This book was good and pulled me in from the beginning. The ending a little predictable and all tied up a bit too nicely but sometimes that’s not a bad thing. I would recommend this book

Emotional family drama with a decent storyline at times found the pace slow and the main character Mollie frustrating! Overall a decent 3 star read

I liked it. The majority of the time.

Milly’s husband Alex was involved in an accident that left him brain damaged.
He become a different person to Milly, it’s a lot to come to terms with for her.

I like how this covered brain damage and how the experiences of that played out, how huge differences have to be overcome.

In my thoughts I don’t think Milly put herself in her husbands shoes, or sympathised with how he would feel having gone through this traumatic life experience.

Maybe it’s me? I’m realistic. I’m married to a husband who has mental health (bi polar) and he’s definitely not the man I married when having *what shall I call it?) “episode” of mood swings. But I have never in my 40 years (almost) felt like Milly.

It really dragged in parts and was a chore to keep listening to the audio but I do think I faired better listening to this rather than reading it with my eyes.

I personally had some issues with it, maybe it could have been more compact?

I know it sounds strange to say I liked it but….

1, I liked that it was based around brain damage
2, I liked how it shows us, life as we know it can change in a heartbeat
3, I liked the beginning of the book

I didn’t like the pacing, I thought it needed more umph along the way to get the reader through it.

My thoughts of course.

Life can change in an instant, appreciate the good times.
1 like

Unfortunately, I read this book back in 2017 but completely forgot to upload a review on here, so can't remember exactly what I was going to say about it!

The blurb of this book sounded great and the story started out great . However I felt the story got a bit flat half way through and I found it dragged. Yes an ok read but nothing special.

This book covers the sensitive subject brain injuries. It follows Alex who, after being married to Molly for a number of years, suffers a tragic accident. From then on he’s a different person. It’s almost as if he’s a stranger. Something Milly struggles with alongside dealing with the day to day issues.

Whilst this book is well written going between past and present, I did find the pace dropped off in the middle and the whole book overall quite long.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin UK Michael Joseph and the author for the chance to review.

"My Husband the Stranger" written by Rebecca Done is an emotional and at times a heartbreaking read. Not an easy read, nor an upbeat read. This one wrung out the emotions.

This is a family drama that has a few unexpected twists, it’s quite slow paced but a good book. I would definitely recommend it.

My Husband The Stranger by Rebecca Done is a moving love story with two people facing a drastic change after an accident.

As a hopeless romantic, the love story between Alex and Molly sucked me in! Who doesn't dream about finding a love like that?

I like the format of the story switching between perspectives - Alex from before the accident and Molly dealing with life afterwards. It was well written and, although a bit predictable, an enjoyable read.

4 stars

Wow! Wow! Wow!

I enjoyed how this book showed you Alex's POV before the accident and how he and Molly met. Alex was changed after his accident - he looked the same but he suffered a brain injury so 'he' wasn't the same. We get to see how Molly copes with knowing that the man she fell in love with is gone and in his place is someone different and she still loves him. There were ups and downs - lots of different options but love won through in the end. It ended as happily as it could as there is not a miraculous cure and it would have been totally unrealistic for Alex to wake up and be his old self again someday. It's a hard read in places because you think 'what would I do' and there isn't a right or wrong way to deal with something like this and it is so incredibly hard for everyone involved - how do you mourn for the person that was when they are still here?

Shameful apology! I read this book just after it came out, yet it has taken me until now to finally leave a review. Apologies to the author and the publisher, but I got there eventually!!

'My Husband The Stranger' is proof that life can change just like that. Molly had found her lobster. She had married her true love, a man she adored with every ounce of her being. Then, one day, both Molly's and Alex's life changed for the worst. The man who she promised to love in sickness and in health had been taken from her, with a man who looked like her husband yet didn't act like him, swap places with him. Molly's happy ending is now an uncertain one.

I would be lying if I said that this book was an easy read, because it isn't. Far from it in fact. The theme of the storyline is dramatic, heart-wrenching and quite emotional, leaving room for the reader to form their own opinion on the choices that they would make if they were to find themselves in Molly's situation. What would I do? Honestly, I have absolutely no idea and I probably would never be able to answer that unless I found myself in that situation. Molly thought she had the perfect relationship and loved her husband dearly, however when that man had an accident, she began to question her own motive for staying. Alex was definitely a changed man and Rebecca Done emphasised that point in the latter half of the novel. He wasn't the man who Molly fell in love with, but he didn't do this to himself did he, so why wouldn't she stick by him?

My heart went out to both Alex and Molly as they were both dealing with such life changing circumstances, trying to find a way to move forward either as a unit, or on their own. I have to admit that I found a lot of the storyline a bit predictable and not at all shocking in the 'twisty' sense of the word. That said, I thought 'My Husband The Stranger' was emotionally charged and very raw, with the split narrative working well to hone in on the important elements of the overall storyline. I suggest keeping an open mind with this book as, if you're anything like me, your outlook on life will change a lot right up until you close the book. Thought-provoking and very intense, Rebecca Done certainly gave me food for thought.

