I gobbled up this novel in one day! Although, the first half of the story moved a bit slow (hardly any suspense), the second half moved at an enjoyable, faster pace. From the beginning, it is obvious the Whipple Triplets (as they are known in college) have drastically different personalities, yet it works beautifully in this novel. I definitely would NOT like to have any of them as friends – really. The novel alternates between Kate, Jenny, and Aubrey’s college days and their very different lives 20 years later. I appreciated Campbell’s vivid writing and her portrayal of a small college town. The second half of the novel kept me intrigued and guessing until the end, (definitely a gotcha kind of ending). I think It's Always the Husband, is a great beach read – especially if you like juicy drama and secrets with elements of suspense weaved into it.

OMG! This book was amazing. It kept me guessing right to the end. I thought I had it figured out a few times only to be wrong. The last few sentences just blew me away! I couldn't believe it. This book goes from the past to present several times and I liked that. It gave a good back story so you could understand what had led up to this. It seemed to wrap up pretty quickly though. I would have loved a little more elaboration on a few things. I highly recommend this book.

All I can say is WOW! The ending caught me totally unaware! An outstanding read. I was hooked from the very first page! Excellent!!

College freshmen Jenny, Aubrey, and Kate end up rooming together at Carlisle University and quickly become friends. Despite their differences and flaws, they stick together through the ups and downs that life brings them...until one night where a traumatic event pulls them apart.

Now, one of them is dead and we follow their story to see how things got to this point. Campbell weaves a story of friendship, love, loyalty, and betrayal. Told in alternating timelines between their college and adult years, we learn about these women and how their college decisions affected their adult lives.

I have to admit, I had a hard time rating this one and collecting my thoughts. The book sort of felt like two separate stories. The first half of the book is focused on the girls college years, and honestly, I was bored through most of it. For a book that was positioned as a thriller/mystery, it didn't at all come across in the first 60% of the book. Nothing was happening aside from the girls being bad friends and people. If I'm being honest, I struggled to get through this part and couldn't read the book for more than a chapter or two at a time.

Then, about 60% into the book, it FINALLY starts to pick up. It seemed like the book totally changed directions and finally became a thriller...for me, that was a little too late in the book, and reflecting back on it, I felt like a lot of what happened in the first half during the college years was unnecessary and not relevant to the story. Quite a bit of it could have been cut out and the reader wouldn't have missed anything. I will say, that once the story picked up, I read the remainder of the book in one sitting. I really liked this part of the book, and I was bummed that it was only 40% of the book.

I also really loved the ending. I had a lot of theories about what happened, and was surprised at the end of the book, which I always love. This was a hard one for me to rate, because the first 60% of the book would have been a 2 star rating for me, however the last 40% would have been a 4 star rating. That said, I landed right in the middle at 3 stars. If you're someone who likes a slow start and lots of character development before the action picks up, this is definitely the book for you! If you're looking for something that's fast paced and intense from the get go, this one won't be a great choice for you.

Thank you to Netgalley, Michele Campbell, and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of It's Always the Husband. It was my pleasure to provide an honest review. It's Always the Husband is out now, so be sure to check it out!

First off= no spoilers. Second- as others have noted, none of these women are someone you'd like to have as a friend. These are truly frenemies and they are just not nice to anyone, let alone themselves. I liked how the novel started on the edge and then went through Aubrey, Jenny, and Kate's stories. It's well written, if sometimes slower than I might have liked, but it's highly plot driven (since you won't like the characters!), which makes it a good travel read. THanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This book is full of unlikable characters! It was pretty hard to care about what happened to any of them. In the beginning, I had some sympathy for Aubrey but that didn't last long. Jenny seemed like a basically good person at first - but not for long. Kate - well, Kate was pretty disgusting from the beginning. So why did I keep reading about these characters with no redeeming qualities? Because of the little hints and tidbits of what was to come.

The book was slow in parts but the second half really revved up and kept my attention all the way to the last page. A great beach read for this summer.

The writing style of this book is very unique. You think you know exactly how this story will unfold by the title and marketing. However, the first half is a lot of background and character development. Half way through, the action heats up. Even when you think you've got it all figured out, there's some good surprises.

It’s Always the Husband, isn’t that what they say? If you watch enough ID channel, you would have to agree with that statement. But is it always the husband?

