This was my first book by Beatriz Williams and it was interesting. It took me a little bit to get into and used to the writing style. I enjoyed the alternating chapters, the different narrators, and different time periods. It kept the plot moving and worked towards the "present" ending bringing the two stories together. I had a hard time connecting with Mallory's character and the dynamic between her and Paige irritated me at times, feeling like Paige was overstepping her sisterly boundaries. Overall this was a different type of story for me that was enjoyable, but is not a book that's going to stick with me long after I've finished it. Those that enjoy books with historical fiction aspects and/or fans of Williams may enjoy Husbands & Lovers more than I did.
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Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

"Men fall over themselves for a beautiful woman, women fall over themselves for a rich man. So who's more greedy? At least money is useful. And it doesn't fade with time." 

Husbands & Lovers is Folklore coded, and now that we have that out of the way, I can tell you that I’m continually blown away by how meticulous Beatriz Williams is in her ability to craft a storyline and weave it throughout two (or in this case three) timelines. I have yet to meet a story from Beatriz Williams that I didn’t lose myself while reading. Totally immersive and completely evocative, Williams has an ability to write storylines and settings that hold readers in her grasp. Much like a certain global phenom singer/songwriter currently on tour.

This is a messy story that centers around two distinct generations of women.  Of course, Husbands & Lovers has romance at its core.  Any story surrounding humanity usually does. This story is about the messiness of human relationships amidst adversity such as war, revolution, and even more frightening finding your footing in young love. The more modern timeline revolves around Mallory. Her storyline is told through present tense and flashbacks to her summers spent with a boy named Monk who grew up to a musical star of the rock star variety. We meet Mallory as she endures one of the hardest days as a single mother to her son Sam who is in the hospital due to mushroom poisoning. Mallory’s story intertwines with Monk Adams and their son throughout a tumultuous summer on the East coast.

"I can't bring you back to life, Hannah," he said. "You can choose to live again, or not. But I can make you remember what it was like to be alive." 

I love that the simple idea of following one’s DNA can uncover so much. I’m positive that Beatriz Williams also loves that idea as well since so much of the modern storyline in Husband & Lovers revolves around Mallory and her sister following clues started by a DNA test to the truth behind their lineage.

Which leads us to the historical aspect of Husbands & Lovers. Hannah is a young wife to an older British ambassador in Egypt. She’s the picture of a trophy wife: doting, lovely to look at, and utterly bored. A fellow wife suggests a distraction. A dalliance with a young man to pass the time while her husband works to undo the mess of the current tensions between the British empire and the local Egyptians. It isn’t just any man, of course, but Lucien, the enigmatic concierge who would do anything for Hannah. Hannah isn’t just some trophy wife either, she and Lucien both have secrets from the war and skeletons in their closets that could threaten to push the already heated tensions to boil over.

"A man is seldom lucky enough to fight for what he believes in. He just fights to stay alive." 

There are heaps of trigger warnings but that shouldn’t put off any reader who knows about the WW2 timelines. Some triggers include instances of war, rape, child loss, assault, adultery, drug usage, and murder. 

The culmination of Husbands & Lovers is utterly enthralling. This is what Beatriz Williams does to me. I get hooked by fantastic characters and then I lose myself in the storyline and read with such a frenzy during the apex of the plot that I cannot put the book down for anything.  I guarantee that if you love historical fiction, romance, strong female characters, and storylines so well written and perfect for the beach then you will love Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams along with every other novel in her extensive catalogue.

Equal parts historical fiction, women’s fiction, and romance, Beatriz weaves a tale that begins in 1952 Cairo, continues in 2008 with young love on the New England coast, and in 2022 where we see how it all connects.

I don’t want to spoil any single thing, but in the present-day timeline, we’ve got a set of sisters that have SUCH a fun dynamic, a rich, boozy summer on an island where people do things like wear polos and loafers and sail, and an insufferable influencer. In 1952, we do some sightseeing in Egypt, hear about post-war politics and get a glimpse into middle eastern politics at the time, all through the lens of a Hungarian woman who lost everything - and then loses some more.

The book really inspired compassion in me for both sets of people. I was curious how the timelines would connect, and it didn’t disappoint. Everything was woven perfectly, and the romance plot was absolutely perfect.

I really loved this book and the multiple views of storytelling. I think the historical POV was a little confusing and it was hard to determine which details were relevant to retain as they relate to the present storyline, so I did find myself skimming these chapters a little more. But, overall, the historical fiction-ish storyline did support the present day storyline nicely and was very unique.

thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the ARC of this book. all opinions are my own.

I wish I could put into words how much I enjoyed this. What a great book. Highly recommend.

What an incredible book! I was so lucky to have the opportunity to read an ARC from NetGalley. I devoured this book! I enjoyed following the three different storylines and how they eventually all came together. The ending was a twist I did not see coming! 100/10 stars!

All I can really say is wow. Husbands & Lovers is a bit out of bounds of one of my usual reads, but I was absolutely blown away. First of all, the settings alone were mind-blowing. The flashes between New England and an Egyptian scape was so wonderful and such a pleasantly stark difference. Both Mallory and Hannah are absolutely captivating. They are messy and real and see such satisfying character development throughout. I was on the edge of my seat until the very last page.

