The Husband Hour

By: Jamie Brenner

Narrated by: Christie Moreau

When a young widow's reclusive life in a charming beach town is interrupted by a surprise visitor, she is forced to reckon with dark secrets about her family, her late husband, and the past she tried to leave behind.

Lauren Adelman and her high school sweetheart, Rory Kincaid, are a golden couple. They marry just out of college as Rory, a star hockey player, earns a spot in the NHL. Their future could not look brighter when Rory shocks everyone-Lauren most of all-by enlisting in the U.S. Army. When Rory dies in combat, Lauren is left devastated, alone, and under unbearable public scrutiny.

Seeking peace and solitude, Lauren retreats to her family's old beach house on the Jersey Shore. But this summer she's forced to share the house with her overbearing mother and competitive sister. Worse, a stranger making a documentary about Rory tracks her down and persuades her to give him just an hour to talk about her husband.

One hour with filmmaker Matt Brio turns into a summer of revelations, surprises, and upheaval. As the days grow shorter and her grief changes shape, Lauren begins to understand the past-and to welcome the future.

Critic reviews

Named one of 31 of the "Best New Books You Should Read This Spring" by Popsugar
One of Book Bub's Great Vacation Reads

One of Southern Living's "Best Beach Reads Perfect for Summer Vacation"
One of Coastal Living's "Best Books of Summer 2018"

"A touching story about love, grief, and healing...a testament to the strength of a woman's heart."—Bustle

"A story of young love, passion, grief and healing, The Husband Hour is a perfect addition to your bookshelf or beach bag."—The Sacramento Bee

"your official first beach read of the season."—Hello Giggles

"A satisfying journey to all the familiar places-beautiful young widow, romantic betrayal, supportive girl network-that leaves you happy-sad to see it end."—Family Circle

"Let the beach-reading recommendations commence. This month, we might have an early winner in The Husband Hour".—Entertainment Weekly

"a read perfect for sunny weather."—ABC News

"An irresistible must-read about dealing with our pasts, gaining strength from our struggles, and what it really takes to move on."—Popsugar

"The Husband Hour is a testament to strong women everywhere whose strength is often born out of sorrow and struggle. A must-read for book clubs."—Tanya Biank, author ofArmy Wives: The Unwritten Code ofMilitary Marriage

"A tale of the complexities of sisterhood, love, and the secrets we keep-even from ourselves-The Husband Hour will grab you from the first sentence and hold you until the last. I absolutely could not put it down."—Kristy Woodson Harvey, author of SlightlySouth of Simple and The Secret to Southern Charm

"The Husband Hour is the first must-read of the summer!"—Fiona Davis, author of The Address and TheDollhouse

"Delving into complex issues of family, love and grief, this novel is ideal for those who believe our flaws are as significant as our strengths. A captivating read!"—Karma Brown, bestselling author of In thisMoment

"A beautiful story of grief, healing, the power of forgiveness, and the enduring love of family."—Amy Poeppel,author of Small Admissions

BEAUTIFUL STORY ABOUT LOVE, LOSS, HEALING AND FAMILY…

I enjoyed the book very much
(except the repeated description of a victory sign).

The book was touching in so many ways. Those who held Rory up as a hero realized he was just a human, who like every other human on earth, was flawed and had made some serious mistakes. As a widow twice over, I could really relate to Lauren’s feelings and her path to healing (Lauren had circumstances I did not, but under everything, loss is loss and pain is pain.

This story would have been SOOO much better with a different narrator. ALL characters had exactly the same voice. Thus story would have been so much more impactful if the narrator had modulated her voice or made ANY effort to make one character’s voice sound different from another.

Hopefully the next book(s) I read by this author will have a DIFFERENT narrator.

Otherwise, I recommend this book.

Mispronounced words detracted from the story

My favorite was “…he paced impotently before calling…”. I enjoyed the story but unfortunately, the narrator was a distraction for this book.

Beautiful story

A beautiful family full of flaws. I loved the characters and the portrayal of a typical family. The narrator did a great job and I enjoyed this story.

Better to read, not listen

The story and the characters were very good and relatable but the narrator made me skip a few chapters to get to the end. I didn’t care for the narration of the book.

A nice story but slow

I listen to a book a week. This was nice in between the faster-paced novels and classics.