I feel seen. And validated. And, yes, a little angry.

While on vacation this summer, a vacation I 100% planned by myself, my husband (whom I deeply love) asked me why I hadn't had our suburban's tires rotated. Well. The older I get, the more my capacity to handle bullsh*t has decreased, so I donned my crazy eyes and asked him why he hadn't: scheduled the kids' dentist appointments, doctor appointments, made sure they had enough vitamins, lunch supplies, new school clothes, new shoes, or attempted to have heart-to-heart talks with them because they are teenagers surviving a pandemic. I made my point. He is navigating what I consider the extra stuff while I'm navigating life stuff.

This is not to say that what he does isn't important. It is! But my, and every woman I know, mental load is so severely overwhelming that many of us are treading water. And what I'm saying here is The Husband's made me feel seen. The narrative gave a release of emotions that didn't require a primal scream on my part.

Chandler Baker effectively pins down the desperation of being a wife and a mother desperately trying to keep everything together. The fact there is a campiness to the story wholly reminiscent of The Stepford Wives made me happy because in this world, there was a tiny bit of justice. Not that I'm endorsing the methods ;-)

Perhaps I'm not the right audience for this book, or maybe the blurb that asked "to what lengths will a woman go for a little help from her husband" raised my expectations a little TOO high, but this domestic thriller really should have come with a caveat: read if you enjoy your domestic thrillers with a dash of highly privileged parenting anxiety. Baker knows how to set the right tone and the slow burn to find out the real reason why all the men in this new town she and her husband moved to do everything their wives tell them, but LORDY. The extra mental energy Nora exudes was exhausting to read for this full time working mother reader. (It didn't have to be this way, Nora. Even without spoilers to the ending.) 3 stars for a fascinating premise and plot--2 stars taken off for the anxiety left behind.

3.8****
This satirical humor had me doubled over. The book does have a distinct resemblance to The Stepford Wives just in a gender role reversal. In an exclusive suburban neighborhood at the Dynasty Ranch, everyone seems to have the perfect marriage and home. Well-organized with shared responsibilities. Nora and her husband have decided to put an offer in for a house at this perfect slice of pie establishment where the husbands are over the top.

Everyone there is singing "Kumbaya" when Nora feels her life has never fallen into its correct existence. She takes care of her young daughter and a baby is on the way and without knowledge of his inability to collaborate with her, she takes on the laundry, cooking, cleaning, child rearing..... and work. You know the drill.... LOL She thinks her husband could use a "chore reward chart" that would entice him to help out.

After one of the neighborhood husbands dies in a house fire, she realizes some strange things are going on that may not be as perfect as she hoped.

In some areas it was a slow burn that I found myself skimming, but finished and rather enjoyed it! Please check out those awesome reviews that made me put this on my TBR list. I couldn't wait to read it and overall it did not disappoint. The author says she wrote this because "the weight of women's quiet struggles" "invisible efforts" "impossible tradeoffs" and a slight edge on "venting"..LOL..accomplished ☑️☑️☑️☑️

Thanks NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this Arc in exchange for my honest review.

Chandler Baker has written another timely, wonderful book. This one deals with marriage and the inequality in domestic work that pervades so many marriages. I could really identify with the main character, Nora, as I've struggled with this issue in my marriage as well. In other ways, though, I felt like punching Nora in the face. I suppose I don't really "get" women that are so career focused and so determined to be at the highest career level. It's not something I aspire to. So I was frustrated that she wouldn't just say no to certain things at work or why she felt she had to make partner at all costs. I also hated how she didn't seem to have as much discretion as I thought she should have for a lawyer.

I loved hearing about the women of Dynasty Ranch and trying to figure out what was going on. I thought I had it all figured out, but I was surprised (in a good way) by the ending.

The book brings up some great issues and could be a great conversation starter, if anyone other than women reads it, which I'm not so sure will happen. It's a great read though, engaging, entertaining, and exciting. Highly recommend! Thanks to @netgalley for the advance copy!

