Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Ms. Williams for the advanced reader's copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book. It takes you down town roads of present day and a love story of years past. Characters you can really feel and learn to love each of their heartbreaks and love stories.

Beatriz Williams is one of my favorite historical fiction authors... scratch that, one of my favorite authors. When I got approved for this ARC on NetGalley I dropped everything I was doing to read this book and it did NOT disappoint. Husbands & Lovers is set in two different time periods and is told from the perspective of two different women, Mallory and Hannah. Mallory, who is a single mom, whose son is in need of a kidney transplant. Hannah who is stuck in a loveless marriage living in Egypt during the 1950s. I was equally invested in each story line and loved how they intertwined with each other. I loved this book so much and still find myself thinking about it even after I've finished. This is a must read for 2024!

Beatriz Williams always knocks it out of the park with her unique plots.
However, this novel didn't blow me away. The structure has been played out many times. The level of suspense didn't pick up until the last quarter of the book (for me, anyway). And the dialogue between characters of the past seemed ill researched and stiff.
I'm disappointed this wasn't a 5 star read for me, and to be honest I skimmed a lot of it. I think her novels are becoming more and more predictable.

I really hope that they turn this book into a movie! This is a wonderful story about two women who are strong and aspirational. Mallory, a single mom who is raising a beautiful but medically fragile young boy, and Hannah, her grandmother who is living in Egypt during the time of the 1950s revolution. Both carry a secret, which will distance them from the loves of their lives.

Main character, Mallory, is trying to figure out her own roots at the same time as figuring out the roots she wants for her son, Sam. However, when Sam needs an organ transplant, she realizes her only option is to go back to a story she closed fourteen years ago. Told in dueling timelines, this saga takes the reader from New England to Egypt…secrets are revealed and questions are answered.

While slow to start, the second half soared and I really loved this one!

I've read quite a few of Beatriz Williams' books and this one missed the mark for me. I wasn't able to get to the point of caring about any of the characters. I suspected something going on with Monk's father and knew for certain of Monk's role in his son's health care. I felt the cobra bracelet side story was unfulfilling and somewhat detracting - except in the last few pages, a magical connection to the Egyptian/Hungarian storyline.

Once again, Beatriz Williams delivers! Husbands and Wives is a lush tale woven throughout the lives of Hannah and Mallory. Their stories intersect yet jar apart. Hannah’s backdrop is exotic Cairo, on the edge of a .revolution. She is torn between two men while harboring her own secrets. Mallory ‘s story is set on Winthrop Island, home to the Old Money Adams family, where her former love Monk Adams (the son of the house) now resides, when he’s at home, that is. She has her own secrets and is having to deal with a precarious medical emergency.. Fans of the Team W (thanks to Friends and Fiction) novels that Ms. Williams writes with fellow authors Lauren Willing and Karen White, will be thrilled to find Easter eggs of their latest novel The Beach at Summerly inserted into the storyline. Another great novel from a grand storyteller!

I loved this book! I was hooked from page one! Mallory is a single mother and her son needs a kidney after he eats a mushroom at summer camp. Hannah is married to a man she doesn’t love in 1950’s Cairo. The women are decades apart but their stories come together through love and loss and the choices they make along the way. I will be reading more my Beatriz Williams!

This latest novel by Beatriz Williams, Husbands and Lovers, was a book that I chose to read out of my normal genre. Husbands and Lovers is read in dual times between the 1950's and 2022. It's a current romance/historical romance rolled into one. This book offers a whirlwind of narratives, with a plot that's as diverse as its characters. While the multitude of storylines keeps you engaged, at times, it feels like there's a bit too much going on. There have been some wonderful reviews about the book so I gave it a shot. It's a very secular story, so really not for me.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! So excited to get approved for this book by Beatriz- it went to the top of my pile!! Wow!! I was drawn in from the beginning and could not put this book down!! Different time lines and the stories of women were weaved together. Mallory and Monk's story from 2008 and 2022, Hannah's story set in Cairo in 1951. Mallory and Monk were young and in love until something happened... fast forward to 2022 with Mallory and their son who is now in need of a kidney! Hannah is Mallory's grandma - who was put in Cairo by circumstance with her husband and I did learn some history of what was going on in Cairo at the time. Overall the book is a must and I definitely recommend!!

The premise was interesting, but I was unable to connect with the characters. The title and cover don't seem to be a good fit for the story. The multiple timelines just felt like Williams was trying to do too much. They may have worked better as two separate books.

I have such mixed feelings about this book, but the good outweighed the bad.

What I liked: the overall story, Paige and Mallory’’s relationship, Monk overall, most of the twist and turns, the dual timeline, multiple POVs, the final conclusion

What I didn’t like: sometimes the dialogue felt clunky, the pacing wasn’t right—nothing would happen for long stretches then all of the sudden everything is happening at once, missing sections of time, the big revelation at the end

The women between these pages were forced into unthinkable situations. Hannah lost an entire family. Mallory has a son that needs a kidney, her son’s father is now an international singer ,songwriter and doesn’t know his son exists. The tread that binds starts in Cairo in the 1950’s and culminates with revelations spilled today. It’s a great read.

