With fun influence from The Stepford Wives and enough twists to keep you hooked, in Chandler Baker's The Husbands, it's the wives who do it all, who have the hotshot careers, who need their husbands to step up. Satirical in tone throughout, The Husbands is a psychological drama told in mixed mediums from the perspective of Nora Spangler and various online articles, forums, and social media posts. Nora is a lawyer looking to make partner after having her first child. While keeping her second a secret she pushes her husband to step up his game like the men from Dynasty Ranch, her dream community to live in. The men respect their wives, they do the household chores, they're, well, perfect. Nora is brought in as both a prospective buyer and as a potential lawyer for a wrongful death suit, but little does she know the wool is really being pulled over her eyes.

The men get to work and relax, while the women get to work and work and work. We hear this every single day, it's commonplace, and it's fun that Baker takes a true-to-life scenario and adds some science fiction thrill to it. It felt relatable, while also being totally impossible. Nora as the narrator is just fantastic, with so much sass and spunk, while also being incredibly smart. As the reader it was so easy to know what was going to happen, but I liked stepping into Nora's head while it occurred. While I think Baker missed the mark on making this a true thriller read, it had all the drama I could want and plenty to keep me entertained. It does drag on a bit and somehow she wraps up all the dirt and drama in the last 10%, but I still found myself totally enjoying The Husbands. I'd recommend this one to readers of suburban dramas, it's certainly a fun, relaxing day read.

Audiobook: The narrator of The Husbands is Allyson Ryan and she really does a fantastic job. Her voice really lends itself to the wealthy, elite women in The Husbands, but it does not work great at my preferred listening speed. Her tone is just so perfect, but at 1.5x it came across as quite shrill. I was able to listen to this while working and driving, so for me, as a busy woman, I have to say this audiobook was still great and I would recommend it.

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 and the author. I was excited to read Chandler Baker's newest book and was not disappointed. I think the narration helped me enjoy this because it made me feel like I was in the head of Nora, wife of typical husband and mother of a toddler and one on the way. As a lawyer trying to make partner, Nora is being pulled in all directions. From her husband who clearly scores a zero on an IQ test because he can't figure out anything on his own. I am surprised such a smart woman would marry such a nimcompoop.

Nora, managing her ever expanding family, finds a larger house she wants in Dynasty Ranch. An upscale 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 should have known right then something was up.

As time goes on, Nora has to constantly remind herself that her husband isn't that bad (too close to the forest perhaps) and then when he starts to help out she should really realize something is up.

I think the narrator made this more enjoyable than reading it. It was a great quick read but let's be real, this should be a sci-fi book b/c this kind of help from a man is pure fantasy!!!

The book followed Nora, a lawyer, wife, and mom, who is absolutely swamped with work and home life. Taking work calls on Sunday, washing the dishes, making lunches, doing bath time, reading books, and working a full time job. Her husband, Hayden, who also has a job seems to be not as active in running the household and taking care of their daughter Liv. Their responsibilities and chores are just not split up evenly.

When Nora find a house she falls in love with she makes some friends in the neighborhood who are just as successful as her. But things seem to be different for her new friends, whose husband are way more involved. What is their secret? How do they do it?

I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator did an excellent job. The storytelling was well thought out and cohesive. The characters were relatable and had their own unique personalities. I also liked that the women were so successful and had more to talk about than just their husbands. All in all this was a really great thriller that I will most likely be reading again in the future!

Wow. I wish I had been reading this in print, although the narrator was very good, because I would have highlighted SO MUCH. Every woman who has had to balance running a household with her career while wondering why her partner can’t schedule his own dentist appointment, for Pete’s sake, should read this book. And then that ending. What a great book.

This was an interesting one. The Husbands is about a mother who is over worked and under aprpeciated both in her home and in the office. Nora is an attorney and her husband isn't up to much. Nora and her husband are house hunting when they stumble upon Dynasty Ranch. This neighborhood is extraordinary and filled with ulra successful women who have the perfect husbands. Nora agrees to take on a lawsuit for one of the neighborhood's residents and quickly becomes close with her friend group. She is wowed by the dynmaic's within her new friends' relationships. She learns soon enough that you can't simply trust what is on the surface. I found this to be very entertaining to listen to. I thought I knew what the end game was but I was wrong. This is a great fall book for folks to read or listen to when they are reconnecting with the parents at school or meeting new people.

The Husbands by Chandler Baker was a fun read with a really intriguing concept. Nora and her husband decide to look at a home in a really nice, gated community - Dynasty Ranch. It seems like all of the women are extremely accomplished and all of the husbands are beyond helpful and supportive, often doing much more at home than the “typical” husband. Because Nora is an attorney, she is asked to take on the case of a woman in Dynasty Ranch and ends up investigating the death of the woman’s husband. Nora not only uncovers the cause of the murder, but the truth about all of the beyond-amazing husbands.