Nora Spangler is trying to have it all. She’s an attorney, trying to make partner by putting in the hours and doing the work. She has a husband, Hayden, and a 4-year-old daughter, Liv, and she’s pregnant with another baby. It’s a good life.

But Nora is exhausted. She’s the one expected to take care of their home. Sure, Hayden chips in and helps when he’s asked, but Nora is tired of having to ask. Why is it always up to her to pack the lunches, finish the laundry, clean the kitchen, and keep up with all the paperwork for Liv’s school? She wants to have a true partner, not just someone who pats himself on the back for doing more than his father did.

Then Nora finds out about a house for sale. It’s in the exclusive Dynasty Ranch, is a good price, and it offers more space than they currently have. And when Nora starts to meet some of the neighbors, she finds them very friendly. And successful! The women she meets include a CEO of a tech company, a doctor, a bestselling writer, and a successful therapist. And then when Nora meets their husbands, she’s floored. They help take care of the house without having to be asked. They watch the kids, feed them a nutritious dinner, and get them ready for bed without nagging.

Then she meets Penny. Penny is a writer, and she’s staying with another of the families because of the fire that had gutted her house. Fortunately, she had been out that night. Sadly, her husband Richard had not been so lucky. Now the women of Dynasty Ranch want Nora to take on his wrongful death case, so that Penny can have some closure. Nora isn’t sure at first, as she’s not one to argue in court, but it would look good for her to bring in her own case, so she decides to look into it.

But as she looks into the possible causes of the fire, and takes a deeper look at her marriage and her desire for Hayden to feel more responsible for the unseen work of running a household, Nora finds herself caught between the ideal life she imagines for them in Dynasty Ranch and the disturbing details she finds out about the night of the fire. She finds herself needing to decide just how much she’s willing to sacrifice to get the life that she—that all wives and mothers—dream about.

The Husbands is the sophomore novel from Chandler Baker, who brought us the feminist thriller Whisper Network. Still fighting for women to have a voice, Baker has turned her focus to the home and asks readers just how much they sacrifice for their families. With brutal honesty and a sly intelligence, she has crafted a story that digs into that decorative pillow aphorism “Every working woman needs a wife.”

I was fascinated by The Husbands. The story pulled me in little by little, keeping me wanting more. And when I finally got to the end, when all the secrets were laid bare and I understood everything, I was absolutely stunned. This is a mother of a book, and women everywhere (and hopefully men too) will want to dive all the way in. If you’re in a book club, pick this book to read. If you’re not in a book club, then start one just to talk about this book with all your friends. It’s that good.

Egalleys for The Husbands were provided by Flatiron Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

This book read like a letter the author was writing to her husband. IT seems like it was a cathartic experience for her and it did make me lol a couple of times imagining how much better she must feel now. The book is definitely a commentary on gender roles in a marriage and parenting. She made great points and tried to display how both roles have their pros and cons but ultimately the heroine sounded like she really needed a break. It was long winded and we trapped in the tornado that is Nora's life. Nora spent 90% of the book complaining and when she finally got what she wanted she still complained. However, I liked Nora. As we trapped in her head, her doubts about herself are common for women. This book was just so boring for most of the middle. The beginning started off great with a fire and a death that the book centers on and then it went off the rails and we were stuck in a long laundry list of chores that are never done by the husband. It ended up very over the top with a gender swapped Stepford wives kind of ending. I heard this book is going to be a tv series and i do think the beginning and end will serve well. But, geez what a road to get there.

This feminist take on a reverse Stepford Wives was well written and touched on social issues in a unique way. I enjoyed the setting of the exclusive neighborhood and the characters who inhabited it. As a working mother, I completely understood the struggle to balance work and home life with not a lot of support. I enjoyed this one and the ending left me in a gasp.

