I wasn’t sure what to expect given the title, but I was quickly drawn into this humorous, but candid story I stayed up late reading. I felt for main character Meri, a woman who has been on a search for a soul mate and through Kai, who has been run over by life’s circumstances. Meri’s friends gave her a list, created in the 1950s, on How to Catch a Husband. Meri shares this list with Kai. He thinks it’s hilarious and just the thing to will help him land a camera job he desires. Kai explains his hopes and Meri goes along with it in hopes of achieving both of their goals. Meri to find a husband and Kai to get a better job. But something unexpected happens as they go down this list and actually do what the list demands.

I was pleasantly surprised at how deep this author goes with her characters and shows what is important in life and relationships. LOVED this story and how these characters evolve as they go through the list. They learn a lot about themselves, life, and love. This process brings clarity of what their hopes and dreams. They also learn how not to let emotions run their lives, but learn to slow down and give things and time to bloom and grow before they are ready to meet their soul mate.

Great story, one that is a fun read and would work well for your next book club pick. This is the first novel I’ve read by this author, it won’t be the last.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have received a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog www.bookfun.org

I can't believe this is my first Angela Ruth Strong book because woooow I totally was knocked off my chair with this one. A huge thanks to Kregel Publications for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Would you follow advice from the 1950s to bag a man? Husband Auditions follows Meri Newberg the last of her single friends who decides to follow advice from a 1950s magazine because it can't get any worse than that right!? Her brother's roomate Kai Kamaka decides to help by documenting the whole thing on YouTube. What could possibly go wrong? I thoroughy enjoyed this delightful rom-com.

Remember that article that went viral about 50 things women should do to find a husband in the 1950s? I definitely shared it and then considered walking around Yale(I lived near it) amongst other things...
Yeah this book is based on that! Meri's grandmother left her a similar list. Her brother's roommate, now her roommate after her last single friend gets married, she moves into her brother's house, decides t his list would make a great Youtube show. In a moment of desperation/weakness Meri agrees to let him follow her with his phone or camera as she attempts this list.
Witty banter ensues throughout her humorous attempts. Though comical, there's a lot of serious moments. It touches on real feelings women experience in their 30s. It also had a couple lazy guys who aren't interested in marriage, and come across as a typical millennial playing video games instead of being responsible-why does this ring so true?!-but they've been rejected.
Honestly, I think it sheds some light on dating and friend zoning and stuff that's super annoying being a single female in your thirties waiting for guys to mature and man up.
The ending is realistic.which I appreciate.
I started the book on my lunch break, came home, and couldn't stop reading until I finished it! It flows quickly, is well-written, and is so relatable. Highly recommend!

'God has a funny sense of humor. I'm not laughing, though. I'm disappointed.'

When Meri Newberg is given a silly list from the 1950s of how to catch a husband at her last single friend's wedding, she feels so incredibly bummed. Everyone in her Christian friend circle is now married but her. Her brother's roommate, aspiring filmmaker, Kai Kamaka, encourages her to allow him to film her trying to fulfill this silly list and says they'll be a You Tube sensation. Meri reluctantly agrees, figuring what else can be worse than being single in her thirties. And after all, she just may find her true and life enduring soul mate.

From then on, hilarity ensues. I have long been a fan of Angela Ruth Strong, but she has well and truly done it with this one! This is Rom Com pure gold, folks! Strong has totally nailed this genre with the strokes of her talented pen. I laughed my way through the book, along with being totally entertained and the romance was terrific! I can truly and without reservation highly recommend this book. It is going to go right smack dab on my keeper shelf. Well done!

My thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book via the Net Galley platform. I was not expected to leave a positive review. The opinion here is entirely my own.

Meredith a.k.a. Meri Is 30 and the last of her friends to get married. When her roommate gets married she has to move in with her brother and his two roommates Gemma and Kai. Kai devises a plan to help get Meri a husband and his work to be viewed by a producer, making a social blog based on a 1950s list of how to find a husband. This leads to some really interesting outings and situations that are hysterical! The chemistry between these two is sweet wholesome and sparking with tension but doesn’t have any foul language or explicit sex something I absolutely love! I really hope that there’s a sequel, maybe with Gemma, but gives us the final story of Kai and Meri!!#NetGalley #HusbandAuditions

I enjoyed reading Husband Auditions! It had a very interesting concept of a woman trying out a list of ways to catch a husband from the 1950s while being filmed for a YouTube show.

