The Husbands by Holly Gramazio is a fun book that I thought about during the day and looked forward to reading each night. The concept: Megan discovers that she can switch husbands by sending them to the attic. Your husband makes dumb jokes, send him to the attic. He talks about his bathroom habits. Send him to the attic. He bullies teens online. Definitely send him to the attic! After each husbands goes to the attic, a new husband emerges and Megan is in a new parallel universe. Her house's walls may be white, or pink or blue in each new universe. She may have a different job. Or not. Megan never knows what to expect in her life to come when she sends a husband to the attic.

I really loved this book. I thought it was unique, fun to read and was actually very thoughtful. The Husbands is a debut novel and I look forward to reading more books by the author.

This one started with an intriguing premise and there was lots of collective hype, so I was excited to read it. There are some laugh-out-loud moments, and the author's voice is fresh. Unique. I liked the magical realism of the attic sending down a new husband over and over. Having said that, the polyamory with the neighbors was a bridge too far for me. Also, the notion that she didn't have to go to work or didn't always know where she worked seemed implausible. Thanks for the opportunity. This one is not for me.

If you’re looking for something completely original, this is it. Such a great story, it leaves you guessing until the end. I had been tortured by a few bad Romance novels recently, so this was a breath of fresh air. I’m officially a fan of Holly Gramazio.

Thank you to Netgalley and Doubleday Books for providing me with an ARC for review.

What an interesting and thought-provoking read! I can truly say I've never read anything quite like this and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Lauren comes home to find her husband there, only Lauren isn't married. She discovers the current husband disappears when they go up to the attic, and a new one comes down. She does through dozens and dozens of husbands trying to find the perfect one, but isn't sure what that actually looks like.

When Lauren returns to her London flat after a night out, she's shocked to discover her husband waiting up for her. The problem? Lauren doesn't have a husband, she's never been married and she lives alone. Despite never seeing this man before in her life - the photos on her phone, friends and newly designed apartment tell her they've been together for years. As Lauren tries to figure out how everyone but her seems to think she's married, her husband goes up to the attic to fetch something and a new husband comes down in his place. Soon she realizes that her own attic is creating an infinite supply of husbands.

The Husbands is such a fun and strange novel. I think it greatly captures today's dating society, but in a unique poignant way. It combines something that seems permanent and difficult to get out of - marriage - with today's landscape of swiping and dating when you're constantly thinking that there must be someone better out there. The novel kept me guessing and Lauren's way of choosing husbands based on various criteria turns the mirror back on the reader. As the reader you're led to ponder you're own preferences in a partner - some shallow and some not. The Husbands combines a fun, unique read while still saying something about ourselves and the pursuit of trying to find a partner in today's society.

Such a fun story about a woman whose attic can produce husbands. Every time a husband goes up, a new husband comes down. She experiments with many husbands before finally figuring out how she wants to live her life. Fun and a little thought-provoking.

The Husbands by debut author Holly Gramazio has a fascinating premise. Lauren comes home from a night out and is greeted by her husband Michael. The only problem is that Lauren is NOT married and doesn't know Michael. Michael goes up into the attic to change a lightbulb and a different husband comes down. It turns out that Lauren's attic has an infinite supply of husbands. With each new husband Lauren's life looks a little different...different friends...different job etc.

I found The Husbands to be a fresh and entertaining story. It did take me a little bit to get into the story, but once I did the payoff was worth it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this innovative story.

Lauren stumbles home to her London flat after a night of drinking at her best friend’s hen party and is greeted by her husband. The problem is, Lauren is decidedly single and never been married. What follows in this entertaining debut novel is a series of husbands for Lauren, all descending from her attic. Seeing how each man may have fit with Lauren and how she may have said yes to each proposal is entertaining and leads to questions about choice, fate, and soulmates. When there are no longer any boundaries to whom you can marry, when your options are seemingly endless, how do you choose one husband? Lauren is relatable in her confusion and her reactions are amusingly honest and realistic in an unrealistic metaphysical situation.

This was the most fun I've had reading a book in a long time. The premise is wildly engaging, Gramazio is so witty in her style, and it manages to get weird and a little scary while still landing a romantic comedy ending. This is perfect entertainment.

Speed dating gets a hyper makeover in Holly Gramazio’s debut novel, #TheHusbands Arriving home one night from a bachelorette party to find a strange man in her house claiming to be her husband is just the launch off point for the craziness that follows, for Lauren quickly discovers her attic is a husband generator and the moment she tires of one, she can send him up and another one comes down. I’ll admit in the early stages of the book I started to wonder if I was going to be able to stick it out, the repetitiveness and volume of man after man entering and exiting reduced down to short descriptive bursts almost numbing, and yet that’s kind of the point.
‌
But then, Gramazio does two interesting things with the plot, one I expected and yet was surprised by the ultimate outcome and the other I never saw coming which changed both the trajectory and showed how clever this really was. I’m not going to spoil either thing here but I ultimately found this meditation on who is enough in the endless pursuit of “the one” both smart and thoughtful. Additionally I did this one on audio and narrator Miranda Raison is excellent and I would highly recommend.. #TheHusbands is out now, and then listen to our conversation with Holly Gramazio on the @gaysreading podcast.

