Thank you Netgalley and Graydon House/Harlequin for the advanced digital copy of Husband Material.
This title will be released in September 2019.

This is the first book by Emily Belden that I've read and I'm sure it won't be the last (going to go find Hot Mess on Amazon right now). I like this type of women's fiction; compulsively readable story with a smart protagonist, with a wide emotional reach.


In Husband Material, we meet Charlotte Rosen. She's a numbers queen who works in social media connecting high end commercial clients with strategically selected social media influencers to help them promote their businesses. Charlotte's job is all about the numerical outcome - impressions and analytics are her focus - and she's got it down to a science. Her skills in writing code also come in handy in developing her own app to help her out in her own dating life. Her life is just fine, she's got a roommate whom she tolerates, a job she likes and an adorable French bulldog named Leno. It's a perfectly curated life, but when an unexpected object from the past shows up on her doorstep the whole thing starts to unravel.

At first sight, the cover of this book screams "rom com". But it really isn't that at all. At its core, this novel is about grief. I wasn't quite expecting it, but I really, really enjoyed it. Emily Belden's writing is fabulous. She does what I think a lot of writers try to do - and that's write with wit and emotion without being cliched. Charlotte's story is nuanced and multilayered. It offered a varied view on dealing with grief and coming to terms with it. While there is a little romance in the background, it doesn't take the forefront of the narrative. It certainly could have - but I think it would have cheapened things a little, so I'm really happy that it didn't. I do think that this book is on the lighter side of heavy - there is plenty of levity throughout - but that was perfectly fine for me. I want to read hopeful and upbeat books that are able to tackle emotional issues with nuance and grace - this book did that .

This one is about coming to terms with tragedy, fresh chances to find love and friendship. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would happily recommend to my friends.

Surprisingly romance. I expected a pretty standard romance novel, but this was something more. The protagonist, Charlotte, is a young widow trying to make a go of life. She does find a boyfriend. But, much of the book is about her learning to live a different existence than she imagined. I couldn't imagine how different my life would be as a widow, but this book does a good job of showing one way someone can survive that. The book isn't heavy or dark, mind you. The main character has a sort of snarky attitude that I enjoyed. Overall, this is a book that can be enjoyed by romance readers and readers of books with strong female characters.

No one knows Charlotte is a widow but when an unexpected package arrives it sends her carefully constructed life spinning out of control. Pieces and people from her past are invading every part of her life. Will she finally be able to move on with her life or will she spiral out of control and destroy everything? A story of love and survival and making choices necessary to live life.

I read this story very quickly. I wish there’d been a little more romance, but I still enjoyed the plot.

I don’t think the cover represents the book.