The Husbands
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- Create Date：2021-08-04 08:16:19
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Chandler Baker
- ISBN：B08JC9KN1G
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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
Erin Sjursen
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Holy cow！ Loved this… did NOT expect the ending
Lou
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The Husbands is a scathing and enthralling feminist thriller and a novel that asks: to what lengths will a woman go for a little more help from her husband？ Nora Spangler is a successful personal injury attorney working at Greenberg Schwall in Austin， Texas， 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 The Husbands is a scathing and enthralling feminist thriller and a novel that asks: to what lengths will a woman go for a little more help from her husband？ Nora Spangler is a successful personal injury attorney working at Greenberg Schwall in Austin， Texas， 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？ It's got so bad she finds it difficult to contain her rage。 But this changes when the Spanglers go house hunting in Dynasty Ranch in preparation for their new baby’s arrival， an exclusive suburban enclave neighbourhood where Nora meets a group of high-powered women - a tech CEO， a neurosurgeon， an award-winning therapist， a bestselling author - each with enviably supportive husbands who dote on their families。 However， looks can be deceiving and not as picture-perfect below the surface as it may initially appear。 On their visit， Nora get chatting to one of the Ranch residents， Penny March， a prominent advice columnist who ends up retaining Nora to help in her husband’s wrongful death case after he was burned alive in a devastating blaze that also incinerated their home。 Despite having initial reservations about the suit due to it being a conflict of interest given the client is likely a future neighbour and Nora wants to make a good first impression， she takes it and this concern dissipates when she realises she can kill two birds with one stone by showing her value to the law firm and making some badly needed new friends。 Nora begins her investigation into the house fire but finds herself becoming increasingly suspicious about it all。 As the case unravels， Nora uncovers a plot that may explain the secret to having-it-all。 One that's worth killing for。 This is a compulsive and enthralling thriller that very much calls to mind a Stepford Wives gender-swap and imagines a world where the burden of the "second shift" is equally shared--as well as what it may take to get there。 I must admit， I thought it may be along the same lines and using the same well-known tropes of the genre as many other family dramas， but I was pleasantly surprised to find that Chandler has taken the domestic thriller to a whole new level。 She creates a realistic storyline filled with drama， slipping facades， twists and misdirection as well as an interesting and distinctive cast。 I also enjoyed the social commentary interspersed throughout this convincing tale in which Nora unwittingly places herself into a perilous situation。 A powerful sledgehammer of a novel。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Kelly Parker
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3 1/2 stars。
Teri
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Firstly， I did not care for the narrator。 Secondly， a very predictable plot。 This book is nothing more than a beach read。 Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review。
Emily Bourque
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Rating: 3。5 StarsWant to be really angry at your husband？ Read this book。I read this book while on a girls trip， which was probably the right move on my part。 I loved the first half of the book， and felt so seen when Nora was talking about the mental load of the household。 This book did a great job of pointing out the inequities of being in a relationship and running a house， and I know it probably would have been even more impactful if I had kids。The story did fall apart a bit in the second hal Rating: 3。5 StarsWant to be really angry at your husband？ Read this book。I read this book while on a girls trip， which was probably the right move on my part。 I loved the first half of the book， and felt so seen when Nora was talking about the mental load of the household。 This book did a great job of pointing out the inequities of being in a relationship and running a house， and I know it probably would have been even more impactful if I had kids。The story did fall apart a bit in the second half。 It got a bit fussed and chaotic， and I was not as into it as I was in the first half。 The ending came back around， though， and I'm just going to ignore the epilogue altogether。 It was a fun novel， but I'm not exactly sure what message the author was trying to send。I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway， which is so fun！ Yay！Who Should Read It: Anyone who is annoyed by having to pick up dirty socks off the floor。 Anyone who wants to appreciate their friends and spouse。 Anyone who likes a neighborhood drama。 。。。more
Nicole yaaas or nahs books
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This one was not for me。 Unfortunately， I was really bored and wanted to DNF at least 20 times。 The ending picked up a little bit but not quite enough to get it to 3 stars。 It moved way too slow。
