The Husbands by Chandler Baker (Author), Allyson Ryan (Narrator)

I enjoyed The Husbands and thought it was funny while also thinking that I was glad this wasn't me as the wife. I think the narration helped me enjoy this because it made me feel like I was in the head of Nora, wife of Hayden, mom of one, pregnant with another. Her stream of consciousness made me laugh even if I felt that I shouldn't. It's not fair that a mom, working a full time job as a lawyer, also has to be a full time mother and wife while her husband gets to put his job first and "babysit" for an hour or two here and there, before handing back the kid and getting on with his life. I see all of this as a bystander, never having had kids, but it sure doesn't make me envy the frazzled lives of full time moms with full time jobs.

Everything is hitting Nora at once although really, everything is always hitting Nora at once. As much as she hopes she will be able to have a normal hour, day, week, month, this really is her normal. Being way behind all the time, struggling to keep up with a mile long to-do list that is never done and having a husband that thinks that the fact that he takes out the trash once a week and mows the lawn means he's done his manly chores. What more does she expect of him? Stop nagging woman!

When Nora finds a house for sale in an affluent suburban neighborhood and the women of the neighborhood are all high powered career women whose husbands do more than their fair share of helping out around the house and with the kids, Nora is more than intrigued. But, at the same time, something seems off with the place and the people. This place seems to be the answer to her prayers but is it too good to be true?

I actually enjoyed being in Nora's head more than in her discussions with her husband. As she slowly pushes them towards this new neighborhood, she also has her doubts and suspicions. But at the same time, who has time to think about all of this, except for the part where she has been hired to research a neighborhood death, when she has to juggle all her wifely, motherly, lawyerly, duties and she's behind in almost all of them. It'd be a relief to just get approved for the house and moved into this supportive neighborhood of women, who cherish her for the career woman that she is. And their husbands are such good examples for her husband Hayden, the way they throw themselves into childrearing, housework, cooking, all the things Nora has to do every single day. Something is weird here but maybe Nora could go for this kind of weird if only she didn't have a nagging feeling that weird might not be right.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.

Hmmm I’m going to be thinking about this one for a while. Would I have taken advantage of this when my kids were little? I think I was desperate enough to have wanted to try, that’s for sure!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the chance to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This book grabs you and doesn’t let go. I was intrigued to see what would happen with Nora and her husband. I can really relate to Nora as most women with men and kids in their life can. I thought that Nora was insightful into what qualities she liked about her husband and what she didn’t want to change. She was protective of him. I also felt it was very true that men in our lives taking on some of the non-paid work really makes women happy – and it doesn’t take much! I recommend this book and enjoyed it. It would be a great book club book as there are many topics I want to talk about with others who read the book and to discuss the choices we would make if we were in Nora’s shoes.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio for this ALC of The Husbands in exchange for an honest review.

Nora is a successful attorney and mother who's seemingly on call 24/7. She'd love more help at home from her husband - but he's not interested in providing it. When they look at a new house in Dynasty Ranch, Nora meets the high-powered women of the neighborhood, and she later becomes closer to them as she investigates a deadly fire. She discovers their calmness isn't just a facade - these women do have it all - but the reason they do is their very special husbands.

I really enjoyed Chandler Baker's previous novel Whisper Network, so I was excited to read this one. Like Whisper Network, this book is meant to make you mad - Nora's husband was just so clueless. Their relationship was a microcosm of the unequal division of household labor. Comparing his ad hoc chores of lawn mowing/taking out the trash to her everyday care of their daughter - come on man, get a clue! I don't have kids, but I definitely felt for Nora in this situation.

The women of Dynasty Ranch were just the right amount of creepy - you know there's something going on, but you have to wait for all the secrets to be revealed. Narrator Allyson Ryan did a great job expressing Nora’s confusion and disbelief at her findings - I really enjoyed listening to her narration.

I wish the mystery hadn't been quite so drawn out (and also partially spoiled in the book blurb), but I cared enough about Nora to stick with the story. I think this mix of social commentary and suburban drama is a good read for summer. And you may find yourself thinking that your problems aren't so bad after all!

Review published to Goodreads and Instagram on 6/25/21

I really liked The Whisper Network but The Husbands isn’t a favorite; not bad but not great. I saw this described as The Stepford Wives but gender reversal and I completely agree. If you enjoy tons of social commentary and drama in your mysteries then definitely check this out! Available 8/3.

