The Husbands
- Downloads：3610
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-19 08:21:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Chandler Baker
- ISBN：B08FGTBB2R
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
"Chandler Baker， queen of the feminist thriller， has delivered once again！ The Husbands is a poignant exploration of what it would take for women to have it all。 --Sally Hepworth， New York Times bestselling author of The Good Sister
Chandler Baker， the New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Network， is back with The Husbands， a novel that asks: to what lengths will a woman go for a little more help from her husband？
Nora Spangler is a successful attorney but when it comes to domestic life， she packs the lunches， schedules the doctor appointments， knows where the extra paper towel rolls are， and designs and orders the holiday cards。 Her husband works hard， too。。。 but why does it seem like she is always working so much harder？
When the Spanglers go house hunting in Dynasty Ranch， an exclusive suburban neighborhood， Nora meets a group of high-powered women--a tech CEO， a neurosurgeon， an award-winning therapist， a bestselling author--with enviably supportive husbands。 When she agrees to help with a resident's wrongful death case， she is pulled into the lives of the women there。 She finds the air is different in Dynasty Ranch。 The women aren't hanging on by a thread。
But as the case unravels， Nora uncovers a plot that may explain the secret to having-it-all。 One that's worth killing for。 Calling to mind a Stepford Wives gender-swap， The Husbands imagines a world where the burden of the "second shift" is equally shared--and what it may take to get there。
Chandler Baker， the New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Network， is back with The Husbands， a novel that asks: to what lengths will a woman go for a little more help from her husband？
Nora Spangler is a successful attorney but when it comes to domestic life， she packs the lunches， schedules the doctor appointments， knows where the extra paper towel rolls are， and designs and orders the holiday cards。 Her husband works hard， too。。。 but why does it seem like she is always working so much harder？
When the Spanglers go house hunting in Dynasty Ranch， an exclusive suburban neighborhood， Nora meets a group of high-powered women--a tech CEO， a neurosurgeon， an award-winning therapist， a bestselling author--with enviably supportive husbands。 When she agrees to help with a resident's wrongful death case， she is pulled into the lives of the women there。 She finds the air is different in Dynasty Ranch。 The women aren't hanging on by a thread。
But as the case unravels， Nora uncovers a plot that may explain the secret to having-it-all。 One that's worth killing for。 Calling to mind a Stepford Wives gender-swap， The Husbands imagines a world where the burden of the "second shift" is equally shared--and what it may take to get there。
Reviews
Regina
，
The Husbands description brings to mind The Stepford Wives except it's the husbands' turns to be turned into mindless drones for their spouses。 But the story actually goes much deeper than that and that is what makes the book pretty entertaining！ Nora and Hayden have a good marriage but have trouble in that even though they both have high power jobs， Nora is stuck with the majority of the home and child based tasks。 They have begun looking to buy a new house and in this new neighborhood， Nora al The Husbands description brings to mind The Stepford Wives except it's the husbands' turns to be turned into mindless drones for their spouses。 But the story actually goes much deeper than that and that is what makes the book pretty entertaining！ Nora and Hayden have a good marriage but have trouble in that even though they both have high power jobs， Nora is stuck with the majority of the home and child based tasks。 They have begun looking to buy a new house and in this new neighborhood， Nora also finds a group of successful women who have very helpful husbands。 And so it begins。 The story is much more than this， though。 It's really good！ 4。5 stars！ 。。。more
Karina Brielle
，
I listened to the audiobook 🎧This novel was Stepford Wives-inspired but in reverse。 Many women can relate to Nora， the protagonist。 She feels she has to do all of the household chores besides work， while Hayden， her husband， thinks just doing his full-time job is enough to contribute to the family。 The plot has a powerful message about family dynamics， but this story was slow， and I don't consider it a thriller。I kept waiting for twists and turns that did not happen。 In the end， there was some a I listened to the audiobook 🎧This novel was Stepford Wives-inspired but in reverse。 Many women can relate to Nora， the protagonist。 She feels she has to do all of the household chores besides work， while Hayden， her husband， thinks just doing his full-time job is enough to contribute to the family。 The plot has a powerful message about family dynamics， but this story was slow， and I don't consider it a thriller。I kept waiting for twists and turns that did not happen。 In the end， there was some action， but it felt rushed。 It was ok to listen to it。 But I didn't love it; I didn't hate it。 。。。more