I enjoyed Chandler Baker's first novel The Whisper Network and I was pleasantly pleased with her 2nd book The Husbands. The writing was excellent and I enjoyed reading Nora Spangler's story. Nora is a successful attorney, mother of 1 with another child on the way - she's hoping to make partner at her law firm but motherly responsibilities (without much help from her husband) are keeping her stressed and feeling a bit overworked and undervalued. Nora and her husband Hayden find a house in a subdivision called Dynasty Ranch and as Nora becomes involved with the women in this neighborhood whose lives seem too good to be true. What I liked about the story was that I wasn't sure exactly how everything was going to play out - I loved that it wasn't predictable to me.

🚨Book Review

The Husbands
By Chandler Baker

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

Sole Behind the Story: I am 35 and single and I don’t have children, but every time Nora said “I wish Hayden would…” I literally was like this sounds like me where I wish there was just somebody to help me do SOMETHING and then I immediately started getting anxiety about if a guy will ever help me with any of the house things 😂 But enough about my mental health. The Husbands publishes tomorrow and if you are a woman playing “I wish” then this is the book for you. Nora is up for partner at her law firm and is juggling a 4 year old, a household, a husband and being pregnant with baby number 2. In addition, she also has her heart set on a new house in Dynasty Ranch which seems to have everything she wants in a new neighborhood. Throughout the process of convincing her husband, Hayden, that the house is perfect for their growing family, Nora meets other women from the neighborhood who all seem to be in powerful career positions with doting husbands in tow. Why doesn’t her husband cook dinner or clean up like these husbands do? It isn’t until she takes on a fire investigation case from the neighborhood that she learns the truth. Eerily a stepford wives situation, this book makes you realize how things can seem okay until they really are not. Anxiety aside, the concept of this book is great especially if you love a good feminist thriller. Sometimes I found myself confused with a few gaps in the story and feeling like I was jumping around a bit and needed a few storylines to connect a little better. I haven’t read Baker’s Whisper Network yet, but am looking forward to reading it immensely because she does have some serious writing talent (Thanks to @momma_is_reading for sending me the book as a surprise yesterday!). The Husbands is out tomorrow, August 3. I suggest heading to a local Indie bookstore and grabbing a copy.

Thank you to @flatiron_books for the ARC ebook of The Husbands ❤️

Story Behind the Soles: A woman elevating into a powerful position at work requires a pair of pumps that will shatter the glass ceiling and look great doing it. Nora will certainly rock these heels post-baby.

#flatironbooks #chandlerbaker #thehusbands #feministthriller #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #arcbook #thrillerbooks #booksandshoes #ninewest #ninewestheels #ebook #ebooks #newtobookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #bookrecommendations #bookrecomendation #booksof2021 #newreleasebooks

Nora is oh so tired of having a successful career, running the household, and child rearing while husband Hayden breezes in and out as he pleases. What happens when she discovers Dynasty Ranch, a seemingly idyllic neighborhood where the men bend over backwards to do everything and more to lower their wives' stress levels? "You deserve it... You work so hard." Has Nora found Nirvana, or is it all too good to be true?

If you’ve ever felt the inequity between what you do as a woman for your family and household and what your husband does, then this is the read for you! However, there’s also a warning: reading THE HUSBANDS may cause anger and resentment towards your husband. Due to the topic, I was irritated for much of this book so I can’t say that it was an enjoyable read per se, but yet, it was also spot on! If you love domestic thriller/mysteries, then be sure to try this one.

Location: Austin, Texas

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I found this book to be very slow with to much internal dialogue. Nora had her head in the sand for most of the story. I wish the plot was stronger because the author brought up many good points for male/female gender role disparity in the home.

I was so eager to read this book because of the comparison to Levin's Stepford Wives, call it the Stepford Husbands. Nora, an attorney, inwardly complains to herself about how much work she has to do at home while her husband does nothing. She's tired. This sounds familiar to most women, smiles.

Nora and her husband consider moving to a subdivision which is full of professional women and husbands. This is where I got confused .... so many characters. I should have kept a paper with a list of names and professions.

The book dragged for me; constant referrals to an accident a few years ago. What happened? Why not go ahead and tell us now?