Thanks to Chandler Baker, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced listeners copy! I love Allyson Ryan ♥️

The Short Version: The Stepford Wives meets Get Out in Texas’s suburbs for a thriller about what equality for Women really looks like and the lengths some women might go to to get it. A tasty read that goes down easy at first, but don’t forget your pepto, because if you think on this one too much, some things won’t sit right

The Long Version: I got to listen to the audiobook version of this novel thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio. This is an audiobook I was very excited to get into based on the description. I was drooling over the prospect of nefarious secret dealings in the upper crust suburbs. The book didn’t quite deliver on my hopes but it was enjoyable just the same.

The book starts out by painting a picture of Nora’s life. She works at a law firm and is fighting to make partner this year. She’s married to Aiden, he’s a modern father, he helps out around the house, he’s a good and loving father, but while he believes they’re putting equal effort into this marriage, it’s clear Nora and Aiden’s visions of equality are vastly different. Everything is made worse when they look into buying a home in Dynasty Ridge where the husbands all seem so much more helpful than Aiden, like true partners. Then, Nora is asked to investigate a recent house fire and as she digs, she starts finding out answers she doesn’t want to find.

This story is tightly bound into a logical and compelling narrative. The plot moves along briskly and avoids sagging at any point. The prose is crisp and fits the main character snuggly. You can feel the overworked under-appreciated mom frustration dripping from page.

The action simmers up until and through the ending which I absolutely loved. It wasn’t a fairy tale ending and it felt more true to life...very satisfying conclusion

The narrator’s performance was also very solid in this audiobook. She varied the women’s voices well to create distinct characters, and channeled the emotions of the scenes deftly. She embodied the narrative and added layers of richness and depth to make the overall listening experience very enjoyable.

While the overall listen was enjoyable and this is a title I can recommend to other readers, there were some serious issues as well.

First, and maybe I’m being a little nitpicky, I think creators need to stop riding Jordan Peele’s Get Out coattails. He absolutely demolished that idea and everything since has been derivative to the point of uninspiring. This has some serious Get Out undertones, though it isn’t about race. I wish the author had dug a little deeper to find a different method through which the big twist was being executed. I could think of several off the top of my head, so it felt a little lazy.

Second, for a thriller, the big twists weren’t that twisty. It was relatively apparent early on what was happening generally so the big surprises hit a little more like “huh, didn’t catch that earlier”. The tension never really boiled…it was more of a low simmer the whole time. This is another area where changing the villain’s methodology could have done wonders to obscure the reality. The book blurb also wasn’t a help to this one. It was a little too on the nose…sadly a problem I’m seeing more an more often in books and movies…save some suspense for the read/listen/viewing!

Nora’s character arc was also a problem for me. She starts out over-worked and under-helped. The author goes to great lengths to show how thin she is stretched, how her needs aren’t being met, how being asked to be super mom is turning her into someone that’s not really her and just how unfair that is. From there however, she doesn’t really grow. There are actually several moments where the script flips and she becomes the self-centered “lazy passenger” in the relationship. She doesn’t seem to learn anything, and the conclusion of her arc seems to suggest a marriage can’t have two highly successful participants, one person will always have to make the sacrifices that will be held against them at work, fair or unfair. I didn’t dislike Nora as a character overall, though at moment’s she was a little annoying, but her arc wasn’t fulfilling.

The biggest problem by far however, was how the theme got muddled into a mess. The book seems to start by saying “Men should contribute equally in a marriage and what men view as equal is really more like 70-30”. That’s all well and good, and something I can definitely get behind. The book was very effective in making me re-examine my own behaviors as a husband and my views on the contributions my wife and I make to our household, etc… The trouble comes in that the women who obtain that equality become every bit as awful as the stereotypical men portrayed in this book and then push that equality into subjugation based on the premise “Mother knows best”. The women in this book become the typical caricature that politicians use to fight against equality measures “They don’t want equality, they want to overthrow everything and make us subservient”. I think the author tried to balance this by having all the husbands retain their successful jobs, but by taking pains to show Nora had BS things held against her like picking her daughter up, you’d have to imagine those decisions would stifle the ambitions of the husbands in their jobs when asked to do those things instead of being one of the guys and going out for drinks, etc… In the end, the message seemed to devolve more into the classic “Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely”, which would seem more likely to reinforce the male defense of the patriarchy instead of spurring a thoughtful examination of what equality really is. This was a huge miss based on the premise and tone to start and I think it really hurts the overall success of the novel even though it doesn’t make it unenjoyable to read.

Overall a 3.5, I went back and forth which way to round but ultimately settled on rounding down because the execution of the theme was such a miss and for a mystery/thriller the twists and turns weren’t twisty or turny enough. Still an easily digestible novel and one I’d recommend to anyone looking for an interesting examination at the balance of power within households as well as anyone who just needs a safe title to read…this one is hard to hate.