Amanda
，
Good premise with a ton of potential。 But the execution failed。 I felt like I was reading one book for 90% of the story and then blinked and started a new story。 The transition to the heart of the plot was kinda clunky。
Sara Flynn
，
I mean this as a compliment to Baker's writing skills。 This book made me frustrated and angry。 These men！ Ugh she nailed what being in a marriage/partnership can be like。 I also love the way she writes about the dynamic of women。 Friendships can draw you in like a drug but also at the same time have that toxicity。 I mean this as a compliment to Baker's writing skills。 This book made me frustrated and angry。 These men！ Ugh she nailed what being in a marriage/partnership can be like。 I also love the way she writes about the dynamic of women。 Friendships can draw you in like a drug but also at the same time have that toxicity。 。。。more
Adam
，
I almost have no words to describe Chandler Baker's abilities as an author。 Whisper Network was one of my favorite novels of the past couple years， and for her to follow that up with an effort that at least equals， if not surpasses， that novel is frankly stunning。Don't let the title fool you， this novel is really about motherhood and being a wife all while attempting to have a successful career and manage a household， all the while getting little to no help from your husband。 Baker populates thi I almost have no words to describe Chandler Baker's abilities as an author。 Whisper Network was one of my favorite novels of the past couple years， and for her to follow that up with an effort that at least equals， if not surpasses， that novel is frankly stunning。Don't let the title fool you， this novel is really about motherhood and being a wife all while attempting to have a successful career and manage a household， all the while getting little to no help from your husband。 Baker populates this novel with so much razor-edged humor， I found myself smiling， chuckling， or laughing out loud almost every other page。But that isn't to say this isn't a serious novel， with important things to say about gender roles in our society today。 A lesser author would have leaned on the novel's central hook， which I won't say too much about。 But Baker chooses to surround that hook with so much rich character work and thoughtful monologues， that by the end I sort of forgot I was even reading a "thriller" with a "plot。"This also hit really close to home for me， because I am a recent first-time parent。 But I am lucky enough to be able to stay at home with him and not have to worry about making money or climbing a corporate ladder。 I truly cannot imagine the pressure that working moms must feel in balancing everything， and the frustration and exhaustion at never having any moment to themselves。Much like Whisper Network was to the Me Too movement， so will The Husbands be to modern parenting roles and expectations。Chandler Baker is now probably a top 5 author for me， and I am so excited to get to read more of her work for years to come。 。。。more
Lisa Stein
，
Wow， this book。 I don't want to give too much away here， so I'll say that it was well written and I will read more from this author。The subject， not the main one， but what becomes the main one， made me very uncomfortable。 I'm not sure why， as I feel some of the same feelings that these wives do， I just don't think the solution is the one they've found。I presume that's part of the book， the uncomfortableness of it？ 3 1/2 stars。 Would be more， but the subtext wasn't my thing。 Wow， this book。 I don't want to give too much away here， so I'll say that it was well written and I will read more from this author。The subject， not the main one， but what becomes the main one， made me very uncomfortable。 I'm not sure why， as I feel some of the same feelings that these wives do， I just don't think the solution is the one they've found。I presume that's part of the book， the uncomfortableness of it？ 3 1/2 stars。 Would be more， but the subtext wasn't my thing。 。。。more
Caitlin
，
（+） This book was kind of crazy！ It definitely was one that was hard to put down。（-） The ending felt very rushed as well as very unbelievable。
Lindsay Nixon
，
I feel seen。 Poignant and contemporary retelling of Stepford Wives with a feminist slant and superb （though subtle） social commentary。 It’s no Nightbitch， however。 I would choose night bitch over this for a book club。 3。5 stars
Kirstan Fournier
，
3 ⭐️ barely。 Dumb
Candace
，
The complaint of wives and mothers everywhere - my husband doesn’t help around the house， or with the kids。 Unless specifically asked （and sometimes not even then） the husband and father fails to see even the most basic of tasks that need doing！ Enter “The Husbands”。 A Stepford Wives switch up with a sinister twist！ Enjoy this book while your significant other gets dinner ready or takes care of the kids！
Lacy
，
