Husbands and Lovers is an enjoyably complex multiple-timeline historical novel set in present-day New England and mid-century Egypt, with an unexpected detour to Ireland. Beatriz Williams always delivers an engaging narrative with at least one unexpected twist, and Husbands & Lovers delivers on that promise. Thank you to Random House, Ballantine Books and Net Galley for the advance reader copy.

Loved this story. It kept getting better and more intriguing as it continued. I do think some of the stories could have been simplified, but they seemed to come together at the end. Thank you for the advance copy!

I always love Beatriz Williams, and as expected, enjoyed this book. I liked the stories of both women; although did find it a bit frustrating that it would jump to the other woman just as I was getting more engaged! I appreciate how she links her books together and liked the ties to her last book about Summerly. It makes me wonder if the next book would be more about the Countess. Her story left me a bit unsatisfied (although I'm not sure that a book would be any different, given her ending). All that said, I loved both characters (Malloy and Hannah) and you can't go wrong with this author.

Beatriz Williams does it again (I just love her!)! This was such a fun one - but a smidge different from her others.

I loved the two timelines, going back and forth between 50s Egypt & current day beach town. I think BW does the historical flip-flop exceptionally well. In this book it actually felt a bit like 4 timelines since each character also went back in time too. It was a really cool way to really get to know each character on a deeper level by looking back at their pasts.

I might be wrong, but this book was one of the first ones of BW that I remember having a little spice! It was definitely okay IMO, and I think the title really sums it up well - husbands and lovers 🔥💗

BW’s character nods (or Easter eggs?) to characters in previous books is one of my most favorite things. Totally lets you momentarily relive a previous BW book! I thought Paige was a really sweet character & am intrigued by Sedge - maybe another book on either of these two?! Who knows!

All in all, totally loved it. Totally would recommend.
A massive thank you to NetGally & Ballantine Books for this ARC ✨

Man, I could almost feel the characters coming off the page and see the settings. I couldn't put this one down. Can't wait to read more from this author.

4 stars. *

Beatriz Williams is one of my favorite authors. I have read almost everything she has written and while some outshine others, they are all right up my alley.

Williams typically writes historical fiction stories told by multiple narrators across time. Husbands & Lovers is no different, though it is the most current of her novels, with one of the storylines taking place now.

The novel opens with Mallory, a single mom, receiving a call from her son's summer camp alerting her to a medical emergency. Her son Sam ate a mushroom on a dare. He survives but is left with renal complications that mean a lifetime of dialysis until he can find a donor. Mallory's sister, Paige, buts in to encourage Mallory to reach out to Sam's father (who incidentally does not know Sam exists) in order to potentially save Sam's life.

Simultaneously, Paige & Mallory learn that their grandmother was adopted, and their desire to seek blood family ties to help Sam lead them down a wild path.

The other storyline is that of Paige & Mallory's biological grandmother, a Hungarian interpreter married to an English diplomat living in Cairo in the early 1950s.

Both storylines are compelling, and I was invested and interested all the way through. As is normal for Williams, part of the story takes place at Summerly, a beach home in fictional Winthrop Island, which has featured in two previous novels.

Add this to your summer TBR if you like modern Historical Fiction & beach reads!

Publication Date: June 25, 2024.

*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Ms. Williams for the advanced reader's copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book. It takes you down town roads of present day and a love story of years past. Characters you can really feel and learn to love each of their heartbreaks and love stories.

Beatriz Williams is one of my favorite historical fiction authors... scratch that, one of my favorite authors. When I got approved for this ARC on NetGalley I dropped everything I was doing to read this book and it did NOT disappoint. Husbands & Lovers is set in two different time periods and is told from the perspective of two different women, Mallory and Hannah. Mallory, who is a single mom, whose son is in need of a kidney transplant. Hannah who is stuck in a loveless marriage living in Egypt during the 1950s. I was equally invested in each story line and loved how they intertwined with each other. I loved this book so much and still find myself thinking about it even after I've finished. This is a must read for 2024!

Beatriz Williams always knocks it out of the park with her unique plots.
However, this novel didn't blow me away. The structure has been played out many times. The level of suspense didn't pick up until the last quarter of the book (for me, anyway). And the dialogue between characters of the past seemed ill researched and stiff.
I'm disappointed this wasn't a 5 star read for me, and to be honest I skimmed a lot of it. I think her novels are becoming more and more predictable.

