This was my first Beatriz Williams book and it won't be my last. I absolutely loved this book. The book had a lot of family secrets and unexpected twists that weren't predictable. I loved Mallory and her love for her son. Having 3 sons myself her story and love for her son really resonated with me. The only thing I wish I had done differently was read this book all at once, instead of a little bit here and there but that was my fault. I love the way the book ended and how everything came together in the end. I will be adding Beatriz Williams to my list of authors I love to read. Thank you NetGalley for sharing this book with me in exchange for my opinion.

Husbands and Lovers was five ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me! Thank you Net Galley, Ballentine Books and Beatriz Williams for this ARC. These are my honest opinions.

I absolutely loved this book! I was so invested in all of the characters. It hops timelines, but in the best way. It’s set in current day, 2008 and 1952 and Beatriz makes it easy to keep track of.

The historical fiction is based around Egypt in 1952 and the Revolution that took place. The heartbreak and decisions made then affected the present day characters in the most beautiful way. It was an unraveling that I was here for!

Betrayal, forbidden love, spies, mother’s love, young love….this has it all. I especially liked how Beatriz wrote dialogue for the different eras. I could, literally, picture this as a movie set in 1950s black and white, as well as current colorful and sunny.

Read this one!

I’m not typically a historical fiction fan but with the roller coaster of twists and emotions I loved it and found it truly engaging the whole time. I would classify this as a must reads to my friends when asked for a recommendation.

I LOVE Beatriz Williams and this was another delightful read. I loved the characters and the mystery of the past - it was woven together so well. My only issues were the language - the F word was just a little too prevalent and I didn’t feel like it added anything. And the ending felt like just slowly wrapping up a package with a pretty bow. But overall I thought it was so wonderful!

I loved reading the reviews because we all loved the present story best. It is fun to go back in time, but sometimes just one line is enough. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher. Only knocking off a star because I enjoyed the present day timeline more than the past.

I loved the modern day story line, but just lost interest every time it switched back to the grandmother's storyline. It was an interesting premise and well executed, so I think it was just me.

Thank you @netgalley, @randomhouse, and Ballantine Books for giving me to opportunity to read and review an eARC copy of this book.

This was my first book of Beatriz Williams', and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. This was a definite page turner for me - I finished it in one day.

This is a story that focuses on two women, their family secrets, and love and romance. First, we're introduced to single mom, Mallory, who is barely making ends meet to care for her 10-year old son, Sam. She receive news that while at summer camp, Sam was poisoned by toxic mushrooms, which eventually leads to him needing a kidney transplant. Sam's father, the now famous singer/songwriter Monk Adams, is not an options, as Mallory hasn't seen him since her summer working for his family in 2008. Monk is engaged to be married to a famous influencer, so Mallory has no interest in rekindling their relationship or friendship now.

In her search for potential kidney donors, Mallory discovers that her mother was adopted, which leads her to believe that there may be other family members who could help. This introduces to us to Hannah Ainsworth's timeline in Cairo, 1951. Hannah, married to a British diplomat, is bitten by a snake and is saved by hotel manager Lucien Beck. This event leads to a passionate relationship with Lucien where she is later forced to choose between two life paths.

I enjoyed both timelines, although Mallory and Monk's story seemed a bit more engaging. Hannah's timeline reminded me a bit of Casablanca for some reason. Although this story was set post WWII, the setting and love affair gave off a similar feeling. I found this to be an easy read - it was captivating and really enjoyable. Be sure to read with tissues - there both highs and lows in this story but I highly recommend it. Add this to your summer reading list if you like historical fiction or romance.