I enjoyed this book！ In a lot of ways， it spells out what women feel as they are pulled into motherhood and careers with husbands and society that just don’t see ALL that they do。 If you are a woman and/or a mother there will be something in here that makes you go “arg！” It’s a slow start; but sizzles further in and accelerates in the last 10 chapters or so。 It rings of “Nine Perfect Strangers” and the movie “Get Out。” Disturbing， funny， anger inducing due to the relatability， and a fantasy at t I enjoyed this book！ In a lot of ways， it spells out what women feel as they are pulled into motherhood and careers with husbands and society that just don’t see ALL that they do。 If you are a woman and/or a mother there will be something in here that makes you go “arg！” It’s a slow start; but sizzles further in and accelerates in the last 10 chapters or so。 It rings of “Nine Perfect Strangers” and the movie “Get Out。” Disturbing， funny， anger inducing due to the relatability， and a fantasy at times。 I also loved the ending。 。。。more
Vighnesh
，
This book was sent to me by Pansing， Definitely Books in exchange for an honest review。I went in to this book with expectations that did not align with this book。 I thought this was going to be a thriller。 In reality， its just this lady complaining about her husband for 300 pages。 The thriller aspect of this story is not really the main focus which threw me off because I thought that was the main plot of the story。The author tries to integrate these marital issues into the thriller part of these This book was sent to me by Pansing， Definitely Books in exchange for an honest review。I went in to this book with expectations that did not align with this book。 I thought this was going to be a thriller。 In reality， its just this lady complaining about her husband for 300 pages。 The thriller aspect of this story is not really the main focus which threw me off because I thought that was the main plot of the story。The author tries to integrate these marital issues into the thriller part of these novel but it is not executed well。 I felt that the story didn't flow smoothly。 One chapter we would be focusing on solving this murder and the next it would be the main character struggling to juggle all her responsibilities。As mentioned before， this topic of gender inequality and the imbalance in roles a man and woman has in raising a child is a main topic of this book。 Our main character， Nora， feels that she is doing too much at home while her husband is not doing enough。 This is justifiable， because both of them should be sharing the roles equally。 However， I felt that it got repetitive and it made me dislike the main character。 Nora feels like she shouldn't bring this issue up and her partner is supposed to know what to do which just very dumb。 Besides that， Nora literally spends more than half of the book complaining about how hard her life is。 I understand that she has a terrible life， but what does that have to do with the story？ How is this going to propel the novel？ I see that this is somewhat integral to the plot however it does need to be repeated this many times。 The reader has already picked up that Nora resents the husband as he doesn't do much at home。 I think it would have been a lot more enjoyable if the author showed him not doing much instead of telling the reader that。 It would have kept me more engaged and interested。 Instead， I was rushing to try and get to parts that weren't about their couple issues。The mystery/thriller part of this book was very disappointing。 From the start， the author was hinting at things but right after each hint was dropped， we would read about Nora resenting her husband。 It kills the suspense and I feel so undetermined to finish this book。 I felt that this aspect of this novel was underdeveloped。 It was put on the sideline for so long that it was too rushed at the end of the novel when suddenly the thriller is the main aspect。 Also， the killer was so predictable。 For me， I was just trying to figure out the why instead of the who behind the murder。 When I did find out why the murder occurred， I was disappointed once again。 It felt so underwhelming because I had been thinking of the same thing。 It also felt like such an easy way to end the novel and I felt that there was potential to have a better twist。In the end， The Husbands should have been titled Complaining About My Husband because that was what 90% of this book was。 This story had a lot of potential but everything was executed poorly。 。。。more
Beth Anne
，
The premise of this book is interesting。 I pushed through it and finished the book but I cannot say it is an enjoyable read。 Parts seem quite preposterous and the stereotyping seems almost comical at times， although I don’t think that’s intentional。 I think the idea behind the book was good but the storyline and dialogue left too much to be desired。
Tina 22
，
