Devoured in days! Beatriz Williams is at her best as she returns readers to Winthrop Island. With a strong female protagonist, the book alternates between present day and 1950s Egypt on the brink of independence. The story is fast paced and explores the boundaries of love and motherhood. The book takes the reader on several twists and turns. This is sure to be a huge summer hit.

To get you interested, Ms. Williams starts this book with a child who is being rushed to the hospital after consuming wild mushrooms. This singular event will change the lives of Mallory, Sam, Paige, and Monk. Paige and Mallory discover that their mother was adopted and set out on a journey to discover their family so that Sam can get a needed transplant. Monk and Sam will find a family they never knew of. That may seem simple for a plot, but there are all kinds of hills and valleys to get to what is needed, that transplant.

I read every book that Ms. Williams writes and this is the best one in years. It is a three-timeline book (How does she keep this straight?) 2022, 2008, and 1951.

Ultimately, this is a book about family, connections of choices, and a message to be careful about eating food from the wild and I highly recommend to the fiction fan.

Love this. The plot the characters. The writing. Swoon worthy. I would recommend to people who like historical fiction and are looking for an epic summer read.

I really enjoyed this story from Beatriz Williams. The books switches between the current and past. It isn’t hard to follow the time differences and know where you are at. The current and past are woven together by a cobra bracelet that was used to hide spy messages.

Current: Malloy was a single parent of a teenaged son who while at camp ate some mushrooms that made his super sick. He needed a kidney transplant to recover. For awhile they were looking for a donor. Mallory’s sister forced her to reunite with her former love interest and her son’s father. Until now, Mallory had kept Monk out of her life. He never knew he had a son. While in college and dating Monk, his father drugged her and raped her. She didn’t know whose child she was pregnant with, so she raised him on her own. Monk ended up being the perfect donor for their son.

Past: Hannah lived in the ‘50’s in Egypt. Once she was bit by a cobra. She married Alistar and was never truly happy with him. As a baby, Hannah was taken from her family and put in an orphanage in Ireland. Later on, the cobra bracelet was sent to the family who adopted the baby. Hannah ended up being Mallory’s grandmother and gave her the bracelet.

While Mallory was visiting Monk in the hospital, Mallory, her sister, and son opened up the bracelet to read the spy message.

I am a fan of this author's work, and her deep dives into history while creating intricate and interesting narratives within historical timelines. This story is essentially two women's stories about their love lives, but we also get to hear the perspective from the men in their lives which added a fun layer to this book. I loved that perspective - it gave a lot of power to the women to see how they impacted the men. In this book, we again get a more modern storyline and then another that takes place in the 1950s. My favorite storyline was probably Hannah's, because her meeting the hotel manager while she was married, and the choices she had to make, really impacted me with regard to what is right, and need and want - it drew me in.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!!

This was one of my most anticipated books of this year and I was so excited to receive a copy of this ahead of its release. And it did not disappoint! I'm always a fan of the whole concept of two POVs from different timelines, that intersect over the course of the book. I wasn't sure what the plot was going to look like, but I was already very intrigued by the timeline switches. Throw in a center storyline of family that derives from the different decades? Absolutely.

I was hooked on to the story very quickly, and while it took me a little longer to follow along with Hannah's POV than with Mallory's, I think I was fully invested by the time I was 4-5 chapters in. Honestly, I just really loved all the characters in this. They were so well-written with respect to the plot and so realistic, as were the minor storylines.

Mallory, Paige and Sam was such a cute family; I always appreciate when authors keep the character list small and build on them to really accentuate the dynamics. The growth and emotions these three characters went through was so riveting and I loved reading about them. The way the story unfolded with Monk was so heartwarming too. Honestly, the flow of how that happened was predictable, but something about the way the characters were written made it not even matter.

