This was a fun, easy read that grew on me as time went on. I liked the way that the characters developed but wanted to screech at Natalie at times that she deserved so much better! Carl isn’t the most likeable character but he gets there in the end. I enjoyed the dynamic between the two wives and felt the development of this relationship was well written.

Meet Natalie & Carl, married after a 6 month whirlwind romance, embarking on married life. Carl has been married previously and has 2 children with his ex wife Antonia.
In buying a house together Carl buys a house in the same village as his ex wife, cue various meetings and situations between the old and the new.
The characters are difficult to like at first but seeing the characters and relationships develop over the course of the book, makes it a satisfying read, although you might have to persevere at first.
An enjoyable read that I found myself reading just that little bit more, this is the first book I have read by the author and I would certainly read more..

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advanced copy to review.

Marriage can be tough at times...but when one of the pair has been married before there’s more baggage being brought to the table.
Natalie has been married to Carl for weeks, and everything is wonderful. Then he announces he’s bought their dream cottage in Kent, just down the road from his ex, without Natalie seeing it. When they go to see it, it’s a dump...but it has potential.
As the house takes shape, their marriage flounders. They have to reassess their expectations of each other...and all while being undermined by the ‘number one’.
From the outset I found Natalie hard to sympathise with. Insecure and in awe of those she sees as her betters, it’s an unequal setting. The first wife is deeply unpleasant, and Carl seems doomed to repeat previous mistakes.
While none of the characters are likeable, we get to understand them a little. Things go pretty much as you might expect, and it ends relatively happily.
Thanks NetGalley for providing me with the chance to read this early...a comfortable escape.

Whether reviews give the stamp of approval or not, you can't beat this frustrating but light summer read for the price of:

On Kindle
$1.37
This title will be released on June 16, 2021.

This was a character growth novel that took forever for the characters to grow. Most of the characters were detestable until the very last few chapters, but of course, everything was just a big misunderstanding right? Nope-hubby keeps things from wife, like buying a house without her ever seeing it. The wife won't grow a spine - doesn't speak up about how he went behind her back but she learns to love the house, naturally. A bitchy ex-wife just down the road, a bitchy stepdaughter, brother not speaking to brother. The list of annoying people and situations goes on.

I did finish this book so that says something. but like I said, for a $1.37 you can't beat that with a stick!

*ARC supplied by the publisher.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Second Hand Husband is a fun and easy read all about Natalie who recently married Carl after a whirlwind romance of only a few months and the not so easy growing pains for being the “second wife”.

Marriage is hard, and I think anyone who has been married for 30 seconds will agree with that. It takes patience, communication, compromise and a desire and commitment to make it work. Naturally, there could be additional challenges if your new husband buys a house without your knowledge that is walking distance from his ex-wife. Walking distance from his children, yes, but as a woman I could only imagine that could be difficult living so closely to someone that has so much history.

Natalie is a very relatable character. While reading, I could see myself reacting the same way in some of the situations and having the same feelings about the ex-wife, Antonia, as she did at certain points. As the book is written in first person, you really do only get to see Natalie’s point of view, so I appreciated the conversations and interactions near the end of the book that allowed insight into how the other characters felt.

There is a lot of self-doubt, confusion and muddiness that Natalie has to overcome and a new husband who does not know how to communicate. There were points that I found myself frustrated and not really liking Carl. As a husband, he sucks. I didn’t care for him at all.

Natalie’s character development was fluid. I did think she was slightly naive and annoying at the beginning, but by the end I liked her character. Even though I felt this way, I still found her reaction to the situation relatable even if she was a little dramatic. That reaction, however, evolved with her understanding of herself, Antonia and her marriage.

No one is perfect, and everyone has self doubts and expectations about life. No one wants to be hurt or feel threatened… even by an enormous spider! And this really is what the plot centers around.

I did enjoy the book. There were several side plotlines that I didn’t feel got wrapped up as nicely as they could have, especially with her dad, and there were some moments where I thought it became a little repetitive. But overall, it was a good book with a good story. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys an easy, fun, semi-romance book. It’s a PG with the romance. This will be a perfect beach read for this summer!

Check it out when it is released on June 16, 2021.