A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

Beatriz Williams never disappoints, and her books are such a unique blend of romance and family secrets. In Husbands and Lovers, there is a modern timeline in which single-mom Mallory is caring for her son, Sam, who needs a kidney donor after ingesting a poisonous mushroom at summer camp. Mallory and Sam are staying with her sister, Paige, on Winthrop Island, New York. After some geneological research while searching for a kidney donor, the sisters find out that their mom was adopted. We learn what happened to Mallory's family in a narrative thread that centers around Hungary during WWII and Egypt in the 1950s, which was truly fascinating to learn about. Mallory also reconnects with the love of her life, Monk Adams, whom she met while nannying for his siblings on Winthrop Island years ago. This modern second-chance romance was so amazing, and this book delivers all the big emotions and a satisfying ending. I can't wait to see what the author writes about next! Thanks to Netgalley, Ballantine, and the author for the librarian preview copy.

Loved the characters and both of the storylines! I really enjoyed how the timelines alternated and seeing how the 2 were entangled throughout the book. Beatriz Williams always has great settings & historical aspects. I was rooting for Mallory & Monk the whole time!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

What a great book! It kept me coming back from the jump. I couldn’t wait to hear what was happening next with Mallory and Monk, or Hannah. I thought I would be annoyed about jumping back and forth between story lines but there were great cliff hangers for both. I could envision this book being made into a movie so so easily. The social media fiancé juxtaposed against Cairo hotel scenes. Just enthralled with the whole story. Highly recommend this book!

This is a book that I wanted to read until I actually got into it. Like so many books today this is set in two general timelines. One timeline was World War II and the others in current times. The chapters alternate back and forth which is easier to follow than some but it just did not involve me in the story. I stayed with it thinking suddenly I would get into it but sadly I did not. Mallory is the present day single mother with a son who experiences a medical emergency and needs to identify his father. The other, Hannah, is a Hungarian living during World War II. There are many twists and turns in the story and I found it distracting most of the time. The author introduces a lot of characters and several complex story lines. The multiple story lines were just too many for my taste. That being said I have to say I really did not love this one. The search for the mystery of the cobra bracelet would have been a great story all by itself. Wish that had been more of the focus.

I wish to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books for allowing me to read a copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was an interesting dive into the past and present life of a single mom reconnecting with the father of her child. I thought this book was a very interesting look at parental guilt as a single parent (like her constantly blaming herself for her son's health problems), which was a perspective I do not have given that I am not a parent.

I thought a strong point of the story was the way it was able to weave multiple storylines and timelines together without overloading me as a reader. I definitely felt like I found the older timeline more interesting than the newer timeline, especially since the newer one kind of felt like a fanfiction to me (I also think it wrapped up a little too nicely). This was definitely a page turner, but I do wish the more historical timeline was explored a little more.

3.5 stars rounded up!

My first Beatriz Williams but definitely not my last! Loved the characters and complex setting. I traveled cross country today and this little gem took the journey with me. I totally enjoyed sinking into this book. There were so many emotions! Had all the feels for sure. Compassion, secrets, lies and the power of love. The perfect storm.
Thank you NetGalley, Beatriz Williams and Random House Publishing -Ballantine for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I'm sorry, but I wasn't able to get into this story. Beatriz Williams is one of my favorite authors and I am saddened to not fall in love with the story she was telling. I wish both the author, and the publishing team, much success upon the book's release.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

This book is really 2 books that were combined into one. If it had just been one story or the other, I would have given it a higher review as I was invested in the stories and truly enjoyed them. After reading the author's note, I do understand why the portion from Egypt was included, but it was superfluous. I do not always mind twinned chronology, but it didn't work as well for me in this instance.

The main story is of Mallory Dunne and Monk Adams. Childhood friendship turned romance turned disappearance and a child that Monk never knew about. This story was fabulous. There was so much to it, though I do not want to give away too much. The important part is that Sam, their son, nearly dies when he is 10 and is in need of a kidney. While they have tried everyone they know, they have yet to find a match. Cue the genealogy search and a push to tell Monk about Sam. This is the story that I wanted to read and that I kept coming back to. This was a modern romance novel in a wonderful way and I wanted more.

The secondary story takes place in Cairo in 1952. It turns out that Mallory and her sister's mother had been adopted, something neither of them knew. The second story has to do with her conception and birth. It is a fascinating historical fiction, but muddied up the story. I also had problems with slurs like "dirty Jews." Not something I ever want to read, but current political issues make that even harder to bear. All of this was written before the current climate, but it cut a bit too close for comfort.

In the end, I think it comes back to the fact that I wanted more of Mallory and Monk which made the Cairo timeline less enticing. Still definitely worth reading.

I enjoyed this book very much. As other reviewers have noted, there's a lot going on. However, I thought that kept me engaged throughout the book and made me want to read just one more chapter. I will also say, Ms Williams is a MASTER at taking two seemingly dissimilar ideas and weaving them together in a way that makes perfect sense to the reader. The ending was open-ended enough that I am expecting more stories containing these characters, which I would gladly devour.
I will be recommending this to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC!

I am a Beatriz Williams fan but this one fell flat for me. I was VERY excited to get an advanced copy from NetGalley and I was very excited to start it. The cover - put me right in the mood for summer!

But the story didn't go well with the cover or the title. While I did enjoy the story, there was a lot of bouncing around of timelines and there were some times (especially in the 1952 timeline) that I had to figure out if the character was in 1952 or during WW2. It felt a little all over the place. The ending though might be the start of a good plot for her next book!

Also, there should be a trigger warning about a certain situation in the book!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy. I am not a reviewer who will retell the plot, just my feelings towards the book as the reader can look up the plot themselves.

I had high hopes for this book. For a minute, I thought it was emulating the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo but it fell very short for me. I liked the idea of the dual timelines abut then I felt like the story was dragged on. It took me so long to finish this. It seems like I am in the minority.

Ekk! I love Beatriz Williams and I loved this book. A little bit romance, a little bit historical fiction with a great author's note at the end. My kind of book. I was swept away and learned something new.