Williams keeps true to her NE perspective, but feels fresh with a new time period and unique dual timeline. For readers of romance, women's fiction, beach reads and period novels.

I loved this novel set in dual time periods. Mallory’s son Sam ate a bad mushroom and needs a kidney transplant so he doesn’t have to have dialysis the rest of his life. She has very few relatives and finding the perfect match proves to be a huge obstacle. Hannah is in Egypt in a loveless marriage but becomes pregnant with another man’s child. Both women have to overcome huge obstacles to overcome their situations.
I really enjoyed this book and the dual story-
Thanks to NetGalley for the early review.

Mallory has a ten year old son, Sam. Sam needs a kidney due to a medical emergency. They don’t have a lot of family left and so far haven’t been lucky finding a donor. Mallory’s sister, Paige, isn’t a match either, but she encourages Mallory to find Sam’s father, Monk Adams, and ask if he would be willing to help.

Monk is a famous musician now and doesn’t know he has a son with his on and off again childhood friend, Mallory. Mallory and Monk go way back and had a few sexually charged interludes while she helped his family during school intercessions.

Interestingly, there is a dual timeline in which Mallory and Paige realize their mom was adopted and they aren’t from the bloodline they think they are from. Paige isn’t spoken of in the synopsis or some other reviews that I have seen. I am not sure why because she is a cute character. She is tenacious, a great support to her sister and a fairly large part of the story.

The dual timeline takes place in 1950’s Cairo. We are swept away into the complicated story of Mallory and Paige’s biological grandmother, Hannah.
Hannah’s life in Cairo was that of great despair but also exhilaration. We see how difficult life could be back then and how Mallory and Paige’s mom came to be. I loved how Hannah’s character just kept getting more enthralling page by page; what a woman she was.

Everything ties together throughout the story and comes to a nice, clean conclusion. Great story with a gripping plot line. This book would make a great movie or TV series. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC of this book.

I highly recommend adding to your beach bag this summer!

Mallory Dunne has received the worst phone call of her life - her 10 year old son, Sam, ate a poisonous mushroom at summer camp and his organs are failing. Flash forward three years, and they’re going to dialysis multiple times a week while he awaits a kidney transplant. As it that isn’t enough stress, Mallory and her sister Paige learn their mother was adopted from an Irish orphanage and that her prized emerald Cobra bracelet was from her birth mother. Now throw in Monk Adams, Mallory’s swoon worthy now-rock star all-consuming first love and you’ve got a classic Beatriz Williams story.

As we jump from Winthrop Island (so glad to be back!) to Cairo to Ireland and back, we share in the immense love, loss, and tragedy of Mallory in contemporary times and Hannah in 1950s Egypt. They are both flawed, deeply wounded women who are just trying to make the best choices with the hand they have been dealt.

No one writes intricate, emotional family drama better than Beatriz Williams. I finished this a few weeks ago and I’m still thinking about Hannah and Mallory!

Beatriz’ Williams has another blockbuster with Husbands & Lovers. I throughly enjoyed this dual timelines novel. The story will take you on a nice journey filled with many surprises. The book also has a DNA component.

Thank you #NetGalley, #BallantineBooks, #RandomHouse, #PenguinRandomHouseLLC, #BeatrizWilliams and #Husbands&Lovers for the advance copy for my honest review.

Getting an ARC of Beatriz Williams’ newest book, Husbands & Lovers, was such an exciting moment. Williams will always be an automatic read for me, as I’ve become a huge fan of her work. Even with great expectations, Husbands & Lovers blew me away. Dare I say, it is Williams’ best book yet? True to her previous style, this novel is written in two timelines. Present day is set on the idyllic New England coast, where Mallory is juggling being a single parent of a delightful teenage son who is waiting for a kidney donation. Much to her dismay, she’s thrust back into the orbit of her childhood friend and love, Monk Adams, a now famous musician. In Ciaro, in 1951, we meet Hannah. She’s married to a much older man and finds herself living at a fancy hotel while he fills his role as a British Diplomat. Layers of her complicated Hungarian history are revealed as Hannah finds herself making complicated decisions involving both her husband and her lover. While I found myself drawn to Mallory’s story, Hannah’s was equally endearing and I enjoyed Williams’ ability to weave their stories together. Friends & Lovers will be in my top books for 2024, without a doubt. Another smashing success for Beatriz Williams!

A sincere thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Page turner alert! These beautiful love stories are told from three different time periods across a family generation. A simple mistake leaves a single mom and her sister down an incredible journey that not only reveals some well kept family secrets but heals a few hearts along the way. Williams knows how to write a cliff hanger chapter and I could not put this novel down. My favorite theme is her ability to build out incredibly strong female characters: Hannah, Mallory, Paige, Aunt Barbara, even the nun.

It takes courage to survive, to love, to heal. Thank you Net Galley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley #HusbandsLovers

"Husbands and Lovers" by Beatriz Williams is a historical fiction novel with two timelines following Mallory and Hannah. The story weaves their lives together, but I found the dual timelines a bit confusing at times. The timelines didn't blend seamlessly, making it challenging to follow the plot. While the characters are engaging, the narrative's structure could have been clearer.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Beatriz Williams for the opportunity to read this arc.

