I'm a sucker for a good book blurb. I know how hard it can be to write one that's short while also compelling. "Do you take this man? No? What about this one?" did it for me. I even managed to ignore "A Novel" on the cover - I usually shy away from novels who proclaim themselves to be such, as that means I'm likely to be entering the realm of Literary Fiction, which can be tedious stuff.

But the blurb hooked me, and in no time I'd settled into my favorite reading spot, cracked into the book, and was willing to give it my afternoon. It's a longish book, so it took three of my afternoons to reach a conclusion I'd grown to greedily anticipate as I had absolutely no clue how this situation could be resolved.

While the premise may sound cute and fairy tale-ish, it's anything but. Our protagonist and perpetual new bride in old marriages is Lauren. How her attic turned into a reality-changing space that switches out not only husbands but entire realities isn't known, and not important. What IS important are the people it affects. That's Lauren, her endless parade of husbands, and also Lauren's family, friends, workplaces, and neighbors.

As the novelty of being able to change husbands as soon as one becomes annoying wears off, Lauren's rationalization and actions become darker, more cynical. When she thinks she may have found 'the one' to stick with... well I won't go into details because following the escalation of events is most of the fun.

Most of the people in this story, and there are many, are a mess. Author Holly Gramazio doesn't flinch away from showing people at their absolute worst, when the situations call for it. And you'll recognize people you know, and even yourself among them. In a nutshell, The Husbands is a scathing commentary on modern-day relationships. It shines a scolding light on how we treat hook-ups, dating, and marriage.

My thanks to author Holly Gramazio, Doubleday Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Oh my gosh I absolutely loved this one!! This book has such a unique and fun premise, and it jumps in to the action right away! Our main character, Lauren, is super funny, witty, and relatable- I was rooting for her the entire time. There is a nice balance between vignettes with some husbands, and longer stories/relationships with others. Lauren’s experiences and honest self-reflection felt very authentic, and the culmination of her journey left me hopeful, laughing, and with tears in my eyes.

I also thought Lauren’s revolving door (attic ladder?) of husbands was a smart and clever way to examine dating apps and modern dating culture. The repetition and sheer volume subtly suggests that when it’s so easy to judge someone on first impressions and just swipe left or ghost, you don’t slow down enough to form real, meaningful, lasting connections. What’s even more impressive is Gramazio accomplishes this without ever losing the fun and humor of the story!

THE HUSBANDS is a great choice if you're looking for something compelling and fun that encourages you to reflect a little and laugh a lot. I highly recommend this one and will be buying a finished copy for my shelves as soon as I can!

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio was quite an entertaining read. It was intriguing and unique and it kept my attention. I didn't want to put it down. I think the character development was amazing and well done. I will be recommending this to anyone looking for a unique yet funny and though provoking read.

In the Husbands by holly Gramazio we meet Lorna who comes home from a Hindu and she wakes up her husband the only problem is she doesn’t have a husband.
Throughout the book we see Lorna struggle with the mini husbands that come out of her magic attic after a while she decides to stop worrying about how it happened and just worry about which one will be there for her plus one at her best friends wedding. Where for some unknown reason her best friend sits her at a table with her ex and his date. She lands on southern American Carter as her plus one who she really likes being around but unlike previous husbands she doesn’t want him going into the attic and OMG the rest of the book happens. Let me say I was super excited for this book and couldn’t wait to get to it in the beginning was funny and engaging I just thought we really didn’t get to know any of the husbands not to mention no consequences or not she certainly got naked with more than I would’ve. I get it they didn’t know but she did! To each their own however I just wanted to express that point no judgment on this fictitious character. I really thought the book would go differently and I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would I still enjoyed the book it is a solid read it’s funny and have some very relatable moments but mostly it’s funny and entertaining. I want to thank Double Day books and net galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

There is no way to describe The Husbands by Holly Gramazio. When Lauren comes home from a hen party and finds a strange man who claims to be her husband, even though she knows she isn't married, her life takes a crazy twist as each time a husband goes into the attic he is transformed into a completely different husband. All her friends seem to be in on the deception as they all acknowledge her new life. The only way to imagine how this ends is to finish the book and I heartly recommend doing that.