While I preferred the present POV with Mallory more, there was a certain charm with Hannah's that I can't discount. The way the description, monologue and tone shifted slightly to match the 1950s backdrop was so genius to me, and I loved the way it was written. Obviously, the connection between Mallory and Hannah was pretty obvious from the beginning, but Hannah's life and the events described in this book were so interesting to read about. I don't think I've ever read anything like it before.

Husbands & Lovers was such an unexpected fast-paced read for me, and I wasn't anticipating breezing through this like I did. It's such a poignant but cute story of adventure, romance, family and reality, and a definite recommend!

Another great read from BW! I couldn’t put this one down. I was so interested to see how the storylines came together and really enjoyed the different time frames. Monk and Mallory’s story and Hannah’s were both intriguing. This will be a great summer read for many. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC

This is definitely on my best reads of the year list. I have already told people to read this book. The story told through different times periods and different characters works so well. So well written, you connect with all of the characters. I didn’t want the book to end.

Husbands and Lovers tells is the story of two women: Hannah (told in Hungary and Egypt), who is married and unhappy, and hiding her past; and Mallory (told in the US in 2008 and 2022), a single mom who's son is on the kidney transplant list, and who's baby daddy is a famous singer and her first love. Mallory attempts to find out more information about her family to find a kidney donor. Overall, I really liked this story. I found the multiple timelines and viewpoints to be difficult at times, as Hannah tells her current story in Egypt and her previous story in Hungary, and Mallory has her two separate timelines. Because of this, I found different aspects of the stories to be more intriguing at different times. I wish we got more information on Hannah and her life, the end felt a bit abrupt (unless she gets another book????), but it also took me way longer to get into Hannah's story.
Overall: 4/5 stars!

I enjoyed how the author intertwined the multiple timelines and loved the historical fiction aspect of the story. Overall I liked this book but found one of the main characters unrelatable.
Two women that lead very different lives set in different timelines are united by a family heirloom. This is a good book for both historical fiction and romance lovers.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley, opinions are my own.
I did like the book, definitely a good beach read. There are two story lines , one is Hannah’s story in 1952. The other is Mallory and Monk’s story from their high school days to the present day. I definitely liked Mallory’s story more, I found Hannah’s story very confusing, it was hard to follow what happened in Hungary and when and how she got to Egypt and met multiple characters, some more important to the story, some less. I didn’t feel the Egyptian unrest had much to do with the story line.
I often had to reread paragraphs, and say, “wait, what” as one thought went to a completely other in one sentence. In Mallory’s and Monk’s story there were also “wait, what” instances, especially at the end when Monk ends up in the hospital. Since this was an advance, uncorrected copy, I hope some editing can fix these wait, what instances and then the novel will deserve the four stars.

Where to begin, I did not expect to not want to put this book down. I connected with Mallory right away as a mom wanting to do anything for her child, as Hannah's story progressed and evolved you felt the same pull. All of the characters were relatable and you felt as if they could be you, your family, friends, with their own story to tell. Rooting for all to be happy. I would highly recommend this book, it was the book I didn't know I needed. Thank you for the happy tears, the sad tears, truly a well written book.

As someone who regularly reads psychological thrillers, the blurb of this book intrigued me. An absolutely wonderfully written story.
I enjoyed the different eras of time for each chapter. It made me want to keep reading to see what was going to happen. The characters were developed really well and I got to learn a little more about history.
Do not close the book at the end. Please read how Beatriz came up with the book and the true stories that lead her to write it.
Thank you for the ARC. Loved it.

Absolutely loved this book - I have read some others of Beatriz Williams and really liked them and was excited to be chosen to read the ARC of her new book. Did not disappoint. I loved the interwoven aspect of the 2 stories - one set in present day and one set in the mid 1900's with then throwback stories for each story line thrown in. The main characters were well developed and there was just enough of a glimpse of the side characters to make them interesting without overshadowing the main plot. Overall a great read and kept my interest as I didn't want to put it down.