The Husbands started out SO promising: a woman returns home one night to discover a strange man in her flat. It turns out, not only is she not single, but this man is her husband. Her phone is full of years' worth of texts and photos, her mom and bestie know all about him. Things get even stranger when Michael climbs to the attic...and a different man descends, a man who her friends and family know as Lauren's husband, a man whose texts and photos go back years in her phone.

A magic attic that provides a seemingly limitless supply of husbands, for better or worse.

Unfortunately, there were TOO many husbands. When all's said and done, Lauren had accumulated over 200 men -- eventually it felt like even the book itself became bored with these guys as they became little more than one-line caricatures: one collected his nail clippings in a jar to eventually use in gelatin, the only description another husband gets is that he eats two figs every day for breakfast.

The few husbands who are fleshed out were intriguing and I wish the book would have focused more on these relationships, I especially wanted a better resolution to Carter's storyline.

I'm very happy the plant survived.

This book was such a delight. It felt like both exactly what I wanted to read in the moment, as well as a pretty universally appealing book for a wide audience. The writing was sharp, and funny, and the protagonist was deeply relatable in so many ways. It was a refreshing take on marriage, too—a neat reflection of the time invested in a relationship prior to marriage, and the thousand little ways you get acclimatized to any person you live with.

This may not be one of the most impactful books of my year, but I have a hunch it will be one of my most-recommended.

Thank you to Doubleday Books for the opportunity to read and review!

Thanks from #NetGalley and #RandomHouse

The concept of this book is what attracted me to it. The Husbands by Holly Gramazio is cute, with twists and insight. This would make a great movie. In truth, if I arrived home to a man claiming to be my husband, I would have freaked out as well. Yet, every time I sent my husband to the attic a new man appeared as my husband. How does you keep the one you want for going to the attic or is there a just one more to choose from? You will have to pick up this well crafted novel

I love magical realism so I will always give those books a try. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 is also a read with Jenna pick for April. The concept of a revolving attic and the idea of multiple husbands definitely piqued my interest!

This is a funny debut novel that combines elements of magical realism with an entertaining fantasy plot. The protagonist, Lauren, finds herself in a fascinating predicament with a revolving door of husbands, or shall we say a revolving attic? Once she tires of one, or becomes annoyed for any number of reasons, back to the attic they go. There are hundreds of husbands and the only characters that remain constant are Lauren’s family and her closest friends.

I love a sliding-door story, but I did become disengaged with this story at several times because of the constant revolving door of husbands. However I did love the book once the early husbands cycled through, and literally laughed out loud at some of Lauren’s predicaments.

The blend of magical realism and fantasy elements adds a touch of whimsy to the narrative, making 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 a light and entertaining read. I would definitely recommend the audiobook version of this book, as I found it very enjoyable. If you're a fan of magical realism and enjoy pondering the "what-ifs" in life, you will enjoy this book.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing review copies in exchange for my honest review! All thoughts are my own.

Quirky and funny. I have never been so happy to pick my husband up from the airport… My one and only husband— I hope!

This books makes you literally laugh out loud and is absolutely ridiculous at times! But for this reader: The messaging was received! Loved the book.

I’m off to enjoy all of the things in my life I’ve loved (and not loved) and give a giant sigh of relief that I even got to experience any of it at all to begin with! Great debut novel.

Super quirky and a creative fun read.

I really enjoyed this one. A magical attic that swaps out husbands? Why not! Magical realism is one of my favorite genres so when I read the premise, I had to have this one. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. I laughed out loud so many times during this book. If you like realistic fiction with just a bit of the unbelievable, this one will not disappoint. Similar to The midnight library in that the main character has the opportunity to live her life with various husbands mixed in.

What a fun journey!

This book was hilarious, ridiculous, absolutely wild, and surprisingly emotional at times? I really enjoyed the reading experience, but it felt like something was missing when I got to the end.

I do think this book had a strong concept and it was well executed for sure. The one thing I'm unsure about is the ending. It felt like it was kind of unfinished in an unsatisfying way, and it definitely knocked my rating down a bit and left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

I'm clearly conflicted about this one, but I will say that I'm glad I read it and would definitely give this author another shot to wow me, because I think she totally has the potential to!

WOW. First of all, what a stunner of a concept—Gramazio found a way to perfectly illustrate the dilemmas millennials are facing today (and I'm sure other generations too, but especially this early 30s "where am I going with my life" struggle!). Just when I thought the conceit would get old, she threw in a perfect twist that let us explore the themes and characters more deeply. I laughed out loud and was left satisfied and reflective by the ending, which, after sitting with it for a minute, feels just right. I'm recommending it to everyone I know!

Lauren returns home from a bachelorette party to be greeted by her husband, Michael, except she doesn’t remember being married, now or ever. Every time her husband goes in the attic, he is replaced by a new one. As Lauren peruses her seemingly endless options, she must consider which life is the right one for her.

I did enjoy the premise of The Husbands, but it lost steam for me. There were so! many husbands and the revolving door of them began to grow repetitive. At one point, I thought I was close to the end of the book, only to see on my iPad that I was just 57% through the story. While I enjoyed the originality and parts of The Husbands, overall I hoped to like it more than I did.

3.5 stars

Such an interesting concept. Loved this but it became very repetitive and I wasn’t a fan of the ending. I needed a reason why…or at least for her to find out why it was happening/what set it off to start in the first place. Was it just her?…or the attic? Did it happen to her grandma too?
A great book to discuss.