When the ashes of Charlotte's late husband show up at her apartment unexpectedly, her carefully ordered life quickly spirals out of control. She has to deal with her mother-in-law and her husband's best friend, both of whom bring along their own sets of baggage.

There were some charming elements to this story: a developing romance, a woman opening herself up to others after years of keeping walls up, and touching moments about the bonds of a marriage.

Unfortunately, what sounded like it could be a unique and interesting novel ended up feeling a bit one-note in the end. At times it felt that there was too much effort being done to make the novel hip and current, with mentions of Apple Watches, Tinder and Alexa devices, that just ended up making the story feel clunky. I also found it hard to connect with our main character, Charlotte. She seemed so out of touch with reality (being a young widow notwithstanding), that I was annoyed with her more often than not.

3.5 stars. Enjoyable but the ending felt a little rushed.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e galley in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars

I am always down for a romantic comedy, and this book is just that. When 30 year old social media maven and coder, Charlotte's, late husband's ashes show up unexpectedly after a fire at the mausoleum, it throws her well appointed life into a spiral.

This book is a fun, light-hearted contemporary story. However, the overuse of mentions of Tesla's, Apple products and Instagram, it felt like it was trying a bit hard to be on trend.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

I love Charlotte and the carefully controlled world she sculpted around her. Isn't it wonderful when things fall apart? This book ran the gamut of feelings and emotions and I could not put it down. I can't wait for some of my "it'll make you ugly cry" readers to pick this one up. It's a wonderful read!

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an early copy of this book in exchange for a review. I will he posting a review on my blog, closer to the release date in September.

This book was absolutely HILARIOUS! I love lighter reads that have me laughing out loud, and this was definitely that for me. I definitely recommend this one for fans of authors like RS Grey, who don’t want anything too heavy, just a great book to read by the pool or on the beach!

Char, the female lead of this story, was a character that was easy to empathize with, laugh with, and adore - therefore making this an even more pleasant read.

Definitely recommend, and again, I will post a more detailed review on my blog closer to the release date.

I really liked this book. It was a little hard to get into (for me) but once I did I was hooked! I love that it combined a little bit of everything I love...the tech world, numbers, dating in the digital age, secrets, roommates, and old friends. The ending of this book really surprised me but again, in a good way. Overall I really enjoyed this book and hope to red more from the author in the future!

This is my second Emily Belden book and I really enjoyed it. It wasn't even a conscience decision to choose the author again, I just loved the synopsis of Husband Material so much that I hit the NetGalley request without further exploration. But once I started reading, I recognized the writing and the plot focus. You see, Belden has the most amazing way of writing the working woman of today. She excels at, quite simply, creating an adult woman who is competant and placing her in an enviornment where she actually works. That may seem silly, but I feel like 80% of the womens fic/romance books I read, the heroine, who has a job, is never actually working OR the job is unrealistic to an extreme and even then, the heroine never really works. So believe me when I say that I love that Emily Belden writes women leads with interesting millenial jobs that feel real and relevant. It makes all the difference.

I also feel like the author has grown immensely since her previous book. The first was bit long, but Husband Material is a perfectly edited book. There isn't any unneccesary fluff or drama. All in all, this is an incredibly realistic romance book. There is drama but it's balanced with self disovery and pain and growth. It's not a book to make you fall over laughing at unwitting hijinks. It's a deep and sweet look at a woman who thinks she has it all together but hasn't really dealt with the devistation that life threw at her way too early... it just so happens to be set in a romance book format. Although, the romance is more of a second or third plot point, just an fyi.

My only criticisms would include: wanting just a chapter or two more. I liked the way it ended but I would have like to see some of the things at the end opened up and explored a bit more at the end. And as a dog person, I wanted more interaction and inclusion of Charlotte's pupper. He felt more like a house plant most of the time.