Don't let the cover of this book mislead you! This novel is one of romance and mystery. Present day - mother - Mallory gets a call from the hospital that her son is gravely ill. Past - Mallory and her sister Paige are trying to find information about their grandmother who lived through WWII, When their mother passed away Mallory received a bracelet in the shape of a cobra that her mother never took off. As they learn more about the bracelet and their grandmother's past, they learn that their grandmother's story involves the Ukraine, Egypt and Ireland. The characters are very well written. Although the chapters alternate between the present and the past it is very easy to follow. This is the first book I have read by this author, but it won't be my last. Thank you NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars. I loved this book. This is my 6th Beatriz Williams book and I really like the writing style.

This book opens with such a great chapter - Mallory, 2019, a mom racing to the hospital where her 10-year old son lies in a coma after eating a death cap mushroom. My heart was racing in anticipation of what would happen.

The chapters then alternate between Mallory and Hannah, Cairo, Egypt 1951. Hannah meets her husband at a displaced persons camp in Vienna, she just arriving and he a governmental employee. She becomes his translator, and wife and they move to Egypt where she meets a mysterious Lucien Beck, the hotel manager. I loved learning more about the history of the Suez Canal and the British and Egyptians.

The chapters alternate between women and times - some going backward in time as well. Obviously from the title of the book you know that men will play a large role in this book and how men manipulate and can be manipulated - of the power that men (think they) have and the women who love them.

These two storylines were both so fantastic to read and I can't say that I liked one more than the other - and they you realize how they merge. Such a wonderfully written book that I absolutely loved reading.

Thank you to NetGalley, Beatriz Williams and Ballantine Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is a stunning poetic melody which follows two women separated by a generation through their ups and downs of love, life and family. Written from two points of view in three non linear timelines between New England and Egypt, the women, Mallory and Hannah are fierce, brave, strong and beautiful. I was invested in the mystery of their lives and Williams kept me hooked until the end.

It's no secret that I love Beatriz Williams as an author, and in fact I've devoured every book she's published since I first read Summer Wives, so to say I was overjoyed to get the ARC of Husbands & Lovers is putting it lightly, so certainly be mindful of that bias on my part. Ha!
In Husbands & Lovers we have a dual timeline story about Mallory Dunne in New England 2022, a single mom, caring for her chronically ill son after a dangerous encounter with a poisoned mushroom, and Hannah Ainsworth in Cairo Egypt 1951, the wife of a British diplomat, living a life of secrets after surviving WWII in Hungary. How their storylines intertwine and intersect takes us through the bulk of the book.
As with her previous books, this book is clearly well researched and well written, and my primary (and only) complaint really, is that I would have liked so much more from Hannah's timeline and the tragedy she survives to be more detailed and elaborated upon in the book. All that said, I found this book almost immediately engrossing and quickly became invested in both women's stories. I very much enjoyed that the book was mostly set on Winthrop Island, a setting that will be familiar to Beatriz's faithful readers of previous books. This is absolutely a nice entry for summer reading, while also still feeling substantial and thought provoking. I've decided to round up from 4.5 stars for this one.
Thank you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the summer!! And it was everything that I could have asked for and more. It was so good I was Entangled into the story and I could not put it down. I was so engrossed and involved in this book. I loved every word of this book!!!! Perfect Beach or Pool read! 5 stars!!
I just reviewed Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams. #HusbandsLovers #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Really enjoyed this book! There were a lot of storylines to keep track of but I enjoyed each of them. Mallory and Monk (a famous singer) figuring out their relationship 13 years after the summer they fell in love..and how to parent Sam once Monk knew of his existence. Hannah in 1952 in Cairo and how she navigated the husband she doesn't love and the Israeli spy she does...plus the secrets of her past that we slowly learn.

I liked each of the stories and liked how Williams wove them together. I wish there had been a little bit more detail toward the end to wrap thing sup and combine the storylines a little more fully.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!