Component Ratings
Concept/Idea: 3.5 out of 5
Protagonist: 3.5 out of 5
Antagonist: 2 out of 5
Supporting Characters: 3.5 out of 5
Character Development: 2 out of 5
Plot: 4 out of 5
Pacing: 4 out of 5
Tension: 2.5 out of 5
Narrator’s Performance: 4 out of 5
Prose: 4 out of 5
Dialogue: 4.5 out of 5
Theme: 1 out of 5
Ending: 4.5 out of 5

A completely entertaining novel billed as a thriller but which has a lot of humor. I think that fans of Where’d You Go, Bernadette? would enjoy this one. Good narration. Great fun.

Chandler Baker has delivered!! Dynasty Ranch is the best neighborhood. In this neighborhood there are influential and powerful women. While the women have these powerful jobs their husbands run their households.

Nora is a successful attorney on track to make partnership. But she is failing with her household chores and life. Her husband works hard too but not so much at the house. They then go look at a house on Dynasty Ranch. Once they leave Nora has to move there because she needs help! The Husbands has a Stepford Wives gender swap feel. But that ending though 😳😳😳😳.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, MacMillion Audio and to Chandler Baker for this advanced audiobook!!

Nora is a mother and a wife who loves her daughter to death but also feels haunted by an accident that happened a few years ago. She also loves her husband but just wishes he would do more around the house, not just the things that she asks him to do but she wants him to know what she does. She wants him to be more involved and truly understands the hard work she puts into her secular job and keeping their house running. With a new baby on the way she and her husband are looking to buy a new house and they come upon a property in Dynasty Ranch. It doesn't take long for the wives living in this community to learn that she is a lawyer and ask for her help on a case. Tragically a house in the community burned down killing the husband of a writer. Nora struggles whether or not to take the case but after some nudging from her employer, she decides to do so and this leads her down a slippery path to find the truth of what really is going on in Dynasty Ranch.

My favorite part wasn’t even the thriller itself but the way Nora thought. This is the first feminist thriller I have read and I found it very funny and entertaining. For women, this story has a lot of things that are relatable especially if you are married. Even if you're not married like me you can still totally get the point being made and most of the time will understand because you have seen the same thing in friends husbands or even your own parents. There are so many times where you just want to go Nora I feel you. I do have to say I think that too much blame is put onto the husbands but then the next comment out of the husband's mouth made me realize… it’s all pretty much true.

I did enjoy the ending but it wasn’t one where all the pieces fit together. There wasn’t a lot of random detail and events throughout the story that leads to the shocking ending. There were a few things that led to the ending but I picked up on the hints right away. So this one thing that I kind of missed in this thriller. The ending wasn’t shocking but I did find it very entertaining. For me, the enjoyment of the story wasn’t for the ending but just reading about Nora and her relationship with her husband.

The character development is very well done in this book. Normally I have a hard time or at least it takes a little for me to remember all the characters but this book had a very distinct character that I had no trouble telling them apart. Each of the women is well known for their job and Nora has a strong personality that made the book so ever more funny and enjoyable. Nora is so relatable and has such a strong and sarcastic personality. She speaks her mind and so for me I was on her side right away caring what happened in her life. The husbands in this book are the only characters that I never got down. And even though the title of this book is called the Husband I kind of feel like the part of this book is about the wives and how they deal with their husbands. But also this is a very good title for the book because, in the end, it does all have to do with the husbands.

I didn't mind the narration for this book. The narrator was enjoyable and she added a little bit of variation in her voice. I didn't feel like I was listening to a robot. She had a nice tone and even pace that made it easy to follow along with the story. There was nothing special about the narration, there wasn't any change in voice for the different characters or at least not much of one but I still enjoyed listening to the book.

This isn't a dark, scary, suspenseful thriller, but it definitely has the known for cleverness in a typical thriller. The difference in this book, as I said before, it's very witty and humorous. I love thrillers but I found this to be a new twist in the genre and really enjoyed reading it.

This was a fun listen. After a couple not so impressive books, I was starting to wonder if it was me. This was a pleasant surprise. The pace is slower so if you're looking for fast action, this isn't it, but if you want to go along for the ride and just enjoy it, this book could be a great fit. Dynasty Ranch is reminiscent of Stepford Wives turned Stepford Husbands. The reader/listener gets a few twists along the way as we learn what really happened to Richard and what's really making these men such attentive husbands and fathers. If you could change your spouse, would you?