I enjoyed the read and the narrator was great. I would have preferred a bit more of a twist, but it was still entertaining. If you enjoy thrillers, and books about friendship and motherhood, you may enjoy this book. Although, I’ll warn that the motherhood and friendship is more the overwhelming burden most working mothers carry, and less feel-good. It was an honest look though and captured those feelings of being stressed as a woman very well, in my opinion.

3/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and MacMillan Audio for the advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

I tried. I tried really hard with this book, especially since it’s getting rave reviews and everyone seems to like it.
Maybe I didn’t give it long enough. Maybe it gets better. But after 3 chapters of hearing how overwhelmed Nora is and how much Hayden sucks, get on with it already lady!

Maybe I’ll come back to this one day. But I have way too many books in my TBR pile to waste time on one that isn’t keeping my attention.

My first experience with this author. I enjoyed the writing style and will probably read more. Chandler Baker did a great job of conveying just how real life is for many mothers/wives and showing their frustration with getting the dads/husbands to understand.
Somewhere while listening to this story I forgot that it was categorized as a thriller. I was listening to it more as a women's fiction agreeing with a lot of the issues that were brought up and feeling lucky at times that I didn't experience the level of mom/wife unhappiness that the main character, Nora, did. There was a bit too much of the frustration part between Nora and her husband, Hayden, before the story moved on. At times I felt frustrated myself, but maybe that was the intent. Due to this it took way too long to get to the "thriller" part which is when I remembered that is what the story was suppose to be. I would say it is more a Women's Fiction Mystery.
I did figure out the "twist" and how the husbands became super dads, it was kind of obvious to me but I was interested in how that all related to the rest of the plot. How the fire and the neighbourhood dynamics played into that. The ending was not as thriller as I thought it was going to be and almost felt unbelievable. There were too many women involved for that to have worked.
I found the social media sections a bit long at times and fast forwarded through them. If I had been reading I would have skipped them completely.

I liked the story as an audiobook. I enjoyed listening to Alyson Ryan narrate. She read well as Nora and most of the other women. She has an easy to listen to tone to her voice.

Thanks very much to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for giving the opportunity to listen to and review this book.

LOVED this book. I really enjoyed the Whisper Network and Chandler Baker does not disappoint. The book follows the story of Norah - a hard-core lawyer and mother who just wants a little more help from her husband. The answer: Dynasty Ranch - this idyllic suburban neighborhood. Norah is super relatable and I really enjoyed being in her head. Norah shares the qualms of modern-day motherhood - juggling life and a career and just how much of a share women often take in the "divvying" up roles at home,

Would absolutely recommend - thank you NetGalley for the audiobook copy. I loved it

This author was new to me, but I kept seeing so much excitement for this book that I had to get in on it!

Here's the spoiler-free premise: Nora Spangler is an attorney working towards partner. She's also a mother to four-year-old Liv with another baby on the way. Though her husband Hayden helps at home, Nora feels like she's doing most of the work in regards to parenting and keeping the household running. When they go to view a house in Dynasty Ranch, an exclusive neighborhood, they discover that all of the women have impressive careers -- and their husbands are the kind of supportive Nora wishes Hayden would be. Though the Spanglers aren't residents (yet) Nora takes on one of the women as a client in a wrongful death case, the Spanglers begin couples therapy with another of the women, and Nora discovers that Dynasty Ranch isn't the haven it seems to be.

I have to say that I thought Nora was a very relatable character. There are so many working moms who feel that they carry the majority of the burden in the household. It's even evident by the notion that their husbands "help" rather than just knowing what needs doing and doing it, which is what Nora wants. On the flip side, I didn't feel like I knew much about Hayden. In fact, for this book to have been titled "The Husbands" very little of it is about the husbands at all.

A lot of this book revolves around the wrongful death case that Nora takes on for Penny which really had enough going on by itself. But then Nora and Hayden begin couples therapy with Cornelia (which I found suspicious from the start) and you just keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. When it finally did, I was underwhelmed and a bit confused. (I was also disappointed in Nora.)

Admittedly, I was intrigued enough to keep reading, and interested to see how things played out. I also loved the articles and Facebook posts interspersed between chapters. But the ending was just not satisfying. Maybe it's just me but the big twist felt rushed. All that buildup just petered out like a defective firework.

Overall, this was fairly enjoyable, and I wouldn't mind discussing it with people, but it's not at the top of my recommendations list. However, because I had the audiobook, I have to say the narrator did an excellent job! And I would definitely recommend listening to this book, even if you're reading a physical copy as well.