Bridgette
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The Husbands is a fun read - especially for those who like a good mystery。 It is a feminist thriller set in suburban Austin。 The main character， Nora， is a woman who has it all: great career， family， home， etc。。。 Her family looks to relocate to the suburbs as the family is expanding （new baby）。 Nora soon discovers that things are not what they seem。 Why are the husbands in this subdivision so。。。。complacent。 The book starts out a little slow， but do not give up as it moves quicker towards the mid The Husbands is a fun read - especially for those who like a good mystery。 It is a feminist thriller set in suburban Austin。 The main character， Nora， is a woman who has it all: great career， family， home， etc。。。 Her family looks to relocate to the suburbs as the family is expanding （new baby）。 Nora soon discovers that things are not what they seem。 Why are the husbands in this subdivision so。。。。complacent。 The book starts out a little slow， but do not give up as it moves quicker towards the middle and you will not want to put it down。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more
emily • emilybookedup
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this was a DNF for me about 1/3 through
Elizabeth Gorodezki
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Unfortunately， this “The Stepford Wives gender-swap” thriller was not for me。I usually read for three reasons: to escape， to learn something new， and just for the pure joy of reading beautiful prose （this usually applies only to literary fiction novels）。Thrillers typically are pure escapism for me。 Unfortunately， The Husbands， did not provide any escape at all。 In fact it kept me obsessing about my own real life problems nonstop。 Seriously， it felt like reading about the early days， right after Unfortunately， this “The Stepford Wives gender-swap” thriller was not for me。I usually read for three reasons: to escape， to learn something new， and just for the pure joy of reading beautiful prose （this usually applies only to literary fiction novels）。Thrillers typically are pure escapism for me。 Unfortunately， The Husbands， did not provide any escape at all。 In fact it kept me obsessing about my own real life problems nonstop。 Seriously， it felt like reading about the early days， right after I had my son and went back to work full time。 Now THAT was a proper horror not even a thriller if you ask me。 Also， I felt like listening to some of my female friends talking about their day to day life problems。At the heart of The Husbands is the issue of gender disparity in household labor。 Today this disparity is actually even more severe than what is described in the novel thanks to COVID and all the related closures。 Households have even more work to do at home， and it disproportionately falls on women’s shoulders。 Add homeschooling on top of that and you can clearly see a mental health crisis just begging to happen。 Some survey data shows that mothers working from home spend nearly six hours doing childcare and homeschooling on a typical work day while men spend 4 ½。So yes， the topic is important， but the problem with books like The Husbands （very ironically） is exactly the same as with most of the self-help books on the subject。 As Cornelia （the psychiatrist in the book） so cleverly pointed out: this is the type of book that only women will read。 And so， it is not very helpful。 We already know all of this。 We know how much work we do， how much we give up as far as our career aspirations go – now how to solve this？ Unfortunately， the book did not really provide any insight。 If anything， this book kind of depressed the living crap out of me。 I kept listening because I was hoping for some kind of satisfying resolution。 Unfortunately， I was quite disappointed by the ending。 I cannot really explain without the spoilers， but let me leave you with this: it’s just one of them “that’s it？？” endings 😐I had no issues with the audio， in fact I thought that Allyson Ryan did a phenomenal job narrating it。 But while the idea was great， the execution， in my opinion， was lacking。 Triggers: PTSD， child neglect， long term stress， domestic inequality Thank you to NetGalley， Macmillan Audio and the author for gifting me this ALC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Laura Rash
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Let me preface this review with the fact that have 5 children， I’ve worked full time， part time and been a SAHM so I get the demands of motherhood in so many aspects。 I get the imbalance in most households。 But this book drove that point home so hard it felt like one giant whiny bitch fest at some points。 I wanted to scream at Nora to organize her life a little better。 And if she’s an attorney and so intelligent why did she seem like such a dimwit on half of what was going on around her？ It just Let me preface this review with the fact that have 5 children， I’ve worked full time， part time and been a SAHM so I get the demands of motherhood in so many aspects。 I get the imbalance in most households。 But this book drove that point home so hard it felt like one giant whiny bitch fest at some points。 I wanted to scream at Nora to organize her life a little better。 And if she’s an attorney and so intelligent why did she seem like such a dimwit on half of what was going on around her？ It just didn’t strike home with me。 I stuck with it because I was curious how it would wrap up but that left me rolling my eyes。 Not for me。 Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this early copy for review。 。。。more
