The Husbands: A Novel
Written by Chandler Baker
Narrated by Allyson Ryan
4/5
()
About this audiobook
A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK
“Chandler Baker, queen of the feminist thriller, has delivered once again! The Husbands is a poignant exploration of what it would take for women to have it all." —Sally Hepworth, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Sister
Chandler Baker, the New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Network, is back with The Husbands, a novel that asks: to what lengths will a woman go for a little more help from her husband?
Nora Spangler is a successful attorney but when it comes to domestic life, she packs the lunches, schedules the doctor appointments, knows where the extra paper towel rolls are, and designs and orders the holiday cards. Her husband works hard, too… but why does it seem like she is always working so much harder?
When the Spanglers go house hunting in Dynasty Ranch, an exclusive suburban neighborhood, Nora meets a group of high-powered women—a tech CEO, a neurosurgeon, an award-winning therapist, a bestselling author—with enviably supportive husbands. When she agrees to help with a resident’s wrongful death case, she is pulled into the lives of the women there. She finds the air is different in Dynasty Ranch. The women aren’t hanging on by a thread.
But as the case unravels, Nora uncovers a plot that may explain the secret to having-it-all. One that’s worth killing for. Calling to mind a Stepford Wives gender-swap, The Husbands imagines a world where the burden of the “second shift” is equally shared—and what it may take to get there.
A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books  
"The Husbands is both a gripping, well-crafted mystery and an insightful critique of motherhood and marriage in the modern age--working mothers everywhere will feel seen in the best possible way.” —Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia and A Good Marriage
Chandler Baker
Chandler Baker is the New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Network, a Reese’s Book Club pick, as well as the Good Morning America Book Club selection The Husbands. A former corporate lawyer, she lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, two small children, and even smaller dog. Cutting Teeth is her third novel for adults.
More audiobooks from Chandler Baker
- Alive Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
- Whisper Network: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Hello (From Here) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
- Cutting Teeth: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to The Husbands
Related audiobooks
- The Wife Between Us: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Please Join Us: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- The Wife App: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Good Neighbors: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- People Like Her: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- More Than You'll Ever Know: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Bad Summer People: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- The Younger Wife: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Reckless Girls: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Still Lives: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
- The Christie Affair: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- A Good Marriage: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- The Neighbor's Secret: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- The Villa: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- The Guilt Trip: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- The Golden Couple: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Saint X: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Magpie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- The Cage: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Not That I Could Tell: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- The Mother-in-Law: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- You Are Not Alone: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Good Company: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- The Wife Upstairs: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- An Anonymous Girl: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- The Good Sister: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Good Husbands: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- We Are the Brennans: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Sister Stardust: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- The Perfect Mother: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Contemporary Women's For You
- The Wedding People: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- The Boyfriend: A Psychological Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Broken Country (Reese's Book Club) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- None of This is True: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- The Women: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
- It Ends with Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- The Frozen River: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Then She Was Gone: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- One Italian Summer: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Winter Garden Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- The Midnight Library: A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Listen for the Lie: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Great Big Beautiful Life: Reese's Book Club Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Where the Crawdads Sing: Reese's Book Club Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Parable of the Talents Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Wild Dark Shore: Reese's Book Club Pick (A Novel) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- It Starts with Us: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- The Briar Club: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
- First Lie Wins: Reese's Book Club Pick (A Novel) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- The Lost Apothecary: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Daisy Jones & The Six: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Regretting You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Count My Lies: A GMA Book Club Pick! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- The Bell Jar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- The Hating Game: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Weyward: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- The Nightingale: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
- Show Don't Tell: Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
- Wrong Place Wrong Time: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for The Husbands
183 ratings13 reviews
What our readers think
Readers find this title to be a solid, old-school paranoid thriller with a glossy community full of promises. While it lingers too long on the domestic side, it still offers heart-pounding thrills and a hard examination of feminism and equality in our own homes. The characters are dimensional and relatable, and the plot has twists that keep readers hooked. It is recommended for book clubs and general discussions about marital roles. Although there are some negative reviews about the ending and repetitive complaints of the protagonist, overall, readers enjoy this book and find it impressive.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Sep 26, 2023 Had potential, but ended up a quite boring read. At first I found the internal monologue of the main character relatable but became so repetitive and uninteresting after about 3 chapters. If even half of the repetitive complaints of Nora were removed the book would be about one third in length and only a one star given the overall predictability of the plot.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Sep 26, 2023 Did not enjoy this book. As a mom, I could definitely relate to the struggles of a being a working mother, but I just did not like Nora or any of the characters for that matter. I also did not care for the narrator, so maybe that is part of it. She made Nora such a whiner.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sep 26, 2023 I love it!
 The end is a great twist enjoy the read. This could be a great book club book!
 Has my recommendation!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sep 26, 2023 Excellent book really enjoyed listening to it and the suspense and intrigue was great leading up to the totally lame semi disappointing ending and epilogue.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sep 26, 2023 Could not stop listening to this book! A decent thriller after so long
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sep 26, 2023 A solid, old-school paranoid thriller about a glossy community full of promises, in the vein of The Firm or The Stepford Wives. Like most domestic thrillers of late, it lingers too long on the domestic and not enough on the thriller. Much better than the similarly themed The Hunting Wives, not as good as the author's previous Whisper Network.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sep 26, 2023 4.5/5
 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️?\5
 From the very beginning I was hooked because I, like many women in the world, AM NORA. At times it felt as though the thoughts I keep in the deep recesses of my mind, surrounded by towering walls of wife/mom guilt to keep them buried, had been ripped from my head and put on paper by @chandlerbakerbooks.
 
 I loved how dimensional each character was; even the small supporting roles had been fully fleshed out.
 
 I was transported, not just to Dynasty Ranch, but into these friendships, these relationships, every situation and feeling was as real to me as it was to Nora.
 
 The Husbands offers heart pounding thrills, peppered with comic relief and a hard examination of how far feminism and equality have yet to reach, especially in our own homes.
 I highly recommend this book!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sep 26, 2023 Loved this book so much. As a working mom of 3, I relate so much. Didn't think I was going to like the ending, but then a big twist. Perfect!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sep 26, 2023 Fun and quick read (listen) that kept me entertained on my commute.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Sep 26, 2023 The ending was disappointing and the protagonist was a whiner
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sep 26, 2023 Impressed, so much truth in today’s relationship “shared” responsibilities, what it takes to have “equality” and oh wow the plot! Just loved the twists.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sep 26, 2023 Loved it! Such an interesting premise. Great for book club or general discussion regarding marital roles
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sep 26, 2023 Predictable but good story. Loved all the references to real life.