The Husbands might hit really close to home for any full time working professional mom trying to maintain her sanity while raising small children。 So much of this story rang so true， the exhaustion with all the little things that are taken for granted but add up to so much: packing lunches， arranging childcare， bedtime。 The list goes on…As relatable as that was， at times the story dragged a bit。 I found myself more stressed and annoyed with thinking so much about the reality of so many woman I w The Husbands might hit really close to home for any full time working professional mom trying to maintain her sanity while raising small children。 So much of this story rang so true， the exhaustion with all the little things that are taken for granted but add up to so much: packing lunches， arranging childcare， bedtime。 The list goes on…As relatable as that was， at times the story dragged a bit。 I found myself more stressed and annoyed with thinking so much about the reality of so many woman I wasn’t always eager to listen to more。In addition to that overall theme， the book also throws the curve of are the seemingly perfect husband of the Dynasty Ranch homeowners association really that great or is there something more nefarious going on。 That story line was intriguing enough to continue on in search of the truth， but overall the book moved a too slow for me and I felt frustrated by the ending。 3 stars。 Recommend for moms who need to feel validated in their working mom frustration， but also identify this book just may trigger more of that exact frustration！Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Katherine Kezon
，
The ending became painfully obvious very early on for such a slow burn of a novel， still I felt like I had to see it through to the end。 Good social commentary， but nothing that hasn’t been done before。
Jan Plain
，
This was just an okay read for me。 It had its moments， but I found myself getting bored with it and was happy to have it end。
Jennifer
，
The main character of this novel， Nora， is a pregnant mom of a toddler trying to become partner at her law firm。 She and her husband attend an open house on an exclusive neighborhood where the other women all seem so nice （and their husbands are all so unusually helpful too）。 Nora would love to live there， but when asked to represent one of the women living there in a possible lawsuit regarding the death of her husband in a house fire， she slowly starts to wonder if there is more to the neighbor The main character of this novel， Nora， is a pregnant mom of a toddler trying to become partner at her law firm。 She and her husband attend an open house on an exclusive neighborhood where the other women all seem so nice （and their husbands are all so unusually helpful too）。 Nora would love to live there， but when asked to represent one of the women living there in a possible lawsuit regarding the death of her husband in a house fire， she slowly starts to wonder if there is more to the neighborhood than meets the eye。 It’s part domestic drama， part slow burn suspense， and part feminist social commentary， and all parts are a great read。 This book is just SO relatable about the division of domestic labor between husbands and wives， and the difficulty of juggling being a working mom。 I mean eerily， painfully relatable， especially since I too was an associate at a law firm while a mother of young kids。 In fact I’m kind of glad that I read this book now when my kids are a little older and I’m not working because it was still so stressful to read。 And don’t even get me started on all the work that women do to keep life running smoothly that most men are oblivious to。 （A moment from the otherwise forgettable Jennifer Aniston movie The Break Up which has never left me - I’m paraphrasing， but it was something like “I don’t want to have to ask you to do the dishes， I want you to WANT to do the dishes。”） So I think a lot of women are going to read this book and just feel so seen。 I loved Chandler Baker’s Whisper Network， a feminist thriller for the age of “me too，” and thought this one was even better。 4。25 stars。 。。。more
Rebecca Cartwright
，
3。5 rounded up。 I really liked the beginning but then it became kind of obvious and a little too heavy on the narrative for me。 Just felt “meh” about it when it was all said and done。 Maybe my expectations were too high。
Nita
，
c r e e p y + disturbing。
Linda McCutcheon
，
The Husbands by Chandler Bakeris a bit realistic， twisty and murderous。 Nora is anxious， tired and frustrated。 Her and her husband work but for some reason all the housekeeping， child care and errands seem to be her responsibility。 When she gets involved with a group of influential career women with husbands who not only cook and clean but take care of the kids she can't wait to move to their neighborhood。 But a house fire， a dead husband and an odd marriage counselor has her suspicious of this The Husbands by Chandler Bakeris a bit realistic， twisty and murderous。 Nora is anxious， tired and frustrated。 Her and her husband work but for some reason all the housekeeping， child care and errands seem to be her responsibility。 When she gets involved with a group of influential career women with husbands who not only cook and clean but take care of the kids she can't wait to move to their neighborhood。 But a house fire， a dead husband and an odd marriage counselor has her suspicious of this idyllic suburban life。I loved how realistically narrator Allyson Ryanbecame a frantic filled Nora and then a calm counselor with a personal agenda。 With a wink at the Stepford Wives this writer gives us much to ponder and will have you looking at ball point pens in a whole new way！I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publishers via Netgalley for a fair and honest review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Jacy
