REVIEW: It's Always the Husband by Michele Campbell
Kate, Aubrey, and Jenny first met as college roommates and soon became inseparable, despite being as different as three women can be. Kate was beautiful, wild, wealthy, and damaged. Aubrey, on financial aid, came from a broken home and wanted more than anything to distance herself from her past. And Jenny was a striver - brilliant, ambitious, and determined to succeed. As an unlikely friendship formed, the three of them swore they would always be there for each other. But 20 years later, one of them is standing at the edge of a bridge, and someone is urging her to jump. How did it come to this?
Kate married the gorgeous party boy, Aubrey married up, and Jenny married the boy next door. But how can these three women love and hate each other? Can feelings this strong lead to murder? When one of them dies under mysterious circumstances, will everyone assume, as is often the case, that it's always the husband? (Via Audible)
Review
It's Always the Husband is an interesting listen. It is definitely a page-turner but I am not entirely sure why it kept me interested. I did not particularly like any of the characters, there was nothing terribly special about the plot, and I never felt like I was really on edge waiting for the big moment of reveal. Despite my general lack of interest in the book I did keep listening, in fact, I have now listened to it three times.
I did not like or feel a connection to any of the characters but I only hated one, Kate. She was unlikable for sure, but beyond that, she just did not make sense. She was not charming, actively pushed everyone away, did terrible things seemingly without motive, and yet almost every other character was completely loyal to and enamored with her. It just did not make sense and Ms. Campbell never made any real attempt to justify it other than saying. "she's beautiful."
The ending is surprisingly surprising but it is touched on so briefly that you are not able to enjoy it. Just as all the storylines all reach their peak the book abruptly ends. Most of the conclusions are only discussed, not witnessed in action, in one brief conversation between two of the main characters and the final reveal comes almost like an afterthought on the last page.
If I were being entirely objective It's Always the Husband is a 2 Star book. Alas, as I am human and thus not entirely objective I have settled on a rating of 3 stars instead. In my mind, that additional start is absolutely earned by this book's odd quality of being so readable (and repeatable) while also being mostly uninteresting.
Comments
Post a Comment