Reviews tagging 'Stalking'

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

13 reviews

kathleenivy's review against another edition

funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual content, Vomit, Stalking, Car accident, Alcohol, and Classism

vaykay's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Generally enjoyed reading it. I read this in tandem with my partner, which meant we would laugh over the jokes together. Good humor, good insight on diverse versions of men. Lauren is boring, and I felt that the twist at the climax made me realize we don't really know who Lauren is at all. I couldn't make sense of most of her actions, and the ending served as a reminder of her selfishness. This is a perfect example of either too short or too long; this could've been a novella or it must be 400+ pages long. Unfortunately, the last 100 pages felt rushed and as if the author just needed Lauren to do whatever (and very extreme things) just to rush the plot toward the finish line. Disappointing with little payoff. I enjoyed the tone and the characters as well as the concept and setting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Car accident and Pregnancy

raekit's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Stalking, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Toxic relationship

blissofalife's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A new favorite for sure! Gramazio artfully explores the "what if?" thought exercise to the extreme. I saw so much of myself in Lauren, and couldn't help but wonder if I would go to similar extremes were I in her position. I thought the added details of the apartment changing with each husband and an entire history rewrite were brilliant! I felt her relief, her grief, and her mounting frustration and desperation. Her burnout was nearly palpable. 

The ending was satisfying, I think it was the perfect solution and provided a clean wrap-up of events. Part of me hopes that there will be a sequel where we get to explore the final decision and its aftermath, and part of me recognizes how perfect this was as a stand-alone novel. I look forward reading any future works by Holly Gramazio! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Blood, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Cursing, Blood, and Alcohol

Minor: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

mandi_lea's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

clichemarker's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Kind of boring
You'd think

Lauren breaking into a house, stalking a man, drugging her husband, and almost killing her neighbor

would have made it more exciting, but it just annoyed me and made me not like her as a character.
 It started with her trying to justify staying with her shitty rich husband, and escalated from there
 It wasn't all bad, but you know. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail

kermittuesday's review

funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I loved it. It has a similar premise to The Midnight Library but I liked it much better than ML. I really wasn’t sure how it would wrap up and I think it was the perfect ending. I loved that even though there was mention of Lauren’s “type”, by and large she didn’t have one, physically or personality wise. I think that’s a good message. I also liked how it started small and then… escalated. Would read again, may even purchase though I’m generally a library lady. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

All of the items listed are extremely minor and I even hesitated to put some on but if someone is triggered, I want them to know.

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The Run-Down: The Husbands by Holly Gramazio is an entertaining exploration of a creative hypothetical.

 

Review: 

What if you got to explore parallel universes in which you get married? A single woman named Lauren unexpectedly finds herself in this position when she comes home one day to find a strange man in her house who claims to be her husband. Despite Lauren’s protests to the contrary, everything in her life—her family, her house decorations, her text history in her phone—point to her being married. When the husband goes up into the attic, a new husband appears. Lauren discovers that every time a husband goes up into the attic, a new one will appear and her life shifts to a parallel universe in which she is married to that man. The book wastes no time in kicking off the plot (she meets the first husband on the very first page), and Lauren starts exploring married life with men she doesn’t remember.

 

The Husbands has the sort of premise that could easily turn existential or preachy, but the book keeps things simple: you get what the blurb promises, which is new husbands spawning out of the attic and the shenanigans that follow. Gramazio does an excellent job conveying sufficient realism for suspension of disbelief without getting bogged down in plot complications or metaphysics. For example, the main character responds to her situation with an appropriate level of confusion and alarm, but she also adapts quickly to the attic husbands. In fact, Lauren displays a refreshing wit and levelheadedness in the face of this strange scenario (although she loses it a bit toward the end and makes some deeply questionable choices). The fast-paced plot, original premise, and sprinkling of humor result in a fun, if not particularly memorable, reading experience. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, Vomit, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Toxic relationship, Stalking, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

lawsonemmae's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book was like watching a good movie, and ultimately reminded me of the movie Groundhog Day. It’s wry and delightful while also deeply existential and emotional. At times, I could feel my heart racing. This book accomplishes so much. I was immersed in this real-feeling fantastical situation. I ADORE this book. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical trauma, Stalking, and Fire/Fire injury