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Sigh。 I still don't how I feel。 I've sat on this reveiw for a few days now。 This book was SO RELATABLE。 I intentionally chose a less stressful career path than Nora， but otherwise I am her。 Toddler。 Pregnant。 A pretty good modern husband。 But I often feel like I'm shouldering the majority of the house work and all household management。 （Like when Hayden said "my mom offered to help out more， problem solved！" OMG have you been eavesdropping on my life Chandler Baker？ That's always my husband's so Sigh。 I still don't how I feel。 I've sat on this reveiw for a few days now。 This book was SO RELATABLE。 I intentionally chose a less stressful career path than Nora， but otherwise I am her。 Toddler。 Pregnant。 A pretty good modern husband。 But I often feel like I'm shouldering the majority of the house work and all household management。 （Like when Hayden said "my mom offered to help out more， problem solved！" OMG have you been eavesdropping on my life Chandler Baker？ That's always my husband's solution。） But。 As a thriller is was lacking for a few reasons。 The "twist" was really predictable， like what the book was obviously building to the whole time。 The unexpected part of the twist was how unsatisfying the ending turned out to be。 I wish I had women's book club in my life just to sit around and argue about this ending。 imo， the author left the climax too late。 I looked at the audiobook like "20 minutes left？！？ That's not enough time。" It was not enough time。 It took Nora about 5 minutes to sacrifice her whole sense of justice and truth in favor of self-preservation。 The author set up a few outs， but chose to make them red-herrings or bridges for Nora to burn。 And the epilogue！！！！！！ What？？？？？？？ WHAT THE WHAT？ But like not in a good way for me。 Until the end of the epilogue one could argue that Nora's self-protecting choice in the last few minutes was also meant to protect her whole family。 But by clicking the pen she makes it clear that Nora's number one priority is NORA。 Just like Thea， Alexis， and Cornelia。 She'll do what she must to protect her success and her idea of happily ever after。 So why 4 stars？ Because except for the ending this book was so spot on。 Like eerily so。 When you add my love for the first 90% of the book to my dislike of the last 10%， and divide， it comes out around 3。5， so rounding up in fairness。 And one last thing。 When I'm really honest and tired of the man BS， I think about that little golden pen from the end of the book。 If I had it in those exhausted， overwhelmed moments， would I click it？ Would you？ 。。。more
Charity
，
Don't go into this for the mystery or the thriller aspects because you will be disappointed。 There just isn't much there， and what is there， is painfully obvious。 However， if you are looking for a bitch-fest about how little husbands do to level the playing field with raising kids and managing a household - look no further！ Luckily， my husband participates in all of this， but I can imagine how resentful I would be while reading this book if he didn't。 This book is likely to incite bloodlust in s Don't go into this for the mystery or the thriller aspects because you will be disappointed。 There just isn't much there， and what is there， is painfully obvious。 However， if you are looking for a bitch-fest about how little husbands do to level the playing field with raising kids and managing a household - look no further！ Luckily， my husband participates in all of this， but I can imagine how resentful I would be while reading this book if he didn't。 This book is likely to incite bloodlust in someone who works full-time and is expected to take care of the kids and the household alone。 。。。more
Janet Lynch
，
I am having a bad run of books lately。 This was a Stepford Wives in reverse。 Started out well but moved very slowly。 I got tired of all the preaching about overburdened wives and mothers。 The ending picked up but I confess to some skimming in the middle。
Stevie Radzinski
，
