I didn’t know what to expect when I started this book since I had never read anything by Beatriz Williams. It definitely won’t be the last. This book has it all. Historical romance, suspense, and modern romance.. The reader is introduced to Mallory and her son Sam. He has gone to a summer camp and eaten a poisonous mushroom. He survives the ordeal but is left in renal failure. Hannah and her sister Paige start looking for a matching donor. This sends them on a collision course with a grandmother they never knew existed. They find out their mother was adopted and never knew.. This journey will take them to Europe during WW2 and Egypt after the war. As I said before this book has it all and I can’t wait to read more by this author.

Five stars across the board! Period. This had all of the things I love in my books, but the intrigue is what kept be sucked in. Plus, this book is the perfect example of dual POV done is a good way and helped the story move forward. I can admit it was slow to start but once it picked up it never stopped short of amazingness. Thank you to Netgalley, and Random House.

This one was really 3.5 stars for me, but I'm rounding up.

The good:
- The plot. I loved the through lines of the stories between all three timelines, and felt like the themes and obstacles were similar even though they weren’t fully.
- Descriptions! As always, Williams delivered on plopping me right into the time and place for each timeline, that it was easy to know exactly which one I was in, and whose point of view.
- The suspense at the end of every chapter, knowing I have 2-3 more to get resolution! Gold.

The could be better:
- I LOVED the Egyptian setting and Hannah’s point of view, and felt like it didn’t get quite enough air time. While I thought Mallory’s flashbacks were relevant, I think they could have been scaled back to allow for more of Hannah’s story. Hers felt the most abrupt/unfinished toward the end.
- Some of the modern dialogue was hard to follow and too much. I think Mallory didn’t really speak enough to make me understand why everyone is in love with her, and Monk’s ramblings were a lot for me to digest.

Overall, I ate it up in a few days and it held my attention, but I wasn’t quite as invested in the modern main characters as I would have liked. Still a great historical beach read!

If I’m ever desperate for a 5 star read, a Beatrize Williams novel has NEVER failed. I’m dang near sure this will be hard to beat for my favorite read of 2024 (quite the proclamation for it to only be April, I know).

I was immediately invested in the characters by the first chapter, and its dual timeline kept me on the edge of my seat with each little plot twist.

If you’re into historical fiction, this one delivers! And even if you’re not, it has a great 50/50 balance of present day (2022) New England with 1950’s Egypt during the Second World War. I was so satisfied by the ending, but the entire journey was just… for lack of better word, bittersweet.

Thank you Random House publishing group - Ballantine for the ARC of this novel via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams. Whenever I see a new book by Beatriz Williams, I snatch it right up! Terrific summer read. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and of course, the author for this ARC. Hitting bookshelves on June 25, 2024. Dual timeline book that takes us back and forth from 1940s Egypt and present day New England. Hannah is married to a British diplomat in steamy Cairo. Her marriage is dullsville, but the manager of the hotel seems to hold much appeal. Mallory is a single mom to Sam who desperately needs a new kidney. Sam’s dad happens to be one of the world’s biggest rock stars. Mallory never told the rock star that Sam even existed. Things could be quite complicated especially since he’s days away from marrying a social media mogul. The stories are eventually woven together beautifully. I was hooked on this one! Thumbs up! Toss it in your beach bag! #books #whatiread #bookstagram #reading #beatrizwilliams #whatsinyourbeachbag #bookgram #bookworm #netgalley #goodreads #libbyapp #thumbsup

I enjoyed this book. I like books that untangle early mysteries about the family. I liked the characters

This was my first by this author while it wasn’t a 5 star read, I’m def interested in reading more by her. This did start off slow for me (mostly Hannah’s POV) but once I really got into it I flew. At about 90% I was thinking the two POVs didn’t fully complement each other (other than that it was their grandma) but at the very very end when you find Hannah’s first baby was alive and well and on Mallory’s doorstep it put a nice bow on both storylines. I loved reading about Mallory and Monk’s past, it reminded me a little of Tom Lake (one of my faves!). Im really not a prude but one thing that did bug me was the way the sisters talked to each other it seemed incongruous to the feel of the story and who they each were it was just kind of unnecessary and brash. I’ll def be trying more from this author soon!