3.5 star read for me. I have read this author many times and enjoy her writing style. However, this is a multi timeline story and sometimes I was thrown with what time and place I was at with either Hannah's or Mallory's storyline, as within the chapter and timeline, the reader is placed into a characters "flashback". Because there were so many storylines, I felt the ending was rushed to have it all come together. Overall, I did enjoy the writing and the storylines of Hannah and Mallory.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the perfect book for people who want to dabble in historical fiction but don’t want to commit to an ENTIRE book. I loved it! I am not much of a historical fiction reader (maybe 2 books a year if that), but this was the perfect balance of contemporary and historical fiction. Williams does a wonderful job of world building in both warn torn Europe, European influenced Egypt, and the old money families that rule Cape Cod. It also has an air of mystery to it as well. I found myself continuously wanting to turn the page to see how the two main characters stories (60 plus years apart) would intersect. My only qualm about the book was that the ending felt rushed and that I wanted more from the Hannah story line. I feel like I didn’t get closure from her story and got more than needed from Mallorys.

Mallory is a single mother with a 13 year old sick son. Her son recently ate a poisonous mushroom at summer camp and is in need of a kidney transplant. Mallory is desperate for answers on where she can find a transplant for her son. Her sister insists on reaching out to his birth father, but she wants nothing to do with him. She wants answers and her sister INSISTS they begin to search through a DNA match portal. Mallory doesn’t want to and thinks of another piece of her history that could help: her cobra bracelet from Ancient Egypt.

Hannah is a Hungarian refugee married to a misogynist, elitist English prick. They met at a refugee camp, where she chose comfort and wealth over love. They move to Cairo to appease her husbands health as he needs a dry climate. She begins to explore with the other English locals, and one man specifically who lives at the hotel. They begin to get closer and closer, until Hannah begins to question her marriage.

Both Mallory and Hannah have multiple love stories in this book, so be prepared to keep track of their men and children (ha!). Also, get ready to look for clues about how the two story lines intersect.

A definite 2024 read for all!
Thank you to Ballantine Books for the ARC!

THIS BOOK!! This one is going to stay with me awhile...

Synopsis: This is a multiple timeline story. Mallory, in the present, is a single mom that gets an urgent medical call from her son's summer camp. This emergency drives her and her son's father, famous singer Monk Adams, to speak again for the first time in many years. Hannah, in the past (post WWII), starts out her story face to face with a cobra in Cairo, Egypt. She is in Cairo with her British diplomat husband among many other diplomat families. The two timelines mirror each other in escalating drama and intertwine as well.

TW: rape, child loss, war
Recommended for: fans of historical fiction, women's fiction

What I liked:
This book had me completely hooked from the first chapter. I could not put it down. I found the stories in both timelines to be compelling which is not always the case. I was also intrigued by the fact that each timeline had a past and present as well - explaining the hurts of the "present" by laying out the events of the "past." I also really love historical fiction and this did not disappoint. I had not read previously a book taking place in 1950s Egypt.

What I didn't like:
I would have loved a little more closure at the end (without spoilers). Also, (not a complaint) the suspense between timelines was intense! I had to remind myself not to skim the next chapter just to find resolution.

Ultimately, I will be telling everyone about this book - it is definitely my favorite book this year and will be hard to top.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I think I have read every Beatriz Williams book, and while this isn't her best it was one of her better ones.

This was really three stories, with alternating chapters of each storyline. Two of the three connected well (since they were the same characters but at different times). While the third storyline did connect with the other two, I felt like it didn't connect strongly enough.

I loved the characters. The atmosphere of the New England storylines was great but it needed work with the Egypt storyline. There were some plot points that could have been expanded on more.

Beatriz, can we give Sedge his own book? Because I loved him immediately and felt bad for him at the end.

I thought this book would be one I’d really enjoy based on the summary, but I’m not sure it’s the right read for me at this time. The story is told in two perspectives with alternating time periods. It’s a bit of a slow start and I struggled to connect with the characters, so I’m stopping about 1/4 of the way through. I think I might enjoy it more in audiobook format; once it’s published, if there’s an audiobook option, I plan to give it another try!

Thank you NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Beatriz Williams for a free e-ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. I have loved other books by Williams and this book grabbed my attention right from the start. The two time period that alternate in the book kept me engaged and curious as I couldn't wait to learn more about each character. It was the perfect blend of history and pop culture. This is a book you won't want to end although the ending will leave you smiling for days.

“Husbands and Lovers” opens on the worst day of any mother’s life: Mallory Dunne is driving frantically to her hospitalized son’s bedside, unsure if he will live or die. An incident at sleepaway camp has left 10 year old Sam in a coma, and leaves Mallory questioning many of her life choices. Without providing any spoilers - multiple storylines, characters, and time periods made for a propulsive plot that had me racing thru the book in just one day - and then wishing for a sequel, or a prequel, so I could read more about all of these characters! Also, while the title “Husbands and Lovers” suggests a novel focused solely or primarily on the romantic bond, this novel also examines skillfully and in depth the bond between mothers and children. This was a 5-star read for me and my favorite Beatriz Williams novel to date! I would highly recommend to all historical fiction lovers!! Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ebook! #HusbandsLovers #NetGalley #HusbandsandsLovers