I really hope that they turn this book into a movie! This is a wonderful story about two women who are strong and aspirational. Mallory, a single mom who is raising a beautiful but medically fragile young boy, and Hannah, her grandmother who is living in Egypt during the time of the 1950s revolution. Both carry a secret, which will distance them from the loves of their lives.

Main character, Mallory, is trying to figure out her own roots at the same time as figuring out the roots she wants for her son, Sam. However, when Sam needs an organ transplant, she realizes her only option is to go back to a story she closed fourteen years ago. Told in dueling timelines, this saga takes the reader from New England to Egypt…secrets are revealed and questions are answered.

While slow to start, the second half soared and I really loved this one!

I've read quite a few of Beatriz Williams' books and this one missed the mark for me. I wasn't able to get to the point of caring about any of the characters. I suspected something going on with Monk's father and knew for certain of Monk's role in his son's health care. I felt the cobra bracelet side story was unfulfilling and somewhat detracting - except in the last few pages, a magical connection to the Egyptian/Hungarian storyline.

Once again, Beatriz Williams delivers! Husbands and Wives is a lush tale woven throughout the lives of Hannah and Mallory. Their stories intersect yet jar apart. Hannah’s backdrop is exotic Cairo, on the edge of a .revolution. She is torn between two men while harboring her own secrets. Mallory ‘s story is set on Winthrop Island, home to the Old Money Adams family, where her former love Monk Adams (the son of the house) now resides, when he’s at home, that is. She has her own secrets and is having to deal with a precarious medical emergency.. Fans of the Team W (thanks to Friends and Fiction) novels that Ms. Williams writes with fellow authors Lauren Willing and Karen White, will be thrilled to find Easter eggs of their latest novel The Beach at Summerly inserted into the storyline. Another great novel from a grand storyteller!

I loved this book! I was hooked from page one! Mallory is a single mother and her son needs a kidney after he eats a mushroom at summer camp. Hannah is married to a man she doesn’t love in 1950’s Cairo. The women are decades apart but their stories come together through love and loss and the choices they make along the way. I will be reading more my Beatriz Williams!

This latest novel by Beatriz Williams, Husbands and Lovers, was a book that I chose to read out of my normal genre. Husbands and Lovers is read in dual times between the 1950's and 2022. It's a current romance/historical romance rolled into one. This book offers a whirlwind of narratives, with a plot that's as diverse as its characters. While the multitude of storylines keeps you engaged, at times, it feels like there's a bit too much going on. There have been some wonderful reviews about the book so I gave it a shot. It's a very secular story, so really not for me.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! So excited to get approved for this book by Beatriz- it went to the top of my pile!! Wow!! I was drawn in from the beginning and could not put this book down!! Different time lines and the stories of women were weaved together. Mallory and Monk's story from 2008 and 2022, Hannah's story set in Cairo in 1951. Mallory and Monk were young and in love until something happened... fast forward to 2022 with Mallory and their son who is now in need of a kidney! Hannah is Mallory's grandma - who was put in Cairo by circumstance with her husband and I did learn some history of what was going on in Cairo at the time. Overall the book is a must and I definitely recommend!!

The premise was interesting, but I was unable to connect with the characters. The title and cover don't seem to be a good fit for the story. The multiple timelines just felt like Williams was trying to do too much. They may have worked better as two separate books.

I have such mixed feelings about this book, but the good outweighed the bad.

What I liked: the overall story, Paige and Mallory’’s relationship, Monk overall, most of the twist and turns, the dual timeline, multiple POVs, the final conclusion

What I didn’t like: sometimes the dialogue felt clunky, the pacing wasn’t right—nothing would happen for long stretches then all of the sudden everything is happening at once, missing sections of time, the big revelation at the end

The women between these pages were forced into unthinkable situations. Hannah lost an entire family. Mallory has a son that needs a kidney, her son’s father is now an international singer ,songwriter and doesn’t know his son exists. The tread that binds starts in Cairo in the 1950’s and culminates with revelations spilled today. It’s a great read.

3.5 star read for me. I have read this author many times and enjoy her writing style. However, this is a multi timeline story and sometimes I was thrown with what time and place I was at with either Hannah's or Mallory's storyline, as within the chapter and timeline, the reader is placed into a characters "flashback". Because there were so many storylines, I felt the ending was rushed to have it all come together. Overall, I did enjoy the writing and the storylines of Hannah and Mallory.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.