At the beginning, I was put off a little between the prologue then jumping into the dual timelines. Soon I was entranced by Mallory Dunne and her love and care for her thirteen year old son, Sam, as he has dialysis three times a week while waiting for match for a kidney transplant. In the other timeline, it's 1952 in Egypt, and it's heading for turmoil between fights over ownership of the Suez Canal and attempts to create Israel. Both are fascinating, but my heart goes to Mallory who must reach out to her young love who turned into a celebrity musician to see if he could be match for the kidney. So many tantalizing and intricate plotlines kept me fascinated. Once I picked it back up this am, I couldn't stop reading.

This book surprised me in the best way. I’ve never read anything by Beatriz Williams before but have of course seen her name around. I thought all of the timelines were really well done. I didn’t anticipate caring about each of them equally, but I did. I’m rarely drawn to historical fiction, but this one had a couple of more current storylines so if historical fiction isn’t your thing, that’s only a third of the book.

I liked Hannah and Mallory quite a lot. They were good narrators and I felt they had distinct enough voices. I really liked seeing Mallory and Monk’s relationship from 2008 as well as Mallory’s relationship with her sister in 2022.

I did, however, have a couple of issues. First, I’m never a fan of books where I’m being placed in the position of rooting for infidelity. I mean, I guess that’s kind of the point of the whole book, but that’s just not something I want to get behind. Second, I feel like Monk has no growth between 2008 and 2022. He feels like the exact same guy (but he has readers now!) and I just find that hard to believe. Since 2008, he’s become this hugely famous person. He also is in a serious, committed relationship with an influencer. How do either of those things not change a person? Mallory has certainly changed and so I feel like that development was missing.

But overall, I was so obsessed with this book. I stayed up unreasonably late to finish it and only had mild regrets the next day.

Note: I received this book free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Split between two protagonists and three timelines, Husbands & Lovers is an emotional story about love, and human connection.

In 1950, Hannah is in Cairo and married to a diplomat in Egypt. It's colonial Egypt, not modern day. She meets and starts an affair with Lucien.
In 2008, Mallory and Monk fall in love during the summer while at a summer job. In 2022, they have separated and on of their children need a vital medical procedure.

The way that the story weaves into each other is masterful storytelling. Beatriz Williams know exactly how to draw a reader into multiple timelines and bring together a powerful and beautiful story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Husbands & Lovers is a historical fiction following a single mother as she navigates her son needing a new kidney in the present day, as well as Hungarian refugee in post-WWII Egypt. Their identities become intertwined as the story progresses.

I really enjoyed this book, I became very engrossed, particularly by the halfway mark, it was difficult to put down. Both storylines were entertaining, though I did struggle a bit with flashbacks within each characters' storyline. I could see the non-linear nature of the storytelling confusing some, especially since the timeline shift was not always clearly denoted. I learned a lot about the post WWII era, including the political climate of Egypt at the time. Overall, I think I was more drawn to the present day storyline, including the flashbacks within it.

Thank you to Beatriz Williams and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of Husbands & Lovers.

What a book. I want to start off by saying I loved one storyline more than the other. If this story was just centered around Monk and Mallory, it would have been an easy 5 stars. I loved their storyline so much. Meeting in high school, Mallorys mother gentle push, her nickname, his music, really everything.
The grandmothers storyline in Egypt was very confusing and too much, I did enjoy parts of it, but as a whole I did not think it added much to the book.
I will definitely try past books by this author.
4 stars

This book was just okay for me, There was a little too much back and forth between timelines, and I struggled to keep with it. However, I enjoyed the historic elements of it, and I think fans of the author will enjoy this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

@netgalley thank you for the early release of @authorbeatriz book Husbands and Lovers! This book brings you to the lazy collet summer of Monk Adams and Mallory, young love and the world ahead! Years past with Mallory raising Monks son and a health crisis causing her to “run” into Monk again, this time he is about to get married! But not to forget that is also about Hannah and life in Egypt also finding out about the life she left behind. This book has romance, history and questions after each turn. Such a great read and highly recommended! Thank you @netgalley for this early release!

I've always struggled to connect with Beatriz Williams' books, often finding myself disappointed and hesitant to pick up another. However, receiving an ARC of Husbands & Lovers from NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group changed my perspective, albeit reluctantly.

