This was just the book to break my reading slump – raced through this in less than 24 hours, pleasantly befuddled like the main character Lauren. As leads go, Lauren is kind of an every woman and I really enjoyed that, it was easy to put myself in her shoes as she cycled through hundreds of variations of her own life, much like The Midnight Library, which I also really enjoyed. Great twists, especially Bohai at half way through being what I thought was going to be a disaster but actually added so much depth and colour to this weirdly wonderful premise. Heartily enjoyed it, can’t wait to recommend this one out!

The hook - every time a husband goes up into the loft, a different one comes down - was so original that I was really drawn in from the start. It's a great story for questioning how you look at relationships in your life (especially marriages!) because there's definitely a case of is the grass always greener? Which husband should she stick with, and which should she send back up into the loft?! There were some unexpected twists as well in this book which I liked. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage for accepting my request to view this before the publishing date!

The Husbands was an overall interesting concept, initially I was highly confused on the story and what the plot of it was. However, as it continued it was eye opening to see the endless possibilities we could have within life. I did feel as though it was a little bit chaotic at times, but overall enjoyed reading this.

Lauren is happily single. That is, until she returns home one night, to her husband Michael. All evidence points to the fact that she's always been married to him, in fact, from the lock screen on her phone to her friends' memories of them.

Lauren thinks she's going crazy, or maybe someone is playing a prank on her, until Michael goes into the attic and after a flash of light, another husband appears in his place. In fact, every time a husband goes into the attic, a new one appears, and the world rewrites itself around the fact that of their marriage. But with the ability to change husbands and rewrite her life as easily as changing a lightbulb, Lauren must decide which life - and which husband - is the one she wants.

I adored this book. Fast-paced and funny with heart, I read it in two days. Each new situation Lauren finds herself faced with is intriguing, and I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. At times tense, sad, and thought-provoking, this is so much more than the light-hearted romance I took it for at first.

I would recommend this for anyone looking for a compelling and engaging read that explores the idea of lives not taken, and the different ways we can fall in love.

3* The Husbands has a brilliant hook which perfectly captures the modern world of swiping through a pool of potential partners.

Lauren returns from a ‘big night out’ and finds some subtle changes in her flat and a husband she has no knowledge of. Yet her phone has reels of photos of the happy couple and her neighbours and family know them both well.

When her new husband goes up to the attic to change the bulb, another husband climbs down the ladder and everything in Lauren’s life changes again. And so it goes on … via the magic attic, Lauren is able to try and discard husbands at will by sending them up the ladder to retrieve something.

Along the way is much confusion and some genuinely funny situations and moments. The cast of characters turns over a lot (and the circumstances of the protagonists WHO are constant throughout change with each husband), making it a little tricky to really get to know and like any of them, save for Lauren. The level of change also makes the plot repetitive in the first half.

Overall The Husbands is fun, sparky and the conclusion is smartly conceived.

Thanks to Doubleday and Netgalley for an ARC.

Ahhhhh I was so excited to get this it was one of my top books to watch for this year and I can’t express how much of a privilege it felt to be able to read this early.
I thoroughly enjoyed every thing about this book, it was such a fun read and the best thing about this was there was no ways of time in figuring out the whole time aspect as one would in a time loop sort of situation Lauren just jumps right into it.
I must admit I don’t understand the lesson to be learnt by this book what exactly the premise was why did she have a magic attic I almost feel like I haven’t quite finished it. However it was one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in a long time and I couldn’t stop imagining it as a movie I just wanted to see this play out on a screen I could not get enough of Lauren nothing she could ever do will make me hate her I’m on her side always l.
Lastly a big thank you to random house uk, vintage, net galley, and the wonderful holly gramazio for granting me the privilege to read this early considering this was one of the book I couldn’t wait for it’s definitely worth it I can’t wait to pick up my own copy.

I bloomin loved this one, what an amazing concept to write about . Imagine if it were so easy to change husbands- haha.
I read some of the other reviews before I read it and have to say, I was a bit sceptical. However, no need! I couldn’t put it down and read i in just over a day.
It’s a 5 star rating from me- enjoy.

An incredibly vivid, completely original story, which rather neatly sums up be careful what you wish for! The main character is so relatable you can't really judge her for her often questionable choices, and the other characters - though sometimes fleeting! - are distinct and believable. The writing is enjoyable, warm and funny, while the inventive plot carries you along with endless fascination for the what-ifs and what-nexts.
A thoroughly entertaining read!

Loved this book! Very Cleverly written- the idea is brilliantly executed! Can we have this in real life please? Will be buying this book for some of my friends!

This is a rather insane crazy wild read. It takes the very normal principle of the main character trying to find her perfect husband and turns the reality completely on its head!. It did make for a rather refreshing read though, and definitely different to your standard run of the mill romantic books. Great for something a bit different. Recommend

There really isn't another book like this and I think that's the best selling point for 'THE HUSBANDS', a charming, imaginative, slightly insane novel about the perils of trying to find the perfect man. If, like me, you've been a bit down on contemporary fiction because it feels like the same five plots are being rehashed every five seconds, Holly Gramazio's book is a refreshing breath of fresh air. I stormed through the first 25% and then found I was taking more time with the rest of the book. Ultimately, for me, the sign of a great novel is if I actively want to keep picking it up - especially if it's on my Kindle. And that's exactly what I was doing here.

I couldn't quite stretch to five stars just because I felt a bit...bored by Lauren as we got to the middle of the novel. Some of her decisions, her fickle attitude towards other people - it started to loose some of its intrigue by about 50%. There's also a bit of a 'jump the shark' moment where things just get a bit too ridiculous within the rules of the world we're in that I really didn't enjoy. It didn't add much to the plot either.

