The Husbands

Please don't read Holly Gramazio's debut novel if you are looking for a rom-com (the publisher categorizes it as Women's Fiction but IMO the cover begs to differ). Although there are several funny scenes and the overall tone is satirical, if you (like me) are a romance reader you will be sorely disappointed. The revolving door of husbands becomes repetitive by the novel's midpoint, and there aren't enough significant events that deviate from that process to compensate. Fiction is full of stories that appeal to our curiosity around how our lives would have turned out if we made different choices (e.g., [b:Maybe in Another Life 23492661 Maybe in Another Life Taylor Jenkins Reid https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1424970519l/23492661.SY75.jpg 43082842], [b:Sliding Doors 4859702 Sliding Doors Peter Howitt https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1336333585l/4859702.SY75.jpg 4925023] etc.), but The Husbands trades quality for quantity. I raced through the book to see if Lauren's magical attic would ever stop spitting out spouses, but it was an intellectual curiosity, not an emotional one.There is a lot of positive buzz around this book, so maybe I'm an old-fashioned softie who doesn't appreciate 21st century novels. YMMV if you can see the book as brilliant commentary on The Way We Live Now and not feel personally invested in the outcome.