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The Husbands: The sensational new novel from the New York Times and Reese Witherspoon Book Club bestselling author

The Husbands: The sensational new novel from the New York Times and Reese Witherspoon Book Club bestselling author

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  • Create Date：2021-10-13 08:51:20
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Chandler Baker
  • ISBN：075157516X
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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。

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Reviews

Francesca Kyanda ，

I know nothing about the Stepford Wives thing but I really enjoyed this

Kelly ，

I kinda saw some of it coming but it still blew me away。 Click click and happy reading！

Emily Poulsen ，

It was an easy and fun read， but very predictable and slow in some parts。 Then the end was super fast and it was over without really concluding the story。

Sarah ，

That was… interesting

Kelly ，

I receive a copy of this book from Netgalley。 Thank you to the author， the Publisher and to Netgalley。。。。I give this book 4 stars。 I really enjoyed the story of this psychological thriller， it kept me interested until the end。 A few good twists and turns。 This is the first book that I have read by Chandler Baker， and I will definitely check out some of the other ones。

Christine Comito ，

Good story but a little slow and repetitive。 Takes a surprisingly long time for Nora to figure out what's going on in therapy and the big mystery of her child fail was overplayed。 Good story but a little slow and repetitive。 Takes a surprisingly long time for Nora to figure out what's going on in therapy and the big mystery of her child fail was overplayed。 。。。more

Dianna ，

I don't even have kids and this book gave me anxiety。 What Chandler Baker does really REALLY well is describe what it's like to work as an associate in a law firm， as well as to be a wife and mother。。。because she's already done it。 Most thrillers and mysteries who have a lawyer character only show the glamourous parts because it's not sexy to detail all the hours spent in front of a laptop， drafting briefs， babysitting a partner who can't use any Microsoft program， breathing down the necks of ex I don't even have kids and this book gave me anxiety。 What Chandler Baker does really REALLY well is describe what it's like to work as an associate in a law firm， as well as to be a wife and mother。。。because she's already done it。 Most thrillers and mysteries who have a lawyer character only show the glamourous parts because it's not sexy to detail all the hours spent in front of a laptop， drafting briefs， babysitting a partner who can't use any Microsoft program， breathing down the necks of experts， while trying to solve a case on your own。 I appreciated the realism， but it's also the realism that gave me the anxiety。 The author's experience in the legal industry certainly gives her a perspective that no other author can provide。 While I enjoyed the realistic perspective， I feel that the reader is just beaten over the head by Nora's frustration。 Yes， we get it。 Nora is trying to make partner， which means her work week is probably double the hours of the average American， but at the same time， she seems to hold all the household responsibilities as well。 Whereas her husband， bless his heart， is your typical clueless husband who thinks he deserves a gold star every time he unloads the dishwasher。 This message is reiterated throughout the book way too many times。 I understand that's the basis for the novel， but there are just too many anecdotes to illustrate this point。 The book could have probably been 50 pages shorter。 I also thought that the storyline could have picked up a bit more。 The novel lacked urgency （especially at the end when Nora should have been dialing for help but instead was listening to a monologue on cult psychology。 Prioritize， woman）。 This was very much a slow burn until the last 15 pages when everything is explained and wrapped up。 There was just too much time spent on build up and and not enough on what was the pinnacle。 The accident that Nora kept alluding to was described once and never really brought up again。 Also， the Francine and Devin red herring was not quite convincing enough。 Overall， the book moved along， and it was an easy read， but I never felt like I was hanging onto the edge of my seat to find out the secrets of Dynasty Ranch and why the husbands were so well behaved （this part was actually pretty easy to figure out when you find out there is a psychologist and neurologist amongst the wives） and why Richard had to die。 。。。more

Shannon ，

Got to page 130 and DNF。Nothing against the book， but as a single person I probably shouldn't have even picked up this book。 I didn't relate to anyone in the book and that is the problem for me。 It felt like there was A LOT of complaining about all the responsibilities women have and how men need to change and not stick to gender specific roles。 It was just too preachy for me。 Too many books on my TBR to struggle through a book I'm not enjoying。 Got to page 130 and DNF。Nothing against the book， but as a single person I probably shouldn't have even picked up this book。 I didn't relate to anyone in the book and that is the problem for me。 It felt like there was A LOT of complaining about all the responsibilities women have and how men need to change and not stick to gender specific roles。 It was just too preachy for me。 Too many books on my TBR to struggle through a book I'm not enjoying。 。。。more

Diane ，

A must readThis embraces the inequity of traditional husband and wife roles with an interesting solution for the characters。 I'm now just trying to cast the roles for what would make a blockbuster hit。 Story telling at its finest。 A must readThis embraces the inequity of traditional husband and wife roles with an interesting solution for the characters。 I'm now just trying to cast the roles for what would make a blockbuster hit。 Story telling at its finest。 。。。more

