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infusionofviolets's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Gun violence, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Antisemitism, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
baileyanabella's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
One of my favorite things about this book was Lauren's authenticity. I felt like her reactions to these crazy magic scenarios were very real, whether it works out for the best or not. She cycles through husband after husband testing the limits of her suddenly magical attic's ability to start her world right over while time continues to pass. She tries on many different lives and versions of herself. It's fascinating and very fun, sometimes stressful to go through those experiences with her, and it's fascinating to watch her figure out what she truly wants. It raises questions like 'How do we learn to be happy with what we have rather than concerned with the things we want to change? How can we be certain those changes would truly make our lives better?'
Good read. Enjoyed the audiobook a lot, the narrator did a fantastic job with the many accents and expressive speech that I think added a lot.
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Pregnancy
vaykay's review against another edition
- 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
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
blissofalife's review against another edition
- 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
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!
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
ssolov's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, Vomit, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse and Pregnancy
torturedreadersdept's review against another edition
- 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
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
spaghettireads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Infidelity, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"The Husbands" is a debut novel that follows Lauren. After an incredible night out, Lauren returns home to be greeted by her adoring husband, Michael. The only problem with this scene is that she is not married. Lauren does not understand what is going on, but she does not have long to get used to Michael, because when he goes into the attic to change a lightbulb, he disappears and a new husband is in his place.
This was such an interesting idea for a novel, and I really enjoyed reading it. Lauren is single, but she is enjoying her life, at least she thought so. What I appreciated most about this story is how as Lauren meets more husbands, she learns more about herself. She meets some great guys, and she meets some scary men that she has to trick to get back in the attic, but through it all, she learns what she actually wants from life, and I thought that was absolutely beautiful.
This idea that there are infinite possibilities about paths we can take with our life is beautiful. Something as seemingly infinitesimal as pick from one great guy or another really could have crazy ramifications on a person's life. I also really appreciated how this was represented in the novel. Picking one husband over another had obvious implications on Lauren's life, but it also impacted the people around her. When she is with one husband, her beloved nephew is never born. A different husband means her friendships are not as close as she thought.
This was a cozy, fun book that I highly recommend.
Graphic: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, and Pregnancy