Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for giving me an ARC of The First Wife’s Secret by Claire Amarti in exchange for an honest review. The premise of the book definitely interested me and I was excited to get started and was sucked right into the story. Right in the beginning you learn that the family is gathering for an anniversary party for their parents. The three daughters share a father, however the youngest daughter has a different mother than the older two. There is definite tension in the family and it seems much of it surrounds the middle daughter, Dinah. During the party, the patriarch of the family collapses while in the middle of making an announcement that is a shock to all and then the family is in limbo. Most of the story takes place while waiting to see what will happen to the patriarch.

There is a LOT of tension between the siblings which eventually unravels but for most of the story, it just keeps mentioning how Dinah and Lottie, the younger sister, were so close but now aren’t. It was a little frustrating but eventually it was revealed. There was also Vaughn and there was a storyline that was a little confusing between her and her husband as well as her sisters. I felt as though more could have been with her character.

The different storylines all meshed well together eventually, even though it was a little confusing as to how it would happen in the beginning.

#NetGalley #ARC #TheFirstWifesSecret #ClaireAmarti #Fiction #ContemporaryFiction #Family #Secrets #March #2021

Easy reading tale. Narrated by three sisters, each with their own issues and views on their relationship within the family, which gave rise for contemplation of human nature. I enjoyed this book, although I didn’t get to truly get to know each character in depth.

I was expecting a intense mystery, instead I got a in depth story of a families struggles and issues with step mom and half sibling. What an amazing story it is though. I was delightfully surprised once I got into this book. A great read which will keep a person engrossed and wanting to find out exactly how this families story got so twisted. One must also remember things are not always as they seem. Great read will be recommending this.

In her family drama The First Wife’s Secret Claire Amarti tells a fast-paced story that takes the reader on an emotional rollercoaster. We meet the Spencer family as they get prepared to celebrate George’s and Mara’s anniversary in style, but even before the party gets under way, the reader is gripped by an uneasy feeling of foreboding and senses trouble ahead: ‘We are a family fraying at the seams. One good tug would tear the stitches right out.’

This is exactly what happens when George, the core and glue of the family, collapses and goes into cardiac arrest just as he raises his glass in celebration. His three daughters and his wife Mara have to come to terms with a new reality, which makes them question the one they have known up to now. Mainly narrated from the perspectives of two of his daughters, Dinah and Lottie, it turns out all family members have their secrets. As the story unfolds and these secrets surface, the family is pulled apart, only to be finally drawn together again in a most cathartic way.

This is a very enjoyable book with likeable characters who all have a story to tell, including the omnipresent but absent character of George’s first wife, to whom the book owes its title. The reader is invited to reflect on his or her own life choices and how they may affect their nearest and dearest, given that ‘all our human stories twist up in each other’s until no one can untangle one thread from another.’

Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A party, with a family gathering within. Three sisters, all watching their dad give a speech. Just as he is building up to his big announcement, clutches his chest and falls to the floor....
Will he survive? What was the big secret? And his three daughters - why does Dinah see herself as the black sheep? What is going on with Vaughan’s marriage? And what has Lottie got planned for her future?

I loved how this book used Dinah and Lottie as narrators to tell the story of a family who are still struggling with the ghosts of the past whilst thinking about their futures....futures that are now on hold as they wait for news of their dad.

My first book by this author and I will looking for another!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy.

Unfortunately I could not finish this book. I tried to push through thinking it would get more exciting, but it never came. The characters were just so badly written, the story line was just boring. There are ways to do twists and secrets but this was not it.

I always hate giving bad reviews and maybe someone who just wants a bland story will love, but this girl likes excitement.

George and Mara Spencer are having a 25th anniversary celebration at their home and it is a hot day. They are the parents of Lottie and Mara is the stepmother to George’s daughters, Vaughan and Dinah whose mother died in a car crash many years ago.

Vaughan has a professional position and is married to an equally successful man. Dinah is the single mother to Josie whose father is not a part of their lives. However, she is newly engaged to Max, from a wealthy family in town. Lottie still lives at home.

Just as George is starting to make an announcement to the party attendees, he falls to the ground. At the hospital, the family is told that he did not just have a heart attack, his heart stopped. Intubated, the family watches and waits praying that he will live.

As the days go by waiting for their father’s recovery, many family secrets emerge and hard feelings are aired and put to rest. In addition, the sisters decide which path is right for them in marriage.

