An Unexpectedly Deep Story
4 out of 5 stars
I don’t really remember why I was interested in this book (not saying that in a negative way, I just cannot remember what specifically drew me to the book) but this book was so much more than I expected.
Husband Material tells the story of 29-year-old Charlotte Rosen. The introduction of the story makes it sound like her and her husband had a nasty divorce. One that leaves her unable to talk about it. But you find out over time that her husband died, and you find out how as the story progresses. This sits with Char and really makes her who she is today. She stopped looking at things from different angles and just focuses on the mathematics of it all. It reminded me a little bit of Along Came Polly where Ben Stiller’s character needed to quantify everything.
She’s been basically hiding from life and all the happiness that it brings for fear that it’ll all come crashing down again. She’s surprised one morning when her husband’s ashes are delivered to her door, courtesy of a mausoleum that is no longer there. This throw Charlotte’s entire life and model for living out the window. She’s reintroduced to family she hasn’t talked to in years along with friends that she walked away from when her husband died.
The bombshell near the end of this book was just that, a bombshell. I did not see it coming and I couldn’t have predicted it if you’d given me a million guesses. This book was so much more than I originally thought. I figured it would be a “find love in unexpected places” kind of romance, but it was more of a “find yourself after losing it all those years ago” and about 90% of the story is that. Really only about 10-ish percent was about falling or about to fall in love moments.
Overall, a good story with a lot of moments that people can take away from. It’s not always about the things that you can control. You can’t control life, no matter how hard you try.
Book Description:
Sometimes love is unpredictable….
Twenty-nine-year-old Charlotte Rosen has a secret: she’s a widow. Ever since the fateful day that leveled her world, Charlotte has worked hard to move forward. Great job at a hot social media analytics company? Check. Roommate with no knowledge of her past? Check. Adorable dog? Check. All the while, she’s faithfully data-crunched her way through life, calculating the probability of risk – so she can avoid it.
Yet Charlotte’s algorithms could never have predicted that her late husband’s ashes would land squarely on her doorstep five years later. Stunned but determined, Charlotte sets out to find meaning in this sudden twist of fate, even if that includes facing her perfectly coiffed, and perfectly difficult, ex-mother-in-law – and her husband’s best friend, who seems to become a fixture at her side whether she likes it or not.
But soon a shocking secret surfaces, forcing Charlotte to answer questions she never knew to ask and to consider the possibility of forgiveness. And when a chance at new love arises, she’ll have to decide once and for all whether to follow the numbers or trust her heart.
Husband Material by Emily Belden
Narrator: Piper Goodeve
Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
Published by Harlequin Audio on December 30th 2019
Genres: RomCom
Format: Audiobook