Aubrey, Jenny and Kate are college roommates who could not be more different. Aubrey doesn’t come from much so she is instantly drawn into the whirlwind that is Kate. Kate is rich and doesn’t seem to care about anything or anyone. She drinks, she does drugs, she doesn’t study. Jenny works hard for everything. She’s a “townie”. She has lived in Belle River all her life. She seems to keep a distance from all the partying. She gets what Kate is all about, especially when Kate starts sleeping with Jenny’s ex-boyfriend Lucas. Something happens on a bridge one night that changes them all forever. As the story begins, someone is being taken back to the very bridge. And as another death occurs here in the present, everyone is suspicious. Including the husbands.

I don’t want to give a lot away from the story. There are a few twists along the way and the ending makes you go “Oh”. The women were hard to like, especially Kate. There wasn’t a whole lot of redeeming qualities in that one. A few times, I admit, I wanted to smack her and Aubrey too. Jenny, I liked the most. The present story moved along at a good pace and I found myself liking that part more than the past. You did need it though to understand their relationships. If you like a story filled with murder, infidelity, secrets, friendship, then by all means, dive in. Just stay off the bridge.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

I picked this up on a whim because the cover was so interesting and that title was begging me to pay attention. I went into it blind other than that and I think there was a certain lack of expectations in reading this that really helped me enjoy this story. I didn’t have a mold of a thriller that this needed to fit into. I just wanted something with a dash of mystery to read between some fantasy books I’ve been gorging on. This fit the bill perfectly. If I had to compare the feel of this book to something else it would be BIG LITTLE LIES. There’s a mystery we know we need to unveil, but there’s no big thrilling and heart pounding story to go along with it. It’s just a series of lies that we need to try and figure out where the truth is. Of course, I’m talking about murder… or is it?

This book starts out with a woman in danger, but quickly reverts to telling the story of when that 40 year old woman was just starting out college. We get to know this group of friends that are all a bit cliche. The rich, spoiled brat who cares mostly about herself, the poor girl trying to fit into a world that’s a bit out of her league and a trusty middle class girl to balance them both out. They room together in college and are close until tragedy strikes. Their friendship, and them, were never the same after that. Now as adults, the damage of their actions will come crawling back out.

Overall, the plot and writing kept me interested throughout the story. Obviously when we go back in time and we spend a good amount of time developing that backstory, this didn’t read necessarily like a thriller at all. It’s only when things come to a head much later in the book that the genre feel I was hoping for really came out. But there was something nice and comforting about getting to know these characters well before hand. Understanding what really made them tick. Even if, at the same time, I didn’t really like any of them. Don’t get me wrong, I was still invested in the story and wanted to get to the bottom of it. But I wasn’t going to rush and want to hang out with any of this crowd.

This book deals with bad friendships, jealousy, cheating, lies and the power play of money in a small town. There’s no romance, so if you’re on the lookout for that this book had none. Most of these characters were damaged in some way. Weaving that throughout the story, showing us how each of their lives had so many layers. Some happy, some not so much. There was just one point that I think was left up in the air without resolution in the end and I wished we would’ve seen what happened there.

But on to my favorite part. I can’t really tell you what it is without spoiling the reading experience for you. Suffice it to say my favorite part is the epilogue. Why? Because the author did this brilliantly in a way that I was completely fooled! And right before the epilogue I really thought I was patting myself on the back because I had figured things out up to that point. But I didn’t see the epilogue coming. And I SHOULD’VE. But I didn’t. And I can’t say anything else without giving it away, but such a great job leaving me shocked in the end.

This was a super quick read for me and I will definitely look for more books by Ms. Campbell in the future.

This book grabbed me from the very first sentence and just kept me going until the end. You know right off the bat that something bad is going to happen to someone, one of the female characters, but you don't have any idea who it is or who is trying to hurt her. You don't know if she does get hurt or if she is going to be okay. And why? Lots of questions left hanging from that very first chapter.

And then the story goes back twenty-two years, back to when the three roommates meet as they start college. We learn plenty about each of them, the good stuff as well as the bad stuff, still without a clue about who is going to come to harm.

It's Always the Husband is an intense, edge of your seat, page turner which kept me guessing until the very end. The story goes back and forth between all the potential guilty parties, first pointing to one person and then veering off to another one. So many people could be guilty. I thought I had it figured out so many times and then, nope, I was wrong. I love when that happens.