In sum, I'm glad I skimmed the book. An interesting plot indeed! Thanks to Netgalley and Flatiron books.

The Husbands is an interesting twist on the Stepford Wives. I liked how this book discusses gender roles and norms. Quite often women are the ones that are working full time, but also handling the household full time. They are the ones that know when picture day is, who their child's pediatrician is (and when their next appointment is), who their child's friends are, etc. etc. This is true and many of the things that Nora, the main character, complained about are true about a lot of relationships.

She then encounters the women of Dynasty Ranch, a small upper class housing development filled with successful women and the men that support them. These men are all SO proud of their wives and appreciate how hard they work. Seems to good to be true?

Alas, read on. There was a fire that killed a man in the development... he burned alive in the fire. Was this a wrongful death or just an accident? Nora is a lawyer and the women of the neighborhood ask her to take on the case. She does and finds out all kinds of things about this group of women.

Don't go into this book expecting a thriller. Rather it is a slow burn drama. Some of the slow burn is to a fault. For example, Nora constantly references an "accident" regarding her daughter. Through 2/3 of the book, we still don't know what happened. Nora also doesn't seem to put together what is off about this neighborhood as quickly as she perhaps should have, but overall, it is interesting to follow along in her point of view throughout the book.

*3-3.5 stars. In the dedication to this novel, Chandler Baker says: '...because women can do anything, but they can't do everything.' Her protagonist, Nora, is a personal injury lawyer on track to become a partner in the law firm where she works. She also has a 4-year-old daughter and she's pregnant with her second child. Her husband, Hayden, thinks he 'helps' but Nora still feels so overwhelmed and torn by the sheer amount of work to be done both at work and at home. Baker poses the question, 'How far will a woman go for a little more help from her husband?'

Nora and Hayden look at a house for sale in the Dynasty Ranch neighborhood of Austin. While there, they notice a house that has completely burned to the ground and are shocked to learn that a man died in the fire. Nora gets to know the neighborhood women, all professionals in one field or another, and is asked to look into the fire to see if there might be grounds for a wrongful death suit there to help support the widow, a well-known writer.

All the neighborhood husbands they meet seem extraordinarily helpful around the house so when it is suggested that Nora and Hayden attended couples therapy sessions to improve their relationship, Nora thinks, Why not?

As more of Nora's story is revealed, I found I had less sympathy for her and the mistakes she makes as she bumbles through this mess. What the neighborhood women present as a solution to a woman's lifestyle dilemma is totally wild! (If you've read the synopsis of the book, you already have a suspicion of what's going on in Dynasty Ranch.) There isn't a lot of suspense in this book but there are some pretty interesting twists to the ending. What would YOU do for a little more help around the house?

This book offers an interesting look at the pressures on women in today's society. Interspersed in between chapters of the novel are short online articles on this subject with some of the comments that were posted in response. This adds to the much needed conversation about women's issues. What a great book club read this would be!

I received an arc of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity!

This was a page-turner, that's for sure! Once I started, I could not put it down. I loved the author's first book 'The Whisper Network' so I knew I would love this plot. Give me a working mom and I'm in. A lawyer with a toddler and a baby on the way? Sign me up! The author's sharp, funny take on domestic life was perfect.

"She walks upstairs still in her high heels, wondering how she can be so eager to see her family, her favorite faces in the entire world, and yet also feel a horror movie-level of dread: Don’t go in there!"

Nora is a young lawyer on a partner track at her law firm. She is constantly stressed out from the pressure of billable hours, work life, and the demands of her young family. She adores her husband Hayden, but would it be so bad if he did more to help out with the household chores? Chandler Baker has a very keen eye for the tensions and pressures of modern relationships.

“Love you,” he says. “Love you,” she echoes, and she truly does love him, loves him with her whole heart, wants to strangle him with her love, wants to love him until he’s dead sometimes.