Cute book that takes very little time to read. This was a great story that just flows along nicely. At time you want to tell the characters they are acting like children but they both grow up eventually.

This is the story of Natalie, an antique shop owner who meets and marries Carl, a PR exec, within 6 months. Carl is divorced with two children who live with their mother in the country. Natalie and Carl buy a house to be closer to his children. The story revolves around what happens when they move to the new house. The main characters were not particularly likable-Natalie was a little weak but Carl was really hard to like. Even after you get some backstory it is still hard to connect to him. Ultimately I just didn’t care much about what happened to the characters.

I kindly received an eARC advance copy of this book to read and review though NetGalley and @BookandTonic publishers.

Natalie and Carl met and married quickly. No sooner is the honeymoon period over when Carl tells Natalie he has bought a fixer-upper on auction and the best part is that it’s close to his children from his Friday marriage.

Turns out that “close” is basically neighbours and the fixer upper part has no roof and the previous owner died of old age in the house.

I am sure it’s hard enough work stepping into the role of second wife and stepmother without the first wife being practically next door and a real glamour babe.

In the start of this book I felt like I wanted to slap Carl for being such a twit but Natalie kept at it and I realised how fabulous she was. When he has her flat staged without her knowing was a real freak out moment for me!!

But in her own totally unpretentious way Natalie gets the house renovations sorted out, built a bond with ex-wife Antonia who it turns out was a bit intimidated by Natalie and had Carl’s kids on her side.

I was hoping Natalie would get her antiques business back up and running but her cooking, swimming and general good humour balance things out and keep her busy.

A Second-Hand Husband
by Claire Calman
Three Stars and a half! ⭐⭐⭐.5

Don’t put this book down, it’s worth it to read it to the end. This book was a difficult read during the beginning because some of the characters were shallow, selfish, and not likable. The main character, Natalie, was funny and cute, but her insecurities were tough for me to take. However, I do feel like it was worth it, in the end, to see how these characters developed and eventually became worthy of the time I spent reading the book.

Natalie is newly married to Carl after a whirlwind romance of only six months. He calls her up one day and tells her he bought them a cottage in Kent for their forever home. Although Natalie suggested they move to the country so Carl can live closer to his two children, she didn’t expect him to buy a home, without her ever seeing it, and less than a mile from his ex-wife!

The writing is witty and humorous, but the main characters were not very likable in the beginning. It seemed to take a long time before I felt a connection with Natalie, and I never really liked Carl, however by the end, I found him bearable. I thought Natalie’s sister, Celeste, and Carl’s brother, Stephan, were the best characters in the book, and they both played a small part.

Carl's ex-wife (wife number one) was very obnoxious and was portrayed as the cliched catty ex-wife. The two kids were cute, but nothing more than the typical children of divorce.

The author tries to get us to like Carl by talking about his upbringing, but it doesn’t work for me, and it was very difficult during the first half of the book to understand why Natalie could love someone so self-absorbed as Carl.

The book did a good job of demonstrating the difficulties of newly married life, especially with two people who didn’t know each other very well when they got married. And the difficulties of being a stepmother and the insecurities of dealing with an ex-wife.

By the end of the book, I loved Natalie, and could almost feel something for Carl, and even Antonia. I did enjoy the author's humor, and her depiction of the village of Little Wyeford, and especially Rose Cottage and the gorgeous pond.

I recommend this book with the caveat to persevere and make it to the end, as it’s worth it.

About the Author: Claire Calman decided to write a book when she discovered that it mainly involved making cups of tea and gazing out of the window. It was some time before a real writer friend pointed out that if she were to select an assortment of words and arrange them in some kind of order, this would speed up the process no end. Spurred on by this invaluable hint, she wrote Love is a Four-Letter Word, a funny yet poignant story of love and loss which became a bestseller. ​After this, she went on to write Lessons for a Sunday Father, I Like it Like That, Cross my Heart and Hope to Die, and Growing Up for Beginners. She has also written numerous short stories for magazines and anthologies. Claire Calman has a teenage son and lives in London.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

I requested to read and review “Second-Hand Husband” as I was so intrigued with its premise. Unfortunately, while the book had its pluses, it was not quite the story I was expecting.