When I read the synopsis for The Husbands, I jumped at the opportunity to review an advanced readers copy. I am so glad I did! A magic attic, a rotation of husbands, and the search for your own happiness and the perfect partner. This book was so much fun and had me laughing out loud one moment and frustrated the next. Kudos to Holly Gramazio! I can't wait to see what you may have in store for us readers. 4.5⭐️

THE HUSBANDS was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and it definitely did not disappoint! After a night out at her friend's bachelorette party, Lauren returns home to find her husband, Michael, waiting for her. There's just one problem—she isn't married. She's never even met Michael. But judging by the photos on her phone, the new-and-improved decor in her apartment, and the opinions of her friends and family, they've been together for years. When Michael goes up to the attic to change a lightbulb, he disappears, leaving a new husband descending in his place. Lauren soon finds out that her magical attic is giving her a never-ending supply of husbands, forcing her to confront her views on life, love, and what it means to find "the one."

I so enjoyed this book! The premise had me intrigued from the start—it was so fresh and creative. I also loved Gramazio's writing style. She does such a great job of developing all of the different characters, from Lauren—who you're with from start to finish—to even some of the short-lived husbands you only get to know for a page or two. Lauren's journey is funny, suspenseful, and thought-provoking in equal measures, and I think that so many readers will want to follow along. THE HUSBANDS is a must-read, and I can't wait to see what Holly Gramazio writes next! Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for the ARC.

I really love magical realism as a genre and I loved the ending of the book. I had a hard time getting into it for a good chunk of the book but that is only because of the start and stop storyline of it all. I’ve talked about this book to so many people while reading and I really love the look on their faces when I say “if she sends him up to the attic, he becomes a different husband.” The premise is a hook from the get go. This was my first read by Gramazio but I will definitely be looking into her more in the future!!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

What a fun concept! Lauren comes home one day to find she’s married to a man she’s never seen before, Don’t like that husband? Send him back to the attic and keep going until you find the right one! She’s chasing happiness- will she ever find it? I enjoyed this story and recommend it!

Lauren possesses an enchanting attic that mysteriously conjures husbands for her. Initially oblivious to her matrimonial status, she finds herself unwittingly entangled in a cycle where each husband who ascends into the attic is swiftly replaced by another descending. While the narrative may feel somewhat repetitive due to the plethora of husbands Lauren encounters, it nevertheless culminates in her epiphany that the ideal partner she seeks has already descended from the attic. Overall, "A fun read" encapsulates the whimsical charm of this tale.

I received an ARC of The Husbands in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine being single, coming home from a bachelorette party, to find your husband waiting for you. HE knows you and loves you, but you have zero recollection of being married. You frantically wrack your brain trying to remember any part of this life, when he goes into the attic to fix a lightbulb, and down comes a different husband. And so on and so on, continually, and you can't figure out how to stop it. What a new and intriguing concept this book offered, and one I couldn't put down. Great read!

The Husbands
by Holly Gramazio
Pub Date: 02 Apr 2024
This was a fun, adult read.
Lauren is single and after a night out at a bachelorette party, she comes home to find a man in her home...a man who claims to be her husband. After a panicky few moments, she contacts family and friends and yes, she is married to this man even though she has no clue who he is.
When he goes to get something out of the attic, a totally different man descends the stairs! Her last name has changed to his and there are small changes around the apartment. Later, after another trip to the attic, her husband changes again!
Lauren realizes that any time the current husband goes up, a new one comes down. Parts of her life change as well.
Lauren decides this is the perfect opportunity to find the perfect match....or at least the perfect date to friend's wedding.
Husband has a bad temper? Switch him out.
Husband likes to spend too much time watching TV? Switch him out!
Husband collects weird things? Send him to the attic and switch him out!
This is an interesting read that makes you start thinking about your own relationships. How much have you changed due to who you are with? Who would you have been otherwise? What makes a partner marriage-material?
Took a kinda dark turn toward the end, but kinda needed to.
#netgalley
#thehusbands
#HollyGramazio

When Lauren returns home after a night out in London, she is greeted by Michael. This man is a stranger claiming to be her husband. She was definitely not married when she left that evening, but now her own camera roll, the changes to her flat, and her friends all tell a different story. How could this be? When the shocking answer is revealed, it is truly unbelieve-he came from the attic. Lauren quickly discovers that her attic produces a seemingly infinite supply of husbands.