***3。5 STARS***Thank you to McMillan Audio for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review。This book was quite interesting and not like most of the thriller books I have been reading lately。 The book reminded me of the Stepford Wives， only with the roles reversed。 It starts with Nora Spangler （who is a lawyer） and her husband house hunting and taking interest in a home located in a neighborhood known as "Dynasty Ranch"。。 Nora quickly falls in love with one of the homes in the neighborhood an ***3。5 STARS***Thank you to McMillan Audio for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review。This book was quite interesting and not like most of the thriller books I have been reading lately。 The book reminded me of the Stepford Wives， only with the roles reversed。 It starts with Nora Spangler （who is a lawyer） and her husband house hunting and taking interest in a home located in a neighborhood known as "Dynasty Ranch"。。 Nora quickly falls in love with one of the homes in the neighborhood and wants to put in an offer。 She meets the other woman in the neighborhood， and realizes that each of them have high profile professions。 As she gets to know these women and their seemingly perfect lives and husbands， she is talked into being the lawyer for a recent death in their neighborhood， which is possibly a wrongful death suit。 Nora begins investigating and starts to notice that things are not adding up。 She begins to question the women and dig further into their lives and begins to put together pieces in relation to the death in the neighborhood。 Things are not always what they seem。。。While this wasn't a really fast read for me， I enjoyed the book and wanted to read it to the end。 There were times I lost interest or really just wanted something more exciting to happen。 I would actually probably give it more of a 3。5 rating。 I recommend this book for those whole love books with strong female leads， successful careers and deception。 。。。more
Meghan
，
A smart， honest， real， and fun adventure with a woman we can ALL relate to。 This book will have you nodding your head 'yes' and yelling 'so true' at every chapter。 It addresses a very real problem we face as a society with humor and intrigue。 An absolute MUST READ！ You will love discussing this book with your friends and family。 Perfect for any book club。 A smart， honest， real， and fun adventure with a woman we can ALL relate to。 This book will have you nodding your head 'yes' and yelling 'so true' at every chapter。 It addresses a very real problem we face as a society with humor and intrigue。 An absolute MUST READ！ You will love discussing this book with your friends and family。 Perfect for any book club。 。。。more
Jill Terry
，
What a cool twist on the Stepford Wives！ Narrator did a wonderful job， and I am so happy I listened to this on audio。 I think any working woman will resonate with the struggles of the women in this novel。 Even when you don't want to sympathasize with a character， the female personal and professional sturggles make you feel empathy for the lives they are trying to curate。 After the Whisper Network and The Husbands， Chandler Baker is a must buy author for me。 What a cool twist on the Stepford Wives！ Narrator did a wonderful job， and I am so happy I listened to this on audio。 I think any working woman will resonate with the struggles of the women in this novel。 Even when you don't want to sympathasize with a character， the female personal and professional sturggles make you feel empathy for the lives they are trying to curate。 After the Whisper Network and The Husbands， Chandler Baker is a must buy author for me。 。。。more
Kristine Mckenna
，
I loved this book。 It is a really fun， twisted and great thriller。 It is also full of family drama， way over the top drama， which made it all the better。 It is made me laugh a lot， but had a larger theme that had something really important to say。 Nora and Hayden are a loving married couple with a sweet daughter， Liv。 Both work hard， but Nora starts to feel more and more that she does much more of the day to day tasks in the household and raising her daughter。 She’s going for Partner in her Law I loved this book。 It is a really fun， twisted and great thriller。 It is also full of family drama， way over the top drama， which made it all the better。 It is made me laugh a lot， but had a larger theme that had something really important to say。 Nora and Hayden are a loving married couple with a sweet daughter， Liv。 Both work hard， but Nora starts to feel more and more that she does much more of the day to day tasks in the household and raising her daughter。 She’s going for Partner in her Law Firm and is reminded she was ‘allowed’ to take some time off to have her first child。 Now she is pregnant again。 She knows her husband does help out， but it feels as if she must ask， remind， or the dreaded nag to get his help。 I have read some comments saying he was too nice of a guy， but I think that was the point。 Nora also makes her mistakes in the marriage。 I think this made the story more relatable。 So， now Nora and Hayden are house hunting at Dynasty Ranch。 She loves the wives， so smart and accomplished。 Yet， the best part is the husbands。 She is shocked at how they behave。 They compliment their wives often， schedule things for the family without being asked， trade cleaning tips， and seem very content。 Nora loves this community and absolutely wants to move there。 Still， it seems too good to be true。 Is this possible？ Well， it might be。 Read on and you will find out。 I definitely am glad I did！ Thank you NetGalley， Chandler Baker， and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of this book。 。。。more
Bonniek83
，