Natalie has recently married Carl when she discovers that he is at an auction, purchasing their dream house. Unfortunately, the new home (located in a small village) is super close to the home of Carl’s ex-wife, Antonia, and his kids. The house falls within the category of a fixer-upper and Natalie feels like she is living in Antonia’s shadow. This is not how Natalie expected her happily ever after to go.

This book is a quick but mostly enjoyable read and peppered with plenty of humor. I did not find Carl likable at all so I spent a lot of time rooting for Natalie to figure out that her husband wasn’t worth fighting for. It was hard to understand what brought the two together. Part of the plot were pretty transparent, and I wish the characters had more depth, but if you are looking for a nice escape, you might enjoy this book.

Thank you to Claire Calman, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Claire Calman’s A Second-Hand Husband is the story about newly married Carl and Natalie. Carl has purchased their dream home at an auction without Natalie’s input. The problem – this home is near his ex-wife and their children and the house needs lots of work. As the story progresses, Natalie and Carl learn more about themselves, the importance of communication, and their relationship.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of a honest review


I requested this book as soon as I saw its cover and title but to my utmost disappointment I couldn't keep myself invested with it .


I could hardly read some 50 pages to be accurate and found it pretty lame at times .Nate seemed to be a confusing personality who is madly in love and her partner is a jerk .


What disappointed me the most was the way Nate is being portrayed as .A weak personality who is dependent on others for making her decisions .She hardly acknowledges the fact that her choices don't even matter to her partner.I keep on referring to her partner as "partner " as I don't want to be in the same loop where I hated him

I couldn't finish this book, all cringe all the time. It was not a funny type of cringe, it was painful and sad, and this book was packaged as a rom-com (in my opinion). I appreciated the opportunity to read this book through NetGalley.

A second hand husband is a light hearted read about a woman that has a whirlwind relationship and marries a man with an ex wife & children. They then move to the same village where the ex wife lives and Natalie has to seemingly navigate newlywed life alone as her husband Carl is never there. It was an enjoyable read but could have done with having a bit more to it - I didn’t find myself rushing back to it. It all seemed to unravel throughout the whole book to all be tied together in 2 pages at the end. It was worth a read though!

A fun comedy focusing on the relationship of a first and second wife, plus the husband stuck in the middle! Who will be the one to keep him? I loved it!

Natalie lack confidence in herself and is a people pleaser, constantly thinking of others and their needs which she often puts before her own needs. Recently married, after a whirlwind six month romance, she suggests that they move nearer to her husband’s ex-wife so that he can be nearer to his two children. She wasn’t, however, expecting Carl (her husband) to go and buy a run down cottage at auction without involving her and, even worse, down the lane from his ex wife, Antonia, the Queen Bee of the village....... the story deals with blended families, coping with exes, workaholic husbands, estranged brothers, all while Natalie copes with overseeing the renovation of their new home.
The story is sweet although some of the characters are a little annoying, to say the least, and at times I want to shake Natalie to try and get her to have some respect for herself!! It is a tale of self discovery and making relationships work.

This was a slightly different book than I expected, based on the description. Maybe it's just me? This is my first time with this author and I expected a more light-hearted comedy of errors type story. Natalie's relationships with Antonia, her sister, her mother, and her (long lost) father, all worked for me. Her relationship with her husband, the central relationship in the book, did not. I never found him likable or believed her affection for him. I would have also liked to have read more about her business (clocks) and how she could have reestablished her business in the countryside. Everything was of interest except the husband!
So, for me as a reader, I need a more appealing man for our heroine, not a selfish, evasive, whiner who disappears from the canvas for long stretches and is even less appealing when he returns.

Natalie is newly married to Carl. She has encouraged Carl that they should live near his children (from his first marriage) so he is able to spend more time with them. Carl buys a run down cottage, near his ex and kids, at auction without even consulting Natalie. Luckily it's actually her dream home, aside from the fact that it needs major renovation.
This book, and especially Natalie, annoyed me. I couldn't even feel sorry for her because her behavior just made me cringe. If you have ever been gaslighted by a significant other, please take this as a warning, Carl is just awful. I hated him and no matter how hard the author tried to redeem him, nope.
Natalie is a pushover, then she's not. What? I wanted to hate Antonia, but she was honestly the only entertainment in the book. Then there's the whole story of Natalie's dad, which added absolutely nothing to the book. What was the point of that? Actually, what was the point of any of her family? They add nothing to the story. I didn't really care for any of the characters. The ending was just an ending, nothing actually happened.
Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for providing me an advanced copy of this book in return for my honest review.