Brighid ，

Nora Spangler is a hardworking woman: At work， she’s a successful attorney and at home， she’s the glue that keeps her family’s life in order。 She loves her husband， but she wishes he’d take more initiative with their daughter and around the house。 When they tour a new home in the exclusive Dynasty Ranch community， Nora is immediately sold - The house is everything she could want and the neighbors are high-powered women who totally get her。 But when she’s asked to pursue a resident’s wrongful dea Nora Spangler is a hardworking woman: At work， she’s a successful attorney and at home， she’s the glue that keeps her family’s life in order。 She loves her husband， but she wishes he’d take more initiative with their daughter and around the house。 When they tour a new home in the exclusive Dynasty Ranch community， Nora is immediately sold - The house is everything she could want and the neighbors are high-powered women who totally get her。 But when she’s asked to pursue a resident’s wrongful death suit， with the promise of a recommendation to the HOA， she becomes entangled in more than just a cut-and-dry case。I don’t know if I was just not the target demo for this book or if it was genuinely bad， but I realllllllllly did not enjoy The Husbands。 It felt like two books in one， and I just was not bought in to either story。SPOILERS AHEADIn one plot line， Nora’s husband is a bit of a deadbeat domestically - He doesn’t pitch in unless instructed and won’t hear her frustrations。 At times， it almost feels like he’s gaslighting her， and I just couldn’t feel sorry for either of them。 Despite moments where Nora feels obligated to stay with him because he doesn’t hold a grudge against her for a terrible accident that happened with her daughter （a plot that gets glazed over multiple times- It may as well have been left out）， I just can’t find a way to resonate with how she tolerates him。 And then the kind of sci-fi twist of “the therapist hypnotizes husbands to be obedient”？ Weird， but also could have been an entire book on its own。In another plot line， Nora is investigating a fire in the neighborhood that kills one of the residents。 It’s suspicious and it unveils secrets held by the neighbors， and again， could have been its own book。Was it poorly written？ No。 Was it the worst book I’ve ever read？ No。 And for those reasons， it gets two stars。 。。。more

Gauri Kulkarni ，

I get the frustration， I do。 But isn’t the solution here a tad too drastic？

Colleen ，

There is a LOT to unpack with this book。 I took a star off because the science/explanation of what was happening is never really actually explained that well。 Or it mixes with the explanation at the end？ I feel like whatever I got from it was just confusing。 I agree with you， my friend Maggie， that the target audience for this book is those of us moms and wives going through this point in our lives now， and it hits so close to home that it takes the fun out of the book and is just stressful to r There is a LOT to unpack with this book。 I took a star off because the science/explanation of what was happening is never really actually explained that well。 Or it mixes with the explanation at the end？ I feel like whatever I got from it was just confusing。 I agree with you， my friend Maggie， that the target audience for this book is those of us moms and wives going through this point in our lives now， and it hits so close to home that it takes the fun out of the book and is just stressful to read。 When I had to put it down （to cook dinner， or get the kids ready， ha ha） it was difficult to pick back up because our mental load is so much， this somehow seemed to add to it 🤣 But if I can separate that out， it was written well and is a good twist on the Stepford Wives。 。。。more

Wendy ，

Ok until the end。

Robyn Martin ，

B- Audible

Carrie Esler ，

3。4。 I strongly related to the 2nd shift that moms take on and the oblivious nature of husbands and coworkers。 The book was entertaining and infuriating （b/c it was too close to home sometimes！）。 The way the men were managed had a creepiness that was a bit off。 No real surprises in the book other than possibly the very end

Val ，

think stepford wives， but genderswapped！i cannot decide if this is a 3 or a 4 but ultimately giving it a 3 here because while i liked it， it’s not one i’ll be running to recommend to other people anytime soonpros: cool concept， interesting plot， thought-provoking take on motherhood/gender roles in a heterosexual relationship/what a “balanced” partnership looks likecons: “twists” were too predictable， pacing was too slow for my taste （the big reveals could have happened so much sooner because the think stepford wives， but genderswapped！i cannot decide if this is a 3 or a 4 but ultimately giving it a 3 here because while i liked it， it’s not one i’ll be running to recommend to other people anytime soonpros: cool concept， interesting plot， thought-provoking take on motherhood/gender roles in a heterosexual relationship/what a “balanced” partnership looks likecons: “twists” were too predictable， pacing was too slow for my taste （the big reveals could have happened so much sooner because they were just so obvious）， characters felt very one-dimensional， sci fi element wasn’t fleshed out enough 。。。more

Mamie ，

While I applaud the premise of fighting against the systemic overwhelm of women/mothers， I can't say this book impressed me。 What was going on seemed fairly clear from early on in the book with the main character just being the last to catch on。 And while I think her choices are ultimately supposed to be judged as good ones， I can't say I really find them to be so。 And damn but they really should have been in more therapy way earlier。 While I applaud the premise of fighting against the systemic overwhelm of women/mothers， I can't say this book impressed me。 What was going on seemed fairly clear from early on in the book with the main character just being the last to catch on。 And while I think her choices are ultimately supposed to be judged as good ones， I can't say I really find them to be so。 And damn but they really should have been in more therapy way earlier。 。。。more

Danica Holdaway ，

Clear and biting observation of the plight of women in today’s society。 I love the flipped Stepford Wives and was definitely on the edge of my seat at the end， but I honestly almost dropped it like 1/3 of the way in because it was just so painfully real and frustrating。 Like I read to escape the general weight of being a wife/mother， not to see it reflected back at me。 😹

