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emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really really enjoyed this when I really didn't expect to! The girls were right, it's a banger. I was immediately so invested in the story. Lauren comes home from a night out drinking with friends to a strange man in her house claiming to be her husband, but she's never met him before and when she left for the outing, she was single and living alone. What would you do??
One of my favorite things about this book was Lauren's authenticity. I felt like her reactions to these crazy magic scenarios were very real, whether it works out for the best or not. She cycles through husband after husband testing the limits of her suddenly magical attic's ability to start her world right over while time continues to pass. She tries on many different lives and versions of herself. It's fascinating and very fun, sometimes stressful to go through those experiences with her, and it's fascinating to watch her figure out what she truly wants. It raises questions like 'How do we learn to be happy with what we have rather than concerned with the things we want to change? How can we be certain those changes would truly make our lives better?'
Good read. Enjoyed the audiobook a lot, the narrator did a fantastic job with the many accents and expressive speech that I think added a lot.
One of my favorite things about this book was Lauren's authenticity. I felt like her reactions to these crazy magic scenarios were very real, whether it works out for the best or not. She cycles through husband after husband testing the limits of her suddenly magical attic's ability to start her world right over while time continues to pass. She tries on many different lives and versions of herself. It's fascinating and very fun, sometimes stressful to go through those experiences with her, and it's fascinating to watch her figure out what she truly wants. It raises questions like 'How do we learn to be happy with what we have rather than concerned with the things we want to change? How can we be certain those changes would truly make our lives better?'
Good read. Enjoyed the audiobook a lot, the narrator did a fantastic job with the many accents and expressive speech that I think added a lot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Pregnancy
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Generally enjoyed reading it. I read this in tandem with my partner, which meant we would laugh over the jokes together. Good humor, good insight on diverse versions of men. Lauren is boring, and I felt that the twist at the climax made me realize we don't really know who Lauren is at all. I couldn't make sense of most of her actions, and the ending served as a reminder of her selfishness. This is a perfect example of either too short or too long; this could've been a novella or it must be 400+ pages long. Unfortunately, the last 100 pages felt rushed and as if the author just needed Lauren to do whatever (and very extreme things) just to rush the plot toward the finish line. Disappointing with little payoff. I enjoyed the tone and the characters as well as the concept and setting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Car accident, Pregnancy
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Husbands is such a fun book! It is one of very few that has made me fully cackle at some of the lines! I had a good time during it all, and the end was so sweet! This book is definitely for a very specific kind of person, and I am just that person! I cannot wait to read more of Holly Gramazio’s writing!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Toxic relationship
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this one - such an odd premise. I found the ending a little disappointing, but it makes sense for the overall resolution of the book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is marketed as “funny” and “laugh out loud” — which I disagree with. There is humor, but in the way life has humor. This is not a comedy. It gets a bit dark.
The dark themes make sense to me because, for the past year, Lauren has been experiencing this wild, weird and stressful thing that she can’t explain to anyone or stop.
I get a sense of her increasing stress, which leads her to make some very bad decisions. Ultimately, she stops this cycle the only way she knows how. Was it a good decision? Probably not. But what else could she do?
I’ve seen a lot of people critique that the story is repetitive. Imagine how Lauren felt!
The dark themes make sense to me because, for the past year, Lauren has been experiencing this wild, weird and stressful thing that she can’t explain to anyone or stop.
I get a sense of her increasing stress, which leads her to make some very bad decisions. Ultimately, she stops this cycle the only way she knows how. Was it a good decision? Probably not. But what else could she do?
I’ve seen a lot of people critique that the story is repetitive. Imagine how Lauren felt!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A new favorite for sure! Gramazio artfully explores the "what if?" thought exercise to the extreme. I saw so much of myself in Lauren, and couldn't help but wonder if I would go to similar extremes were I in her position. I thought the added details of the apartment changing with each husband and an entire history rewrite were brilliant! I felt her relief, her grief, and her mounting frustration and desperation. Her burnout was nearly palpable.
The ending was satisfying, I think it was the perfect solution and provided a clean wrap-up of events. Part of me hopes that there will be a sequel where we get to explore the final decision and its aftermath, and part of me recognizes how perfect this was as a stand-alone novel. I look forward reading any future works by Holly Gramazio!
The ending was satisfying, I think it was the perfect solution and provided a clean wrap-up of events. Part of me hopes that there will be a sequel where we get to explore the final decision and its aftermath, and part of me recognizes how perfect this was as a stand-alone novel. I look forward reading any future works by Holly Gramazio!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Stalking, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Infidelity