Overall, Husband Material is about a woman who is learning to live the unexpected life. To balance work and friendships. To being able to open herself up to anything new. To learning the charms and pitfalls of coping mechanisms. And maybe a little bit of love thrown in there too. It was a book with a lot of emotion and I enjoyed reading it.

When I first started this book, I felt the beginning chapter or two were a bit forced, a bit shaky. However, Husband Material quickly gains its pace and focus, and Charlotte Rosen (Austin)’s journey during and after her marriage to Decker engages the reader. A coder for an influencer analytics firm, Charlotte has carefully organized her life and blocked out the pain from the death of her beloved husband Decker five years ago. Thinking she’s moved forward, she’s abruptly taken aback when his ashes are delivered to her apartment. What happens afterward is the meat of this story - her coming to terms with not only her grief, but letting go, letting people in, and processing that life, love, grief will all happen on its own arc.
Many who glance at this book cover will assume it’s a rom com, and there are those needed bits in the plot. However, it is Charlotte’s personal confrontation with herself that will have you turning the pages. Great weekend read.

4 stars. While this book ended up being a little heavier than I thought, I really liked it! Charlotte was a little much at times, but I think that was the point. I admired her grow & rediscovery of who she was. This was not as heavily geared towards romance as I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it. It was more about soul-searching & moving on after her husband's death. Chick-lit with some depth. This was my first Emily Belden but won't be my last. I'd definitely recommend this one.

Emily Belden's second foray in fiction comes in the form of a young widow, hiding from reality into crunching numbers and leaving zero to chance - including her own dating life. When her husband's ashes arrive on her doorstep unexpectedly, five years after his death, her compartmentalized facade starts to falter.

Told with Belden's signature wit and heart, Charlotte makes for a lovable protagonist who you can't help but root for, as well as a cast of peripheral characters that are uniquely wonderful as well, namely Charlotte's goth, tell it like it is roommate, Casey.

Thank you to Graydon House for an advance copy. All opinions are my own,

Be aware: this seemingly lighthearted read is really a look at the power of grief. Charlotte is approaching 30 and is keeping a secret from her roommate and coworkers: she’s a widow. When her husband’s ashes appear on her doorstep years after his death, she is forced to face the past she tried turning away from including her stubborn mother-in-law and her husband’s charming best friend.

Husband Material reminds us that grief isn’t something that can easily go away, and that when someone dies, the ripple effect of that loss is felt by many. The author does a wonderful job of maintaining the balance of lighthearted and sentimental without being too lackidasical and too mushy. Although I found Charlotte’s discovery of her husband’s secret to be a stretch in the story, the lessons she learned and her growth as a character makes this book worth the time.

I am a huge fan of blue skies, this warm weather, and Emily Belden’s newest book “Husband Material” (which I got to read early thanks to @netgalley)! Charlotte, a 30 year old coder in LA, has been a widow for five years when her husbands ashes show up on her doorstep due to a forest fire. This surprise throws Charlotte for a loop. This book is a fun, contemporary romance read with lots of fun twists.
Definitely worth reading when it comes out in September! Have you read anything by her? Have you read this or “Hot Mess” (SO good!)?

The cover (and title) of this book makes it seem like it's going to be a romantic comedy, but it's really more of Charlotte's coming to terms with her husband's sudden death and the secrets that come to light when his ashes return. While it was well written, it wavered into cliche at times.

When the ashes of Charlotte's late husband show up at her apartment unexpectedly, her carefully ordered life quickly spirals out of control. She has to deal with her mother-in-law and her husband's best friend, both of whom bring along their own sets of baggage.

There were some charming elements to this story: a developing romance, a woman opening herself up to others after years of keeping walls up, and touching moments about the bonds of a marriage.

Unfortunately, what sounded like it could be a unique and interesting novel ended up feeling a bit one-note in the end. At times it felt that there was too much effort being done to make the novel hip and current, with mentions of Apple Watches, Tinder and Alexa devices, that just ended up making the story feel clunky. I also found it hard to connect with our main character, Charlotte. She seemed so out of touch with reality (being a young widow notwithstanding), that I was annoyed with her more often than not.