My Husband the Stranger by Rebecca Done was a book that had been sat on my shelf for an awful long time before I finally picked it up. Despite not being a particularly upbeat read, this was a novel that touched me in a way that I honestly did not expect in the slightest. From beginning to end I found it to be such a beautiful and sensitively written novel that captured the true meaning behind how extremely possible it is to find love in the face of adversity.

Within this novel we are introduced to Alex and Molly who first meet whilst on a night out in London. With it being love at first sight, it’s not long before they marry eachother with a life of hope and a long and happy future ahead of them. That is until one fateful night when Alex has a terrible accident, which leaves Alex with brain damage. Having promised to love Alex in sickness and in health, as he becomes unrecognisable before her eyes Molly’s resolve is soon tested. Can she learn to love the man who Alex has become?

With each chapter being told from the perspective of a different character and alternating between the past and the present, I felt that I really got to know Alex and Molly as individuals and became really engrossed in their story extremely quickly. I felt a huge amount of admiration for Molly’s character and as the book progressed there were many times when I felt like I was walking in her shoes, thanks to the fantastic way in which Rebecca really captured her emotions. Throughout the entirety of the book, I couldn’t help but wonder what I would do if I was in Molly’s position.

My Husband the Stranger is not your standard love story but is instead one that has a real substance and depth to it. Despite not being a particularly fast-paced read, I thought that it was an incredibly well written book that really reflected how life can feel when faced with a challenging situation, how there’s no easy way out or quick solution. To write a book such as My Husband the Stranger you really need to have researched your subject matter and it’s evident that Rebecca has done this, creating something that seems to incredibly real and also so sensitively written.

An emotive, powerful and hugely thought-provoking read, My Husband the Stranger is a book that I’m so thoroughly glad to have read. It was one of those stories that I know will stay with me, one that I know I won’t be able to forget for a long time to come. My Husband the Stranger was the first book of Rebecca’s that I’ve ever read but I’m really looking forward to reading more by her in the futu

This book was. Slow starter but had me racing to the end.
A sympathetic account of a terrible accident that destroyed Moly and Alex's perfect marriage..
Nothing too complicated, lovely characters.

My Husband, The Stranger

Alex and Molly appear to have the perfect marriage, then Alex has an accident and suffers a traumatic brain injury.

Imagine the horrific change in your spouse's personality and they don't seem to love you anymore.

My Husband, The Stranger was hard to read in some places, it makes you realise just how life changing an accident can be. 4*

This could have been so much better.
It was over long and the ending was so unrealistic that it spoilt the story.

A different read to what I normally read but still quite enjoyable

Molly and Alex are in love, recently married they begin renovating their home until their happiness is shattered. Alex has a fall whilst visiting his twin brother, Graeme and is left with a different personality after hitting his head. Molly is determined to stick by him despite how Alex now treats her. This was an interesting read, although it was difficult to read at times. Molly was very determined to help her husband despite everything, an amazing lady.

Great book, I loved it, 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. I will be keeping an eye out for more books by Rebecca Done.

Okay, so, this book is not a fun read at all. What I mean is, it is not easy to read as the main character feels so sad and frustrated. My heart goes out to Molly for all the things she’d been through to keep her marriage afloat despite the uncommon situation she’s in. It is written so well that I can feel her pain and struggles. But I can’t seem to completely like Molly’s character. Sure, I empathized with her. The patience and love she has for her husband are truly admirable. I can perfectly understand the hardship that she is going through, but I don’t know why it is so hard for me to like her. Maybe because I don’t agree with most of her decisions.

The same thing goes with Alex. If he is infuriating after the unfortunate incident, he is also unlikeable before it happened. He’s called by his twin brother Graeme as the golden boy, as he was their father’s favorite, and he’s depicted as a really nice and perfect guy. And yes, he sure is from Molly’s point of view. But on reading his narrative of the past, I don’t feel his sincerity. Surprisingly, it is Graeme whom I connected to in this story. He is the wild and irresponsible twin. Their father resented him since he was a kid and make sure Graeme knows about it. Because of that, I can understand why he acted the way he did. I know it is not an excuse to rebel. What I’m saying is, it will sure mess up someone bigtime.

The twist is not that surprising since there are some little clues that I managed to pick up as I read but nonetheless, it is interesting. It started strong and got me absorbed in the story immediately, but the pacing dropped towards the middle. It may not be as great as I first thought it would be, but it still tells a different take on the story about love in a unique premise. My Husband the Stranger is a well-written, thought-provoking tale of love, hope, sacrifice and how much are you willing to endure for the one you love. It will make one wonder what to do in such situation as Molly and Alex. Will you hang on or will you let go? Overall, a satisfyingly good read that will arouse reader’s emotion.