I already had the file from Net Galley, but I got the opportunity to start the hardcover early when I won it from Michele Campbell's Facebook page. Got some goodies with it too! Made my day.

The title immediately attracted me to the book. The first half of the book isn't really a mystery or suspense novel. It's more about complicated relationships between young women beginning college. The three women certainly wouldn't have been friends if they hadn't been made roommates, but they're thrown together by chance. We have the rich and selfish wild child who charms everyone she meets, the extremely intelligent and independent hard worker, and the naive and impressionable one who grew up poor and is only there because of scholarships. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, and as a reader I switched back and forth loving and hating them. There's no characters too perfect to be real in this book. They're all fabulously flawed and therefore believable. Some may take issue with them being so unlikable a lot of the time, but I thought it made it more interesting.

In the second half of the book, something tragic had happened. Someone is dead, and someone we met in the first half may have done it. This half is more suspenseful. It takes place about twenty years after the first, and those college girls are now all grown and married. This half introduces some interesting new characters as well. Is it always the husband, or has years of turmulous friendship filled with jealousy and betrayal held together by shared secrets resulted in murder?

I received an ARC of this novel from Net Galley and St. Martin's Press, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

Aubrey arrives at Carlisle College excited and ready to study hard. She grew up poor and hopes to fit in with the wealthy girls at college. She wants to escape her upbringing. She had always been looked down on by her classmates but now is determined to be the perfect person. Her roommates are Jenny and Kate.

Kate is a rich party girl but one who seems to care for her friends. Her father graduated from Carlisle and he insists that his daughter get her education there as well.

Jenny is a gal determined to get her degree and get on in life. She grew up in this town and is close to her family. She is also very caring of Kate and Aubrey.

Kate decides to take both girls to her father’s home in New York for Thanksgiving. The reception from her father and stepmother is not good. But, the three girls persevere through the visit and promise to be close forever.

Years later, Jenny and Aubrey are living in Carlisle. Jenny is married with children and the mayor of the town. Aubrey has children, runs a yoga studio, and is married to a doctor who has cheated on her many times and is now involved in another affair. Kate has recently moved back to Carlisle and her friends are happy to have her back. She is married to Griff, who was at Carlisle with them and whose father was extremely rich..until the man was found doing a Ponzi scheme which landed him in prison and the family money disappeared. Kate is not happy to be back. She says she hates her husband, friends and her life. Kate has always been a volatile person. A secret from their past hangs over the heads of all three of the women.

This is an excellent mystery that kept me glued to the book. I simply did not want to put it down. There are some dark moments in the book but it’s all very real. Don’t miss this book. I think it will be a hit.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book was a strange one for me. I enjoyed the storyline and thought that the plot was good overall. But it is aimed at readers who love suspense and to me, this is a mistake. Having read a previous review from the super-talented book-blogger Chelsea (thesuspenseisthrillingme.com) where Chelsea had stated that it might be aimed at the wrong market, I have to say that I wholeheartedly agree. While there are moments of suspense in this novel, there is not enough for avid readers of this genre, in my opinion, and for me, IT'S ALWAYS THE HUSBAND by Michele Campbell is more general fiction with some dramatic flair, than suspense.

Meeting in college, Jenny, Kate, and Aubrey form a fast friendship even though they are all completely different from each other. Fast forward twenty years and one friend is telling another to jump off a bridge. The story of their complicated and complex relationship unfolds as the narrative moves from past to present, which I always enjoy as it keeps the pace moving along. The characters in this book are not particularly likeable but that doesn't stop you from wanting to understand what is happening between them. I enjoyed the writing style and the twists and turns in the plot, and the ending was a surprise, which is always welcome. IT'S ALWAYS THE HUSBAND by Michele Campbell is a solid story for general fiction fans.

Women's relationships are complicated. The longer the friendship, the more time there has been for secrets, lies, and betrayals. It's no different for the Whipple Triplets, the three college freshmen who met in Whipple dormitory at Carlisle College in Belle River, NH.