Karen Dee
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It had so much going on。 Themes I can definitely understand if not relate to fully。 The patriarchy and society's assignment of gender roles has brought a group of women to the point of dog training their husband's to be better men。 It all sounds somewhat harmless until one figures out what is going on and winds up dead。 What seems like a win for women actually takes on a nefarious side and Nora has to choose what to do about it。This is the Stepford Husbands。 Is this really feminism？ I don't thin It had so much going on。 Themes I can definitely understand if not relate to fully。 The patriarchy and society's assignment of gender roles has brought a group of women to the point of dog training their husband's to be better men。 It all sounds somewhat harmless until one figures out what is going on and winds up dead。 What seems like a win for women actually takes on a nefarious side and Nora has to choose what to do about it。This is the Stepford Husbands。 Is this really feminism？ I don't think so。 It is every man's worse nightmare and yet what does it really say about the state of gender relations if the only solution to the problem of gender inequality is lobotomize men and train them like dogs。 Women in this book are upper middle class and can afford to hire help （unlike most women） and yet their solution is to dog train their husbands instead。 What about women in the lower socioeconomic sphere （blatantly absent from this book） that can't afford any of these options） I think the author raises good questions but doesn't really offer any viable solutions or food for thought as to alternatives。Overall it was entertaining but not quite satisfying。 。。。more
Jodie （That Happy Reader）
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Review to be posted soon。
Mell
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5/5Let me start by saying， I feel seen。 Seriously I could have been Nora。 A pregnant Suburban mom， with a husband， and 4 year old， having to do all the things， and everything she was feeling and going though。 The daily married life arguments， had me wondering if Chandler Baker had my house bugged。I was listening to this while walking in my small， closet knit development， although much less Stepford Wives feeling than Dynasty Ranch where Nora and her husband were looking at an open house。If you c 5/5Let me start by saying， I feel seen。 Seriously I could have been Nora。 A pregnant Suburban mom， with a husband， and 4 year old， having to do all the things， and everything she was feeling and going though。 The daily married life arguments， had me wondering if Chandler Baker had my house bugged。I was listening to this while walking in my small， closet knit development， although much less Stepford Wives feeling than Dynasty Ranch where Nora and her husband were looking at an open house。If you can’t yet tell， this book had me HOOKED！ I did not want to stop listening， as it was so suspenseful and I felt like I needed to hang onto every detail and moment as it was a clue to what was going on in these peoples lives。The narrator did an amazing job and her narration made me want to keep going。 She made it easy to listen and distinguish between characters and wasn’t over the top with anything。I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it。Thank you to NetGalley and McMillion Audio for the chance to review this book。 。。。more
Betty
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I was so eager to read this book because of the comparison to Levin's Stepford Wives， call it the Stepford Husbands。 Nora， an attorney， inwardly complains to herself about how much work she has to do at home while her husband does nothing。 She's tired。 This sounds familiar to most women， smiles。 Nora and her husband consider moving to a subdivision which is full of professional women and husbands。 This is where I got confused 。。。。 so many characters。 I should have kept a paper with a list of nam I was so eager to read this book because of the comparison to Levin's Stepford Wives， call it the Stepford Husbands。 Nora， an attorney， inwardly complains to herself about how much work she has to do at home while her husband does nothing。 She's tired。 This sounds familiar to most women， smiles。 Nora and her husband consider moving to a subdivision which is full of professional women and husbands。 This is where I got confused 。。。。 so many characters。 I should have kept a paper with a list of names and professions。 The book dragged for me; constant referrals to an accident a few years ago。 What happened？ Why not go ahead and tell us now？ In sum， I'm glad I skimmed the book。 An interesting plot indeed！ Thanks to Netgalley and Flatiron books！ 。。。more
Nicole Caravella