This was my first book by Beatriz Williams and it was interesting. It took me a little bit to get into and used to the writing style. I enjoyed the alternating chapters, the different narrators, and different time periods. It kept the plot moving and worked towards the "present" ending bringing the two stories together. I had a hard time connecting with Mallory's character and the dynamic between her and Paige irritated me at times, feeling like Paige was overstepping her sisterly boundaries. Overall this was a different type of story for me that was enjoyable, but is not a book that's going to stick with me long after I've finished it. Those that enjoy books with historical fiction aspects and/or fans of Williams may enjoy Husbands & Lovers more than I did.
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Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

"Men fall over themselves for a beautiful woman, women fall over themselves for a rich man. So who's more greedy? At least money is useful. And it doesn't fade with time." 

Husbands & Lovers is Folklore coded, and now that we have that out of the way, I can tell you that I’m continually blown away by how meticulous Beatriz Williams is in her ability to craft a storyline and weave it throughout two (or in this case three) timelines. I have yet to meet a story from Beatriz Williams that I didn’t lose myself while reading. Totally immersive and completely evocative, Williams has an ability to write storylines and settings that hold readers in her grasp. Much like a certain global phenom singer/songwriter currently on tour.

This is a messy story that centers around two distinct generations of women.  Of course, Husbands & Lovers has romance at its core.  Any story surrounding humanity usually does. This story is about the messiness of human relationships amidst adversity such as war, revolution, and even more frightening finding your footing in young love. The more modern timeline revolves around Mallory. Her storyline is told through present tense and flashbacks to her summers spent with a boy named Monk who grew up to a musical star of the rock star variety. We meet Mallory as she endures one of the hardest days as a single mother to her son Sam who is in the hospital due to mushroom poisoning. Mallory’s story intertwines with Monk Adams and their son throughout a tumultuous summer on the East coast.

"I can't bring you back to life, Hannah," he said. "You can choose to live again, or not. But I can make you remember what it was like to be alive." 

I love that the simple idea of following one’s DNA can uncover so much. I’m positive that Beatriz Williams also loves that idea as well since so much of the modern storyline in Husband & Lovers revolves around Mallory and her sister following clues started by a DNA test to the truth behind their lineage.

Which leads us to the historical aspect of Husbands & Lovers. Hannah is a young wife to an older British ambassador in Egypt. She’s the picture of a trophy wife: doting, lovely to look at, and utterly bored. A fellow wife suggests a distraction. A dalliance with a young man to pass the time while her husband works to undo the mess of the current tensions between the British empire and the local Egyptians. It isn’t just any man, of course, but Lucien, the enigmatic concierge who would do anything for Hannah. Hannah isn’t just some trophy wife either, she and Lucien both have secrets from the war and skeletons in their closets that could threaten to push the already heated tensions to boil over.

"A man is seldom lucky enough to fight for what he believes in. He just fights to stay alive." 

There are heaps of trigger warnings but that shouldn’t put off any reader who knows about the WW2 timelines. Some triggers include instances of war, rape, child loss, assault, adultery, drug usage, and murder. 

The culmination of Husbands & Lovers is utterly enthralling. This is what Beatriz Williams does to me. I get hooked by fantastic characters and then I lose myself in the storyline and read with such a frenzy during the apex of the plot that I cannot put the book down for anything.  I guarantee that if you love historical fiction, romance, strong female characters, and storylines so well written and perfect for the beach then you will love Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams along with every other novel in her extensive catalogue.

Equal parts historical fiction, women’s fiction, and romance, Beatriz weaves a tale that begins in 1952 Cairo, continues in 2008 with young love on the New England coast, and in 2022 where we see how it all connects.

I don’t want to spoil any single thing, but in the present-day timeline, we’ve got a set of sisters that have SUCH a fun dynamic, a rich, boozy summer on an island where people do things like wear polos and loafers and sail, and an insufferable influencer. In 1952, we do some sightseeing in Egypt, hear about post-war politics and get a glimpse into middle eastern politics at the time, all through the lens of a Hungarian woman who lost everything - and then loses some more.

The book really inspired compassion in me for both sets of people. I was curious how the timelines would connect, and it didn’t disappoint. Everything was woven perfectly, and the romance plot was absolutely perfect.

