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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
GMA Book Club pick, The Husbands, was such a wild ride! I see a lot of people comparing this novel to the Stepford Wives (I’ve never seen or read it, but after looking at the trailer I understand the comparison!). I also couldn’t help but think of Get Out as well. Anyone agree with me here?
Nora is a busy mother, wife, lawyer, and pregnant with her second baby. Like most women, she feels overwhelmed but it all. She always has to be on; on at work & on and home. Why shouldn’t she expect her husband to help out, even a little?
After finding what she thinks is the absolute perfect house and neighborhood to move her family into, she begins to get close with the women from the community. They are all-powerful and successful women; doctors, writers, lawyers, you name it. They seem to have it all together, and their husbands are nothing short of supportive because of course their wives just work so hard. Nora finds herself taking on a wrongful death suit from one of them women, which she hopes will help her win some brownie points get approved to put in an offer on the house. However, as she gets closer to the families in the neighborhood, something seems off.
I found this book to be funny at times, but also riveting and mysterious. I think the author nailed it when expressing the emotional baggage that can come with being a working mother. Although I found it a bit slow to start, I did enjoy the book overall. Once we got to the plot twist, I could not put it down!
I was torn what to give this book. I wanted to do 4.5 but potentially round down to 4 but then that ending, though fell a little flat, it still left me with my jaw open. I found myself chuckling throughout this whole book as a mom/housewife. Very well done!
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
The Husbands description brings to mind The Stepford Wives except it's the husbands' turns to be turned into mindless drones for their spouses. But the story actually goes much deeper than that and that is what makes the book pretty entertaining! Nora and Hayden have a good marriage but have trouble in that even though they both have high power jobs, Nora is stuck with the majority of the home and child based tasks. They have begun looking to buy a new house and in this new neighborhood, Nora also finds a group of successful women who have very helpful husbands. And so it begins. The story is much more than this, though. It's really good! 4.5 stars!
This dragged horribly. I skimmed through the Last 20% of this. I didn't even read the synopsis before picking it up but caught on to the Stepford wives comparison pretty early.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4.5/5
Expected Publication: August 3, 2021
I immediately pre-ordered this book before I even finished it! I cannot express how well written this book is!! Chandler Baker did an amazing job at pulling me in, and making me not know what to believe throughout this whole story. It was so interesting, but at the same time frustratingly good! I was mainly frustrated because I wanted to know what the heck was happening in that neighborhood! It had my attention from the first minute until the last. I haven’t been this addicted to a thriller in a very long time.
Nora is struggling to balance being a good mother, wife, and successful lawyer. She loves her husband, but it feels like he’s not doing as much as her when it comes to life at home. While house hunting, Nora meets a group of very successful, high-powered women. They ask her to take part in a wrongful death case, but once she agrees, she’s pulled into the lives of the residents of Dynasty Ranch. Nora notices their families are a little too perfect, and wonders how they keep their lives that way. As she dives into the case, she uncovers secrets that were meant to be hidden by the neighborhood residents.
The people of Dynasty Ranch seemed so perfect and put together in the beginning. It was interesting to listen to how everything was uncovered while also seeing Nora deal with issues that arose in her life. She went through struggles everyday when it came to balancing being a good mother while also meeting her boss's expectations. This represented the struggles women go through everyday, and how there’s difficult and high expectations for working mothers. Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for a good feminist thriller!!
Rating: 4.5/5
Expected Publication: August 3, 2021
I immediately pre-ordered this book before I even finished it! I cannot express how well written this book is!! Chandler Baker did an amazing job at pulling me in, and making me not know what to believe throughout this whole story. It was so interesting, but at the same time frustratingly good! I was mainly frustrated because I wanted to know what the heck was happening in that neighborhood! It had my attention from the first minute until the last. I haven’t been this addicted to a thriller in a very long time.
Nora is struggling to balance being a good mother, wife, and successful lawyer. She loves her husband, but it feels like he’s not doing as much as her when it comes to life at home. While house hunting, Nora meets a group of very successful, high-powered women. They ask her to take part in a wrongful death case, but once she agrees, she’s pulled into the lives of the residents of Dynasty Ranch. Nora notices their families are a little too perfect, and wonders how they keep their lives that way. As she dives into the case, she uncovers secrets that were meant to be hidden by the neighborhood residents.
The people of Dynasty Ranch seemed so perfect and put together in the beginning. It was interesting to listen to how everything was uncovered while also seeing Nora deal with issues that arose in her life. She went through struggles everyday when it came to balancing being a good mother while also meeting her boss's expectations. This represented the struggles women go through everyday, and how there’s difficult and high expectations for working mothers. Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for a good feminist thriller!!
Awe man, I was so excited for this book. I decided to read it because it was suppose to be a male version of the Stepford Wives. Which I loved that story! So I was eager to read this one. However it disappointed big time. The style of writing was good. It had a nice flow to it. But man it was so repetitive, page after page the same crap. I get it men can be lazy and unmotivated. The story line was suppose to a witty mystery but it didn't pick up until the last 100 pages. Even then I felt like I had been left standing there with my pants around my ankles wondering what the hell just happened.
You follow a married couple that struggles with balancing life and all the many chores. Stay at home moms verses working moms. Men that do the laundry verses men that don't. As a stay home mom that ran her own business I get it. But did I have to ready 300 pages of it ? There was a mystery in these pages but it was covered in crap. I just wish there was more substance to the story. I wish the author did a better job making me invested in these characters so that I could care what was happening.
In short:
Did I like it ? No
Would I recommend? Im sorry no.
Would I read more by the author? I don't know. The way she writes is nice and easy to follow but it would have to be a story line with more to offer.
You follow a married couple that struggles with balancing life and all the many chores. Stay at home moms verses working moms. Men that do the laundry verses men that don't. As a stay home mom that ran her own business I get it. But did I have to ready 300 pages of it ? There was a mystery in these pages but it was covered in crap. I just wish there was more substance to the story. I wish the author did a better job making me invested in these characters so that I could care what was happening.
In short:
Did I like it ? No
Would I recommend? Im sorry no.
Would I read more by the author? I don't know. The way she writes is nice and easy to follow but it would have to be a story line with more to offer.
Wow, this book. I don't want to give too much away here, so I'll say that it was well written and I will read more from this author.
The subject, not the main one, but what becomes the main one, made me very uncomfortable. I'm not sure why, as I feel some of the same feelings that these wives do, I just don't think the solution is the one they've found.
I presume that's part of the book, the uncomfortableness of it?
3 1/2 stars. Would be more, but the subtext wasn't my thing.
The subject, not the main one, but what becomes the main one, made me very uncomfortable. I'm not sure why, as I feel some of the same feelings that these wives do, I just don't think the solution is the one they've found.
I presume that's part of the book, the uncomfortableness of it?
3 1/2 stars. Would be more, but the subtext wasn't my thing.