Williams' writing has definitely improved—she crafts characters you can genuinely connect with. I found myself fully engaged, even rooting for the protagonist's schemes against a certain character (Lee, if you've read the book). But amidst the positives, there were frustrations.

The novel suffers from an abundance of plotlines. Personally, I felt it would have been more effective split into two separate books—one focusing on a modern-day Monk and Pink storyline, and the other on Hannah's historical fiction. The attempt to merge these two main plots often felt disjointed or forced, interrupting the flow at critical moments.

To add, the Lucian chapter was particularly challenging for me to get through, feeling disconnected from the stronger plotlines that held my interest.

Despite these issues, Husbands & Lovers has convinced me to give Beatriz Williams another chance. While it didn't fully win me over, it showed promising improvements in her storytelling that I'm curious to see develop further.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Ground - Ballantine Books and Beatriz Williams for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was hesitant to read something in the historical fiction category but was interested based on the description and it didn’t disappoint.

The start was slow and weird for me but then I got into it.

The book goes back and forth between Hannah’s story in the 1950s in Egypt and Mallory’s story in 2008 and 2022.

Hannah and Mallory were such strong yet imperfect characters. The 1950s are obviously harder for me to relate to so I was always a little more excited for Mallory’s story but Hannah’s was really interesting too.

Overall, the contemporary story really carried the book for me. I really loved the sister relationship of Paige and Mallory. And let’s face it, Monk sounds like a total dream boat so that doesn’t hurt!

Thanks to Ballentine Books and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. In my full opinion, this book did not catch me or hold my interest. Mallory is trying to patch up her life at the same time as the duel timeline, Hannah, is working on hers. It took me until about 60% to finally capture my attention but then it fizzled out. I wish there was more about the historical aspect of the convents in Ireland that would take in mothers and adopt out the babies. And more about how the timelines came together. It wasn’t my favorite of Beatriz Williams.

4 strong women stars

With two storylines, this one takes us from contemporary times with island summers to the 1950s and tumultuous Egypt. The storylines alternate, and we ultimately learn how they tie together. I preferred the more contemporary story, but the dual storylines made for a stronger book overall.

The contemporary story features Mallory Dunne, a single mother to Sam. Due to a camp mishap with mushrooms, Sam needs a new kidney. Mallory’s sister encourages Mallory to reconnect with Sam’s father and both sides of their family to see if anyone is a match for a donation. Sam’s father is the famous musician Monk Adams, and he and Mallory had a glorious summer romance on Winthrop Island about thirteen years ago. We don’t immediately know why Mallory ghosted him and broke his heart. Now, he's set to marry another woman.

The earlier storyline features a mysterious woman, Hannah. She has a tragic past in Hungary during WWII. She eventually marries a British diplomat, and they are in Cairo as the political situation there gets very unsettled.

I really liked Mallory’s character and her artistic talent. It seemed like a picture-perfect romance with Monk, but she was not from an affluent family. I wondered what happened and was shocked when I finally learned that secret. I also discovered a weakness for hot male musicians and rooted for Mallory and Monk to reunite.

I enjoyed the historical fiction side of the Egyptian storyline, but my heart was with Mallory.

This is only my second book of Beatriz Williams, but the rest of hers are on my list to read!

I was unfamiliar with Beatriz Williams and put off reading this book because I thought-dumb romance, summer book, a little schmaltzy. And yes it was all of those things but much more. I loved learning about the historical pieces of Egypt, Hungary. The “unintended” parent piece played another fascinating piece of history. Great summer read!

Mallory is raising her son on her own. Her son Sam suffers a medical situation after eating a wild mushroom while away at camp. Fast forward a few years later and Sam's situation is kept under control by dialysis but he needs a kidney. The other timeline we follow is that of her grandmother and it takes place in Egypt. I enjoyed the two different stories and timelines. I really didn't like the reason that Mallory and Monk were separated for so many years. I wouldn't have guessed that at all. Good read!

First book by Beatriz but I know I will pick up others! This book was a delicious historical fiction romance book that started off slow and then hooked me and I couldn’t put it down.

