omg how do I write a review of this, I don’t even know where to start ??

This was my first book by Beatriz Williams but I was hooked by the twists, the intrigue, the devastation, and secrets, and everything coming together in the end to make everything come into a sharp relief. While that the twist was dreadful and I was kind of worried it was coming, I found myself unable to put it down and was just captivated by the stories and multiple storylines converging, the buildup to the end, the parallel lives of all these affairs. ugh it was so good. And thank goodness there was a resolution and a HEA. One of the best books I’ve read in a while.

thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC!

Beatriz Williams’s Husbands & Lovers was my first true 5-star read of the year. It tells the story of two women connected across decades and continents through a mysterious heirloom and contemporary DNA tests.

I thoroughly enjoyed the parallel storylines between Mallory (2022 New England) and Hannah (1951 Cairo), and found both of these lead characters to be compelling. The titular characters — the husbands and lovers in question — were likewise very interesting and well-constructed, and independently complex, with their own desires driving their decision-making; I too would have fallen in love with them over the course of a summer.

I especially enjoyed Hannah’s storyline. Very early on, it is revealed that she is a Hungarian refugee who fled Soviet occupation after World War II. It is evident that the author did extensive research into Hungarian Revolution and the Suez Crisis, and into the lifestyles of the diplomatic communities in Cairo during the Cold War. Hannah’s chapters delving into her past in the context of the geopolitical and revolutionary history were my personal highlights.

However, with few notable exceptions, the book’s supporting characters felt at times unnecessary to the plot (in Mallory’s storyline) and/or were difficult to keep track of (in Hannah’s storyline). Culling down the supporting character list would be most beneficial for the reading experience. And, as character motives are revealed throughout the course of the book, it embraces a Zionist message, which is a questionable decision given Israel’s War on Gaza. I’m curious to see of any changes in this regard in the official final copy.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Husbands & Lovers and primarily recommend it to my fellow female readers. I look forward to reading more of Beatriz Williams’s work in the future.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for sharing this book’s Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) with me in exchange for my honest opinion prior to its release.

A boy who needs a kidney,his mother hiding the identity of his father, and the story of an unknown grandmother and her life of love brings a fantastic love story on many levels. The plot swivels from Mallory and her son at present and of Mallory’s and his father’s deep love in the past. Parallel is the story of Mallory’s unknown grandmother’s life. It is a deep feeling novel that compels you to keep reading until late.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“Husbands & Lovers” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

While I'm not usually into historical fiction, this book totally hooked me with its blend of past and present. It follows two women—one from back then and one from now—who seem worlds apart but end up linked in a fascinating way.

Each woman's tale is compelling on its own, but together they make you ponder how the past shapes our lives today, even indirectly.

Mallory's got some secrets she's keeping close to the chest. At first, we couldn't quite grasp why she was so afraid to spill the beans on something big. But when we finally understood her reasons, it tugged at our heartstrings.

Set against a breezy East Coast beach backdrop, this book is a perfect light and fast read.

Story Tries Hard But *Just* Misses + Story/ Cover Mismatch. This is one of those reviews where the review and rating may not seem to align, because for the vast majority of this book, I thought it was pretty damn good. It does a LOT - even more than similar Soraya M. Lane books usually do - and *for the most part*, it does those things quite well. We've got a romance tale in the 2000s era New England that alternates between 2022 (current) and 2008 (the halcyon summer where the couple first fell in love). We've got a historical fiction tale that alternates between the 1952 Great Cairo Fire/ Black Saturday period and early WWII period. Either one of those tales could be an entire book in and of itself, and yet we've also got a 23 And Me type DNA mystery that links the two (and which admittedly is a spoiler mentioning, sorry). I've read many entire books that would use any one of those three elements to tell an entire tale, and yet we get all three tales in one book here. And *for the most part*, it all works.