I really loved this book and the multiple views of storytelling. I think the historical POV was a little confusing and it was hard to determine which details were relevant to retain as they relate to the present storyline, so I did find myself skimming these chapters a little more. But, overall, the historical fiction-ish storyline did support the present day storyline nicely and was very unique.

thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the ARC of this book. all opinions are my own.

I wish I could put into words how much I enjoyed this. What a great book. Highly recommend.

What an incredible book! I was so lucky to have the opportunity to read an ARC from NetGalley. I devoured this book! I enjoyed following the three different storylines and how they eventually all came together. The ending was a twist I did not see coming! 100/10 stars!

All I can really say is wow. Husbands & Lovers is a bit out of bounds of one of my usual reads, but I was absolutely blown away. First of all, the settings alone were mind-blowing. The flashes between New England and an Egyptian scape was so wonderful and such a pleasantly stark difference. Both Mallory and Hannah are absolutely captivating. They are messy and real and see such satisfying character development throughout. I was on the edge of my seat until the very last page.

Beatriz Williams never disappoints, and her books are such a unique blend of romance and family secrets. In Husbands and Lovers, there is a modern timeline in which single-mom Mallory is caring for her son, Sam, who needs a kidney donor after ingesting a poisonous mushroom at summer camp. Mallory and Sam are staying with her sister, Paige, on Winthrop Island, New York. After some geneological research while searching for a kidney donor, the sisters find out that their mom was adopted. We learn what happened to Mallory's family in a narrative thread that centers around Hungary during WWII and Egypt in the 1950s, which was truly fascinating to learn about. Mallory also reconnects with the love of her life, Monk Adams, whom she met while nannying for his siblings on Winthrop Island years ago. This modern second-chance romance was so amazing, and this book delivers all the big emotions and a satisfying ending. I can't wait to see what the author writes about next! Thanks to Netgalley, Ballantine, and the author for the librarian preview copy.

Loved the characters and both of the storylines! I really enjoyed how the timelines alternated and seeing how the 2 were entangled throughout the book. Beatriz Williams always has great settings & historical aspects. I was rooting for Mallory & Monk the whole time!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

What a great book! It kept me coming back from the jump. I couldn’t wait to hear what was happening next with Mallory and Monk, or Hannah. I thought I would be annoyed about jumping back and forth between story lines but there were great cliff hangers for both. I could envision this book being made into a movie so so easily. The social media fiancé juxtaposed against Cairo hotel scenes. Just enthralled with the whole story. Highly recommend this book!

This is a book that I wanted to read until I actually got into it. Like so many books today this is set in two general timelines. One timeline was World War II and the others in current times. The chapters alternate back and forth which is easier to follow than some but it just did not involve me in the story. I stayed with it thinking suddenly I would get into it but sadly I did not. Mallory is the present day single mother with a son who experiences a medical emergency and needs to identify his father. The other, Hannah, is a Hungarian living during World War II. There are many twists and turns in the story and I found it distracting most of the time. The author introduces a lot of characters and several complex story lines. The multiple story lines were just too many for my taste. That being said I have to say I really did not love this one. The search for the mystery of the cobra bracelet would have been a great story all by itself. Wish that had been more of the focus.

I wish to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books for allowing me to read a copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was an interesting dive into the past and present life of a single mom reconnecting with the father of her child. I thought this book was a very interesting look at parental guilt as a single parent (like her constantly blaming herself for her son's health problems), which was a perspective I do not have given that I am not a parent.

I thought a strong point of the story was the way it was able to weave multiple storylines and timelines together without overloading me as a reader. I definitely felt like I found the older timeline more interesting than the newer timeline, especially since the newer one kind of felt like a fanfiction to me (I also think it wrapped up a little too nicely). This was definitely a page turner, but I do wish the more historical timeline was explored a little more.

3.5 stars rounded up!