Nevertheless, this is an inventive, exciting novel that will immerse you in a bizarre world that straddles time travel, modern dating and science fiction. I'll definitely be picking up more books by Holly Gramazio in the future.

I found following Lauren trying to find the “right husband” and learning a lot of life lessons along the way entertaining but also a bit silly. It was lighthearted fun but I prefer something a bit more realistic.

Thank you Random House UK for granting my NetGalley wish (!!!!!!!!!!). IYKYK, my reviews are ALWAYS honest.

Writing: Lindsey Kelk-esque | Plot: unique | Ending: abrupt

SYNOPSIS

Lauren leaves her house single but comes home to a husband... a revolving attic door of them it seems.

MY OPINION

This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2024 so just imagine the scream I screamed when my wish was granted on NetGalley. I thought 'wishes' were scams—mostly because I was bitter for never getting on granted—but apparently not!

Anyways, I absolutely love the premise and it would make for a great movie with a few tweaks. My main qualm was the length; there just wasn't enough substance to carry this story over 300+ pages. This would've absolutely banged as a novella. There's great humour and the 'lessons' would've popped more in a condensed story. However, I found myself getting tired of the revolving husbands without very little plot progression. The Carter storyline was interesting, and I wish it had ended differently. Or, we can keep that ending and just stop the book there. Lesson learned. Wham bam thank you ma'am. Instead, we meander on for another 100 pages or so before the most abrupt ending of all endings.

This is told in omnipresent third person narration; it was so omnipresent that whenever the name Lauren popped up I was confused because I felt like the story was told in first person. I know some people despise third person because it distances the reader from the story, but you won't need to fret in this case. You're right on in there.

If you've read this... who was your fave husband?

PROS AND CONS

Pros: fantastic, original concept, good balance of wit and seriousness, some points were made

Cons: too long – would've worked better as a novella, ending was abrupt af (I would like an alternate ending with Carter and Lauren tysm)

I was absolutely loving this book until about 85% of the way through when Lauren's actions became rather extreme - stalking, drugging, breaking and entering, but I suppose after a year of however many hundreds of husbands and resets you may start to lose it some what lol!

I loved the premise of multiple potential "The Ones" and how each could alter your life in small and not so small ways.

I was happy with the way the story was brought to an end, however I did wish that Lauren could have ended up with the one that got away.

There is already a buzz on The Husbands, similar to the kind of buzz that signals change in this book. Lauren is a single woman, who one day has a man she doesn’t know come down from her attic. He is a husband, but she discovers she can control the process by asking/threatening the husband to go back up. They range from the useless, to the sinister, to a despised billionaire and the situation gets rapidly out of control. So, how do you find happiness when you can’t find the right partner?

It’s an ingenious concept and Gramazio has the skill (in her first novel!) to explore the concept, twist it (how would you control it?) to twisting it again to give Lauren a chance of happiness - spoiler free, but let’s just say she’s not alone in having a magic portal. She’s also a dryly witty writer, with her slang for London (‘Zone Four Rich’) alongside Marian Keyes’ ‘feathery stroker’ as the best words to come from books in recent years.

It’s published by Random House on April 4th and I thank them for a preview of what will be one of the best reads this year. Curl, crack open a bag of Pretzel M&M’s and steer clear of your attic.

3.5⭐️ read. I really enjoyed the book. I felt that there were slightly too many husbands to keep track of and was slightly disappointed she didn’t end up with any respeaters but I’m happy with the ending. It was fun and fast paced. The first page felt slightly abrupt but after a few pages I got into the story more. I would recommend to read but probably not a book I would need to reread. Overall a solid storyline but was just missing something slightly to be a 4 star read.

I adored this book! I'm always looking for that book that is different from everything else I have read and for me this one was it. I mean a different husband every time they come down from the attic? lol

So many husbands and so many stories and personalities to contend with throughout the book, the funny thing for me is I feel like telling any parts of the story will spoil it slightly as each husband gives their own uniqueness to the story!

I will say though the part with the air rifle probably shouldn't have been as funny to me!

My only gripe was the ending, I adored it, I adored the ending but......I really really would have liked a little bit more because I am really certain that everything really did work itself out as it should have!

I know its January but maybe my favourite book of the year?

What an unusually funny and unusual book.

Lauren keeps finding strange men in her house and she has no idea where they are coming from.
She then discovers that they are coming from her attic and has to figure out what to do while dealing with a different husband every day.

A very humourous book which is based on an original concept.

I loved the premise of this story, it had real potential, but unfortunately, the book didn't live up to that potential. The idea is that Lauren has a magical attic which produces new husbands, one goes up and another comes down, each time this happens Lauren's life and flat changes. It could have been really good but no time was spent getting to know most of the husbands and why they didn't fit with her life. If there had been a lot fewer husbands and Lauren spent time with each one, rather than just a handful, finding out why they were or weren't the perfect fit and there had been more background about how it affected her life it would have helped.

Halfway through she had already swapped 160 husbands and she had only spent time with about three of them. I was bored by that point but kept reading hoping to find out why this was happening, waiting for the big revelation and what the outcome would be. Sadly it didn't improve and ended with me at a bit of a loss to know what the point of it was.

I am sure others may enjoy it but this book left me feeling disappointed.

I liked the concept of this book and really enjoyed the wholesome ending. However, I felt like the story went on a little too long and could have been condensed in parts