When I requested The Mother-in-Law Book Club on NetGalley, before I started actually reading it, I was almost completely sure that I would love it and that it would be a stellar read for me. Looking at the title and the cover, I expected a bookish story that centered around problematic mother and daughter-in-law relationships, banter, and women finding comfort in an unlikely friendship. Unfortunately, the reading experience didn’t live up to these expectations except for one: yes, there was a comforting, unlikely friendship.
What Worked for Me
One of the highlights was the unusual first meeting between Andi and Marilyn. When Andi lashes out at Marilyn and another woman for criticizing their daughters-in-law, it sets the stage for an unexpectedly entertaining connection. Watching Andi and Marilyn gradually build a friendship was one of the more enjoyable aspects of the story.
The interactions between the women, particularly the moments when they support one another through their personal struggles, also brought some heartwarming scenes to the book. I appreciated the sense of solidarity that develops between them, and these moments gave the story some of the warmth I had hoped to find.
Dustin was another bright spot. He comes across as an ideal romantic male lead and is one of the easiest characters to care about. His presence added something positive to a reading experience that otherwise left me disappointed.
What Didn’t Work for Me
My biggest issue was the promises made by the title and cover, none of which were kept. I went in anticipating a book club with a meaningful bookish theme and a narrative exploring the complicated relationships between women and their mothers-in-law. Neither expectation was fulfilled in the way I had hoped.
Books themselves are barely featured in the story, which was particularly disappointing given the title. Similarly, although Andi is going through a divorce and occasionally mentions her insufferable mother-in-law, Jean, we learn very little about their relationship until approximately 90% into the book. The lack of background made it difficult to understand the dynamics between them or appreciate the significance of that relationship for Andi as the main character.
The final quarter introduced another problem for me. Without revealing any spoilers, a major development felt as though it had been thrown in simply to create tension rather than emerging naturally from the story, and felt unnecessary to me. More importantly, it affected my perception of Andi in a way that didn’t work for her character development. Instead of making her more compelling, it made her difficult to like.
Final Thoughts: Should You Read It?
Despite some genuinely heartwarming friendships and a charming male lead, The Mother-in-Law Book Club wasn’t the book I expected it to be. The misleading expectations created by its presentation, combined with the late introduction of important relationship details and a frustrating before-the-final development, kept me from connecting with the story as much as I wanted to.
That doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t enjoy it. My advice is to approach this book without expecting a strongly bookish storyline, an in-depth exploration of mother-in-law relationships, or particularly engaging banter. If you go in with fewer assumptions about what the title and the cover promise, you may find more to appreciate in the friendships and romantic elements of this book.
For me, however, this was a case of expectations getting in the way of enjoyment.
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