The First Wife's Secret

Claire Amarti will have you examining the influence one small choice can have on the rest of your life. Her second novel, “The First Wife’s Secret,” is to be published February 28, 2021, and is a family drama about ordinary women who find out that their ordinary lives may not be so ordinary after all.

As the Spencer girls’ father is about to speak at his back yard 25th wedding anniversary party, he drops the microphone and falls to the ground. As he’s rushed for emergency surgery, the girls are reminded just how precious life is, and they begin to struggle with choices they’ve made that have contributed to the disconnected family. The longer the patriarch stays in the hospital, the longer the girls have to come to terms with their relationship with each other and their loved ones. At the heart of this novel is the theme of second chances. Mara, the second wife and mother to Lottie, unburdens her secret, which, in turn, gives Lottie freedom to reveal her secret, too. Vaughn and Dinah, George Spencer’s children from his first marriage, have already lost their mother, Bonnie, in a tragic car accident. Their father’s heart attack and close call is a warning for them to heal the rift and reach out to the others to create a stronger family. As the Spencers learn, second chances are rare, and it’s important to grab them when the opportunity presents itself.

You’ll love Amarti’s fantastic story. There’s a little of all of us in these ordinary women facing life’s difficulties. You’ll be reminded that we are all facing battles and if we take our eyes off ourselves for a moment, we can enlist others to help support us and return the offer once battle fatigue is over. We need each other. We weren’t designed to fight alone. Amarti’s story will challenge you to look at yourself in a different light. It’s when we have this ability, we realize that our strength comes in unity and doesn’t compromise our place within a family nor our individuality. Bonnie, the first wife, made a poor choice and it affected not only her life, but also loved ones close to her for decades to come. There’s a lesson in this for all of us; don’t make decisions lightly. We are all just one decision away from a completely different life.

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

Dinah, Lottie, and Vaughn are at their childhood home to celebrate the 25th wedding anniversary of their dad, George, and his wife, Mara. Dinah and Vaughn are George's daughters with his first wife, Bonnie, who died in a tragic accident when the girls were very young. Vaughn, the oldest, has a seemingly perfect life with her perfect husband. Dinah is a single mother raising her young daughter. Lottie is the youngest and is the only one still living at home.
Just as he is about to make an announcement, George suffers a severe heart attack. What was he going to announce? Why is there so much tension between Dinah and Mara? What caused Dinah and Lottie to become estranged? Is Vaughn's life really as perfect as it seems?
This book is about the bond between families, especially sisters and how misunderstandings can affect relationships. There's also a bit of mystery regarding Bonnie. I really enjoyed this book and all the characters, it was a quick, easy read and kept my interest throughout.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for the eARC.
This was a good family drama which I enjoyed quite a bit.
George and Mara are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary with their children and stepchildren. Just as George starts an announcemen, he suffers a severe heart attack and whatever he had to say is left unsaid.
The family dynamic is well developed, it rings true, especially when it comes to the bond between sisters. The ending was satisfying too and I definitely recommend this read. The ending was good too and I definitely recommend this read.

First, i have to say that this book was not what I expected. I thought it would be more of a mystery, and have darker tones to it with a surprise twist at the end (isn't that what everyone does now?)

Instead this was a sweet family drama full of romance, sisterhood, and family crisis with a mystery thrown in. I read the book in one sitting - it was a well written easy read. Really good for this time of stress in our lives. Pure charming escapism..

Thank you to the author, the publisher and to #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

George is just about to make an announcement at a family party when he collapses with a heart attack. he is on life support in hospital while his devastated three daughters, granddaughter, and second wife are all in disarray. They all have hidden secrets and there is also the mystery of the death of George's first wife, Bonnie, who died in a car crash many years ago. I enjoyed this book and found it an easy read although I found it slightly confusing as it kept changing perspective from all the characters.

Thank you to the publishers , Netgalley and the author , for my gifted book ! Another book I enjoyed !! The story was well written and fast paced !

Growing up in a home with both a full & and a half sibling, I could relate to most of the characters. Because of this connection, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. While exploring the dynamics of the Spencer family, I was pulled into the narrative by the complexity of the sisters' relationships with each other and their parents. This book authentically shows the secrets, miscommunications, and misunderstandings we all carry that we fail to mend because of pride, stubbornness or a sense of self- preservation. Only when we make ourselves vulnerable and chose to let others in and share our truth, will we feel the most connected and in turn, free.

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.