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🚨Book ReviewThe HusbandsBy Chandler Baker⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 Sole Behind the Story: I am 35 and single and I don’t have children， but every time Nora said “I wish Hayden would…” I literally was like this sounds like me where I wish there was just somebody to help me do SOMETHING and then I immediately started getting anxiety about if a guy will ever help me with any of the house things 😂 But enough about my mental health。 The Husbands publishes tomorrow and if you are a woman playing “I wish” then this is 🚨Book ReviewThe HusbandsBy Chandler Baker⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 Sole Behind the Story: I am 35 and single and I don’t have children， but every time Nora said “I wish Hayden would…” I literally was like this sounds like me where I wish there was just somebody to help me do SOMETHING and then I immediately started getting anxiety about if a guy will ever help me with any of the house things 😂 But enough about my mental health。 The Husbands publishes tomorrow and if you are a woman playing “I wish” then this is the book for you。 Nora is up for partner at her law firm and is juggling a 4 year old， a household， a husband and being pregnant with baby number 2。 In addition， she also has her heart set on a new house in Dynasty Ranch which seems to have everything she wants in a new neighborhood。 Throughout the process of convincing her husband， Hayden， that the house is perfect for their growing family， Nora meets other women from the neighborhood who all seem to be in powerful career positions with doting husbands in tow。 Why doesn’t her husband cook dinner or clean up like these husbands do？ It isn’t until she takes on a fire investigation case from the neighborhood that she learns the truth。 Eerily a stepford wives situation， this book makes you realize how things can seem okay until they really are not。 Anxiety aside， the concept of this book is great especially if you love a good feminist thriller。 Sometimes I found myself confused with a few gaps in the story and feeling like I was jumping around a bit and needed a few storylines to connect a little better。 I haven’t read Baker’s Whisper Network yet， but am looking forward to reading it immensely because she does have some serious writing talent （Thanks to @momma_is_reading for sending me the book as a surprise yesterday！）。 The Husbands is out tomorrow， August 3。 I suggest heading to a local Indie bookstore and grabbing a copy。 Thank you to @flatiron_books for the ARC ebook of The Husbands ❤️Story Behind the Soles: A woman elevating into a powerful position at work requires a pair of pumps that will shatter the glass ceiling and look great doing it。 Nora will certainly rock these heels post-baby。#flatironbooks #chandlerbaker #thehusbands #feministthriller #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #arcbook #thrillerbooks #booksandshoes #ninewest #ninewestheels #ebook #ebooks #newtobookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #bookrecommendations #bookrecomendation #booksof2021 #newreleasebooks 。。。more
Sarah
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The Husbands is an interesting twist on the Stepford Wives。 I liked how this book discusses gender roles and norms。 Quite often women are the ones that are working full time， but also handling the household full time。 They are the ones that know when picture day is， who their child's pediatrician is （and when their next appointment is）， who their child's friends are， etc。 etc。 This is true and many of the things that Nora， the main character， complained about are true about a lot of relationship The Husbands is an interesting twist on the Stepford Wives。 I liked how this book discusses gender roles and norms。 Quite often women are the ones that are working full time， but also handling the household full time。 They are the ones that know when picture day is， who their child's pediatrician is （and when their next appointment is）， who their child's friends are， etc。 etc。 This is true and many of the things that Nora， the main character， complained about are true about a lot of relationships。She then encounters the women of Dynasty Ranch， a small upper class housing development filled with successful women and the men that support them。 These men are all SO proud of their wives and appreciate how hard they work。 Seems to good to be true？Alas， read on。 There was a fire that killed a man in the development。。。 he burned alive in the fire。 Was this a wrongful death or just an accident？ Nora is a lawyer and the women of the neighborhood ask her to take on the case。 She does and finds out all kinds of things about this group of women。Don't go into this book expecting a thriller。 Rather it is a slow burn drama。 Some of the slow burn is to a fault。 For example， Nora constantly references an "accident" regarding her daughter。 Through 2/3 of the book， we still don't know what happened。 Nora also doesn't seem to put together what is off about this neighborhood as quickly as she perhaps should have， but overall， it is interesting to follow along in her point of view throughout the book。 。。。more
Chloe （Always Booked）
，