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Very captivating with amazing character development. A housing development with a mysterious secret. Definitely gave me stepford wife vibes. Super creepy and had me guessing literally until the last page. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

It's not that I hated this book...I'm indifferent. It wasn't terrible, but it was a trek to get through.

First of all, Nora is the most whiny and passive character and so many of her annoyances could be solved with effective communication. Nora is your typical working mom - she's stressed, overwhelmed, and wondering how to balance it all. She feels her husband isn't pulling his weight and the resentment is building. He's a good dad and a great husband, he just doesn't help enough.

Nora meets the women of Dynasty Ranch, a community the couple is looking to purchase a house in. The DR couples seem so cool and collected, and the husbands are hands on and enthusiastic about parenting and helping around the house. Has Nora entered the Twilight Zone???

The Dynasty Ranch crew are very much Stepford Wives, and they share some dark secrets. Nora sets out to find the truth about these women and the community. The twist was not surprising enough, however the last sentence did throw me off! There was so much unnecessary backstory and filler, and the first half was a struggle to get through. If you're expecting a thriller, this is not it. It was an extremely slow domestic "mystery".

We’ve all heard of Stepford Wives, but what if the rolls were reversed and the husbands were the ones that ran the household? Sounds pretty amazing to me as a wife and mother of 2 young kids, but as they say, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

Nora Spangler, a successful attorney and pregnant with her second child is tired. Tired of packing lunches, tired of getting up with her daughter in the middle of the night, tired of trying to get partner at work. While her husband is amazing and loving, why is Nora expected to do it all? In comes Dynasty Ranch, a local suburb that seems to have it all, a beautiful house for sale, a nice neighborhood for them to raise their kids, successful women and men that do a majority of the housework. There has to be a catch right?

If you’re looking for a fast paced, heart stopping thriller, this is not the book for you, but if you like a slow burn, domestic thriller, this is right up your alley. Once I started this I could not stop and I finished it within a day.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

It is no secret that many of us mothers have lost hours daydreaming of an alternate reality where life would be easier, equally divided with our other halves, and/or better. The Husbands introduces us to Nora, an expecting mother of two, who grapples with the chaos that ensues being a mother, pregnant and a prominent member of a personal injury law firm. While she considers purchasing a property in the Dynasty Ranch, she becomes entangled in a house fire investigation, while getting to know the power women who live there and seem to have the husbands of her dreams.

The story builds slow but I really enjoyed navigating through Nora's headspace (which felt all too familiar at times), the investigation into a possible wrongful death, the sisterhood of the Dynasty Ranch women and the interwoven blogs that expressed stressors I know many women to grapple with.


Thank you Macmillan audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy of The Husbands.

Women can do anything, but they can’t do everything. This is the mantra of the women who reside in the exclusive Dynasty Ranch neighborhood. Who hasn’t wanted a partner that anticipates every need, serves selflessly and has unwavering support? THE HUSBANDS is a domestic drama that explores what it would be like for women to have it all.

I appreciated Chandler Baker’s snarky social commentary on gender roles, specifically the division of labor within a marriage. I know many women will feel seen by the burdens of juggling family life and a career.

The novel’s relatability is its biggest strength. Where it lost momentum was the superfluous details of the daily grind. While there is a suspicious death and tragic accident, the suspense of the plot was bogged down in the details. By the time we finally got to the “big reveal” it fell flat with its predictability and implausibility. Additionally, the supporting characters weren’t distinctive; I had a hard time keeping track of which high-powered career woman was doing what.

Overall, this was a light-hearted read with an insightful critique of the status quo. If you enjoy a gossipy neighborhood drama with a gender-swapped Stepford Wives premise, this one may work well for you!

RATING: 3.5/5 stars (rounded up)

A big thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝:⁣⁣⁣⁣
◘ It was refreshing how relatable Nora was. Very, very realistic characters.
◘ Allyson Ryan was a fantastic narrator!
◘ That book cover!!! Freaking eye-catching as hell.
⁣⁣⁣
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝:⁣⁣⁣⁣
◘ A bit of a slow burn. 𝘈𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 too slow for me.
◘ I thought this would focus more on the wrongful death case and its investigation. It's definitely on the back burner and just a side story as opposed to the real plot. But that's not necessarily the author's fault.
◘ Predictable "twists".
⁣⁣⁣
Was the ending obvious? Yes. I didn't know if it was truly supposed to be a mystery, but don't go into this thinking it's a thriller. 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 is definitely appropriate. Also if you're a new mom, like me, this might hit too close to home. The arguments and frustrations between the husband and wife were all too real for me. But it wasn't offputting. It was actually hilarious how spot-on Chandler was.

