This was one of my most anticipated reads, and it delivered. A real blast! There isn’t much character development, but it’s just a fun, quirky story. Perfect for anyone who’s ever wondered what other paths life could have taken. I’m realizing magical realism might be one of my favorite genres.

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio is a fabulously creative, debut novel filled with romance, humor and a bit of magic. Basically Lauren comes home to her apartment one night after a girls' night to find a strange man living there and some of her apartment furniture just a little different. Eventually she realizes that her attic contains a bit of magic (or mystery depending on your perspective) and switches the men out every time they climb up the ladder. So begins the endless parade of men coming into Lauren's life as she has to decide how much time she wants to spend with each, and what they exactly "bring to the table".

As I said, a wonderfully original idea, but the ever revolving door of "husbands" leaves the reader with whiplash. In the beginning it is fun and non-consequential for Lauren to meet and direct these men in and out of her life, but the reader doesn't get much of a chance to connect with any of the men, and after awhile the in and out of characters gets tedious.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Publishing for the chance to read this novel.

“When Lauren returns home to her flat in London late one night, she is greeted at the door by her husband, Michael. There’s only one problem—she’s not married”.

I liked the story well enough, not quite what I expected. I wish there had been less husbands and more getting to know them and maybe even why/how this is happening. Didn't know how it would end and felt it ended abruptly, It was a quick read, good for an at the beach, fun kind of book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

The concept of a magical attic bringing new husbands into and out of life hoping for the perfect husband to appear was a bit of a stretch for me. I received an advanced reader copy from Netgalley. I found it interesting when a husband would stick around for a week or so. The husbands that came and went within minutes and hours were like swiping on a dating app. Each time a new husband appeared, family would know him and be able to relate stories. If you could start over and be married to old boyfriends, would you? How would your life be changed?

This book was great. I loved the suspense and mystery of it. The concept, what-ifs, and characters interwining together to create a good story

Thank you to @doubledaybooks and @netgalley for this #gifted danced digital copy.

“The Husbands” by Holly Gramazio, is a truly unique storyline where Lauren arrives home after a celebration as discovers she now has a husband. Or rather a magical attic that produces an endless supply of husbands.

This debut novel has a great concept and started off strong, with a mystery feel. However the books became repetitive relatively quickly. Initially Gramazio did a good job at developing the characters, but I didn’t continue to see that throughout the book in either the main character or any of the secondary characters. I applaud the theme of how do you know if you have taken the right path, but see the authors gaming background with infinite lives and leveling up rather than character growth. Overall, an interesting and unique book that had the right concept, but missed the mark for me.

The Husbands had a very unique premise. One day Lauren arrives home and has a husband! She has no idea who he is but there are pictures of him on her phone, text messages back and forth and her friends and family know him. We soon learn that Lauren has a magic attic. One husband goes up, another comes down. She doesn't like the husband, up he goes! This goes on throughout the whole book. In all honesty, it got kind of old. I kept waiting for character development, a love story...something!?!

There was a sweet friendship development when Lauren meets Bohai who is one of the husbands and travels through various door meeting his partners.

Overall, this gets a 3 for uniqueness but this one won't be memorable for me 😟

Well, this is one heck of a fun read, but it’s also a poignant and wonderful one. The Husbands is a surreal, sprightly and delightful sci-fi-ish romcom that takes a look at what happens when one woman is beset by a bunch of possible futures – and future husbands.

Lauren Strickland comes home slightly buzzed from her best friend Elena’s hen party, and is alarmed to be confronted by a handsome man. He claims he’s her husband – and, more shockingly, all evidence, including the memories of her friends and the pictures in her house (which has now been transfigured) point to this being true. Then one day her husband goes into the attic to change a lightbulb… and comes down as an entirely different person.