Lauren’s life changes with each new husband. And while the idea of endless possible lives sounds appealing, she eventually starts questioning what she truly wants out of love and life. How will she trust she’s found the right one when she knows she can easily swap him out?

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio delivers on its intriguing premise of a woman who suddenly finds herself with a husband and one that can change each time they go to her apartment's attic. I was racing through the book a breakneck speed to see what happens next, much like Lauren's own racing through husbands to find the best partner and life. This magical realism novel, containing mystery and relationship themes, is funny, lighthearted, and reflective, a great read.

Imagine you send your husband up to the attic to retrieve something… and an entirely new man comes back down the ladder! That’s the premise of this book- a magic attic and what seems to be an endless supply of husbands, each returning from the attic with no idea that their wife has never seen them before. It’s entertaining and unlike anything I’ve ever read! Some husbands are good, some are tolerable, some are outright scary… each the result of what would have happened if Lauren had made a different choice in her life. What seems like fun and games gets old, and Lauren is forced to find what really is important to her. A fun read!

A super fun read! One of my favorite plot devices is time travel, which this isn't, quite, but Holly Gramazio employs some familiar scenarios. The premise is that protagonist Lauren has a magical attic, from which a mysterious husband appeared one night -- but if the husband goes back into the attic, yet another one descends! Lauren is baffled, naturally, and spends some time going through the emotional whiplash you might expect (and also going through her back account and sick days at a rapid rate). Every time a new husband descends, Lauren's life is reset -- she's aging, but circumstances always change and she's the only one who seems to know. Where does she work? Does the husband take milk or sugar in his tea? Which toothbrush is hers? And what episode of Mindhunter are they on? Sometimes Lauren is able to use information from past timelines in helpful or necessary ways. There's a pretty major twist about halfway through that seems to prompt Lauren to start thinking about whether/how she might be able to settle down. Really fun exploration of memory and relationships -- will be fun for fans of Mike Chen's A Quantum Love Story or even of the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind!

This was the most fun I've had in a long time! An alternate universe at every turn, and how nice it might be to change partners every time something undesirable happens. The writing was good, the characters were well written, and I have to say that this book was a delight at every turn. I'm am completely on Lauren's side and when the end comes, it just seems right. I wholeheartedly recommend this book and will be looking for more from this author.

This ARC was provided by the publisher and NetGalley, the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own.

A young woman starts a bizarre journey through multiple realities when she comes home to a husband she didn't know she had. Also, she changes husbands whenever he goes up into the attic of their flat to change a light bulb. Naturally, a variety of other things about her life changes when her husband changes. The resolution to this situation leads to a stunning and hilarious conclusion.

Overall, I enjoyed this. It felt a bit repetitive at times but I think by the 50% part I was totally invested. A quirky, unique premise that I really enjoyed. I wasn't quite sure about the ending but it did feel fitting to the novel. I'll definitely recommend this one.

I HATED THIS BOOK AND I’M SO SAD ABOUT IT. was genuinely SO excited to read it, the first time I read the summary I was hooked. The plot sounded so fun and I’m such a magical realism girlie so I fully expected to love it…spoiler alert: I did not.

It started off strong and I was invested—a little confused as to why she wasn’t freaking out more or putting any kind of effort into figuring out why her attic had started spitting out magical husbands, but invested nevertheless. But it just kept…going….and going..and going…aaaaand going. And it’s not until literally 50% of the way through that we finally get some kind of plotline? And then it just went back to the same old boring monotony of the first half? I could have forgiven a lot if the characters were lovable or funny or anything other than potatoes with dialogue but uh….that’s exactly what they were.

Now that I think about it, this book read a LOT like The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (which I also hated). A revolving door of lives/husbands, no real plot, somehow both too fast paced and wayyyy too slow, characters with the personalities of wet cardboard, and an ending that made the whole thing not worth it.


I hate giving out one star reviews but I usually demolish even mediocre books in a day and a half. This one took me 5 days and I was SHOCKED when I checked and it was only 350ish pages. It felt like 1000.