Book Review: The Sister-in-Law by Sue Watson

Source: Goodreads

Life has been so boring lately. We're on our summer break now, but there really isn't a lot to look forward too. I mean I've been doing nothing but eat, study, and sleep. Oh, and read too. I have been reading A LOT. 

Which is why I've decided to come back with another book review. Fingers crossed, guys.

Why did I read this book? Well, it's a pretty boring story. In fact, I've probably repeated it several times before. Saw it in my recommendations, read the synopsis, checked out the ratings, and BAM! I purchased it on my Kindle and settled down to read.

The novel is told from the point of view of Clare, the protagonist (well what else would she be?!) of this story. She, her husband, Dan, and their three kids are taking a much-needed vacation in a lovely holiday villa in Italy, accompanied by Dans's parents and brother too.

But here's the catch: Jamie (Dan's wayward brother) brings along a woman. And not just any woman, but his new wife, who nobody knew about. And this, my friends, is where the trouble begins.

Ella is everything Clare is not. She's young, pretty, slim, and popular. Everybody loves her. Well, everyone except Clare. Because, of course, she thinks Ella is up to something.

The novel started off pretty well, in my opinion. We're given a glimpse into Clare's thoughts and feeling about herself, her husband, and her husband's theatrical family. We see her constant desire to fit in and please them, especially considering she has no real family of her own. 

However, things started to go downhill pretty quickly. I didn't like our protagonist much, she seemed overdramatic and waaaay too sensitive. Moreover, most of the characters really weren't that likeable. I think my favourite character was probably the 9-year-old, and that doesn't even count.

The plot was pretty stale for about 50% of the book, all we hear is Clare repeating the same things over and over again. "Oh, she's so manipulative, why does nobody believe me?!" Yeah, that was basically it.

I really did consider giving up, but I'm a stickler when it comes to finishing books, so I persevered. And I must say, I'm kind of glad I did. The author managed to throw in a bunch of surprises towards the end of the novel, and I think that raised my overall opinion of the book. It did take REALLY LONG to get to the good part though.

I think I'd give this book a 3/5. The ending (although I somewhat guessed it) made up for my boredom reading most of the novel, and I did like the plot twists.

If you ever read this book, please tell me what you think!