Kate Eastman, whose family name appears on several buildings on campus, came to college to party and to fulfill her destiny as an Eastman. Jenny Vega grew up in Belle River. Her parents own the local hardware store, and Jenny knows the value of a Carlisle degree and intends to make the most of every opportunity. Aubrey Miller is on a quest. Having grown up poor in Las Vegas, she is determined to create a better life for herself with a prestigious degree and all the doors that will open to her because of that. 

That first day of freshman year sealed a life-long friendship. Through family problems and boyfriends, academic struggles and thoughts of suicide, drugs and alcohol and frat parties, these three young women stick to each other's side, watching out and keeping each other safe. 

Until that night on the bridge. 

Local hockey star Lucas Arsenault went off the old train bridge into the frozen river. He didn't survive. The only ones who witnessed what happened were the three friends and Lucas's cousin Tim, but when Tim jumps into the water to try to save Lucas, he hits his head and the resulting concussion erases his memories. Kate's father and his attorney come in and clean up everything for the girls, which helps their futures, but it ties them together in a toxic web of deceit. 

Now it's decades later. Aubrey has married a doctor, had two kids, and set up her own very successful yoga studio. Jenny is mayor, and her husband Tim runs a powerful construction company in Belle River. And for the first time since that fateful night on the bridge, Kate moves back to town with her husband, broke and broken and trying to figure out what's next. Will the move back signal a new beginning, or is it the end of all the secrets and lies that have been weighing the women down since freshman year of college? 

Michele Campbell's dark and twisty It's Always the Husband is a gripping thriller that draws you in with well-drawn characters and takes you on a crazy ride to the very end. Easy to read but hard to put down, this novel is a great summer read if you like women's fiction with a little bite to it. 



Galleys for It's Always the Husband were provided by the publisher through NetGalley.com.

This had so much promise but unfortunately it didn't deliver. The twists I saw coming, the killer I had my suspicions and I was confirmed right. The seed was planted in my head with what the writer gave me, but I expected something more to be more given, more suspense and surprises as this is meant to be a thriller.

Despite this I did like the writing which is why I read till the end. I will give the author another try.

Thanks goes to net galley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of the books that I was really looking forward to reading. Yet, I was lucky to just get a third of the way into the story. None of the three women were appealing, especially Kate. She came off as a self-centered bitch. Actually, I felt for her in the beginning seeing how her family treated her and wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt but that is not how the story was leading. Jenny was not much of a friend. It was like she matured and wanted to forget about her college years. Aubrey lived in denial. Even when she was faced with facts, she did not react. The husband in question is a douche. Whatever may have happened to him if anything he deserved it. I so wanted to know what happened back in the past that lead to the present but try as I might, I could not ignore how unlikeable the women were. I guess I will just be kept guessing what the shocking conclusion was.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

My thoughts: This book is why I love reading a good suspense novel - it kept me guessing all the way through and I was engaged the entire time, yet it was set up completely differently than any other book I've read before. This is where this genre has so much to offer and why I continue to read these types of books.

One of the more distinctive parts of this book that I loved is how it's told. There are two parts and they are both so crucial to the overall story, yet they are told so differently. The first part is told twenty years earlier and introduces us to the three young women when they first begin college. This is the slower part of the book - but it sets the foundation of the story and allows for us to really understand the characters and their motivations. The second part is set in present day and this is where the action, intensity and suspense amps up.

I read this book in a day and a half - I just couldn't put it down. I was captivated by these women and the twisted, complex relationship they had. Not to mention the fact that they weren't necessarily all the most likeable of characters. But, that's what made it so good and so difficult to pinpoint who did it when one of them was found killed. There were so many suspects and so many reasons why any number of people could have done it! Every time I thought I had it figured out, another clue was dropped or secret was revealed and I was left scratching my head trying to think of who else could be the suspect.

This is the type of book that gets under your skin and doesn't let go until you get to the end...and even then you are left with quite a surprise. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what comes next from this author!!!

What a book! Really enjoyed! Highly recommend. Perfect book club pick!

If I'm perfectly honest did I from the beginning feel that this book just wasn't my kind of book. The first chapter with the woman standing on the bridge was interesting, but then the story went back in time and we got to know more about Kate, Aubrey, and Jenny. And, here lies the problem for me. They are all so cliché. Kate, the rich spoiled girl, Aubrey, the poor girl and Jenny the trustworthy middle-class girl. And all of them are totally unlikable and I never felt sorry for them. Instead, I was frequently annoyed with their behavior all through the book. Basically, Kate is the catalyst for all their problems from day one until present day when all her sins finally catch up with her and now she has to face what she did when she was young.