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an early copy of this book！ However， I think that this book has cemented the fact that Chandler Baker is just not the author for me。 I think she does a great job in addressing topics that are very socially relevant， but the execution just misses the mark for me。 In this one， a woman named Nora is interested in a house in Dynasty Ranch- an exclusive community that has a very tight knit group of women within it。 Nora is a lawyer， a w Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an early copy of this book！ However， I think that this book has cemented the fact that Chandler Baker is just not the author for me。 I think she does a great job in addressing topics that are very socially relevant， but the execution just misses the mark for me。 In this one， a woman named Nora is interested in a house in Dynasty Ranch- an exclusive community that has a very tight knit group of women within it。 Nora is a lawyer， a wife and a mother and this book hits the nail on the head when it comes to "mom rage" and the resentment that builds due to the inequality in expectations between men and women when it comes to working and domestic life。 Nora gets pulled into Dynasty Ranch because one of the houses burned and one of the husbands died inside。 The widow asks her to be her lawyer to find someone to blame in the death of her husband。 Nora is up for partner in her firm and she gets dogged on a lot because she is trying to juggle everything， so she takes the case。 It also helps her get in with the wives in the group and she starts to wonder if more is going on。 Her husband thinks its a little weird and she tries to convince him its not。 This is a gender flipped stepford wives and the ending is obvious from the beginning。 Furthermore the pacing was so slow at times I lost interest and it never really did anything that was enough to hook me back in。 There's also a big secret that Nora is keeping that also felt like it wasn't really a secret。 Overall this book was really anticlimactic for me and I probably won't be reading any more from Chandler Baker。 。。。more
Kasey
，
The story surrounds Nora Spangler， a successful attorney， and her husband， Hayden。 Nora struggles to find balance juggling work and home/child care duties。 She's constantly on Hayden’s case to pitch in more。 The family decides they would like to move to a new home and come across a home in the beautiful community of Dynasty Ranch。 While touring the house， Nora meets a group of high-powered women who urge her to assist with a community member's wrongful death case。 In taking on the case， Nora sta The story surrounds Nora Spangler， a successful attorney， and her husband， Hayden。 Nora struggles to find balance juggling work and home/child care duties。 She's constantly on Hayden’s case to pitch in more。 The family decides they would like to move to a new home and come across a home in the beautiful community of Dynasty Ranch。 While touring the house， Nora meets a group of high-powered women who urge her to assist with a community member's wrongful death case。 In taking on the case， Nora starts to notice all the husbands in this community are amazing fathers and caretakers。 She’s naturally drawn into the idyllic lives of the women in Dynasty Ranch and soon uncovers a plot that may explain the secret to having it all。 A secret that may be worth killing for。I listened to the audiobook version of this novel。 The narration was solid， and I really enjoyed the different voices and emotions she conveyed to the characters。 They added a nice touch to the story and made the listening experience very enjoyable。This book is a slower-paced novel which allowed for great character development but also made the story drag。 At times I found Nora to be a bit annoying。 She spent more than half the book complaining about every little aspect of her husband。 This novel is marketed as a thriller but should really be marketed as a drama with a touch of mystery sprinkled in。 These things combined put me off from giving this book a higher rating。Overall， I enjoyed the novel and was eager to see how the story played out。Many thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an ALC in exchange for my honest opinion。 。。。more
Rebecca
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Thanks to the publisher， via Edelweiss， for an advance e-galley for honest review。 3。5 stars， rounded up。 This book will feel so relatable to a lot of parents out there who struggle with the inequities of managing family admin alongside work and parenting and life- at least until things go off the rails。 How far would you go to fix that balance？ This book finds the line and then tips it with dramatic consequences。
Karlie Schaefer
，
"Men want women to stay the same while women want men to change。"The Husbands by Chandler Baker is being dubbed by many as the "Stepford Husbands" and I definitely can't argue with that description。 A bit creepy but also contemporary， I flew through this book。 I found the main character extremely relatable， even though I am not yet a wife or a mother myself。 The characters were all interesting and the story flows well。 I never felt like there was a lull in the plotline。 It all builds up well to "Men want women to stay the same while women want men to change。"The Husbands by Chandler Baker is being dubbed by many as the "Stepford Husbands" and I definitely can't argue with that description。 A bit creepy but also contemporary， I flew through this book。 I found the main character extremely relatable， even though I am not yet a wife or a mother myself。 The characters were all interesting and the story flows well。 I never felt like there was a lull in the plotline。 It all builds up well to the ending。 I， surprisingly， actually enjoyed this even more than Baker's other book， The Whisper Network。Disclaimer: The quoted text is from an advanced reader copy I received from Flatiron Books in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Bam cooks the books ;-）