Spoiler alert: I am probably Beatriz Williams' biggest fan. I have read every book of hers and even met her a couple of times at the Book luncheon. I feel that Husbands & Lovers is the biggest jewel in BW's crown. I loved the two timelines and the characters of Mallory and Hannah. BW has a way of making her characters jump off the page. And Monk - what a heartthrob. They need to make a movie of this fabulous book. I predict that Husbands & Lovers will be the hit of the Summer.

Another outstanding book by Beatriz Williams, I daresay this one might be my favorite. It switches between modern day and Egypt following WWII. I just couldn't stop reading this book, so I finished it quickly.

Well, another fantastic book by Beatriz Williams. Definitely one of my favorites of the year!
The way she can incorporate two different timelines and sets of characters and tie them all together will never cease to amaze me.
I can not recommend this enough!!

In "Husbands And Lovers" by Beatriz Williams, Mallory Dunne faces a challenging search for a kidney donor for her son, uncovering family secrets in the process. The narrative seamlessly shifts between contemporary New England and 1951 Cairo, telling the story of Hannah Ainsworth, a Hungarian refugee.

Hannah's life in glamorous Cairo takes an unexpected turn with a passionate affair amid revolutionary unrest. The novel explores themes of heartbreak, redemption, privilege, and the female experience across generations. With evocative storytelling, Williams crafts a captivating journey through time and emotion. I love a dual timelines storyline and this one was expertly crafted and woven together perfectly. Highly recommend!

Classic Beatriz Williams with layered female characters and richly detailed scenes. Husbands and Lovers is part historical fiction presented in a dual timeline of 1950's Cairo during the Egyptian Revolution and modern-day New England.
In the 1950's timeline, Hannah, who is married to an English Diplomat located in Cairo is bored of her marriage and falls for Lucien who is their driver and guide. Most of Hannah's story is told from the perspective of their flight from Egypt to safety and her growing relationship with Lucien.
In the modern-day timeline, Mallory is a single mom whose son makes a poor decision while away at camp and puts her on a journey to find a kidney donor for him. She reluctantly reconnects with a now famous pop star who she had previously dated and thus her journey is revealed.
I found the connection to the two timelines a bit too fanciful and Mallory extremely frustrating. Having said that, I enjoyed Beatriz Williams writing and look forward to her next book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read Husbands and Lovers by Beatriz Williams. Ms. Williams is an outstanding historical fiction author and this is her best effort so far.

This was an interesting read and a great way to start off 2024—my goal is to try and read more this year (as you may have noticed, my guest reviewer Becki penned most of our reviews in 2023), and I received this one from NetGalley.

Official synopsis:
Book Review: Husbands & Lovers, by Beatriz Williams
Two women—separated by decades and continents, and united by a mysterious family heirloom—reclaim family secrets and lost loves in this sweeping novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Wives.

New England, 2022. Three years ago, single mother Mallory Dunne received the telephone call every parent dreads—her ten-year-old son Sam had been airlifted from summer camp with acute poisoning from a toxic death cap mushroom, leaving him fighting for his life. Now, in a search for the donor kidney that will give her son a chance for a normal life, Mallory’s forced to confront two harrowing secrets from her past: her mother’s adoption from an infamous Irish orphanage in 1952, and her own all-consuming summer romance fourteen years earlier with her childhood best friend Monk Adams—now one of the world’s most beloved singer-songwriters—a fairytale cut short by an agonizing betrayal.

Cairo, 1951. After suffering tragedy beyond comprehension in the war, Hungarian refugee Hannah Ainsworth has forged a respectable new life for herself—marriage to a wealthy British diplomat, a coveted posting in glamorous Cairo. But a fateful encounter with the enigmatic manager of a hotel bristling with spies leads to a passionate affair that will reawaken Hannah's longing for everything she once lost. As revolution simmers in the Egyptian streets, a pregnant Hannah finds herself snared into a game of intrigue between two men…and an act of sacrifice that will echo down the generations.

Timeless and bittersweet, Husbands And Lovers draws readers on an unforgettable journey of heartbreak and redemption, from the revolutionary fires of midcentury Egypt to the moneyed beaches of contemporary New England. Acclaimed author Beatriz Williams has written a poignant and beautifully voiced novel of deeply human characters entangled by morally complex issues—of privilege, class, and the female experience—inside worlds brought shimmeringly to life.

This novel jumps between 1951, Cairo; 2008; and 2022. In 1951 Cairo, Hannah Ainsworth, who has a few secrets, is married to a British diplomat, but has an affair with the manager of a hotel. In 2008, Mallory Dunne has agreed to nanny for the siblings of Monk Adams, a college friend and someone who she secretly has a crush on. And in 2022, Mallory and her son are vacationing on the East Coast and run into Monk Adams, now a superstar musician, who is engaged and about to get married that week.

