Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!!

What a good book!! This one had me hooked from page one! I could t put it down. I loved the writing style of this book. I lived the characters and they had great chemistry.

The First Husband by Elisabeth Carpenter is an addictive psychological thriller that kept me turning the pages. The story unfolds with a fascinating mix of love, obsession, and dark secrets, as the main character, Holly, navigates her tangled past and present relationships. Carpenter’s writing is sharp, and the twists throughout the book were both unexpected and thrilling. The tension builds steadily, keeping you guessing about what’s true and what’s hidden. If you enjoy psychological thrillers with compelling characters and plenty of suspense, The First Husband is a must-read!

The First Husband by Elisabeth Carpenter


Eight years ago, Leah and her husband, Callum were on a holiday weekend away for her thirtieth birthday with their friends; Tania, Jake, Katherine, and Matt who is Callum’s best friend. That weekend ended in a nightmare as Callum walked out of the holiday house angry and drunk, his body was never found.

Now they are all back in the same place for Leah and Matt’s wedding. Leah and Matt have a three-year-old son, Noah. They all arrive on Friday plenty of time to prepare for the Sunday wedding. As the weekend progresses many strange things start to happen… one creepier then the next. Is someone out there playing a sick joke? Or is Callum still alive?

This book is told in two timelines: Now and eight years ago when Callum went missing.

I was hooked from the very first chapter and could not wait to find out who was responsible for all the "jokes". This book was fast paced, and I loved the ending. I love Elisabeth Carpenter books they are all edge on your seat thrillers.


I would like to thank Net Galley and Bookouture for a copy of this for a copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was right down my alley! The beginning started off a bit slow for me! But like many others it quickly picked up the pace and before I knew it I was done with this great thriller!
Really enjoyed this book! Thanks NetGalley Publishers and author for this great advanced readers copy

I read this book in one sitting! Okay, okay, I had to go run an errand, but I was not happy that I had to put it down. From the very beginning I was hooked! This book kept me guessing and wanting more. The story is well written and flows so nicely. It is also a dual timeline story which is my favorite. I never could have guessed the ending. Definitely put this book on your 2025 TBR!

Leah and Matt and their 3 year old son take a trip to Matt's parents cottage for their wedding. The cottage was also where Leah's husband disappeared from 8 years earlier. Leah isn't thrilled to be back there but Matt's mom insisted the wedding be held there. Caterers show up late, there's invited guests, mysterious notes and texts, and someone goes missing!

This book held my interest the whole time. As always there's reasons to suspect everyone. The whole thing unravels at the very end and it all makes sense.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the advance copy of this book.

Callum was my first husband. Eight years ago, when we were staying at this exact same place for my birthday, he disappeared.

All the people who were with me that terrible night are here for the wedding. My brother. His wife. My new partner Matt: Callum’s best friend. We all had reasons to hate Callum then. We all have reasons to lie now.

The police are sure Callum is dead. But as I look around at my loved ones, I wonder…

Does someone know what really happened that night?

Does someone know what I did?

And if Callum is back, is he the dangerous one… or is it one of us?

This is the first book I've read by this author. It was an OK read for me. I had a bit of trouble getting connected to ghe characters. 3 out of 5 ⭐️

Leah is getting married for the second time. Eight years ago her first husband mysteriously disappeared. Now, on the weekend she is getting married she gets a note that says it's from her missing husband.

But that can't be right? He is missing, presumably dead.

Or is he?


I really enjoyed this book and I was hooked from the start. This was a really great read!

Highly recommend a tense chilling page turner.I was drawn in from first page till the shocking ending.Grab this book.#NetGalley #bookouture.

The First Husband is a thoroughly gripping read! You will suspect everyone but the whole story is fascinating. Well done!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

This started off well with a really sinister atmosphere and interesting backdrop. The characters were meeting for the wedding of Leah and Matt, to be held at the same place where Leah's first husband Callum, who was was also Matt's best friend, disappeared 8 years earlier. The story progresses with flashbacks to the days and hours before Callum disappeared and that worked well, moving between the past and the present. Then things start happening which suggest all is not as it seems and we find out about all of the interlinking relationships between Callum and the others.
I found it difficult to believe that the couple would want to get married in that place due to what had happened there, and the reasons given for that didn't work for me. The little twists within that added interest, but I think we needed more background to why Callum changed and became such a different person from the one that Leah married. I think that would have helped me to feel more empathy with Leah and Matt.
The most interesting part of the book for me was how easily Leah began to suspect all of those closest to her, although again that seemed to happen out of nowhere with no background. So sadly, I felt like there were many gaps in the book.

An ok read for me.
I just couldn't quite get my head around the storyline, some parts just seemed so unlikely.
A decent list of characters with some good twists but it just didn't do it for me.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

The First Husband by E. Carpenter, published by Bookouture, is a full length, stand alone, gripping thriller of its finest.
Masterfully crafted, this book gives all the feels, a raw and gritty, twisty till the last page. 5 stars.
Blurb: In two days’ time, I’m getting married again. It’s bittersweet, after everything that happened. But when I look at my cheeky son and his loving, handsome father, I know I’m doing the right thing in moving on.
Then a card comes.
Two days to go. I can’t wait to see you. I’ve missed you so much. All my love, Callum.
Callum was my first husband. He disappeared eight years ago, leaving only secrets and pain behind. He’s dead.
But as my friends and family gather for my big day – all the same people who were there the night Callum vanished – my fear grows. Things go horribly wrong with the wedding plans. And then an anonymous note threatens my son.
Is someone playing a cruel joke, or is Callum really back? I have two days to find out who’s doing this to me… and learn the truth about what happened all those years ago.
Because I will do anything to protect my son.

What a belter of a blurb it was perfectly executed with many twists and turns I really didn't see coming.

The plot was fast-paced and conundrum of a read with a cracking ending. I really like this writers writing style it was a real edge of your seat book!

Whilst reading I had a handful of theories how I thought it was going to end but I loved how Carpenter kept me guessing right up until the very last page!

I’d highly recommend this to everyone who loves a gripping thriller!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟stars

A gripping thriller! Kept me guessing - even though I had an inkling early on that turned out to be correct! Engaging through the end.

This will work for fans of Shari Lapena (which I am!). Excited to delve into Carpenter’s backlist!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the eARC!

Slow compared to her last two. Leah is going to get married at the same place her first husband disappeared. As they all gather, she starts getting notes and threats signed Callum. As the book progresses, we see all these characters that would be tempted to kill Callum. However, his body was never found. Is he alive? Who is sending the notes? Just ok to me.

Leah has found happiness and is on the verge of getting remarried.

Her first husband Callum, disappeared years previously and she is getting on with life.

Then she recieves a letter...from Callum...

this intriguing read is filled with drama, there are twists and scares and I loved my reading time.

This was a great book, I am so thrilled I got a chance to be an arc reader for this one. It was so good, it kept me on the end of my seat and I did not see those twists coming!

I thought he was dead. I thought I was safe. Was I wrong? In two days’ time, I’m getting married again. It’s bittersweet, after everything that happened. But when I look at my cheeky son and his loving, handsome father, I know I’m doing the right thing in moving on. Then a card comes through the letterbox: Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had good suspense, murder, mystery, intriguing, and some crazy twists and turns! The story was very interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

This book will keep you wondering what is really going on. Leah is getting married for the second time. Her first husband Callum disappeared years earlier. Suddenly strange events begin to occur. What is really going on? Read and find out the surprise ending.