A funny dark comedy I couldn’t put down with a deliciously twisted plot and a cast of unique characters make Take My Husband a must read!

An agoraphobic mother who has an insane doll collection. Her doll collecting internet buddy who never goes anywhere without her partner, a talking macaw. A would be lover right out of a bodice ripping romance novel. And a sweet little old man who works at Trader Joe’s. Or is he? These are some of the supporting cast of characters you’ll meet in Ellen Meister’s dark comedy, Take My Husband. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to ditch your life and start fresh and alone in your own private space? To what lengths would you go? Laurel Applebaum, age 52 and worn out from years tending to a needy husband, asks herself this question and off we go on an adventure, treated with intelligent and laugh out loud, relatable dialogue. Take My Husband is a summer treat, an escape from the current hellscape of our lives, but it also contains an age old story you’ll think about long after you’ve finished reading. What a great book!

This book is a bit different but I loved it. The main character is someone you want to give a hug to and tell her its all okay. The storyline is intense in some parts and there is a twist you will not see coming.

I now have to go back and read all of Ellen Meister's books! I literally finished it in one sitting. Laurel has a lazy and unmotivated husband. She's spent 30 year s catering to his every need. When she finds out that he's been in a car accident, she thinks that if he died, her life would be so much easier. When it turns out that he's fine, Laure can't let go of how amazing her life would be if she were a widow. Hilarity and hijinks ensue. I really hope that we see a part two of this with Laurel living more on her own terms.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Harlequin Trade Publishing and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Dark, twisted and quite enjoyable. I’d love to see this as a series on a streaming service.

What happens when her husband’s car accident suddenly makes Laurel realize she’d be much better off without him? When the unthinkable becomes possible, she can imagine how much happier life could be without (pardon my pun) the dead weight of Doug, unemployed, demanding, deliberately helpless. Nothing overt, of course, but what if she stopped taking quite such good care of him? Who could blame her for that?
A neighbor used to say she didn’t believe in divorce, but sometimes she thought of murder . . . she was just joking, of course, but what if? Laurel’s biggest wish is to travel to help her son and daughter-in-law at the birth of her first grandchild, not all that much to ask of life, but money is so tight with only her income. If she had Doug’s insurance, so many possibilities would open up.
There are some difficult parts in this dark comedy, but also some scenes so cinematic that they almost demand a Netflix contract. I can just see the . . . no, that would be telling. You’ll have to see for yourself all the intriguing twists.
Lessons:
Warning not to be such a weight on another that they’d plot to be rid of you,
and not to let others take such advantage that you are tempted to homicide.
The difference between being needed/useful and being desired for one’s whole self.
Learning to be enough on one’s own, alone vs. loneliness, and adjusting to not being needed . . . A retirement dilemma for me, who are we if we aren’t needed?
Who I am is a woman who reads all she wants, and thanks to good writers like Ellen Meister, I’ll never run out.