This book started out with such promise. In the end though, it's too much drama and hardly any mystery. It comes off more as a rant than an actual story.

I cannot in good conscience feel sorry for the MC and I definitely could not relate to her. I finished the entire book hoping things would change, but it promised a lot and did not deliver. There are huge plot holes in this that have not been filled in.

Just a woman's history back and forth that ends up with a woman's death. I'm sorry, but that's not a true mystery.

Emily knowingly ending back up in her own misery makes her very unlikable. Nothing was explained well. Plus, the hypocrisy was just astounding.

I really wanted to like this and I absolutely hate giving bad reviews. But honestly compels me to list why I have such issues with this book.

I do not recommend this book.

Thanks for to Net Galley, the publisher, and to Rebecca de Winter for the ability to read and review this book. All opinions are mine and are completely honest.

This book took me down a path I was not expecting and I was totally blindsided. That being said, I really enjoyed this one and found myself putting aside other books to finish this one. You can somewhat surmise what will ultimately happen by reading the prologue but how the story unfolded was totally unexpected.

This one will have you skipping your responsibilities to finish.

I will say that there are some triggers warnings that should be included in this book so please be mindful and look up triggers prior to reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

I hadn't read the synopsis so didn't quite know what to expect. It seems at first a straightforward thriller about a woman in prison revealing why she killed her husband. But it turned out to be far more than that: a surprisingly feminist treatise about coercive control and a woman's revenge (which could also be construed as justice). It took a while before the scales fell from Emily's eyes and she realised how badly she and friends had been treated by wealthy older men at parties. One friend had been found dead, but it was regarded as an accident.
I found the story slow to unfold and reach the boil. Emily as a character both infuriated and fascinated me, an ideal combination!

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Second Marriage.
Interesting plot with a self absorbed woman who claims to be the victim but is also the villain of a murder.
Emily resides in jail for a murder. She is beautiful and in many ways enchanting. She is granting an interview with a young woman, Naomi. The purpose is the Naomi to complete her thesis but she also wants to know why Emily committed murder. Emily had everything- money, looks, wealthy friends.
The story goes back in time as Emily tells her story.
Sometimes the dialogue was too much information and was meaningless. Overall good book with a satisfying ending. 3.5 stars

an awesome domestic thriller!!!! quite the page turner, especially the very last 10% of the book!!! highly recommend!!!!

Toxic people and toxic relationships abound in this book. A quick read but missed the mark for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

Enjoyable domestic thriller with a powerful and original protagonist voice. Em is a gripping character and I loved her sense of justifiable rage and her disdain for some of the mundane things in her life. The novel works both as a moral tale that highlights abuse but also as a parody of modern life with well observed putfowns about contemporary life.
The sense of building tension worked well as did the three timeliness which were intercut.

This book had me hooked from the start.
There’s two timeline and perspectives. Naomi’s perspective and Emily’s perspective. The story is centered on Emily’s life. She’s incarcerated for killing her husband. There’s so many parts of Emily’s life that show how she ended up in that position.

You almost feel bad for Emily. She’s an interesting character.
I wouldn’t say this book is a thriller more family drama or domestic drama.

Name of Book: The Second Marriage
Author: Rebecca de Winter
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: September 26, 2024
My Rating: 3 Stars
Pages: 310

Prologue starts with Naomi who is writing her PhD thesis and interviewing women. She states Emily would be perfect and then visits her in prison.
Things had been perfect for Emily perfect life - perfect husband- perfect daughter. However with Emily is now in prison. Not sure if her life had ever been ‘perfect’.

Story was more complicated not sure if that is the correct word but definitely more involved than I expected.

I want to thank to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this early this early eGalley
Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 26, 2024.

Such a good book had me hooked and will recommend to others. I want to read more by this author and will look out for similar books

There are several undisclosed book trigger warnings!! Please look them up before reading this book.

I would call this more of a domestic drama with a side of abusive relationships. I went into this novel expecting a thriller with crazy twists and secrets kept by the husband and the wife (Emily), and the mysterious prologue only furthered that conception.

Basically the novel is split between 3 timelines: the early 2000s, where Emily was in college; the 2010s where Emily went from one marriage to her second; and 2023, where Emily is being interviewed by a PhD student while behind bars for some unknown crime. The crime is slowly revealed in the drama of the 3 storylines and their eventual intersection.

I thought the character of Emily was enjoyably morally grey. So many terrible and traumatic things happened to her in her formative years, yet she did some not great things to people who loved her in return. Liam was the unlikeable villain that he was written to be, and I am content with the way his storyline ends.

