If you enjoy Ashley Poston and/or the movie Sliding Doors, you will love this book. A Jenna's (Today's Show) Book club pic and such a delight to read. A bit fantastical and silly, but so sweet and fun. How to we choose the path we want our lives to take when there are so many options available ahead.

Holly Gramazio's The Husbands is absolutely brilliant. Such a fun, unique concept expertly crafted between the pages -- it was an absolute riot. I love the overall message, particularly in a time when we're having global conversations around what it means to be a woman -- and whether that determines you must be a wife. So much fun!

This book gets at the nitty gritty of marriage in the best possible way. The highs and the lows and finally how deciding this is the one you are willing to make it work with is the choice we all have to make. I kept wondering how it would end and it didn’t disappoint.

This was a fun story!

Unfortunately there were too many unanswered questions that distracted me from the story and I was confused by almost every decision the MC made.

The premise is interesting, but I don't think I would have picked it up on my own. Lauren returns to her London flat one night and discovers a man there who claims to be her husband, but she isn't married. Then she sees their wedding photos and a picture of them on her lock screen. As she (drunkingly) tries to figure out what's happening, he goes into the attic and another husband comes down. Essentially, #TheHusbands is an examination of who we marry and why, with many detours about possible timelines and chance meetings. I'm drawn to multiple life path novels in whatever form they take, and I really enjoyed reading The Husbands. BUT in the second half of the novel, it hit me: there is no way this novel can end in a way that satisfies me. (I had the same realization when reading The Midnight Library.) I wanted to be wrong. It's hard to rate a book you love that is somewhat dampened by its ending. But ultimately, I loved the time I spent in Lauren's worlds and imaging what my own spouse attic might bring me.

I've had The Husbands on my ARC list for a while, and when I saw it at the library, I knew it would be a good way to mark another ARC off my backlog. I went into this book thinking it was going to be a fun little book about different husbands magically coming out of Lauren's attic. But this book was more of a thought-provoking read filled with symbolism.

This one will definitely get you thinking about how you would alter your life if you could magically reset it by sending your significant other up into the attic, but also have you reflecting on how life is really just taking one chance after another and dealing with the consequences, whether they're good, bad, or meh.

While I wouldn't recommend this if you're looking for a light-hearted read, and this wasn't what I expected when picking this book up, I still flew through it pretty quickly and would recommend it to those looking for a book that makes you dig a little deeper (though not too deep).

This book is much different that I thought it was going to be. I'll say it was not my style due to the fact that I prefer realistic fiction. Lauren arrives home after a night out with friends only to find her husband there. The strange thing is that she was never married. She has no memory of this man, but her friends confirm for her, that she is indeed married to this man. As it one point, she asks him to change the lightbulb, which is in the attic. When he returns from the attic, he is no longer the same husband. He returns a different man. She soon realizes that every time she asks a "husband" to change the lightbulb, a new man emerges.

It can be a humorous novel for anyone who enjoys unrealistic stories, but it is also heartfelt as well For me, I didn't enjoy it. Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for the advanced copy in return for my honest opinion.

The premise was so entertaining, what a way to meet a husband. However I found this to be way too long, too many husbands, and I didn’t really relate to Lauren. There are some laugh out loud moments. Just not a book I’d read again.

Delightful, charming and funny! A perfect summer read for the online dating age. Holly Gramazio is a writer to watch.

What a weird, rollercoaster of a book. To be honest, I found myself amused at first, but then I was just increasingly annoyed. This story takes the idea of making life your own and flips it to the extreme. Makes it flippant. Fickle. I kept reading in the hopes to find some sort of resolution, but I did not like the characters one bit.

Thank you NetGalley, Doubleday Books, and author Holly Gramazio for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A really interesting premise for a book. Everytime a husband goes into the attic, a new husband comes down. Well written, interesting premise and characters. One of those books that stay with you long after you have finished.

Story starts out well, despite the magic attic, but Lauren gets progressively desperate and you really start to feel bad for her. And why was there no way to turn off the stream of husbands??

This unique premise sounded like so much fun BUT I didn’t really care for the execution. By the 50% point Lauren had met and rejected 160 husbands!!!

About at the halfway point, a husband emerges who really “gets” her. Will she decide to settle down, or will her quest to find “perfection” continue? I was hoping that this would be a turning point in the book.

For me, this would have been better with LESS husbands and MORE of an opportunity to really get to know a couple and root for a favorite !! But, honestly, I didn’t warm up to Lauren and can’t say that I was rooting for her either!