I really enjoyed this Stepford Wife-like book. The narrator was fantastic, and the story kept me binge listening to find out what happened. Very enjoyable!

Wow this book completely blew me away!
Chandler Baker did not disappoint with her contemporary tale of women fighting for the life they feel they deserve in the most unconventional way.
This story really hits home on a topic that is relevant to every household raising kids.
Women take on the bulk of the child rearing and household chores. While also building careers and trying to excel in the workplace.
How is it women always get the short end of the stick? Domestic chores are not split 50/50. While we have come a long way from the 50s household we still have a long way to go.

So what if some women built a society to give that progress a little nudge. There is a neighborhood that exists where men contribute equally if not more to the home. Leaving women free to focus on other passions besides their family. But what would that cost be? And is there a happy in between?
Baker tells a marvelous story on this subject there was a part right before the end where I felt it dragging and was ready to see how it would conclude. But overall I loved it and will be recommending this to friends and other book clubs!

A cleverly-crafted novel filled with suspense and intrigue. Similar to The Stepford Wives, but about husbands instead and set in a well-to-do neighborhood in Travis County/Austin, Texas. The narrator's voice and pitch capture the listener and bring the story to life.

I’m sorry. Due to some personal family issues this book was absolutely the wrong book at the wrong time. It’s quite the opposite in my family and due to a contentious family situation which is the opposite of what is outlined here, this book made me angry.

Many thanks for a review copy. I understand what the author intended but the timing was off for me. Maybe another time I would have a different reaction. Due to this being a case of it’s me, not the book, I will not be leaving a review on social media sites.

The Husbands by Chandler Baker. Is the story of Nora and Hayden. Nora has a four-year-old daughter and her husband Hayden works full time just like Nora except Nora’s to-do list is a million times longer than Hayden’s. This one was a cringe-worthy read. Very repetitive and at times hard to get through. I wish I liked it more.

I enjoyed the Whisper Network but this one just did not do it for me. Wish it did as I finished the story and was waiting for the punchline that I already figured out.

I LOVE a modern day feminist novel done right!! A little bit of girl squad plot line mixed with a little bit of murder. Will Nora regret the move to Dynasty Ranch and her offer to help new found friends as their attorney? Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this book for an honest review.

This book is for the superfeminist. Math formula - (feminist) * (feminist) ^2

I really really really disliked this book. The nonstop complaining about how it’s so unfair being a woman, wife and mother. How this woman had an endless internal competition with her husband over every single thing.

I was so sick of it that I basically skipped 14 chapters to see how it ended and get it over with. I read the authors last book B̶r̶e̶a̶s̶t̶m̶i̶l̶k̶ “The Whisper Network” and hated it, so it’s safe to say that I can go ahead and throw in the towel when it comes to her books. They’re just not my cup of tea.

The Husbands, by Chandler Baker, is a quirky and well-written novel about an attorney named Nora Spangler. Upon moving to a new community she gets to know the new neighboring couples and agrees to assist one of them in their wrongful death case. While everyone and everything in the neighborhood is seemingly normal- Nora begins unraveling the complex dynamics and plots of her new friends. It is a page-turning type mystery that is well-written and intriguing.

Suggestions for audiobook-
Since this book has the stepford wives vibes, maybe add a twinkle tune or a small sound/music between chapters. I was also thinking about the sounds/songs for desperate Housewives.

Review -
The women in Dynasty Ranch don’t need to fight for equal rights as moms and career queens because they already have both! They have a roster of working woman that could take over the community one issue at a time.

Nora is a mostly happily married lawyer, with a daughter and pregnant with another baby. She thinks she desires all that the women in Dynasty Ranch seem to have…everything. Nora is swept into the friend group and very interested in continuing to grow her family in the picture perfect neighborhood. But as she grows to learn more about the women, and how strangely helpful their husbands are, she begins to question the perfection.

Nora’s legal advice is requested shortly after she befriends some of the women in the neighborhood. She will help investigate a wrongful death suit that involves another woman’s husbands death in a horrific house fire. As Nora begins to ask questions, the women begin to close in on their circle and decide whether or not Nora is really “fit” for their neighborhood vibes.

Things I enjoyed about the audio book-
Characters voices- I loved the change of tone and inflection of the characters voices. It helped me visualize the characters based on the way they were described in the text as well as through their actions as a character. The southern twang for some of the wives was perfection!

I got such Stepford Wives vibes with this one. I was hooked with the idea that there was a suburb of perfect families. There was no way! The twists in this one were awesome. I didn’t see them coming. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this audio arc.