It's hard to navigate multiple storylines/timelines, and I thought the author did this well, although I did think the book ended on a cliffhanger/resolution of sorts that could have been expanded. At first I didn't see why the Cairo part was relevant, but it soon reveals itself, and I didn't know much about wartime in Cairo anyways so it was interesting. My favorite parts were actually the ones set in 2008, when Mallory and Monk (who I pictured as John Mayer in my head, for some reason) were falling in love.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in historical and/or romance books, or anyone who enjoys a good mystery, too, actually—it covered a few genres.

Husbands & Lovers will be available on June 25, 2024—click here to pre-order on Amazon (affiliate link).

Beatriz Williams at her finest ... honestly probably my new favorite of hers! Loved all of the different timelines and characters. I just need a flowchart/family tree of how her characters from all of her books are all related since I can't keep track 😅

Felt like I spent the summer on Winthrop Island AND in Egypt--centuries apart! Beautiful "love story"-esque plot steeped in fascinating details from poisonous mushrooms, to DNA ancestry, to the Suez Canal, to Magdalene laundries in Ireland, to pop musicians, to art--and jewelry (can't for get the cobra!).

Truly a "wold"-wind of a trip across countries and time. Believable characters and situations that made for a sunny escape this dreary post-holiday January!

Beatriz Williams never disappoints and Husbands & Lovers is no exception. Following the course of two women’s lives separated by an ocean and 70 years, she weaves together a story which at its heart is about strength and resilience- more specifically the strength and resilience of women- of mothers. The generational ties that bind us even when we don’t know they exist. The strength to endure, to survive, to protect. “…we’re all here bc of a series of little miracles we know nothing about. The miracles that brought me right here, sitting in this chair beside you. What they sacrificed so I could live.” In a world where the decisions of men often have the greatest impact, the choices both Hannah in the past and Mallory in the present make for themselves will have lasting effects on their own lives and those they love.
Beautifully written, locations and characters come to life. Cairo 1952, on the brink of revolution, sparkles like only the end of a glittering sun soaked time and place can. The beginning of the book was, perhaps, a little slow but it quickly pulls you into these intertwining stories. I found it enjoyable, engrossing and hard to put down. The ending leaves you wanting to know more but satisfied.
Fans of The Glass Ocean and The Last Dress from Paris will enjoy this book.
I think it’s important to note that this book does contain some themes and situations which some readers may find upsetting. I’ll do my best to list a few.
- Antisemitism- in the 1952 portions of the book as well in further flashbacks which take place during WWII.

- Rape- never fully on page this shows up twice I believe. ** Spoiler below as I’m going to put the chapter this happens in so if you don’t want to know stop reading and move to next T/W ** It is alluded to once and the second time its words and actions leading up to the actual act- up to the removal of clothes. I want to be very clear that the reader knows what is happening here so if this is a trigger for you- please take care of yourself. This can be found at the end of 23 and is discussed again in chapter 24 but not explicitly.

- Physical violence towards women-mentioned but not shown explicitly as it happens in the past ie: “they took turns beating me.” There is also mention of interrogation techniques where violence is implied but no specific details are given

- Death of a spouse and children. The children’s death is off page and mentioned in the past tense- not due to any violence. The death of a spouse is violent and on page but only one line.

- Chronically ill child. This is a huge plot point which is obvious from the beginning of the book.

Husbands & Lovers tells the stories of two women in two different timelines. Mallory Dunne's story takes place in 2022 and Hannah Ainsworth's in 1951. We learn of the ties between these women as Mallory and her sister look into their past while dealing with relatable issues of today's women- motherhood, relationships, past regrets. Through Hannah's story we learn about some of the challenges for Eastern Europeans in World War II and for the British community in Cairo in the 1950's. Hannah's story of hardship, resilience, and motherhood is compelling- you want to know more!
Other characters in both women's stories are interesting and compelling- Mallory's summer love, Monk Adams is complex and charming. Her sister, Paige, is another great character- insightful and supportive. The supporting characters in Hannah's story include her husband, a past-his-prime diplomat and her lover, a spy for Mossad.
Williams does an artful job of weaving Mallory's and Hannah's stories together in the end of this novel filled with compelling characters and complex issues.

Beatriz Williams is one of my all-time favorite historical fiction writers, so I was thrilled to win an advanced copy of her latest novel, Husbands & Lovers. For the first time, the main storyline is set during the modern age, 2022, when Mallory's son Sam lands in the hospital with kidney failure after ingesting a mushroom at summer camp. In need of a transplant, Sam's future hangs in the balance; and Mallory is faced with the dilemma of whether to reach out to his father, Monk, a famous rock star wth whom she had a passionate romance when they were younger and living on Winthrop Island, a location that will be familiar to anyone who has reach Williams's previous books.

As with other Beatriz Williams novels, there is a dual storyline in the book. The second story is set in 1950's Egypt, where Hannah becomes involved with a Jewish spy even though she is married to an English diplomat. A lot of the fun in this book is watching how the two storylines intersect across the decades.

No one writes a New England setting like Beatriz Williams, and I love how all her books are connected. Based on the way this novel ended, I suspect her next book will continue with some of the minor characters in this book. I can't wait to find out!