One of the best debut novels I have ever read! The concept was unheard of to say the least... An attic that gives you a new husband every time the existing one goes back inside? Yes! Of course, Lauren was shocked to see the first one given she was single when she passed out in her living room after her best friend's 'Hen-do' (that's a bachelorette party for you Americans). But really, an attic that gives you a husband... but if he's hot and makes you tea and changes the lightbulbs in the kitchen then --why not? And if he sucks you just beg him to go back and fetch you something else and... Voila! A new husband comes back down the ladder to replace him. Magical! Lauren figures out how it works and learns so much more about herself along the way. Loved it! I would give it 100 stars if I could.

After a night out, Lauren returns home to her London flat and her husband, Michael. The thing is, she's not married and has never met this man before. But everything from her friends to the photos on her phone indicates he really is her husband. That's until Michael climbs the ladder to the attic and disappears, only to be replaced by a new man. Lauren finds herself in the same flat with a new husband and a slightly different life. Her attic is a revolving door for husbands. All she has to do is send them up the ladder for a new husband — and a new life — to appear.
I was intrigued by the premise of "The Husbands." The concept is original and author Holly Gramazio does a fantastic job balancing both the wit and seriousness. Her writing style is light and easy to follow, which makes it well-suited for an audiobook.
But the novelty disappears after the first 100 pages. The pacing starts to feel uneven. There are almost too many husbands and the story begins to feel repetitive with the men interchangeable. Lauren herself is even a bit flat and I never connected with her. There was never really a "plot" or a conflict revealed. Instead, we're just moving laterally with Lauren through this strange alternate reality. It's too long for what's there and would have been better suited for a novella or short story.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book was fun, creative and pretty entertaining but I didn’t absolutely love it. It was good though. This was definitely a light read that would be enjoyed poolside this summer. The story did drag at times, but the premise was so intriguing that I had to continue! I enjoyed the ending and I would definitely read another book by this author. Huge thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday books for allowing me to read and review this book!

When I first read the description for "The Husbands," I thought it sounded like a lot of fun. It was a unique premise I hadn't read before, and depending on how it was handled, it held a lot of promise.

Unfortunately, for me, this book didn't deliver on that promise. I didn't especially enjoy the main character, Lauren, at the start of the story, and as the story evolved, I liked her even less.

The whole exploration of how we navigate love, life and choice became a cautionary tale of self-centeredness. With every new husband, Lauren approached the relationship from the standpoint of "what's in it for me." And if the answer wasn't good enough, she gave up and tried again, sometimes going to great (and criminal) lengths in order to get that opportunity.

I did like the fact that each new husband had repercussions beyond the impact just on Lauren's life, but on the world they shared as well. Each of us does leave our mark, not just on those closest to us, but also on the lives they touch as well. But for the most part, in the story, it was reflected in things like what color the wallpaper or rug was. On rare occasions, the effects were on their friends or families as well.

Overall, the story was reflective of the throw-away society that's prevalent today. If you don't like X, don't worry. There are plenty more where that came from. Eventually, Lauren's closest relationship was with a plant that she had to keep going out to buy each time the world changed again. That was the relationship she put the most effort in to, but she did that because of how it made her feel. So even there, it's about the self-gratification of the decision.

Anyway, personally, I found this book to be unique, but also a bit disturbing.

Thank you to Holly Gramazio, Doubleday and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

An excellent endeavor into the multiple universe genre. Somewhere between the Midnight Library and This Time Tomorrow. It explores the cause and effect consequences of the protagonist's choice of spouse.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

What a great read! Magical!

Lauren returns home one night and is greeted by her husband Michael. Except Lauren isn’t married and has no clue who he is. he then proceeds to go into the attic to change the lightbulb, and a different husband comes down the stairs. Soon Lauren realizes a new husband will appear anytime the previous one goes up into the attic.

This was a really fun, magical, and unique story! I devoured this over the weekend! A wonderful debut novel by Holly Gramazio and look forward to reading what’s next from her!

📘: The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
🗓️: April 2, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley, Holly Gramazio, and Doubleday Books for this ARC!

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

*Reviewed on NetGalley, Amazon, and Goodreads.

Lauren is a single woman living in London. One night she returns home from a party to find her “husband,” Michael, whom she has never seen before. When Michael goes into the attic to change a lightbulb, a completely different husband emerges, and Lauren’s life changes with him. Soon, Lauren cycles through a seemingly endless supply of husbands as she tries to find the best version of her life. I enjoyed meeting all of Lauren’s husbands, both good and bad, and I laughed out loud several times while reading this.