Where it fails, and the cause of the first star deduction, is that the climax of the Cairo tale is rushed and its fallout effectively buried in service of the New England romance and 23 And Me mystery. This book could have been *so much more* with maybe as little as 10 extra pages flushing out the Cairo tale in 1952 rather than the 2022 manner in which we get that information, and I think this is a close enough to objective opinion to merit a star deduction here.

The other star deduction is one I don't encounter often, but *have* done a time or two before, and is warranted here for the same reasons I've used it before - the stories told here and the cover as it exists at publication (June 25, 2024) do not match. At all. The 1952 tale in Cairo -the era this cover screams to me - doesn't really have even a pool scene at all, much less one involving a diving board. Even the 2000s era tales don't actually involve any real pool activity, again particularly with a diving board. There are some ocean/ beach scenes that play key roles, but that isn't what this cover evokes. Even in tone, this cover leads the reader to believe that this will be some 1950s era glam tale of some form... and it isn't, not really. Yes, the Cairo tale is played as "exotic"... but that isn't the tone I get from this cover.

So a lot of words, maybe too many words, to say that you really do need - as one 2* reviewer also noted - to read the description of the book to really know what you're getting into here, and judging this book by its (admittedly great looking, in and of itself) cover may get you into a bit of a letdown situation with this particular book.

Overall, I actually really, really enjoyed this book. I thought it did a lot, and for the most part did well on damn near all of it. It simply lacked execution in a final detail and needed a cover that ties to the story more than the current one does.

Very much recommended.

I enjoyed Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

What an awesome read, my first by this Author. Written in 2 different decades and by 2 different points of view that intersect. A bit Historical Romance a bit Family drama and romance that all blends in the end. Likable characters and locales.
Thank you to Netgalley, Random House, Ballantine Books and the Author Beatriz Williams for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams is a dual timeline novel that takes place in 1950s Cairo and present day East Coast. Mallory is the main character of the present day portion who is a single mom with a son currently going through dialysis and waiting for a kidney match. Hannah is the main character of the Cairo timeline who is struggling with her past and the rocky situation of her marriage.

This is the first Beatriz Williams book I have read and I really enjoyed the historical fiction and romance combination. I also enjoyed the heirloom link and crossover that comes to light eventually. After learning that her earlier books take place in the same location as the present day timeline with ancestors of some if the current characters, I will definitely be picking them up!

I could not stop thinking about these characters after I finished this novel. I loved the multiple POV and time lines; the past and present begin woven together so seamlessly. The hunt for the truth about the birth mother, the snake, the sisters...so many wonderful thing to love about this novel. I think if I read it over I would probably find something else to love as well.

Told in alternating timelines, the reader is pulled into both storylines, hoping for a "happy ending" conclusion with each of the main characters. Beatriz Williams brilliantly weaves both worlds together in such a way that you are drawn in, and left wanting more...yet also satisfied with how everything turns out.

⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books, Beatriz Williams, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

Husbands & Lovers is a dual-POV story told between three timelines -

Hannah (Cairo, 1951) is a Hungarian refugee in Egypt, married to a British diplomat, She begins an affair with a hotel manager with secrets of his own. Hannah becomes pregnant as tension builds toward revolution in Egypt and she must reconcile the life she’s rebuilding with the life she had to give up.

Mallory Dunne (Winthrop Island, 2008) takes a job as a nanny, working for the parents of her high school boyfriend. He spends the summer next door, and their young romance is rekindled.

Mallory Dunne (New England, 2022) is a single mom to Sam, who ate a death cap mushroom at summer camp, and though he narrowly survived, he’ in desperate need of a kidney transplant.

The dual-POV was really well-written and I found myself deeply invested in both women’s storylines. I could have read an entire book solely about either Hannah or Mallory.

There are some flashbacks, especially during Hannah’s POV, that weren’t easy to pick up on right away.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by Beatriz Williams. Husbands & Lovers is a perfect summer read - with family drama, romance, tension, and a “paternity incident.”