Thank you to NetGalley and Chandler Baker for this Audio-ARC.

Nora Spangler and her husband Hayden have a typical relationship. Nora is the custodial parent who does the day to day things to care for their child. In addition to that she is a successful lawyer and is pregnant with their 2nd child. They find a bigger house that Nora falls in love with! The ladies of the neighborhood seem to take to her and request her services. One of the women in the group's husband died in a tragic house fire. It's Nora's job to find out what happened and see if Penny is due any money. Through this group of women she finds a couples counselor and she talks her husband into a few sessions. From these sessions there seems to come a change for the better. But is it really for the better for everyone?

This is the second book by this author that I've read. While I enjoyed this book much more than Whisper Network it still was not my favorite book this year. I felt as if the main character spent majority of this book whining. Don't get me wrong she is correct that most husbands don't even know how much a working mother does. However, she has literally never even asked her husband to assist more. You don't win by clicking marks on a scoreboard. The psychology behind the counseling was very interesting to me. Sounds like a simple reward program which is fairly easy to maneuver. we do it to children after all with a reward chart. The plotline seemed to be over convenient. I wouldn't call this a great feminist read. It was entertaining but not groundbreaking.

I loved Whisper Network, but this novel didn't hit it out of the park for me. I really only had two issues, both of which are specific to my needs and wants in a book: (1) I thought the book was too long; and (2) I saw the twist coming, unfortunately.

There are, however, NUMEROUS things about this book that I ADORED: (1) All the funny (and true jokes) about what it's like to be a woman. Even as someone who doesn't have children (does my dog count?), I do the laundry, clean, do the dishes, etc. etc. Sometimes I feel as though my husband is a child as I pick up after him; (2) She's killing it as a lawyer (I'm one myself). While our practice areas highly differ, the stress that lawyers face is exhausting and Chandler was able to portray that; and (3) The audiobook narrator was fantastic.

Now for a brief synopsis: Nora is an attorney, who is essentially supermom, doing it all. While her husband means well, he doesn't understand all of the tasks that Nora keeps in line. Between keeping up with work, her husband, her toddler and her growing belly, Nora is also looking for a new house, is coming to terms with an accident, and making new friends. Nora's life is hectic, but she has no idea that it's about to explode.

This book was one wild reading ride! In all transparency, I didn't totally love Chandler Baker's last novel, The Whisper Network, but decided to give this one a go because the summary was just so intriguing. And I am so glad I did!

I would classify The Husbands as a feminist thriller/"motherhood noir" that left me turning the pages while also nodding my head in agreement. Baker's writing kept me guessing while also affirming so many things that run through my head every single (sometimes very monotonous) day as a working mother and wife.

I enjoy a slow-burn domestic suspense novel that results in a satisfying ending, and The Husbands was just that. While the characters and plotlines were a bit over the top, they stood for something very, very real. I let myself escape into this world of powerful women and found myself rooting for Nora, the main character while needing to know more!

This cautionary tale is witty and also perfectly exposes the struggles many women face when "wanting to do it all" when we only having so much time and space in our days (and heads!). In this instance, the men and women have swapped gender roles, thus allowing these female characters the bandwidth to accomplish their goals...but at what cost??

This is the perfect balance of (so very relevant) social commentary, mixed with a murder mystery. I would have loved for Nora's husband Hayden to be a bit more fleshed out, but all in all, this is a great summer read that also left me with much to think about. This would also make a fantastic summer 2021 book club pick! 4.5/5 stars.

This was wonderful in the audiobook format and the narration was engaging and enjoyable to listen to.

Thank you to Flatiron Books for my gifted copy.

Part thriller, part sci-fi, this was just middle of the road for me. The Husbands follows Nora: pregnant with her second child, trying to make partner at her law firm, and resentful of her husband, on a quest to find a new home. When Nora stumbles upon Dynasty Ranch, things seem too good to be true. Nora quickly becomes enveloped in the neighborhood's social elite after agreeing to take on a personal injury case for one of the residents. As Nora tries to convince her husband to buy, her despondence toward their one sided marriage grows. Things at Dynasty Ranch are pretty clearly bizarre, but Nora seemingly doesn't notice? That was one of the pieces that was too hard for me to buy. I also got tired of the "men and husbands are worthless, women and mothers are queens" tripe. I get that this was a central theme to the book, but it was so over the top that it almost read like satire. Although the ending was hinted at all along, it was just too much of a reach with many holes and lack of detail.