Lindsay Garland ，

Stepford Wives meets The Firm in this one。 Thought this was an entertaining spin on a story that has been done many times before。

Sarah ，

A newly refreshed take at the Stepford Husbands instead of wives。 I appreciated the feminist inner dialogues the main character Nora has in the book。 I think the book is relatable to many working moms out there。 I do feel as if the sister undertones of the Dynasty Community Nora and her husband contemplate moving into could have been more action-oriented。 I found myself skimming many pages。 No unexpected twists but as a reader I can tell it was an impassioned project by the author。

Missy ，

I can’t fairly review because this hits way too close to home。 Give me the clicker pen already。

Danielle ，

I loved the premise of this: The Stepford Husbands in an exclusive suburb， where the women seem to magically have it all。 Hilarious， if trite， blurbs about the frustrations so many women seem to have—myself included—are scattered throughout， but never seem to actually connect with the story in any way。 I was disappointed in how long it took to get to any sort of climax or thriller component of the story， it really dragged。 And then， wrapped up way too tidily in a few short pages。 In all， enterta I loved the premise of this: The Stepford Husbands in an exclusive suburb， where the women seem to magically have it all。 Hilarious， if trite， blurbs about the frustrations so many women seem to have—myself included—are scattered throughout， but never seem to actually connect with the story in any way。 I was disappointed in how long it took to get to any sort of climax or thriller component of the story， it really dragged。 And then， wrapped up way too tidily in a few short pages。 In all， entertaining， but a little disappointed because the concept seems to have a lot of potential。 。。。more

Kmekemson ，

Fun and fast read！

Rachel ，

A review I just read to call this book of fun feminist read that working mom's would enjoy。 I enjoyed the book well enough。 But it was also frustrating。 The main character Nora is an attorney， a mom， who has way too much on her plate。 Like a lot of women she's trying to find a balance between work life and home and her clueless husband is no help。 All her problems and Issues Are very relatable。And that's what kind of bothered me。 Maybe it hit a little close to home。 Would you take away your husb A review I just read to call this book of fun feminist read that working mom's would enjoy。 I enjoyed the book well enough。 But it was also frustrating。 The main character Nora is an attorney， a mom， who has way too much on her plate。 Like a lot of women she's trying to find a balance between work life and home and her clueless husband is no help。 All her problems and Issues Are very relatable。And that's what kind of bothered me。 Maybe it hit a little close to home。 Would you take away your husband's free will if he just helped Around the house a whole lot more！ Maybe if he packed the lunches， Bought the groceries， did the cooking， did the laundry！ If he did just little little more so that mom's could take a break。 The book is a reversed stepford wives。 。。。more

Bev Weidner ，

Looooooved that！ Total Stepford Wives vibe， but in reverse？ Into it。 And that last line！

Painter9300 ，

The premise of the book is that Nora is a lawyer working in a law firm occasionally working late。 She also gets calls after hours and she is trying to make partner。 She has a husband， a house， a child and is pregnant with her second child。 Her husband is in the shadows barely taking an active role though Nora talks about him incessently throughout the book。 The book is billed as a thriller though it seemed more dull and plodded along while the reader was waiting for something to happen to while The premise of the book is that Nora is a lawyer working in a law firm occasionally working late。 She also gets calls after hours and she is trying to make partner。 She has a husband， a house， a child and is pregnant with her second child。 Her husband is in the shadows barely taking an active role though Nora talks about him incessently throughout the book。 The book is billed as a thriller though it seemed more dull and plodded along while the reader was waiting for something to happen to while the elevator music played in the background （joke）。 Nora is pregnant though she does find herself forgetting and thinks to herself she should pay more attention to her baby in utero。 She is constantly whining about how much she has to do to keep her family going and her husband is found to be lacking。 He says that she has a scoreboard and she is winning which is so true。 For someone that is so smart and capable she runs her life not making good decisions and the lack of communication with her husband is part of her problem。 The end of the book is supposed to tie everything together but it feels anticlimactic and almost didn't care what happens; it seems completely predictable anyway。 。。。more

Carolyn Amate ，

Funny read about a neighborhood where women are in charge and men gladly follow。 Sounds too good to be true？ Read to find out

Katrina ，

The first chapter was great。 But I kinda got the gist of the book very early and skipped to the book and yep it’s a group of high achievement wives with a secret。 Did not like the style of writing of the book

Donna ，

Slow， otherwise fine。 My biggest takeaway from the story is a reverse Stepford Wives vibe。

Sarah ，

3。75 starsThis book started out slow and initially was not what I was expecting。 By about the middle it started getting more interesting and I really ended up enjoying it。 I thought it was original and thought provoking。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Husbands: The sensational new novel from the New York Times and Reese Witherspoon Book Club bestselling author

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Husbands: The sensational new novel from the New York Times and Reese Witherspoon Book Club bestselling author&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Husbands: The sensational new novel from the New York Times and Reese Witherspoon Book Club bestselling author&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0