Wow this book was something I was not expecting! This book was a true ride and I really enjoyed it the whole way through! I really enjoyed that this story was shown through different timelines to come together. I’m still in awe of this story and want more by this author!

This is an exciting book full of juicy secrets, devastating betrayals, and more. It is heartbreaking at times and hopeful at others. Plus, it is very unique and unpredictable in many ways.

OMG! I absolutely adored this story. I love second chance romances and love how both women's storylines were linked. I will definitely be recommending this to friends.

“I think every day about how we’re all here because of a series of little miracles we know nothing about. The miracles that brought me right here, sitting in this chair beside you.”

This book. THIS BOOK. I read Summer Wives, also by Beatriz Williams, and gave it five stars so I squealed out loud when I was approved for an ARC of her newest novel. And it was just as immersive and emotional and breathtaking as I imagined it would be.

It is told in dual timelines with strong female characters and I was hooked from the very first page. As the story unfolds it gets more and more involved and the timelines weave together seamlessly. The author managed to make the chapters just long enough that you were placed back in the given timeline and fully immersed before switching. At the beginning it was almost like reading two entirely different novels concurrently. Husbands & Lovers is just the kind of book that I wish I could read again for the first time.

The audiobook is *chefs kiss*. With dual narrators, one each for Mallory and Hannah, and fabulous narration these two timelines and stories came to life in my ears. I simply could not stop listening.

Thank you @PRHAudio for the complimentary audiobook and to Netgalley, Random House Publishing, and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I always really want to love Beatriz Williams' books but this one felt a little disjointed to me. The story has three main timelines and two female main characters. I loved each story on it's own but I felt there was a very tiny shred of plot to relate the two main characters and their stories.

DNF. Thank you, Net Galley, for the opportunity to read and review this book. Unfortunately, it just didn't grab me enough to finish more than 30%. I didn't find the story captivating enough to want to continue.

This was such an amazing book - part historical fiction/part romance. This is a dual timeline/semi tripe timeline taking place in the 1950s with Hannah and the 2000's with Mallory. The story begins with single mother Mallory finding out her son was injured at camp when he ingested a poisonous mushroom. Thankfully, he didn't die but he is in need of a kidney transplant. The father, a famous rock star, has been out of the picture and doesn't even know he was born.

I really enjoyed and connected with Mallory's plot-line. I just read the book Honey, which deals with famous singers/popstars in the late 1990's/early 2000's and it made me feel even more connected to this storyline. Maybe they are all friends, ha! I actually ended up skimming over Hannah's storyline because I was so invested in Mallory's but then I actually went and re-read Hannah's because I felt like I was missing something.

I'm so glad I went back and reread Hannah's because her storyline was also just as interesting! She was a Hungarian refugee that escaped the war and is married to a British diplomat. I wasn't sure at first what was happening with her storyline so I'm so glad I restarted and then I really connected with it.

Both storylines come together and I actually cried at parts. I devoured this in a day. It was so beautifully written and this felt like a sweeping saga of a romance unlike the romcoms I've been reading lately. This was just so beautiful and I definitely recommend!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy.

Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams

This book was a combination of my two favorite genres, so I of course had very high expectations and somehow, this book exceeded them all! Williams is an incredibly realistic and detailed writer. I love the multiple story lines, perspectives and how they are entwined. I loved the historical aspect that was woven seamlessly throughout the book. The characters are flawlessly created - real issues, growth, highs and lows. I was lost in the stories and so disappointed when they ended. One story takes place in the late 1940's in Egypt - a story about love, loss and family. The second timeline takes place between Monk and Mallory - High School friends, turned lovers, turned strangers. Until they are brought together again by family, fate and family heirlooms. A must read for any historical fiction or romance fans. Just be prepared for the emotional rollercoaster that both timelines will take you on!

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Loved this! So often when books have multiple time settings, I find myself preferring one. Not the case with this book! I was fully engaged in all the of time lines, great characters. Wonderful summer read!