The big problem is that I just can't see how they could call themselves friends? I mean they have nothing in common and they hardly seem to be able to stand each other, wheel Audrey cling to them like a needy child. But, friendship? No way. For one thing, Kate seems incapable of having friends. I swear, I was so tempted all through the book to quit reading it, but wanting to find out what happened to the woman on the bridge kept me going.

Then we get to part two of the book, and it's here it really turns into a crime novel. And, for a moment I hoped that it would finally start to work for me. But, the introduction to the new police chief who had fallen for one of the three women and suddenly couldn't do his job properly destroyed that hope. On the plus side, there were a lot of interesting twist towards the end of the book, but by then it was pretty much too late to save the story.

Michele Campbell’s debut, IT’S ALWAYS THE HUSBAND —is a suspenseful and intriguing twisty "whodunit" and "howdunit" of dark secrets— a web of deceit, keeping you guessing to the final conclusion.

Three college roommates at Carlisle College in New Hampshire — Aubrey, Jenny, and Kate are linked by a tragedy.

Each girl has their own desires, dreams, fears, and troubles. The complexities of friendship and acceptance. Love/hate relationships.

Kate is the wild rich girl with a father’s connections and a stepmother who gets in her way. Her family is connected to the college. Their name is on the buildings.

Aubrey is poor — on financial aid. No social friends (her family was white trash). She just wants to escape her home. Not sure how she will fit in. She is sure her life is about to change. She would make her roommates love her no matter what it took. Kate was the friend she had been waiting for her entire life.

Jenny—a townie. She grew up her in New Hampshire. Her parents own the local hardware store. She is ambitious. She soon uses Kate to move up the ladder.

Everyone is using someone.

The girls’ relationships become complex, as most do where there is a threesome. One is always left out or playing against one another. A third wheel. Each has their own agenda. Guys. One which dated the other girl years ago. Jealousy.

They say your freshman roommates become your best friends for life (or death).

“I no doubt deserved my enemies but I don’t believe I deserved my friends." – Walt Whitman

From booze, drugs, sex, jealousies, guys, lies, secrets, greed, and betrayal. If you play with fire, you eventually get burned.

Aubrey makes a decision to commit suicide with Kate, except Lucas dies instead. He had dated Jenny back in high school and Kate flaunts sleeping with him. Aubrey does everything Kate wants (her idol).

Aubrey’s mom dies and more drama here. All the while Jenny is sucking up to Kate’s father spying on Kate, yet using him for her own selfish needs. Kate has her own issues and manipulative behavior.

Of course, this tragedy links all three girls through their lifetime. A dark secret.

Then later they are all back in the same town, now married. Kate is married to a rich guy, Griff. She is using him until he loses his money.

Aubrey is married to a doctor, but she is not happy and pines for Griff. Jenny, now the mayor and married to Tim (Lucas’ cousin). These people are acting as though they are back in college.

They each have their own reasons to keep their secret. Until greed gets in the way. Again, as adults, they are each still playing their sadistic games.

When one of them actually dies at the same bridge where Lucas fell to his death twenty years earlier, suspicions point to each of them. Each person and their spouse have their own individual motives.

With many suspects, marriages are threatened, as well as friendships and families, crossing moral lines.

A twisty-page turner keeping you glued to the pages to determine the identity of the killer. These are some manipulative girls! With friends like these, who needs enemies?

There were lovers, friends, enemies, and others who had a motive. Could it possibly be the husband?

When the book begins you feel sorry for and sympathized with Aubrey. By the end of the book, you despise her, along with the other two. Not a lot of likable characters here.

Demonstrates how events and crimes from your younger years are carried into adulthood damaging future relationships, friendships, and marriages.

As other reviewers mentioned, I preferred the second half of the book, when the gals are older and the suspenseful fast-paced twisty turns.

They are the same self-centered people; however, they have advanced to murder, bribery, infidelity, revenge, and cover-ups with the assistance of their husbands. A clever ending.

Looking forward to seeing what comes next from this newfound author.

“I can be on guard against my enemies, but God deliver me from my friends!” ― Charlotte Brontë

A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an early reading copy.

JDCMustReadBooks