Having lost her mother at an early age, Ellie has always wanted to be part of a large, loving family like the Coopers. Parents Linda and Michael dote on their three children, and when Ellie marries Dan, their eldest son, she is thrilled when they welcome her in and treat her as one of their own. But Linda, who starts off as the perfect mother, quickly turns into the mother-in-law from hell, interfering in every aspect of Dan and Ellie's life. When they return from their honeymoon and the Coopers' dysfunctions start to reveal themselves, Ellie wonders whether she's made a terrible mistake.

Ellie discovers that she is pregnant and she hopes that the baby will make her relationship with her mother-in-law easier. But things get even worse and Tom's arrival sets off a chain of events that threatens everything Ellie has always dreamed of….

With a cast of vivid and memorable characters, Jane Green has written a novel that paints an honest, compassionate and, above all, engaging picture of family life.