THIS BOOK!! This was my first Beatriz Williams, and it will not be my last! It really could have been two separate books, and I would have devoured both Mallory and Hannah's stories with even more detail, but they were amazing blended together also! The best way to describe this book is: The Nightingale meets Daisy Jones and the Six meets an Elin Hilderbrand Nantucket novel--all my favorites mashed up into one incredible novel. I couldn't put it down because I was so invested in the characters and their stories--I had to know what happened!

SPOILERS BELOW:
I love Mallory and Monk--I want a whole sequel of just their story. We should all be so lucky to have a Monk...swoon! I was so frustrated when he was with Lee and Mallory was staying at his house. Like hello, Monk...the love of your life is right there...get rid of this awful Lee chick--she doesn't get you!

and Hannah. ugh. My heart just breaks for her. So much pain in her life, and always still soldiering on...never able to be truly happy. My one complaint about this book is that I need to know what happened to her! Who picked her up from the monastery?! Where did she go?! She must have found Karoly because he said at the end that he promised their grandmother he would find them--but how did she find him? Did she end up happy?

I NEVER re-read books, but I feel like this is one that I could re-read to find all the Easter eggs along the way!

Chef's kiss, Beatriz Williams!

#HusbandsandLovers #NetGalley

Wow!! Wow!! Wow!! This book was unbelievable good. I enjoyed every minute of it and didn’t want it to end. I am a new reader for this author and had been hearing a lot about this book. I’m so happy that I read it.

TW/// Sexual assault, Rape

This was a real roller coaster of changed ratings for me.
This book starts off with such a zany, kooky situation happening that it literally made me say, "Huh??" out loud.
The whole impetus for the plot of the novel is the fact that the main character's son eats a bad mushroom at summer camp and almost dies.

Now, obviously that can happen, but it just immediately set me off on what ended up being a scavenger hunt to find the tone of this novel.

Was it serious literary fiction, or a humorous romp? Was this supposed to be more soap-operaey? I never quite figured that out.
A lot of the more serious details that would have given this novel more of a backbone and made me identify with, and root for, the characters, just weren't present.

I didn't like Mallory. I didn't particularly understand why anyone did, even without the fact that she didn't tell the father of her child that he had a son for 13 years and then only told him because he accidentally found out.
Without a strong reason (like if he was abusive or a criminal) that's objectively shitty behavior.
And hey, I can get behind a protag who is paying for something shitty that she did in the past.
Only Mallory never really...paid? Monk forgave her pretty quickly even before finding out the dark secret that led to her leaving without a goodbye.
He kept jokingly calling her "Miss Integrity" and I was like...why? She stole your son for 13 years. She cheated on her boyfriend to get with you and then cheated on ANOTHER guy to get back with you later on. Where is the integrity in that? I'm confused.

But, truthfully, Mallory comes by that deceitful streak honestly, because the story alternates between her and her grandmother who also cheated on her husband.
It turns out that Mallory's mother was adopted, and that her grandparents were not her mother's biological parents.
Mallory's actual grandmother, Hannah got pregnant with a baby via an affair that she had while she was living with her English diplomat husband in Cario and he took her to Ireland to have the baby and give it up for adoption.
The part where Mallory and her sister visit Ireland to find the convent where their mother was born is the worst part of the book.
I have no idea why the author decided to drag the proud nation of Ireland into this story since it doesn't seem like she did much research before including a section about the Magdalene Laundries that was just really out of place and borderline offensive.

I am not from Ireland, and it's entirely possible that someone who is from Ireland would have a different take on this but I got to the part where the author referred to driving by a sign with an "unpronounceable Gaelic name" and just thought that left a really bad taste in my mouth.
Referring to a native language that was stolen from its speakers as "unpronounceable" just rubbed me the wrong way.
Also, it's not Gaelic, it's Gaeilge, which is the name that the Irish use to refer to their language. That may be a small detail but it just feels like a basic respect thing to me.

I was really looking forward to this book and was really excited to get an arc of it, but it ended up letting me down. I'm not usually a huge lover of Literary Fiction so maybe it's my own fault for letting my expectations get too high!
Either way, one star.

