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.

Wow!!! To say this book was a shocker would be an understatement. I think Baker really represents a woman's struggle with the work and life balance well. Some of the book was pretty predictable but there are enough twists and turns to keep me wanting to not put the book down! You might think you want to perfect husband and the perfect job but do you really?

This is a story about the fact that no one can have it all without help… so what’s a wife and mother to do?

I really enjoy the recent crop of twisty thrillers with subversive social commentary woven throughout. The author expertly built a sense of impending doom, in a way that made me doubt my own suspicions about the neighborhood. Perhaps there was nothing sinister occurring? Maybe this was just a contemporary and I wrongfully assumed there was a thriller element? The ability to lull a reader into a false sense of well-being is such a skill!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️. 💫/5

Thank you Netgalley, Macmillan & Flatiron books for this ALRC!

This is a gripping domestic suspense/psychological thriller sure to please all the moms out there who are feeling unseen or unappreciated and hoping for just a little extra help from their partners. Chandler Baker does a great job exploring the many reasons why women struggle with wanting to HAVE it all but never being able to DO it all in this creative reverse Stepford wives situation. Nora is hired to look into the death of a widow's husband in a small Texas home association where the high-powered working women have figured out a way to get their husbands to be the supportive spouses we all long for. Newly pregnant with her second child, trying to climb the career ladder at her litigation firm and struggling with feeling overwhelmed by it all on the home front this community seems like paradise to Nora (right until it doesn't). There's also a mysterious incident alluded to throughout the novel that we slowly learn has become a source of deep guilt, shame and resentment in her marriage. Everything comes to a shocking revelation as Nora makes her way into the exclusive community and uncovers their dirty little secrets. Highly relatable and perfect for your summer reading pleasure with one of those perfect mic drop one liner endings. I enjoyed this one A LOT and was so excited to have received an advance listening copy from NetGalley and Macmillan audio.

I have to start off by saying I'm kind of disappointed the women end up being the villains. I mean I knew it was coming as this has a similar vibe to The Stepford Wives, but I really wanted it to veer away.

As a working mom/wife I so very much identify with the frustrations of the women in the novel. We all achingly want to have an equal partnership with our spouse, but it rarely happens. Everyone says remind them, make a list, it's your fault for allowing it to happen without admonishing the male counterpart for being the "lazy traveler".

So yeah I get that ending totally.

I supposed instead of ending with a delicious note of men wanting to step up and partner is just sad to realize in the book (and probably life) most men will not unless they're coerced in some horrific way. And I hate that that makes women the villain.

The narrator did a great job voicing an average white American woman trying to balance work and family without much help from either end.