I didn't find the story line to be very credible and did not empathize much with the heroine. The addition of the secret child was just too much.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. It was readable, but I just didn't find the characters particularly likable.

Touching, poignant, and hopeful. A young widow is forced to re-evaluate her life after her husband’s urn in unexpectedly returned to her. It drove me to tears, frustration with the main character, and smiles. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I empathized with the main character so much.

DNF

The premise of Husband Material sounded pure bonkers and soap-opera level drama, so of course I was intrigued by it. I mean a book that's about a woman whose ex-husband's ashes show up out of the blue at her door step and secrets being revealed in the process? I was so down for it! Unfortunately, this book was quite lackluster. It had all the ingredients for a good romance novel, but the execution felt flat for me. I think a major reason why I didn't click as much as I would have liked for Husband Material was my boredom towards the main character, Charlotte. I'm not sure what it was, but I felt like she was rather one-dimensional, as were the other characters in the book, including the potential love interest. As a result, I just did not care enough about this story to want to progress with it. I also could not care less for Charlotte's evil ex-mother-in-law, who seemed to be out to get Charlotte for some reason. I believe I got about halfway through this one before I decided to call it quits. It's sad, but Husband Material was just not my cup of tea. Others, however, might have better luck with it.

I was not a fan of the endgame in this story. Spoilers ahead...

I don’t love the best friend of the guy ends up with the guys girl story lines. Something about it just seems wrong. Brian wasn’t a great guy either. He stole money from Charlotte! Oh and never told her her deceased husband (his best friend) had a child. Oh but because he sends her flowers apologizes and says it was all with good intentions, it’s swept under the rug and wrapped up with a neat little bow and Charlotte ends up dating him in the end bc he’s such a great guy.

Charlotte’s story had much more potential than that. Let’s not forget she turns down an offer for her app that she’s been working on and has been her goal for a long time because she doesn’t want to be in a long distance relationship with Brian.

So many things wrong with the endgame relationship for Charlotte.

Husband Material by Emily Belden is quite a cute novel. I thought it was going to be primarily romance but it was actually more just about a woman finding herself. I especially liked the interactions between the main character Charlotte and her roommate because they had the whole opposites attract thing going on. I liked the ending too and usually that can make or break a book for me. I would have liked more romance but overall this is a quick fun read.

This was, at times, a really funny and charming read, but I felt like some of the decisions the main character made were a little unbelievable (and a lot stupid) and I didn't really like her. Because I didn't connect with the main character I was actually really ready for the book to be over and if it hadn't been such a light read I probably wouldn't have finished it. I also personally prefer romance with a bit more steam so this just wasn't my favorite. Just not for me!

I Could. Not. Put. Down. This. Book! I literally devoured this in one evening. The book keeps surprising you with plot twists that kept me engrossed with this story from cover to cover. This author is new to me and I am looking forward to reading her first published book next.

Husband Material is full of twists and turns that I did not see coming... I would say go into reading this blindly because it gives certain plot twists the punches it deserves!

Charlotte has spent the last 5 years living a lie. She's a widow and didn't let anyone know. When her husband's ashes show up in the mail one day due to a fire, she's forced to confront her past and welcome old friends back into her life. With unresolved feelings for her husband's best friend, Charlotte has to endure secrets that shakes her to the core and decide continue living a solitary life or live again.

I first read "Hot Mess" a few years back and fell in love with the easy storytelling, can't-put-down vibe, and obviously plenty of romance. Upon hearing Belden had a new book, I was instantly sold. Fast forward to reading "Husband Material" and I couldn't put it down. It's a quick read full of twists, turns, and of course, sweeping romance. (I mean, the story of how Charlotte got her pup Leno just wrecked me!) It's so sweet and easy to get lost in. I want a Decker or a Brian, or, ok fine, I'll just read it again. I couldn't put it down, obsessed.

In this sometimes funny, sometimes heartwarming romance, Charlotte must come to terms with a past she's thought she's buried when she suddenly comes into possession of her dead husband's ashes. This is a story about secrets and second chances, and we can never really know anyone, no matter how well we thought we knew them.

Both the cover and the description of Husband Material intrigued me so I knew that I wanted to read this romantic comedy. I found the book to be sweet and mostly light, while still covering topics of death and grief quite well. While I feel the romance aspect of the book was somewhat rushed, I did enjoy the relationship that Charlotte develops from a place of sadness. I thought Charlotte was more complex than I expected and I really loved the roommate character. Overall, an enjoyable summer read!

