So excited to discover a new author courtesy of NetGalley!!! The First Wife's Secret was an absolute attention grabber from the first page!! I absolutely love family dramas and this one had ALL of them lol. Blended family, family secrets, past loves, abusive relationships, assault, action, medical crisis, "evil" step mother - checked off every box and left me fulfilled and happy that I read it. I've already reserved Claire Amarti's previous book because I loved this one so much! Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this fabulous book in exchange for an honest review <3

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.

This book is a story about a blended family. It includes a mother and father as well as three adult daughters with their significant others, and one granddaughter.

The relationships between the family members are fluid and change throughout the book. Long held family secrets come out and relationships change as a result of those secrets.

What I liked best about this book is the fact that a strong and loving family can deal with problems and come out in a better place. Once misunderstandings and assumptions are clarified, people can move on. Often, a health care crisis can bring a family together.

The First Wife's Secret by Claire Amarti is a unique family drama where relationships are not what they seem to have been all along. At a celebration of their 25th wedding anniversary, Dinah's father lifts a glass to her stepmother and says he has a big announcement to share...and then collapses to the ground. With her father in critical condition, Dinah must navigate her family relationships while figuring out the mystery of her mother's death when she was a young child As the middle child, she has always had a rocky relationship with her stepmother, which makes things all the more difficult.

An interesting novel, although I felt it dragged in certain spots. I really had to push to finish. Thank you to the author, Books Go Social and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This was good old fashioned story telling…I was hooked from page one. Intricate melding of characters and circumstance which kept me reading into the night. An intense mystery and family drama with effective and insightful writing. A great read with a feel good ending.

Looking forward to reading more from this author.

My interest was definitely piqued at the beginning of this, however it seemed to drag on and seemed to lack something for me. A lot of repetition and It certainly didn't really keep me on tenterhooks trying to second guess the "secrets".

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book.

I finished this book in one sitting. Very good read, some secrets destroy while others can uplift. Read this book to find out the wife’s secret.

A good easy weekend read. First time reading this author. While I wasn't absolutely hooked like I was hoping I would be I would definitely purchase another book by this author.

A good book that I enjoyed. George and Mara are about to celebrate their wedding anniversary with their family and friends when George takes ill with a cardiac arrest just before he makes a big announcement. George's daughters flock to his hospital bedside, eager for him to get better.

While he lies there his daughters from his first marraige learn more about their mother and the family secrets long buried return to the surface. An intriguing story , that will keep you turning the pages.

The First Wife’s Secret begins with a large anniversary party on a hot day. The party is to be outside in their backyard and the family has gathered. It seems everyone in the family has a secret. The Patriarch, George, has said that he has an important announcement to make when he suddenly pitches forward and is unresponsive. His daughters and wife are frantic, but also wonder what his announcement was going to be. The story goes on from there.
I liked this book, but was somewhat frustrated with the repetitive nature of some of the chapters. I would recommend it to friends and it did not keep me from wanting to find out what the secrets were, as there were several.
I want to thank NetGalley and Claire Amarti for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book and it grabbed my attention from page one until the last page. It is two stories that weave themselves together. I will be looking for more books by this author.

I enjoyed this book. I usually read rather gritty thrillers so this was a nice change as it was more of a romance/family/slow paced storyline.
I like this author and will look out for other books by her.
Thank you Netgalley and BooksgoSocial for giving me the opportunity to give my unbiased opinion of this book

What an interesting book! I couldn't put it down. If I wasn't reading it I was thinking about it! This is the first book I've read by this author and it won't be the last!

This is a beautiful story of a family coming together. Dinah Spencer returns to her family home to celebrate her father and step-mother's 25th wedding anniversary. As Dinah's father George begins to make an announcement he collapses. Each of the daughters, Vaughn, Dinah and Lottie deal with the father's illness in their own way. As the secrets begin to unravel about Bonnie, George's first wife and mother to Vaughn and Dinah, emotions begin to escalate. Everyone seems to have their own memories of what had happened to Bonnie, but the truth is very different.

This is a good family story exposing the secrets of each member. It ends well with all of the loose ends being tied up nicely. A lovely book and well worth reading

Really enjoyed this book, It was interesting and an easy read. I wanted to know more about the characters and their story.

This is an excellent book about family and relationships and secrets they contain. The Mother of the 2 oldest daughters died in a car accident many years and their father remarried. They then had another daughter. At one time the sisters were very close but things have changed over the years and relationships are strained between the two youngest daughters. At a special anniversary party, their father was starting to make a special announcement when he passed out. He was rushed to the hospital and it was uncertain if he would regain consciousness and survive. A lot of drama and life changing events occurred during the time he was in a coma. During this time, family secrets are revealed and relationships change. M I

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I feel like this story has been told too many times. Parent becomes I'll, grown kids come home, secrets are revealed.

I guess I didn't really feel in the mood for this book when I picked it up to read as I found it hard to get into the characters. George and Mara celebrate their 25th anniversary throwing a party with their daughter and two step-daughters from George's first marriage. Partners/husbands and grand daughter also present at times. Somewhat stressed relationships and then George had a massive coronary and was rushed off to hospital before he could make what was going to be a grand announcement. Siblings very different. Lots of decisions about their lives, a house that still is the same as when first wife was alive, an amazingly tolerant second wife. Very much a person person story and how the girls interact. Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Black sheep of the family, Dinah, is summoned home to participate in her dad and stepmom's anniversary party. Her dad suffers a heart attack and the family becomes unmoored. Family dynamics and secrets are unearthed leaving Dinah to wonder why she's been disinherited from her loving father. The family struggles to put itself back together again while the dad fights for his life.

I started reading this book on a Friday, and couldn't put it down until I finished it Saturday morning! This story is full of drama, romance, sisterhood and a mystery all thrown together. I escaped right into the story and lost myself in the pages. Great read on a rainy day!