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*3-3。5 stars。 In the dedication to this novel， Chandler Baker says: '。。。because women can do anything， but they can't do everything。' Her protagonist， Nora， is a personal injury lawyer on track to become a partner in the law firm where she works。 She also has a 4-year-old daughter and she's pregnant with her second child。 Her husband， Hayden， thinks he 'helps' but Nora still feels so overwhelmed and torn by the sheer amount of work to be done both at work and at home。 Baker poses the question， ' *3-3。5 stars。 In the dedication to this novel， Chandler Baker says: '。。。because women can do anything， but they can't do everything。' Her protagonist， Nora， is a personal injury lawyer on track to become a partner in the law firm where she works。 She also has a 4-year-old daughter and she's pregnant with her second child。 Her husband， Hayden， thinks he 'helps' but Nora still feels so overwhelmed and torn by the sheer amount of work to be done both at work and at home。 Baker poses the question， 'How far will a woman go for a little more help from her husband？'Nora and Hayden look at a house for sale in the Dynasty Ranch neighborhood of Austin。 While there， they notice a house that has completely burned to the ground and are shocked to learn that a man died in the fire。 Nora gets to know the neighborhood women， all professionals in one field or another， and is asked to look into the fire to see if there might be grounds for a wrongful death suit there to help support the widow， a well-known writer。 All the neighborhood husbands they meet seem extraordinarily helpful around the house so when it is suggested that Nora and Hayden attended couples therapy sessions to improve their relationship， Nora thinks， Why not？As more of Nora's story is revealed， I found I had less sympathy for her and the mistakes she makes as she bumbles through this mess。 What the neighborhood women present as a solution to a woman's lifestyle dilemma is totally wild！ （If you've read the synopsis of the book， you already have a suspicion of what's going on in Dynasty Ranch。） There isn't a lot of suspense in this book but there are some pretty interesting twists to the ending。 What would YOU do for a little more help around the house？This book offers an interesting look at the pressures on women in today's society。 Interspersed in between chapters of the novel are short online articles on this subject with some of the comments that were posted in response。 This adds to the much needed conversation about women's issues。 What a great book club read this would be！I received an arc of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Many thanks for the opportunity！ 。。。more
Michelle Noble
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Hilarious synopsis of married life。 I love how the author gets how annoying the small details can be even when you really love someone。 The story really starts to take a scary dark twist that you're not quite sure if if it's your imagination or not。 I personally had a love/hate relationship with the protagonist。 Sometimes， you couldn't help feel sorry for her。 Other times， I felt she was responsible for a lot of her own problems。 I absolutely love this book！ I couldn't wait to finish it， and it Hilarious synopsis of married life。 I love how the author gets how annoying the small details can be even when you really love someone。 The story really starts to take a scary dark twist that you're not quite sure if if it's your imagination or not。 I personally had a love/hate relationship with the protagonist。 Sometimes， you couldn't help feel sorry for her。 Other times， I felt she was responsible for a lot of her own problems。 I absolutely love this book！ I couldn't wait to finish it， and it kept me guessing the entire time。 。。。more
Liz
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I was a big fan of The Whisper Network， so I was curious where Baker would go next。 This book， described as a gender swap version of The Stepford Wives tackles what it takes for women to get men to be equal participants in running a household。 Nora is on track for a partnership at her personal injury law firm。 But she can’t get her husband to share in any of the child care or household duties。 Then， while they are house hunting at a neighborhood known as Dynasty Ranch， she meets a group of women I was a big fan of The Whisper Network， so I was curious where Baker would go next。 This book， described as a gender swap version of The Stepford Wives tackles what it takes for women to get men to be equal participants in running a household。 Nora is on track for a partnership at her personal injury law firm。 But she can’t get her husband to share in any of the child care or household duties。 Then， while they are house hunting at a neighborhood known as Dynasty Ranch， she meets a group of women in enviable positions。 They all seem to have husbands that go above and beyond in helping out。 I’ve been blessed with a husband who does more than his share， so it was easier for me to take a more distanced view of this story。 But I’m sure it rang true for way too many women。 I still remember being shocked at the young women under my management complaining of husbands that sat on a couch waiting for them to get home to make the dinner rather than start it themselves。 Baker definitely captures the frustration involved in trying to have it all。 I would have gladly murdered Hayden， Nora’s husband， who is the master of empty promises。 