Claire Calman’s ‘A Second-Hand Husband’ had promise - a comedic look at blended families - but was let down by one of the characters and the pace.

After a whirlwind six months dating, antique clock dealer Natalie marries PR hotshot Carl. After encouraging Carl to move closer to his teenage kids, he decides on spur of the moment without Natalie’s input, to buy a rundown house close to his ex-wife Antonia in the same village.

Cue the rivalry with Antonia trying to out-do Natalie and make her feel unwelcome. Of course we all know where this is going to lead. However what could’ve been a fantastic book about female friendships was wasted by the man in their lives -Carl.

While there’s a backstory into his poor behaviour, there were so many red flags with his lying, controlling and gaslighting. Frankly he deserved neither women (and Natalie and him were incompatible). At one point I cheered he was called out on his terrible behaviour, but by the end I was baffled as I don’t believe he showed evidence of change.

Additionally I found myself skimming quickly the text as there was too much ‘telling’ vs showing. A sub plot involving Natalie’s family also held not much interest.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC.

Carl and Natalie are newlyweds. She owns her own antique store, he works in PR at a company and they're as happy as can be. Or are they?

Twenty seven days into married bliss, Carl surprises Natalie by calling to tell her he's found their dream home. But the catch is, he's already at the auction and determined to buy it.

Natalie goes along with this and ends up with the shock of her life, Carl's ex wife lives just a few minutes away. But it couldn't be that bad could it? After all, Carl can hang out with his kids more, that's reasonable. Except, the ex is everything Natalie's not, and to make matters worse, the dream house isn't as picture perfect as it was supposed to be.

Will Carl and Natalie manage to keep their marriage going? Or will the ex get in the way of their happiness?

I was in the mood for something light today and this book delivered. I didn't have to think much and a lot of the lines were truly funny. Now the problem is, I don't really get the point?

So, Natalie. I like her and all her insecurities. They make her seem real and I'm sure anyone who's ever been in a relationship can relate to what's bugging her. But Natalie, poor poor Natalie, has very bad taste in men.

I hated Carl. And when I say hated, I mean I wished he'd fall into the duck pond and never emerge from it again. Except that would leave the kids fatherless so maybe something less extreme. But you get my point.

He was so awful. Genuinely awful, childish (not in a cute way), dismissive, I-know-better-than-you etc. They weren't a good match by any means.

It's hard for me to imagine that his behaviour only made an appearance recently. Or rather that it became problematic recently. What about the past 6 months?

I really wonder how the man managed to get married twice. How did he trick these women? What did they see in him? I'll never know.

I was expecting a soft rom com, but what this really is, is Natalie suffering over and over because Carl is a jerk. And yet somehow still a light read, go figure. I think it's the writing style. It's nice and moves at a good pace. There aren't any useless details.

Antonia I couldn't hate, even though she was written as if we're supposed to in the beginning. It was clear there's more to her under all the glamour.

I liked the kids, and that they didn't hate Natalie (Saskia's teenage dislike is forgiven).

And I wish we saw more of Dom. We saw him twice? I think twice. He was interesting.

There was a really nice part in the book where everyone seemed to be getting along and then of course, it had to be ruined. And it's not that it was ruined, it's what happened after that.

The ending really left me feeling like a deflated balloon. It had me asking what the whole point was if it was going to end like that. Did Carl or Natalie learn anything? Like really, REALLY learn anything? Natalie maybe, but Carl? It's not just my dislike of him, I think he's too set in his ways and will be back into his old habits soon.

Let's not end this on a sad note. I enjoyed the setting. I love ducks and barns and ponds and villages and all that. The family relationships were also written well and the siblings we saw on both sides were cool.

The name choices were interesting. For example Saskia. Makes me think Antonia doing what she did in relation to a certain erm...Amsterdam visitor, isn't so coincidental.

*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*