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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
Husband Material by Emily Belden has Charlotte Rosen thrown for a tailspin when the ashes of her deceased husband show up on her doorstep. She thought she had put the past behind her, but Charlotte had just put it off. With two weeks off to get her life together, Charlotte sets out to get answers with the assistance of her husband’s best friend. Husband Material is a romantic comedy that has some deep moments. Charlotte has been a widow for five years, but no one in her present circle knows that she as married. She moved to different apartment, learned how to code software and began working at The Influencer Firm. Charlotte may have been moving on, but she never dealt with her feelings about her husband’s death. We get to see her face some hard realities. Charlotte has been using numbers and algorithms to avoid getting close with a man or anyone else for that matter. She is now getting a second chance. If Charlotte wants to have a meaningful future, she needs to resolve her feelings of loss and guilt. Charlotte is a hard character to like, but she does grow on you as the story progresses. I found Charlotte’s roommate, Casey to be quirky and tell-it-like-it type of woman. I felt bad for her at times because Charlotte really takes advantage of Casey’s kindness. Charlotte was lucky to have such a kind boss in Zareen. It was interesting to learn what about influencers and the type of work Charlotte did to promote businesses. Husband Material is an emotional story about dealing with the past, letting it go, and embracing the future. I was surprised with the ending and some of the choices Charlotte made. I enjoyed the humor throughout the story which lightened some of the darker subjects. There is some foul language in this story. I do feel that Husband Material will appeal to readers in their 20s and 30s. Husband Material is an engaging, uplifting story about second chances, forgiveness, taking risks, introspection, and moving forward.
cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition
DNF @ 40% I really didn't care what happened to Charlotte and romance is non-existent.
shelleydavis's review against another edition
3.0
More like a 2.75 - definitely did not see some of the plot twists coming but there was something lacking from the main characters.
jnjackson's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a bit unexpected, but it was fun with an interesting twist at the end. I thought the book would be more about dating through this new app that the main character was creating, but instead, it focused on her working through her grief as a young widow after her husband's ashes were returned to her without notice. There was a romantic plot line, but it felt very secondary to the other emotional baggage the main character needed to sort through.
thornless_rose's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
amym84's review against another edition
4.0
Charlotte Rosen has a secret that she hasn't told anyone in nearly five years. She's a widow. After having lost her husband after just less than one year of marriage, Char has been a widow longer than she was a wife. But that doesn't mean her grief is any less than those married for decades. But she hasn't really allowed herself to process everything that's happened in the intervening years, instead she's put all the focus on her career which include developing an algorithm that will eventually turn into a dating app to rival all other dating apps. But when Charlotte's husband's ashes unexpectedly show up on her doorstep, the issues that she's tried so hard to push away come roaring back including dealing with her former mother-in-law and her husband's best friend, and you know, maybe possibly actually telling her roommate about her former marriage status. This time it won't be ignored.
Emily Belden's Husband Material takes a look at loss and grief and shows us that the process of moving on is solitary - as in no one can dictate to you when it's time - but that we don't have to do it alone.
It was a little difficult to figure Charlotte's mindset at the start of the book. Having read the blurb previously, but not again before starting, I had forgotten the fact that it stated that Charlotte is a widow. And I felt like the entire story of her widowhood is given to readers in piecemeal. We would learn one facet of her relationship with her husband, then something else would spring up and more often than not surprise both Charlotte and readers thereby sending her into a tailspin, of sorts, which causes her to reevaluate her memories, specifically memories of her husband.
This made things feel a bit haphazard. I know that Charlotte is still grieving and events transpire that force her to come to terms with what happened, but it felt like everything was under a pressure cooker and suddenly there's an explosion, which I guess is apt. It's hard to really fault the story for feeling like it's teeter-tottering a bit too much because we're talking about grief. We're talking about accepting the person you love is gone, accepting that you need to move forward, and I can't really say there's a right or wrong way to write about or convey these emotions because they are so personal.