The problem is， it also got irritating to me。 I could definitely sympathize， but as a plot device， it got old。 I wanted Baker to move things along。 It was like “I got it already”。 It took way too long before there was any “thriller” aspect to the story。 And then， when it finally got to the thriller part of the story it was both too predictable and too unbelievable。 （Maybe because I’m currently training a dog， but the big reveal or twist could be seen coming very early on。）Once again， Baker uses mixed mediums， including social media， to convey the story and provide additional POVs。 I liked this and it did help break up things in a positive way。 The book works well as an audiobook。 This time， Alyson Ryan is the narrator for Baker’s book。 She does a good job expressing Nora’s frustrations。 But the story itself didn’t enthrall me the way The Whisper Network did。 My thanks to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook。 。。。more
Megan
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I was fortunate enough to win this in a Goodreads giveaway。 Overall， I found it to be an average read。 Nothing surprised me in the story and the main character annoyed me a bit。 Writing style was easy to read and it generally kept my interest。
Cindy
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Dynasty Ranch， the subdivision where wives work and husbands actually take on the responsibility of household chores and child rearing。 What a novel concept！ Nora is an attorney and mother who works her rear end off while husband Hayden， whom she loves dearly， finds every excuse to avoid routine chores。 While house hunting in Dynasty Ranch Nora becomes friends with a group women who ask for her help in a wrongful death case。 These women are awesome AND they have doting helpful husbands。 Mmm？ Too Dynasty Ranch， the subdivision where wives work and husbands actually take on the responsibility of household chores and child rearing。 What a novel concept！ Nora is an attorney and mother who works her rear end off while husband Hayden， whom she loves dearly， finds every excuse to avoid routine chores。 While house hunting in Dynasty Ranch Nora becomes friends with a group women who ask for her help in a wrongful death case。 These women are awesome AND they have doting helpful husbands。 Mmm？ Too good to be true？ The plot was interesting if not somewhat predictable and Nora started to get on my nerves。 As a last comment imagine having a husband that took the initiative to help around the house without being asked！ Click！ Click！ 。。。more
Ellen ✦ Book Bellas ✦
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3。5 STARSThis was a page-turner， that's for sure！ Once I started， I could not put it down。 I loved the author's first book 'The Whisper Network' so I knew I would love this plot。 Give me a working mom and I'm in。 A lawyer with a toddler and a baby on the way？ Sign me up！ The author's sharp， funny take on domestic life was perfect。 "She walks upstairs still in her high heels， wondering how she can be so eager to see her family， her favorite faces in the entire world， and yet also feel a horror 3。5 STARSThis was a page-turner， that's for sure！ Once I started， I could not put it down。 I loved the author's first book 'The Whisper Network' so I knew I would love this plot。 Give me a working mom and I'm in。 A lawyer with a toddler and a baby on the way？ Sign me up！ The author's sharp， funny take on domestic life was perfect。 "She walks upstairs still in her high heels， wondering how she can be so eager to see her family， her favorite faces in the entire world， and yet also feel a horror movie-level of dread: Don’t go in there！"Nora is a young lawyer on a partner track at her law firm。 She is constantly stressed out from the pressure of billable hours， work life， and the demands of her young family。 She adores her husband Hayden， but would it be so bad if he did more to help out with the household chores？ Chandler Baker has a very keen eye for the tensions and pressures of modern relationships。 “Love you，” he says。 “Love you，” she echoes， and she truly does love him， loves him with her whole heart， wants to strangle him with her love， wants to love him until he’s dead sometimes。This book is also dark thriller， bordering on horror， and borrows lightly from Ira Levin's 'The Stepford Wives'， a book I read and loved many， many years ago。 I was initially sympathetic with Nora's situation here but I did not agree with her willingness to go along with the devious plans invented by her her new neighbors in the seemingly perfect Dynasty Ranch neighborhood。 The first part of the book was very witty and I found Nora to be very engaging and relatable。 Who hasn't forgotten to turn in a signed permission slip on time at school or stayed up until 1:00 AM baking for a class party？ The second part of the story takes a turn into horror territory but nonetheless I could not put the book down until I learned what the outcome would be。 The ending probably won't be a surprise to some readers but it caught me off guard。 I actually liked Hayden and found him to be a normal， loving and attentive husband。 I completely related to the author's note at the end。 I understand and appreciate the points she was trying to make with this book。 Because I adored 'The Whisper Network' I am definitely looking forward to reading more of Chandler Baker's books。 （Thanks to the publisher for providing an advanced copy of the book via NetGalley。） 。。。more