Well written historical fiction. My first read by Beatriz Williams, but, not my last. The characters are phenomenal. Each one touches just the right tone for this storyline. Mallery and Monks love story is timeless. Hannah and her courage to persevere is thought provoking. Must read. Highly recommend.
I was given an advanced reader copy by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

Beatriz Williams has done a wonderful job with ‘Husbands & Lovers. This story takes you from Cairo Egypt in the 1950’s to Mystic, CT, Cape Cod, MA and fictional Winthrop Island in the LI Sound in the 21st century. Ms. Williams has added romance, espionage and stardom to create an enjoyable read.

—Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an unexpected 5 stars read for me. I have cried so so much and felt even more that i had to give it five stars. This was so heartbreaking and bittersweet yet such an incredible story. The struggle and the growth characters go through really impacted me.
I am so happy i gave it a chance. Highly recommend!

Historical fiction is my favorite genre and I enjoy it even more when the story is set in multiple timelines and POV. Our modern-day FMC Mallory is a single mom of a boy in need of a kidney transplant with no viable matches. Our 1950's post-war FMC Hannah is living in Cairo, Egypt with her much older husband. Both characters have heartbreaking back-stories. The convergence of the storylines had me holding my breath at times. While Mallory and her sister, Paige, work to unravel a family secret, Mallory is coming to terms with the events that led up to her unexpected pregnancy and the decisions she made in the aftermath. As a side note, if you work in the world of organ transplant, you will need to call on your powers of "willing suspension of disbelief". A solid read for fans of the genre.

A captivating novel that weaves together the lives of two women across decades and continents. The story is timeless and bittersweet. The characters are engaging and grapple with complex moral dilemmas.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Husbands and Lovers is an intensely historical search for ancestors and answers with emphasis on romance then and now. The importance of DNA and its results to save a life is at the forefront throughout. keeps you mystified throughout never losing interest on the hidden secrets of generations.

Mallory Dunne and Wealthy ,Monk Adams have been friends since private school. They are leading separate lives at two different colleges. Thus ,Mallory was surprised when Monk asked her to be a nanny for the summer to his young step siblings. She left her boyfriend to spend the summer at Winthrope Island and live at Monk’s family beach house. Monk and Mallory realize they are more than friends, and fall deeply in love. Mallory suddenly leaves, and Monk is bewildered and devastated Thirteen years later, Mallory’s son, Sam, needs a kidney transplant, and Mallory is desperate to find a donor .
In the second storyline, Mallory’s. sister, Paige, while trying to locate a donor for Sam, discovers their mother was adopted in Ireland. As she discovers her mother’s genetic heritage, secrets of the past are revealed. The two stories merge into the present with stunning revelations and heartache

Whatever you do, STOP and read this book!

Husbands and Lovers follow two different women, decades apart. We start of the book with Mallory's story. She is a single mom, who has a sick son in need of a kidney transplant. Then, we go into Hannah's story who is in Egypt in the early 50s. Both of these women are faced into obstacles and in the end come out even stronger.

Beatriz Williams is a new-to-me author. Although historical fiction is not my favorite genre, I truly enjoyed this book. The way she described each period, the characters and their feelings, I truly felt like I was there with them. The hopeless romantic in me wanted more of Mallory and Monk's story in the beginning, but towards the end I really felt for Hannah and all that she had to overcome.

After research of this author, I definitely need to head back to Winthrop Island!

Thank you Random House for the ARC.

This was my first book by Beatriz Williams. It was also a book that got me out of a reading slump. I did not expect to enjoy this one as much as I did. It was hard to put down, I was completely engrossed in the characters and story. We have two timelines, one in New England in 2022, and the other in Cairo, Egypt in 1951. The story was huge on character development, which I love. I absolutely loved Hannah and her time Cairo. Reading it, took me right there. I felt the chemistry between her and Lucien. Mallory and Monk's story got a tad little far fetched at times, but it didn't really bother me. This has everything you need in a romance.....dual timelines, two stories that flashback to the past, a little bit of spice, atmospheric writing, and a story that will tug at your heartstrings. I loved this. I cannot wait to read more by this author. 5 stars.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Beatriz Williams is one of my favorite authors, but I did not feel this one lived up to her other books. It is told through two timelines. I enjoyed both stories, but they did not always seem to link together. There was also the use of derogatory language, which I did not feel was necessary. It felt like I was reading a romance and an historical fiction story, and they did not go together. I think they could have been two separate books. With that being said, I enjoyed the characters, and thought they were very well developed. Beatriz Williams is still one of my favorite authors, and I will continue to read her books.