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aargot1's review against another edition
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Kidnapping, and Grief
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
thecriticalreader's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The Run-Down: The Husbands by Holly Gramazio is an entertaining exploration of a creative hypothetical.
Review:
What if you got to explore parallel universes in which you get married? A single woman named Lauren unexpectedly finds herself in this position when she comes home one day to find a strange man in her house who claims to be her husband. Despite Lauren’s protests to the contrary, everything in her life—her family, her house decorations, her text history in her phone—point to her being married. When the husband goes up into the attic, a new husband appears. Lauren discovers that every time a husband goes up into the attic, a new one will appear and her life shifts to a parallel universe in which she is married to that man. The book wastes no time in kicking off the plot (she meets the first husband on the very first page), and Lauren starts exploring married life with men she doesn’t remember.
The Husbands has the sort of premise that could easily turn existential or preachy, but the book keeps things simple: you get what the blurb promises, which is new husbands spawning out of the attic and the shenanigans that follow. Gramazio does an excellent job conveying sufficient realism for suspension of disbelief without getting bogged down in plot complications or metaphysics. For example, the main character responds to her situation with an appropriate level of confusion and alarm, but she also adapts quickly to the attic husbands. In fact, Lauren displays a refreshing wit and levelheadedness in the face of this strange scenario (although she loses it a bit toward the end and makes some deeply questionable choices). The fast-paced plot, original premise, and sprinkling of humor result in a fun, if not particularly memorable, reading experience.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Sexual content, Vomit, and Drug use
Minor: Toxic relationship, Stalking, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
beate251's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Lauren is single but one day she comes home and there is a man in her flat, and he's her husband, as countless photos prove. Somehow her attic acts like a magic husband portal, and as soon as she sends one back, a new one emerges. Why is never explained - Lauren just has to deal with a neverending stream of blokes.
I'm not sure whether the prospect of an endless supply of husbands from the loft is thrilling or disturbing - especially as they feel like arranged marriages, but with a great return guarantee - you don't like the way he chews? Just send him into the attic.
A new husband always means a new life - sometimes it's only subtle wall colour changes, sometimes more profound. The people around her, neighbours, friends, family seem to stay the same at least.
Unfortunately, it brings out the worst in Lauren, she hardly goes to work anymore as she knows she can just reboot her life with the next guy, and if there is just the tiniest problem, she just sends the current husband into the attic, consequence-free.
I really started to dislike Lauren - she makes no attempt to be a good wife, just judges her husbands and sends them back, sometimes within minutes. Her life becomes an exhausting, chaotic mess. I doubt she remembers anymore where she is supposed to work nor how much money she has or what her husband's name is. In all this, she never seems to once fall in love with any of them, though she likes some more than others. The situation is becoming a curse and she knows she needs to take drastic action if she ever wants this scenario to end.
This is a debut novel and for that it's quite accomplished but maybe we could have had more time with fewer husbands to make it less repetitive. The ending is a bit abrupt, and I can't say we get a great love story - just a resigned "love the one you're with" realisation. Points for originality though.
Lauren is single but one day she comes home and there is a man in her flat, and he's her husband, as countless photos prove. Somehow her attic acts like a magic husband portal, and as soon as she sends one back, a new one emerges. Why is never explained - Lauren just has to deal with a neverending stream of blokes.
I'm not sure whether the prospect of an endless supply of husbands from the loft is thrilling or disturbing - especially as they feel like arranged marriages, but with a great return guarantee - you don't like the way he chews? Just send him into the attic.
A new husband always means a new life - sometimes it's only subtle wall colour changes, sometimes more profound. The people around her, neighbours, friends, family seem to stay the same at least.
Unfortunately, it brings out the worst in Lauren, she hardly goes to work anymore as she knows she can just reboot her life with the next guy, and if there is just the tiniest problem, she just sends the current husband into the attic, consequence-free.
I really started to dislike Lauren - she makes no attempt to be a good wife, just judges her husbands and sends them back, sometimes within minutes. Her life becomes an exhausting, chaotic mess. I doubt she remembers anymore where she is supposed to work nor how much money she has or what her husband's name is. In all this, she never seems to once fall in love with any of them, though she likes some more than others. The situation is becoming a curse and she knows she needs to take drastic action if she ever wants this scenario to end.
This is a debut novel and for that it's quite accomplished but maybe we could have had more time with fewer husbands to make it less repetitive. The ending is a bit abrupt, and I can't say we get a great love story - just a resigned "love the one you're with" realisation. Points for originality though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Medical content, Sexual content, and Vomit
runlaurarun's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book was just such a fun read! I loved the concept and I truly wasn't sure how things were going to end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Stalking, Medical trauma, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Alcohol, and Homophobia
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