This is a good book that imparts a lot of wisdom about grown siblings and how they handle their grudges with one another. They also learn that forgiveness is key to keeping the family together.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Suitable for adults, high school, or upper YA readers, this book delved into relationship issues between sisters and between daughters/their father and stepmother after mother’s death. Also dealing with medical emergency. I felt the characters were mostly believable, but some could have been more fleshed out. The story held my interest for the most part.

Really good book. I enjoyed the story line and the different twists and turns to the plot. I liked all of the characters and how they and their relationships evolved through the book. Except I didn't like Max from the very beginning! This is also a great selection for a book club discussion.

This was not a book. This was a beautiful story told so eloquently by the author. The characters were all so full of life and so believable as real people. I totally became a part of this book and the lives of the Spencer family. I loved the way the story came together at the end and the epiloge was a big surprise.

In spite of the problems between the different members of the family, this was a feel good book. This is the first book I've read of this author but it certainly won't be the last. Simply written, but with much emotion, this is a book to savour; one which you will read slowly to stretch the hours. It breaks and warms the heart at the same time; just like true family.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.
OKAY, let me just tell you that this is a negative review...
I didn't like it at all, the storyline was so weak, the plot was so lame, in addition to that, you get a bunch of under developed characters.
Firstly, the story, it starts with George ( the father) having a cardiac arrest in his anniversary's party, and since the author described him as the person that kind of bonds them all together, everyone is trying to cope in his own way, and here's a list how:
1- Mara (the wife): she turn into a statue, she is weirdly calm and keeping up well.
2- Dinah (second daughter): she is really sad about her father, but at the same time, has a lot in her plate trying to take care of her little girl and navigating her relationship with her boyfriend and ex-husband.
3- Lottie (third daughter): after her father's cardiac arrest, she starts an obsession with her father's first wife, she is sure that his dead wife is trying to pull her father to her side of the world while he is in coma.
Secondly, the characters, they were written so bland, and without any character development even in the end of the book.
Lastly, the ending, i didn't like it, it was so underwhelming, the author keep teasing you about the secret throughout the book and when she finally reveals it, it was so... Weak, i was like, this couldn't be the end, it was so bad.
Overall, a really boring book.

This is a story about family relationships- secrets, misinterpretations, heartbreak, healing, closure, reconciliation. Dinah and Lottie are the main voices in this book. Dinah is the "rebellious" middle child, who is a single parent. Lottie is the youngest sister, the "half" sister. Dinah's mom, Bonnie, died when she was 4 years old, and her dad, George, married Mara.

Bonnie is idolized by the children and the house and furnishings are the same as when she was alive. Lottie uncovers clues which hint that Bonnie may not have been as perfect as everyone says.

This book was a quick read and I enjoyed it. I wish we were able to get to know the older sister more than the author allowed us. Overall, the book was fast paced and kept my interest.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting (and late into the night!). It centers on the Spencer family, who have grown apart in recent years due to various secrets and misunderstandings that have fractured their dynamic. When the patriarch of the family, George, suffers a heart attack while addressing the guests at his anniversary party, the rest of the family is left to pick up the pieces while they anxiously await the status of his condition. The chapters alternate between the POVs of Dinah, the middle sister, and Lottie, the youngest sister.

This is one of those books where there is a mystery to be revealed, but it's more of a finding oneself story than anything else. I saw the major twist coming from almost the beginning, but there were a couple other surprising secrets revealed that helped me understand the characters better. All of the characters were believable and human and I could empathize with each of them, even when they did frustrating things. Each family member had a secret and each secret chipped away at the barriers they had built between themselves for years. The end of the story ties up everything nicely and left me feeling good about how it all turned out, though some might think it was tied up a little too cleanly.

I would definitely recommend this book for those who like family dramas with a little bit of mystery thrown in. I plan on picking up Amarti's other book now that I have read this one. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The First Wife's Secret by Claire Amarti. Fast paced and engrossing family drama with likeable and reliable characters. More than one secret is revealed. No wicked stepmother here, one comes to like Mara the more the story progresses. Well written and entertaining read.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

I absolutely loved this book and the author’s writing style. The story is told through three POVs that flow together perfectly. The characters were authentic and realistic making this a story I could really connect with.