I did love seeing Charlotte move out of her comfort zone. I liked seeing her begin to live again. She's put all of her energy into work in order to cope that she's blinded to everything else. When her boss finds out what is going on in her personal life, she forces Charlotte to take time off. So the whole story takes places within about a two week time period. It's a quick read, but Emily Belden doesn't skimp on Charlotte's growth. And make no mistake, this story is Charlotte's. There is a romantic element to the story for sure, but it's fully a secondary element.
This is the first book I've read by Emily Belden, but it has me interested in her other books as well. I'd say if you want a light-hearted - though still full of the feels - story about what it means to face loss and grief head-on, I think Husband Material is perfect.
*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Emily Belden's Husband Material takes a look at loss and grief and shows us that the process of moving on is solitary - as in no one can dictate to you when it's time - but that we don't have to do it alone.
It was a little difficult to figure Charlotte's mindset at the start of the book. Having read the blurb previously, but not again before starting, I had forgotten the fact that it stated that Charlotte is a widow. And I felt like the entire story of her widowhood is given to readers in piecemeal. We would learn one facet of her relationship with her husband, then something else would spring up and more often than not surprise both Charlotte and readers thereby sending her into a tailspin, of sorts, which causes her to reevaluate her memories, specifically memories of her husband.
This made things feel a bit haphazard. I know that Charlotte is still grieving and events transpire that force her to come to terms with what happened, but it felt like everything was under a pressure cooker and suddenly there's an explosion, which I guess is apt. It's hard to really fault the story for feeling like it's teeter-tottering a bit too much because we're talking about grief. We're talking about accepting the person you love is gone, accepting that you need to move forward, and I can't really say there's a right or wrong way to write about or convey these emotions because they are so personal.
I did love seeing Charlotte move out of her comfort zone. I liked seeing her begin to live again. She's put all of her energy into work in order to cope that she's blinded to everything else. When her boss finds out what is going on in her personal life, she forces Charlotte to take time off. So the whole story takes places within about a two week time period. It's a quick read, but Emily Belden doesn't skimp on Charlotte's growth. And make no mistake, this story is Charlotte's. There is a romantic element to the story for sure, but it's fully a secondary element.
This is the first book I've read by Emily Belden, but it has me interested in her other books as well. I'd say if you want a light-hearted - though still full of the feels - story about what it means to face loss and grief head-on, I think Husband Material is perfect.
*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
nyxki's review against another edition
2.0
This was essentially a hipster "Catch and Release" and I didn't care for the plot when it was a movie. It wasn't much improved as a book.
beastreader's review against another edition
3.0
I found this to be a charming book. Yet, it still has more potential to be more. If it had not been for the event of her getting her dead husband's ashes sent back to her; I would have found Charlotte to be just a "plain Jane".
As the story progressed I did feel for Charlotte. Than there is Brian. He is Decker's best friend. He is affected by Decker's death as well. It was nice to see a man struggling as much as a woman. Both Charlotte and Brian had to learn to be themselves again. They kind of lost their identities with Decker's death.
This is a slow progressing story of love, loss, friendship, and second chances. I do want to try another book from this author.
As the story progressed I did feel for Charlotte. Than there is Brian. He is Decker's best friend. He is affected by Decker's death as well. It was nice to see a man struggling as much as a woman. Both Charlotte and Brian had to learn to be themselves again. They kind of lost their identities with Decker's death.
This is a slow progressing story of love, loss, friendship, and second chances. I do want to try another book from this author.
jaydavies's review against another edition
5.0
I loved how the author dealt with the grief of a loved one. This story has a lot more to it than just a wider moving on to find love again. I really enjoyed all the plot twists and drama.
kathhill's review against another edition
3.0
Such an interesting story and you really don't see the plot twist coming. Very happy with how it ended,
However, I would have liked to see Charlotte and Brian married.
However, I would have liked to see Charlotte and Brian married.