This was an OK read for me。 I couldn’t stand the Hayden and I also was annoyed that they even considered having a second baby when the current situation was so difficult！ I’m sorry but how did they， or at least Nora， think this was a sustainable lifestyle？！？！ The premise of Dynasty Ranch was interesting and I understand what the author was trying to say… I just found myself being too irritated with both Nora and Hayden and their complete lack of communication and failure to address the fact that This was an OK read for me。 I couldn’t stand the Hayden and I also was annoyed that they even considered having a second baby when the current situation was so difficult！ I’m sorry but how did they， or at least Nora， think this was a sustainable lifestyle？！？！ The premise of Dynasty Ranch was interesting and I understand what the author was trying to say… I just found myself being too irritated with both Nora and Hayden and their complete lack of communication and failure to address the fact that having another baby was going to make things even MORE complicated… 。。。more
Emma Balkin
，
Nora Spangler is a high-flying corporate attorney who is aspiring for partnership at her law firm。 However， she is constantly overwhelmed by the demand of parenting and her demanding boss。 Simultaneously she is underwhelmed by her husband’s inability to genuinely contribute to household responsibilities。 As a result， she is seething with resentment。 When an idyllic house becomes available in an exclusive outer suburban housing estate， and a new social network of professional women is introduced， Nora Spangler is a high-flying corporate attorney who is aspiring for partnership at her law firm。 However， she is constantly overwhelmed by the demand of parenting and her demanding boss。 Simultaneously she is underwhelmed by her husband’s inability to genuinely contribute to household responsibilities。 As a result， she is seething with resentment。 When an idyllic house becomes available in an exclusive outer suburban housing estate， and a new social network of professional women is introduced， Nora can’t believe her luck。 As Nora and Hayden work their way into this group and neighbourhood， life seems to improve。 However， there is more going on than they anticipated， and when Nora starts to work it out， her choices become quite murky。The novel reminded me of the deeply flawed relationships portrayed in Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng， as well as the unnaturally close bond between privileged women in a community in Big Little Lies。 At times， the depiction of the mental load was a little overdrawn。 I don’t think the online rants about women’s work in between some chapters were necessary to encourage readers to critically consider the difficulty of juggling child rearing and working demanding jobs。 Despite this， the book was quite entertaining and the ending surprised me。 。。。more
L。A。
，
3。8****This satirical humor had me doubled over。 The book does have a distinct resemblance to The Stepford Wives in a gender role reversal。 In an exclusive suburban neighborhood at the Dynasty Ranch， everyone seems to have the perfect marriage and home。 Well-organized with shared responsibilities。 Nora and her husband have decided to put an offer in for a house at this perfect slice of pie establishment where the husbands are over the top。 Everyone there is singing "Kumbaya" when Nora feels her 3。8****This satirical humor had me doubled over。 The book does have a distinct resemblance to The Stepford Wives in a gender role reversal。 In an exclusive suburban neighborhood at the Dynasty Ranch， everyone seems to have the perfect marriage and home。 Well-organized with shared responsibilities。 Nora and her husband have decided to put an offer in for a house at this perfect slice of pie establishment where the husbands are over the top。 Everyone there is singing "Kumbaya" when Nora feels her life has never fallen into its correct existence。 She takes care of her young daughter and a baby is on the way and without her husband's knowledge of his inability to collaborate with her， she takes on the laundry， cooking， cleaning， child rearing。。。。。 and work。 You know the drill。。。。 LOL She thinks her husband could use a "chore reward chart" that would entice him to help out。 After one of the neighborhood husbands dies in a house fire， she realizes some strange things are going on that may not be as perfect as she hoped。 In some areas it was a slow burn that I found myself skimming， but finished and rather enjoyed it！ Please check out those awesome reviews that made me put this on my TBR list。 I couldn't wait to read it and overall it did not disappoint。 The author says she wrote this because "the weight of women's quiet struggles" "invisible efforts" "impossible tradeoffs" and a slight edge on "venting"。。LOL。。accomplished ☑️☑️☑️☑️Thanks NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this Arc in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Husbands
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Husbands&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Husbands&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0