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: George Spencer goes into cardiac arrest during his 25th wedding anniversary celebration surrounded by family and friends. This occurs minutes before he was planning to share some surprising news. Within the first few chapters you begin sensing some drama within this small town, working class family. In addition, it becomes apparent that each of the main characters have secrets to bare.

“𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐮𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭.”

This was an excellently crafted book that I couldn’t wait to finish. It really put into perspective how life has to continue even amidst a family tragedy. During these trying times, you begin thinking about all the wrongs that need righted. It takes communication to earn a second chance, and you never know if you will receive one unless you try.

Thank you to the Claire Amarti, BooksGoSocial, and NetGalley for a copy of this novel. I will definitely be recommending this one!

First Wife’s Secret by Claire Amarti

The opening of this books is set in the garden of George Spencer’s house where he is surrounded by friends and family as he and his second wife, Mara, celebrate their 25 wedding Anniversary. As he is poised to deliver his speech, with an announcement he collapses and is rushed to hospital with a heart attack. His three daughters, Vaughan, Dina (by his first wife Bonnie) and Lottie by his second wife, Mara, are left bewildered and concerned. Vaughan’s husband did not join the family on this trip, Dina is there with her daughter and Lottie lives with George and Mara.

Like many families there are different dynamics between the parties concerned although they are not discussed or analysed between the parties concerned. Why has George in contact with his lawyer; what was the announcement? If we think of the title, what was Bonnie’s secret?

You will note that my review has thrown quite a few names at you – so did the book and it was a little hard to separate out who was who, and who did what to whom and why. Clearly most books have a secret at the heart be it unrequited love, a crime, or whatever.

I did enjoy the book but was not bowled over by the uncovering of the secret. So, with apologies, somewhat less than a 5 star review. A good book but more a pleasant surprise than an explosion.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

Clare Amarti is a new to me author, but this won't be the last book I read by her! It was a well done story that sucked me in from the beginning and did not let go! I just couldn't put it down until I had all the answers! I highly recommend this book!

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley. This book is a family drama, and I read it in one sitting. It was that good!! The story begins with George, the father of Dinah, Vaughan, and Lottie, collapsing at his wedding anniversary party, right as he was about to make a big announcement. Lottie's mother, Mara, married George after Dinah and Vaighan's mother was killed in a car wreck when they were young.

The story is told from alternating characters, and I was surprised how well I felt like I knew all of the characters. Ms. Amarti did an excellent job of developing all the characters and their stories in only 298 pages! Her storytelling was concise, and the dialogue was very believable.

I definitely enjoyed this story, and I recommend it highly to readers who enjoy family dramas.

Claire Amarti’s second novel, “The First Wife’s Secret,” is a family drama about three women (sisters or step sisters) who are forced to reexamine the long-held confusion and hurt that they’ve felt toward one another.

At the party celebrating George Spencer’s 25th wedding anniversary to his second wife Mara, he has a heart attack. Mara is the mother of Lottie, and step mother to Dina and Vaughn. All three daughters are devastated. But they’re also reminded how precious life is, and begin to struggle with what, exactly, created the unspoken tension in their family. As their father lays struggling for life in the hospital, they begin to rethink their relationship with each other and their loved ones. What went wrong? Mara and her daughter, Lottie, reveal their secrets to each other. Vaughn and Dinah, George’s daughters from his first marriage, still feel the pain of losing their mother, Bonnie, in a tragic car accident, but their father’s close call is a warning for them to reach out to the others.

This is a fantastic story. Sometimes family life is hard, but there is, ultimately, joy in the difficult job of reconnecting to face life’s battles together. Bonnie, the first wife, was far from perfect in ways that Vaughn and Dinah never knew. When the truth comes to light, they realize how different their lives could have been, and are stronger for it,. At the heart of this story is the wonderful theme of second chances. I really enjoyed it, and will recommend to friends. Five stars!

Thank you to Claire Amarti and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley, BooksGoSocial and Claire Amarti for an ARC to review.
A family drama told by the Spencer family. On a hot day while celebrating his 25th anniversary, George has a sudden heart attack and gets rushed to ER.
During his unconscious time at the hospital, his three daughters, his second wife, his granddaughter and the memory of his first wife struggle through their past drawing a clearer view of how it truly happened paving the path for the future. Hope and uncertainty compete, both tugging at George trying to win him over their side.
I wouldn't categorise it as a thriller or a mystery, it's an emotional family drama where the mystery is untangling the past and surviving the truth that reveals.
I really liked it.