the top for me and not in a good way - I had to stop and couldn't complete it.
This was a great story, I started reading it and thought this is going to be boring but once I got to know Anna I changed my mind.
Anna’s son Ethan married Charlotte and Anna was not happy, she will do anything to keep her son with her, anything,
I don’t think Charlotte knew what she was getting into when she married Ethan, but it did not take long to find out.
Thanks netgalley for letting me read an early copy of this book, it was easy to read and got really exciting .
Charlotte and Ethan just got married and had to move in with Ethan's mother (Anna) because they got evicted from their apartment. From the very beginning, we see that neither Charlotte nor Anna likes each other. As tension mounts between the two women Charlotte discovers a family secret involving Ethan, but due to the lies and circumstances created by Anna nobody would believe Charlotte, as everybody thinks her mental health is deteriorating.
I like how to author builds the tension in this book, however, I did not like that the big family secret was only a small part of the story at the very end of the book. The book left me with some questions at the end..
Wowza! I don't think I have ever so much unliked (cuz I don't like to say hate) all the characters in a story as much as in this one. The mother-in-law was a manipulative, horrible woman. The daughter in law was spoiled and whiny. The son was just kind of spineless and useless. Their interactions were highly toxic from their actions to the way they talked to each other. There was also a lot of repetition of "she's mean", "she doesn't like me", "she's pure evil" and the son continually telling them they are wrong and that the other isn't any of those things. It was tiring!
Now this is what I call a proper psychological suspense thriller. I devoured this book in one sitting. The relationship between the mother and son was cringe worthy, but when he gets himself a wife the knives are out. The mother from hell, just how far is she prepared to go to keep her son??????
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.
Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an early copy of His Mother’s Lies. This was a fast reading book, I liked Ethan a lot, he was a great character. I sometimes felt the book was for a younger age group but I still enjoyed it. Psychologicals are my favorite genre and this one does fall into that category with the mind games from the mom. She was a real cuckoo.
I really wanted to like this one. There were just a little too many plot holes/written errors that prevented me from truly enjoying it. I had high hopes, and I was left slightly disappointed.
Anna is a widowed mother who loves her adult son Ethan but when he falls in love with then marries Charlotte she isn’t sensed to keep the peace her façade shows an awkward but nice lady who just cares for her son but inwardly the reader knows she is obsessed unhealthy and borderline demented Charlotte does her best to appease her mother-in-law but she also has an intense dislike for her and Ethan is stuck in the middle trying to make both of them happy when the couple get evicted for noise complaints sent to the landlord Anna insist they move in with her this is when the twisty roller coaster ride of craziness begins an OMG what a book! Oh yes I forgot to mention Anna is a hospice nurse and that’s important as well as far as thrillers go this was a fun demented read with twisty turns and an ending I knew was coming but not the way it did. I totally get this book 5 stars I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it. I received this book from NetGalley and a publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC!
The book is told through the lenses of Charlotte, we get to witness how her mother-in-law, Anna, is highly manipulative and will do anything to control those around her. As Charlotte slowly unveils her husband's family's lies and secrets, they could potentially derail their marriage and ruin her life. I appreciate that the characters here aren't portrayed as stupid - everything felt so real and spooky. The writing was great, but some bits moved a bit slowly for me; however, it quickly picked up before boredom strikes in.
To wrap it up, this is such an intriguing domestic thriller! I'm sure many readers will be able to relate to this evil mother-in-law narrative.
Review in progress and to come.
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review
Great synopsis and was looking forward to reading it…..however in the first couple of chapters there were errors and sentences like ‘it sits perfectly with my diamond engagement ring,makiing it one of the most valuable fingers on my body……………?????????
In need of editing re grammar etc and general readability,was a DNF for me
I was drawn to this book by its description and as a fan of thrillers. The plot was entertaining enough but I found the characters unrealistic and at times annoying. Yes, overpowering mother in law's are common and a very real problem, but the author builds up Charlotte, the daughter in law, to be kind, sensitive and smart. But she makes lots of very stupid decisions and rolls over too easily rather than standing her ground. The son also blindly takes his mother's side every time, believing a single narrative - realistically, the relationship between the mother and son should have set off alarm bells before a marriage! I would have liked Anna to have had to suffer the consequences of her actions at the end and die a lonely old woman.
There are some grammatical typos that need addressing.
His Mother's Lies is a gripping psychological thriller. It has triple POV. The reader gets to see Charlotte's perspective, Ethan's (her husband) and Anna's (her mother-in-law). We can read how each of them thinks. It's really a page turner and you just can't stop reading it. I finished it in less than 24 hours, while I was working.
So, Charlotte and Ethan is a couple. But Ethan's mother can't share her son with another woman. The book has three parts. At the first part, we get to know the characters before the marriage. At the second we see what happens right after the marriage. And last but not least, at the third part we have the ending and how things escalate. Finally, secrets are revealed and the plot twists don't stop.
It's a gripping thriller! I really felt a lot like Charlotte and honestly, it reminded me of past situations. Many times a man to son relationship has issues and isn't that healthy. And I think a lot of women have experienced it. Certainly, I haven't read anything similar to this before and I totally liked it! The only thing I didn't like was the writing in some pages, because I felt like I was reading a draft.
If you're into psychological thrillers, then I suggest you read J. A. Andrews!
Thank you, Net Galley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity! This is my honest review!
Thank you NetGalley for this arc! I likes reading this novel thinking this woman is crazy. This novel was good about an obsessive mother & a lot of dislike almost hate towards the daughter in law. I didn’t like certain area like it being so slow paced & the couple being toxic to one another. I did try and guess what would happen next but sometimes the twists and turns got me ! Which is one thing I love in a suspenseful novel. I felt sorry for charlotte I wanted Ethan to put his foot down sooner. I’m giving the book 2 stars for bad punctuations & words being frequently used in the wrong context. Also because the ending was really predictable .
The wedding of Ethan and Charlotte didn’t quite go as planned. Anna, Ethan’s mother certainly made her presence felt, something that Charlotte was not too happy about. But ever the dutiful, loving son, Ethan thought his mother was being treated too harshly. After all, she meant well, didn’t she?
There were so many things wrong with this book that I feel embarrassed for the author. Apart from being a poorly produced arc, which, if the story is good, I can accept, the errors flowed thick and fast.
With bad grammar, poorly constructed narrative, disjointed conversations and repetitions, this was a difficult read.
A good editing, clearing up of mistakes and a spellcheck would make this an ok read. As it is, with sincere apologies to the author, I could not recommend.
Thank you NetGalley.
3.25 Stars
Everyone's worst nightmare- a crazy mother-in-law!
I swear I've been trying to read all of my ARC in order by archive date, but somehow this one slipped by. I guess I thought it said Aug instead of April 8th. My Bad! But I still managed to finish the novel right on the archive date. Given I did stay up until 3 am to finish it.
This was a decently-paced novel that could be easily finished in one sitting. With that being said, the story didn't offer anything new. I had just read a similar book The Other Woman back in November. Maybe that's why I wasn't as drawn into the story as I could have been. I felt like The Other Woman managed to pull more feelings from me.
Additionally, I didn't care for the characters. I found them unlikable and superficial. I wanted more depth. I found Charlotte (protagonist) too impulsive and weak. If she had been stronger or more cunning, I would have enjoyed the story a lot more.
Overall, a decent read.
***Thank you to NetGalley, J.A. Andrews, and BooksGoSocial for graciously sending me the ARC to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***