It’s not just the husband in question who shifts each time he goes up into the attic – her life, her plans, her job, her ambitions, most of her friends, the décor, and the worlds of her sister and downstairs neighbors also shift in time with the attic’s mischief. At first, Lauren just trades up husbands rapidly in her quest to find a date for Elena’s wedding; but eventually she finds herself exchanging husbands on a whim, turning them out whenever they present the least bit of annoyance to her, or sometimes for no reason at all.

But then the possibility of love tempts Lauren. What can she do about the attic if she’s found it, and is this Mr. truly Mr. Right?

The Husbands is, of course, a metaphor for the deathless pursuit of sex and love, and it’s thought-provoking and touching, funny and wry. It covers every aspect of the romantic experience from every angle. If you don’t dive into the novel expecting a grand solution to the mystery set before Lauren, you’ll find yourself quite content to live beside her, even as her missish quest for the right man makes her seem unlovable. But that is the ultimate point.

The supporting characters are fantastic, my favorite being Bodhi, Lauren’s only confidant in the matter of the husbands. Every other character feels truly well-drawn - well, at least the ones we spend time with. This is a romance in love with the idea of finding the right ‘one’, rather than a story about a real romance – so don’t get attached to any of those husbands. I loved the London neighborhood the author plunges her into, and while I wanted to know much more about the magical system that keeps Lauren bound to the place, I was also content simply to let it happen and the mystery be. So many tones intermarry in this novel – there are horror and suspense elements, character study, romance, comedy and drama.

There is a great Shel Silverstein poem called Almost Perfect, which this story and Lauren’s quest for the perfect husband absolutely reminded me of. Her almost-but-not-quite journey through romance is compelling, shocking, funny, touching. The Husbands is one of the best novels of the year.

Love the premise of the book, but I admit after soooo many husbands and no real character development for Lauren, I liked it a little bit less than I thought I would. About 40% in, she has an epiphany which lead me to believe she’d make a go of it with one husband. Instead, it became just more. The ending leaves some questions unanswered, and that may be the author’s intent. Solid debut, but not sure it was a good fit for me as a reader.

The Husbands is a clever, unique look at choices, marriage and what-ifs. Lots of laughs while navigating life's dilemmas. Much thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for the opportunity to read this wonderful eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing an eARC of this book!

Lauren comes home from a hen do (bachelorette party) for her best friend expecting to have a normal night. But when she gets to her flat, she finds that she now has a husband…who she has never met. While first freaked out, Lauren learns that things are about to get weirder: when her new husband goes into the attic, a burst of light and energy happens and a new husband comes down. The same thing continues to happen: one husband goes into the attic, another one comes down. Lauren has met the husbands…but what is she going to do now?

This was a WILD ride! I really like these types of stories that either mess with time or, in this case, multiverses. I will say that this story felt a little less cohesive, especially because there are a string of so many different husbands to meet! I would have liked it to have more of a connection, but I do think it reflects the randomness of life! (I guess that’s loaf! 🍞 #iykyk)

A fun and unique premise but it unfortunately wasn't executed as well as I had hoped. It lagged a bit in the middle and there were just so many husbands that it was quantity over quality with the plot. And it just ended without much closure/resolve with the main character.

Absolutely delightful, I'm almost sad to be finished. Equally fun and thought provoking, Lauren's cycle through husbands was at times hilarious and at times maddening as it felt like both the character and reader were never going to get off the ride.

Folks, I may have just read my favorite book of 2024! I generally don't even like magical realism, but Holly Gramazio made it thought-provoking, comical, and heart-warming. Fans of Kevin Wilson (Nothing to See Here) will definitely want to check it out.

The author took such a unique spin on the time loop/Sliding Doors/Groundhog's Day concept. It would be perfect as a book club pick - lots to discuss and unpack!

Lauren was an amazing female main character. She was relatable and funny. I found myself reading half the book in one day just to find out who she picks in the end.


Bottom line: Fun, creative, a true can't miss book!