This book is also dark thriller, bordering on horror, and borrows lightly from Ira Levin's 'The Stepford Wives', a book I read and loved many, many years ago. I was initially sympathetic with Nora's situation here but I did not agree with her willingness to go along with the devious plans invented by her her new neighbors in the seemingly perfect Dynasty Ranch neighborhood.

The first part of the book was very witty and I found Nora to be very engaging and relatable. Who hasn't forgotten to turn in a signed permission slip on time at school or stayed up until 1:00 AM baking for a class party? The second part of the story takes a turn into horror territory but nonetheless I could not put the book down until I learned what the outcome would be. The ending probably won't be a surprise to some readers but it caught me off guard. I actually liked Hayden and found him to be a normal, loving and attentive husband.

I completely related to the author's note at the end. I understand and appreciate the points she was trying to make with this book. Because I adored 'The Whisper Network' I am definitely looking forward to reading more of Chandler Baker's books.

(Thanks to the publisher for providing an advanced copy of the book via NetGalley.)

The Husbands is a reverse stepford wives story that focused on modern marriages and gender roles. I was actually getting stressed on behalf of Nora because I identified with the struggle to "do it all" so well. Nora as a character did bug me a bit because she was a little self involved. Her struggle was absolutely real but the way she handled things was frustrating.

This book was definitely relatable and the suspense was good. Though I saw the ending coming a mile away, this book's focus wasn't on a shocking twist but the daily struggle of the working Mom.

This is a near perfect read that will keep you up all night turning the pages for “just one more chapter!” A brilliant companion piece to my all-time favorite “The Stepford Wives,” this book really explores just what it would take to have equity within mixed-gender marriages. While Levin terrified us with the idea that most cis-hetero men would trade in their wives for a sex-bot that also does floors, Baker terrifies us with the extreme measures that would be required to make those same men do their fair share of the mental and physical labor in a household.

The only critique I have of the novel is that I could have lived without Nora having a tragic motherhood backstory. The story would have sold just as powerfully, maybe even more so, without the “excuse” for her husband’s resentment.

All together though, a five-star read to wrap up the summer.

THE HUSBANDS By Chandler Baker
Thriller fiction
352 pages

We have Nora Spangler as our main character in this book. Nora is a successful lawyer trying to make partner while juggling her 4 yr old toddler, housework, her husband, and everything else that comes with being a mom. Her husband just doesn't get how much work she does for their family. He tries to help out but he just does the bare minimum. Then Nora meets these ladies in a new neighborhood they are considering buying a house in. These ladies are successful like Nora but their husband's help out and beyond for their hardworking wives. What is the catch?? Gotta read it to find out
This is my first book by this author and WOW!!!!!!!!!!! This author knows what she's doing in thriller fiction for sure. This book is so good!!!!!!!! It kept me enthralled the entire book. I had to know what happened and I never had that figured out!!!!!! I highly recommend this book.

This book was just okay. It had a lot of interesting commentary on gender roles, and I appreciated the points the book made about mothers who do it it all (e.g, work, clean, childcare). It really had me thinking about a world where modern- day marriage is completely equal. However, the pacing of the story felt off. While the beginning was intriguing, the middle was a bit of a slow burn, and I wish the ending wasn’t so abrupt.

Dynasty Ranch is an idyllic neighborhood, and Nora, a hard-working attorney who is eager to make partner at her law firm, is eager to buy a house there. Her professional life seems to be right on track and going well... but her domestic life? Well, she feels like all she does is pack lunches and take care of her daughter and Nora wishes her husband would work just a bit harder, share the responsibilities so to speak.

This is a winding, gripping thriller reminiscent of the Stepford Wives and a unique story commenting on the expectations for women, working, and marriage. I was invested from the first chapter, curious to see where the story would go, and things unravel slowly until you reach a certain point, and then you won't be able to stop reading until you know the ending.

My only qualm with this story was the ending, which I thought fell a bit flatter than the rest of the story. However, there is a final twist that was surprising but interesting.

Highly recommend for thriller readers, particularly women-centered thrillers.