HOW TO KEEP A HUSBAND FOR 10 DAYS by Jessica Hatch is billed as a rom-com, but to me, it was a romantic drama with a dash of comedy. The book follows a couple, Lina and Brown, who have grown tired of their marriage and decide to start divorce proceedings while pretending to their friends that everything is fine.

Lina is depicted as a fiery and passionate character who can often come across as overbearing. While this intensity can be admirable, it can also lead to conflicts with her husband, Brown, who is depicted as more laid-back and apathetic by comparison.

This dynamic between Lina and Brown is a key part of their relationship and is explored in depth throughout the book. While Lina's passion and determination can be admirable, it can also be a source of tension with Brown. On the other hand, Brown's seemingly more laid-back approach to life can be frustrating for Lina, who sometimes wishes he would be more proactive. Overall, the portrayal of Lina and Brown's dynamic is realistic and relatable, and it adds depth to their relationship.

The subplot involving their and their friends' attempt to save their former apartment building from redevelopment adds an extra layer of depth to the story, as it not only brings Lina and Brown closer together but also showcases their sense of community and connection to their former home. The book does a great job of depicting the tight-knit group of friends who used to live in the building and the efforts they go through to try and save it.

One of the standout elements of the book is the depiction of the dinner parties that Lina and Brown's friend group used to host in their former apartment building. The book does a fantastic job of bringing the meals to life with vivid descriptions of the food and the overall atmosphere of the gatherings. It's clear that a lot of thought and care went into the depiction of these scenes, and it really adds to the overall charm of the book.

However, this book is not without its flaws. The miscommunication between Lina and Brown can be frustrating at times, and the dialogue can feel stilted at points. Despite these issues, the book's wonderful side characters help to balance out the main couple, who are not always likable. Lina is a lawyer and Brown is a bartender, and the book does a great job of exploring the challenges and misunderstandings that can arise when two people have different career paths. Despite their flaws, it's impossible not to root for Lina and Brown as they navigate their way through the challenges they face and work towards falling back in love.

One aspect of the book that I particularly enjoyed was the realistic portrayal of the setting, especially to someone who is native to the area. The author does a great job of bringing the city to life, and I could easily guess at the real-life inspirations for the locations that the author was being a bit vague about. Overall, this was a wonderful read that will have you laughing, rooting for the lead couple, and possibly even shedding a tear or two.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this ebook.

“When Lina’s oldest friends unexpectedly announce they’re coming to stay, she has to think fast. No one knows she and her husband Brown are breaking up, and so she persuades him to act as if they aren’t…”

I have to say, I absolutely loved this book! Once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. It didn’t take me long to get through and I found that the author wrote at the perfect pace where it wasn’t moving too quickly, but I also wasn’t getting bored with the plot.

Out of all the characters, I truly loved Brown the most. I wasn’t a big fan of Lina initially, especially with how often she would put down his character and how rude she was to him. Still, I was rooting for them the entire time to rekindle their relationship, communicate properly with one another and get back ti the reason they fell in love with one another in the first place.

There were a few twists and turns in the book that made the reader wonder if that would even be possible, which kept me turning each page quickly in suspense. I think the plot was very original and it incorporated not only romance, but true friendship as well. Very well written. I would highly recommend this book.

The story follows married couple Lina and Brown as they navigate the early stages of separation and divorce proceedings. Type A Lina made a quick decision to serve easy going Brown when after a fight he didn't come home. When their best friends Mara and Freddie (and prior neighbours from a low-cost apartment complex) involve them in a bid to save the old building, Lina and Brown must hide that they are no longer together and thus their faux marriage begins...

High tension, diverse characters, a bit of spice and a great sub plot to tie it all together. I found this an entertaining read and enjoyed the communication styles of the characters.

This book says it’s a hilarious comedy but there really isn’t much comedy to it. The story feels misleading as it seems to focus more on the main couple’s friends than their relationship. The entire plot is about deceiving their friends and how to make their friends get what they want. The characters were not relatable and it was difficult to find myself rooting for them getting a happy ending.

Oh I'm sorry to say that this just didn't work for me. Not funny, or engaging. Struggled to hold my attention throughout.

Not my favorite book, I didn’t find it humorous. Lina and Brown seemed to have no connection and the plot timeline got lost in the process. I had high hopes for this book but the superficiality of the characters and writing style was just not for me.

Thanks for the advanced copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
I can't believe the blurbs have compared this to books by Ali Hazelwood, Christina Lauren and Emily Henry. That's a disservice to those authors. This book is not remotely funny or romantic. The cover and description drew me in but didn't remotely deliver. This was awful. Do not recommend.

I received this book from Netgalley. The first thing that drew me to this book was the title. It sounded really interesting so I knew I wanted to read it.

After getting 10% of the way into the book I really felt like not all that much had happened, but I kept reading because perhaps the book would start going along at a faster pace.

The part where Lina speaks about when she started divorce proceedings kind of shocked me a bit. Based on the information given it all seemed a bit sudden. Just the way the decision was made. But she also treats Brown really badly sometimes, that could be due to her hurting but it's also not very mature.

When Brown comes back to the house to keep up the façade, why does he mess things up? Surely if someone was coming to stay with you the place would be neat and tidy for their arrival? Even if it got messy during their stay. That made no sense.

40% into the book and they're finally making a start on the project that's bringing all of the friends together again. That's too long - my interest in the book had already started to fade unfortunately.

