Review: Husband Material by Emily Belden
It’s going to be a review heavy week on Read&Wright! I finished some incredible books and need to share them with you ASAP. Yesterday I shared Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston and today I have Husband Material by Emily Belden.
Wow. Just…wow. I LOVED Husband Material. It was a book that really surprised me. Initially, I was drawn to the book by its cover and title. Being a bride to be, I thought the title suited my current reading mood and content. I read the synopsis and was a little surprised, but still thought it would be about Charlotte, the main character, finding someone who was “Husband Material.”
I was wrong in the best way. This book so much more than chick lit. This book explores loss, identity, trust, adulthood, and moving on in such a delicate and real way. I am so incredibly impressed with it.
Charlotte Rosen’s husband Decker died suddenly at 27, not even one year into their marriage. Charlotte was 25, struggling with the idea that “widow” was a not a title many 25 year olds have. So she packed up and started a life where no one knew about Decker, threw herself into work, and all of a sudden 5 years have passed. Until one day, Decker’s ashes are returned to her and she is forced to confront the grief she pushed away.
Belden handles a extremely delicate story with such precision and honesty. She interviewed widows of all ages to give Charlotte an authentic grief process, which leaps off the page. But the book doesn’t feel all “doom and gloom”, it feels so real. We watch Charlotte try to deal with every emotion thrown her way, including her desire to be someone’s wife again, which cannot be an easy thing to understand.
I cannot imagine ever being in such a position. I shed quite a few tears while reading this book, but I also smiled and laughed, felt like Charlotte’s cheerleader and her annoyed friend. This is going to be a favorite of 2019 as well.
A huge thank you and round of applause to Emily Belden for such an incredible piece of writing and to Random House for the advanced digital copy!
Husband Material is on sale December 30, 2019 (which just so happens to be my birthday, but that’s not why I loved this book so much) but is available for preorder now! Add it to your Christmas lists, TBR’s, all the things! I’ll definitely be talking about it again as the publication date nears.