2.5/5 stars

Husband Material by Emily Belden serves up more than your typical rom com, in the best way possible. (And, I love rom coms.) There's a delightful combination of both depth and fun in this novel that follows protagonist Charlotte as she navigates dealing with the grief she never faced after the death of her husband. Being such a young widow was completely unexpected for Charlotte, and she avoided everything about her husband's death - until his ashes literally arrive on her doorstep. Ancillary characters are strong (quirky roommate, mother-in-law, husband's best friend). There's unanticipated complexity in the story arc (not giving anything away here) that will keep readers guessing. Definitely add it to your TBR list.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Graydon House, and Emily Belden for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The publication date for this book is September 24, 2019.

I wanted to like this book so much more than I actually did. Charlotte was so unlikeable and I understand that she was still mired in her grief, but she was just so, so awful. I anticipated that Decker wasn't going to be the paragon of perfection she remembered him as, but I definitely did not anticipate what the twist would be when it came.

This was my first book by Emily Belden, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The story centers around Charlotte, a west coast newcomer who moved out to Hollywood to be in the entertainment industry, and instead found a husband and a love for coding. Now a five year widow, Emily spends her time working on a program to find her perfect mate and work through her residual grief.

When her husband's final resting place is burned in a wildfire, his urn is returned to Charlotte, forcing her to come clean about her widowed status and helping her uncover a huge mystery.

I really enjoyed that the main character was relatable, and had a really interesting career. I also enjoyed that some of the things that initially bothered me about the main character became important plot points later in the book and were not overlooked.

I felt the mystery was good and the writing was quick and snappy. I would definitely add some of Ms. Belden's books to my beach bag for the summer.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley.com for my advanced copy.

A good read that takes the reader with various relationships: widowhood and dealing with grief and with in laws, male/female ; roommates. The main character must realize that she needs to rely on herself and not computer programs.

I really enjoyed this light read! Good characters, unique and engaging plot, nice setting. Thank you to Net Galley for the advance copy!

Thank you Netgalley and Graydon House/Harlequin for the advanced digital copy of Husband Material.
This title will be released in September 2019.

This is the first book by Emily Belden that I've read and I'm sure it won't be the last (going to go find Hot Mess on Amazon right now). I like this type of women's fiction; compulsively readable story with a smart protagonist, with a wide emotional reach.


In Husband Material, we meet Charlotte Rosen. She's a numbers queen who works in social media connecting high end commercial clients with strategically selected social media influencers to help them promote their businesses. Charlotte's job is all about the numerical outcome - impressions and analytics are her focus - and she's got it down to a science. Her skills in writing code also come in handy in developing her own app to help her out in her own dating life. Her life is just fine, she's got a roommate whom she tolerates, a job she likes and an adorable French bulldog named Leno. It's a perfectly curated life, but when an unexpected object from the past shows up on her doorstep the whole thing starts to unravel.

At first sight, the cover of this book screams "rom com". But it really isn't that at all. At its core, this novel is about grief. I wasn't quite expecting it, but I really, really enjoyed it. Emily Belden's writing is fabulous. She does what I think a lot of writers try to do - and that's write with wit and emotion without being cliched. Charlotte's story is nuanced and multilayered. It offered a varied view on dealing with grief and coming to terms with it. While there is a little romance in the background, it doesn't take the forefront of the narrative. It certainly could have - but I think it would have cheapened things a little, so I'm really happy that it didn't. I do think that this book is on the lighter side of heavy - there is plenty of levity throughout - but that was perfectly fine for me. I want to read hopeful and upbeat books that are able to tackle emotional issues with nuance and grace - this book did that .

This one is about coming to terms with tragedy, fresh chances to find love and friendship. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would happily recommend to my friends.