My biggest qualm with this book was that the first and second halves felt like completely different novels. In the first part, Emily plays the part of a stay-at-home mother and housewife in a small suburban neighborhood. She has a husband, daughter and friends, and it seems really quiet. Then she randomly begins to do some not traditional housewife things and the story is derailed from there. The second half of the story explores her abusive and exploitive relationship with a man from her past. The two halves don't mesh well together at all, despite some attempts to make it a cohesive story, so it felt a bit jarring. Along with that, there were a couple storylines that felt thrown in for fun (Instagram pictures, friendship with Billie, even Anna sort of) that further took away from the main plot.

Overall this was an interesting domestic drama, but I wouldn't necessarily classify it as thrilling or mysterious. It's a quick read so it's a great book for in-between books in a series or to switch up your genres briefly.

How can a mother protect her daughter while her past is catching up to her. Emily is a wife mother who
Ho has a checkered past. Liam shows up in Emily’s life at a time when Emily is at crossroads in her marriage. She finds out her husband Pete is cheating on her with her friend Sarah his ex. Seeing Liam brings Emily back to her younger self.. being taken in by his charm his so called love for her., Telling her what to wear who she can hang with treating her roughly. Something isn’t right and Emily goes back for more abuse. It’s not until one horrible night at one of these parties that Liam and his associates run that everything falls apart. Emily realizes her life is a mess . How can she leave the man she loves?
Years later with her marriage falling apart Liam is back and Emily falls under his spell again. She marries him and then the truth comes out. Now how will she protect her daughter.
This was a very powerful book. I didn’t expect some of the twists. Yet I knew Emily would do anything to protect her daughter. Even if it meant prison. I felt bad for Emily because one man seduced her into a situation you didn’t understand. someone she trusted who turned on her and didn’t care what he did and who he hurt.
Thank you, NerGalley and Storm for the ARC. Thank you Ms de Winter for writing such a powerful story. Every woman should read this book . Once they do, it will stay with them like it has with me four stars.

Emily has the perfect life. The perfect husband. The perfect daughter. But she also has the perfect secret!! This book took me a minute to get through I kept coming back to it?! But in the end it was a fantastic read! It had great suspense, murder, mystery, a great who done it and some really crazy twists and turns! The story was very interesting and kept me glued to my kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and storm publishing for sharing this book with me!

Ohh what a book this was. It had a bit of everything love, betrayal, secrets, heartbreak and death what more could you ask for in a thriller. I wasn’t sure about the book at the start but wow I was so glad I stuck with it. Emily was such a complex character who I grew to love i really felt her pain. I loved the writing style and how the secrets just kept on spilling out. It was a fantastic thriller which I will definitely be recommending. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this great book.

Emily seems to have the perfect husband, child, house, etc, and when someone from her past moves to town, she could lose everything. Struggling with her marriage and a small town scandal, Emily goes to great lengths to keep secrets hidden and protect her daughter.

Told from different viewpoints and back and fourth over multiple years, it was easy to follow along. The Second Marriage is not what I expected based on the blurb. While the authors writing style kept me interested in the story, the plot was not what I had imagined. A bit explicit for me and this theme was the focus of the story. Slower paced suspense with a few jaw dropping moments. The author does a good tying up loose ends.

This is a fascinating look at a woman's life as she navigates two marriages, a beautiful daughter and manipulating men who are determined to out women :"in their place." Naomi is writing a book about Emily's life and all of its struggles to "fit in," be a party girl, and take all life has to offer--even if it comes at a hefty price! Fortunately daughter, Anouk has better chances at happiness as Emily is in prison and has many regrets. This is a difficult novel to read as you will find yourself aching for Emily and her bad choices but rejoicing as we realize Anouk can learn from her mistakes!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Dr Naomi Mckenzie is writing her PhD thesis with plans for it to be developed into a book. After some deliberation she decides to contact an old friend of her mother who is incarcerated and over a series of interviews the full story of the life and times of Emily Brigham comes to light.

Secrets, lies, heartache and betrayal, this book has it all. With more than a passing shade to #MeToo, this is a story with hidden depths, tragedy and despicable actions.

A plot line which gives room for thought, this is a book that takes you where you really would prefer not to venture. Thought provoking and profound, the author has handled a difficult subject with skill and empathy.

Some of the wiring was a little cringeworthy, though I appreciate it emphasised the story.

An enjoyable read from a new to me author.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing.

A psychological thriller.
Secrets and heartache a real gripping read.
Well written characters.
Some real edge of your seat moments.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

If you like stories about friendship and betrayal, then definitely pick up The Second Marriage. It was a page turner!