George collapses during his speech at his 25th Wedding Anniversary party. His family 2nd wife Mara, daughters Dinah and Vaughn from his first marriage and their younger daughter Lottie are thrown into turmoil. When Lottie visits her father a nurse says he has been asking for Bonnie his first wife. Lottie decides to look through Bonnie's box in the loft and a mystery unfolds. A emotional story of a family with hidden secrets

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

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

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 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!

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.

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!

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 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.

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.

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.

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

Families have secrets and they all come out when the patriarch of the family has a heart attack. In the hospital on a ventilator and not able to answer the questions that are arising within the family. The three daughters come together and find the answers they were not actually looking for.

A family with secrets. Three sisters. A father celebrating a wedding anniversary with his second wife when he collapses. A box is found with letters from the first wife. Will the family hold together?

A page-turner. Not what I expected, which was good. I like the unexpected. I hope to read more from this author.

Amarti's novel focuses on a family barely held together after a father's serious illness, as well as the revelation of mysteries at the basis of the family's unrest. Told from the perspective of each of the characters, the novel is a pleasure to read--a great get away!

I loved the alternating perspectives of this one. It was a fairly quick read with mystery and secrets - my favorite type of book! Even though I read it quickly, I hung on to the author’s word. She has such a way of captivating readers and immersing them in the story. I felt like I was part of the Spencer family. I love the way the ending tied up. All in all, a solid read. It definitely won’t be my last by this author.

Nice, easy read with relatable family dynamics. Definitely not a "grippng page-turner", but the book does have a few mysterious underlying storylines within the main story. Will definitely read more of author, as book was an enjoyable way to spend the afternoon.

Dinah's father is celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary to his second wife, Mara, and she's back in town for a quick visit with her daughter Josie. Lottie and her step sisters were once close but not lately. When they discover a box in the attic that belonged to Dinah and Vaughn's mother (the first wife) the family looks like it's going to implode. With their dad, George clinging to life from a heart attack the women in the family must decide what is important and what defines family. A good story with strong women characters. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The First Wife's Secret is a great women's fiction novel by Claire Amarti.
I love family sagas and this one had me engrossed early on.
The family kept me interested and I couldn't put this one down.
Of course it involves some suspense, secrets, and twists, which is always fun.
Overall, it's a story of three women who have to deal with their pasts and their feelings about each other. The author does a great job exploring the way secrets and misunderstandings grow over the years. The characters are realistically stubborn, carrying this pain.
I love everything about this book.
Definitely check this one out when you're in the mood for a good family drama involving sisters.

I really enjoyed this family drama. I thought the portrayal of the sisters was pretty realistic and how they came together during a crisis was heartwarming. It's amazing how one secret from more than 25 years ago can profoundly affect the present.

Sadly this didn't hold my attention as much as I would have liked and was too drawn out in places for me. I did enjoy the storyline and grew to like and know the characters .

A good book overall and recommended for an easy read.

Thank you Netgalley.

This book is great! I could not put it down! I
kept catching myself going right back to it. I
was up all night with it.
Some family books can be boring but not this
one. It just kept getting deeper and more interesting!


Thank you so much, NetGalley, Claire Amarti, and your
Publisher for the chance to read and give an honest
opinion on the book! I loved it~

Great book. Highly recommend and will most defiantly read more by this author and suggest to others!

The Spencer family has it all. Secrets, lies, and maybe murder? As the Spencer family gets together to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their parents, their dad collapses into a coma after a heart attack. The daughters must work together to keep the family together, even if it means discovering the secrets of two different families. Such an emotional story kept the pages turning all night. I couldn’t put it down!

This is my first book by this author and it was absolutely wonderful. Family, illness, divorce, new babies.......you name it it's there. Very well written with characters that could have been slightly more developed. A great relaxing read.

I received an ebook ARC from Netgalley but read a paperback copy and this is my voluntary, honest review.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. Interesting drama novel. Recommend

Couldn't put this book down just had to turn page after page til I hit the very end in one day. You will not regret reading this book from this author. Thanks so much for BB the great read.

This is the first time I've read Claire Amarti and I will definitely read more. The story is about three sisters (2 from a previous marriage and 1 from the current marriage) with lots of secrets. This was a story that encompasses all the intricate details of family. The characters were very likeable and the plot was very good. Thank you to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for the advanced copy in return for my honest review.

A book about family and the illusions we weave to make ourselves feel successful. A blended family must face their differences and especially what they share as a family when their father is seriously ill. I enjoyed the journey with this family. Claire Amarti has obviously lived with them in her heart for awhile. She shared with us and made us care for them.