Nikki Gheen
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The Husbands is a reverse Stepford wives story that focused on modern marriages and gender roles。 I was actually getting stressed on behalf of Nora because I identified with the struggle to "do it all" so well。 Nora as a character did bug me a bit because she was a little self involved。 Her struggle was absolutely real but the way she handled things was frustrating。 This book was definitely relatable and the suspense was good。 Though I saw the ending coming a mile away， this book's focus wasn't The Husbands is a reverse Stepford wives story that focused on modern marriages and gender roles。 I was actually getting stressed on behalf of Nora because I identified with the struggle to "do it all" so well。 Nora as a character did bug me a bit because she was a little self involved。 Her struggle was absolutely real but the way she handled things was frustrating。 This book was definitely relatable and the suspense was good。 Though I saw the ending coming a mile away， this book's focus wasn't on a shocking twist but the daily struggle of the working Mom。 I recommend but only if you do not need to watch your blood pressure。 Mine skyrocketed just reading this book lol。 。。。more
Kathleen
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Welcome to Dynasty Ranch where the women are successful and the men are…subservient？Nora Spangler is an attorney， trying to make partner。 She’s mother to a young daughter and pregnant with her second child。 She loves her husband Hayden but is angry and frustrated by the balance of work in her family。 Why is she the one who has to keep track of appointments， support activities at the preschool， do the laundry and dishes and juggle all that with a full schedule at work？ Of course， Hayden will help Welcome to Dynasty Ranch where the women are successful and the men are…subservient？Nora Spangler is an attorney， trying to make partner。 She’s mother to a young daughter and pregnant with her second child。 She loves her husband Hayden but is angry and frustrated by the balance of work in her family。 Why is she the one who has to keep track of appointments， support activities at the preschool， do the laundry and dishes and juggle all that with a full schedule at work？ Of course， Hayden will help but only if asked。 She’s still in total charge of what feels like an insurmountable mountain of responsibility。When she and Hayden look for the larger house they need for their growing family， she meets the women of Dynasty Ranch。 They are surgeons， CEOs， authors， psychologists… all thriving and all supported by their canapé making， laundry folding， tire changing husbands。 How did this happen？ Nora will find out but not before several secrets， hers and those of others， are revealed。Audiobooks depend on the narration and Allyson Ryan is excellent！ The Husbands， a reversal of The Stepford Wives， describes serious problems in relationships and blends mystery with domestic drama。 5 stars。Thank you to NetGalley， Macmillan Audio， Chandler Baker and Allyson Ryan for this ARC。 。。。more
Shelli Young
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The Husbands by Chandler Baker。 Narrated by Allyson RyanWelcome to Dynasty Ranch！Dynasty Ranch is the updated version of the Stepford Wives。 All the women have powerful jobs and they are in charge。 The men keep the homes running like clockwork。 Does it sound like today’s society？ Women can do anything。 Well this is like 100 times worse。 On the audio version， narrated by Allyson Ryan。 We find Nora Spangler who is a attorney， wife and mother。 She is stretched extremely thin with work responsibilit The Husbands by Chandler Baker。 Narrated by Allyson RyanWelcome to Dynasty Ranch！Dynasty Ranch is the updated version of the Stepford Wives。 All the women have powerful jobs and they are in charge。 The men keep the homes running like clockwork。 Does it sound like today’s society？ Women can do anything。 Well this is like 100 times worse。 On the audio version， narrated by Allyson Ryan。 We find Nora Spangler who is a attorney， wife and mother。 She is stretched extremely thin with work responsibilities and home responsibilities。 Nora and her husband are house hunting since there family is expanding。 They look at a house in Dynasty Ranch， Nora loves it。 Then she realizes all the husbands fall in line and are picture perfect。 Is there something in the water。 Well part 2 becomes more mysterious。 Nora still wants the house and we learn more back stories to the characters as the plot thickens。 It was a great who did it with some humor completely geared for women readers。 At times I felt like the author hated men but in the end she made up for it。 I really enjoyed this book。 Chandler Baker again knocks it out of the park。 I can only relate on the husband card as we don’t have kids。 But the men can be so needy at times。 Have you ever wished your spouse was more helpful？ The audio version was such a pleasure and honestly one of the best listens I have had。 Allyson Ryan does such an incredible job presenting each character with a unique voice。 I felt like I was sitting at a play。 But instead I was cleaning or walking my dogs。 We need more narrators like her。 Thank you to Macmilan Audio and Net Galley for providing me an advance audio ARC in exchange for honest review。 Publication date: August 3， 2021 。。。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