Lauren is shocked when one day, a man climbs down from her attic claiming to be her husband...but Laruen isn't married. Except, when she goes through her phone and asks her friends, they all claim to know the husband Michael. Then, Michael goes into the attic and a new husband appears. This happens over and over and over. Lauren has a magic attic that spits out husbands! Despite a seemingly endless supply, Lauren wants to figure out when to stop trading in husbands.


This is not the type of book that I normally read, but I had a good time reading it and the characters were so interesting. Talk about a complex woman - Lauren becomes more unhinged with each new husband. What would you do if the world reset itself every time you sent someone into the attic? There are no repercussions, long-term, for blowing her bank account, acting embarrassingly, or even hurting herself or someone else. It was interesting to see Lauren come to the realization that a perfect, unflawed man, unfortunately, doesn't exist, and marriage is about making the best of it with the person you chose.

My library will definitely be purchasing this book.

When I started The Husbands, I almost immediately knew that I would LOVE it, and Gramazio did not disappoint.

Lauren returns home to her London flat after a drunken night with friends and finds herself face-to-face with Michael... her husband? Lauren doesn't remember having a husband - she's not married and has no idea who this friendly Michael is. After doing some investigating, it seems that, in whatever world Lauren now finds herself in, she is married to Michael. At least until he goes up into the attic and comes down as an entirely different man, Lauren now with an entirely different life. Every time her "husband" goes into the attic, he comes down a different man and Lauren's world has magically rearranged itself to fit the new husband and narrative. Lauren's job then becomes finding Mr. Right instead of Mr. Right Now.

Lauren cycling through husbands - keeping some not even minutes after coming down from the attic, some weeks after - left me with a good amount of heartache alongside her. Gramazio does an excellent job diving into contemporary romance and decision-making, with the attic acting as a dating app. Her writing toes the line between commercial and literary fiction, allowing her own bits of humor to shine through alongside her observations of romance. My only wish would have been that there was some more roundness to Lauren's character... although maybe that was indeed one of the points.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was aghast at first, and then I wanted my own magic attic. I love this novel. I desperately wanted Carter to return, while I simultaneously wanted the attic trips to continue. I love when she immediately sent someone back up the ladder.

I would absolutely love to see this adapted into a film.

What would you do if suddenly you have a man that comes down from your attic and you have no idea who it is but everyone tells you he’s your husband ?
Lauren soon learns that she has a rotating attic the man that goes up comes down a different man it’s like a recycling attic for husbands.
This story is a comedic fantasy rom-com that raises that question
Given all the people in the world, how can you know if you’ve found the one when there might be an even better match just around the corner or better yet coming down from the attic. Would you keep trying to find him?

Thank you Doubleday and PRH Audio for my free ARCs of The Husbands by Holly Gramazio — available now!

Read this if you:
💍 sometimes wish you could trade in your spouse
🧊 have ever suffered from decision paralysis
💃 are looking for a lighthearted novel featuring a feisty FMC

Lauren gets home after a girl's night to a surprise: her husband Michael. He's the surprise, because she's not married. After much panicking, she starts to think maybe she's the one who's crazy, so she settles in to try and figure out what's going on. But then, Michael goes up to the attic and when he comes down, he's a different man. A different HUSBAND, and Lauren has to figure out what on earth she really wants as an endless supply of interchangeable husbands and lives confronts her.

So I told my husband about this book while I was reading it, and the next day I asked him if he could go in the attic to look for a specific box — the look on his face was totally worth it.

The premise of this story is so fun and hilarious to watch Lauren fumble through at first, but man did it get me in the feels a few times too! I think the concept of choice is so interesting to explore, and Holly Gramazio does a great job with this lighthearted novel — how can you ever know you're truly making the right choice, especially given endless options with no real repercussions? The ending of this book is absolutely perfect, and I definitely recommend this book to all fans of contemporary fiction.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Doubleday Books, NetGalley and Holly Gramazio for this ARC. Going into this book without having read much about it, I was surprised, intrigued and wholly entertained by the premise. Lauren has a magical attic that creates new husbands for her on command. There are subtle changes to her life with every single one, and slowly she learns what she truly values.