If you’re wondering what post WWII Hungarian refugee living in Cairo and a single mom in New England could possibly have in common this book is for you. How much love, heartbreak, grief, and loss do these women have to endure by themselves and for their loved ones?

The way these two stories are woven together is beautiful. And it really keeps you guessing how it all comes together until the end.

I’ll leave you with my favorite quote from the book: “Men fall over themselves for a beautiful woman, woman fall over themselves for a rich man. So who’s the more greedy? At least money is useful. And it doesn’t fade with time”

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Beatriz Williams for providing me with a copy of this book for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy, all opinions are my own!

Wow, I just finished this dual timeline book and I truly loved it! I really enjoyed both timelines, although I was more partial to the current one. Great book to get lost in on vacation! 4.5 stars!!!

The story starts with Mallory, racing to the hospital bedside of her son who ate a poisonous mushroom while away at camp. The alternating timeline is Cairo in the 1950s. It took a while for everything to come together and to see how these two timelines would connect. Overall this was a decent book, but I wasn't blown away by the story. I thought that Mallory made some bad choices and was just not a favorite for me.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Husbands & Lovers is sadly the first Beatriz Williams book I read in a while I didn’t love. And it sucks, because all the ingredients are there, but it still felt short of expectations.
Williams introduces the reader to two compelling heroines, one in the present and one in the past. Surprisingly, in a switch-up in comparison to most dual-timeline novels, I really resonated with Mallory’s story and how her life was upended, first by the harrowing news that her son was dealing with acute poisoning from a death cap mushroom and would need a kidney transplant, and also the fact that she had to confront the fact that her mother had been adopted, leading her to explore her family history. And even the romance with her childhood friend was really sweet.
The historical timeline was also promising, although I felt it was a tad underdeveloped by comparison. But Hannah is nonetheless sympathetic through all her experiences as a refugee in Cairo.
And while I could see how it all came together, I feel like trying to balance the two resulted in both, but especially Hannah’s story, feeling rather underbaked. The narratives also did not flow very easily into each other, so it was also sometimes easy to get lost, even with the reminders of whose perspective you’re meant to be in at the beginning of each chapter. However, even with the perceived disjointedness, I love Williams’ writing style, and it kept me interested, even if it was rough going at times.
While not my favorite of Beatriz Williams’ books,it’s very much a “me” thing, and I did still enjoy various aspects of the book. I would still recommend it to readers who are interested in dual-timeline historical fiction, with a slightly larger emphasis on the contemporary timeline.

Let me start off by saying this was such a great story. I read a lot of books with a dual timeline, some well executed and others not so much. I was totally drawn in to both the part in 1950s Cairo and present day. There was so much involved - from young love to passion, lovers and loyalty, sister and child relationships.... I am surprised I had only read a couple of her books so far, but that will be changing asap! All I can say is just read it! Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read the ARC. Definitely recommend!!

I love Beatriz Williams’ books. Just finished Husbands and Lovers. This is an enjoyable read. As usual, Ms. Williams offers back stories, circumstances and thoughts of her characters which leads to an understanding of their motives and concerns. We have the story of young love with Monk and Mallory. The story of forbidden love with Hannah and Lucien. The mystery of Hannah’s past and Lucian’s loyalties. All of this against the background of Cairo, Egypt, in the 1950’s. There is the mystery of the cobra bracelet and the search for the birth Mother of Mallory and Paige. All the characters are very well developed, have a history, and have a conclusion to their story. An exceptionally good book.

I absolutely loved reading this, what a wonderful story. This is mostly the story of Mallory and Monk, who dated the summer before their senior year of college, and then their reunion 14 years later when Mallory needs to find a kidney for her son. This alternates with Hannah, in Egypt in 1952, who his having an affair with a hotel manager who has some secrets. *
Typically I love Beatriz Williams's historical fiction, but in this case I was so invested in Mallory's story that I honestly didn't care about Hannah. It's so well written and engaging, I absolutely could not put it down. *Hannah's story, while an interesting side plot, didn't truly feel necessary, which is why I didn't *quite* get to 5 stars. (The other weird thing was the DNA test...finding out they were Jewish from a DNA test, I don't think it works like that?) *
But overall this was a book I couldn't put down, I didn't want it to end, it was just such a wonderful read. Highly recommend! 4.5 stars