I liked Meri and how she was written. She desperately wanted to get married and have a family (which is a good thing to want!), but I loved how she grew to understand more about herself and about what she wanted out of life. The ending was perfect!

I struggled a little with Kai at first. Eventually the reader learns more about him and what his backstory is, but it was hard to connect with him for awhile. I did like him by the end though! And his character arc was well-written! It was organic to the story and didn’t feel forced, which I really appreciated.

It’s fun to read a Christian rom-com, and I liked the zany aspects of the list! Meri was quirky and funny in all the best ways, and I enjoyed reading about her adventures in this book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

So what do you do when you are a single Christian 31 year old woman who hasn't yet married and everyone else seems like they did. You lament about how you are going to be single for the rest of your life and dreams of a family is out the window. This just reminds me how we put too much pressure on ourselves as women to be married by a certain age.
So when Meri is handed down the list to find a husband that was written in the 50's by her now married friends she can't help but feel discourged. She is the last single left standing. Kai (Meri's brother roommate) sees an opportunity of a lifetime but YouTubing her attempting the list to snag a husband. Through the crazy attempts, some worked on snagging a date but overall leads to Kai and Meri getting closer in friendship and slowly falling in love.
But I kinda don't like how it ended with Kai because it seems like he still didn't much with his life and was branded as lazy when he was sticking to his morals in the end. And she is off jet setting off in the sunset chasing her dreams. So yeah, slightly conflicting to me but not enough to spoil the whole book for me.
The romance was sweet, the humor was cute and I love the story line.

A light read about trying to find love and the perfect husband with help from a 1950's article. This was a sweet read with religious overtones.

Husband Auditions
by Angela Ruth Strong
Kregel Publications
Stars: 4
Back of the Book: “How far would you go to find the perfect husband? All the way back to the 1950s?
In a world full of happily-ever-after love, Meri Newberg feels like the last young woman on the planet to be single, at least in her Christian friend group. So when she's handed a strange present at the latest wedding—a 1950s magazine article of "ways to get a husband"—she decides there's nothing to lose by trying out its advice. After all, she can't get any more single, can she?”
My Thoughts: I love, love. What can I say? This story had all the right elements for a sweet romance. The perspective of the characters telling the story kept the story rolling and the corky list gave the story something interesting but the romance between these characters was what made the story work. What we see, watch, and read all shapes our views on what love looks like. This book showed that love requires something deeper than attraction. I so appreciated the author's honesty about what real love looks like. 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love compared to the “love” we see in the movies could not be more different. God’s love is the perfect example. Love requires growth between both individuals, towards each other and towards God. This author did a fabulous job writing about God’s love and what it should look like in a relationship and marriage.
Inspirational Thoughts: “I shouldn’t have to change for the right man. I should only have to become more me.”
“Talking to Him (God) is more about trust. Let Him remind you how much you are already loved. He’ll calm your fears with the truth that He has good things planned for your future. The more time you spend with Him, the more your desires will come in line with His desires.”
“My counselor said that every time I reconcile with him before seeing true change, I’m not loving him unto life. I’m loving him unto death… If he says he’ll change for me, then I’m taking up the responsibility for his change by staying there He has to change for himself. True change has to happen in spite of me.”
James 4:17- So, whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
“We both have to learn to be capable of growing into the largeness of marriage before we try to make it work.”
I received an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review shared here.

Meri has caught the bouquet at her roommate's wedding. She is the last of her group of friends not yet married. Along with the bouquet came a list of ways to catch and keep a husband from a magazine published in the 1950s. Immediately after the wedding, Meri has to move out of her digs and in with her brother who is going to Ecuador for three months. Living in her brother's apartment are his college buddy, Kai, who desires to be a camera-man in making films, and a wanna-be screenwriter, Gemma.

Kai is intrigued by the list and wants to film Meri going through the steps. These ideas make for some entertaining reading. The Husband Auditions takes place in Portland, Oregon, which is a city that is familiar to me and when certain streets are mentioned I can picture them in my mind, which made the book more interesting to me.

While Angela Ruth Strong has used some of the romance formula, where boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, but the denouement isn't quite where boy gets girl back. It is a very satisfying conclusion to the book and leaves room for the imagination to bring Meri and Kai back together.

This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a pint of your favorite ice cream.

Kregel Publications and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.