I feel like the whole ruse that brought Lina and Brown back together was a bit odd. I liked the idea but unfortunately that seemed to be a side plot instead of having more focus on it.

A good, light hearted easy read which pretty much does what it says on the tin as long as you don’t take it too seriously. As romantic comedies go it wasn’t the laugh out loud hilarious that perhaps it seems to be billed as but it was still decently entertaining and a good tonic to life when things are a bit rough.
The premise is a bit daft, but then we knew that from the title. When faced with old friends descending on her, our main character panics and pretends that things are fine with her and the husband she’s lined up to divorce and, well, you can probably guess the ending but we’re being honest here and I don’t imagine it was meant to be too much of a shock horror twist!
I wasn’t hugely engaged with the characters but that’s not too much of a criticism. There were also some ring true sentiments which shine through, like the feelings of connection and nostalgia connected with somewhere you live through a significant life period and the associations.
Not a bad read, good holiday fodder.

I was happy to receive this as an ARC read as I really like the marriage trope. However I struggled with this one. I found it hard to get into and I did not like the characters.

Loved the premise of the book which is what drew me in to read. I enjoyed the multi layered themes in the book, and that it wasn’t just solely focused on the Lina/Brown divorce. I found myself quite frustrated with Lina & at times I didn’t understand her trains of thought she seemed very conflicted with what she actually did and what she wanted to do. All the other characters were likeable and even Sophie was a perfect antidote to the rest of them. I found myself wanting to pick this up to finish & find out what happens I just felt like it was abit drawn out.

This had immense potential. Marriage in crisis, fake dating, second chances, it had the recipe to an incredible book… if only the characters didn’t actually hate each other. Unfortunately the couple seemed they were better off from each other. It seemed like the hero couldn’t stand the heroine and vice versa, they were just two people waiting for divorce to set them finally free. I’m incredibly bummed about this.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5


This book was just okay. The writing style was all over the place. The main character, Lina, was not very likeable and I kept waiting for her to redeem herself. I thought this would be a lighthearted, funny, rom-com, but it really wasn’t. I am glad that I finished the book though because the ending made it a little better.



📘:How to Keep a Husband for 10 Days by Jessica Hatch
🗓 Pub Date: February 8, 2023

Thank to NetGalley, Jessica Hatch , and Bookouture for this ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Reviewed on NetGalley and Goodreads. Will review on retail once published!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Publication: February 8, 2023

Ouch, this was a chore to get through. I found myself bored and wondering when the humor was supposed to come in. I found that the writing was over explaining different parts and this took me out of the story. The blurb led me to believe that this was a "hiliarious" romcom and I was expecting a different rendition of the movie "How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days".

Overall, this was rough for me as a reader and I can't recommend because the blurb for the book says one thing and the actual book felt like something completely different.

The cover art and blurb for this one really appealed to me and definitely sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately, this was a case of a not every reader matches with every book. I was hoping for and expecting more of a romcom vibe, which this did not quite deliver for me anyway. The pacing was a bit on the slow side for me, and I had trouble connecting with the characters (particularly the MC) and staying engaged to the story.

Thank to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an early copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

HOW TO KEEP A HUSBAND FOR TEN DAYS
Jessica Hatch


This unfortunately was a DNF at 14%. The opening was fine and I was set to read a book about the connections we make with the people and places in our lives. But unfortunately this book was not that.

There were three reasons I decided to DNF this title. I do not DNF often and it takes a lot for me to discontinue reading a book. I’ll go through the things I saw and read within the first few chapters that concerned me and otherwise made for a negative reading experience.

Our main character has a discussion with her therapist and the therapist suggests to her client, our character, that she lie by omission to her friends in regards to the status of her and Browns relationship.

That is unethical for a therapist to suggest to a client and I found it to be unbelievable and it was my first problem with the book.

My second problem is this character the author has created named Freddie. Freddie uses gender neutral pronouns and prefers to be called he/they. This character is constructed in a very harmful way. Freddie is introduced to us as a “tall, lanky, dark-skinned person”- actual quotes.

This articulation of Freddie’s character made me feel uncomfortable as a reader and it is unfortunate that this material be allowed to be put in print.

The last thing I noticed was the authors inability to construct a scene. There are passages where people are talking in conversation and it’s confusing and too hard to tell who is saying what.

I read several pages only to be left with questions and left to reread and it was entirely too arduous to read it the first time.

This one was not for me and I have no one that I would recommend it to. I find it harmful and feel it has no place in the market.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read it and for the advanced copy in exchange for my review!

⭐️

When I first read the book description I was intrigued and thought it was going to be a rom-com. However, as I began to read the book I was not hooked within the first chapter. I continued to read it, in order to be able to write this review and in hopes I would eventually be hooked and love it. However, that did not happen, it was very slow-paced and lacked clarity at some points for me. Although this wasn't for me, others may enjoy it.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publishers to read and provide an honest review.

I wanted to love this book based on the main cover but I just found myself struggling to root for the MC. I wish we could’ve had more of the apartment living because those some of my favorite scenes. I also struggled to be transported back to the pandemic life described.

I was intrigued with the plot and was excited for a heartwarming rom-com that I could curl up and relax with.
Unfortunately, the plot felt quite haphazard and was hard to grasp. There were a lot of characters that I didn't feel I could relate to and that took away the magic for me.

I adored this story. I was drawn in by the title and by love for the Kate Hudson movie! Although it was very different from the movie, i loved it nonetheless. It was a great story that I enjoyed reading. It wasn't as much as a rom-com as expected, but I appreciated it for what it was!