Husband Material was definitely different than I had anticipated. I thought it would be fluffier than it was and though I liked it, I also felt some parts were a little inconsistent, in particular Charlotte's behavior at times. That being said, I mostly enjoyed the book and read it very quickly. I would read more by this author in the future!

Charlotte is a closet widow who now has to deal with the fact the place that was storing her husband's ashes has sent them back. For someone with panic and anxiety, she doesn't do well with his sudden reappearance in her life, and her ex-mother-in-law is not making it easy. Thankfully, she has a successful job as a coder, and she's good at it. With her newly formed friendship with her late husband's best friend, things are looking up.

This was a bit repetitive with some of the elements. Charlotte had an Apple watch and we know she has one because she's always talking about it. It's these kinds of details that seemed as book filler and didn't really move the book forward. But what started off with a lot of potential fell flat for me. I feel there were some missed opportunities with the characters. However, I could relate to her personal struggles and her desire to just want to hide out from the world and I found her adventures a bit amusing at times.

Calling all romance fans! Put Husband Material by Emily Belden on your radar for this fall! I flew through this book in less than a day and absolutely LOVED it!!! It was a sweet, cutesy, feel good love story and I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to read more from this amazing author!

Thanks to NetGalley for my free review copy in exchange for my honest review. See more book reviews on my bookstagram account: @browsingthebookshelf

I received a copy of Husband Material in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. This novel is an excellent Women's Fiction story, where the heroine, Charlotte, progresses naturally through each scene. The story is well written and I grew to care about Charlotte and wanted to see everything work out for her in the end. The mixture of drama and humor kept me reading and I enjoyed the flow of the story from Charlotte's perspective.
*Some spoilers*
The love story element was a little too slow of a burn and it ended up being crunched in right at the very end. There were subtle hints of "more than friendship", but no real moments of electricity or attraction. I did like that Brian was there for her and a good friend for most of the story. He also was good at keeping a neutral position between Charlotte and Debbie, making the reader realize there was more going on with the estranged mother-in-law than just bitterness toward Charlotte. I would have liked to see more tension and heat between Charlotte and Brian, especially when his secret comes to light in the end. It was resolved a little too easily and I disagreed with Casey (the roommate) when she said the fact that Char was able to dismiss Brian's stealing from her was because she had feelings for him. I would have thought it would be the opposite since the more she felt for him, the more she would have felt betrayed.
The other elements of the story were great with Charlotte having to go through her own personal journey and self-reflection. She learns to truly deal with her grief from the loss of her husband. I think that is something relatable with many widowers that lose their husbands at a young age.

Witty and hilarious with lovable characters. A completely uplifting read. Can’t wait to read more from this author.

While this book had a bunch of great moments, all in all, it just wasn't the book for me. I loved that the main character is a coder, who is really talented and on the verge of creating her own life-changing app. I think all of us regular readers have seen so many redundant professions in main characters and Charlotte's career and her passion for it was a breath of fresh air.

However, there was a lot of general inconsistency throughout the book that made me frustrated as a reader. While a lot of my questions were answered by the end of the story, I found those inconsistencies in character or plot distracting and kept me from fully enjoying the story. It was definitely more grief-focused than the cover or title implied, and while I may understand Charlotte not telling everyone that sh'e's a widow, I have a hard time believing it never came up and she had no friends from her marriage when she stayed in the same town she had lived her whole adult life. Those big plot problems were really just the beginning of my issues, and I do see the author's talent as a writer, the behavior of the characters just didn't add up for me.

The moment I started this novel, I was immediately drawn in. Charlotte's bad date to her friend's wedding was a great way to start this story off and allow readers to get to know her in an entertaining way. The whole novel was enjoyable, even given the subject matter. Emily Belden explores grief in an honest and realistic way, without dragging readers down to a heavy place.

I liked Charlotte's voice and personality, as well as seeing her grow and change given her circumstances. One trope in the story has been used in a couple of other books about husbands/romantic partners who pass away, but authors aren't psychic and everyone has their own way of presenting a similar idea.

Overall, Husband Material was an easygoing read with interesting characters and I found it hard to put down.

Movie casting ideas:
Charlotte: Nikki Reed
Casey: Libe Barer
Debbie: Brenda Strong
Brian: Jay Hayden

Thank you Netgalley and publisher!

Sorry so long to review. Pickpocket...Paris ..... :(

Ok. Title....mediocre......cover medicorce. I wouldn't pick it up at a store off this info. Emily Belden's other novel.....Hot Mess....much better title and cover.

The story was straight forward chic lit. Which I generally like. I don't always want to read heavy books . Perfect book for trips and beach time. But even tho guidelines didn't really push the book. I'll forget this quickly :(